Within the fifteenth level of the Human Sovereign Trial.
Ye Chen's true body, seated in meditation, suddenly opened his eyes. A blazing radiance shot forth from them, like a heavenly sword cleaving the sky, brilliant and substantial.
What a formidable young Human Sovereign!
Truly worthy of being the one who contended on the Human Sovereign's path and ultimately attained the supreme, peerless throne. He was indeed terrifyingly boundless.
He could not be defeated. At least, not at present.
Just as the young Human Sovereign had said, breaking through into that realm by relying on the Battle God Seal ultimately had its flaws; it did not count as a true Saint Realm supreme expert.
Ye Chen slowly exhaled a breath, taking a deep look at the stone gate leading to the sixteenth level before resolutely turning and stepping into another gate of light, completely leaving the Human Sovereign Pagoda.
Sixteenth Level.
The world, severely damaged by the two young generation's supreme ones, had long been completely restored by the Human Sovereign Pagoda's rules. It remained as magnificent and beautiful as ever: Divine Islands suspended in the air, silver waterfalls cascading down, rainbows arching across the sky—everything was as dreamlike and illusory as before.
The young Human Sovereign stood in the void, his gaze appearing profoundly deep, as if he had already witnessed Ye Chen's departure from the fifteenth level.
After a long while, with his hands clasped behind his back, he suddenly looked up towards the firmament, as if gazing at something, and murmured softly, "Could he truly be the crucial 'him'? The first to reach the Tenth Heaven since the Mythical Era, a descendant of the Battle Saint lineage, who has also taken the first step on the Chaos Dao, and even possesses the aura of Dragon Origin and Nine Tribulations Gold. His fortune can be called heaven-defying."
"This Ye Chen is truly extraordinary. Two lifetimes, two lifetimes as a supreme prodigy. Moreover, I actually cannot see through his fate. Is he truly the result of our divination, the crucial 'him' in that future battle?"
"Even if he is not, I'm afraid a seat among the future Supreme Ones will truly have a place for him."
"Having waited for countless ages, even if he is not the crucial 'him,' he still fills me with immense anticipation."
"This epoch has developed to this point, finally reaching the ideal point of our divination. The Golden Age has erupted, the hope of attaining the Emperor's throne has appeared. The supreme prodigies sealed away since the Mythical Era, throughout the ages, should also be emerging now."
"The future battle requires their appearance; otherwise, victory is impossible."
"The Chaos Sea, the Primordial Immortal Realm, the nine Heavenly Passes..."
Ancient Divine Domain, deepest part of the Cang Dragon Lake Marsh.
Beneath the Human Sovereign Pagoda, the passageway opened once more. Ye Chen's Primordial Spirit emerged from within and then merged into his true body, which had been sitting with eyes closed in stillness. His eyes opened, devoid of piercing radiance, containing only a calm, unrippled depth.
He uttered a soft word. The Primordial Battle Body withdrew into his form, the formation vanished, and the five Saint weapons were all taken into his body, no longer needed to guard his Saint Body shell.
Two years. He had finally returned to reality.
The Human Sovereign Trial, fifteen levels, had taken a full two years to completely traverse.
This was something unimaginable before.
If not for the fact that the power of the later trial levels exceeded his own, Ye Chen would likely have continued onward.
Because the Human Sovereign Pagoda had thirty-three levels, representing thirty-three trials.
Moreover, the conscious appearance of the Human Sovereign had shocked him.
The Human Sovereign Trial within this Human Sovereign Pagoda was no simple matter. The sixteenth level encountered a conscious young Human Sovereign. He even suspected that later levels might feature the young eras of Mythical Emperors and Sovereigns, also conscious. This was simply an unimaginable scene.
Just thinking about it was enough to make one's hair stand on end.
Naturally, the two years of the Human Sovereign Trial, facing so many peerless opponents of the same realm, even battling the Imprints of Mythical Supreme holy spirits—each battle was a peerless contest within the same realm. All these experiences held unimaginable, unprecedented benefits for him.
Ye Chen could imagine that once he fully digested the gains from the two-year Human Sovereign Trial, his strength would inevitably ascend to another level.
However, at this point, he could no longer suppress his own Dao Realm; a breakthrough was imminent at any moment.
Two years ago, he had already reached a certain limit, forcefully suppressed by absolute strength, which had proven his extraordinary power. But now, at this stage, it was no longer possible; he could not continue to suppress it and must break through.
Otherwise, his body would explode and perish.
From his body, an unprecedented, terrifying aura surged forth imperceptibly, far more powerful than before, as if he were a deity or demon.
The entire lake seemed on the verge of exploding.
The Cang Dragon guarding not far away trembled from the depths of its Primordial Spirit. A terrifying, great pressure slowly emanated from Ye Chen, suppressing all heavens.
"The necessary breakthrough must also be made."
Ye Chen sighed slowly, then appeared before the Cang Dragon. Though he appeared utterly insignificant compared to the Cang Dragon, like an ant, his entire being radiated a world-shaking, terrifying divine might. The very fabric of heaven and earth, the void itself, seemed ready to shatter. It was truly fearsome.
The Cang Dragon felt as if its own body was about to be crushed to dust, its Primordial Spirit on the verge of exploding.
Unfortunately, the current Ye Chen found it difficult to restrain such divine might.
"Cang Dragon, take me far from this place. Preferably to a wild, desolate region. If you have any hostile enemies within this Huang Gu Forest, I wouldn't mind helping you deal with them. Quickly, I need to undergo my tribulation."
Ye Chen spoke with an authoritative, unquestionable tone.
The Cang Dragon immediately understood. It promptly carried Ye Chen, surging from the deepest part of the lake up into the firmament. Then, winding its massive demonic body, it swiftly sped towards the distance.
Ye Chen continuously used the Human Sovereign Pagoda to suppress himself. Thirty-three layers of primordial Chaos Qi flowed, sealing his own Dao, temporarily preventing the breakthrough. He remained motionless, as if frozen for eternity.
The Cang Dragon was astonished, knowing this method must be extraordinary, able to temporarily suppress one's own Dao, preventing immediate eruption and breakthrough.
But then, it was the Human Sovereign Pagoda, inherently suited for sealing.
The Cang Dragon's speed was swift, especially as Ye Chen caused vast networks of golden patterns to manifest underfoot, spreading and interweaving across the Cang Dragon's body. Instantly, its speed increased dramatically once more, like a colossal bolt of lightning streaking across the sky.
Soon, the Cang Dragon traversed a full five hundred thousand miles, arriving at a vast, dark, and profoundly deep valley, akin to hell.
The Cang Dragon spoke: "Master, this is the territory of the Dark Abyss Demon Dragon, one of the overlords of this Huang Gu Demon Domain—the Dark Abyss Valley. In the past, when I attained Sainthood, I was pursued by the Dark Abyss Demon Dragon for a hundred thousand miles, nearly devoured. But the Dark Abyss Demon Dragon is very powerful. Five hundred years ago, it was already a demon Saint of the Saint Treasury Realm. Now, it has likely mostly reached the Saint Lord level, or even stronger."
Ye Chen nodded. "You may withdraw. When the great tribulation descends later, if you are too close, you risk being annihilated by it."
The Cang Dragon was taken aback. It, a dignified dragon race demon Saint, had long ago undergone the terrifying Saint Vault Great Tribulation. Now, it was countless times stronger than when it first attained Sainthood. Could it still be killed by a mere Saint Scripture Great Tribulation?
However, it dared not defy Ye Chen and obediently retreated a thousand miles away. But then it heard Ye Chen's voice transmission: a thousand miles was not safe; retreating another thousand miles would be about right.
The Cang Dragon grumbled inwardly but still dared not resist.