Although the middle-aged man appeared rather disheveled and emitted little of the imposing aura expected of a Quasi-Monarch, seeming almost like a down-and-out mortal, none of the Quasi-Monarchs from the various heavens present dared to look down upon him.
On the contrary, when looking at this weathered and unkempt Quasi-Monarch, they all revealed a trace of hidden reverence in their eyes—a look usually reserved only for those transcendent Ancient Monarchs who stood above them.
Clearly, this seemingly destitute middle-aged man possessed an extraordinary background!
"Indeed, the earth of the Ten Heavens Ancient Domain also contains the power of the Supreme Great Daos of the various heavens, which can to some extent block the penetration of divine sense. If the Battle Saint King has gone deep enough into the earth, even we Quasi-Monarchs might not be able to detect him."
"Good, let us investigate the depths of the earth. This time, we must find the Battle Saint King."
The Quasi-Monarchs departed, this time sweeping their divine sense repeatedly through the vast depths of the Eighth Heaven Ancient Domain's earth. Their divine sense directly probed into the deepest parts of the earth, reaching a depth of over a million li.
A Quasi-Monarch's divine sense is powerful, but it also suffers severe obstruction deep within the earth. After probing into the deepest parts, its effective range was only about a hundred thousand li in radius.
Therefore, to thoroughly search the entire Heaven Ancient Domain, even a dozen or so Quasi-Monarchs would need a considerable amount of time—at least a month to completely sweep the deepest parts of the Eighth Heaven Ancient Domain's earth.
Thus, ten days quickly passed.
Deepest within the earth, a million li down.
There, a small temporary heaven and earth had been formed. It wasn't very large, filled with ancient Chaos Qi that constantly permeated the space, isolating all attempts to probe its aura.
At the center of the boiling ancient Chaos Qi, the Chaos Great Cauldron floated and sank irregularly, inhaling and exhaling Chaos light, accompanied by Chaos Laws and the illusory shadow of a small universe, shielding it from heavenly secrets divination.
At this moment, within the Chaos Great Cauldron, it was as if there existed a vast world heaven and earth, containing multiple figures.
If outsiders saw this scene, they would surely be greatly shocked, for all were Supreme Powerhouses at the Quasi-Monarch level, immensely powerful and unimaginable.
At this moment, Ye Chen was engaged in battle with the most powerful Immortal Clan Quasi-Monarch.
The Immortal Clan Quasi-Monarch was named Hongwei, a Quasi-Monarch from the Ascending Heaven Immortal Clan. He was also a Quasi-Monarch who had been sealed in slumber since the previous epoch. Forty percent of his origin heaven and earth had transformed into a World, placing him at the Mid Stage Quasi-Monarch level.
As Ye Chen and Quasi-Monarch Hongwei fought, endless divine chains of order manifested between them, along with numerous Divine King Spirits, terrifying beyond measure, as they sparred and clashed with lightning speed.
If not for this being the space within the Chaos Great Cauldron, anywhere else would have seen the destruction of vast territories spanning who knows how many tens of thousands of li. Even a Quasi-Monarch's World Heaven and Earth would be unable to withstand it, being torn apart and shattered.
Boom—
Ye Chen, harboring an invincible martial will, engaged the Immortal Clan Quasi-Monarch in close combat, throwing punch after punch, fully displaying the close-quarters invincibility of the Chaos Saint Body.
Every punch and kick carried the majestic Chaos might capable of shaking the heavens and earth. Even an ancient powerhouse who had just stepped into the Quasi-Monarch realm would be unable to withstand it, being utterly shattered.
Quasi-Monarch Hongwei's cultivation had reached the mid-stage, with the transformation of his inner heaven and earth into a World having reached a full forty percent, making him extremely powerful—a notch above the former Primordial Demon Blood Monarch. With every move, he wielded not only immortal art might but also the power of his World Heaven and Earth, terrifying and fearless, clashing fiercely with Ye Chen.
Boom—
Blood light continuously splattered here.
Some was his, some was Ye Chen's.
Overall, the two were Supreme Powerhouses on par with each other.
However, after half a month of continuous Quasi-Monarch level combat, Ye Chen was also constantly growing.
Battle Saints were originally among the most fearsome combatants in the Chaos Sea, and Ye Chen was an outstanding figure among the Battle Saint lineage. Naturally, his combat prowess was terrifying, and he quickly grasped the combat methods of a Quasi-Monarch, fighting with increasing ease and composure.
Even a Mid Stage Quasi-Monarch Supreme Powerhouse like Quasi-Monarch Hongwei couldn't help but marvel at the heaven-defying nature of Ye Chen, the Battle Saint King.
How many years had this youth cultivated? It was said that, at most, it hadn't exceeded a thousand years—countless times younger than himself.
He, Quasi-Monarch Hongwei, was an existence who had lived for over a hundred thousand years. Even some distant descendant from who-knows-how-many generations back might be older than the Battle Saint King. Yet, in actual combat, he felt the Battle Saint King was more fearsome than many Quasi-Monarchs, with combat experience that was truly horrifying.
Having become a Quasi-Monarch, Quasi-Monarch Hongwei had naturally fought countless battles in his lifetime, nearly claiming an undefeated record of ten thousand battles. But this was the first time he had encountered such a terrifying junior.
Transcending realms was one thing, but in a real fight, he could only maintain a stalemate.
Thus, another five thousand exchanges passed, with both sides remaining in a state of neither victory nor defeat.
Of course, all this was while Ye Chen hadn't yet employed his Chaos Supreme Body or Chaos Divine King Spirits, because he wanted to know the limits of his individual combat power. Currently, it was comparable to a Mid Stage Quasi-Monarch Supreme Powerhouse with a forty percent World Heaven and Earth.
Finally, the two briefly ceased fighting.
Ye Chen closed his eyes and sat cross-legged, recovering his depleted divine power while also digesting the various insights gained from the duel.
These were rare realizations from a life-and-death battle with a Quasi-Monarch, precious experiences.
Watching the meditating Battle Saint King, Quasi-Monarch Hongwei and the Imperial Clan Quasi-Monarch both took a deep look, strongly tempted to attack now and suppress the Battle Saint King. But seeing the three Giant Divine Soldiers guarding the three directions of the Chaos Great Cauldron, they completely abandoned the thought.
By now, they knew these were Quasi-Monarch puppets refined by the Battle Saint King, possessing fearsome combat power comparable to Quasi-Monarchs.
If they made a move, the three Giant Divine Soldiers would undoubtedly attack with thunderous force.
Moreover, Quasi-Monarch Hongwei, having just fought Ye Chen, was also in a state of depleted divine power. Therefore, the hope of killing Ye Chen was very slim.
Under such circumstances, Quasi-Monarch Hongwei and the Imperial Clan Quasi-Monarch could only exchange a glance, sigh inwardly, and silently regulate their breathing, hoping to recover their depleted essence, energy, and spirit as soon as possible.
Thus, after three days passed, Ye Chen had fully digested all the insights from the half-month of Quasi-Monarch duels. Moreover, his essence, energy, and spirit had recovered to their peak, seemingly having grown slightly stronger.
Seeing this, Quasi-Monarch Hongwei and the Imperial Clan Quasi-Monarch both sighed. This Battle Saint King was truly heaven-defying, having grown even stronger by a sliver.
It seemed insignificant, but at this level, improving even the slightest bit would normally take decades if not a century or more.
Truly worthy of being the number one of the younger generation, monstrously talented indeed.
Ye Chen looked at Quasi-Monarch Hongwei and suddenly said, "Actually, you haven't been going all out all along, have you?"
Quasi-Monarch Hongwei's heart stirred slightly, but his expression remained calm, betraying no emotion as he said indifferently, "Battle Saint King, I don't understand what you're saying."
Ye Chen smiled faintly. "Although the strength you've displayed so far is indeed formidable, even I can only barely fight to a draw. But I can sense that you're still holding back. Perhaps both of you are. As Quasi-Monarchs, I don't believe you only have these means. There must be some methods unique to Quasi-Monarchs that you haven't truly employed yet."