"Damn it, these bastards dared to strike while this Divine King was away. They're truly seeking death."
The Barbarian God King's expression was dark, an absolutely terrifying Divine King's might emanating from his entire being, causing this inner world to shake as if heaven and earth were collapsing, nearly on the verge of breakdown.
But soon, he grew puzzled. "Since you say the 'Barbarian God King Art' is incomplete, why are you all cultivating a complete technique—pure, flawless, and without defect? An incomplete method could never reach this level."
Mantai smiled slightly. "Ancient Ancestor Divine King, you may not know this. Although our Barbarian Tribe suffered a calamity and our precious manual was damaged, we were fortunate to encounter a senior expert who restored all the contents of the body-refining manual. That's why we were able to cultivate it successfully and resolve its flaws."
"Who?" the Barbarian God King exclaimed in surprise. Someone capable of restoring the body-refining manual he had created was definitely no ordinary figure.
"Ye Chen, Senior Ye!"
Mantai and several tribal elders looked toward Ye Chen with gratitude and reverence.
The Barbarian God King immediately turned to Ye Chen, clasping his fists solemnly with deep gratitude. "Thank you, Fellow Daoist, for stepping in to save my Barbarian Tribe from calamity. Such a great kindness cannot be repaid with mere words. If you ever have any requests in the future, the Barbarian Tribe will spare no effort."
Ye Chen smiled faintly. "I have already received payment. There's no need for thanks on that account."
At this moment, Mantai transmitted a message about the bronze fragment. The Barbarian God King said seriously, "Fellow Daoist, you are too modest. Although the bronze fragment involves the secrets of the Ancient Heavenly Court, what is more precious to me is the safety of my clan. That you were willing to restore the body-refining manual and resolve all hidden dangers makes you a great benefactor of our Barbarian Tribe. Please accept this bow from me, Barbarian Gu."
With that, he performed a deep, formal bow, making Ye Chen view this Barbarian God King and the Barbarian Tribe with even greater respect.
Mantai and the tribal elders also performed deep bows.
Although the Ancient Barbarian God Clan had declined to this state, they were still worthy of the world's respect. This integrity alone was sufficient.
Ye Chen graciously accepted their bows.
Then, the Barbarian God King looked at Mantai, sensing the Bloodline Seal within him had been broken. He glanced at Ye Chen but didn't avoid the topic. "Mantai, when did you break the Bloodline Seal?"
Generally, Bloodline Seals could only be broken upon reaching the Divine King Realm. That was how the Barbarian God King had achieved it ten thousand years ago, shattering the shackles of the Bloodline Seal, which allowed him to progress rapidly within the Divine King Realm, reaching his current level in just tens of thousands of years.
Several tribal elders were astonished. "What Bloodline Seal?"
Mantai chuckled. "Ancient Ancestor Divine King, this was also Senior Ye's doing."
Hearing this, the Barbarian God King regarded Ye Chen with deep respect. "So Fellow Daoist's cultivation is so profound, likely surpassing the Divine King Realm."
Ye Chen neither confirmed nor denied it.
Seeing the puzzled looks of the tribal elders, the Barbarian God King decided not to hide it any longer, nor did he avoid Ye Chen. "What I'm about to say next, you must never reveal to outsiders. It concerns the true origins of our Barbarian Tribe."
He then looked at Ye Chen solemnly. "And I ask Fellow Daoist not to spread it either."
Ye Chen said, "I will keep it confidential."
Although he already knew the origins of the Barbarian Tribe, the fact that the Barbarian God King didn't avoid him clearly indicated he wasn't treated as an outsider, which added to Ye Chen's favorable impression.
What the Barbarian God King said next was essentially the same as what Mantai had revealed earlier.
The tribal elders grew increasingly shocked as they listened. The Barbarian Tribe was actually a surviving lineage of the Desolate Ancient Hall, one of the Thirteen Ten Thousand Ancient Inheritances. Their true origins could be traced back to the Mythological Era, as descendants of the Great Desolate Ancient Emperor's imperial clan from the previous epoch—an astonishingly grand lineage.
But when they heard about the Primordial Times, how the Kunxu Ruler had struck the Desolate Ancient Hall with thunderous force, wiping the Ancient Barbarian God Clan from the world, and that it even involved other Ten Thousand Ancient Inheritances, they were filled with rage, yet also deep terror.
Back then, why had the Kunxu Ruler attacked the Desolate Ancient Hall without reason?
Behind it, which Ten Thousand Ancient Inheritance, which imperial clan, had been involved?
"In those days, the Ancient Monarch of our Ancient Barbarian God Clan lineage, to prevent our clan from disappearing completely from history, paid a great price and used a supreme secret technique to place Bloodline Seals on part of the direct lineage members and send them far from the Central Region—to this very place. He also sealed away related memories."
"To break the Bloodline Seal, one must reach the Divine King Realm. At that point, not only does the Bloodline Seal automatically dissolve, but the imperial clan's Bloodline Power, having accumulated over generations due to the seal, evolves toward the purity of the clan's earliest generations. This causes a dramatic surge in strength from the accumulated Supreme Bloodline Power over multiple generations when the seal is broken, and one's aptitude undergoes astonishing changes."
The Barbarian God King explained that the Ancient Barbarian God Clan's Bloodline Seal was special. It wasn't just a simple seal; with each generation's inheritance and accumulation, as long as the bloodline remained unsealed, the Bloodline Power would accumulate. When a clansman died, their Bloodline Power would silently transfer to other clan members.
This kind of Bloodline Seal required even an Ancient Monarch to pay a great price to apply.
Thus, the moment Mantai's Bloodline Seal was broken, the accumulated Supreme Bloodline Power from multiple generations directly propelled him up one major level.
Don't underestimate this one level—it was within the Great Power Realm, where each level's accumulation far exceeded previous realms.
If the seal were broken at birth, this accumulated Bloodline Power would be enough to propel an infant directly to the Divine Transformation level.
"Back when I reached the Divine King Realm, the Bloodline Seal automatically dissolved, transforming into powerful Supreme Bloodline Power that propelled my rapid progress even within the Divine King Realm." The Barbarian God King recalled those days. Upon stepping into the Divine King Realm, even with his aptitude, it would have taken tens of thousands of years of accumulation to advance further.
But the breaking of the Bloodline Seal and the accumulation of Supreme Bloodline Power over generations altered hisinnate talent, allowing him to reach an extremely astonishing level in just tens of thousands of years.
Hence, he had established the Barbarian God Ancient Kingdom during the Recent Ancient Era, achieving a position among the top hundred kingdoms in its own right.
Ye Chen could see that the Barbarian God King's cultivation had reached the Eight Tribulations Divine King Realm, making him exceptionally powerful, comparable to when Ye Chen had first entered the Divine King Realm—worthy of being called a peerless Divine King.
Suddenly, Ye Chen spoke. "Fellow Daoist Barbarian God King, I observe that you cultivate both form and spirit, with particularly profound achievements in the body-refining path. Why did you establish an Ancient Kingdom to gather the faith of all living beings?"
All experts on the body-refining path believed in the invincibility of their own bodies, that all external paths could be broken.
Yet the Barbarian God King had established an Ancient Kingdom to collect the faith of billions of living beings, which struck Ye Chen as rather strange.
Looking through many ancient texts in the Barbarian Tribe, none recorded why the Barbarian God King had taken such action.
Hearing this, the Barbarian God King showed a trace of complexity and sighed. "To be honest, Fellow Daoist, the path of faith is not one I willingly tread. It's merely to provide a bit of security for the last remnants of my Ancient Barbarian God Clan. I intend to use the Faith Power of all living beings to create a Divine King's avatar to guard the Ancient Kingdom and protect the last members of the Ancient Barbarian God Clan."
"After advancing to the Divine King Realm and having my Bloodline Power unsealed, I feared that one day, the enemies of old might seek out our few remaining clansmen. Moreover, I hope that when I grow stronger in the future, I can go to Kunxu and demand an explanation from the Forbidden Zone Ruler—why did he destroy our Desolate Ancient Hall and annihilate our Ancient Barbarian God Clan lineage?"
Waves of terrifying aura emanated from the Barbarian God King, carrying absolute hatred.
Without reason, the Kunxu Ruler had suddenly attacked the Desolate Ancient Hall, leading to its complete destruction. What was the reason behind it?
He refused to believe the Kunxu Ruler would attack the Desolate Ancient Hall without cause, given it was a Mythological Imperial Clan.
And other imperial clans were involved behind the scenes.
The Barbarian God King wished to one day reach the peak, go to Kunxu, and demand an explanation for the Ancient Barbarian God Clan.
Mantai and the other Barbarian Tribe leaders were all deeply moved, sharing his feelings and burning with intense anger.
After the anger subsided slightly, the Barbarian God King suddenly said, "Actually, there's another reason."
"What reason?"
The Barbarian God King looked up at the sky, or rather, toward a certain direction—a supreme peak that overlooked the mortal world from on high. "Because I have a feeling that behind the faith established by generation after generation of Heaven Realm rulers, some important great secret seems to be hidden. Especially after the Heaven Realm ruler of this era took control of the Primordial Heaven Realm, that feeling has grown stronger."
"An important great secret?"
The others were surprised and doubtful. Meanwhile, Ye Chen, deep in thought, recalled an incident from the Dominator War thirty years ago.
In that most terrifying Dominator War, the rulers of the Nine Life Forbidden Zones had all once been rulers of the Primordial Heaven Realm in their respective eras.
Logically, as Heaven Realm rulers of their eras, receiving the faith and worship of billions of living beings, the Faith Power they collected must have been vast beyond measure—absolutely countless times greater than the Faith Power Ye Chen had collected over the years.
Yet, puzzlingly, during that great battle, he hadn't sensed the Forbidden Zone rulers using even a trace of Faith Power.
If they had disdained using it against lower-level enemies, that would be one thing.
But Ye Chen, back then as the Heaven Realm ruler who had crossed realms, was so formidable, so invincible, slaying many of them in battle, killing and causing their fall.
It was a life-and-death situation—kill or be killed.
The Forbidden Zone rulers couldn't possibly have refrained from using that Faith Power. Even if the boost might not have been significant at their level, it was better than nothing. Otherwise, the slightest carelessness could have led to their death at his hands.
Yet why, even at the moment of their final fall, had they still not used it?
At the time, he hadn't paid it much mind, but now, thinking carefully, he realized it was a huge point of suspicion.
Perhaps it was truly as the Barbarian God King said—behind Faith Power lay some enormous secret.
The Barbarian God King continued, "In the past, it was precisely because of this feeling, coupled with the hope of leaving a foundation for the declining Ancient Barbarian God Clan, that I established an Ancient Kingdom to collect the faith of billions of subjects. During the fifty thousand years I ruled the Barbarian God Ancient Kingdom, I secretly researched, even studying the Faith Power of my own kingdom and that of the Heaven Realm ruler for many years."
"In secret, I truly discovered some secrets."
Ye Chen listened intently. "Please speak, Fellow Daoist."
Mantai and the others were also very curious.
"I suspect that throughout the ages, the Heaven Realm rulers of each era... are actually the same person!" the Barbarian God King said, each word heavy and deliberate.