Of course, from the very beginning, Ye Chen had prepared ample backup plans and made all necessary preparations. He would never truly allow himself to die; his purpose was merely to experience the sensation of that life-and-death peril.
This was intentional.
In the end, he succeeded.
The Dominator battle, where he had narrowly escaped death, combined with thirty years of insights gained from repeatedly brushing against mortality in the realm of life and death, allowed Ye Chen to achieve a major breakthrough in his understanding, surpassing his original realm and transcending his past self.
Whether it was his Chaos Saint Body or his Chaos Saint Soul, the thirty years of reshaping and countless temperings within the life-and-death realm had made them stronger than ever before.
It was just a pity that the battle had also exacted a tremendous price.
One must understand the difficulty of a Dominator battle. Without employing his Supreme Emperor Weapons, he had repeatedly fallen into life-threatening situations where death was nine-tenths certain, resulting in massive depletion. His form and spirit had been shattered several times, forcing him to successively devour most of the form and spirit of several Dominator-level Sovereigns to replenish himself.
However, without sufficient time for gradual refinement, the reckless devouring directly led to various immense divine energies flooding his body, becoming unbearable. Even his Chaos Saint Body nearly exploded.
Thus, to this day, he still suffers from terrifying aftereffects, with Dao injuries that are extremely severe.
It was only him; if it were any other Primordial Times Sovereign, even a Forbidden Zone Ruler would absolutely be unable to withstand such Dao injuries and would perish on the spot.
Moreover, during the ultimate collision, endless Great Dao rules were driven into his form and spirit, not only from them but also from the foundational rules of the Primordial Heaven Realm itself.
Most terrifyingly, among the several Dominator-level powerhouses slain, three had burned their Sovereign Heavenly Souls at the moment of death, sacrificing their lives to transform into supreme curses, imposing an alternative form of suppression upon him.
Therefore, in his current state, he is in a very precarious situation, trapped in a state of extreme helplessness. All his dao techniques and divine power are suppressed and unusable.
Because the Sovereign rules of multiple Forbidden Zone Rulers and super Sovereigns were driven into him, along with curse power and the burning of two Great Dao Heavenly Suns, various terrifying rule powers and curse forces ultimately coalesced into a fearsome and unique Great Dao Heavenly Diagram.
It was precisely this Great Dao Heavenly Diagram that forcefully suppressed his infinite divine power.
Even the moment he recovered, he attempted to break through using his own strength and tried to harness the heavenly thunder of the Primordial Heaven Realm to strike himself, attacking the Great Dao Heavenly Diagram from both inside and out, but it was of no avail.
The Great Dao Heavenly Diagram is indestructible and imperishable, suppressing all his dao technique power within his body.
It could be said that the current Ye Chen cannot utilize the slightest bit of dao technique power; it is all suppressed by the Great Dao Heavenly Diagram.
Even his origin universe is the same.
Fortunately, he can still employ the physical power of his Chaos Saint Body.
After all, with the terrifying might of his Chaos Saint Body, he can contend with Sovereign Immortal Weapons and even shatter them, so he still possesses peerless combat prowess.
Another important point that prevents Ye Chen from being overly disheartened is his discovery. Although this Great Dao Heavenly Diagram completely suppresses his dao technique power, sealing his dao techniques, it is also an immensely vast power, condensed from the strength of multiple Forbidden Zone Ruler-level entities and the rule power of the Primordial Heaven Realm. It is even more powerful than his original divine power.
Once shattered and refined for his own use, he would undoubtedly advance by a large margin, achieving a significant leap and a multiplicative increase in power.
This could be considered a case of fortune and misfortune being intertwined.
As an Eternal Sovereign, comparable to a peerless Sovereign, taking a step further is exceedingly difficult.
Generally speaking, unless Ye Chen encountered a heaven-defying opportunity, relying on himself alone might take a thousand or even ten thousand years to advance further.
Now, the evolution and suppression of the Great Dao Heavenly Diagram could instead become the driving force for him to obtain even greater power.
What needs consideration now is how to shatter the Great Dao Heavenly Diagram and recover.
Ordinary power simply cannot break through the Great Dao Heavenly Diagram. In other words, it requires at least the level of a peerless Sovereign, or even stronger.
Thus, he must once again rely on the offensive power of several Life Forbidden Zone Rulers to have a chance.
However, his injuries remain severe and require a period of recovery. Otherwise, rashly seeking them out would be certain death.
At the very least, he needs his injuries to heal before he can search for them.
Of course, Ye Chen had considered the Great Emperor Reincarnation Body and Hun Yue Emperor Lord, relying on them to act.
Unfortunately, the terror of the Great Dao Heavenly Diagram lies not only in directly sealing everything within his body but also in isolating his soul and everything else. He cannot even contact the Great Emperor Reincarnation Body far away in the Desolate Realm, let alone Hun Yue Emperor Lord.
"I was too confident, thinking I could resolve everything, leading to these terrifying aftereffects. Otherwise, with the help of the Great Emperor Reincarnation Body or Hun Yue Emperor Lord, it would be enough to break open this Great Dao Heavenly Diagram, advance further, and the Dao injuries would rapidly heal with the elevation of my realm."
"Forget it. For now, I'll recover from my injuries first, then seek a solution."
Ye Chen gave a somewhat helpless, self-mocking smile, then a gleam flashed in his eyes—
"Moreover, having my dao techniques sealed isn't without benefits. It'spreciselyAgreed the right time to verify a suspicion in my heart."
Long before coming to the Primordial Heaven Realm, he had learned most of the situation in this realm from the souls of the three Divine Kings of the Vault Palace.
Furthermore, the three Divine Kings were high-ranking members of the Vault Palace, privy to many secrets.
The Primordial Heaven Realm is far from simple, harboring many unknown mysteries.
For instance, each Ten Thousand Ancient Inheritance is not as the world understands—some declining, some rising.
As of now, the seven Ten Thousand Ancient Inheritances have existed since the creation of the Primordial Heaven Realm, and can even be traced back to the previous epoch—the Mythical Epoch!
But at a deeper level, even the three Divine Kings of the Vault Palace could not access it. They only knew one thing: the ancient weapons possessed by the Ten Thousand Ancient Inheritances are even more terrifying than the publicly known ten supreme ancient weapons of the Primordial Heaven Realm!
In the past, there were thirteen Ten Thousand Ancient Inheritances, but over the long ages, only seven remain.
Where did the six vanished Ten Thousand Ancient Inheritances go?
Consider the overall strength of the Primordial Heaven Realm.
From all aspects, the Primordial Heaven Realm simply cannot compare to an upper realm like the myriad realms. Yet, since the beginning of this epoch, it has continuously given birth to so many super powerhouses—Divine Kings are not lacking, Quasi-Sovereigns are plentiful, and Primordial Times Sovereigns are occasionally born.
Even top-tier Sovereigns at the level of Forbidden Zone Rulers are born in every era.
This is something the myriad realms absolutely cannot achieve.
Why can the Primordial Heaven Realm give birth to so many powerhouses, with an overall strength far more terrifying than the myriad realms before their hidden reserves were awakened?
For example, the nine Life Forbidden Zone Rulers were all once masters of the Primordial Heaven Realm in their respective eras, renowned throughout the heavens. Yet why did they all suddenly retreat during their most glorious and prominent periods, manifesting as Life Forbidden Zones?
During the Dominator battle, several terrifying alien super powerhouses appeared out of nowhere, each comparable to Forbidden Zone Ruler level. Yet the Forbidden Zone Rulers of the Primordial Heaven Realm actually secretly allied with these aliens.
From this, it can be inferred that the alien race has existed in the Primordial Heaven Realm for endless ages but has never been expelled. Instead, they secretly collude, a thought that isterrifying to contemplate in detail.
Ye Chen suspects that the existence of the Primordial Heaven Realm is not as simple as just being a fragment of the shattered Primordial Divine Realm that fell. It might involve a special chess game.
This chess game is related to the entire Pangu Universe...
These secrets are all worth Ye Chen personally investigating.
Moreover, more importantly, ever since setting foot in the Primordial Heaven Realm, he has always had a feeling.
The Primordial Heaven Realm seems familiar, as if it isintangible influence / imperceptibly closely related to him.
This relationship is not just because the Primordial Heaven Realm is the leader of the Eight Realms of the Myriad Worlds, nor because the Vault Palace, one of the seven Ten Thousand Ancient Inheritances of the Primordial Heaven Realm, pursues the Heavenly Kingdom. It's as if he has been closely connected to this Primordial Heaven Realm from the very beginning.
The appearance of the Primordial Heaven Realm seems to have occurred specifically for him.
It is precisely thisintangible influence / imperceptibly feeling that makes Ye Chen willing to truly understand the Primordial Heaven Realm.
If his dao techniques were not sealed, he could not guarantee he could definitely conceal himself.
But under the suppression of the Great Dao Heavenly Diagram, his origin aura is completely isolated. Even if all the Forbidden Zone Rulers acted together, they would absolutely be unable to deduce his whereabouts. Instead, it benefits his actions.
Immediately, Ye Chen looked at the Demi-Saint elder of the cultivation academy and the other students. He took a step forward, whooshed into a leap, and landed before them.
"Senior—"
The Demi-Saint elder wore a worried expression, taking a few steps back while vaguely shielding the group of students behind him. He truly feared Ye Chen might suddenly lose his temper and attack these juniors, who were all elite talents painstakingly selected from various regions for the cultivation academy.
Seeing this, Ye Chen said, "Don't worry, I won't attack you."
Hearing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, but the Demi-Saint elder still stood in that position, remaining somewhat vigilant.
Ye Chen paid it no mind.
The group of students behind, seeing Ye Chen covered in scorch marks with tattered battle armor, unanimously concluded he must be the senior who had undergone tribulation not long ago, and were quite curious.
Even though Ye Chen's vaguely discernible appearance was very young, similar to theirs, looking no more than twenty, no one doubted his strength.
Because upon reaching higher realms, one naturally gains additional lifespan, rejuvenates, and appearing young is perfectly reasonable.
Seeing Ye Chen's gentle demeanor, the many students gradually relaxed, and even the Demi-Saint elder became less vigilant.
After all, the other party was a tribulation survivor, at least at the Saint level. Even though he seemed severely injured, the elder might not be his match.
Subsequently, they gradually let down their guard, and Ye Chen gradually learned some information.
The group hailed from the cultivation academy of Ku Province in the Qianwu Ancient Nation—Ku Province Academy.
The leading Demi-Saint elder was named Li Gu. This time, he had brought them out to broaden their horizons.
This place was near the Luoshui Mountain Range, one of the top super mountain ranges of the Qianwu Ancient Nation, spanning tens of millions of miles and traversing several ancient nations in the eastern lands.
Naturally, the Luoshui Mountain Range was also filled with numerous demon beasts and fierce beasts. Their purpose in coming was twofold: first, to witness a Saint undergoing tribulation; second, to hunt demon beasts and gain combat experience.
Similarly, from the conversation, Ye Chen vaguely learned about some contemporary matters, such as the current interconnection of the Eight Realms of the Myriad Worlds, the competition among the younger generation of the Eight Realms, andfor example the Heavenly Court.
"Heavenly Court?"
Ye Chen narrowed his eyes, a few gleams of light flickering within.