As fellow Ancient Talents—or in the case of the other, a young great demon king renowned throughout the world—their strengths were not far apart, the gap between them minimal. Unless they truly fought a battle to the death, determining a clear victor in a clash like this—
Was difficult!
The five young supreme powerhouses each stood in their own space in the void, their auras still peerlessly powerful. From the crowns of their heads, pillars of divine light soared into the heavens, their majestic might surging, scattering the clouds in the sky. Their energies clashed against each other with rumbling roars, causing the very void to tremble.
This made the onlookers marvel at the divine might of the five young supreme powerhouses. Their mere pressure was already this terrifying; just an ordinary spar seemed like it could bring about the end of the world. One could only imagine how horrifying a true life-and-death battle between them would be.
But the five young supreme powerhouses each stood in their respective spots in the void, gazing at one another, confronting each other, and no longer taking action.
They had all come to understand each other's capabilities. 'Evenly matched' was the obvious assessment. Naturally, each surely possessed extraordinary, unknown methods, harboring even more terrifying killing power. Like the young great demon king's secret technique to boost his power, which could instantly elevate his combat prowess by a large margin, enabling him to suppress or banish his foes.
But how could the other young supreme powerhouses be much worse?
However, it was clear that by now, the various young supreme powerhouses had all ceased fighting, not wishing to reveal their trump cards too early.
Long Gu'ao first swept his gaze over the three Ancient Talents, then looked at Ye Chen and nodded. "Ye Chen, I acknowledge you."
This was a form of recognition from an Ancient Talent, an acknowledgment of a peer.
One must know that these Ancient Talents were the most dazzling figures of their generation, peerless among their contemporaries. To earn their acknowledgment, one likely had to be another Ancient Talent. Yet, in this era, a young great demon king had appeared, forcing even the Ancient Talents to acknowledge his strength, deeming him worthy of standing shoulder-to-shoulder with them, capable of engaging in a life-and-death battle.
It could be said this was a tremendous honor, the highest form of recognition for the younger generation. Otherwise, even a young Martial God like Xia Yang wouldn't be qualified to receive such acknowledgment.
"Ye Chen, I acknowledge you."
"I acknowledge you as well!"
"Among the younger generation of this era, only you are worthy of recognition from us few."
The other three Ancient Talents spoke in turn, acknowledging Ye Chen, admitting his potential, and recognizing his strength.
This made countless members of the younger generation feel their blood boiling with fervor, wishing they could take Ye Chen's place, to be the one receiving this acknowledgment, this supreme honor.
Ye Chen's expression was not as exhilarated and impassioned as the world might have imagined. He remained as calm and composed as ever. Perhaps for him, such recognition was fundamentally unnecessary, because he himself was the strongest of his generation.
He nodded, calmly accepting it. The other four Ancient Talents showed no surprise or doubt. If Ye Chen had become exhilarated and impassioned over such recognition, then he wouldn't have been worthy of their acknowledgment in the first place.
Yang Wushuang strode forward, his golden radiance completely withdrawn into his body. He actively approached Ye Chen, extending his hand. His handsome face wore a smile, sincere and not hypocritical. "Ye Chen, you are truly strong. I have to admit your strength is so great it makes me quite wary. But you are also a powerful opponent worthy of respect."
Ye Chen smiled, also reaching out his hand to shake the other's. Neither side tested the other; it was a peaceful handshake. He said, "Yang Wushuang, you truly live up to your name 'Peerless'. Your strength is quite impressive."
Subsequently, the other three Ancient Talents also withdrew their auras. As the strongest of the younger generation, their strengths were evenly matched. Without a true life-and-death battle, it was difficult to determine a victor. At this moment, they all felt a sense of mutual admiration and respect. They exchanged glances and smiles, feeling a kinship akin to that of kindred spirits.
This scene made Ye Chen think of many, many things.
"Such a harmonious scene. How about adding me to it?" A hearty laugh rang out. They saw a refined, handsome young man walking through the void, appearing quite peaceful, like a scholar. But his appearance made the others tense up.
They were all young supreme powerhouses, their perceptions extremely sharp. They could sense this person's formidable strength, likely not much weaker than their own. They immediately understood this person's origins.
But Long Gu'ao still unleashed a stream of golden dragon qi, sweeping across the sky, actively attacking the mysterious, refined young man.
The refined young man smiled faintly, appearing calm and composed. Yet his move was equally extraordinary. He waved his hand through the air, releasing a hazy, shimmering radiance that seemed to contain unpredictable heavenly secrets. It caused the golden dragon qi to lose its direction, as if it couldn't see him, simply flying past his side, its attack rendered ineffective.
This scene made people marvel, confirming the other's strength—not much weaker than their own. Who else could it be besides an Ancient Talent?
Yang Wushuang said, "Sir, might you be Yuan Jiu?"
The refined young man smiled, as gentle as a spring breeze. He was a remarkably peaceful man, possessing a temperament of detachment from worldly strife. "I am indeed Yuan Jiu."
Upon receiving this answer, many students below were astonished, while the Elders, Mentors, and Supreme Elders were all shocked. They hadn't expected even Yuan Jiu to choose to emerge into the world. He had been self-sealed before, and they had thought he would remain sealed until a later era.
It was just that among the five young supreme powerhouses, it was said Yuan Jiu was not only an Ancient Talent sealed by the Tian Du Academy but also the inheritor of the Great Seer—no simple figure.
Yang Wushuang immediately inquired about this matter. Yuan Jiu was very peaceful, not avoiding the question. He nodded with a smile. "What you say is correct. I have indeed inherited the legacy of the Great Seer from the ancient era. But, everyone, don't think it's that formidable. The path of prophecy actually has great limitations and taboos. Many things are unforeseeable, unpredictable. It's merely that occasionally, in a flash of inspiration, I catch a glimpse of a corner of the future."
He was very candid, holding nothing back, which made the others pause in surprise.
Seeing their puzzlement, Yuan Jiu let out a soft sigh. "The Slaying the Heavens war is a matter of great importance. All of you are the true main force for the future battle. I truly do not wish to hide anything. I am willing to contribute my due strength for the coming war."
Mention of the Slaying the Heavens war brought a sense of gravity and pressure to everyone.
Although the several Ancient Talents were proud and arrogant, they also understood the true fearsomeness of the alien race's Divine Spirits. Not long ago, they had personally experienced the terror of the alien race.
The Divine Spirits were too powerful. Moreover, the number of alien race Divine Spirits was not limited to just a few. From the situation of the cross-realm battle that day, one could understand that in terms of Divine Spirit numbers, they surpassed those of the Tian Du Continent.
And among them were several Divine Spirits of peerless might. Even the several Supreme Divine Spirits of the Tian Du Continent found them quite difficult to deal with. Without even truly crossing realms, they had inflicted injuries upon their own side's Divine Spirits, making them hard to handle. One could only imagine how terrifying they would be once they truly crossed over and descended.
If this place weren't their home ground, blessed with the support of the world's origin, the situation would likely be even more difficult.
In this era, their unsealing and emergence had a reason, carrying a significant responsibility. They needed to surpass the Divine Spirits in this era, to rescue the entire Tian Du Continent from its suffering.
Yuan Jiu suddenly looked at Ye Chen. "Brother Ye, you are very mysterious. Your fate is shrouded by a mist, impossible to see through, impossible to investigate—chaotic and elusive."
Everyone was astonished. The Great Seer was mysterious and powerful. For any living being, even a very powerful one, he could usually see some clues. But Ye Chen's fate was actually filled with mist, impenetrable, uninvestigable, which was truly surprising.
But Ye Chen was not surprised. He was the reincarnation of a Supreme One, his fate was extremely solid, and he was born with extraordinary qualities, possessing an unusual origin. For Yuan Jiu to see through his fate was fundamentally impossible.
Li Taixu said, "Brother Ye, may I ask, where exactly does the Trial Gate lead to?"
This point was intriguing. Among those present, only Ye Chen had truly pushed it open a crack and glimpsed a corner.
"I only saw a corner. It is a mysterious great world, like primordial chaos, inhabited by numerous fearsome, peerless great demons. There are also sky cities that never fall, and ten suns hanging in the sky. But I can only say this world is very terrifying. I do not recommend setting foot in it."
Ye Chen spoke with some concealment, but what he said was true. It was indeed a rather fearsome great world, with flood dragons as thick as mountain ranges, and great rocs with wings that blotted out the sky soaring high, not inferior to Divine Spirits, possessing world-ending capabilities.
But there were some matters he concealed, not wishing to tell others. Moreover, their knowing wouldn't necessarily be beneficial.
Upon hearing this, the several Ancient Talents showed expressions of shock and disbelief. "Brother Ye, are these words true? Brother Ye, please don't be angry. We are just too astonished."
Ye Chen shook his head. "I am not angry. But I do not recommend immediately setting foot in this mysterious world, as it might invite disaster. However, we can slowly venture into it later. And for the Tian Du Continent, it might not be a bad place."
The several Ancient Talents exchanged glances, finding Ye Chen's words somewhat strange. It seemed as if he was somewhat familiar with the mysterious world beyond the Trial Gate.
Ye Chen offered no explanation. He said, "However, within that world beyond the Trial Gate, Primordial Spirit spiritual energy can drift out. Cultivating with it over the long term will be greatly beneficial to the Primordial Spirit, making it stronger and providing deeper insights into the Dao."
"Good. Actually, I also want to see the wonders of that world. Since we've all come here, I'll try to push it open." Yang Wushuang stood up. He was the first to arrive before the eighth Trial Gate.
This time, no one else stepped forward to stop him. They had all set aside their previous grievances, naturally becoming friends.
Yang Wushuang let out a soft shout. Instantly, surging golden brilliance erupted from his entire body, shaking the sky as he exerted force to push the Trial Gate.
*Rumble—*
The heavy Trial Gate was slowly pushed open. Flecks of Primordial Spirit spiritual energy drifted out, absorbed by Yang Wushuang. The light of his Primordial Spirit grew stronger, but he paid it no mind, instead focusing his gaze on the sliver of the mysterious world revealed through the crack in the gate.