A corner of a savage, primordial world was revealed before their eyes. Yang Wushuang was filled with astonishment. It was truly as Ye Chen had said—there really existed such a miraculous and boundless world, brimming with the aura of the Primordial Era.
Ten suns hung in the sky, demonic dragons soared, giant rocs struck at the heavens, and divine cities never fell. All of this resembled a vast, savage world, but its aura was terrifyingly profound, almost threatening to suck his Primordial Spirit inside.
It was too mysterious.
He wanted to push the gate open wider, to see more clearly, but the Trial Gate was immeasurably heavy. Even someone as powerful as him could only truly push it open a crack. To open it completely was difficult; it required even greater strength.
Subsequently, the other Ancient Talents—Wu Yunyan, Long Gu'ao, Li Taixu, and Yuan Jiu—each pushed open the Trial Gate in turn. They all caught a glimpse of the world within and were shocked. They hadn't expected such a mysterious world to truly exist, one even vaster and more immense than the Tian Du Continent, filled with the aura of the Primordial Era as if they had arrived in the ancient Primordial Era itself. It was teeming with powerful exotic beasts and had divine cities suspended in the air that never fell.
There were even traces of incredibly powerful Divine Spirit auras soaring through the sky. All of this indicated that the mysterious world beyond the Trial Gate was far, far more powerful than the Tian Du Continent.
This matter was of great importance and also caused the group some worry. What if the powerful beings from that world also crossed through the Trial Gate to invade the Tian Du Continent?
However, Ye Chen signaled to them not to worry too much. That world was very special, very mysterious. It was almost impossible for the beings of that realm to enter the Tian Du Continent.
Moreover, the Trial Gate was the key to that mysterious world, and it was in their hands. As long as they did not open it, it would be impossible for the beings of that world to enter the Tian Du Continent.
The others also relaxed. As Ye Chen said, without the key of the Trial Gate, it was likely impossible for the beings of that world to cross over.
But Ye Chen truly understood that this Trial Gate was probably an important key left behind by the September Great Power for the beings of this world to enter the other world. However, it required the younger generation to push it open, leaving a restriction.
As for why such a restriction was left, Ye Chen did not know, but it was possible it was to cultivate a successor, to one day find and inherit his legacy.
After all, no one wanted their successor to be mediocre.
Of course, all of this was merely Ye Chen's current speculation.
"Although the beings of the other world, like those of the alien race, find it difficult to cross into this world, we still must report this matter to the higher-ups of the Slaying the Heavens Alliance, even let the Divine Spirit Alliance Leaders know," Yuan Jiu said. This matter was too significant not to report.
Ye Chen had no objections. In fact, even if the Divine Spirits wanted to investigate that mysterious world, it would be very difficult. In this world, probably only Ye Chen and Old Yan truly understood the true origins of that world.
After the battle, the group set aside their previous prejudices, feeling a sense of mutual admiration and regret for not meeting sooner. Thus, they became friends.
Only those they recognized could truly become their friends. Moreover, with the Slaying the Heavens War imminent, each of them could become an indispensable main force in the future, comrades fighting side by side.
"Brother Wushuang, I heard that your Tianqi Empire pursued Brother Ye, not only failing to kill him but also suffering heavy losses. Logically, there should be some resentment between you. Aren't you bothered by it?" Li Taixu asked.
It was indeed true. The Tianqi Empire had been slaughtered by Ye Chen alone, losing dozens of Martial Gods, six or seven Super Martial Gods, and even an important royal family member at the peak Martial God level. It was a great enmity. Yet, Ye Chen had become friends with Yang Wushuang, which was indeed strange.
Yang Wushuang, however, seemed quite indifferent. "Dead is dead. A bunch of trash, incompetent in pursuit—they deserved to die. I didn't know them anyway. And this proves that anyone who can become my friend, Yang Wushuang, must be extraordinary."
"..."
The others truly felt sorrow for the Tianqi Empire having produced an Ancient Talent like Yang Wushuang.
But all of this could ultimately be attributed to Ye Chen's overwhelming strength. If Ye Chen's power had been insufficient, he would have perished long ago, without any chance to chat with the other Ancient Talents.
"Brother Ye, I heard you are younger than us. We are only twenty-three this year. How about you?" Long Gu'ao asked.
"Seventeen," Ye Chen thought for a moment and answered honestly.
"..." Everyone was severely struck. This was too monstrous. To be this powerful at seventeen, was he even human?
"Then are you at the seventh heaven of the Martial God realm?" Yang Wushuang inquired. If he was at the seventh heaven of Martial God at seventeen, that would be too monstrous; they all had the urge to bang their heads against a wall.
After all, monstrous as they were, they had only achieved the Martial God realm at sixteen or seventeen.
"The Martial God realm..."
Ye Chen directly released his foundational aura. Everyone was stunned. This... this was actually... the ninth level of Xiantian. He wasn't even at the first heaven of Martial God. They were all dumbfounded, suffering a severe blow.
This monster was too monstrous, dealing a heavy blow to these Ancient Talents who considered themselves invincible.
Finally, even someone as composed as Yuan Jiu couldn't help but sigh softly. "Brother Ye, you truly are the most monstrous individual in the world."
On this point, the various Ancient Talents silently agreed, deeply struck.
It was the first time they had felt so severely outmatched by someone of their generation.
Ye Chen chuckled. "Don't laugh at me, everyone. It's just that the cultivation path I walk is different. You mainly cultivate the Dao and techniques, while I mainly cultivate the body. As a result, my body is strong enough, but my magical power is insufficient. This is an advantage, but also a disadvantage, at least slightly lacking in long-range attacks."
Hearing this, the others nodded, feeling a bit better, but they were even more awed by the power of Ye Chen's treasure body. What cultivation method was he practicing that made him so powerful he could fight them, these Ancient Talents?
Naturally, this was Ye Chen's secret. They would not ask, as that would be disrespectful.
Not long after, the six young supreme powerhouses left the mountaintop and descended to the foot of the mountain. Even without actively releasing their supreme and majestic Dao auras, their invisible pressure caused many of the younger generation to submit and tremble.
The six figures were like six unshakable divine mountains, to be looked up to but not climbed.
In a daze, the world seemed to see six supreme deities rising here.
"Truly, they are talents..." Several Supreme Elders of the Tian Du Academy sighed with emotion. These six represented the future hope of the Tian Du Continent and were also the main force with the potential to achieve victory in the future Slaying the Heavens War.
"Ye Chen!"
Xia Teng and the others were already familiar with Ye Chen and did not have the reverence of ordinary people. Seeing Ye Chen descend, they immediately stepped forward. Xia Teng even laughed heartily and punched him, the treasure body clanging, which was astonishing.
"You finally decided to show up, kid," Xia Teng said with a chuckle.
"I was delayed by some matters. It's fine now," Ye Chen said, then looked at Princess Hong Rong and Vivian, offering them an active smile, his white teeth showing, bright and eye-catching.
Only his earliest friends could greet him with such enthusiasm. As for the other members of the younger generation, whether new or old students, they were all filled with awe at this moment, because Ye Chen stood like a divine mountain—to be looked up to, but not climbed or surpassed.
Yang Yi had some resentment towards Ye Chen. Even though Ye Chen didn't care now, she only watched from afar, sighing inwardly.
Time truly changed many things.
Xia Yang strode forward, looking at Ye Chen in silence for a moment before sighing, somewhat helpless but more despondent. "It hasn't been long, but you've become even stronger. The gap between us is growing larger and larger."
From initially being evenly matched, to later falling behind, and now, in just a few short months, Ye Chen had grown so quickly that he could rival Super Martial Gods and even slay such super-powerful beings. Meanwhile, Xia Yang had only just stepped into the Martial God realm.
His cultivation speed was considered fast. A twenty-three-year-old Martial God was an extreme rarity even in history, and he possessed the makings of a Divine Spirit. Unfortunately, compared to Ye Chen, he was truly far behind.
Ye Chen shook his head. "You will understand the reason in the future. Don't lose heart. When you transcend this world, you will become even stronger. At that time, so-called Divine Spirits will not be your limit. Believe me, this is true."
"Divine Spirits are not my limit..." Xia Yang murmured the words twice, his eyes suddenly blazing with intense, dazzling light.
He suddenly had a direction: he must one day surpass the Divine Spirit realm, transcend this world, and stand above it.
An intangible will surged from his body, drawing everyone's attention. They felt his willpower, understood his direction, and were all shocked.
Although Xia Yang's direction seemed like a fantasy to everyone, impossible to achieve—because the Divine Spirit realm was already the limit for them—for some reason, they all felt that Xia Yang might actually reach that step.
In a daze, they seemed to see a peerless powerhouse step by step ascending to the Nine Heavens, rising in the mortal world.
The four Ancient Talents were somewhat surprised, their gazes sharp and flickering.
The Supreme Elders were also surprised, seeing the great potential within Xia Yang, waiting to erupt and rise.
Ye Chen nodded. He had long seen Xia Yang's potential. Perhaps his innate talent couldn't compare to the Ancient Talents, but his character was quite tenacious, possessing an indomitable will. As long as he was given direction and a sufficiently vast world, surpassing the Divine Spirit realm was not impossible.
Measuring a person's achievements wasn't just about talent; that was merely an early factor. The later one progressed, the less important talent became. What mattered more was will and direction.
Without a doubt, Xia Yang had already preliminarily possessed the basic qualities of a true powerhouse.