"And what if I am unwilling to return it?"
As Ye Chen's voice fell, the entire city fell silent.
Forceful!
Myriad Stars Supreme Elder choked for a moment, seemingly not expecting Ye Chen to respond in such a manner.
In his eyes, even though a Great Venerable held an exalted status, they could not be mentioned in the same breath as a Supreme Heavenly Venerate. Especially since he was the biological son of the Wan Xuan Heavenly Venerable. Even a Great Venerable, even if unafraid of him or the Wanxuan Heavenly Clan, should not easily offend him, to avoid provoking the intervention of a Supreme Heavenly Venerate.
Myriad Stars Supreme Elder had originally intended to be more forceful, but now, facing a Great Venerable, he immediately tempered his attitude somewhat.
In the past, he had followed the Wan Xuan Heavenly Venerable, his Celestial Father, for endless eons, even campaigning during the era of the Multiverse Dusk. He deeply understood the terror of a Great Venerable. Even if they were somewhat inferior to Supreme Heavenly Venerables, they were extremely terrifying existences capable of challenging them.
Back then, he had personally witnessed the ultimate combat prowess displayed by Great Venerables during the Multiverse Dusk. Even Supreme Heavenly Venerables could not completely overshadow the brilliant radiance of a Great Venerable.
In the most terrifying great war of all ages, when such Great Venerables made their move, they annihilated star rivers and myriad realms with a mere gesture, forcefully beheading one Taishang realm overlord after another, shattering vast cosmos after vast cosmos, and tearing apart the boundless earth.
They fought until the heavens collapsed and the earth split, until billions of experts turned to dust, their blood staining the Origin Land—a scene of utter horror.
Among them, there were even Ultimate Great Venerables who feared nothing, forcefully challenging Supreme Heavenly Venerables, fighting until the winds and clouds changed color.
That kind of peak combat power that suppressed everything, that domineering aura that pressed down upon all heavens, that courage that charged forward without hesitation—even after two or three Chaos Epochs, it remained vivid in his mind, impossible to forget.
Though Myriad Stars Supreme Elder was strong, he knew in his heart that compared to a peerless existence like a Great Venerable, there was still a vast gap.
If a Great Venerable were truly angered and decided to personally strike him down, he would absolutely be no match and would very likely be slain.
Moreover, facing the intervention of a Supreme Heavenly Venerate, a Great Venerable was not without the possibility of escaping with their life.
Therefore, facing a Great Venerable existence, Myriad Stars Supreme Elder dared not be overly forceful.
However, the Eternal Stone Halberd was an ancient Heavenly Venerate weapon of the Wanxuan Heavenly Clan, and moreover, the ancient weapon of his Celestial Father. It could not be lost outside the clan. This presented quite a dilemma.
After brief contemplation, Myriad Stars Supreme Elder couldn't help but say, "My apologies, the fault lies with my Wanxuan Heavenly Clan. I ask that you, Great Venerable, release your anger!"
The entire city erupted in an uproar. To reach this point, the Wanxuan Heavenly Clan was actually taking the initiative to concede.
Without a doubt, this was something unimaginable in the past.
Eternal Heavenly Clans had always been incomparably forceful; when had they ever had the habit of conceding to others? Especially an Eternal Heavenly Clan with a living Heavenly Venerate presiding over it—they were forceful beyond imagination, absolutely unwilling to concede, daring even to slay Taishang realm overlords.
But many also knew that the Eternal Heavenly Clans' forcefulness was not without reason. However, facing a Great Venerable, even they found it difficult to maintain such forcefulness.
Supreme Heavenly Venerates could not easily intervene. That was a covenant established by the various Supreme Heavenly Venerates after the great war of the Multiverse Dusk, not to be lightly broken.
But a Great Venerable was not a true Supreme Heavenly Venerate. Moreover, they possessed unparalleled power, capable of slaying Taishang realm overlords, immensely powerful, and sufficient to threaten an Eternal Heavenly Clan.
Even an Eternal Heavenly Clan with a living Heavenly Venerate would absolutely be unwilling to easily provoke such a Great Venerable existence.
Ye Chen naturally had no intention of easily letting the Wanxuan Heavenly Clan off. Not to mention the Wan Xuan Heavenly Venerable's attack on him during his ascension to Eternal Heavenly Venerate, which nearly caused his demise. Just the fact that today the Wanxuan Heavenly Clan intended to move against his eldest son and grandson was equally unforgivable.
Originally, he had been prepared to directly crush the four Supreme Elders of the Wanxuan Heavenly Clan. But now, upon further thought, he felt he could temporarily set that aside.
He was being regarded as a Great Venerable, also considered a flawed Heavenly Venerate. If things truly came to a life-or-death struggle, the Wan Xuan Heavenly Venerable might personally be roused to emerge. For him, that would be a tremendous trouble.
For the time being, Ye Chen had not yet fully recovered to that level and was still unable to confront a Supreme Heavenly Venerate head-on.
Once the Wan Xuan Heavenly Venerable discovered that he had not perished, he might even personally give chase to kill him.
Naturally, if he were to let the Wanxuan Heavenly Clan off so easily, Ye Chen could not agree. After a moment of contemplation, he looked at Myriad Stars Supreme Elder and said, "Today, you have greatly angered this venerable one. Moreover, this fellow even declared he would kill me. This matter cannot simply be brushed aside."
Wan Shen Supreme Elder was filled with intense resentment. Clearly, the other party had struck first. How, in the end, was the blame being placed on him? Furthermore, his Taishang origin had been almost completely seized by the other party. The victim should be him! How could this Great Venerable be so shameless?
However, he dared not speak recklessly. Seeing that even Myriad Stars Supreme Elder, this Young Ancestor, felt deep apprehension—and having campaigned alongside him since the Multiverse Dusk—he too understood the terror of a Great Venerable. At their peak, they could even challenge Supreme Heavenly Venerables.
Myriad Stars Supreme Elder's expression turned somewhat gloomy. He knew the other party was definitely going to make an exorbitant demand. He said, "May I ask, Great Venerable, how you might be appeased?"
Ye Chen said, "If you want me to return the ancient Heavenly Venerate weapon, it's possible. Let's do this: provide ten Taishang Realm Origins."
Taishang Realm Origins were of great importance for breaking the Eternal shackles within his body. Moreover, they could be refined to promote the further recovery of his own Eternal origin.
Ten Taishang Realm Origins should be enough for him to recover seventy to eighty percent and reclaim the Supreme Heavenly Throne.
By then, even if not at the peak state of a Supreme Heavenly Venerate, he would fear no other Supreme Heavenly Venerate.
Why were Eternal Heavenly Venerates hailed as Supreme? Precisely because they were supreme and peerless, transcending everything.
Back then, Ye Chen had passed the Eternal Calamity but had not yet had time to establish himself in the Eternal domain of the Supreme Heavenly Throne before he was slain. It was because, at that time, he had not yet comprehended the various supreme divine abilities belonging to a Supreme Heavenly Venerate. His realm had reached it, but other aspects had not yet fully stepped into it.
Moreover, having just finished transcending the tribulation, he was at his weakest period, utterly incomparable to the two Supreme Heavenly Venerates.
But after such a long period of time, Ye Chen had long since understood. If he could recover seventy to eighty percent and re-establish the Supreme Heavenly Throne, his entire being would be able to harmonize with the Eternal Heavenly Dao. Then, he would be able to directly mobilize the infinite might of the Origin Land.
He might even merge his soul with the Origin Land, becoming undying and indestructible, impossible for anyone to kill.
Even if the three Supreme Heavenly Venerates who had blocked and slain him back then came, they could not kill him, at most only cripple him.
But Ye Chen, possessing the supreme divine abilities of a Supreme Heavenly Venerate, would be extremely difficult to cripple, possessing infinite profound methods.
Upon hearing this, the entire city was greatly shaken. Everyone stared dumbfounded at Ye Chen, feeling that this Great Venerable was making an exorbitant demand.
Myriad Stars Supreme Elder and the other experts of the Wanxuan Heavenly Clan looked even more unsightly. Myriad Stars Supreme Elder said, "Great Venerable, my apologies, but our clan does not possess Taishang Realm Origins."