Ye Chen remained silent, raising his fists to meet the attacks again and again, being wounded each time, only to recover instantly.
As time passed, Qingtian Great Venerable suddenly noticed something. Although he had cleaved his opponent countless times, leaving numerous wounds and drawing much blood, each time after such an assault, the other party's aura would silently and continuously rise.
His origin showed not the slightest weakening; instead, it was constantly growing stronger.
What on earth was happening?
Qingtian Great Venerable's expression changed.
Boom—
After who knows how many axe strikes, this time, the sound that rang out was not the sound of a fist being cleaved, but the metallic clang of metal striking metal.
Under Qingtian Great Venerable's shocked gaze, that fist remained completely unscathed.
The fearsome Qingtian Axe had merely left a white mark upon it.
The other Ancient Great Venerables who had been closely watching all along also revealed expressions of shock and awe.
He had blocked Qingtian Great Venerable's Qingtian Axe.
That was just a fist. How was it possible?
Even a Supreme Heavenly Venerate, caught unprepared, would be wounded by the Qingtian Axe.
Boom—
Ye Chen charged straight at Qingtian Great Venerable, smashing this Ancient Great Venerable backward step by step, causing blood to bloom upon his body.
Each drop of blood was Great Venerable blood, terrifying beyond measure, capable of shattering the ten directions.
However, none but the Ancient Great Venerables could see it.
What the other powerhouses saw was completely obscured by the Pseudo-Heavenly Venerable Sun, rendered invisible.
They only saw blood-colored light spraying forth, dyeing the firmament crimson.
"Impossible! How can you block my Qingtian Axe!"
Qingtian Great Venerable was filled with shock and fury, unable to believe what was happening.
This should absolutely not be something a newly ascended Great Venerable could withstand. Not even those Ancient Great Venerables who survived the Multiverse Dusk war could do it.
He had absolute confidence in his Qingtian Axe.
"That's merely because your vision is limited. However, I must thank you. Your attacks have helped me sever many of the Eternal Shackles within my body."
Ye Chen spoke indifferently.
Indeed, the reason he had allowed himself to be struck repeatedly was, at its core, to use Qingtian Great Venerable's attacks to silently sever the Eternal Shackles within him.
At this point, over eighty percent of the Eternal Shackles within Ye Chen's body had been severed.
Although his strength had not immediately recovered much, the connection between his Eternal origin and the outside world had become far clearer.
If he wished, he could directly condense a Celestial Venerable Sun, communicate with the Eternal Heavenly Dao of the Origin Land, and command infinite power of heaven and earth.
Of course, Ye Chen did not do so. Once he condensed a Celestial Venerable Sun, it would inevitably draw the attention of other Supreme Heavenly Venerates, which was not ideal for his current situation.
Even so, he could now clearly communicate with the Eternal Heavenly Dao and command infinite power of heaven and earth.
"Eternal Shackles?"
Qingtian Great Venerable frowned, not understanding the meaning behind Ye Chen's words.
"If you had not manifested the Pseudo-Heavenly Venerable Sun today, there might still be a path for you to survive. But alas, today you will undoubtedly die."
A mocking sneer appeared on Ye Chen's face as billions of layers of chaotic light erupted from his body, directly crashing into the Pseudo-Heavenly Venerable Sun.
Terrifying power ripped open the surface of the Pseudo-Heavenly Venerable Sun, surged inside, and erupted with layer upon layer of world-shaking light and flames that illuminated the heavens. They continuously detonated, causing incomparable divine power to surge and inundate the entire sky.
Great Dao rules and Eternal Heavenly Script rapidly spread, covering this infinite starry sky and isolating the prying eyes of the other Ancient Great Venerables.
The Ancient Great Venerables of the heavens frowned. Although Ye Chen had only blasted the surface of the Pseudo-Heavenly Venerable Sun, and the resulting storm of divine power, however terrifying, was limited to obscuring their investigative sight, it would also result in mutual injury.
What was the purpose of this newly ascended Great Venerable?
They could not quite comprehend it.
Qingtian Great Venerable frowned and said, "Although I don't understand what you mean by 'Eternal Shackles,' your attack cannot possibly destroy my Pseudo-Heavenly Venerable Sun. At most, it merely blocks the sight of the other Great Venerables. It serves little purpose."
"No, my purpose is not to isolate the sight of the other Great Venerables, but *their* sight."
Ye Chen said.
"Them?" Qingtian Great Venerable was momentarily stunned before realization dawned. His pupils contracted as he stared at Ye Chen. "You mean the Supreme Heavenly Venerates?"
"Correct, the Supreme Heavenly Venerates." Ye Chen confirmed. "With the boundless energy released by the explosion of this Pseudo-Heavenly Venerable Sun, all heavenly secrets can be isolated. Even the sight of Supreme Heavenly Venerates can be blocked for a time."
For Ye Chen, that was enough.
Although Qingtian Great Venerable did not know why Ye Chen wanted to isolate the Supreme Heavenly Venerates' sight, his gaze turned icy as he declared, "I don't know what your purpose is, but with the Pseudo-Heavenly Venerable Sun exploding, this area of heaven and earth falls within the scope of my power, within my domain. Even if you are a Great Venerable, you will undoubtedly die today."
"Is that so?"
Ye Chen's voice seemed ethereal. From his body, an ancient, unadorned great cauldron suddenly surged forth, floating above his head. It was incomparably ancient, as if recording the entirety of ancient history.
It bore endless patterns and the figures of supreme powerhouses manifesting upon it.
More importantly, upon this ancient cauldron was an ancient diagram.
In the diagram, a peerlessly majestic figure stood proudly at the center, receiving the worship of the supreme powerhouses of the heavens. Boundless chaotic light surged around him, and an ancient cauldron rested beneath his feet. Behind him were ten ancient heavenly gates.
Although it was unclear who this figure was, through the ancient diagram, one could sense how supremely lofty he was, exuding the aura of the Heavenly Dao, as if the Heavenly Dao itself stood above all.
That aura made Qingtian Great Venerable's eyes narrow.
He possessed it too—the aura of the Heavenly Dao—but it seemed inferior to that of the supreme existence in the ancient diagram. The other was the complete aura of the Heavenly Dao, while he only possessed a portion.
Qingtian Great Venerable was not unfamiliar with such an existence. For example, his own master, Wanxuan Heavenly Venerate.
"A Supreme Heavenly Venerate!?"
Suddenly, Qingtian Great Venerable understood. For the first time, a look of horror appeared on his face as he stared at Ye Chen.
The figure in the ancient diagram was identical to the newly ascended Great Venerable before him.
Without a doubt, it was Ye Chen.
Could it be that this so-called newly ascended Great Venerable was actually a Supreme Heavenly Venerate?
A shocking thought erupted in his mind, instantly stirring up endless waves of terror.
"Have you finally guessed it?"
Ye Chen smiled faintly. Now, he finally intended to conceal himself no longer. Boundless Eternal Heavenly Dao aura erupted from his body, countless times more powerful than that of Qingtian Great Venerable.
The Pseudo-Heavenly Venerable Sun seemed unable to bear it, trembling and shaking as if on the verge of exploding at any moment.