"After waiting so many years, a trial-taker has finally arrived."
The words spilled from the Guardian's mouth, and in that instant, Ye Chen felt a chill run down his spine, a primal dread rising from the depths of his heart.
This Guardian... actually spoke!?
No matter how unflappable and naturally calm Ye Chen usually was, he couldn't maintain his composure at this moment. His figure shot back violently, retreating thousands of zhang away, watching from a distance with intense wariness.
There was no other reason. The scene before him was simply too shocking, too unbelievable.
Weren't all the Guardians within the Human Sovereign Pagoda just unconscious combat Imprints?
He had fought the Golden-Winged Roc, clashed with the Immortal Phoenix, dueled the True Dragon, and battled the Kunpeng.
Although these mythical holy spirits were incredibly powerful, they merely possessed an additional layer of combat awareness. The being before him now seemed to possess autonomous intelligence, like a real person, and could actually speak.
This Human Sovereign Trial was too eerie!
Watching Ye Chen's sudden, explosive retreat, the mysterious Guardian shrouded in the waterfall of Dao marks let out another light chuckle, audible and real. "Actually, you needn't worry. I harbor little ill will towards you. It's just that after all these years, I'm somewhat happy to finally have a suitable trial-taker arrive."
The Guardian's voice carried an unparalleled sense of antiquity, not like a young man's, but more akin to an ancient recluse who had lived for ten thousand years.
Ye Chen remained on full alert. He could never fully trust another's words. Standing his ground, his formidable mental fortitude allowed him to quickly regain his calm and composed state of mind. He looked indifferently at the mysterious Guardian and asked, "Who are you?"
The Guardian voluntarily dispersed the waterfall of Dao marks, revealing his true appearance.
It must be said, this was an extraordinary young man. Very young, around the same age as Ye Chen, in the golden years of his early twenties. He couldn't be described as divinely handsome, but he appeared heroic and peerless, with black hair cascading like a waterfall over his shoulders, and eyes that were deep and ancient.
In a fleeting moment, one could glimpse the passage of years, the cycle of epochs, the birth and demise of all living things.
A pair of eyes, as if containing a universe within, recording all things past, present, and future.
For some reason, the moment Ye Chen saw this person, he felt a sense of déjà vu, as if he had met him somewhere before.
"Are you a real person?" he probed.
"One could say yes, and one could say no."
The Guardian's words left Ye Chen somewhat perplexed, much like the words of the mysterious ancient emperor shrouded in chaotic energy on the River of Time long ago—one could say yes, and one could say no.
There were perhaps some inexplicable reasons behind it.
The mysterious and heroic Guardian looked at Ye Chen and suddenly sighed with regret. "What a pity. You are still only a Demi-Saint. If you had become a Saint, you and I could have truly battled. But now is not the time."
Ye Chen glared coldly. "Do I not have the qualification to fight you now?"
Whoosh—
The moment his words fell, Ye Chen shot forth into the sky, seizing the initiative. His entire being condensed into a streak of immortal light that shot forth at extreme speed, traversing the vast sky and appearing before the mysterious Guardian in an instant.
Without another word, he raised his fist and shook it. A full one hundred and eight divine light Heavenly Dragons danced forth, accompanying the indestructible sacred fist as it blasted out, suppressing the sky.
Especially now that Ye Chen had broken into the Saint Treasury Realm, this attack was even more terrifyingly immense, enough to annihilate an overlord of the Saint Realm.
"Very powerful, yet also very weak."
The Guardian shook his head lightly with a sigh, his expression tinged with regret. He simply pushed out a very ordinary-looking palm, colliding with Ye Chen's sacred fist. There was no explosion of dazzling radiance; everything seemed so mundane.
Ye Chen's expression changed slightly. The force of his sacred fist had been completely dissipated.
Returning to simplicity, the Dao in its natural state!
This Guardian perfectly embodied this concept. Within that light palm lay the ultimate principles of heaven and earth.
"You are clever, sending out a Dao body with strength not far from your true body. But you only barely broke into the Saint Treasury Realm by relying on the Battle God Seal. You did not rely on yourself to break through. Moreover, the Battle God Seal you possess is incomplete, not the full version. How could you possibly match me?"
The Guardian laid out all the details in one breath.
Ye Chen's expression changed repeatedly. He wasn't surprised that the Guardian knew this was a Supreme Dao Body, but the fact that the other party knew about the Battle God Seal, and moreover knew his version was incomplete, shocked him greatly.
Seeing Ye Chen's astonishment, the Guardian smiled faintly, a meaningful smile, as he lightly chuckled and stood with his hands behind his back. "You needn't be surprised, because the Battle God Seal is a secret technique I personally created."
A bolt from the blue!
Just who was this person? The Battle God Seal, such an extraordinary enhancement secret technique, achieving Extreme Sublimation in all aspects. If not for its flaw causing post-use weakness, it had almost no side effects. Yet it was a secret art created by the man before him.
It must be said, Ye Chen was quite shocked.
But even in his shock, Ye Chen did not forget to act. He fully manifested the Ten Heavens divine nature halo, enveloping himself, his divine nature indestructible.
The heroic man sighed lightly, with an indescribable meaning. "No wonder you could reach the sixteenth level. So it is like this. To achieve the Tenth Heaven after the Mythical Era... are you indeed the 'key him' from the predictions?"
Again, "the key him." Ye Chen's heart was a raging sea of shock. Just who was this heroic man before him? He knew many secrets.
These were not things a mere Guardian should know.
"Who are you?"
Ye Chen asked again, staring intently at the heroic man before him.
But the Guardian shook his head and sighed softly. "It is not yet time for you to know. It would do you no good."
Seeing the other party unwilling to answer, Ye Chen stopped dwelling on it. He wanted to see just how powerful this Guardian truly was.
Heaven and Earth Creation!
He stepped forward and unleashed the forbidden divine ability he had created, his most powerful technique. Because he felt that without using this move, he could not truly seize the initiative.
Boom—
Chaos parted to create heaven and earth. The moment his fist swung, primordial Chaos Qi overflowed. The clear qi transformed into Qing Tian, the turbid qi transformed into the great earth. Then all living things were born, heaven and earth were opened, and a hazy world accompanied the fist as it blasted forth, capable of destroying heaven and annihilating earth.
In that instant, Ye Chen's essence, energy, and spirit all climbed to their peak, like a rainbow piercing the sun, a galaxy pouring down upon his crown.
"What a fist! At such a tender age, to be able to create such a divine ability, one that can be called a forbidden divine ability. In the future, among the Supreme Ones, there will surely be a place for you."
The heroic man's eyes flashed brightly, a trace of surprise flickering within.
"To show respect, I will also display my strongest strike. Watch carefully!"
In his hand, a long sword appeared as if from nowhere. It seemed like a sword of the heavens, imprinted with the sun, moon, and stars, as well as mountains, rivers, and the great earth, with the myriad races Imprinted upon it. It stood aloof, capable of presiding over the world's rise and fall, presiding over the fate of all living things.
The moment Ye Chen saw this sword, he exclaimed in shock, "The Human Sovereign's Sacred Sword!?"