Of course, there were also many who did not think this way, especially the masters of the top-tier great powers. They believed that no matter how dazzlingly brilliant the Battle Saint King was, it was only due to his reliance on the Little Divine Realm's Origin. Without the Little Divine Realm's Origin, he would certainly be inferior to them, the masters of these great powers.
This viewpoint gained the recognition of quite a few.
Therefore, these masters of the top-tier great powers held little genuine recognition for the Battle Saint King seated upon the supreme Divine Throne.
"These fools!"
In the void, Qian Xun sneered coldly, understanding these people's doubts about his father. But only they truly understood how powerful Ye Chen was. The so-called Little Divine Realm's Origin Power was nothing more than that to him.
Of course, he also knew his father's purpose: to test the true intentions of some people, to uncover some more important truths.
The feast was grand, spread across the entire Sky City. Experts from all five domains of the Canglan Continent had come, with powerhouses emerging in great numbers.
Saints who could once dominate a region were now nothing special, commonplace everywhere. A new generation replaced the old, and Heavenly Kings had become the current highest echelon of rulers in the Little Divine Realm.
Every top-tier great power had a Heavenly King overseeing it.
Take the Heavenly Gate, for example—it boasted six Heavenly Kings, powerful to the extreme, beyond imagination.
In the Divine King Hall, Ye Chen, wearing the Divine King Crown, sat high above upon the supreme Divine Throne, looking down, his gaze sweeping over all the powerhouses attending the feast.
For some reason, everyone felt their hearts tremble violently, as if being gazed upon by a deity standing atop the Ninth Heaven, while they themselves were mere ants. An instinctive reverence arose in their hearts—a scene hard to believe under normal circumstances.
"This is—"
Soon, they regained their composure, believing this was merely due to the majestic power of the Little Divine Realm's Origin. They weren't facing the Battle Saint King, but the entire Little Divine Realm's Origin, hence the natural reverence.
"We pay our respects to the Heavenly Kingdom Ruler!"
All factions performed salutes, though, of course, the vast majority of these salutes were generally perfunctory, lacking sincerity.
This enraged the Heavenly Kingdom's powerhouses, especially the various Ancestors, whose eyes turned icy as they prepared to teach them a lesson.
But Ye Chen secretly stopped them. The corner of his mouth lifted into a cold arc as he slowly spoke, "I am pleased that you all could attend the grand feast I am hosting today."
A crystal wine glass appeared in his hand, filled with precious vintage from across the Myriad Realms, its fragrance wafting everywhere, exceptionally alluring.
The powerhouses at the feast also raised their glasses in a toast.
After tasting the wine in their cups, everyone's eyes lit up, inwardly marveling. This wine truly seemed to belong only in the heavens; how many times could one taste such a thing in the mortal world?
Could this be the fine wine of the Upper Realm?
"Enough idle talk."
Ye Chen spoke, getting straight to the point: "Today, I have only one purpose for hosting this feast. When the Lingxu Divine King comes to attack the Little Divine Realm, I hope you will all join forces to resist the Lingxu Divine King, to prevent the Little Divine Realm from changing hands. Those who contribute will be richly rewarded."
As his words fell, silence descended upon the feast.
Even though the major figures of the various powers had long guessed that this was the main purpose of the Heavenly Kingdom Ruler's feast, they hadn't expected him to be so direct. They thought there would at least be some buildup first.
"My Heavenly Gate is willing to follow!"
The six Ancestors of the Heavenly Gate responded immediately.
This made many people roll their eyes. The Heavenly Gate had long been one with the Battle Saint King; of course they would follow.
"My Huamo Academy is willing!"
"My Seven Colors Sect is willing!"
...
A group of forces that had been on good terms with Ye Chen in the past responded one after another.
But not many. Overall, the number of responders didn't even exceed the count of two hands, and then there were no more.
It must be known that among the Little Divine Realm forces present, aside from those top-tier powers with Heavenly Kings, there were also super-first-rate forces, totaling well over a hundred. Yet less than one-tenth responded—it was practically a joke.
Just how little appeal did Ye Chen, this Heavenly Kingdom Ruler, have?
The expressions of the Heavenly Kingdom's powerhouses all changed.
What did this silence mean? Were they unwilling?
Ye Chen's expression remained unchanged. His gaze continued to sweep over the many forces, actually causing quite a few people to instinctively want to avoid it. They quickly reacted, their expressions shifting slightly. Why were they trying to avoid it?
"Are there no others besides them?"
Ye Chen spoke again. The feast remained utterly silent.
Many people sneered secretly.
Faced with a choice between Ye Chen and the Lingxu Divine King, they naturally all chose the Lingxu Divine King.
After all, the Lingxu Divine King was a Myriad Realms Overlord. Although the Battle Saint King was the master of the Little Divine Realm and had ascended to the Upper Realm nearly a thousand years ago, so what? He might have achieved the Heavenly King realm, but he was definitely no match for a Myriad Realms Overlord like the Lingxu Divine King. At most, he could only put up some resistance by relying on the Little Divine Realm's Origin.
The choice wasn't difficult at all. Anyone who wasn't a fool knew the correct choice.
Ye Chen shook his head with a smile. "I never expected my connections to be so poor. Almost no one chooses to stand on my side."
His laughter carried a hint of self-mockery, but surprisingly, it was very calm.
As if he wasn't surprised at all.
"Since that's the case, I announce today that all those who do not respond shall be expelled from the Little Divine Realm starting immediately. Their affiliated dimensional worlds shall be separated from the Heavenly Kingdom's ruled Domain!"
A majestic voice rang out from Ye Chen's mouth, deafening and shocking everyone's ears.
What?
Expel all non-responders from the Little Divine Realm?
At this moment, everyone became unsettled, especially those who hadn't responded—among them were no shortage of top-tier great powers with Heavenly Kings. They all looked at Ye Chen and said coldly, "Battle Saint King, you are going too far. Not choosing means being expelled? Aren't you being too tyrannical?"
At this point, they no longer addressed him as Ruler, but called him by his title directly.
"As a Ruler, you should have a benevolent heart. Our choice not to join you in resisting the enemy is not our crime or mistake; we are merely making our own choice. Yet you want to expel us? That is too autocratic."
"Battle Saint King, you should know how invincible a Myriad Realms Overlord is. It's not something we can resist. Your insistence on resistance is your own business, but we believe we cannot contend with such a Myriad Realms Overlord figure, so we can only keep our distance. Yet you tyrannically want to expel us? That is utterly unreasonable!"
"Battle Saint King, I advise you to think twice before acting. Otherwise, if any consequences occur, don't say you weren't warned."
...
Many masters of great powers spoke up, among them no shortage of Heavenly Kings. Their words even carried faint threads of threat.
Even if he was the Heavenly Kingdom Ruler, they threatened him directly.
Moreover, they had dominated the Little Divine Realm for many years, long accustomed to it, and controlled many resources unavailable in other dimensional worlds. To be expelled today—how could they be willing? Now, they all exerted pressure, subtle yet palpable, trying to coerce Ye Chen into making a different decision.
Seeing this scene, the Heavenly Gate's powerhouses immediately darkened their expressions.