"Long time no see!"
Ye Chen, of normal height, embraced Wang Ming, who stood a full zhang tall, creating a rather comical sight akin to a giant hugging a dwarf.
Yet no one laughed. On the contrary, everyone was stunned, their jaws agape, unable to react for a long time.
Because Wang Ming, the Fourth Great Bandit of Black Sky, was actually embracing the youth being hunted by the Scarlet God Valley, laughing heartily and joyfully from the bottom of his heart, clearly like meeting an old friend, filled with excitement.
Everyone was dumbfounded.
"This..." Even Wang Shan was stunned. His revered master was actually so familiar with the youth by his senior sister's side. Just who was this youth?
He had initially thought he might be his senior sister's lover, but his origins were likely even more astonishing.
Among those present, only Chen Ruo remained calm, but her still-youthful yet one-day-will-shake-the-myriad-domains beautiful face was brimming with a blissful smile, like ten thousand flowers blooming, stunningly eye-catching, making many male cultivators' hearts flutter.
*Clang!*
Ye Chen punched Wang Ming's robust body heavily, producing a metallic clanging sound, and exclaimed in admiration, "Your treasure body has grown even stronger over the years, more durable than ordinary Saint weapons."
Clearly, this old friend had also embarked on the path of physical body refinement, walking far along it, cultivating his body to a terrifying degree. Ye Chen could sense the vast and surging vigorous blood energy contained within that robust, burly frame. His body was like a furnace; silent for now, but once unleashed, his blood energy could surely fill heaven and earth, pierce the heavens, and shake the entire city.
This kind of supreme battle physique was stronger and more durable than many Saint weapons. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to shatter a Saint weapon with just three bare-handed strikes. It was the manifestation of reaching an extremely profound level in body refinement.
Wang Ming laughed heartily, "Naturally strong. I've been training diligently all these years. I dare say this Primordial Battle Body is among the top of my generation. But of course, it's still far inferior to yours in the past."
He had self-awareness. He deeply understood the might of the Battle Sacred Body. It was hailed as the number one battle physique in the myriad realms, a forbidden battle physique, unsurpassable, supreme and invincible.
Chen Ruo flitted lightly to Ye Chen's side, linking her arm with his, and grinned at Wang Ming, showing her little tiger teeth. "Uncle Wang, you do have some self-awareness."
"You little rascal..." Wang Ming shook his head.
Wang Shan was astonished. In his eyes, Master Wang Ming's Primordial Battle Body was practically invincible under heaven, capable of even shattering Saint weapons. Yet, from the sound of it, it seemed far inferior to this youth. Just who was he?
"This child..."
At this moment, Ye Chen finally understood Chen Ruo's true identity. He couldn't help but smile knowingly and patted her head. The wild and innocent girl was now as docile as a kitten, squinting her eyes in enjoyment.
"Master, he is..."
Finally, Wang Shan couldn't help but ask. Clearly, Chen Ruo knew who he was, Master knew who he was, but he was the only one in the dark about the youth's true identity. Naturally, the countless people in the city also didn't know the youth's real origins.
"From now on, you can just call him Martial Uncle. That's definitely not wrong," Wang Ming said.
Martial Uncle? Wang Shan couldn't help but take another look at Ye Chen, muttering to himself that this youth who looked even younger than him was actually a Martial Uncle? Where did this Martial Uncle come from? But at this moment, he still had to respectfully say, "Wang Shan pays his respects to Martial Uncle."
Ye Chen shook his head with a light laugh and told him to rise quickly. A Saint calling him, a mere Demigod, Martial Uncle must have felt somewhat displeasing in his heart.
Chen Ruo patted his shoulder. "Little Shanzi, you must treat your Martial Uncle well from now on."
"Little Shanzi..." Wang Shan felt this address was a bit humiliating and really wanted his senior sister to change it. But seeing her grinning, mischievous expression, he immediately shut his mouth.
Whenever his senior sister wore that expression, someone was bound to be unlucky.
While old friends were reuniting here, the remaining group of Scarlet God Valley experts in the distant sky were trembling with fear. No one could have imagined that the hunted youth and girl were not only intimately familiar with the Fourth Great Bandit of Black Sky Plains, but each had a background even more terrifying than the other.
"Let's go! If we don't leave now, when will we?"
The Seventeenth Elder, now reduced to just a head, immediately made the decision and flew onto the divine ship. Even with just a head, a Demi-Saint was still a Demi-Saint. His brow glowed with vast Primordial Spirit power as he manipulated the divine ship to flee at extreme speed.
"Hmph, these bad guys chased us for so long, and now they want to run? Will this young lady let them go?" Chen Ruo was the first to speak, her red lips and pearly white teeth, her delicate brows slightly furrowed. Even her anger had a uniquely adorable charm.
But when she made her move, it shook heaven and earth. With a flip of her slender, jade-like hand, the void of heaven and earth trembled, then was directly solidified and restrained. The entire expanse of heaven and earth was actually sealed.
This manipulation of void power made everyone's expressions change. Only those who had reached an extremely profound realm in the Void Dao could perform such a feat, at least at the Saint Treasury Realm level. And this indescribably beautiful young girl executed it with a mere raise of her hand. Truly terrifying.
The Scarlet God Valley's divine ship was naturally restrained. Everyone was horrified. They had originally thought this girl merely relied on some secret arts to steal the treasure Soul Stabilizing Pearl, but she herself possessed terrifying capital, likely not much inferior to a Saint Lord.
"What do you think?" Chen Ruo opened her large, dark eyes wide to look at Ye Chen, her small hand grabbing his broad, slender palm as if acting coquettishly.
"Very good," Ye Chen patted her head in approval, immediately making the girl so happy she squinted her eyes, dimples appearing, her face radiating heartfelt joy.
This only made Wang Shan even more curious about Ye Chen's true identity.
*Boom!*
"Hmph, chasing and hunting down my brother Wang Ming, and now trying to flee when the situation turns bad? Deserve death."
Wang Ming sneered coldly and directly slapped out with his palm. Instantly, the heavens collapsed and the earth cracked. That stretch of sky was directly crushed down. The many Scarlet God Valley experts only had time to let out a few screams before, along with the divine ship, they were instantly shattered between heaven and earth, complete annihilation of both body and spirit.
Brutal and simple!
From then on, the entire group of top experts dispatched by the Scarlet God Valley, including their clan's Young King and a Demi-Saint, was completely annihilated.
Far, far away from Black Sky Plains, countless tens of thousands of miles distant, in the region near the central main city of Xiangyang Domain, adjacent to Qingyang Domain, there existed a secret realm—a true paradise of caves and blessed lands. Immortal forests stood tall, waterfalls cascaded from the Nine Heavens, spiritual soil was widespread, and magnificent, massive palace complexes stretched in succession. There were even numerous floating divine islands bobbing up and down within.
Here, the density of heaven and earth spiritual energy flowing and swirling was countless times richer than elsewhere. Especially the aura of the Fire Dao was surging and dense, making it a sacred cultivation ground for Fire Dao cultivators.
One could sense that within this secret realm, terrifying auras permeated the air. Strong experts were numerous, a place where tigers crouch and dragons hide.
This was the location of the Scarlet God Valley, the Immortal Sacred Land that reigned supreme over the great domain, dominating its rise and fall. Its momentum was grand and magnificent, incomparable.
Yet at this moment, the Scarlet God Valley's tranquility was shattered. A roar of fury shook the myriad mountains and valleys, divine might flooding the heavens. Moreover, an icy voice resonated through heaven and earth: "The Eight Great Bandits of Black Sky? We'll allow you to live a little longer. Sooner or later, my Scarlet God Valley will also reign over Black Sky Domain. We will uproot you Eight Great Bandits of Black Sky from this world entirely."
In the deepest part, a majestic and grand immortal mountain stood tall. A terrifying figure stood between heaven and earth, radiating an awe-inspiring, peerless, terrifying aura.
Back in Black Sky City, after casually suppressing the Scarlet God Valley remnants, Wang Ming looked at Ye Chen, the look of ecstatic joy on his face impossible to conceal. Chen Ruo kept holding his hand tightly, refusing to let go, as if afraid he would run away. That nervous demeanor broke the hearts of countless male cultivators.
In the end, it was Ye Chen who took the initiative to break the silence. "Let's find a place to talk."
"Good, come to my seclusion place. It's definitely safe. The other supreme experts of the Eight Great Bandits won't disturb us easily," Wang Ming said.
"Good, I also have many questions I'd like to understand," Ye Chen said.
*Boom!*
A glorious great path extended forth from beneath Wang Ming. Heavenly Pengs soared across the sky, divine tigers roared, flood dragons leaped towards the heavens, fire phoenixes spread their wings and soared high... one extraordinary phenomenon after another manifested, supremely extraordinary.
It was like a supreme Saint Lord on a journey, phenomena encircling him, grand and imposing, drawing the attention of the world. The group of several people left this place like lightning, disappearing into the deepest part of Black Sky City.
The deepest part of Black Sky City was not bustling streets, but another world—a magnificent expanse of mountains and rivers, roughly a thousand li in scope. It was the inner world left behind by a Heavenly King Invincible who once roamed freely across the myriad realms. Occupied by later generations, it gradually developed into the now-famous Eight Great Bandits of Black Sky.
Inside were several ancient divine halls, all once the seclusion places of that Heavenly King Invincible. They contained fragments of Dao insights and some remnants, greatly beneficial and helpful to later generations.
Wang Ming occupied one of these ancient halls as his seclusion place. Over the years, he had been meditating and comprehending here, making progress, his cultivation continuously increasing.
The Great Bandit's return prompted the many experts guarding the ancient hall to bow in welcome. When they saw the youth by the Great Bandit's side, actually chatting and laughing with him, they all looked surprised and doubtful. But upon seeing the stunningly beautiful fairy-like young girl beside him, each one shuddered, their scalps tingling—this little demoness had come again.
Inside the divine hall grounds, Wang Ming stepped forward and embraced Ye Chen tightly once more, his thick, robust body squeezing Ye Chen, making the latter say with exasperation, "Wang Ming, let go a bit. Are you trying to crush me to death?"
Hearing this, Wang Ming gave an embarrassed laugh. "Sorry. Seeing you again, I'm really happy. I can't describe that excited feeling for a moment."
Servants had already brought precious Dao tea for Ye Chen to taste—tea worth a fortune. After tasting it and praising it, Ye Chen then sighed softly, "I never imagined so many years have passed. You've all become Saints and Patriarchs, reigning supreme, striding across great domains with disdain, your fame spreading far and wide. In the end, only I am starting from scratch."
Although it sounded somewhat nostalgic and sighing, it carried more of a feeling of joy expressed on his face. Because those former great enemies hadn't troubled these old friends because of him. That was already the best outcome.
Moreover, from what he saw of old friends like War King, Peacock King, and Wang Ming, he knew they were living well now, each famous throughout the world, overlords in their own right.
"Being able to survive is already very good. After all, many of us thought you had truly passed away," Wang Ming shook his head. "And you are the strongest talent and genius of the myriad realms, a veritable Supreme One. Catching up to us will be simple, just a matter of time."
He recalled the peerless, majestic bearing of that young generation's supreme who once shook the myriad realms, matchless under heaven, who could contend with him? A supreme figure to whom even the now-famous young geniuses of the past generation would bow their heads in submission, a supreme being whom even those Immortal True Kings walking at the forefront of the Human Sovereign path regarded with deep wariness.
Although he had fallen helplessly in a great calamity forty years ago, now reincarnated and reborn, Wang Ming always believed that Ye Chen's return to his former state was merely a matter of time.
Once he recovered, he would surely tread the Human Sovereign path once more, making countless former great enemies tremble. Wang Ming very much wanted to see the wonderfully stunned expressions on those people's faces.
"Yes, yes, you will definitely be invincible, returning to the peak state of supreme invincibility from the past," Chen Ruo also said with great anticipation, her words firm.
Ye Chen couldn't help but smile, gently stroking the girl's tender cheek with some doting affection, and asked softly, "Why do you believe in me so much?"
Chen Ruo rushed into the youth's embrace, nestling against him like a child, her lotus-like arms encircling his neck. With an innocent, artless giggle, her red lips soft and charming, her pearly teeth like jade, she said, "No reason. Because you are you. You are my dad."
At this moment, father and daughter finally acknowledged each other.
"Dad?"
Wang Shan beside them was as if struck by lightning, staring dumbfounded at Ye Chen with disbelief and shock. This youth was actually his senior sister's father.
His identity and origins were far more astonishing than he had imagined.
"Master, may I ask, just who is Martial Uncle?" Wang Shan finally couldn't help but ask.
Among so many people, he was the only one kept in the dark.
Wang Ming smiled. "I'll give you a hint. Do you know who among the batch of geniuses of the past generation was the most peerless and unmatched, whose brilliance illuminated the myriad realms?"
The most peerless and unmatched person?
In an instant, figures like Yuan Yao Divine King, Sun God, Primordial Demon God, Peerless Phoenix Dancer, Son of God... one legendary True King after another flashed through his mind. Each was supremely immortal and invincible among the past generation, finding few rivals in the world, each like deities in confrontation, their invincible might still evident today.
They were all peerless and unmatched, like unshakable great mountains and colossal peaks standing at the forefront of the Human Sovereign path.
But clearly, it couldn't be them, because they didn't know his master. Wang Shan frowned in thought. Suddenly, he shuddered violently, his whole body trembling as he stared at Ye Chen.
Because he thought of a person. One who once made the myriad realms tremble. One because of whom numerous Heavenly King Invincibles fell. A once supreme and invincible, departed genius—
Battle Saint King, Ye Chen!