Due to the battle for supremacy among the younger generation, Divine City had attracted a great number of cultivators from all over the world who were interested in the event, making this ancient city even more crowded and bustling. The streets were inevitably filled with heated discussions, all revolving around this battle for supremacy and speculating about the hot favorites for the final crown.
Naturally, the Crown Princes of the nine great imperial dynasties were mentioned the most.
The appearance of the Tianxu Imperial Dynasty's divine ship drew the attention of all sides, standing out prominently even within the vast Divine City.
After all, this was one of the nine great imperial dynasties, and its Crown Prince was one of the strongest Heaven's Prides of the younger generation.
Whoosh—
At this moment, a figure shot over from the city center at incredible speed, traversing ten miles of sky in an instant and landing directly on the divine ship.
This was a young prodigy. He wore divine armor, his body wreathed in the light of dawn. He was handsome and heroic, with an extraordinary bearing that marked him as a dragon among men at first glance, attracting the gazes of many in the city.
There was no need to guess; the true identity of this young prodigy was the Tian Xu Crown Prince, one of the strongest Heaven's Prides on the Ancient Divine Continent!
The Tian Xu Crown Prince directly boarded the imperial divine ship, quickly approached the Emperor of Tian Xu, and knelt on one knee, performing a respectful bow. "Your son, Li Xu, pays respects to Father Emperor. I have come late to welcome you; please forgive my offense."
"Good, good! Xu'er, rise quickly!"
The Emperor of Tian Xu laughed heartily, his imperial countenance filled with great joy.
Although in terms of cultivation and aptitude, the Tian Xu Crown Prince could not compare to the Battle Saint King, he was undoubtedly one of the most outstanding Heaven's Prides in the dynasty's history. Having cultivated for less than a hundred years, he had already reached the Saint Treasury Realm at such a young age, a feat that could be called astonishingly brilliant. He was the future hope of the imperial dynasty.
The other Tianxu Imperial Dynasty powerhouses were also quite pleased. The stronger the Crown Prince, the more capable he would be of leading the dynasty to an even more powerful future.
The Tian Xu Crown Prince greeted each of his imperial uncles one by one, performing respectful bows without the slightest neglect, earning the unanimous approval of the imperial family's higher-ups.
However, when he saw Ye Chen standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the Emperor, a trace of surprise and doubt appeared on his face. "May I ask, who are you?"
The Emperor was about to reprimand him, but Ye Chen responded with a smile, "My name is Ye Chen, but you can also call me the Battle Saint King."
"It's you!"
Upon hearing this, the Tian Xu Crown Prince's expression changed slightly, and then an intense fighting spirit erupted from his body, boiling and roiling, stirring the void as it pointed toward Ye Chen.
Because the Battle Saint King before him was also of the younger generation, and rumors in the world spoke of his great strength—that he could slay Saints.
Such a super powerhouse from the same generation naturally stirred a fighting spirit within him. He very much wished to compete in a battle, to spar and test their respective heights.
But this action caused the many powerhouses of the imperial dynasty, including the Emperor, to pale with shock and fear, worried that it might anger the Battle Saint King.
"Battle Saint King, please do not take offense. The Crown Prince has been undergoing trials in the Trial World for some time and knows nothing of what has happened in the outside world," the Emperor and other higher-ups hurriedly explained, fearing that the Battle Saint King might kill the Crown Prince in a fit of anger for daring to challenge him—they would be devastated.
In truth, this couldn't be blamed on the Tian Xu Crown Prince. He was completely unaware of Ye Chen's glorious achievements, such as slaying a Saint Lord or causing a great disturbance in the Guhua Imperial Dynasty while resisting three imperial dynasties.
During that period, he, along with the Crown Princes of other imperial dynasties and the Heaven's Prides of the Ancient Divine Continent, had been guided into a Trial World for training and tempering, and thus were unaware of news from the outside world.
Having only emerged recently, he had not yet learned of the various events that had occurred outside, so he did not know Ye Chen's true combat power. He only knew that Ye Chen was also of the younger generation and thus very much wanted to have a battle.
Ye Chen merely smiled and said, "There is no need for everyone to worry. I will not be angered by this. Moreover, the Crown Prince's actions are quite normal; he simply wishes to spar with me. That is perfectly normal."
Hearing this, the Emperor and the others finally breathed a sigh of relief.
However, the Tian Xu Crown Prince, who was watching this scene from the side, was somewhat dumbfounded.
What kind of status did this Battle Saint King possess, to make even his own vast imperial family so fearful?
He was, after all, an intelligent person. After thinking for a moment, he understood many things. Even the Emperor was so fearful; this Battle Saint King was certainly no ordinary figure. Yet, this only further ignited the fighting spirit in his heart.
Because he believed that no matter how strong the Battle Saint King was, he couldn't be that much stronger than himself. A battle could determine who was superior.
"I hope to have a battle with you after the competition concludes," the Tian Xu Crown Prince straightforwardly issued another challenge.
But the Emperor shouted, "Xu'er, do not be rude! The Battle Saint King is not someone you can challenge. Please, Saint King, do not take this to heart."
The Tian Xu Crown Prince was stunned. What did this mean?
But he could clearly see that everyone, including his own father emperor, held Ye Chen in deep reverence—a reverence that came from the heart, not feigned.
Clearly, the Battle Saint King's strength far exceeded his imagination. Otherwise, why would even his own vast, ancient imperial dynasty be so fearful?
"Alright," Ye Chen suddenly agreed, causing everyone to be taken aback. Then he added, "There's no need to wait until after the battle for supremacy. That wouldn't be fair to you. We can have a battle now."
The Tian Xu Crown Prince was slightly taken aback but shook his head. "No, that won't do. This is, after all, the divine ship of my Tianxu Imperial Dynasty. A battle between us could easily damage the ship, and it would also deplete my essence, energy, and spirit, which would be very disadvantageous for my upcoming final battle for supremacy."
In his understanding, a battle between him and the Battle Saint King would inevitably be extremely intense, possibly even comparable to clashing with other imperial dynasty Crown Princes, and would greatly deplete his essence, energy, and spirit.
Facing the final great battle soon, he needed to remain in peak condition at all times and could not afford to fight.
But Ye Chen said, "Don't worry. This battle will end very soon and won't deplete much of your essence, energy, and spirit."
Before the Tian Xu Crown Prince could speak, the Emperor of Tian Xu and the others also spoke up one after another, urging him to agree quickly.
Because they all understood that this was not a battle on the same level; the gap was too vast, and it would inevitably end very quickly.
Faced with this, the Tian Xu Crown Prince could only say helplessly, "Very well, since that's the case, let us each employ our means and make it quick."
"As it should be. Please make your move!" Ye Chen said.
Boom—
The Tian Xu Crown Prince directly erupted with an extremely powerful Saint might. He had actually reached the peak of the second level of the Saint Vault! Such cultivation, not to mention within the Ancient Divine Continent alone, but even when viewed across the myriad realms, could absolutely be considered top-tier, not inferior to those Young Kings.
No wonder he had the capital to be proud.
Almost at the same moment the Tian Xu Crown Prince erupted, array patterns on the imperial divine ship had already begun radiating, isolating the void and preventing the outside world from learning the details of this battle.
It was to preserve the Crown Prince's true combat power.
"Battle Saint King, I seek your guidance!" The Tian Xu Crown Prince suddenly made his move!