The powerhouse who rose from Black Sky City was slain on the spot by the Seventeenth Elder, unable to withstand a single blow from a Demi-Saint.
The vast divine might of the Demi-Saint blanketed Black Sky City, causing countless people within the city to tremble in fear. Wasn't this place the sole bastion of order within the Black Sky Plains, where disturbances were forbidden? Yet now, a peerless powerhouse had descended, his overwhelming pressure so immense it seemed capable of scattering the very clouds.
Ye Chen's face slightly changed color. He hadn't expected this Scarlet God Valley Seventeenth Elder to be so brazen, daring to intrude upon Black Sky City like this, even slaying one of its powerhouses. Did he truly not fear the Eight Great Bandits of Black Sky?
The Seventeenth Elder left the divine ship, charging into the city alone. He strode upon the void, his divine might rippling outward like a supreme deity walking the mortal world, looking down upon this thousand-mile giant of a city. His divine sense locked onto Ye Chen and Chen Ruo. With a flick of his sleeve, a fierce gale arose, and a withered, massive hand blotted out the vast heavens and earth. A dharma manifestation appeared, reaching out to seize the two.
"At this point, do you still think you can escape?"
He showed no regard whatsoever for the fact that this was the city of order established by the Eight Great Bandits of Black Sky, where wanton destruction was forbidden. He harbored not a shred of apprehension.
At this moment, powerful figures shot out from Black Sky City—the city's law enforcers. Each was a true powerhouse, at least at the super Demigod level of the seventh heaven. Their leader was an even greater expert, a master of the Divine Transformation Realm, a Commander of the law enforcers.
Now, leading the other enforcers, he charged forward, unleashing a wave of divine light to block the path, his eyes cold as he shouted, "Halt immediately! This is Black Sky City, the City of Order. You may not act recklessly here."
As law enforcers, their duty was to maintain the city's order and prevent anyone from disrupting it, or else severe punishment would follow.
Seizing this opportunity, Ye Chen grabbed Chen Ruo and, in a flash, vanished into the depths of the city. They both sensed powerful, vast auras hidden deep within Black Sky City—a place where tigers crouched and dragons hid. That was the true safe zone.
The law enforcers' obstruction made the Seventeenth Elder frown, but then he angrily flicked his sleeve. His divine might surged to the heavens, a terrifying fluctuation erupting forth that sent the group of law enforcers flying, coughing blood, unable to withstand it. He coldly snorted, "This matter is none of your concern. This old man has come only to capture the culprit who killed my clan's Young King. If you obstruct me, even as law enforcers, I will show no mercy."
"A Demi-Saint?!"
Only then did the law enforcers realize with shock that this old man before them was a super existence at the Demi-Saint level, far beyond their ability to contend with. Such Demi-Saints were exceedingly rare throughout the entire Black Sky Plains, countable on one hand. Who would have thought one would now forcefully descend upon Black Sky City?
But remembering the existence presiding over the city, they gained immense confidence. The Commander wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and coldly responded, "I admit we are no match for you. But so what if you're a Demi-Saint? Do not forget this is Black Sky City, the City of Order jointly decided upon by the Eight Great Bandits. No one may disrupt it, not even a Demi-Saint, unless you dare incur the wrath of the Eight Great Bandits. Do you have that courage?"
He invoked the name of the Eight Great Bandits of Black Sky to suppress the Seventeenth Elder's arrogance.
Those were first-rate peerless figures of the world, terrifying existences comparable to the Saint Lords of the various Immortal Sacred Lands. He refused to believe the Seventeenth Elder had the courage to oppose the Eight Great Bandits of Black Sky.
"My clan's Young King was slain. This old man already has no face to show my clan. Killing that person would be a worthy death!" The Seventeenth Elder's expression was as dark as water, utterly resolute.
The numerous powerhouses on the Scarlet God Valley divine ship behind him cried out in sorrow, "Elder, you must not!"
"My mind is made up!" The Seventeenth Elder flicked his sleeve with a cold snort, then sent a wave of divine power fluctuation to push the divine ship out of Black Sky City's core area. Alone, he continued his pursuit of Ye Chen.
He unleashed his most terrifying Demi-Saint divine might, blanketing the entire Black Sky City, terrifying many within. Furthermore, powerful presences were stirred. Faintly, from the deepest parts of Black Sky City, powerful and astonishing auras began to slowly awaken.
Those were the mighty figures of the Black Sky Plains, now alerted.
However, the Seventeenth Elder merely glanced in that direction from afar before locking onto Ye Chen and the others once more. He took a single step. Instantly, wind and clouds reversed, mountains and rivers seemed to flow backward. His speed was astonishing, traversing the vast sky in an instant.
Such divine speed left others far behind, filling them with shock and awe. Was this the true, peerless divine speed a Demi-Saint possessed?
"No! The peaceful order of Black Sky City cannot tolerate provocation from anyone, not even a Demi-Saint!" The group of Black Sky City law enforcers shot into the sky, heading to block the Seventeenth Elder.
"Noisy pests, begone!"
But the Seventeenth Elder merely gave a simple flick of his sleeve. Boundless power rippled across the sky, causing the firmament to tremble and the winds and clouds to change color. The group of law enforcers were all directly swept away, vomiting blood, utterly unable to obstruct him.
Had they fallen to the ground, entire swathes of the city would have been flattened, with countless casualties.
For a Demi-Saint was too powerful. Such figures could shatter mountains and rivers with a mere thought, far beyond the imagination of ordinary folk, vastly more formidable.
His divine sense was vast and powerful, having long since locked onto Ye Chen, making escape impossible. However, Chen Ruo was too peculiar; her aura was ethereal and illusory, so much so that even he could not completely lock onto her.
Nevertheless, his primary target was Ye Chen. Chen Ruo, who had stolen the clan's Soul Stabilizing Pearl, was relegated to second priority. Everything was solely because Ye Chen had slain the clan's Young King of this generation.
"Brat, don't think you can escape this old man's grasp." The Seventeenth Elder coldly snorted, pressing down with his withered hand. Instantly, entire sections of city houses and buildings collapsed one after another, dust billowing, with many people injured or killed, creating a scene of carnage.
Furthermore, a terrifying wave of dao fluctuations spread out, striking Ye Chen and causing his entire body to shudder, nearly coughing up blood.
This was the might of a Demi-Saint. Merely a residual wave was enough to nearly make Ye Chen cough blood and be sent flying.
But Ye Chen's figure did not stop. On the contrary, he used this wave of dao fluctuations to propel himself forward rapidly, pulling Chen Ruo's soft hand as he charged into the deepest parts of Black Sky City, fleeing continuously.
Simultaneously, he was puzzled. Why, after the Seventeenth Elder had caused such a huge commotion, completely disrupting Black Sky City's order and even injuring law enforcers, had no truly powerful figure from within Black Sky City appeared to intervene yet?
Especially the Eight Great Bandits of Black Sky. Weren't at least one or two of them supposed to be presiding over this ancient city? Could they be standing by, watching idly as the Seventeenth Elder wantonly destroyed Black Sky City and continuously disturbed its order?
"Be careful!" Chen Ruo cried out in warning.
Boom—
As her voice fell, a figure followed like lightning from behind. The Seventeenth Elder had arrived. At this moment, his speed was shockingly fast, having traversed the vast sky in an instant, crossing what seemed like endless distance to appear right behind Ye Chen and Chen Ruo.
That overwhelming divine might wantonly rippled, causing the surrounding void to tremble. Countless houses and buildings crumbled one after another with thunderous roars.
Ye Chen was astonished, never expecting the Seventeenth Elder to catch up so quickly. It was beyond his expectations.
"Brat, this old man told you you couldn't escape. Submit to your death obediently."
The Seventeenth Elder's eyes flashed with a cold, sinister light. He raised his hand and struck out, containing overwhelming divine might. Supreme divine patterns and dao principles manifested between his fingers and palm, far more powerful than Scarlet Scale King. The entire Black Sky City seemed on the verge of collapse, emitting a hazy, shimmering radiance that spread out to cover and envelop the area.
Ye Chen's face immediately changed color, sensing the emergence of a most terrifying, lethal danger. Gritting his teeth fiercely, he instantly threw Chen Ruo's delicate form backward, transmitting via voice transmission, "Chen Ruo, escape quickly! I'll hold him off here. Run!"
Then, he let out a long roar. His hair exploded outward, dancing wildly in the air. The blood energy within his entire body began to boil, his body like a blazing furnace.
At this moment, he activated various supreme divine techniques. Layer upon layer of divine halos manifested upon his body—nine in total—as if connecting nine mysterious great worlds, flowing with unceasing immortal radiance that shrouded him, making him transcendent and mysterious.
He executed the Battle God Seal, undergoing Extreme Sublimation in all aspects. His blood energy blazed like fire, and the light of the Primordial Spirit at his brow blossomed with vast divine radiance, shining like a small sun a thousand times more dazzling.
The Human King Seal adhered to his body. In an instant, his entire being transformed into the common sovereign of humanity across the myriad realms, grasping the authority of the heavens, his might boundless, his divine valor overshadowing the Nine Heavens.
He executed the Great Dao Treasure Vessel Seal, spewing forth light of destruction.
With all these divine techniques fully applied to his person, Ye Chen elevated his essence, energy, and spirit to an unprecedented peak in this lifetime. Even within the nine divine halos, a faint tenth divine halo seemed to appear, causing his aura to instantly skyrocket.
At this moment, he reached the ultimate peak of this lifetime, peerless in the world. His essence, energy, and spirit were all boiling, achieving an unprecedented state of supreme invincibility, transcending the level of a King and ascending to another realm, touching upon this invincible domain.
Half-step Tenth Heaven!
True King Realm!
This was the domain reachable by the Immortal True Kings of the myriad realms, known as the True King Domain. Due to the limitations of heaven and earth, one could not fully achieve the perfect Tenth Heaven. But surpassing the peak of the ninth heaven by half a step, sensing the power of the Tenth Heaven domain—that was the True King Domain.
The capital that allowed the Immortal True Kings of the myriad realms to be invincible in the world was precisely because they had reached this domain. Having undergone Extreme Sublimation from the ninth heaven peak, they forcefully squeezed half their body into the Tenth Heaven domain—the half-step Tenth Heaven.
This was also their limit, for the legendary Tenth Heaven had long since vanished, unable to appear since the Mythical Era.
But the fact that they could squeeze half their body into this domain demonstrated the extraordinariness of the Immortal True Kings.
And now, under the application of his various divine techniques, Ye Chen had also reached this realm.
He brandished the most invincible offensive saint art of the Battle Saint Art—the Heaven-Shaking Hand—transforming the half-form into the complete form.
A terrifying Heaven-Shaking Will erupted, sweeping over everything. Heaven and earth hummed. Even a King arriving would be utterly blasted apart.
The Seventeenth Elder even felt a sense of threat, while Ye Chen felt his entire body's muscles and skin on the verge of splitting, about to be shattered by the tyrannical backlash of the Battle Saint Art.
Boom—
A tremendous roar exploded throughout Black Sky City.