Boom—
With a thunderous roar, Daochu made his move. His every gesture was like that of a supreme deity descending to the mortal world, radiating unparalleled divine might. Dao marks and laws surged forth, blasting apart large swathes of mist as he unleashed a devastating strike.
The powerful demon opposing him, comparable to a Fourth Heaven expert, was instantly suppressed and slain by his raised hand. Its two-zhang-tall demonic body was torn asunder, flesh and blood exploding, collapsing lifelessly.
Other Saints and Saintesses were also ambushed by demonic beings, but for young paragons of their caliber, it was no issue at all. They easily pinpointed their locations and slew them on the spot.
Even though the attacking demons were powerful enough, even including Divine Transformation Realm demons with four wings, far surpassing ordinary ones, it was useless.
The several Saints and Saintesses traversed the ancient city's mist as if walking on flat ground. For young paragons of this level, it was no problem at all. No matter the danger, they could resolve it safely, unless a sufficiently terrifying super-demon appeared, which would pose a threat even to them.
At the same time, other young prodigies gradually adapted to the misty area. They were either the key young powerhouses cultivated by major forces or outstanding talents who had emerged from among many young experts. They were also very powerful. Once adapted, they immediately displayed formidable strength, swiftly slaying the attacking demonic beings.
Among them were some as powerful as Zhao Tianyi, capable of slaying great demons of the Divine Transformation Realm level.
However, compared to the pile of demonic being corpses burned to charcoal beside Ye Chen, all the young powerhouses were stunned, including the heirs of the Immortal Sacred Lands. Each of them wore expressions of shock.
Daochu stepped through the void to approach. This Saint from the Daoyan Sacred Land always appeared sunny and brilliant, giving people a favorable impression. He was radiant and eye-catching. However, even his bright and handsome face now wore a bitter smile. "Brother Ye is truly extraordinary, easily slaying so many demonic beings alone, leaving us far behind."
The Saint and Saintess from the Northern Netherworld Family, along with heirs from other Immortal Sacred Lands, watched from afar with considerable wariness, deeply aware of Ye Chen's strength.
Ye Chen smiled slightly but said nothing. In the distant direction, Zhao Wudao crushed the still-struggling brain of a Divine Transformation Realm great demon in his hand. The black blood sizzled with green smoke, yet it couldn't corrode his palm in the slightest.
He stood in the void like a demon god, black hair flowing, wearing the king's divine crown atop his head, his gaze cold and ruthless. He snorted coldly, "It's merely relying on the Holy Light Art for suppression. If we knew the Holy Light Art, we could do the same easily."
"Unfortunately, you don't," Ye Chen replied lightly. Zhao Wudao's expression instantly turned cold. He very much wanted to strike, but Ye Chen had other Saints and Saintesses beside him who would surely intervene.
"Let's go. There will be plenty of opportunities," the Canglan Saint, who had also easily slain demonic beings, said expressionlessly beside him, giving Ye Chen a deep look.
Zhao Wudao snorted coldly, turned, and strode away, leaving behind a message: "Kid, be careful. Don't get yourself killed suddenly later."
Ye Chen knew this was a threat against him, but he merely smiled faintly, completely unconcerned.
"Brother Ye, you should be careful. Zhao Wudao has developed killing intent towards you," Daochu stepped closer to warn Ye Chen.
"Although Zhao Wudao has a cold, bloodthirsty temperament and is despised by others, it must be said he is truly powerful—a young paragon of the False King level. He must be guarded against," the Saint from the Northern Netherworld Family also spoke up, frowning slightly.
"It's fine. If he dares to come, the Purple Mansion Sacred Land will be his place of death," Ye Chen responded.
The group was taken aback, then shook their heads with wry smiles. Zhao Wudao seemed arrogant, but it felt like Ye Chen was far more arrogant than him.
"Brother Ye seems quite confident about slaying the Crown Prince of Zhao Kingdom," a Saintess said with a charming smile, her glance back a hundred charms. She was a peerless beauty capable of toppling cities and kingdoms, enchantingly graceful, with unparalleled looks, cloud-like hair, delicate eyebrows, bright eyes, cherry lips, and a fine nose—truly beautiful and ethereal.
A cinnabar dot between her eyebrows accentuated her peerless allure.
She was not the Saintess from the Daoyan Sacred Land nor from the Northern Netherworld Family, but a Divine Maiden from the Immortal Sacred Land Southern Divine Mountain at the center of the Myriad Domains. She was very powerful, not inferior to anyone present.
Ye Chen smiled, as if stating a very ordinary matter: "Believe me, suppressing and killing him is effortless."
The Divine Maiden from Southern Divine Mountain was stunned, then gave a radiant smile as if a hundred flowers were blooming, making the sun, moon, and stars in the sky pale in comparison—truly a smile that could topple a city.
Suppress and kill Zhao Wudao? Do you really think you're an Immortal True King? Daochu and the other Saints and Saintesses smiled helplessly, treating it as nothing more than a joke.
Ye Chen didn't explain either. Everything was understood in his heart.
"Brother Ye, do you know what kind of beings these are? Their aura is demonic and sinister, like demonic beings, but they feel even more sinister than ordinary ones," the Daoyan Saintess parted her red lips slightly, asking softly in a voice as pleasant as an oriole's.
She was a beautiful woman not inferior to the Southern Divine Mountain Divine Maiden, her every frown and smile captivating. Her skin was like congealed fat, surpassing snow, her eyes holding autumn waters, her lovely face delicate and flawless.
She stood somewhat close to Ye Chen, the pleasant fragrance of her scent wafting over, making even Ye Chen feel slightly intoxicated.
Ye Chen was slightly surprised. "You all don't know?"
The several Saints and Saintesses all shook their heads, admitting they didn't know.
"It's said these are a type of alien race being from beyond the Myriad Domains, very terrifying. I only know about them from some ancient texts," Ye Chen concealed part of the truth, giving a general explanation, stating these beings came from a mysterious unknown place beyond the Myriad Domains, their origins very mysterious and sinister.
The powerhouses were astonished. These demon-like beings actually had such an astonishing origin, coming from a mysterious unknown place beyond the Myriad Domains.
Then Ye Chen asked curiously, "You all come from Immortal Sacred Lands, you should know some related things. Why do you seem completely clueless?"
Daochu smiled wryly. "Brother Ye, you misunderstand. Although we are Saints and Saintesses of Immortal Sacred Lands, our strength is insufficient. There are still many things we haven't been able to fully access."
According to their words, even as Saints and Saintesses, the next-generation heirs of Immortal forces, if their strength wasn't great enough, they couldn't truly grasp many related ancient pieces of information within their forces.
"Fellow Daoists, this ancient city is full of danger. The path ahead surely hides many of these terrifying demonic beings. Among them, King-level or even more fearsome demonic beings may appear. Even we would be in danger. Why don't we join forces and act together?" Daochu proposed.
"That's right. It should be so."
In the end, the several Saints and Saintesses and Ye Chen decided to proceed together. In this eerie ancient city, traveling together was the greatest safety, preventing some scheming individuals from ambushing them while the mist shrouded the city.
Moreover, they were all young paragons of the False King level, each extremely powerful. Cooperating, even if they faced truly powerful demonic beings, they could put up a fight.
Zhao Tianyi was naturally brought along by Ye Chen. Otherwise, if he traveled alone, Ye Chen wouldn't be at ease.
Regarding this point, the others naturally didn't mind. Moreover, Zhao Tianyi's strength was decent in a way, just not on par with these young paragons.
The group traveled together, maintaining vigilance in all directions. Almost all were young paragons of the False King level, with sufficient strength. Their movements became much easier, their speed faster. Soon, they entered deeper into the ancient city, where heavy mist pervaded, obscuring heaven and earth and disrupting everyone's vision.
Furthermore, demonic beings continuously attacked, ambushing them from the shadows.
Unfortunately, facing an alliance of six young paragons of the False King level, they couldn't gain any advantage. The group pushed forward, leaving behind corpse after corpse of demonic beings, including more powerful ones with four wings on their backs.
After advancing for half an hour, penetrating deep into the city, the mist dissipated considerably. However, what met their eyes was still endless collapsed ruins of palaces, pavilions, and houses, with no other living creatures in sight. Yet, the feeling it gave everyone grew increasingly sinister and terrifying, making them more wary.
Moreover, screams echoed from time to time—the cries of young geniuses, clearly suffering fatal attacks. Quite a few had already begun to be killed.
"Be careful. We're already close to the deepest area. More terrifying beings will likely appear here, possibly threatening our level. Don't be careless," the Southern Divine Mountain Divine Maiden spoke. Even a peerless beauty like her now slightly furrowed her delicate brows. Under her powerful spiritual sense, she could sense a faint, looming danger.
The several young paragons all heightened their essence, energy, and spirit to the fullest, remaining vigilant of everything here.
Occasionally, they also entered some massive, dilapidated, and collapsed palaces and buildings, places once inhabited by super-powerful experts, perhaps leaving behind some quite valuable treasures.
Unfortunately, each time they entered, they returned disappointed.
The treasures within the precious halls and pavilions once occupied by super-powerful experts in the ancient city seemed to have vanished along with the passage of time.
During this period, they also encountered other powerful heirs of Immortal forces. Each stood in the distance like invincible kings, their divine might erupting mightily, shaking the void, warily confronting them from afar before leaving, showing great wariness.
Even King-level figures, facing the temporary alliance of these six young paragons, were filled with wariness, keeping their distance.
Naturally, Ye Chen and the others couldn't attack other Saints, Saintesses, False Kings, or young paragons either, as there was no true deep-seated enmity between them.
Moreover, this ancient city area was too dangerous. Even powerhouses of this level had to treat it cautiously, not daring to be truly careless.
"It's strange. Outside the city, we clearly saw rare divine materials and those Heaven and Earth Treasures aged thousands of years, even Ten-Thousand-Year Medicine Treasures. But why, after entering the city, haven't we seen a single one?" Zhao Tianyi wondered.
Ye Chen and the others also found it strange, feeling astonished and puzzled.
Suddenly, not far ahead, five beams of light flashed. There were three Heaven and Earth Treasures, including mutton-fat divine iron, starstone, and other divine smelting materials. They all flashed before their eyes and vanished.
"They're here!"
The powerhouses were astonished, then immediately acted to seize the Heaven and Earth Treasures and divine materials. But a terrifying suction force instantly appeared, sucking away these divine materials like lightning, not giving them time to snatch them.
Clang—
Suddenly, the sound of chains came from ahead. Instantly, everyone grew solemn.
Faintly visible within the thick mist ahead was a terrifying, colossal figure looming, its dreadful aura spreading out.