"Do you really think I fought with my full strength?"
When these words were uttered, not only Cang Jitian who was right in front of him, but even those watching the battle were all dumbfounded and stared in shock.
Could it be that what was displayed before was not Ye Chen's true strength?
The expressions on the faces of True Kings like the Sun God, Feng Wu, and the Sea God King subtly froze, also carrying a look of astonishment and even a trace of horror as they gazed at the Battle Saint King crowned with the dual-colored divine crown.
Had he really not gone all out?
A cold arc slowly curved at the corner of Ye Chen's mouth as he swept his gaze over these Immortal True Kings, carrying a hint of mockery.
This scene was naturally seen by all the True Kings. Suddenly, their hearts raced with fear, and even they couldn't help but reveal looks of disbelief and shock.
Could it be that the Battle Saint King truly hadn't fought with his complete strength, but had held back?
Just the thought of it made even powerful Immortal True Kings like them feel their hearts pounding, an expression of incredulity surfacing.
How was this possible?
Facing a formidable enemy like Cang Jitian, who, although not having perfected his Supreme Law nor broken through to the Tenth Heaven, was undoubtedly very close. Moreover, Cang Jitian was at the fifth level of the Saint Vault, a notch higher than Ye Chen. Otherwise, Ye Chen wouldn't have been forced to fight to such an extent, with his flesh and blood shattered.
Yet now, all signs seemed to prove that the Battle Saint King might truly not have fought with his full power, but had held back.
How utterly terrifying was this?
Ye Chen gave a cold smile, neither confirming nor denying. A seal he had placed within his body before the battle quietly dissipated.
A more vast and mighty power of the Great Dao silently filled his limbs and bones. Although he didn't deliberately release his aura, the invisible pressure emanating from him was so oppressive that it seemed this very heaven and earth could not withstand it and were on the verge of complete collapse.
"Is this true?"
Cang Jitian's expression stiffened, then he looked at Ye Chen with a mix of shock and anticipation, a flicker of fervor in his eyes.
He had originally thought that the difference between a True King and a Tenth Heaven Supreme Heaven's Pride wasn't that great; otherwise, Ye Chen wouldn't have had to fight so arduously to that extent. But now it seemed the Battle Saint King very likely still had hidden strength.
And how much of that hidden strength remained, he did not know.
But with his keen spiritual sense, he could distinctly feel that the Ye Chen before him was far more terrifying than during their battle.
If this were truly the case, then the Tenth Heaven was indeed a path of invincibility worth pursuing.
Ye Chen smiled faintly and nodded. "Brother Cang, although you and I are great rivals on the path of the Human Sovereign, I admire you greatly. I know how exceptional you are; otherwise, you wouldn't have broken free from the teachings of your master's Dao and laws to forge your own path. Without mishap, you will surely perfect the Supreme Law and achieve the Tenth Heaven."
"When that time comes, you will experience the true might of the Tenth Heaven. Today, in our battle, for the sake of fairness, I mainly fought using power at the True King level."
Ye Chen indirectly admitted it. Then, his gaze instantly became many times more brilliant, outshining the sun, moon, and stars in the sky as he swept it toward the distant True Kings, carrying a coldness akin to an ancient god of the Upper Realm looking down. "Do you all truly think I'm so easy to deal with? You are welcome to try, but the price is only one—"
"Death!"
His calm, natural words were many times more terrifying than thunder and lightning, exploding across that stretch of heaven and earth.
Even the Saints of the Ancient Divine Continent who were slightly farther away felt their minds tremble. Ancient Saints and overlords were no exception, and even Saint Lords' expressions changed slightly.
Because at this moment, they could all see that this mysterious Heaven's Pride was not only possibly a great demon like Cang Jitian and the others, but his strength was far more terrifying than imagined, suspected to be the legendary Battle Saint King named Qian Yue.
Perhaps even surpassing Saint Lords.
The expressions of those True Kings changed drastically, as if facing a formidable enemy. The Battle Saint King was even more fearsome than imagined. They all felt an unprecedented sense of oppressive pressure.
Was this the true might of the legendary Tenth Heaven?
No one knew. They all fell silent, unsure whether it was out of fear or because they dared not speak under such majesty.
Ye Chen no longer looked at them. His gaze then swept toward the powerhouses of the Ancient Divine Continent in the distance, more like the gaze of a deity watching, imposing immense pressure upon them.
Below the Saint level, even powerful Demi-Saints were as if struck by lightning, each seeming to be hit by a great mountain, their faces pale as they coughed blood and fell through the void.
Cultivators below the Demi-Saint level were even more pitiful; each trembled so violently their Primordial Spirits nearly exploded, their minds going blank as they fainted and collapsed.
It was like a giant dragon looking down upon ants, lofty and superior.
Even Saints felt as if a sacred mountain were pressing upon their hearts, almost suffocating them.
Ancient Saints and overlords felt their minds lightly tremble, and even Saint Lords felt some pressure at this moment.
Just what kind of great demon was this? It seemed far more terrifying than the other great demons.
But they were, after all, true Saint Lords who dominated the world and were not afraid. They looked back with equal intensity, their vast Saint might rippling as they coldly said, "What do you want?"
Ye Chen looked at them indifferently and said lightly, "I don't want anything. As long as you don't make a move, I won't either, bringing trouble upon myself. But if trouble comes knocking at my door, I won't mind personally erasing it."
When the last word, "kill," fell, a vast, overwhelming killing intent suddenly erupted from Ye Chen's body, sweeping across the sky and heavens.
The temperature of the entire world instantly dropped significantly. Even powerful Saints felt the killing intent assail their bodies, a bone-chilling cold seeping in wave after wave.
Even those few Saint Lords of the Ancient Divine Continent felt a chill at this moment, shock and a few threads of horror flickering in their eyes.
They had no doubt that this Battle Saint King would truly strike to kill. Their wariness toward him surpassed even that toward the other great demons.
Fortunately, as he said, the Battle Saint King did not immediately attack. After indifferently and mercilessly sweeping his gaze over these powerhouses of the Ancient Divine Continent, he paid them no further mind, allowing them to heave a sigh of relief, their bodies drenched in cold sweat as if they had just walked past the gates of hell.
Such a lethal crisis was something they hadn't encountered for who knew how many years. They never expected to experience it again today, on a young man.
Ye Chen then looked at Cang Jitian, smiled slightly, and was the first to clasp his fists. "Brother Cang, we part here today. Until we meet again."
"Qian Yue, no, I should call you Brother Ye. Today's battle, though I lost, I am still honored. Thank you for your guidance. Hearing your words is worth more than a thousand battles."
This was Cang Jitian's heartfelt sentiment. Although he lost to Ye Chen, he was genuinely convinced and also grateful that Ye Chen had pointed out a new path for him—the legendary path of the Tenth Heaven, a path he had originally intended to abandon.
Now, hope had surfaced once more. He would walk it unwaveringly and never give up again.
Ye Chen smiled, swept his gaze over the True Kings, and was about to turn and leave when suddenly, his figure halted. He looked toward the distant horizon.
Because at this very moment, a powerful and astonishing aura was rapidly sweeping across the sky from that direction. Far on the horizon, figures could be seen rushing toward this battlefield at astonishing speed.
They were chasing like shooting stars, and it was estimated that in just a short while, they could swiftly cover the tens of thousands of miles to reach this place.
Ye Chen slightly frowned. He sensed a strong, soaring killing intent. Clearly, those approaching Ancient Divine Continent powerhouses bore killing intent, likely coming for them, the great demons.
Moreover, their auras were each quite formidable, not inferior to Saint Lords.
He didn't want trouble and hated it the most. He directly turned to leave, leaving everyone momentarily stunned.
Cang Jitian, the Sun God, and the others remained calm, but the three Saint Lords originally present here slightly changed expression. They didn't want him to leave, hoping to capture them all in one net. But suddenly recalling Ye Chen's earlier words filled with killing intent, they took half a step forward only to pause.
Ultimately, there was still fear in their hearts.
However, after Ye Chen took half a step, he stood firm again. Looking at the motionless Cang Jitian and the other True Kings, he said, "Aren't you leaving?"
Cang Jitian shook his head. He swallowed a few precious elixirs and even circulated his profound art to draw vast energy from the void, rapidly recovering his divine power. "I don't want to leave. We've always been regarded as great demons by these natives, hunted down relentlessly. Although we fear nothing, we don't want too much trouble either. Today, let's kill enough in one go to intimidate these natives."
To be honest, although each of the True Kings was outrageously powerful and had roamed freely across the Ancient Divine Continent over the past two years, there had always been those unafraid of death coming to hunt them, endlessly.
Although the True Kings feared nothing, they found it irritating. Today, with so many True King powerhouses gathered, they also wanted to temporarily set aside their differences and join forces to strike once, thoroughly, to kill a batch of sufficiently significant powerhouses as a warning and declaration to the world.
Ye Chen was slightly taken aback, then smiled and didn't leave either. "Fine. Since I've been recognized anyway, one more move won't make much difference. I want to see if this Ancient Divine Continent can produce someone who makes me wary."
Naturally, excluding the mysterious Demon God Ruins.
Before long, powerful figures streaked through the sky, standing in the void about ten li away, facing off from a distance.
More than fifty powerhouses from the Ancient Divine Continent had descended upon this place, and every single one was a Saint. Even the leaders numbered a full nine Saint Lords.
Such a lineup could be called terrifyingly formidable. Appearing there, their first action was to directly seal the heavens and earth, restrain the void, preventing the True Kings and other great demons from leaving.
One Saint Lord coldly declared, "Today, all great demons must remain here. Not a single one is permitted to leave. Violators will die!"