"Cough—"
Blood trickled from the corner of Ye Chen's mouth, revealing his injuries and causing concern.
Hadn't his wounds already healed? Why were they still present?
He waved a hand to indicate he was fine. Though the injuries remained, they were unimportant—merely some Dao injuries.
Of course, these were left by the Heavenly Emperor, the Primordial Ancestor, and the incarnation of the Tenth Heaven. They couldn't be completely healed immediately; such wounds were far more terrifying. But he was confident that with the passage of time and the advancement of his cultivation, he would eventually completely suppress and resolve them.
Moreover, these were scars he had deliberately retained, intending to gradually refine them with Chaos and, in the process, comprehend the forbidden power contained within them. Perhaps this could allow him to advance even further.
The great tribulation had passed. Ye Chen had achieved true Great Perfection, transforming into a Universe Overlord figure within the Ancient Monarch sequence.
He merely stood there. Even with his aura restrained, not yet perfectly mastered, the faint threads of Monarch presence that leaked out were still utterly terrifying. They caused the world within the Tenth Emperor's Pass to rumble and roar, an unparalleled imposing might naturally spreading out, suppressing all heavens.
Countless powerhouses within the Tenfold Emperor Passes felt that terrifying oppressive force, finding it difficult to even breathe. Even the strongest among the human Seven Monarchs, the Peerless Monarch, felt his heart pounding.
It felt as if the myriad Daos of all heavens were about to collapse, unable to bear the pressure.
Only Xuan Shen Great Emperor could remain calm and unperturbed, his smile growing even wider at the sight.
"Saint King of Battle, what level of Monarch do you belong to now?"
A human Monarch swallowed hard with difficulty, unable to resist asking.
Under such a fearsome imposing might, even as an Ancient Monarch, he felt the Great Dao becoming increasingly distant and lofty, and the Dao within his own body was subjected to a terrifying suppression.
Ye Chen fell silent for a moment, then shook his head. "I'm not entirely sure either."
After advancing to Ancient Monarch, he felt his realm had become somewhat blurred, unable to discern his true cultivation level. He only knew he was extremely powerful, far surpassing any newly advanced Ancient Monarch in the world.
With his current strength, Ye Chen felt a kind of confidence. The so-called Seventh Heaven Super Monarchs were nothing before him; he could easily suppress them.
Even facing the Peerless Monarch, the strongest among the Seven Monarchs—a top-tier Ancient Monarch at the Eighth Heaven level—he had the confidence to fight.
Everyone exchanged glances. The Seven Monarchs were also unclear. Only Xuan Shen Great Emperor pondered slightly and said, "Understandable. After all, you advanced from the Eternal Quasi-Monarch level. Throughout history, those who reached the Eternal Quasi-Monarch level, aside from the most ancient Heavenly Emperor and Primordial Ancestor, are only you and that mysterious Di Yongheng. After stepping onto the path of Eternity, in a sense, you have broken free from the current cultivation path and embarked on a brand new one. It's understandable that the realm becomes blurred."
Ye Chen nodded thoughtfully.
"Although the realm is unclear, judging by the various manifestations of combat power, you can at least rival a mid Seventh Heaven Super Monarch, perhaps even stronger," a human Monarch evaluated. In fact, he believed Saint King of Battle's strength should be even higher. The so-called 'rivaling a mid Seventh Heaven Super Monarch' was merely an objective assessment.
Ye Chen smiled.
Mid Seventh Heaven?
After advancing to Ancient Monarch and surviving the most terrifying Monarch Great Tribulation, Ye Chen had gained infinite insights. Many unprecedented subtle changes had occurred within his body, and his comprehension of the myriad Daos of heaven and earth had become countless times clearer.
Moreover, he could feel that if he wished, he could master a region of the universe's starry sky, refine it into himself, and become a supreme ruler.
This was also the ability Shi Shaodi had once displayed.
Why were Ancient Monarchs also called Universe Overlords? This was one of their heaven-defying capabilities.
Within this starry sky, an Ancient Monarch was the universe's master, controlling everything, their words becoming law.
In a sense, this starry sky was also the Monarch's domain.
Of course, Ye Chen didn't need to do this because he possessed a true Primordial Universe. Once grown to its limit, it could rival a complete Chaos Ancient Universe.
"Ancient Monarchs are indeed infinitely profound," Ye Chen marveled, continuing to carefully comprehend all the changes of an Ancient Monarch, discovering many pleasant surprises.
Although he had successfully advanced to Ancient Monarch and mastered a terrifying cultivation far surpassing his past self, he didn't immediately leave the Tenfold Emperor Passes. Instead, he continued secluding himself within the World Tower, comprehending everything.
Ye Chen didn't want to miss the precious insights gained after advancing to Monarch. They were rare; they might disappear afterward, and who knew how long it would take to regain them.
The Tenfold Emperor Passes returned to peace once more. This time, the casualties Ye Chen had inflicted on the alien race by utilizing the Monarch Great Tribulation were no longer just 'injuring muscles and bones'—they were truly severe, affecting their very foundation.
At the very least, within the Chaos Sea, there was no sign of the alien race's Chaotic Ancient Heavenly Pass gathering alien armies anymore. Perhaps it would take many years before the alien race could assemble a sufficient army to attack the Pangu Universe again.
And after so many years, Ye Chen firmly believed he would reach an unprecedented height, perhaps even enough to prove his Dao and become an Emperor, sweeping through past and present.
Xuan Shen Great Emperor also left, returning to the myriad realms, as the myriad realms also needed a Great Emperor Supreme like him to oversee them.
The Tenth Emperor's Pass was still suppressed by the two ancient, forbidden weapons—the Human Emperor Tower and the World Tower—fearing no invasion from the alien race.
Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, another five years passed.
Ye Chen was still in seclusion, continuing to digest his various insights.
During this period, without a doubt, his strength had further improved, which could be described as astonishing.
Cultivating to the Ancient Monarch level, wanting to advance even a single step was extremely difficult. Yet Ye Chen continuously improved on his already high foundation, which was even more terrifying.
By now, he had completely resolved all his Dao injuries, achieving true perfection and flawlessness. He had gained many insights and had begun to advance further on the foundation of Chaos Dao techniques, comprehending more of the Chaos Great Dao, and creating even more powerful Chaos Dao techniques...
In the seventh year, Ye Chen finally emerged from seclusion.
He awoke from his seven-year meditation, his Great Dao perfected.
The moment he opened his eyes, there were no earth-shattering phenomena. Everything was so calm, returning to ordinary.
Over seven years, Ye Chen had basically perfectly comprehended all the various powers gained after advancing to Ancient Monarch. Moreover, his comprehension of Chaos had improved immeasurably. Now he could achieve a smooth, natural state, perfectly restraining his vast aura that suppressed all heavens, not leaking the slightest bit.
If he wished, even an Emperor might not be able to sense his true cultivation level without deliberately probing.
Feeling the perfectly complete Chaos Great Dao power within his body and sensing the Primordial Universe deep within, Ye Chen felt incomparably powerful—even more so than during his tribulation.
"The great tribulation is over, and the power of the realm has been completely comprehended. Now I can be called a true Eternal Monarch, perfect and flawless," Ye Chen murmured to himself. This perfect power of an Eternal Monarch was undoubtedly far superior to that of ordinary Ancient Monarchs by who knew how much.
He dared to be confident that he could kill Fourth or Fifth Heaven Monarchs with a mere raise of his hand, without any doubt.
He just didn't know what his exact realm was. After all, as Xuan Shen Great Emperor had said, at this step, the realm had become blurred, unable to be accurately distinguished by the usual Heaven levels.