Thus, another half day passed, with Ye Chen always managing to narrowly avoid each attack of the Monarch Rule power.
The Heaven's Eye was in operation, seeing through all falsehoods and discerning all trajectories.
No matter how fast the eight strands of Monarch Rule power operated, their trajectories could always be seen.
Ye Chen was continuously familiarizing himself with the operational trajectories of these Monarch Rule powers.
Truly a born warrior, becoming more familiar with each passing moment.
As time went on, these Monarch Rule powers began to find it difficult to truly and effectively harm Ye Chen; the instances of drawing blood became fewer and fewer.
Ye Chen was always able to dodge just before these Monarch Rule powers could truly strike him.
And at this time, he also began to actively charge towards Quasi-Monarch Hongwei, engaging in close-quarters combat.
Quasi-Monarch Hongwei drew a deep breath, a trace of weariness evident in his expression.
Prolonged manipulation of Monarch Rule power was extremely taxing on divine power, even for a supreme powerhouse at the mid-stage Quasi-Monarch level; the expenditure was immense.
But facing the Battle Saint King who kept closing in for melee combat, Quasi-Monarch Hongwei could only smile bitterly.
The Monarch Rule power was indeed powerful, but its consumption was enormous, and a slight misstep could even injure oneself. It was precisely for this reason that it was generally not used lightly unless in a life-or-death battle situation.
"Annihilation Immortal Wheel!"
After clashing with Ye Chen once, Quasi-Monarch Hongwei forcibly gathered the remaining divine power within his body and let out a great shout.
Boundless immortal light dao principles surged from his body, along with countless chains of order, and one terrifying Divine King Spirit after another manifested. They intertwined above his head to form an immortal wheel, carrying dense, endless immortal light runes and emanating an annihilation-level aura.
This was a supreme immortal technique, created by a supreme immortal of the Primordial Immortal World. Now executed by a Quasi-Monarch, its power was boundless, capable of destroying a world heaven and earth. Calling it 'Annihilation' was not an exaggeration at all.
Moreover, a full three strands of Monarch Rule power were integrated into it, instantly increasing the Annihilation Immortal Wheel's power severalfold.
"Slash!"
Accompanied by Quasi-Monarch Hongwei's great shout, the Annihilation Immortal Wheel, entwined with boundless immortal technique laws, slashed towards Ye Chen.
Even a fellow mid-stage Quasi-Monarch would be split in two. It contained terrifying Quasi-Monarch power, Divine King Spirits, world heaven and earth power, and Monarch Rule power, all mixed together into this strongest strike.
And the Annihilation Immortal Wheel had completely locked onto Ye Chen, leaving no room for escape.
Ye Chen's expression turned grave. His hand seals changed, and a massive cube appeared before him—precisely the Maha Cube. However, it was now covered entirely in dense, intricate golden Great Dao patterns, complex beyond measure, as if capable of deducing all the Great Daos of the myriad heavens. It carried billowing ancient chaos qi as it met the Annihilation Immortal Wheel.
Furthermore, it integrated a full twenty-plus Divine King Spirits, increasing the Maha Cube's absolute defense by who knows how many times.
*Clang!*
The Annihilation Immortal Wheel arduously broke through the absolute defense of the Maha Cube, creating a huge gap.
But from within the broken golden Maha Cube, a massive figure suddenly emerged. It was a boundless Buddha statue with a thousand arms, its sacred golden light vast and majestic, also accompanied by boundless ancient chaos qi. It was the forbidden divine ability of the Futu Imperial Clan—Thousand-Armed Futu!
But what Ye Chen executed was the Thousand-Armed Buddha!
"Thousand Transformations Great Hand Seals!"
Ye Chen shouted. The Thousand-Armed Buddha instantly unleashed endless hand seals—some were Spacetime Great Hand Seals, some Annihilation Great Hand Seals, some Yellow Mud Great Hand Seals, some Suppress the Myriad Heavens Great Hand Seals, some Fishing the Moon from a Well Great Hand Seals... In an instant, they underwent a myriad of transformations. Countless hand seals struck the Annihilation Immortal Wheel like lightning, colliding with it.
*Boom! Boom! Boom!*
Terrible collisions erupted continuously, absolutely terrifying.
In the end, the Annihilation Immortal Wheel was completely shattered and annihilated.
The Thousand-Armed Buddha also disintegrated and crumbled due to the Annihilation Immortal Wheel.
"Kill!"
The two supreme powerhouses at the Quasi-Monarch level continuously exchanged blows, sparring, fighting with unparalleled intensity.
Even the other early-stage Quasi-Monarch from the imperial clan couldn't intervene at all, because he had only completed two and a half parts of world transformation and found it difficult to join the fray. Moreover, the other three Colossi were watching him intently.
This battle quickly passed through a full four thousand exchanges, with neither side gaining the upper hand.
During this time, the Four Chaos Styles had long been employed, along with many other divine abilities and secret techniques Ye Chen had mastered in the past, such as Embrace the Mountain Seal, Void Great Hand Seal, Human King Seal, Immortal-Slaying Style, and more. Apart from the Chaos Supreme Body and the Chaos Divine King Spirit not manifesting, almost everything was used.
All of this was because Ye Chen wanted to continuously improve his individual combat prowess, not relying on group tactics to suppress his opponent, to see how long it would truly take him to defeat an opponent of equal strength.
In the end, after another arduous thousand exchanges, Ye Chen finally truly defeated Quasi-Monarch Hongwei using the forbidden divine ability he had created himself—Cosmos Creation.
Thus, after a full five thousand exchanges, Ye Chen finally truly defeated the Immortal Clan Quasi-Monarch who had transformed four-tenths of his world.
The difficulty of the process was beyond expectation.
All of this was due to the Monarch Rule power. If not for this fearsome Monarch Rule power, Ye Chen was confident he could have defeated Quasi-Monarch Hongwei within two thousand five hundred exchanges.
But he had also truly witnessed the terrifying nature of Monarch Rule power.
The continuous great battles consumed a sea of divine power. Even Ye Chen felt quite fatigued.
Because he was facing a Quasi-Monarch, the divine abilities and techniques employed were all of the highest grade and immense consumption. Even someone as strong as him couldn't afford such expenditure. He sat cross-legged to meditate and regulate his breath, taking a full two days and two nights to recover.
As for the Immortal Clan Quasi-Monarch opposite him, even with elixirs, he had barely recovered half. He couldn't help but sigh inwardly: this Battle Saint King was truly heaven-defying, even his recovery ability was so terrifying. After just two days, he was mostly recovered. Compared to him, his own recovery was far too slow.
Ye Chen did not continue to duel the Immortal Clan Quasi-Monarch. Instead, he looked at the imperial clan Quasi-Monarch and said, "Your turn."
The imperial clan Quasi-Monarch smiled bitterly and nodded. To think that he, a dignified Quasi-Monarch of a clan, holding an extremely high status even within the imperial clan, had now become a sparring partner for the Battle Saint King. It could be said to be quite humiliating, yet there was no other way. His life was in the other's hands, and only in this way was there a true sliver of hope for survival.
They were all eternal geniuses, with great hope of becoming Ancient Sovereigns. Who among them wished to fall before achieving that status?
A strong will to survive forced him to fight.
"Don't hold back. Employ the Monarch Rule power you've comprehended as well," Ye Chen said.
"Fight!"
The imperial clan Quasi-Monarch also let out a great shout and charged towards the Battle Saint King, erupting with the most intense Quasi-Monarch light as the great battle commenced...
And so, day after day passed. By the time Ye Chen descended to the deepest part of the earth, a full twenty-seven days had passed, nearly a month.
During this period, Ye Chen continuously engaged in fierce battles and sparring sessions with the two Quasi-Monarchs from the imperial and Immortal Clans, time and again, in arduous combat without end.
Without a doubt, in a true one-on-one great battle, Ye Chen held the upper hand against the early-stage imperial clan Quasi-Monarch. However, the advantage he held against the Immortal Clan Quasi-Monarch was not great. If not for being able to manifest two Chaos Supreme Bodies and the Chaos Divine King Spirit with equal combat power, it would have been difficult to suppress him.
However, in this continuous series of Quasi-Monarch battles, Ye Chen's gains were undoubtedly immense. His experience in fighting Quasi-Monarchs continuously climbed. In the end, from initially needing over ten thousand exchanges to defeat the Immortal Clan Quasi-Monarch, as time went on, this gap continuously narrowed and decreased.
Now, he only needed around four thousand exchanges to defeat the mid-stage Immortal Clan Quasi-Monarch. The speed of his progress was such that even the two Quasi-Monarchs felt the heaven-defying nature of the Battle Saint King. He was purely a peerless powerhouse born for battle.
They firmly believed that among Quasi-Monarchs, the Battle Saint King would inevitably become a world-shaking existence, invincible among Quasi-Monarchs, suppressing all. Defeating them might only take a few exchanges, or perhaps they wouldn't even be able to withstand a single move from him!
"The Battle Saint King is too terrifying. We truly cannot let him grow. Otherwise, as an enemy, he will inevitably become the most fearsome great adversary. Whether it's the imperial clan or the Immortal Clan, they might not necessarily be able to withstand him!"
The two Quasi-Monarchs sighed inwardly, harboring deep apprehension.
Unfortunately, they were currently powerless. They were still in a suppressed state and could only pin their hopes on other Quasi-Monarchs being able to nip him in the bud.
During this period, Ye Chen also continuously studied the Monarch Rule power, perceiving the Monarch Rule power of the two Quasi-Monarchs during each exchange.
The imperial clan Quasi-Monarch, named Huang Hua, mastered three strands of Monarch Rule power.
Quasi-Monarch Hongwei had eight.
During the continuous battles, he constantly perceived the subtle changes in these Monarch Rule powers.
The more he comprehended in this manner, the more he marveled at the profound and unfathomable nature of the Great Dao, and the terrifying nature of Monarch Rules.
The Divine King Great Dao origin was like the ultimate sublimation of ordinary laws.
The Divine King Spirit was like the sublimated manifestation of the fusion of Divine King Great Dao origin and intent.
The Monarch Rule was similarly a sublimated manifestation of the Divine King Spirit.
Each sublimation was a transformation from the inside out, becoming more powerful, more terrifying.
Ye Chen felt that even a single strand of Monarch Rule could likely pose a great threat to a peak Divine King with ease.
He very much wanted to also transform his own Divine King Spirits, to sublimate them to the extreme, elevate them to that step, and become Monarch Rule power.
However, the difficulty of transformation was simply too great. Even with multiple combat experiences, he still couldn't reach that step. There were enormous obstacles blocking the way.
In the end, Ye Chen ceased fighting. He had Quasi-Monarch Nigu appear and manifest the three strands of Monarch Rule power he had cultivated, which Ye Chen then meticulously studied.
After two days passed, Ye Chen could only let out a helpless sigh.
He was ultimately insufficient in realm, unable to elevate his Divine King Spirits to the level of Monarch Rules.
Although the two Quasi-Monarchs were shocked that Quasi-Monarch Nigu had been enslaved by the Battle Saint King, they were, after all, outstanding figures of their generation and quickly regained their composure. During this time, Quasi-Monarch Hongwei said coldly, "It's useless, Battle Saint King. No matter how heaven-defying you are, it's useless. Monarch Rule power can only be barely transformed out at the Quasi-Monarch level. No matter how strong you are, you are ultimately only a Divine King. It's impossible for you to reach that step."
Ye Chen fell silent. Although he didn't want to admit it, he had to acknowledge Quasi-Monarch Hongwei's point.
He had ultimately not reached that step yet.
But he firmly believed that when he reached the Quasi-Monarch domain, he would be even stronger than these veteran Quasi-Monarchs!
The nearly month-long continuous battles allowed Ye Chen to vaguely improve a bit more.
Most importantly, he understood the terror of Monarch Rule power and thoroughly learned the methods of Quasi-Monarchs. In the future, even when facing other Quasi-Monarchs, he wouldn't be caught off guard and killed.
Once again, when his essence, energy, and spirit recovered to their peak, Ye Chen's entire aura erupted completely, causing the space within the Chaos Cauldron to rumble and tremble. Countless world heavens and earths evolved from ancient chaos qi continuously collapsed.
At this moment, he was like a Heavenly Emperor, chaos light encircling his body, the myriad Daos descending and submitting, carrying a majestic aura of a great era. Looking down from a high position, he gazed at the two Quasi-Monarchs and said, "I give you two choices."
"Either, submit to me and become my slaves!"
"Or, be refined by me into puppets!"
Below, Quasi-Monarch Hongwei and Quasi-Monarch Huang Hua's expressions turned very ugly. Had it finally come to this step?
The Battle Saint King had completely squeezed all value out of them and was now presenting these two paths?
They saw the three Colossi guarding the three directions of the Chaos Cauldron, forming a tripartite balance. How could they not understand now that these were all Quasi-Monarch puppets? They also saw Quasi-Monarch Nigu, who had been enslaved and was utterly loyal.
Two choices, two paths, were now presented before them.
Was there a third choice?
The two Quasi-Monarchs glanced at each other, both harboring unspeakable bitterness.
But at this moment, their wills were very firm. They raised their heads to look at Ye Chen.
Fight! Rather die than surrender!
Rather die than be enslaved!
Only battle remains!
Ye Chen saw the firm expressions on the two Quasi-Monarchs' faces and revealed a faint smile.
Good! Very firm will!
Ye Chen felt some admiration. This was something other Quasi-Monarchs in the past had been unable to do.
But while he admired them somewhat, he could not possibly let them go.
Not only because they knew some of Ye Chen's core secrets.
But also because they were enemies, and because Ye Chen wanted to devour their world heavens and earths to improve himself!
"I respect your choice. Since that's the case, I can only take action!"
Ye Chen said. The aura around him suddenly intensified many times over. Moreover, Quasi-Monarch Nigu and the three Colossi stepped forward behind him, together displaying a vast and mighty terrifying presence, completely sealing off the two Quasi-Monarchs.
Quasi-Monarch Hongwei and Quasi-Monarch Huang Hua, the two Quasi-Monarchs, now wore grave expressions. They manifested their respective Monarch Rule powers, emanating a dense Sovereign heavenly might, preparing for a life-or-death battle.
Perhaps the final battle of their lives!
Ye Chen's expression was cold. Beside him, the Chaos Supreme Body and the Chaos Divine King Spirit walked out one after another, elevated to their utmost limits.
A full seven Quasi-Monarch-level combat powers were now present!
*Whoosh!*
Suddenly, Ye Chen's expression changed slightly. Then, his heart sank as he looked up towards the ceiling above.
Had they finally tracked him down?