Along the way, the two walked side by side in silence, traversing the desolate wilderness as they headed toward another domain.
However, Chen Ruo was ultimately a cheerful soul, and before long, she had recovered her silver-bell-like laughter, giggling incessantly.
Having revealed her true appearance, she no longer intended to conceal it. Her hair was like clouds, her brows dark and eyes bright, appearing pure and refined, a beauty that could topple nations, though she still carried a hint of youthful immaturity.
Ye Chen believed that after some time had passed and she had fully matured, she would undoubtedly become one of the most beautiful women in the myriad realms, shining like a brilliant star and pearl, illuminating all domains, captivating countless outstanding talents across the realms.
He was amazed, but his heart remained unmoved. Instead, he felt a sense of protectiveness, because this young girl Chen Ruo was very likely his master's daughter. Even if she wasn't, she was still an innocent, lively, and adorable girl, and he couldn't bear to see her suffer any harm.
Half a day later, after traversing tens of thousands of miles of wilderness without major incident, they finally left Xiangyang Domain and entered another great domain—Qingyang Domain!
Qingyang Domain was located to the west of Xiangyang Domain, but this great domain was far more powerful than Xiangyang Domain. Over half of its territory had been developed, with a population numbering in the billions, and it had given birth to even more powerful experts.
This great domain was quite prosperous, with countless large and small forces existing within it. Great nations stood like forests, various sects rose together, and powerful experts were as numerous as clouds, far surpassing Xiangyang Domain by an immeasurable margin.
Similarly, such a prosperous great domain had also given birth to many young prodigies. The competition among the younger generation far exceeded that of Xiangyang Domain.
As soon as Ye Chen and Chen Ruo crossed into Qingyang Domain, they discovered that not far ahead in a stretch of wild mountain range, two young prodigies were engaged in a duel. Two surging waves of Great Dao power caused mountains to crumble and the earth to split, shattering the surrounding forests—a truly terrifying sight.
Moreover, strands of Dao marks intertwined and shot through the air, effortlessly shattering swathes of forest and pulverizing mountain peaks with thunderous roars, their destructive power extremely shocking.
These were two outstanding young prodigies locked in a fierce duel, constantly clashing with each other.
Now, forty years had passed since the Human Sovereign Battle had begun. The competition among the younger generation had evolved from initial small clashes and minor conflicts to the current all-out contention, occurring across the myriad realms without ever truly ceasing. On the contrary, it had grown increasingly intense.
Almost every moment, young experts were competing and contending, vying for the fortune of being number one in their respective regions and fighting for the Human Sovereign throne.
When he first arrived in the myriad realms, Ye Chen had already attracted several troubles, with the Scarlet Scale King being one of them. Now, he truly did not want to attract any more trouble, so he chose to avoid it, leading Chen Ruo to detour far around the area.
Although Chen Ruo looked eager and expectant, Ye Chen knew deeply that this girl was a troublemaker. Thus, he repeatedly warned her not to act recklessly, causing the young girl to pout her red lips. That angry, charming expression of hers appeared utterly innocent and unfeigned, quite adorable.
Boom—
The surrounding area trembled, dust soaring into the sky.
One could sense that the two individuals in the duel were both extremely powerful. Not only were they at the peak of the ninth level of the Demigod Realm, but they also wielded Divine Transformation Realm Dao weapons, clashing continuously as if two deities of the current era were battling, shattering the surrounding mountain ranges with divine light flooding the heavens.
With every move, they unleashed strands of divine Great Dao traces, erupting with dazzling radiance that shook mountains and rivers, collapsing peaks.
In the end, the two fought their way deeper into the wild mountain range as they dueled, startling many demonic beasts living within to flee, while terrifying great demons roared in fury.
“It is said that this era holds the hope of achieving the Emperor Realm. It truly is extraordinary, far more prosperous and powerful than the hundreds of past eras. Countless prodigies and heroes will rise in this era, contending not only for the sole Human Sovereign throne but also for the sole hope of achieving the Emperor Realm.”
Ye Chen sighed softly. He understood more inside information than ordinary people. “It is said that during the Mythical Era, there existed the most perfect and invincible Emperors and Sovereigns. They left behind descendants who would emerge in this era. Whether this is true or not remains to be seen, but it is somewhat something to look forward to.”
The rise of the great contention was destined to be accompanied by the emergence of countless young prodigies, including some truly peerless geniuses. They were like kings, like superhuman figures, possessing astonishing talent and top-tier strength, powerful and peerless, drawing the attention of the world.
To contend for the Human Sovereign throne in this era would be far more difficult than in any era past or present.
At that time, the enemies one would face would not only be kings but also a group of supreme experts who had long been at the forefront of the Human Sovereign Battle—the most terrifying Immortal True Kings. Each possessed heaven-defying cultivation and had embarked on the ancient path of Samsara, struggling through the crossing and seeking transcendence.
Once they returned, they would do so with the invincible bearing of Heavenly Kings, sweeping across the world with no one to rival them.
After entering Qingyang Domain, Chen Ruo once again donned a black robe because her beauty was too stunning and pure, peerless in the world, worthy of being called one of the most beautiful women of the current era. It could easily attract a lot of trouble.
Along the way, they also easily sensed the grand spectacle of the Human Sovereign Battle across the myriad realms. In just a journey of ten thousand miles, the two encountered no fewer than a dozen battles between young experts, and these individuals were at least at the Demigod Realm or above, each quite powerful.
They increasingly felt the intensity of the Human Sovereign Battle.
The Human Sovereign Battle was like a hundred boats contending against the current, striving to advance against the flow. To stand out from the countless prodigies and heroes across the myriad realms—not only from the current era but also from the great eras throughout history—was incredibly difficult.
After traversing a full ten thousand miles, they saw in the distance a majestic ancient city standing against the horizon, surrounded by numerous towns. This pitch-black ancient city stood at the center of many towns, forming a prosperous urban circle.
Black Rock City was the name of this ancient city, a relatively important city within a radius of a hundred thousand miles. Many experts would stop here along their journey to rest and gather information.
The two entered Black Rock City, looking at this bustling town on the edge of the great domain, which, while not very large, was extremely lively. Although there were many cultivators, there were even more ordinary commoners—a town where cultivators and mortals coexisted.
Here, cultivators could not casually kill ordinary civilians. There were strict rules enforced by powerful forces.
Black Rock City was bustling with people coming and going, and many forces had established themselves here, engaging in various businesses, creating an atmosphere of prosperity.
With Chen Ruo's spirit stones, Ye Chen purchased a map of the Xia Yang Domain from a shop belonging to a relatively large force in the city. It contained relevant records of major towns and some important regions.
Unfortunately, Black Rock City had no teleportation array, but another prosperous capital city fifty thousand miles away, Qingzhou City, did have one.
Thus, the two set off again without stopping, heading for the next city.
This time, they spent a hefty sum to purchase two Cloud Sky Horses, the finest mounts available. Not only were their white coats as soft and smooth as clouds, their appearance holy and pure, but their speed was also extremely fast, making them a favorite mount for many cultivators traveling long distances.
Naturally, such Cloud Sky Horses were not cheap. Each cost three thousand jin of spirit stones, a very expensive price. Even ordinary Divine Transformation experts would be reluctant to spend that much. But with Chen Ruo, the big spender, around, Ye Chen didn't need to worry about such matters at all.
The two soared into the sky once more, riding their Cloud Sky Horses as they traversed the wilderness.
Not long after, they arrived at a stretch of wasteland and stopped, landing in a small town there.
This wasteland was called the Black Sky Plains. Although it spanned hundreds of thousands of miles, it was almost entirely barren land with no grass growing, dotted only by a few oases.
Yet, this Black Sky Plains was the central core area for over a hundred cities within a radius of hundreds of thousands of miles, a geographically crucial location that drove the development of this region spanning hundreds of thousands of miles. Every day, countless merchant caravans, large and small, passed through here.
Naturally, merchant caravans meant wealth, which also gave rise to countless bandits roaming here, plundering the treasures of the caravans.
The emergence of bandits naturally led to the development of mercenary groups for caravan protection.
In this Black Sky Plains spanning hundreds of thousands of miles, almost every day, even every moment, various crimes occurred.
So-called murder and arson were merely commonplace events here. It could be said that this wasteland was a region of sin, filled with too much crime.
The major ancient cities had not been idle either, sending out armies to suppress the bandits for the sake of their cities' prosperity and development. There had even been instances of true super experts taking action, leading various powerful forces in suppression campaigns.
But none had achieved satisfactory results. On several occasions, they had even faced resistance from the bandits of the Black Sky Plains, nearly being completely wiped out. Throughout history, seventeen cities had been attacked and destroyed by the bandits of the Black Sky Plains, with no survivors.
In recent years, truly fearsome experts had even emerged among the Black Sky Plains bandits, known as the Eight Great Bandits of Black Sky. Each was an extraordinary, saintly peerless expert, notorious and feared by the experts of the hundred cities surrounding the Black Sky Plains, who dared not provoke them.
Although Ye Chen possessed extraordinary strength and Chen Ruo was unfathomably deep, the Black Sky Plains were truly perilous. If the two rode their Cloud Sky Horses soaring through the sky, it would be far too audacious and would inevitably make them conspicuous targets, drawing the attention of the bandits in the Black Sky Plains.
Once that happened, trouble would be endless, and they might even provoke some major experts, which would be the most troublesome.
Ye Chen brought Chen Ruo to a small town on the edge of the Black Sky Plains. This place could be considered a relay station, with many merchant caravans setting off from here to pass through the Black Sky Plains.
Naturally, there were also many mercenaries here, each a battle-hardened expert specializing in escorting caravans and ensuring safety.
Although Chen Ruo grumbled unwillingly, reluctant to descend, Ye Chen, for the sake of safety, still paid a certain amount of spirit stones to join a merchant caravan escorted by a mercenary group and also sold the Cloud Sky Horses.
In the Black Sky Plains, such fine horse mounts were too eye-catching.
At the same time, in a large ancient city adjacent to the edge of the Black Sky Plains, the teleportation array at the city center lit up, and powerful figures stepped out.
The leader among them was none other than the king of Scarlet God Valley—the Scarlet Scale King!