Ye Chen felt the hair on his scalp stand on end!
A mysterious, enormous black hole had opened in the highest reaches of the firmament, and within that black hole, an ancient bronze coffin lay suspended across it.
What kind of scene was this?
So eerie, so chilling to the soul!
Now, he finally understood. The source of that special aura that could clear one's mind and spirit came from that black hole. It was unknown where it led, or why it had appeared, but such a mysterious aura continuously emanated from it.
The aura was auspicious, making one's mind clear and spirit serene, as if immortal qi was boiling. Yet, paradoxically, the entire black hole seemed as if it wanted to devour the entire special world where the Ancient Divine Palace was located.
And that mysterious ancient bronze coffin lay suspended within it, blocking the black hole's devouring intent. Nine rust-covered bronze chains were wrapped around the coffin, extending out in nine different directions, forming the ultimate number nine and the nine-palace formation, disappearing into the hazy firmament.
What an incredibly bizarre sight.
If not for that sudden bolt of heavenly lightning that struck, cleaving through the layers of haze, Ye Chen would never have been able to see it.
Ye Chen imprinted the scene he had just witnessed deeply into his mind. He had an intuition that the origin of that black hole, blocked by the bronze coffin, must be astonishingly huge. Because when he saw the black hole, Ye Chen sensed another, different kind of aura.
That aura made him feel as if his scalp was about to explode completely, because he had felt it once before.
That place was none other than the passageway that had finally appeared in the Starry Land of the Heavenly Pass. It released the same aura.
Could there be some connection between the two?
He suspected that the places they led to were the same.
Could the other side of the black hole be...
Suddenly, a startling conjecture surfaced in his mind, to the point where he found it somewhat unbelievable and his expression changed slightly. But it was difficult to confirm.
What an Ancient Divine Palace, growing more and more mysterious. What kind of earth-shattering secret was it hiding? Even he found it difficult to see through.
Ye Chen wanted to take another look, but he did not act. Instead, he gazed deeply in the direction of the Ancient Immortal Hall.
Because the one who had just struck was definitely a Heavenly King, and a peerless Heavenly King at that, far stronger than ordinary Heavenly Kings.
It was precisely this person that made him wary and hesitant to act.
Could it be the Palace Master of the Ancient Divine Palace?
There was no way to know!
Everything returned to calm. The Ancient Immortal Hall remained silent, its aura flowing as usual, with no one emerging.
Regarding the sudden appearance of the heavenly lightning, there seemed to be no inquiry or accountability whatsoever.
Only the Sun God, Yuan Yao Divine King, and the other seven Immortal True Kings looked towards Ye Chen. Each of them possessed profound methods and could vaguely perceive part of the blurred scene. Needless to say, they knew Ye Chen had touched upon a taboo.
However, their expressions also held a trace of confusion, as if they too had seen something regarding the black hole in the firmament.
At this moment, the Saint-level gatekeeper who had gone to report earlier emerged from the main gate of the Ancient Immortal Hall. He quickly approached Li Xuan's ear and transmitted a message in a low voice.
Although it was unclear what was said, it was evident that Li Xuan's expression suddenly turned strange, even somewhat gloating. Without needing to look, one knew it wasn't good news.
He coughed lightly, then came before Ye Chen with a serious expression and said, "Battle Saint King, esteemed True King guests from the myriad realms, I apologize, but you cannot see the Palace Master for the time being."
Ye Chen's heart immediately sank!
"Why?"
"The Palace Master is in deep seclusion and cannot be disturbed by anyone, not even the Supreme Elders. Therefore, the matter regarding the identity of the successor must be temporarily set aside. Please understand."
Li Xuan explained, "If you are not in a hurry, you may temporarily reside within the Ancient Divine Palace for a while. Our Ancient Divine Palace has superior cultivation grounds and various divine abilities and dao techniques that can be provided for our guests to cultivate and study."
Ye Chen, the Sun God, and the others immediately frowned, their expressions darkening.
It was normal for the Ancient Divine Palace Master to be in seclusion. But why weren't they informed when they were at the foot of the mountain? Why wait until they had spent two days walking up step by step to tell them? What was the meaning of this? Was it to mock them?
Moreover, who else could have struck out with that vast, boundless hand if not that mysterious Ancient Divine Palace Master?
Whether it was Ye Chen or the other True Kings, who among them wasn't proud and arrogant? Being mocked like this, who could tolerate it?
But they had only just arrived at the Ancient Divine Palace. They were unclear about many things regarding this mysterious force. They held no advantage in terms of timing, location, or manpower. Furthermore, this place was guarded by several Heavenly Kings. Everyone was wary and found it difficult to openly express their anger, though their expressions grew as dark as water.
"Please descend the mountain, everyone. Our Ancient Divine Palace will certainly provide good hospitality," Li Xuan said with a smile.
"Let's go," Ye Chen spoke, his tone somewhat cold, which also surprised the other True Kings.
It must be known that the Battle Saint King was famous throughout the world for his forcefulness and domineering aura. When had he ever shown signs of backing down? It was puzzling.
But how could they know? Although Ye Chen was somewhat angry, he also understood the gravity of the situation. Furthermore, the Ancient Divine Palace was too strange. He needed to investigate it as well.
In the end, the True Kings felt somewhat helpless, but they could only follow the Battle Saint King down the mountain for now. If the same thing happened next time, even at the cost of offending the Ancient Divine Palace, they would turn the place upside down.
"Hurry up and leave! Don't disturb the tranquility of the Ancient Immortal Hall or the Palace Master's seclusion. Otherwise, even esteemed guests will face consequences!"
The two Saint-level gatekeepers were very impatient. Although these people were esteemed guests, they never bothered with pleasantries.
Even if they saw a Saint Lord-level figure, they wouldn't need to pay respects or hold them in regard. Because they were the gatekeepers of the Ancient Immortal Hall, the gatekeepers of the Ancient Divine Palace Master. That fact alone was sufficient.
But unfortunately, the True Kings present were not from the Ancient Divine Continent. Moreover, they possessed extraordinary cultivation and terrifying backgrounds.
The Ancient Divine Palace Master was one thing—he was the master of this strongest orthodoxy and was certainly a Heavenly King, which made them wary. But since when could mere two Saints dare to mock and look down on them with such disdain?
The expressions of both Ye Chen and the other True Kings completely darkened. Seeing this, Li Xuan sensed trouble and hurriedly tried to intervene, saying, "Everyone, please don't be angry—"
But before he could finish his sentence, a figure had already shot out with extreme speed, descending before the two Saint gatekeepers carrying a terrifying backdrop of mountains of corpses and seas of blood. Demonic light surged overwhelmingly, immensely intimidating.
It was the supreme Primordial Demon God!
He was the most demonic and violent. Without a word, he directly prepared to strike.
The two Saint gatekeepers were startled and hurriedly said, "What do you think you're doing? We are the gatekeepers of the Ancient Immortal Hall—"
Pfft—
The Primordial Demon God directly attacked. Demonic light surged overwhelmingly as he swept out a palm.
Pfft, pfft! The two gatekeepers were directly sent flying. Half their bodies were blown apart as they crashed into the main gate, bloodstained and on the verge of death.