"Would you be willing to follow me?"
This sudden question directly stunned the Ancient Hua Heavenly King. He stared blankly at this young generation's supreme from the myriad realms, who was actually asking him to follow him?
Although, based on what had been shown so far, the Battle Saint King's displayed strength and potential were undeniable. Barring any accidents, he would undoubtedly become a Dao powerhouse beyond imagination in the future.
He might even surpass himself, surpassing even the Heavenly King realm.
But all of this was predicated on the other party not encountering any mishaps.
The path of cultivation was never truly smooth and unobstructed. No matter how outstanding a Heaven's Pride or monster, no matter how remarkable, there would inevitably be various tribulations ahead, blocking the path forward.
The more powerful the monster, the more this held true.
History was not lacking in accounts of truly peerless geniuses being nipped in the bud on their growth path, and there were many.
He himself had seen quite a few. There were even Heaven's Pride from his own generation whose talents surpassed his own. In the past, they had contended with him, even overshadowed him, possessing unparalleled brilliance, shining brightly across the world, bestowed with boundless hope.
But in the end, weren't they too sharp and exposed on their cultivation path, going berserk during enlightenment and passing away?
As for himself, with inferior talent, he had managed to proceed with only frights but no real dangers. Although not the center of attention like them, he followed the rules, heeded the guidance of predecessors, did not seek invincibility, pursued the Great Dao, avoided many tribulations as much as possible, and steadily cultivated step by step to this realm.
He surpassed everyone of his generation, even surpassed Samsara, and founded the Ancient Hua Imperial Dynasty, one of the nine ancient imperial dynasties.
Therefore, for him, such monstrous talent was not necessarily the most important; the most important thing was the future.
And the most crucial point was that he, a noble Heavenly King, stood high above, with billions of living beings bowing their heads, while the other party was merely at the Saint Vault Sixth Heaven, a difference of two major realms.
He truly found it difficult to lower himself and submit to following such a person. Even with immense potential, the gap was too great. If word got out, it would only invite the ridicule of the world.
"Impossible," the Ancient Hua Heavenly King refused straightforwardly.
Ye Chen showed no surprise at this result, clearly not unexpected; everything was within his expectations.
If the other party had agreed without hesitation, he would have found it strange instead.
Ye Chen leisurely sat down, tasting the Dao tea, appearing very relaxed. He smiled slightly and said, "Is it because you feel the gap between our realms is too great, the difference in strength too vast? You are a noble Heavenly King above all living beings, the ancestor of an imperial dynasty, while I am merely a Saint Vault. It's impossible for you to lower yourself and follow me."
The Ancient Hua Heavenly King showed a trace of surprise, not because Ye Chen had seen through it, but because of his bluntness. However, he did not conceal it: "Yes. Although you are strong, as a Saint Vault wanting a Heavenly King to follow you is impossible."
"Am I not outstanding enough? Haven't I displayed sufficient talent and potential?" Ye Chen said.
"No." The Ancient Hua Heavenly King shook his head. "Both your talent and potential far exceed this old man's imagination. Even looking across the entire Ancient Divine Continent, or even the entire Ancient Emperor Realm, throughout history, perhaps only one or two could be mentioned in the same breath. Barring accidents, you will undoubtedly become a supreme powerhouse of the Great Dao in the future."
"In that case, why are you unwilling?"
"Although you are strong, I can see that you are filled with tribulations," the Ancient Hua Heavenly King said, word by word. "You are no ordinary person. You possess an invincible martial will, a peerless battle physique and golden body, invincible techniques, an invincible Dao. Such a person is invincible, at least invincible among his generation, invincible within the same realm. But the more invincible one is, the more terrifying the tribulations encountered, the more likely one is to face eternal damnation. I am not certain you can remain invincible forever, nor am I willing to follow someone who might fall on the path at any moment. The person I, the Ancient Hua Heavenly King, follow must be the future's invincible one."
"Are these the only reasons?" Ye Chen responded casually, without surprise.
The Ancient Hua Heavenly King raised his eyebrows in astonishment. "Are these not enough? I can sense the aura of fearsome tribulations upon you, even the aura of death. You have died, but fortunately survived."
"Fortune is sometimes a form of strength as well," Ye Chen said, looking directly into the Ancient Hua Heavenly King's eyes, speaking slowly. "Moreover, without sufficiently great tribulations, how can one temper a sufficiently invincible person, Dao, heart, and body? The reason I can remain invincible is precisely because I have turned all tribulations into the power to temper myself, the foundation of my invincibility."
"Cultivating safely, advancing steadily step by step?"
He raised a mocking curve at the corner of his mouth. "Like you, you became a Heavenly King, indeed surpassing all others from before, and became a lofty existence on the entire Ancient Divine Continent. But I'm afraid you can only remain at this step, never advancing a single step further for eternity."
Each word struck heavily upon the Ancient Hua Heavenly King's heart.
Yes, indeed it was so. At this stage, the Ancient Hua Heavenly King could no longer advance further. He had even tried secluded cultivation for a thousand years, but had not improved even a trace.
He did not know where the crux lay. Precisely because of this, he had sealed himself, suppressed deep within the heritage of the imperial dynasty, hoping to live into the future to find the path to greater strength.
Yet he never imagined that it was precisely his excessive pursuit of safety, his following the rules on his cultivation path, that became the greatest obstacle, preventing him from taking even a small step forward in a thousand years.
"Without undergoing sufficient tempering, how can one truly achieve the Dao?" Ye Chen said slowly. "Whether it's an invincible Dao or the desire to continuously advance, all require various tribulations for baptism and tempering. Otherwise, never hope to climb to the peak."
The Ancient Hua Heavenly King fell silent, not uttering a word, lost in deep thought.
Ye Chen did not disturb him, silently tasting the Dao tea.
A long time later, the Ancient Hua Heavenly King awoke from his silence. The entire person seemed to have undergone a subtle change, appearing more spirited, even faintly as if he had achieved some kind of breakthrough.
The Ancient Hua Heavenly King seriously cupped his hands and bowed to Ye Chen, saying solemnly, "Hearing your words is worth a thousand years of cultivation. Truly, thank you for the reminder. But I will not follow you because of this. You must show me a reason worthy of this old man's allegiance."
Enlightenment was enlightenment, following was following; they could not be mixed together. The Ancient Hua Heavenly King saw this very clearly.
Naturally, Ye Chen never thought the Ancient Hua Heavenly King would submit to him just like that. This was merely a bit of guidance from him.
Gently taking a sip of Dao tea, Ye Chen remained silent for a moment before suddenly speaking, word by word: "What if I said that, as far as Heavenly Kings are concerned, five are already my followers?"