The Flame Emperor Mountain was indeed extraordinary. As the slumbering place of the Flame Emperor, it was imbued with the might of Emperor Dao. Su Hao's crash had only created a ten-thousand-li giant crater.
If it were any other mountain, even a million-li super star would have been directly shattered.
Whoosh—
Su Hao shot up from the Flame Emperor Mountain, standing in the sky. A bloody hole on his body was slowly healing as he looked gloomily at Ye Chen. "Are you also a Heaven-Defying Quasi-Monarch?"
"I am not," Ye Chen shook his head.
"Hmph, if you're not a Heaven-Defying Quasi-Monarch, how could you possess such formidable strength? That strike just now had power at least equivalent to eight or nine hundred Monarch Rules." Su Hao naturally didn't believe it, but he also snorted coldly. "However, since we are both Heaven-Defying Quasi-Monarchs, I want to see which of us is truly stronger."
His fighting spirit soared as he erupted with power. World Power also manifested, combined with his physical and spiritual strength, reaching a level comparable to a full eleven hundred Monarch Rules.
He unleashed his most powerful force. With every move, it seemed as if he could make the entire Flame Emperor Star tremble. The terror of his power was unimaginable; not to mention Divine Kings, even the eleven Quasi-Monarchs felt their hearts palpitate with fear.
In his strongest state, a Heaven-Defying Quasi-Monarch was enough to instantly kill any ordinary Quasi-Monarch.
Boom—
The heavens collapsed and the earth split as Su Hao moved. The very fabric of space in this area couldn't withstand his presence and shattered.
In an instant, Su Hao arrived before Ye Chen, displaying his strongest power comparable to eleven hundred Monarch Rules, tearing through the firmament as he struck at Ye Chen.
"I have little interest in trouble. I'll just have to inconvenience you."
Suddenly, Ye Chen spoke these words to the charging Su Hao, causing Su Hao to be slightly taken aback.
Boom—
An aura far surpassing even the strongest state of a Heaven-Defying Quasi-Monarch suddenly erupted from Ye Chen, instantly scorching the heavens and splitting the earth.
Ye Chen merely threw a single punch, concentrating all his power into it—a force comparable to a full fifteen hundred Monarch Rules fused into his fist.
Su Hao watched in horror as his strongest attack was shattered under this punch. Then, the fist landed heavily on his body, unleashing a force far beyond his imagination.
Boom—
Su Hao was struck as if by lightning, his figure sent flying backward. He plummeted from the sky, crashing into the Flame Emperor Mountain once again, blood seeping from his entire body, his injuries even more severe than before.
However, the strength of a Heaven-Defying Quasi-Monarch was only slightly inferior to Ye Chen's, not by a huge margin. Even an Eternal Quasi-Monarch like Ye Chen couldn't obliterate him with a single strike.
Of course, if one strike wasn't enough, then two, three... until he was blasted apart!
Whoosh—
Ye Chen followed like a shadow, continuously attacking Su Hao. Punch after punch, move after move, each strike and technique contained boundless might capable of slaying ordinary Quasi-Monarchs. He forced Su Hao into a purely defensive stance, with no chance to fight back.
Boom—
Finally, after who knows how many attacks, Su Hao was blasted apart, his body shattered into pieces. Surging blood radiance flashed, stunning everyone present.
"This—"
The other powerhouses all gasped in shock, utterly unable to believe what they were witnessing. In their eyes, Lord Su Hao, who was considered invincible and could retreat unscathed even from Ancient Monarchs, had actually been killed, his body shattered to pieces. It was simply too unbelievable.
Soon, their hearts turned cold as Ye Chen's icy gaze swept over them one by one. Even the eleven Quasi-Monarchs trembled with fear.
Flesh, blood, form, and spirit reassembled. Su Hao reappeared, but this time, his gaze toward Ye Chen held a thick sense of wariness.
He, a dignified Heaven-Defying Quasi-Monarch, was actually no match for his opponent. This could only mean the other's strength far surpassed his own.
Only an Ancient Monarch could possess such power!
Su Hao stared intently at Ye Chen. "I never thought I, Su Hao, would encounter such a young Ancient Monarch."
"Ancient Monarch?" Ye Chen smiled slightly but did not refute it. If the other thought so, then so be it. He had no interest in correcting him; his greater goal was the Flame Emperor Mountain.
"But who exactly are you? On Flame Emperor Star, I, Su Hao, have never heard of someone like you." Su Hao stared unblinkingly at Ye Chen, wanting to know the truth.
The others were also puzzled. Every Ancient Monarch had cultivated for millions of years before achieving success, yet they had never heard of a young Ancient Monarch like Ye Chen appearing.
Not even in past records.
Who was he?
Rumble—
Suddenly, the Flame Emperor Mountain shook violently, startling all parties.
Finally, an ancient door appeared. Behind it was pitch black, nothing visible, but Ye Chen clearly felt a soul-summoning fluctuation far more intense than before emanating from within.
"This—"
Ye Chen's heart tightened, and he involuntarily walked forward.
The others immediately wanted to stop him, but with a single sweep of Ye Chen's gaze, they all seemed to be struck by a paralysis spell, frozen in the sky, not daring to move a muscle.
Su Hao, however, disregarded everything and stepped forward to block the way, his eyes gleaming with cold light. "The Flame Emperor Mountain is the slumbering place of the Flame Emperor. No one may trespass!"
Ye Chen looked at him coldly. "If you stop me, I won't mind killing you on the spot. Don't doubt my capability, for I have slain Heaven-Defying Quasi-Monarchs before."
Su Hao trembled, hesitating for a moment. "You will regret entering the Flame Emperor Mountain. The Flame Emperor must not be disturbed, or it will bring calamity across the ages. You will surely die."
"That is none of your concern."
Ye Chen entered the Flame Emperor Mountain, traversing an extremely long dark passage before finally emerging in a massive cavern. Within it was an inner world space—picturesque mountains, clear waters, a scene like an immortal realm.
At the center of this inner world stood a colossal pyramid altar, identical to the seven pyramid altars he had seen in the past, only many times more majestic, no less grand than the Flame Emperor Mountain itself.
The vast, towering pyramid altar exuded a heavy, oppressive feeling, intangible yet pervasive.
Even a Divine King arriving here would feel reverence and not dare to climb or desecrate it.
Raising his head, Ye Chen saw a stone coffin lying horizontally atop the pyramid altar, causing his heart to tremble slightly.
Based on his years of experience, he knew this was a Nine-Layered Divine Coffin—an ancient coffin used to bury divine beings across the nine heavens. It likely contained an existence of the Ancient Great Emperor level.
Was the Flame Emperor buried within this Nine-Layered Divine Coffin?
But wasn't it said the Flame Emperor was slumbering? Why would he be slumbering inside a Nine-Layered Divine Coffin? No matter how one looked at it, it seemed more like a burial.
Ye Chen could feel that the source of the continuous summons was precisely from within this Nine-Layered Divine Coffin.
An Emperor must not be insulted, nor must his resting place be disturbed, or there would be immense karmic consequences.
Ye Chen hesitated. He knew that once he opened this Nine-Layered Divine Coffin, he would likely incur tremendous karmic backlash.
But now, he had no choice. Not only to answer the summons from the depths of his soul, but also for Elder Yan, he had to proceed.