Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
From within the Heavenly Emperor Hall, countless powerful experts rushed out, not lacking in Great Powers, and even a Divine King personally appeared. He was one of the powerful commanders within the Heavenly Emperor Hall, clad in divine armor with divine radiance swirling around his body.
"Who goes there?"
The Divine King shouted, but he could sense the visitor's formidable strength, which gave even a Divine King like him a strong sense of threat. He was both shocked and felt a sense of powerlessness.
Divine Kings, regardless of the era, were absolutely supreme powerhouses standing high above all, hailed as Kings of Gods, which said it all.
Throughout the vast Great Domain, Divine King-level experts were few and far between.
But this era was so different. Countless terrifying forces had descended from beyond the realm, claiming to be Imperial Clans and Immortal Clans, all powerful lineages descended from ancient great emperors and supreme immortals. Each was astonishingly strong, possessing Divine King-level experts.
Moreover, the younger generation was truly monstrous and terrifying, not lacking in Divine Kings. There were even those who, though not Divine Kings, could battle Divine Kings, and some could even defy the world and slay Divine Kings. They were terrifyingly powerful, being the descendants of those ancient great emperors and supreme immortals, inheriting the world's most powerful bloodline power.
The young talent who had appeared before him was likely among their ranks. His blood energy carried the vitality unique to the younger generation. Clearly very young, yet he was already powerful enough to make this Divine King, who had cultivated for over a hundred thousand years, wary.
Though the Heavenly Emperor Hall's Divine King was shocked, facing such a young Divine King powerhouse for the first time, he still said with a grave expression, "Who are you? Do you know this is the Heavenly Emperor Hall, not a place anyone can casually set foot in? Leave immediately, and I might spare you once."
The young Divine King, surrounded by azure-green light, didn't seem to care much. He said with a light laugh, "Fellow Daoist, there's no need to be so guarded. I've come to the Heavenly Emperor Hall to pay my respects to the Region Lord and inform him of some traces regarding the whereabouts of the human race."
Hearing this, the Heavenly Emperor Hall's Divine King immediately changed expression. "Is that true?"
"If false, may my form and spirit be annihilated!" the young Divine King said.
This was a Heavenly Dao oath. No one could fake it, or they would suffer Heavenly Dao backlash.
"Good, follow me!"
The Heavenly Emperor Hall's Divine King dared not delay. He personally led the young Divine King to the most magnificent Heavenly Palace, from within which boundless heavenly majesty slowly emanated. Even someone as powerful as the young Divine King felt the azure-green divine radiance around him might shatter at any moment, sensing the immense pressure as vast as the starry sky.
Within the Heavenly Palace resided a true Ancient Monarch.
But the young Divine King showed not the slightest fear.
"Reporting to the Region Lord, a Divine King from beyond the realm has come, wishing to inform us of traces of the human criminal populace!" the Divine King spoke, addressing the Heavenly Palace.
"Let him enter!"
The gates of the Heavenly Palace slowly opened. Inside, infinite laws surged like a vast ocean, mighty and boiling, striking against the heavens, causing hearts to tremble.
Even someone as powerful as a Divine King within it seemed like a small, precarious boat that could capsize at any moment, form and spirit annihilated.
The young Divine King stepped inside. Azure-green light manifested from his body, transforming into a world that enveloped him. Within it, all things grew, full of vitality, with living beings constantly appearing.
Faintly visible, the young Divine King seemed to transform into a towering divine tree, blooming with boundless azure-green light. But within that light was contained the most vigorous and intense life force.
He was submerged in the ocean of laws, yet remained eternally indestructible, resisting the entire ocean of laws, calmly advancing within.
No one knew how much time passed. He traversed the ocean of laws and arrived at the deepest part of the Heavenly Palace. There, he saw a tall divine throne, massive like a divine mountain. Upon it sat a majestic figure as huge as a mountain range, his entire body submerged in boundless laws that had transformed into the ocean of laws within the Heavenly Palace.
This ocean of laws sometimes calmed, like a stagnant pool of dead water; sometimes it boiled, mighty throughout the heavens, capable of obliterating worlds.
The Ancient Monarch sat upon the divine throne, looking down from a high position, gazing at the young Divine King before him as if he could see through everything about him. He said, "Your true form is actually a divine tree, carrying an intense life force. You must be the young Divine King of the Life Imperial Clan, from beyond the realm. Daring to come to the Heavenly Emperor Hall, to stand before This Monarch, your courage is not small either. Do you think This Monarch wouldn't dare to capture you? You are a Life Divine Tree. Erasing your consciousness and refining you, then planting you within my body, could increase This Monarch's lifespan considerably."
Ancient Monarchs were not truly immortal and undying. Though they could live for extremely long periods, there would eventually come a day when, like others, they would decline, their oil exhausted and lamp extinguished, sitting in meditation until their end.
The Life Divine Tree contained vigorous life force. Without a doubt, refining it would be greatly beneficial to lifespan, increasing it considerably.
Even an Ancient Monarch would covet such a Life Divine Tree.
Indeed, this person was precisely the Divine King-level Supreme Genius of the Life Imperial Clan who had escaped from Ye Chen's grasp earlier. His name was Nan Gong Chen, extremely powerful, even surpassing Cang Qingyang from back then. Now, his life force was many times more intense, likely because he had seized the Life Imperial Son's true form, the Life Tree, from Ye Chen's hands and might have refined it into one with himself, advancing further and achieving ultimate sublimation.
Facing the unconcealed greed in the eyes of the Third Domain's Region Lord, Nan Gong Chen showed no fear. He merely smiled slightly and said, "I believe you will not refine me. Moreover, even if you, Region Lord, wish to refine me, it would not be an easy matter."
"Oh?"
On the divine throne, the Ancient Monarch let out a meaningful "oh." A vast ocean of laws surged down, submerging the young Life Divine King below. The power of those laws contained world-destroying, heaven-shattering monarchial heavenly majesty, possessing the most terrifying primal force, far surpassing the Divine King's Great Dao primal force. Though neither was abundant, it could still easily annihilate a Divine King.
The capabilities of an Ancient Monarch were countless times greater than those of a Divine King.
Boom!
Within the violent ocean of laws, a sudden loud explosion erupted. From within, a giant Life Tree rose from the ground, piercing through the clouds, blooming with vast azure-green light.
No matter how violent the ocean of laws was, it could never invade the range of the Life Tree's azure-green light. It was as if this was an absolute domain, absolutely impervious to invasion.
"Hmm?"
The Ancient Monarch uttered a sound of surprise, noticing something unusual. He hadn't expected a mere young Divine King to block his ocean of laws attack. This was not simple; the other party seemed to possess extraordinary means.
Suddenly, from within the Life Tree, an imperial Dao majesty surged forth, directly pressuring the Ancient Monarch Region Lord.
The Region Lord's expression changed, but he withstood it. He looked gravely at the young Divine King, no longer acting rashly.
The other party's body seemed to conceal imperial Dao methods. Not simple.
Towards supreme figures like Emperors and Supreme Immortals, even Ancient Monarchs had to show reverence. The Third Domain Lord's gaze upon Nan Gong Chen was now completely different, without the earlier contempt. He said, "Very well, this time I believe you. But why are you providing human race traces? You also come from beyond the realm and could very well be allied with the human race. Why should This Monarch believe you?"
"Simple!" Nan Gong Chen said. "Among the human race, there is one person who once annihilated the Heavenly Emperor's divine form. His name is Ye Chen, also known as the Battle Saint King. He is a Chaos Young Supreme One, extremely powerful. Alone, he annihilated almost everyone in my Life Imperial Clan, including the Imperial Son. I am the last of the Life Imperial Clan, and I have an irreconcilable vendetta against him."
"As long as you act against the human race, the Battle Saint King will definitely appear. I will personally slay this enemy, the Battle Saint King!"
The Ancient Monarch was indifferent. No wonder he was so willing. So that person who dared to annihilate the Heavenly Emperor's divine form, the number one on the wanted list, was such a terrifying individual—a Chaos Young Supreme One who had personally exterminated an Imperial Clan.
"Good, provide the information!"
The Region Lord did not hesitate.
"Though I provide the human race's traces, I also have a request. If the Battle Saint King appears, you must leave him to me. I want to kill him personally!" Nan Gong Chen said.
"Agreed!"
Nan Gong Chen also kept his promise, using the Life Imperial Clan's special imperial Dao methods to search for some traces of the human race.
Sure enough, not long after, Nan Gong Chen found some information regarding the human race's traces and provided it to the Heavenly Emperor Hall of the Third Domain.
Huayang City, one of the Ten Great Metropolises of the Third Domain, located in the north of this domain.
According to the information provided by Nan Gong Chen, some human race powerhouses were hiding in a mountain range less than a hundred thousand li outside Huayang City.
On this day, the Third Domain Lord issued an order, commanding that very Divine King of the Heavenly Emperor Hall who had earlier brought Nan Gong Chen to the Heavenly Palace to personally take charge. He was to lead the Heavenly Emperor Hall's most terrifying Divine Punishment Army on an expedition to surround and suppress the human criminal populace, solidifying the Heavenly Emperor's immortal faith.
The world was shaken!
The Divine Punishment Army was an invincible legion under the command of the Heavenly Emperor during his rule over the Heavenly Emperor Realm. It was terrifyingly powerful, having once made countless great enemies tremble in fear, dyeing ten thousand li of mountains and rivers with blood.
Back then, it was precisely because of the existence of the Divine Punishment Army that the Heavenly Emperor was able to unify the Heavenly Emperor Realm, ruling over all directions, his divine might overshadowing the world.
It was said that the current Ten Great Domain Lords were once the Ten Great Divine Generals of the Divine Punishment Army.
Of course, after countless years had passed, aside from the Ten Great Domain Lords, basically no one else from the original Divine Punishment Army could still be alive from that time. They had long since passed away in meditation over the ages. These were the descendants of the former Divine Punishment Army, inheriting their ancestors' legacy to become the new generation of the Divine Punishment Army.
However, anyone capable of entering this most terrifying legion, the Divine Punishment Army, was undoubtedly powerful.
The Third Domain's Divine Punishment Army set out on expedition, launching a crusade against the human criminal populace with the most domineering stance.
Simultaneously, the lords of other metropolises within this domain also rushed over to jointly carry out the encirclement and suppression.
Because, according to some information provided by the Imperial Clan, the human race was extremely powerful, with over thirty Divine King-level figures alone—a terrifyingly astonishing number. This didn't even include the more than ten Imperial Sons and Daughters, and Supreme Young Supremes, all possessing fearsome combat power surpassing ordinary Divine Kings.
It was heard that, if necessary, the Third Domain Lord would also personally take action.
Only by eliminating the human criminal populace could the stability of the Heavenly Emperor Hall be solidified, stabilizing the world's faith in the Heavenly Emperor.
The vast army marched forth, its number of powerful experts unknown. Moreover, Huayang City had a spatial teleportation gate. The mighty force charged toward the location provided by Nan Gong Chen.