They secretly speculated that perhaps this was a group of peerless existences who had lived in seclusion for many years. In the Lawless Great World, there was no shortage of such ascetic cultivators who concealed their names and focused solely on cultivation.
Generally speaking, such ascetic cultivators possessed formidable strength but had no interest whatsoever in fame or fortune, seeking only to climb to the pinnacle of the Great Dao.
A single session of ascetic cultivation and seclusion could often last for tens of thousands of years, with no one seeing their person or hearing their name.
But this time, the Lawless Supreme's lecture on the Dao was an event that could stir and excite even the Ancient Monarchs, hailed as overlords of the cosmos across all domains. How could these ascetic cultivators possibly miss it?
Clearly, many of the powerful figures in the Lawless Great World also regarded Ye Chen and his group as such name-concealing ascetic cultivators.
Ye Chen and the others were happy to use this as an explanation for why they had never been seen or heard of before.
Of course, ordinary people wouldn't dare casually inquire about the origins of Quasi-Monarchs, these super-powerful beings at the very peak of the pyramid, for fear of offending them.
"Today, the supreme Lawless Supreme lectures on the Dao. I must listen attentively today. Perhaps I can gain some insights and step into another level."
"Hahaha, you're right. Although I'm in the Divine King realm, advancing through a Divine King Tribulation is difficult. But this is a Supreme One's lecture on the Dao—it's extraordinary. As long as I listen carefully, advancing one realm shouldn't be a problem. Did you hear? Last time, there was a lucky fellow who directly broke through from the Great Power realm into the Divine King domain, advancing a full major realm!"
"And it's no joke, some even directly returned from reincarnation and stepped into the Heavenly King realm in one go."
"Wasn't that lucky guy from the Duanmu Clan directly promoted from Heavenly King to Divine King?"
"One can only say that kid had profound blessings. He received personal guidance from the Supreme One, allowing him to comprehend a trace of the Supreme Dao. Even that tiny bit enabled Duanmu kid to leap across two major realms and become a Divine King. Throughout history, few have achieved such a feat."
"The last time His Majesty lectured was ten thousand years ago. This time, no matter what, I must listen attentively to every single word, not missing a single point. This is crucial for whether I can advance further from the Half-Step Divine King realm where I've been stuck for a full eight thousand years."
"Isn't that obvious? Who would dare miss even a sliver of the Supreme One's lecture?"
"Heh, I've heard some secret news. It's said that during this lecture, the Supreme One will also expound upon the forbidden divine ability he personally created. If one can comprehend the ultimate Great Dao from it, they might receive the inheritance of the 'Lawless Domain.' I wonder if any lucky fellow will obtain it?"
"How could anyone obtain it? The Lawless Supreme has lectured many times, and no one has ever received the inheritance of the 'Lawless Domain'..."
"This time it's probably just a rumor, not to be taken seriously."
...
On the road to the Supreme Ancient City, they heard many such conversations along the way, all discussing how profound and exquisite the Lawless Supreme's lecture on the Dao was.
Generally, anyone who listened to the Lawless Supreme's lecture would experience enlightenment, with countless individuals advancing in minor realms.
Some with heaven-defying talents might even follow the example of that peerless genius from the Duanmu Clan, not only stepping from the peak of Heavenly King into the Great Power realm but even leaping across numerous minor realms to ultimately enter the Divine King domain, becoming a young Divine King renowned throughout the world and the envy of all.
In short, listening to the Lawless Supreme's lecture would bring many benefits.
At the very least, there would be a wondrous improvement in one's comprehension of their own Great Dao.
This stirred the hearts of the many powerful figures from both the Flame Emperor Domain and the Sacred Emperor Domain.
Especially Quasi-Monarchs like Xu Chengzhi were burning with desire. If they could seize this opportunity to comprehend the Dao and become Ancient Monarchs in one go, that would be even better.
He glanced at Ye Chen, sneering inwardly. If he became an Ancient Monarch, he wouldn't have to fear even this Battle Saint King anymore.
However, Yan Shen wore a grave expression. "Could there be a trap in this?"
This voice transmission was directed only at Ye Chen, Gu Liu, and Heavenly Martial Great Lord.
Gu Liu and Heavenly Martial Great Lord also harbored reservations. Even though they were heaven-defying Quasi-Monarchs, facing the Supreme One level was still the difference between an ant and a dragon—a chasm too vast to imagine.
More importantly, it was unclear whether this Lawless Great World was real or illusory.
If it was deliberately created by the Lawless Supreme, it would be a tremendous trouble.
Ye Chen transmitted back: "It's fine. We can listen for a while, but we need to be careful."
His reincarnated Emperor body within was fully prepared. At worst, they could fight at their peak. He didn't believe that even if this Lawless Supreme had given birth to Emperor Resentment, it could stir up any significant waves.
He was, after all, the possessor of three ultimate Emperor Dao treasures, daring to face a Supreme One head-on in battle.
Arriving at the towering main gate of the Supreme Imperial City, the guards, mere Heavenly Kings, sensing the Quasi-Monarch aura emanating from Ye Chen and the others, didn't dare obstruct them in the slightest. They immediately bowed and allowed the Quasi-Monarchs to pass.
Smoothly entering the Supreme Imperial City, Ye Chen and the others followed the cultivators of the Lawless Great World, rushing quickly toward the central area of the Imperial City. There, they saw an extremely vast plaza at the city's center, spacious enough to easily accommodate ten thousand people.
At the very center of the plaza stood a massive, mountain-like Dao platform. Surrounding the central Dao platform, countless meditation cushions floated suspended in the air, numbering in the hundreds of thousands.
Upon arriving at the plaza, the various powerful figures consciously rushed toward those cushions, each sitting cross-legged on one, well-behaved and orderly, with no disputes whatsoever.
Because disputes were not allowed within the Supreme Ancient City; anyone who caused trouble would be expelled, regardless of identity.
Ye Chen and the others did not compete for the relatively front-row cushions, instead positioning themselves at the periphery.
The Supreme One's lecture on the Dao was not about proximity; his voice could envelop the entire Imperial City. Anyone within the Imperial City could listen closely.
Of course, being here in person, witnessing it firsthand, might bring various profound mysteries accompanying the Great Dao's voice, leading to deeper comprehension.
Similarly, Ye Chen and the others also wanted to know whether this was truly the Lawless Supreme.
The central Dao platform was empty; the Lawless Supreme had not yet appeared. This was merely the pre-lecture entry.
A large number of powerful figures from various places entered one after another, choosing cushions. In less than a day, the hundreds of thousands of cushions were filled.
And this was only possible because one needed at least Saint-level cultivation to enter. Otherwise, given the Imperial City's population of hundreds of millions, it would have been packed within half an hour.
Soon, three days passed. By now, the Supreme Ancient City had long gathered an endless stream of powerful figures. Even those who hadn't secured a cushion still sat cross-legged in the void, solely to listen to the Supreme One's lecture.
On the fourth day, the morning sun rose in the east, purple qi arriving from the east.
Boom—
Boundless phenomena suddenly appeared between heaven and earth.
True Dragons, Vermilion Birds, Black Tortoises, White Tigers, Kun Pengs, Qiong Qis, Hunduns, World Trees, and countless other sacred spirits manifested.
Light-veiled immortal springs appeared in the void, while Dao lotuses sprouted from the earth one after another.
Ten thousand immortals manifested, and even deities from all heavens bowed in worship...
It was as if the Lord of All Heavens, the Ruler of Myriad Realms, had descended, demanding the submission and prostration of all realms.
A majestic figure silently appeared in the central area, sitting cross-legged on the Dao platform. Although his seated position was not high, it gave everyone a sense of towering loftiness, something the world needed to look up to.
This person was none other than the Lawless Supreme!