The massive hand transformed into a billowing crimson mist that coiled into the sky, completely annihilating the void.
Divine King's blood, containing Dao power, could transform drop by drop into a vast sea of blood, its divine might astonishing the world. Let alone an entire hand exploding—it was even more shocking.
If this place were not the territory of the Noon Mountain Sect, a sect founded by an Ancient Monarch and inscribed with Dao patterns that could endure for eons, this explosion of a Divine King's hand would have surely destroyed over half of the entire Noon Mountain Sect.
After the great hand exploded, the Divine King of the Tai'a Immortal King Lineage staggered backward several steps in the void, staring at Ye Chen on the martial arts arena, who remained completely unscathed, his face filled with disbelief. "Impossible!"
He was a Divine King, while the other was merely a newly-advanced Saint. The gap between them was so vast that calling it a world of difference was an understatement.
A single strand of hair from a Divine King could sever a Heavenly King, let alone a mere first-level Saint.
Yet now, in a direct confrontation, it ended with his great hand exploding. It was simply an inconceivable event.
It was like encountering a ghost.
On the other side of the martial arts arena, Tai Xiao also revealed a look of intense, earth-shattering shock, unable to believe it.
Apart from the Noon Mountain Sect Master and other super-powerful beings at the level of Great Powers and Divine Kings, whose faces were filled with horror, the rest of the crowd was both terrified and bewildered, unable to comprehend what had just happened.
Even Heavenly Kings found it difficult to discern the truth of that moment.
"Why did the Divine King Guardian of the Tai'a Immortal King Lineage suddenly have his sky-covering hand explode? Could it be that Ye Chen's origins are also extraordinary, with a peerless powerhouse secretly protecting him?" Wei Yun exclaimed in surprise. He wasn't the only one who thought so; others shared the same view. Otherwise, facing the hand of a Divine King, no matter how heaven-defying Ye Chen was, he couldn't possibly withstand a Divine King with his mere Saint Vault body.
Even a wisp of a Divine King's aura was enough to crush any Saint into dust, erasing them from existence.
However, how could they know that this was still Ye Chen holding back, using less than a fraction of his peak physical power? Otherwise, forget about shattering a Divine King's hand—even the most formidable Divine King would be crushed to nothingness by a single finger.
"An ant? Are you talking about yourself?"
Ye Chen stood tall on the martial arts arena, hands clasped behind his back, his cold eyes sweeping over that Divine King. His indifferent, merciless gaze instantly made the Divine King feel as if he had fallen into an icy abyss, as if he had returned to his weak, mortal days, being looked down upon by a dragon with utter disdain, as if gazing upon a tiny ant.
How was this possible?
How could this mere Saint Vault possess such a terrifying gaze? Impossible!
The Divine King Guardian of the Tai'a Immortal King Lineage stared at Ye Chen in terror, his heart trembling with fear. "Who are you?"
This was absolutely not just a mere Saint. He must be a peerless powerhouse with world-shaking abilities.
Upon hearing this, those below the Great Power level became even more convinced that Ye Chen's origins were extraordinary, with a super-powerful being secretly guarding him. Otherwise, a Divine King Guardian wouldn't be so intimidated.
The Noon Mountain Sect Master now revealed a look of shock mixed with bitterness. No wonder Ye Chen refused to become his disciple. With such power, he was likely not far inferior to himself.
Ye Chen did not answer. Instead, he took a step forward, treading on the void as he walked toward the Divine King Guardian.
The Divine King Guardian felt as if he had been targeted by a primordial beast, his entire body turning cold, hairs standing on end. In an instant, layers of Dao laws manifested on his body's surface, and even a Divine King Spirit appeared, protecting him.
The might of a Divine King was fully unleashed.
Yet, when Ye Chen arrived before him, treading on the void, he casually slapped out a palm imbued with pure and supremely powerful physical force. Under countless horrified gazes, he effortlessly shattered all defenses on the Divine King Guardian's body—including the Divine King battle armor and the Divine King Spirit—in a manner as unstoppable as breaking rotten wood, finally seizing the Divine King Guardian by the neck.
Despite being a Divine King of his generation, possessing heaven-piercing abilities, capable of traversing millions of miles in a single thought and annihilating billions of living beings with a snap of his fingers, at this moment, he discovered that before Ye Chen, he was nothing more than an insignificant ant.
Moreover, he clearly sensed that if Ye Chen willed it, a mere exertion of force from that palm could snap his neck, shatter his skull, and annihilate the Primordial Spirit within, completely destroying him in body and soul.
Just who was he!?
He couldn't possibly be just a mere Saint.
The experts of the Tai'a Immortal King Lineage changed expressions. With their Divine King Guardian in crisis, they naturally couldn't stand idly by. Even if they sensed that this seemingly young Saint might be no weaker than a Quasi-Monarch, they couldn't back down now.
Especially Tai Xiao, who remained exceptionally calm, his face darkening as he said, "Release the Divine King of my Tai'a Immortal King Lineage. If you continue to act, it will be tantamount to making an enemy of the Tai'a Immortal King Lineage."
This was both a warning and a threat!
The Tai'a Immortal King Lineage stood supreme under heaven.
Who could contend with it? Who could rival its dominance!
Even if Tai'a Immortal King remained secluded for eons, paying no heed to the affairs of the Immortal King Clan, it was still an eternal legacy not to be provoked.
Even if the Immortal King did not appear, there were still Quasi-Immortal Kings and Supreme Immortals—this was the world-suppressing foundation that allowed them to dominate the Primordial Immortal World. Who could oppose it?
Even a Supreme Immortal would show some caution when facing the Tai'a Immortal King Lineage.
Tai Xiao believed that while Ye Chen might be powerful, capable of suppressing a Divine King Guardian in an instant, he would still fear the Tai'a Immortal King Lineage.
As an Immortal Prince, the son of a peerless Immortal King, Tai Xiao could even wield the authority of the Tai'a Immortal King Lineage, using its influence to pressure others.
"Are you threatening me?"
Ye Chen glanced at Tai Xiao. With that single glance, Tai Xiao felt as if a peerless beast had swept its gaze over him. The sky darkened, his Primordial Spirit plunged into darkness, and his entire body felt as if it were about to explode, his flesh cracking under an utterly terrifying pressure.
Boom—
Involuntarily, the Immortal King bloodline within his body boiled and roared, frantically reviving on its own. Layer after layer of bloodline seals began to unlock continuously, giving rise to strands of immortal patterns that intertwined around his Primordial Spirit, safeguarding his well-being.
Tai Xiao's expression changed drastically. Since childhood, ninety-nine percent of his Immortal King bloodline had been sealed by Tai'a Immortal King precisely to prevent the power of the Immortal King bloodline from making him innately too powerful, causing him to neglect his cultivation foundation and easily develop Dao base flaws. It would only be gradually released as his realm improved.
Who could have imagined that at this moment, the sealed Immortal King bloodline had prematurely unlocked multiple layers, with astonishing surges of Immortal King bloodline power now boiling within him.
At the same time, Tai Xiao made an even more shocking discovery: deep within his Primordial Spirit, an Immortal King Bell lay dormant. It should have been asleep, but now it fully revived, emanating strands of Immortal King aura.
This was the Immortal King Bell Imprint—a primal imprint of the Immortal King Bell that Tai'a Immortal King himself had placed within his body. Once Tai Xiao faced a life-threatening crisis, it could revive instantly, offering some protection even if a supreme existence at the Monarch level attacked.
Moreover, through the Immortal King Bell Imprint, he could even summon the true Immortal King Bell across space.
Originally, this was his ultimate trump card.
Yet now, merely a glance from the other party had forced the Immortal King Bell Imprint to revive on its own.
Just what kind of gaze was that?