Shi Jun frowned, somewhat displeased that his personal recruitment attempt was being politely declined.
His expression remained unchanged on the surface as he continued, "Young Friend, you have become a Quasi-Monarch. If you wish to continue arduous cultivation, honing your realm further will still be somewhat difficult. Participating in the Supreme-Level Domain War would allow you to face Quasi-Monarchs from other Emperor Domains and Immortal Domains. Battling Quasi-Monarchs of the same realm would actually be very beneficial for your cultivation."
"My apologies, Lord Shi Jun, I still wish to cultivate on my own for the time being."
Hearing this, Shi Jun knew the recruitment had failed and spoke no more, though his tone grew noticeably colder. "Since the Young Friend is unwilling, this Monarch will not disturb you further. However, the Domain Gate will not officially open for another half month. The Young Friend can wait in the city for a while, and perhaps reconsider in the meantime."
"Agreed!" Ye Chen's voice also carried a hint of coldness. He naturally knew it wasn't that Shi City's Domain Gate was malfunctioning, but that Shi Jun was intentionally delaying, unwilling to let him leave immediately.
He snorted coldly in his heart. Even after another half month, his choice would remain the same.
The half month passed in the blink of an eye. During this time, Shi Jun sent people to invite him several times, but each was politely declined.
In the end, Shi Jun ceased his recruitment efforts. Ye Chen thought the matter was over, but when he went to the Domain Gate, he found it closed. The official announcement claimed the laws governing it were damaged, temporarily preventing passage, and a year's wait was required.
How could Ye Chen not understand? All of this was Shi Jun's deliberate doing.
Even a clay figurine has a temper, let alone Ye Chen.
He felt he had already been quite tolerant of this Shi Jun, never expecting Shi Jun to trample that very tolerance underfoot.
"If it were the me of years past, perhaps I would continue to endure. But now, it's unnecessary. A mere Shi Jun is not enough to make me fear."
His figure moved, traversing the long sky with a *whoosh*, arriving directly above the City Lord's Mansion of the Monarch Ancient City. Looking down from his lofty position, he could see Shi Jun holding a grand feast below, with three thousand banquet seats laid out and numerous powerful experts in attendance.
Shi Jun, as the ruler of the vast Shi Domain, sat high on the main seat, accompanied by a full five Quasi-Monarchs who took turns offering him wine.
"We wish the Lord great success in the Supreme-Level Domain War and bountiful rewards from His Majesty the Great Emperor!"
Below, numerous God Kings offered wine one by one, performing grand bows, which greatly pleased Shi Jun.
Ye Chen stood firm in the heavens, the surrounding void distorted, chaos merging with heaven and earth. Even Shi Jun failed to detect his presence for a moment.
He gave a cold laugh. "Quite in a good mood, able to host such a grand feast. It's just that extreme joy begets sorrow!"
With a flip of his palm, a massive hand radiating for a full thousand *li* instantly pressed down upon the equally thousand-*li*-wide Monarch's Mansion below.
*Boom!*
After a tremendous roar, the entire Monarch's Mansion was directly flattened, sending numerous disarrayed figures scrambling out.
Including Shi Jun, they shot into the sky. Terrifying monarchial heavenly might erupted, enveloping the entire Shi City.
Behind him, the five Quasi-Monarchs also looked grim, somewhat disarrayed as well.
To be honest, this slap wasn't particularly powerful; it was purely meant to annoy Shi Jun, making him lose face before everyone.
"Ye Chen!" Shi Jun roared, glaring at Ye Chen with shock and fury. It wasn't that he couldn't block it, but Ye Chen had acted too swiftly and had used Chaos Dao techniques to conceal his presence, making even an Ancient Monarch momentarily unable to detect him.
"You dare attack this Monarch!"
Ye Chen said indifferently, "It's nothing. I'm just simply very displeased with you."
The other experts looked at Ye Chen, also shocked and uncertain. Daring to attack an Ancient Monarch—wasn't this courting death?
"Good, good, good! This Monarch has been too lenient with you, allowing you to dare act like this." Shi Jun was icy with rage, staring at Ye Chen. "Today, you will undoubtedly die."
"You alone are not enough to kill me." Ye Chen sneered, taking the initiative to charge forward.
"Court death!"
Before Shi Jun appeared two Quasi-Monarchs, both clearly mid-stage Quasi-Monarchs and peak powerhouses within that rank. They intercepted before him, taking the initiative to attack, seeking to earn merit.
"It is you who court death."
Ye Chen didn't even glance at them properly, merely slapping out with his left and right palms. With two *boom* sounds, the two super-powerful mid-stage Quasi-Monarchs were directly shattered into pieces, their vast blood light shooting into the extraterritorial regions, shaking the vast territory.
This was still with Ye Chen holding back; otherwise, they would have undoubtedly perished!
The remaining three Quasi-Monarchs, who had initially intended to attack, saw this scene and were all filled with dread and fear.
To be honest, their strength wasn't much different from the two Quasi-Monarchs Ye Chen had just casually shattered. The strongest among them had just barely stepped into the late-stage Quasi-Monarch realm, not much stronger. They certainly didn't possess the ability to casually shatter two Quasi-Monarchs.
This could only mean one thing: the cultivation of this young Quasi-Monarch before them was definitely not as simple as the early-stage Quasi-Monarch realm.
"Hmm? This kid has some skill."
Shi Jun's gaze narrowed slightly. Such methods were not something an ordinary Quasi-Monarch could accomplish. In other words, this vibrant young Quasi-Monarch before him was at least at the peak level of a late-stage Quasi-Monarch, perhaps even a Great Perfection Quasi-Monarch.
The moment this thought surfaced in his mind, even an Ancient Monarch like Shi Jun was startled. After all, such a young Great Perfection Quasi-Monarch was something he was seeing for the first time in his life. Perhaps only in the deepest parts of the Origin Ancient Path could one encounter such a heaven-defying monstrous genius.
Could he be the descendant of some Ancient Great Emperor?
Shi Jun pondered secretly, but the next moment, his thoughts were replaced by fury. Because Ye Chen had openly attacked his Monarch's Heavenly Mansion and done so before the entire population of Shi City, it was equivalent to slapping him across the face. How could he let this pass?
"Hmph, Ye Chen! Today, even if you are a Great Perfection Quasi-Monarch, you will undoubtedly die! A Monarch cannot be insulted!"
He slapped out with his palm. Even without using his full strength, it was equivalent to over a thousand strands of monarchial rule power, enough to blast an ordinary Great Perfection Quasi-Monarch into dust, with even their divine soul unable to escape.
Clearly, he had activated his killing intent.
*Rumble—*
The moment the Monarch's great hand appeared, the entire Monarch Ancient City was instantly enveloped under an extremely terrifying monarchial heavenly might. Whether it was the souls of the two Quasi-Monarchs whose bodies had been shattered or the remaining three Quasi-Monarchs, under this slap equivalent to the strongest state of a heaven-defying Quasi-Monarch, they all fell into a state of stillness, feeling as if they could hardly move.
All of this was because that slap was far too terrifying.
"Die!" Shi Jun said coldly.
Ye Chen grinned, laughing heartily. "Shi Jun, you think you can kill me?"
At this moment, Ye Chen held nothing back. He threw a punch, pouring all his power into it. A terrifying force comparable to three thousand strands of monarchial rule power blasted forth, tearing through layers of monarchial heavenly might and striking Shi Jun's Monarch's great hand.
*Boom!*
Shi Jun's Monarch's great hand directly exploded, shattering into a mist of blood that filled the sky.