Ye Chen's spiritual sense was exceptionally sharp, and his Eyes of the Heavens keenly captured the brief reaction from the Ancient Hua Heavenly King earlier, which was clearly directed at the Human Sovereign Pagoda.
Based on the changes in the Ancient Hua Heavenly King's expression, the clues previously found in the treasure vaults of several imperial dynasties, and even the words of the Master of the Demon God Ruins, it could be deduced that the Human Sovereign Pagoda had appeared during a certain ancient period in the Ancient Emperor Realm and had once been extremely glorious. Otherwise, it wouldn't have elicited such reactions.
However, the period of its appearance was evidently too ancient. He hadn't obtained any useful information about it.
Yet, he vaguely had an inexplicable feeling that the Human Sovereign Pagoda from ancient times involved the Ancient Divine Continent, the Demon God Ruins, and even certain taboo existences.
And all of these would affect the operation of the entire Ancient Emperor Realm.
Most importantly, he could tell that the Ancient Hua Heavenly King seemed very interested in the Human Sovereign Pagoda, as he intended to use it as a condition for a transaction.
The Ancient Hua Heavenly King gazed closely at the Human Sovereign Pagoda, his eyes blazing intensely as if trying to penetrate the entire pagoda to see the truth.
But the myriad strands of primordial Chaos Qi blocked all probing.
Only after a long while did the Ancient Hua Heavenly King finally speak: "Very well, little friend, you may ask. This old man will answer as appropriate. However, to be fair, you ask one question, and I ask one question."
His words set a clear bottom line, obviously not intending to answer everything, but this was within Ye Chen's expectations.
"What are the Demon God Ruins?" Ye Chen got straight to the point, directly inquiring about that forbidden land.
Regarding the Demon God Ruins, even the related texts of those imperial dynasties contained little information, merely stating simply that the Demon God Ruins were an inviolable Forbidden Zone of Life on the Ancient Divine Continent.
To understand clearly, one either had to ask the Heavenly King ancestors of the nine imperial dynasties or the Ancient Divine Palace.
The Ancient Hua Heavenly King was taken aback, a rare trace of hesitation and a tremor of fear appearing on his face. He shook his head: "I don't know. I only know it's a taboo, existing since the Primordial era of the Ancient Emperor Realm. But it's a taboo that even the Ancient Divine Palace dares not provoke. It's said the Master of the Demon God Ruins participated in the Primordial battle of the Ancient Emperor Realm."
"What is the Primordial battle?" Ye Chen pressed, catching this key point, which might be related to the Human Sovereign.
The Ancient Hua Heavenly King said: "It's my turn to ask."
"My apologies for being presumptuous. Senior, please ask."
"Little friend, may I ask, how did you obtain this Dao Pagoda?"
After a moment of silence, the Ancient Hua Heavenly King finally spoke, his expression grave as he inquired.
"It originated from the lower realm. I obtained it by chance from a Great Power," Ye Chen's words were concise, leaving the Ancient Hua Heavenly King stunned. There was hardly any useful information. Just as he was about to ask for details, Ye Chen spoke again: "What does the Primordial battle refer to?"
"It was a world-destroying battle, the most terrifying battle that nearly caused the entire Ancient Emperor Realm to perish."
The Ancient Hua Heavenly King's answer greatly surprised Ye Chen. He hadn't expected the Ancient Emperor Realm to have nearly been destroyed before, as this was a foundational great world created by Emperors and Sovereigns. Yet, such a day had occurred. What kind of battle could have caused it?
"In that battle, at least four supreme existences participated," the Ancient Hua Heavenly King said after a long silence, pointing at the Human Sovereign Pagoda. "The master of this Dao Pagoda participated, the founder of the Ancient Divine Palace participated, the Master of the Demon God Ruins participated, and a supreme powerhouse from the other side of the Chaotic Sea participated."
"From the information I understand, there are two rumors. One is that the Ancient Emperor Realm nearly perished because these four supreme existences went to war. The other is that the four supreme existences were jointly resisting the same enemy, and the intense battle nearly destroyed the Ancient Emperor Realm. It's also broadly said they were protecting it from destruction."
He slowly revealed a monumental secret about the Ancient Emperor Realm.
In that unimaginably distant Primordial era, the Ancient Emperor Realm had once encountered a terrifying great calamity, even greater than that curse. The entire Ancient Emperor Realm was almost shattered.
Because it was simply too long ago, only fragments of ancient records remain, inscribed on the most ancient steles, vaguely documenting that world-destroying battle.
Even the reason for its initiation is unknown, as the related records have dissipated with the passage of time. It's only known that these four supreme existences participated.
It's also only known that the main reason the Ancient Emperor Realm did not perish was related to the master of the Human Sovereign Pagoda.
According to the fragments of information he knew, at the most critical moment, a supreme existence appeared and saved the entire Ancient Emperor Realm. The ancient stele simply depicted a Dao Pagoda, thirty-three stories high, with primordial Chaos Qi flowing.
However, only those with sufficient strength are qualified to know these secrets. Saint Lords are not qualified; only Heavenly Kings are.
From the fragments of information Ye Chen grasped, it was clear that the Primordial Times Human Sovereign had once appeared in the Ancient Emperor Realm. But why the Primordial world-destroying battle was initiated remains a mystery.
If it was just a battle among the four supreme existences, that would be one thing. But another rumor pointed to them jointly resisting a common enemy. If so, how terrifying must that enemy have been to require the joint resistance of four supreme existences?
And since the Master of the Demon God Ruins was mentioned, that person was at least a Sovereign-level ancient Supreme One. Otherwise, they would be far from qualified to contend with the Human Sovereign.
"For key details, you need to ask the people of the Ancient Divine Palace," the Ancient Hua Heavenly King said. "The founder of the Ancient Divine Palace is one of the invincible participants. They know far more secrets than we do."
"Now I need to know the specific origin of this pagoda," the Ancient Hua Heavenly King inquired again.
"I have already accurately informed you," Ye Chen shook his head. Seeing the other's face darken with a trace of annoyance, he continued: "However, I can tell you, the true master of this pagoda is not me, but the ruler of the myriad realms—the Supreme Human Sovereign!"
"The Human Sovereign Pagoda is his imperial weapon!"
As a Heavenly King, he naturally knew many secrets and had considerable understanding of the myriad realms, including knowledge about the Human Sovereign.
Although he knew the origin of this primordial Chaos ancient pagoda must be extraordinary, he never expected it to be the Dao Pagoda of the Myriad Domains' Supreme Human Sovereign.
Since this was the Human Sovereign Pagoda, and now it appeared on Ye Chen, didn't that mean Ye Chen was the Human Sovereign's successor?
Within just a few breaths, the Ancient Hua Heavenly King had connected so many dots. If Ye Chen knew what he was thinking, he would be dumbfounded.
The Human Sovereign Pagoda wasn't obtained from the Human Sovereign's hands at all. However, being the Human Sovereign's successor was quite possible, as he was undergoing the Human Sovereign Trial and was the most powerful contender on the Human Sovereign's path. That statement wasn't an exaggeration.
"One last question," Ye Chen suddenly said, his gaze growing much more intense. "You, are you willing to follow me?"