In the heavens, the Heaven-Enlightening Saint, the Soaring Dragon Saint, the Tian Du Academy Head, and the fourth—the Xia Divine Saint, who had been sealed away ten thousand years ago—appeared. All of the Slaying the Heavens Alliance's few dozen Divine Transformation powerhouses were present, hovering in the sky, completely surrounded by the various major forces of the Myriad Domains within Tian Du City.
The powerhouses of these various Myriad Domains forces all stared at the Slaying the Heavens Alliance members with greedy, glowing eyes.
These were all figures who had once dominated the Tian Du Continent. Although they were now like rats scurrying across the street, hunted by everyone, they possessed knowledge of things these forces did not.
Regarding the imminent emergence of the Great Demon's origin and the legacy of the September Great Power, they held invaluable information.
The dozen or so Saints leading these various major forces cupped their fists toward the Heavenly Gate's divine ship and laughed heartily. "The Heavenly Gate's Fellow Daoists are truly impressive! Not only have you managed to recruit these natives, but you've also drawn the others out. Worthy of the Heavenly Gate—we are in awe."
Immediately, these powerhouses from the various forces pressed toward the Slaying the Heavens Alliance members, sneering coldly. "We've let you rats hide for so long. Finally, you've decided to show yourselves."
Powerful auras erupted one after another, overwhelming the sky, sealing the airspace and suppressing the entire region. At least for this moment, the void was stable and unbreakable.
The Slaying the Heavens Alliance powerhouses wore extremely grim expressions, but also fury. Even facing this certain-death situation, they showed no fear. Their only thought was to drag at least one or two down with them before they died.
The Heaven-Enlightening Saint swept his gaze over the assembled powerhouses, his voice filled with killing intent. "Although we are undoubtedly doomed today, before we die, we will take a few with us."
At that moment, the Martial God Hall Master shook his head at them. "Everyone, there's no need to die. Please board the ship. It is perfectly safe here."
The Heaven-Enlightening Saint directly flicked his sleeve, unleashing a vast torrent of divine power that slashed toward the divine ship, shouting, "Martial God Hall Master, if you wish to be a traitor, do not drag us down with you. Associating with you all in the past was our shame!"
Boom—
Before the divine power torrent could truly strike the ship, a slender, pale hand slowly extended. Though it emitted not the slightest fluctuation of power, at that moment, a light flick of a finger caused this torrent of divine power—which would have made even an ordinary Saint treat it seriously—to suddenly vanish into thin air.
This feat deeply shocked everyone present. At the very least, it required a Saint Lord-level figure to accomplish something like this. It wasn't just about having sufficiently powerful divine power; it required a profound comprehension of the Dao.
Just as the Slaying the Heavens Alliance powerhouses, led by the Heaven-Enlightening Saint, were focusing intently, a gentle laugh suddenly rang out, echoing across the sky. "Senior Heaven-Enlightening, is this how you greet an old acquaintance?"
As the laughter sounded, a tall, straight figure emerged from the divine ship. He seemed to tread upon invisible steps, descending one by one until he arrived beside the Martial God Hall Master and the others. His young, handsome face wore a gentle smile.
The Slaying the Heavens Alliance powerhouses, led by the Tianqi Empire's Heaven-Enlightening Saint and the Tian Du Academy Head, stared dumbfounded at this mysterious young man. For some reason, a sense of familiarity washed over them.
This extremely young man gave them an inexplicable feeling of closeness.
Immediately, the Tian Du Academy Head couldn't help but speak. "Sir, you are...?"
The young man's gentle gaze fell upon the Heaven-Enlightening Saint and the Tian Du Academy Head. He nodded slightly with a faint smile. "Seniors, have you truly forgotten this junior?"
His brow glowed as his origin aura bloomed.
In that instant, all the Slaying the Heavens Alliance powerhouses fell into a state of stunned silence, staring at him dumbfounded. The old Academy Head spoke with a tone of uncertainty. "You are... Ye Chen!?"
Only when Ye Chen truly nodded did they suddenly understand, feeling immense shock and astonishment.
Although they didn't know what had happened over these years, the Ye Chen before them, while still as gentle and calm as ever, inexplicably gave them a feeling of being unfathomable.
This feeling was something one only experienced when facing a true super powerhouse.
And Ye Chen, by now, was barely over thirty—incredibly young by any measure.
What had happened to Ye Chen over these years? Why had he become so profoundly inscrutable?
Ye Chen smiled. "If you all still trust this junior, please board the ship. I can guarantee your safety. From this day forward, no one will dare harm a single hair on your heads."
The Tian Du Academy Head and the others could only offer bitter smiles. If it were anyone else, they might hesitate. But Ye Chen was a true native of the Tian Du Continent. Even if they were truly deceived, they had nothing to say. After all, being surrounded by the various Myriad Domains forces was already a certain-death situation.
It was merely a question of dying at the hands of outsiders or their own people.
At this point, they could only trust Ye Chen, one of their own.
As they each boarded the Heavenly Gate's divine ship, the Martial God Hall Master suddenly said with a laugh, "Everyone, do you believe in my innocence now?"
The Heaven-Enlightening Saint couldn't help but mutter, "I truly don't know how that little fellow Ye Chen managed to reach this point. But facing so many powerhouses from the various Myriad Domains forces... is there really no problem?"
The others also shared this concern.
The Martial God Hall Master and the other Slaying the Heavens Alliance members who had boarded the ship earlier exchanged glances and smiled. They had all harbored this same worry. However, after truly witnessing that young Heavenly King who could render a Saint immobile with a mere step, all their concerns had instantly vanished.
At this moment, the many powerhouses from the various Myriad Domains forces wore ugly expressions. Though they found this young man somewhat familiar, they couldn't quite place him. One of the Saints spoke up. "Little Fellow Daoist of the Heavenly Gate, it's rather ungracious of you to claim all these natives for yourselves."
"That's right! At the very least, hand over three-quarters of them. We'll give you face—you can keep one quarter. The other three-quarters will be divided among us."
"Little Fellow Daoist of the Heavenly Gate, please hand them over. We won't make things difficult for you."
Powerhouses from various forces clamored one after another.
A brilliant smile slowly curved Ye Chen's lips, though it carried a sharp chill. He said softly, "And what if our Heavenly Gate refuses to hand them over?"
Someone immediately erupted with supreme Saint might, pressing down upon him. It was a Demi-Saint elder from the immortal force Scarlet God Valley. He looked down upon Ye Chen from a commanding height. "Although I don't know who you are, you're likely just a junior sent by the Heavenly Gate for training—not someone who can take the stage. Be a good boy and go back. Invite your elders to come speak with us. Otherwise, we won't mind teaching an arrogant young junior a lesson on behalf of the Heavenly Gate."
"My apologies, but inviting an elder to speak with you all is not possible," Ye Chen said. "Because you lack the qualification."
Swish—
Golden light flashed. Ye Chen appeared like a ghost before that Scarlet God Valley Demi-Saint elder. His slender, pale hand gently grasped the elder's neck. His voice was soft yet filled with killing intent. "And as for this junior who 'can't take the stage'... killing you is as easy as slaughtering a dog."