Not only Ye Chen and his companions, but also the majority of those who had ascended to the Upper Realm together back then had returned, with only a few exceptions.
There was the Grand Ancestor of the Heavenly Gate, Wan Yuan, the founding ancestor of the Wanhua Sect, the founding ancestor of the Seven Colors Sect, the founder of the Tianmo Academy, and others.
Upon returning to the Myriad Heavens and Worlds, Ye Chen had sought them all out and brought them back.
Over the years, they had also progressed with astonishing speed in the Myriad Domains of the Heavens, achieving great breakthroughs.
After all, back in the day, while still in the Lower Realm, they had been able to rely on themselves to break through the shackles of heaven and earth and reach the Saint Treasury Realm. The Myriad Domains of the Heavens offered them an even vaster sky.
"Good, good, good! You have finally returned."
The several Heavenly Gate Ancestors were extremely excited. The Heavenly King aura emanating from their bodies was difficult to suppress, leaking out slightly and causing the Heavenly Gate Capital Peak to tremble, with winds and clouds shifting dramatically.
The entire Heavenly Gate was shaken. Alarm bells rang, and numerous powerful figures emerged one after another, thinking a great enemy had invaded.
But the Heavenly Gate Ancestors spoke, their voices echoing across the Heavenly Gate Capital Peak, declaring that no enemy had invaded. Only then did the various powerful figures of the Heavenly Gate restrain their auras.
"Apologies, we got a bit carried away," the several Heavenly Gate Ancestors chuckled, yet they remained extremely happy.
After a separation of many years, those who had ascended to the Upper Realm back then had all returned.
The reunion filled everyone with immense joy.
"Come in, come in quickly, don't just stand there."
With enthusiastic calls, they ushered Ye Chen and the others into the Heavenly Gate's main hall. Everyone was excited.
"How did you return? Could it be that the passage between the Lower Realm and the Upper Realm is now connected?" the Second Ancestor inquired.
Back when Ye Chen and the others had journeyed to the Upper Realm, it had required tremendous effort and a great price, relying on the holy sacrifice of an alien monarch to truly open the gate to the Upper Realm and enter smoothly.
Their appearance now—did it mean the passage between the two realms could be opened?
Ascending to the Upper Realm was the dream of every being in the Lower Realm.
The several Heavenly Gate Ancestors also harbored this longing.
Compared to the Myriad Heavens and Worlds they had already dominated and roamed for many years, they yearned even more to campaign in the more splendid and vibrant lands of the Upper Realm.
"No, we requested a human Supreme One to take action personally and tear open the barrier between the two realms," Ye Chen said lightly, as if it were nothing significant. Yet the several Ancestors were left dumbfounded.
A human Supreme One had personally intervened?
Only Overlord-level forces knew that the might of a Supreme One far surpassed that of any contemporary Myriad Realms Overlord by countless degrees.
Indeed, the Upper Realm was so prosperous that Supreme Ones still existed there.
This made them yearn for it even more.
After a separation of nearly a thousand years, the reunion filled everyone with such joy that they immediately held a grand celebratory feast.
The several Ancestors sent messages at once, summoning all their old acquaintances from the past one by one: the couple Li Wei and his wife who had taken in Ye Chen back then, the now fully grown Little Ruo'er, the simpleton Li Leng, the former Academy Master of the Tianmo Academy, several founding ancestors of the Seven Colors Sect... and so on. All old friends who had been close back then came one after another, gathering together in the same hall.
Meeting old friends stirred exceptional excitement.
"Qian Yue, is it really you all?"
These individuals were now important figures of the vast Heavenly Kingdom, holding lofty positions and wielding immense authority for many years. Even when meeting the masters of super forces like Heavenly Kings, they would maintain solemn expressions and perform grand salutes. Yet now, upon seeing familiar old friends, they were so moved they shed tears, acting like a bunch of children. It showed how truly happy they were, weeping for joy.
"Jing Ruo, Yu Qing, and Chen'er—"
When they saw one familiar face after another, the people of the Heavenly Kingdom were overjoyed.
They had originally thought that after Ye Chen and the others ascended to the Upper Realm, it would be difficult for them to ever return. They never imagined there would be a chance to meet again.
Everyone was extremely happy, all very excited.
Even Weier and Wang Ming shed some tears.
The Grand Ancestor of the Heavenly Gate, Wan Yuan, and the others sighed with deep emotion.
The Little Divine Realm held far too many memories for them.
At the edge, Qian Xun watched this scene, his gaze instantly firming. "Mother, your child will come to welcome you very soon."
Ye Chen was very happy, rarely showing a smile. He took out many precious meats, accompanied by countless heavenly materials and earthly treasures, including ten-thousand-year medicinal treasures, medicinal spirits, and even high-grade elixirs... a dazzling, colorful array that left the several Heavenly Gate Ancestors staring wide-eyed.
Each and every one of these treasures could absolutely be considered top-tier even within the contemporary Overlord-level force of the Heavenly Kingdom. Yet they watched as Ye Chen casually produced them as if they were worthless cabbage by the roadside.
Over the years, Qian Yue and the others seemed to have encountered tremendous opportunities.
At the same time, there appeared the carcasses of several unknown colossal beasts. Though intentionally refined, they were still as massive as mountains, containing a lofty and terrifying aura. Not to mention others, even the several Ancestors present, who had long since reached the Heavenly King level, felt their hearts pounding with fear.
One must understand that although their cultivation in the Lower Realm was inferior to that of the Upper Realm, they had still reached the Heavenly King level. Yet they were still intimidated by the residual aura of these deceased ancient beasts. This undoubtedly indicated that these ancient beasts in life must have been terrifying existences that could be considered powerful even within the Heavenly King Realm, possibly even surpassing it.
They very much wanted to ask Ye Chen and the others how they had obtained the flesh and blood of these Great Power-level Beast Kings. But considering that Ye Chen and the others had managed to return to the Lower Realm through the intervention of a human Supreme One, they likely had their own extraordinary encounters.
As for the possibility that Ye Chen had hunted them himself, they didn't even consider it.
After all, less than a thousand years had passed since Ye Chen and the others ascended to the Upper Realm. Being able to become Heavenly Kings was already remarkable. As for reaching the Great Power level, let alone hunting Great Power-level Beast Kings, they simply dared not imagine it.
Ye Chen and the others also smiled faintly, not volunteering the information, as that would seem more like boasting. In front of close ones, they wouldn't act that way.
They consciously concealed their auras, so the various Heavenly Gate Ancestors naturally couldn't sense their true cultivation levels.
As the grand feast commenced, Ye Chen even brought out fine wine, obtained during his travels on the Ultimate Ancient Path and the Supreme Ancient Path.
Through nearly a thousand years of experience, Ye Chen's collection was exceptionally rich, with countless fine wines. He didn't take out the most precious ones, not because he was unwilling, but because they weren't suitable for the current members of the Heavenly Kingdom—their medicinal effects were too potent. Instead, he took out wines of a corresponding level and poured drinks for his old friends.
"So fragrant, so unique!"
The Third Ancestor of the Heavenly Gate took a sip and felt it melt in his mouth, even giving rise to various strands of Great Dao laws that flowed within his body and could actually be absorbed and refined. It was somewhat unbelievable.
Moreover, faint traces of intoxication appeared, which surprised him greatly.
As a Heavenly King, he was almost on the verge of getting drunk. This wine was a peerless treasure.
If the Third Ancestor, a Heavenly King Realm expert, reacted like this to the wine, other old friends who hadn't reached the Heavenly King Realm would get drunk after just one sip.
Ye Chen smiled. Multiple rays of light shot from his body, entering the bodies of these old friends. Instantly, it dispelled their intoxication, and the fine wine transformed into pure Great Dao laws, completely merging into their bodies. Many found their cultivation increasing by a significant margin out of thin air.
Subsequently, the flesh and blood of the Beast Kings were roasted over a special Dao fire. They were quickly cooked, paired with specially prepared seasonings. The aroma of the meat could drift across heaven and earth, intoxicating to the senses.
"I'm going to eat!"
An old friend couldn't resist his appetite. He took a bite. The Beast King roast meat melted in his mouth. Even though over ninety percent of its divine energy had already been refined away, it was still extremely potent. It caused the blood and qi of some old friends to boil violently, to the point they could hardly withstand it, their entire bodies feeling as if they were about to explode.
One must know, this was genuine Beast King flesh and blood, containing divine energy far beyond imagination. Even a Heavenly King would need to savor it slowly. A Saint recklessly swallowing a large mouthful was equivalent to receiving a vast amount of divine energy that exceeded what he could currently bear, filling his body to the point of nearly exploding.
"Save me quickly! I feel like my body is about to explode!" Li Leng cried out in pain, his entire body turning red like heated iron, emitting wisps of green smoke.
Ye Chen watched with amusement. He flicked a finger, and a ray of Chaos light entered Li Leng's body, directly dissolving that vast power. Over eighty percent of it leaked out from his pores, wasted.
But there was no other way, as the divine energy was simply too vast, enough to burst any Saint alive.
Of course, even the remaining power still caused Li Leng's cultivation to surge, raising him by one minor realm out of thin air, astonishing those around him.
One must know that although Li Leng's cultivation talent wasn't as good as Ye Chen and the others back in the day, he had still reached the seventh minor realm of the Saint Treasury Realm. A piece of Beast King flesh and blood had actually pushed him to the eighth minor realm, and this was after eighty to ninety percent of its power had dissipated. One could imagine how astonishing this was.
In the end, Ye Chen personally took action, shooting out beams of light that entered the Beast King roast meat one after another. He refined away the majority of the divine energy within. What remained, though still considerable, was enough for Saints to withstand, and they too saw their cultivation levels rise successively.
This reunion feast brought everyone great joy. There were no reservations between them; they drank and vowed not to return until thoroughly drunk.
Even A Beinu, the Corpse Devouring Insect Emperor, and some of the Chaos Heavenly Mansion experts who had followed were consciously suppressing their cultivation, chatting and laughing, integrating into this circle, genuinely happy from the heart.
"Qian Yue, seeing you all return truly makes us happy. Even if the Heavenly Kingdom—"
A Heavenly Gate Ancestor laughed heartily, but Ye Chen clearly saw a trace of worry between his brows. Scanning the other Ancestors, he found the same and asked what had happened.
"It's nothing, we're all fine. Don't worry," the several Ancestors waved their hands, naturally reluctant to trouble Ye Chen and make him worry. They claimed it was nothing, that everything could be resolved.
In their hearts, they secretly resolved not to cause trouble for Ye Chen; they could handle it themselves.
Ye Chen didn't press further, simply stating that if there really was a problem, they shouldn't stand on ceremony—they were all family, and he would certainly lend a hand.
The several Ancestors sighed inwardly. Although they felt Ye Chen must have grown much stronger in the Upper Realm over the years, his cultivation time was ultimately too short, too young. How could he contend against a Myriad Realms Overlord-level existence like the Lingxu Divine King?
Moreover, the trouble was something they had brought upon themselves; they couldn't let Ye Chen bear the responsibility.
They waved their hands, claiming nothing was wrong and not to worry.
...
The next day, with Ye Chen's deliberate instruction, the news of his return directly caused a massive storm that swept across the entire Little Divine Realm.
The world learned that the founding ruler of the Heavenly Kingdom—the Battle Saint King—had returned to the Little Divine Realm!
A single stone stirred up a thousand waves!