The Dark Monarch's pupils contracted slightly, his expression changing somewhat at Ye Chen's words. But after all, he was a monarch of the Primordial Times, possessing considerable depth. Standing with his hands behind his back, he was about ten feet tall. "Oh—so you were specifically waiting for my appearance, then."
"Correct. I was waiting for you to appear. Otherwise, how could a mere Three Tribulation Divine King like him hold me off for so long?"
"I must say, your courage is truly immense." The Dark Monarch laughed, slightly taken aback by Ye Chen's admission of waiting, but not showing any fear. He merely said, "Is it because you have a supreme powerhouse at the Ancient Monarch level backing you, someone on par with myself, that gives you such audacity?"
Ye Chen smiled, appearing as gentle as a spring breeze, quite pleasant. But when he moved, it was with the force of thunder. He struck out like lightning directly at the Dark Monarch's projected form.
Boom—
The entire Liu City trembled, on the verge of collapsing.
"Even if I am but a projection, it is not something a mere Divine King can contend with." The Dark Monarch was cold and indifferent, looking upon Ye Chen as if he were an ant. With a mere lift of his hand, a vast surge of dark power shot towards the heavens, overwhelming the vast expanse of sky.
Within it, Ye Chen was like a small boat in a raging storm, seemingly ready to capsize at any moment.
Yet, Ye Chen's expression remained unchanged. He had never intended to confront it head-on. Even though this was only a monarch's projection, it was not something he could handle in his current state.
Boom—
The dark power surged past. Ye Chen's figure seemed unable to withstand it. With a *puff* sound, his form directly dissipated, utterly destroyed.
The Dark Monarch was stunned. Had this greatest blasphemer been annihilated just like that?
It shouldn't be!
Many people in Liu City were similarly astonished. This youth had clearly been able to slaughter the Lord of Liu City. Even if he was no match for a monarch's projection, he shouldn't have been wiped out in the blink of an eye.
Suddenly, the Dark Monarch's expression changed. He looked up towards the vast heavens. "Not good! I've fallen for a trick!"
Boom—
In the Third Domain, the Heavenly Emperor Hall, originally situated high in the heavens, now saw the appearance of an unparalleled, sky-shrouding giant hand. It was unimaginably huge, visible across the entire Third Domain. Stars seemed minuscule before this hand. It descended heavily upon the majestic Heavenly Emperor Hall.
With a deafening roar, the Heavenly Emperor Hall—the symbol representing the Heavenly Emperor's authority in the Third Domain—directly shattered into pieces. Countless powerhouses within were pulverized, including the severely damaged Divine Punishment Army. All were reduced to ashes, their blood staining the heavens.
"Ah—"
A furious roar erupted. The Dark Monarch's true form shot into the sky, his black hair whirling wildly. Boundless dark power erupted, overwhelming the entire starry expanse as he charged towards the attacker.
However, the attacker was hidden within the void, invisible. They raised a seemingly delicate, small fist. Yet, it was precisely this delicate fist that, when it fell, carried an unparalleled, majestic force that made half of the Heavenly Emperor Realm tremble. It collided with the Dark Monarch.
Boom—
The heavens shook with a thunderous explosion!
At the highest point of the heavens, boundless light and dark radiance churned and roiled, their power surging across half of the Heavenly Emperor Realm. The commotion was heard across all Ten Great Domains, causing widespread alarm. Everyone knew that a peerless powerhouse was likely battling beyond the domains.
"Third Brother!"
The Region Lords from the other major domains of the Heavenly Emperor Realm were startled. They shot into the sky and, with monarch-level speed, traversed the endless void, arriving at the former location of the Heavenly Emperor Hall before too long.
However, the majestic, seemingly eternal Heavenly Emperor Hall that once stood at the highest point of the heavens was now a ruin, scattered across the sky in pieces, stained with tragic, brilliant blood that dyed the firmament crimson. Only the Dark Monarch stood there, the dark power around him boiling incessantly.
The assailant had long since vanished, leaving not a single trace to be found.
"Third Brother, are you alright?"
The other Region Lords spoke up one after another, inquiring about the Third Domain Lord's condition.
Hidden within the darkness, a trace of vivid, crimson blood appeared at the corner of the Dark Monarch's mouth—a stark contrast to the darkness, startling the other Region Lords.
Since they, the ten great divine generals who once followed the Heavenly Emperor in his campaigns, had, after the Heavenly Emperor's ascension to supremacy, successively become Ancient Monarchs, eternal and unchanging for countless ages, vast and boundless, how many tens of thousands of years had passed? Few could threaten them, let alone injure them.
But now, the Third Domain Lord, an Ancient Monarch, was injured, blood trickling from his mouth—a sign of internal damage. Clearly, the attacker was, at the very least, also an Ancient Monarch.
"He is very strong. Among the humans, a peerless monarch is hidden, stronger than I am!"
The Third Domain Lord, the Dark Monarch, spoke these words. Though brief, his evaluation was high, causing the other Region Lords to change expressions.
The Ten Great Domain Lords were also the ten great divine generals under the Heavenly Emperor in the past, ranked from first to tenth, corresponding to their positions as lords of the Ten Great Domains.
Similarly, this was also a ranking of their strength.
The Third Domain Lord, the Dark Monarch, was among the top three powerful monarchs of the Ten Great Domain Lords.
Yet, he evaluated himself as inferior to the attacking human Ancient Monarch.
The other nine great Domain Lords spoke gravely, "Third Brother, how strong is he?"
The Dark Monarch shook his head. "Unclear. I only know he is very strong. But strangely, the power he wielded was not the monarch domain power of you or me. It was a powerful physical might, combined with a force similar to that of a primal great world. Together, they were absurdly strong. And he only made a single move."
The nine Domain Lords all wore heavy expressions. With just a single move, he had injured the Dark Monarch and shattered the Heavenly Emperor Hall inscribed with monarch dao patterns. Just how powerful was this human Ancient Monarch who had come?
The Dark Monarch said solemnly, "You all must be careful. The opponent is strong. Moreover, we ultimately only forcibly broke through to this realm by borrowing the Heavenly Emperor's faith power. Our foundations are somewhat inferior to those of true Ancient Monarchs who broke through purely by their own means. Therefore, when encountering such a peerless monarch, do not be careless. Contact the others immediately; it's best to join forces to deal with him."
The other Domain Lords all nodded. The world believed they were Ancient Monarchs, but in truth, relying on themselves alone, it was difficult for them to reach this step. It was because the Heavenly Emperor, remembering their service in following him, bestowed upon them immeasurable faith power, allowing them to augment themselves and cultivate, thus achieving their breakthrough.
However, this also came with a significant flaw. Because they broke through with external aid, their dao foundations and cultivation were slightly inferior to true Ancient Monarchs who broke through by their own means. Dealing with those of lower ranks was one thing, but when facing fellow Ancient Monarchs of the same rank, this flaw could easily become a fatal weakness, not to be ignored.
On this day, the Heavenly Emperor Realm was greatly shaken, causing an uproar throughout the world!
The human sinners had not been successfully hunted down. The so-called monarch who entered the outer domains to slaughter the human sinners was merely an illusion conjured by the Ancient Monarch of the Heavenly Emperor Hall to deceive the world.
The true human sinners were still hidden within the Heavenly Emperor Realm. Moreover, the blasphemer had appeared with overwhelming force, beheading the Lord of Liu City in the Third Domain, destroying the divine statue, and slaughtering numerous temple powerhouses.
Furthermore, the human sinners had been thoroughly provoked. An unparalleled powerhouse had emerged, attacking the Heavenly Emperor Hall of the Third Domain, shattering that majestic divine hall that had stood at the highest point of the heavens for countless years, annihilating countless powerhouses, and even injuring the Third Domain Lord.
For a time, it caused a massive sensation throughout the entire Heavenly Emperor Realm.