"Elder Tianmei, if you seek death, I shall grant your wish!"
A calm voice rang out from behind the seven Immortal True Kings. The figure who had been sitting cross-legged for two years had, at some unknown time, already stood up. His black hair cascaded like a waterfall, his bearing heroic and peerless, his gaze as profound as the starry sky.
It was precisely this young genius whose slender, fair hand blocked Elder Tianmei's palm, which contained the Dao authority of a Heavenly King.
Upon collision, space-time was annihilated, heaven seemed to collapse and earth to split, yet the positions where the two stood remained completely intact, utterly undisturbed.
Heavenly King—this was genuine Heavenly King-level combat power!
Everyone was shocked. Elder Tianmei was one thing, being an ancient Heavenly King figure from the Ancient Divine Palace to begin with. But the Battle Saint King actually wielded such power as well.
Had he truly achieved the Heavenly King realm, or was it due to utilizing Faith Power?
"As expected, you've only reached this level by using Faith Power," Elder Tianmei sneered, for he could sense the potent Faith Power flowing from Ye Chen's glabella, added to himself, granting him Heavenly King-level combat power that transcended reincarnation.
Others had flickering gazes, clearly seeing that when he fought the Blood-Robed Heavenly King, it was primordial Chaos Qi, but now it was replaced by Faith Power.
This also allowed many within the Ancient Divine Palace to breathe a sigh of relief. Faith Power was, after all, merely an external force. The myth he had previously created was no longer a myth.
"Faith Power?" Ye Chen smiled faintly, appearing profound and inscrutable. He offered no explanation, instead speaking slowly, "Elder Tianmei, I heard you intend to seal my physical body."
"Correct, this venerable one will seal you," Elder Tianmei declared righteously. "You are neither a disciple of my Ancient Divine Palace nor an honored guest. Not only have you trespassed into the Ancient Divine Palace, but you have also craftily seized and plundered the countless divine abilities and secret arts left behind by generations of Saints within the Martial Arts Divine Stone Space of my Ancient Divine Palace. This is a grave crime. Submit without a fight immediately, or do not blame my Ancient Divine Palace for being ruthless."
"A grave crime?" Ye Chen suddenly laughed. His gaze swept over the other Heavenly King Elders, then landed on Li Xuan, narrowing slightly, yet appearing much more dangerous. "Is this what you all believe as well?"
The other six Heavenly King Elders remained silent. Li Xuan merely sighed lightly and turned his head away.
"Then were the Ancient Divine Palace's promises during the Young Geniuses' Battle for Supremacy all false?" Ye Chen spoke again, his tone as calm as ever. "I remember Li Xuan stating before the world that the victor would become the successor of the Ancient Divine Palace, its next master."
Li Xuan had no words to retort, his face tinged with shame.
Elder Tianmei snorted coldly. "Battle Saint King, cease your wild words. How can those words be taken seriously? No matter how powerful you are, even if you defeated Gu Changsheng, the identity of my Ancient Divine Palace's successor belongs solely to Gu Changsheng alone. No one else can be, and you certainly cannot be."
"So, your Ancient Divine Palace is going back on its word. Truly admirable," Ye Chen's voice turned cold. "I originally thought your Ancient Divine Palace stood aloof and transcendent above all, but it turns out to be just another power that makes empty boasts. Truly disappointing."
"Disappointing? In this world, whoever has the bigger fist is the master," Elder Tianmei sneered. "I advise you to submit without a fight immediately. This old man truly does not wish to snuff out a prodigy, as you are, in a way, a monstrous genius of your generation."
Ye Chen, however, cast a disdainful glance at him. "Snuff out a prodigy? Are you capable of that?"
"Brat!" Elder Tianmei's face darkened. "Do you truly believe this old man dares not act? A person like you merely reaches a level comparable to a Heavenly King by borrowing Faith Power. Do you truly think you are a peerless Heavenly King?"
"I am not yet a Heavenly King," Ye Chen shook his head. But his eyes erupted with dazzling radiant light as he suddenly made his move. What came forth was a golden, immortal sacred fist, arriving head-on, carrying vast and mighty power. The entire heaven and earth trembled.
Boom—
The sacred fist, immortal and unstoppable, exploded with golden sacred light filling the sky. It was Ye Chen striking out in anger, his voice resounding throughout the entire Ancient Divine Palace: "But killing you is enough!"
Elder Tianmei's expression changed slightly. He had no time to continue berating, for this fist was too fast, its power too immense. He hurriedly raised his hand to block, sending out swathes of Heavenly King-level runes, their Dao authority astonishing the world.
Boom—
With a shudder through his entire body, he was sent flying backward, blasted away by this fist. The layers of void behind him rapidly annihilated and shattered.
The six Heavenly Kings simultaneously emitted light, protecting everything within the Martial Arts Divine Hall and the powerhouses on the plaza. Otherwise, casualties would have been severe.
Everyone was greatly astonished, not expecting Ye Chen to suddenly attack at this moment.
"Arrogant!"
The other six Heavenly King Elders' expressions also darkened. They stepped forward simultaneously, accompanied by Heavenly King pressure that seemed capable of causing heaven and earth to collapse—far more powerful than any Saint Lord by an immeasurable degree. It was as if six Divine Spirits had descended, their presence reaching everywhere as they pressed forward.
But this pressure did not affect the powerhouses of the Ancient Divine Palace; it was solely directed at Ye Chen and the seven Immortal True Kings.
The seven Immortal True Kings sighed softly. At this point, it was difficult for them to remain aloof.
"Battle Saint King, you are too arrogant. Although you are powerful, monstrous, and can battle a Heavenly King by borrowing Faith Power, how many can you fight at once?"
The Fifth Elder spoke and quickly made his move. With a flip of his palm, it was filled with Dao marks and runes, inundating the space ahead. Each great Dao rune shimmered with light, transforming into stars that streaked across heaven and earth, attacking Ye Chen.
Without a doubt, this was the manifestation of a Heavenly King-level divine ability, far surpassing the Saint Treasury Realm by countless times—a shocking, tsunami-like force that annihilated space-time.
This single move alone made the seven Immortal True Kings feel utterly unmatched. After all, their cultivation was merely a notch above Saint Lords, not even at the Samsara level. The gap between them and a Heavenly King was too vast; how could they contend?
But they showed no fear. They possessed trump cards that would startle even Heavenly Kings, yet they did not use them, for Ye Chen had appeared. He made his move.
From his glabella, he released Faith Power as deep and vast as an abyss or ocean. Each strand represented the Faith Power of a living being from the Ancient Lan World. Billions of strands converged, transforming into a brilliant ocean of Faith Power that poured down, inundating that void and blocking the Fifth Heavenly King Elder's attack.
But the other five Heavenly King Elders and Elder Tianmei had already turned and charged forward. Seven Heavenly Kings attacked simultaneously, their pressure causing heaven and earth to crumble as they pressed toward Ye Chen, aiming to capture him with lightning speed.
"Battle Saint King, how will you resist!"
"Hmph, bullying the few with many?" Ye Chen snorted coldly, his gaze turning icy. "Since that's the case, do not blame me for repaying you in your own coin!"
Boom—
From his glabella, nine beams of divine radiance suddenly shot forth, vanishing into the void.
Immediately, a majestic spatial gate appeared behind him. The moment it opened, nine Heavenly King-level great Dao auras soared into the sky, sweeping through this heaven and earth.