The guardian of the second checkpoint, like the first, struck first. His body stood a full zhang tall, with massive, robust muscles that could rival Wang Ming's, exuding an imposing aura like an iron tower.
Yet his movements were equally agile and swift. In the blink of an eye, he was before Ye Chen. Without a word, he unleashed a whip kick that exploded through the air.
The force of this kick was so immense it seemed to tear the very air, producing a thunderous boom. One could sense the staggering weight behind it, nearly a thousand jun if not exactly.
But Ye Chen was prepared. He did not dodge, instead throwing a punch to gauge the true strength of this second-level guardian.
Boom—
The two collided in a flash. The result was unexpected: the iron tower guardian merely trembled slightly, while Ye Chen was sent flying.
Such terrifying power! Merely at the seventh level of Xiantian, yet his strength far exceeded expectations, even surpassing the first guardian's power at the same level by a significant margin.
If the first guardian was an all-around, peerless expert of his tier, then the second guardian was a peerless expert who reigned supreme in raw power.
Ye Chen only stabilized himself after being flung back over a dozen zhang. The fist he had used to block was numb, even torn open and bleeding.
This made Ye Chen sigh inwardly. Throughout his many years of cultivation, his physical body had always been invincible. This was the first time he had encountered someone who could overpower him in terms of raw physical might.
Of course, what had entered the Human Sovereign Pagoda was merely his Primordial Spirit form; his Battle Sacred Body had not entered with him.
But it was still shocking enough.
Naturally, the iron tower guardian could not emerge completely unscathed from Ye Chen's punch either. The flesh on the shin that had been struck was scraped away, blood seeping out.
Such formidable power sparked a flicker of excitement in Ye Chen. He licked his slightly dry lips, a surge of fighting spirit welling up within him.
He had been at a disadvantage in this clash, but he was not disheartened. On one hand, the second-level guardian's strength was indeed immense. On the other, he had used his fist while the opponent used his leg, which naturally possessed greater force.
A minor setback was only to be expected.
Boom—
The second-level guardian charged forward again. Ye Chen also rushed to meet him, engaging in fierce combat while employing various Xiantian martial techniques, even Joint Techniques...
The two battled back and forth across the martial arts arena. The guardian possessed boundless strength, but later, Ye Chen manifested the Battle Sacred Body, using his Primordial Spirit to conjure an illusory Battle Sacred Body through the Battle Saint Art. Now equally mighty, he feared nothing, attacking ferociously instead and employing the Battle Saint Art to clash with the guardian repeatedly.
Their movement techniques, strength, and skills were all perfected to the extreme. Even at just the seventh level of Xiantian, they could undoubtedly slay peak Xiantian experts and battle Demigods.
After a full half-day of intense combat, on the seven hundred and eighty-third exchange, a blood-soaked and frenzied Ye Chen landed a punch on the second-level guardian's head. With a violent tremor, it exploded like a thousand peach blossoms.
Ye Chen had emerged victorious, but at an extremely heavy price: one of his arms was torn off, many of his bones throughout his body were shattered, half his heart was crushed, and blood flowed freely—a truly gruesome sight.
It was a pyrrhic victory. Moreover, the opponent lacked true consciousness; otherwise, victory would not have been possible without over a thousand exchanges.
This was only the second checkpoint. If such a heavy toll was required to win here, wouldn't the later stages be even more terrifying?
Fortunately, the second-level guardian immediately transformed into a surge of potent Primordial Spirit spiritual energy, merging into Ye Chen's body to replenish his Primordial Spirit form. He could also activate the Divine King Rebirth Art. Multicolored radiance shimmered, completely healing all his injuries.
Naturally, Ye Chen also quietly contemplated, fully digesting all the insights gained from the battle, which naturally brought great benefits.
Victory in the second checkpoint also came with a rich reward: a Mind-Calming Pearl. It could stabilize one's mental state, offering immense benefits for cultivation, as practitioners often risked Qi deviation.
The Mind-Calming Pearl was precisely for stabilizing the mind and spirit, its value even surpassing that of Heavenly Dew.
Ye Chen stored the Mind-Calming Pearl. After meditating for two full days and nights, he finally restored his essence, energy, and spirit to their peak. His eyes blazing, he opened the stone door to the third checkpoint, greeted by yet another completely different challenger.
The Human Sovereign Trial, born specifically to select a Human Sovereign, was by no means an exaggeration.
Truthfully, the guardians included both men and women—some tall and imposing, others graceful Divine Maidens—all naturally existing at the same tier as Ye Chen.
Without exception, these were all truly peerless experts of their tier, at least at the True King level, overwhelmingly powerful, with an unprecedented mastery of the Dao and its techniques. Their myriad wondrous arts and divine abilities could be called miraculous, excessively formidable.
The further he progressed, the higher the realm of the opponents he faced, the longer each battle required, and the more grievous his injuries became.
Each time he cleared a checkpoint, he was left covered in wounds and blood, having nearly been crushed to pieces several times.
Each time, he was pushed to the brink of death and revived.
By now, he had been in the Human Sovereign Trial for a full two months, having only reached the ninth checkpoint. The opponent he faced was already at the Divine Transformation Realm, with divine abilities and dao techniques all astonishingly terrifying, some even possessing innate ancestral arts.
Starting from the fourth checkpoint, each battle required over two days. And the further he went, the longer it took—four or five days, or even more.
Furthermore, each fight left him physically and mentally exhausted, requiring considerable recovery time. After the battle at the seventh checkpoint, he rested for a full ten days.
Because the seventh checkpoint guardian specialized in Primordial Spirit attacks, which inflicted significant damage on Ye Chen. It took ten days to fully recover to his peak.
After all, injuries to the Primordial Spirit differed from physical wounds. The opponent's attacks even touched upon the deeper level of the True Spirit, leaving Ye Chen quite injured.
More terrifyingly, from the seventh checkpoint onward, the guardians seemed to develop autonomous intelligence. Not only were their combat experience and awareness supremely strong, but they also knew how to adapt flexibly, making them many times more difficult to deal with.
Thus, Ye Chen paid an extremely heavy price to clear these checkpoints.
In the ninth checkpoint, he faced a peerless Divine Maiden. She was extraordinarily beautiful, like a banished immortal from the Nine Heavens, ethereal and transcendent, not much inferior to the Goddess or Yi Wu in looks—a city-toppling beauty of her generation. But when she truly attacked, it was like a thunderous onslaught, powerful beyond belief and imagination.
Even with Ye Chen fighting with all his might, he was cleaved in two—twice.
If not for the two supreme healing secret arts, the Divine King Rebirth Art and the Saint Body Regeneration Art, his Primordial Spirit would have long been annihilated.
Naturally, in the end, this peerless Divine Maiden was also ground to dust by him, turning to ash and vanishing completely.