Thirty-six empires and seventy-two ancient kingdoms!
Each of the thirty-six empires could rival the power of the ancient imperial dynasties of the Ancient Divine Continent.
The seventy-two ancient kingdoms were only slightly inferior to the thirty-six empires, yet they were still immensely powerful, with heritage no less formidable.
Together, the thirty-six empires and seventy-two ancient kingdoms formed the one hundred and eight most powerful divine kingdoms of the human domain, ruling over the vast and boundless human territories.
Naturally, other kingdoms and sects were also numerous, just like on the Ancient Divine Continent.
However, overall, the Ancient Emperor Continent's overall strength was far greater than that of the Ancient Divine Continent. This could be fully seen from the one hundred and eight nations, including the thirty-six empires and seventy-two ancient kingdoms.
The region where the barbarian tribe resided belonged to the Huang Empire, one of the thirty-six empires, and the only overlord empire bordering the edge of the human domain.
Naturally, the barbarian tribe was located at the very fringe of the empire, close to the Million Mountains beyond the human domain.
It is worth mentioning that Divine Spirits existed on the Ancient Emperor Continent.
This point had been verified.
Since the glorious and prosperous Mythical Era, Divine Spirits could exist. They were lofty beings, dwelling high above in the Nine Heavens.
It was said that when one's cultivation reached an extreme, they could break through the void, ascend, and immediately become a god, entering the mysterious Divine Realm.
And the Divine Realm had appeared as early as the Mythical Era.
"Divine Realm?" Ye Chen was initially puzzled, then sneered coldly. For the countless planes and worlds within the myriad realms, the Myriad Domains were essentially the Divine Realm, the Heavenly Realm, because that was the world of all powerful beings.
And above that was the mysterious Primordial Immortal Realm, a world rumored to have immortals, a grand world that even ancient Emperors and Sovereigns yearned for and pursued.
Therefore, he fundamentally did not believe in the existence of this so-called Divine Realm. He had also, during the quiet of night, looked up at the sky. He could vaguely sense that beyond the Nine Heavens, in the outer domain, there seemed to be hidden a special inner world, radiating an immortal aura.
Ye Chen guessed that the so-called Divine Realm was likely there, and the so-called Divine Spirits resided there. And this so-called Divine Realm was probably just a relatively special world, a world within a world located within the Ancient Emperor Realm.
Regarding this, he merely let out a disdainful sneer, paying it little mind.
What had always puzzled Ye Chen was this: weren't there Emperors and Sovereigns on the Ancient Emperor Continent?
Such secrets had always circulated on the Ancient Divine Continent, but there seemed to be no records.
It wasn't until much later that Ye Chen finally managed to find some useful information among numerous ancient texts.
He discerned that although the Ancient Emperor Continent was dominated by the thirty-six empires and seventy-two ancient kingdoms, ruling over the human domain, the true forces that dictated the continent's rise and fall were other powers—
Tai Sheng Shang Gong, Dark Night Hall, and Sun God Dynasty!
These three supreme powers held a status as transcendent on the Ancient Emperor Continent as the Ancient Divine Palace did on the Ancient Divine Continent.
There was no need to say much about the Dark Night Hall and the Sun God Dynasty. One was a mysterious ancient hall hidden in the darkness of night, seemingly a power established upon the Bright Moon in the Nine Heavens.
The other was rumored to be an immortal divine dynasty established upon the sun, even more magnificent and vast than the thirty-six empires, and seemingly even more powerful than the Ancient Divine Palace.
With a slight thought, Ye Chen understood. These two supreme powers were likely related to the Twin Sovereigns who once shook the Mythical Era—the Dark Night Sovereign and the Sun Sovereign. This could be inferred just from their names.
And the most mysterious and transcendent Tai Sheng Shang Gong was rumored to have been established by the Emperors and Sovereigns. It was the eternal, immortal upper palace established by the ancient Great Emperor who performed the Heaven and Earth Creation of the great ancient realm, secretly dominating the entire Ancient Emperor Continent. It could even dominate territories beyond the human domain, meaning the entire Ancient Emperor Continent seemed to be under the control of Tai Sheng Shang Gong.
The so-called elixir of immortality, the so-called secret treasures of the Great Emperor, were actually in the grasp of Tai Sheng Shang Gong.
As expected, he knew the Ancient Emperor Continent was inevitably far more complex than the Ancient Divine Continent.
Ye Chen smiled, responding noncommittally, "The so-called Divine Spirits are merely a group of relatively powerful cultivators, not immortal and indestructible. As for true gods, unless one reaches that realm, no one has the qualification to claim the title."
That realm naturally referred to the mythical Emperors and Sovereigns!
Upon hearing this, everyone felt Ye Chen's words were profound and difficult for them to comprehend. However, they soon realized that words about gods could not be easily understood thoroughly.
Regarding this, Ye Chen offered no further explanation.
Not long after, the group arrived at the edge of a giant pit. The pit was about a hundred zhang in diameter, twenty zhang deep, charred black all over, with the soil melted into a glassy state.
Only within the pit stood a Bronze Great Halberd, half-buried in the center of the pit's bottom.
When this Bronze Great Halberd first appeared, even the many experts of the barbarian tribe were powerless against it. Even when the tribal chief came, he could not pull it out.
One must know that the chief was the strongest of the barbarian tribe, a super expert at the Divine Transformation Seventh Heaven, yet he was helpless. This spoke volumes.
The barbarian said, "Qian, this great halberd fell from the sky at the same time you appeared, according to our tribesmen. We don't know if it's your divine weapon. But it's extremely heavy; no one in our tribe has been able to pull it out."
Ye Chen smiled. Of course they couldn't lift the Primordial Battle Body. In terms of sheer weight, only the supreme physical strength of the Battle Sacred Body could retrieve it.
He leaped lightly, spanning dozens of zhang, nimbly descending into the deep pit and arriving before the Bronze Great Halberd. He sighed softly, never expecting the Primordial Battle Body to have landed here. Today, they could finally reunite.
He extended his hand, grabbed the great halberd, and pulled with force.
Clang!
The Bronze Great Halberd was pulled out, effortlessly, leaving everyone present dumbfounded.
Because back then, they had exhausted every ounce of their strength and still couldn't pull it out. The strongest chief had only managed to make it tremble slightly. Yet now, in Ye Chen's hands, it was as light as a feather, no different from picking up an ordinary weapon.
What kind of power was this to achieve such a feat?
But this further convinced them that Ye Chen was indeed a Divine Spirit from the Nine Heavens. Only such an existence could possess peerless, unrivaled strength.
After retrieving the Primordial Battle Body, the barbarian and several barbarian warriors stepped forward with fervent gazes, requesting Ye Chen to let them try. They refused to believe it was that impossible.
Ye Chen smiled and tossed it to the barbarian with one hand.
With a thunderous crash, the barbarian was smashed to the ground by the Primordial Battle Body, unable to move. The seemingly ordinary Bronze Great Halberd was as heavy as a million great mountains; it couldn't be shifted even a hair's breadth.
The other barbarian warriors stepped forward but couldn't move it either. Finally, they looked helplessly at Ye Chen, their faces flushed red.
"Believe it now?" Ye Chen chuckled. The barbarian and the others nodded, and only then did he lift it up effortlessly.