An invitation from several supremely distinguished figures was something no one could afford to take lightly, for these were esteemed personages who held significant status even within the ancient Sacred Lands, individuals even the lords of those Sacred Lands could not ignore.
Such an invitation was enough to show the importance they placed on Ye Chen.
Ye Chen pretended to agree, but as for actually going, that was naturally impossible.
The world marveled. After three years, the mysterious King 'Yue' had once again returned with his formidable reputation, and this time his fame would be even greater, for he had withstood five Young Kings without defeat.
The world believed that soon, Yue's name would spread even more widely, becoming another dazzling new star in the Human Sovereign competition.
Boom—
Suddenly, the mysterious Eighth Trial Gate trembled, a brilliant radiance shining forth. Countless Dao marks intertwined, glowing brilliantly, completely enveloping Ye Chen and the others before drawing them into the stone gate.
This left the many people in Heavenly King Mountain stunned and bewildered. Even the distinguished figures were taken aback, sending their powerful divine senses probing into the Trial Gate.
But the ancient gate rumbled loudly, blocking the intrusion of their divine senses as if severing two separate worlds.
"Young friend, where does the path behind this stone gate lead?"
One of the distinguished figures inquired, simultaneously unleashing a surge of potent divine power into the gate.
However, the stone gate possessed a spirit, blocking all external forces. This divine power was directly annihilated and dispersed by the divine light erupting from the gate, unable to penetrate completely.
"There's something strange about this. This stone gate is extraordinary." The distinguished figures all frowned, intending to join forces to investigate further. But suddenly, a vast and powerful pressure rippled out, freezing them in place.
At that moment, Ye Chen and the others vanished completely.
The ancient Trial Gate rumbled shut, sealing itself once more, impossible to open. Ye Chen and the others were all carried away by that radiance, leaving the Green Stone Celestial Staircase and arriving back at the initial altar.
On the stone stele beside the First Trial Gate, a line of text appeared: Congratulations, you have successfully passed the King's Trial I left behind. You may receive the King's Heaven-defying Fortune.
Fortune? What kind of fortune could it be?
Naturally, everyone was filled with anticipation. At that moment, countless Great Dao divine principles gathered from all directions in the sky above.
Multicolored Order Divine Chains shot forth, supreme Dao marks flickering into existence, surpassing Heavenly Gods, surpassing Divine Spirits—they were the Dao marks of a truly peerless powerhouse. They continuously appeared from all directions, finally intertwining and fusing in the sky above, condensing into a dazzlingly brilliant sphere of divine light, a thousand times more radiant than the sun.
"That is..."
Everyone's gaze was drawn to it. Finally, this incredibly brilliant light sphere descended from the sky, landing in Ye Chen's hand. It emanated a vast and heaven-startling divine aura of the Great Dao. Everyone except Ye Chen hastily retreated, unable to withstand this supreme Dao pressure.
Was this the final fortune of the King's Ancient Path? Although it was still unclear exactly what it was, such a spectacle indicated it was absolutely extraordinary.
Ye Chen's body erupted with a vast divine glow, resisting the Dao pressure. His eyes shot forth two dragon-shaped divine beams of light, allowing him to clearly see the object within the divine light sphere. It was actually... a sphere of blood!
Yes, the so-called King's Fortune was a sphere of blood!
However, it was not Divine Spirit essence blood, nor was it Great Dao Blood, for this was illusory, existing only within the Void Heaven Domain, impossible to bring into reality—it was illusory blood.
Yet each drop of this illusory blood seemed to contain a miniature sun within, dazzling and eye-catching, so bright it made everyone squint. It contained countless Great Dao rules, numerous Order Divine Chains intertwined and connected, shining brilliantly as if all ten thousand Daos were merged together—
Chaos Blood!
Among the myriad realms, legend spoke of a mythical supreme Great Dao—the Chaos Great Dao!
Even among the myriad Great Daos of the heavens, with many supreme ones, this Dao was unparalleled throughout the ages, peerless in the world, indisputable.
Because it was too extraordinary, hailed as the strongest Dao, indisputably so. Legend said it required the fusion of ten thousand different Great Daos to refine and achieve Extreme Sublimation.
Those who cultivated this Dao had blood flowing within them that was the fusion of ten thousand Daos—Chaos Treasure Blood.
However, this Dao had only ever been recorded in ancient texts. Legend said even the supreme existences, the Emperors and Sovereigns of the Mythical Era, could not cultivate this mythical Dao. Could it be that the founder of the King's Ancient Path, suspected to be the September Great Power, had already cultivated it?
Or was it that it could not exist in reality, only within illusion?
But Ye Chen's eyes shone like divine lamps. Even Old Yan within him almost materialized. After staring intently for a moment, they finally recognized the true origin of this illusory blood. They looked at each other and spoke in unison: "Void Dao Divine Blood!"
It was not Chaos Blood, which ultimately existed only in theory, impossible in the world. But truthfully, the origin of Void Dao Divine Blood was only slightly inferior to Chaos Blood; it was also a kind of legendary divine blood.
This Void Dao Divine Blood had always existed only in illusion, illusory and unreal, belonging to legend. Like Chaos Blood, it had always been rumored impossible to exist in the world.
If Great Dao Blood was created when an invincible existence beyond Divine Spirits fused their own Great Dao with their blood through immense power, then Void Dao Divine Blood was divine blood born from the illusory and ethereal essence of a deity.
The appearance of this Void Dao Divine Blood had always been extraordinary. Some legends said it was born from the interweaving of heaven and earth; others said it was transformed from the annihilation of countless Primordial Spirits; there were even rumors it was a kind of fundamental power within the Void Heaven Domain, and once mastered, one could gain partial control over the Void Heaven Domain.
Without a doubt, this was a supreme treasure, a divine object. Not to mention mere Saints, even existences of the level of the Iceflame Heavenly King or the September Great Power would be immensely tempted by such a divine object, for it held unimaginable benefits for foundational aspects like the Primordial Spirit and divine soul.
Even in his previous life, Ye Chen had only heard of it; this was his first time seeing the actual object. It could truly be called a heaven-defying fortune.
Looking at the fist-sized sphere of Void Dao Divine Blood, Ye Chen's eyes shone brilliantly, burning with intense heat.
Once he absorbed this Void Dao Divine Blood, it would at least strengthen his Primordial Spirit by more than tenfold. It might even allow it to evolve into the legendary divine soul—something only existences beyond Divine Spirits could condense, far more powerful than a Primordial Spirit. It could leave the body, exist without a physical form, and possess combat power not inferior to a physical body.
"Void Dao Divine Blood. I never thought I'd actually get to see such illusory treasure blood," even Old Yan exclaimed in wonder. This divine object was countless times more precious and priceless than Great Dao Blood.
Even someone as powerful as he was in life would have found it difficult to encounter such a divine object that seized the essence of creation.
Legend said that strengthening the Primordial Spirit and condensing a divine soul were only one of the effects of Void Dao Divine Blood. There were further rumors that once refined, there was a chance to become a master of the Void Heaven Domain.
What was the Void Heaven Domain? It was the illusory projection of the myriad realms, possessing its own Heavenly Dao and a complete set of myriad Daos. The only difference was that, compared to the myriad realms, only the Primordial Spirit could enter. But the Void Heaven Domain was similarly vast and boundless. Once mastered, even a Great Power would likely be extremely wary.
Old Yan sighed softly. "Little Chen, if you completely refine this sphere of Void Dao Divine Blood, achieving a divine soul might not be impossible. Once you attain a divine soul, your control over the myriad Daos of heaven and earth will become even stronger. You might even be able to rely solely on the might of your divine soul to face experts of the Saint Treasury Realm without fear."
The fearsomeness of a divine soul was unimaginable. Even separated from the fleshly shell, it remained terrifying, capable of unleashing power not inferior to the Saint Realm. Just like Old Yan now—clearly just an illusory, ethereal soul body, yet he faced a Saint Divine Spirit like Great Sage Hong Tian without fear.
Ye Chen held the fist-sized sphere of Void Dao Divine Blood in his hand, his eyes now appearing much more profound. Old Yan chuckled, "Don't worry, the Void Dao Divine Blood is fine. At most, it might cause brief damage like Primordial Spirit explosion, but that's a necessary part of the transformation process. You should understand that."
Suddenly, Ye Chen brought his five fingers together into a palm blade and sliced directly. The Void Dao Divine Blood was cleanly cut in half, leaving Old Yan stunned. "Little Chen, what are you doing?"
Ye Chen didn't speak. He directly pushed half of the Void Dao Divine Blood toward Old Yan. "Take it. Refine it. It should greatly help repair your soul body."
Old Yan was taken aback, staring dumbfounded at Ye Chen, filled with astonishment. But within his illusory, aged eyes, there was also a hint of moisture. "This... is for me?"
Even though Ye Chen had already said it, he couldn't help but ask again.
Ye Chen smiled slightly. "Old Yan, you are my guardian. Giving you half of this Void Dao Divine Blood should also allow you to recover a fair amount of strength, right? In the future, when we leave the Tian Du Continent, the myriad realms will be even more dangerous. Without a powerful expert like you to guard my path, my journey would be many times more difficult."
Although he said it this way, Old Yan knew Ye Chen was not one for eloquent words. He was simply finding a roundabout way to give him the Void Dao Divine Blood. This gesture carried immense weight.
Suddenly, he realized that the relationship between him and Ye Chen was no longer just the contractual bond between guardian and ward. Over these years of companionship, they had long interacted like friends, teasing and looking out for each other.
Old Yan naturally didn't stand on ceremony. He directly accepted it. This Void Dao Divine Blood would indeed be of great use to him, especially for someone like him who only had a remnant soul body left. Its benefits would be endless; it might even repair his soul body, making it more complete.
Who was he? With just a remnant soul, he could unleash power not inferior to a Saint Realm Divine Spirit. Once repaired to a more complete state, his power would naturally increase by a significant margin.
Ye Chen did not immediately refine all of the Void Dao Divine Blood. For him, this sphere of blood had a use many times more important.
He needed to use it to repair someone's True Spirit. In his previous life, there had been no way, but the appearance of the Void Dao Divine Blood in this life gave him new hope.
However, he did quietly refine a small portion of the Void Dao Divine Blood—just a single drop. It was to test the efficacy of the blood and to verify whether it was violently potent.
The result was clear. Even a Primordial Spirit as powerful as Ye Chen's, which he had already pushed to its limits several times, strong enough to rival the Primordial Spirit intensity of super-powerful experts at the Divine Transformation Realm, still erupted with vast radiant light under the effect of a single drop of Void Dao Divine Blood, glowing brilliantly and undergoing Extreme Sublimation once more, becoming even stronger.
It became as dazzling and eye-catching as a blazing miniature sun, radiating a terrifying pressure that made the young powerhouses' hearts palpitate and their expressions change as they hastily retreated. What had happened to Ye Chen? His aura had suddenly grown so much stronger.
Ye Chen sighed inwardly. Truly worthy of being the legendary divine object, Void Dao Divine Blood. Just a single drop had allowed his Primordial Spirit to undergo Extreme Sublimation and break through to greater strength once more. The rumor that refining the entire sphere could condense a divine soul was not just empty talk; it truly might be possible to reach that step.
Finally, everyone withdrew from the Void Heaven Domain and returned to reality. Ye Chen's aura had become even more vast, powerful, and imposing.
The others were curious to ask what kind of fortune Ye Chen had obtained, but they found it difficult to broach the subject. Yang Wushuang and the other Ancient Talents, being more familiar with Ye Chen, asked out of curiosity rather than greed.
Ye Chen naturally didn't say it was Void Dao Divine Blood. This divine object was too significant. Even if they didn't recognize it now, if word got out later, it would be a major trouble. He merely said he had obtained several supreme divine abilities and spells and was comprehending them there, which was why he had emitted such a powerful Primordial Spirit Dao pressure.
Before the King's Ancient Gate, everyone departed, suddenly feeling a bit desolate. For countless millennia, generation after generation had continuously pushed forward, sweeping away obstacles on the King's Ancient Path. Today, it had actually ended just like this. For a moment, it was somewhat difficult to accept.
But Ye Chen's eyes shone brightly as he gazed at the mysterious King's Ancient Gate. Suddenly, he threw a punch, smashing toward the King's Ancient Gate.
Everyone was shocked. Had Ye Chen gone mad?
But no one could stop this. Ye Chen's punch could easily shatter ten great mountains. Even a Heavenly God expert would be killed outright by this blow. Yet when it struck the King's Ancient Gate, it caused no damage, only shaking the earth violently. Everyone witnessed Ye Chen's domineering forcefulness.
However, at that moment, divine radiance unexpectedly blossomed from the King's Ancient Gate, beyond everyone's expectations.
In a daze, an illusory, ethereal voice echoed between heaven and earth: "In this era, someone actually dares to strike the gate I left behind..."
Everyone felt their hair stand on end. Was some ancient monster about to awaken?
But Ye Chen stared intently at the King's Ancient Gate. He had felt that something left behind by the September Great Power couldn't be simple; there must be corresponding contingencies in place. Now, seeing this, it was indeed so.
Suddenly, a pillar of divine light shot into the heavens, its entire form surging, piercing through the firmament!
In the sky, an immensely brilliant sphere of divine light descended, like a heavenly sun, its radiance boundless, billions of zhang of light illuminating every inch of space, even forcing many to close their eyes.
"What is that?"
The young powerhouses were all astonished. There was actually another divine object appearing, and it carried a powerful divine energy fluctuation that was startling.
"That is..." Ye Chen narrowed his eyes, appearing profound, yet he could truly see clearly the divine object wrapped within the sphere of divine light. He couldn't help but be shocked.
Finally, the endless divine light slowly dissipated, revealing the divine object it had enveloped. It was actually... a crown!