Ye Chen had a premonition that this Ancient Emperor Realm would play an incredibly important role in the future. If nothing else, the Demon God Ruins and the Ship That Slays Immortals were proof enough.
Moreover, Old Yan's identity was far more complex than Ye Chen had ever imagined.
After silently pausing in this place for a moment, Ye Chen did not linger any longer. He activated the Void God Platform, set the spatial coordinates, and with a whoosh, tore through the void and departed.
Boom—
The void split open, and Ye Chen returned once more to that expanse of emptiness—the area below where he had previously confronted the various Saints, and also the void where he had once battled Cang Jitian.
He expanded his divine sense and soon sensed the aura of the Cang Dragon. Putting away the Void God Platform, he directly traversed the void towards it.
A few breaths later, Ye Chen appeared in the sky above a region of the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains. The Four-Winged Snake Dragon was parked on a majestic mountain peak, having not left.
The Cang Dragon had been standing guard outside the Four-Winged Snake Dragon's cabin the entire time, also waiting for its master Ye Chen's return, remaining quite vigilant.
When it sensed Ye Chen's aura, its face immediately lit up with joy, and it breathed a sigh of relief, proving that Ye Chen was unharmed. There was also genuine admiration and boundless reverence from the depths of its heart.
For it had witnessed the earth-shattering scene of Ye Chen battling the various Saints in the starry sky. That kind of battle was simply soul-stirring, unprecedented.
Even the six people inside the exquisite cabin, including Lin Ke'er, were looking at Ye Chen through the window with incomparable reverence and an indescribable complexity, tinged with a trace of fear.
Through the projections and with the Cang Dragon's help, they had naturally also seen the great confrontation of Saints in the starry sky.
On one hand, they marveled at Ye Chen's peerless might. Not only had he defeated Cang Jitian, but facing the Saints from the Ancient Divine Continent who had come to hunt him down, he had displayed a divine bearing of absolute invincibility, sweeping through them and slaying so many Saints. He had even consecutively slain three Saint Lord-level figures, truly shaking the entire Ancient Divine Continent.
Such a record of achievements absolutely qualified to be recorded in the annals of history.
Moreover, such figures had always been lofty and aloof, commanding the reverence of the world. How much more so when this was just a young genius, arguably the number one among the younger generation. Not just of the present era, but perhaps the strongest young genius in history.
Even the Crown Princes of the nine great imperial dynasties would undoubtedly need to bow in submission and worship, unable to contend.
This inspired deep reverence and worship from the hearts of Lin Ke'er and the other five, for such a person indeed deserved their admiration.
Yet, from another perspective, it also made them worried and anxious. For they had learned that Ye Chen's true identity was not that of some so-called reclusive cultivator, but one of the great demons, even the legendary strongest of those great demons—Qian Yue.
Having spent so much time together, they only now realized this, leading to very complicated feelings.
On one hand, he was the great demon that the entire continent shouted to kill and hunt down. On the other hand, he was the 'Qian' who had saved them and earnestly guided their cultivation. This made them feel deeply conflicted in an instant, unsure how they should face him.
When Ye Chen entered the cabin and saw the expressions on their faces, he understood immediately. He simply smiled faintly, without any blame, as this was only human nature.
He sat down directly and said softly, "Now, what is your choice? First, you can continue with me to the Tian Xu imperial capital. However, you should also know that I am the so-called 'great demon' spoken of by the people of your Ancient Divine Continent, and it seems I'm the strongest one at that, like a rat scurrying across the street that everyone shouts to beat. Being with me, you will very likely face danger, and it might implicate you, even causing trouble for your families."
"Second, I can leave midway, leaving the Four-Winged Snake Dragon for you to continue riding to the Tian Xu imperial capital. You can choose, but I will not harm you. I can give you that assurance, and you can rest easy."
Regarding Ye Chen's promise, the group naturally felt at ease. For a super-powerful expert capable of slaying Saint Lords to give his word, it was naturally impossible for him to break such a rule. Otherwise, killing them would be as easy as turning over his hand.
Silence filled the cabin for a while, especially for Lin Ke'er. Her exquisite, lovely face was full of complex and hesitant emotions. She looked at Ye Chen, who was sitting cross-legged in meditation to one side, then at the somewhat fearful expressions of the others.
After a soft sigh, she said quietly, "Jiaojiao, Lin Jun, you continue onward. I choose to go with Brother Qian."
"Ke'er!"
Lin Jun, Ouyang Jiaojiao, and the others were stunned for a moment, including Ye Chen, who opened his eyes and glanced at Lin Ke'er with slight surprise. Clearly, he hadn't expected that even at this point, she would still choose to trust him.
"Along the way, Brother Qian not only saved us but also guided our cultivation. If he wanted to harm us, he would have acted long ago. Why wait until now? Moreover, with Brother Qian's strength, as you all have clearly seen, weren't even those Saint Lord-level powerers from the imperial dynasties slain? Didn't he sweep right through the encirclement of the various Saints? Is there any need for him to treat us with such kindness?"
Lin Ke'er fired off a rapid series of questions, immediately plunging the exquisite cabin into silence as everyone pondered her words.
Indeed, if Ye Chen truly had any ill intentions towards them, why go to such lengths? He could simply use supreme divine techniques to control their Primordial Spirits.
Everything could be explained.
But the people of the Ancient Divine Continent had always harbored fear and dread towards the great demons. Moreover, over the past two years, those great demons had run rampant across the continent, terrifying the populace. This was not something that could change in a short while.
At this moment, Ye Chen finally spoke. With a faint smile, he took out the Ancient Divine Palace jade token given by Li Xuan and said, "Everyone, this is the jade token given to me by Li Xuan of the Ancient Divine Palace. I believe this cannot be faked."
The aura of the Ancient Divine Palace was unique. When they saw this jade token, everyone was shocked once more. They looked at Ye Chen again, unsure how he had obtained it, but they believed he hadn't seized it by force.
For they knew the might of the Ancient Divine Palace far surpassed that of the nine ancient imperial dynasties.
"Soon, I will be visiting the Ancient Divine Palace as a guest along with the other great demons you speak of. This is the proof. If you still don't believe me, I won't mind," Ye Chen said with a smile, appearing quite calm and composed.
"We apologize, Young Master Qian. We misunderstood you. Please forgive us," Lin Jun and the others ultimately remained in the cabin, proceeding together with Ye Chen, though their gazes held much more reverence.
Even Lin Ke'er seemed somewhat reserved.
Ye Chen shook his head slightly but didn't mind, quietly focusing on his cultivation.
The journey proceeded without incident. The Four-Winged Snake Dragon safely landed at the royal capital of Hua Guo. Afterwards, after the group paid ten thousand Ancient Divine Coins each, a spatial gate was opened. They traversed the vast sky, crossing the central region of the Ancient Divine Continent to reach the imperial capital of the Tian Xu Empire.