A terrifying Dao wave that had never been felt before acted within the Ancient Hall, causing the entire structure to roar and tremble, with cracks swiftly spreading out, almost bursting apart under the overwhelm of the Divine Power.
From the deepest parts of Hongtian Mountain to the pitch-black mountains, all trembled in fright.
This was the Divine pressure emanating from the body of Hongtian Great Saint, resembling terrifying tidal waves, enormous and endless—a truly boundless horror.
All this was because Hongtian Great Saint was too excited, having heard news so shocking that he could not suppress his Divine pressure and released it uncontrollably.
A flash of silver light appeared, and the Silver Ape King charged in like lightning, thinking something had happened, instantly viewing Ye Chen with hostility, filled with guard.
"Little Ape, stand down, it’s nothing," ordered Hongtian Great Saint as he calmed the fluctuating pressure.
The Silver Ape King hesitated to speak but was ordered by Hongtian Great Saint to leave.
Only after the Silver Ape King had left the Ancient Hall did the Divine pressure from Hongtian Great Saint finally stabilize. He was no longer agitated, and only looked at Ye Chen with a bitter smile, "Fellow Daoist, please don’t joke. I am well aware of the Dao injury on myself; it has completely corroded more than ninety percent of my entire being, including my Primordial Spirit. It’s beyond salvation; even if the most powerful Alchemist from the entire Tiandu Continent came, it wouldn’t help. Why give me false hope?"
After the initial excitement, Hongtian Great Saint calmed down, no longer as inexplicably agitated as when he first heard the news.
Although such words were extremely tempting to him—almost fatally so—he also realized it was utterly impossible, because the Dao injury on his body was too severe, left by another Divine-level powerhouse with a special curse power that had completely corrupted his entire Primordial Spirit, rendering him beyond salvation.
Now he could only delay the erosion and burst of the Dao injury by using the fresh blood and spiritual power of countless beings that had died in turmoil.
It could be said that he had already despaired.
"The strongest Alchemist of Tiandu Continent might not be able to help, but it doesn’t mean that I can’t," said Ye Chen with a light laugh, filled with confidence and a touch of disdain for the so-called strongest Alchemist.
Hongtian Great Saint was first shocked, then asked excitedly, "Fellow Daoist, are you serious?"
Hongtian Great Saint could not help but ask because this was all too sudden. The Dao injury had already corroded almost himself entirely, seemingly hopeless, yet there was someone who claimed they had a way to restore him to his peak state—how could he not be excited?
However, his attitude remained skeptical and could not fully believe it.
"True or false, we shall see if you try," said Ye Chen, and then he stepped toward the World Heart Fragment. Hongtian Great Saint immediately felt an enormous pressure involuntarily emanating but then reined it in.
Knowing deeply the principle of trusting those you use and not using those you doubt, and even though he had broken the seal, such a state could not match a Divine Spirit in its peak state. Probably barely a few moves would trigger the full blast of the Dao injury, leading to his demise.
This time, he decided to take a gamble.
"Using the blood and spiritual power of tens of thousands of beings, although it can delay the Dao injury and replenish life force, the method, if not applied correctly, is inferior and ends up merely wasting most of the essence."
Ye Chen spoke plainly, and with a slip of his hands, mysterious Dao’s Traces attracted the blood and endless spiritual power from the ground and the void, condensing into a huge red-glowing orb that coexisted with the blood like a lake.
Ye Chen then lightly exhaled, and a flame burst out, displaying a glaze-gold color, swiftly transforming into a sky of golden flames that rapidly refines the orb, swiftly steaming away blood qi and impurities until they turned into nihility.
Half an hour later, the hundred-zhang-wide red orb was refined into a Red Gold Divine Pill only the size of a baby’s fist, quietly floating in the pale, slender palm of Ye Chen, feeling as if it contained an endless Blood Sea, the waves rippling and rolling.
This Divine Pill, indeed, had condensed all essence, expelling all impurities.
Hongtian Great Saint stared intently at the Red Gold Divine Pill, feeling that if he swallowed it, his injuries would be greatly alleviated.
"I have banished all impurities, and what remains is the essence. Take it, and it should have much better effects than before."
Ye Chen flicked his finger, shooting the Red Gold Divine Pill towards Hongtian Great Saint who opened a sliver of the World Heart Fragment and caught it, his strong Divine Thought fiercely scanned the Divine Pill nine times before, satisfied there was nothing wrong, swallowing it down.
After swallowing it, Ye Chen’s emaciated body immediately filled out, no longer dry as a stick, his flesh plumped up.
Moreover, both his body and Primordial Spirit had significantly fewer Dao Traces than before, and his Dao injuries were unexpectedly suppressed and were much better compared to any previous occasions.
The once dimmed Primordial Spirit started to glitter with blazing light. With the suppression of the Dao injuries, the Primordial Spirit revitalized, releasing astounding fluctuations.
The Hongtian Great Saint within the World Heart Fragment watched everything with delight, feeling much better than he had before.
Hongtian Great Saint exclaimed, "Fellow Daoist, you truly are extraordinary. I merely consumed this Divine Pill, and the Dao injuries on my body were immediately suppressed by more than half—an amazing technique indeed."
Ye Chen simply shook his head indifferently, "Although the effect is good, this can only alleviate your Dao injuries for three years at most. If you want a complete recovery, other methods will be needed."
"However, before healing you, you must agree to three conditions."
"What conditions?" asked Hongtian Great Saint. He knew that there was no free lunch in the world. If he wanted to heal his Dao injuries, some sacrifices were necessary.
"There’s no need to know now. You’ll be told when it’s necessary," said Ye Chen. "And don’t worry; my conditions won’t be too excessive."
"Alright, Fellow Daoist, feel free to state them when the time comes," Hongtian Great Saint agreed. He was willing to accept even thirty or three hundred conditions if necessary; having been on the brink of death with no hope, but now seeing a new possibility—the so-called conditions, as long as they did not touch his bottom line, were not a problem.
Suddenly, the aura around Ye Chen surged like lightning, enveloping the entire Ancient Hall.
"Your situation is somewhat special. To fully heal, I must refine a Divine Pill, but I am underprepared and short on time. For now, I can only suppress your Dao injuries and restore some Divine Power."
Ye Chen’s eyes shone like lightning, and suddenly he shouted, "Open the World Heart Fragment, open your body and mind, accept the suppression of injuries!"
After a loud noise, there was a thunderclap on a clear day, and above the ancient hall, thick bolts of lightning descended one after another, densely packed, numbering in the thousands, forming a forest of thunder, thoroughly shocking the deepest part, and the Silver Ape King was startled watching it all unfold.
In the very depths, the dark mountains were crumbling with loud rumbles. If not for the extraordinary nature of Hongtian Divine Mountain, tainted with Divine pressure because it suppressed an Outer Heaven Great Demon, and considering the indiscriminate nature of the thousands of thunderbolts, it would have crumbled as well.
"What a powerful technique!" Even Hongtian Great Saint changed color.
This was Ye Chen displaying a forbidden technique. If it were just his own Cultivation, he naturally wouldn’t be able to achieve this, but at this moment, leveraging Elder Yan’s terrifying power, he had reached these conditions.
To completely suppress the Dao injuries of Hongtian Great Saint, the use of a forbidden technique was necessary.
Saint King Sealing Heaven Technique!
In a past life, Ye Chen was a generation’s Supreme, known as Combat Saint King. Although he hadn’t yet fully ascended to the Absolute Peak, he was supremely talented and stunningly brilliant, secretly creating several Supreme Divine Powers that he never displayed to the world.
These Divine Powers were specifically for formidable enemies of the time and could be termed as forbidden techniques; among them was the Saint King Sealing Heaven Technique.
As the name implies, this was Combat Saint King’s Supreme Dao Skill used to seal the heavens and the earth—a truly forbidden technique. Now, Ye Chen was using it to seal the Dao injuries on Hongtian Great Saint.
The appearance of this forbidden technique indeed disturbed the operating rules of this world, bringing down myriad thunder and lightning.
Even Hongtian Great Saint, a being of the Divine Spirit Realm with deep Cultivation, truly understood the terrifying aspect of this Dao skill.
Who exactly was this mysterious, robed figure who mastered such a forbidden technique? Was he really just someone who achieved the Divine Spirit Realm through secluded cultivation?
The Ancient Hall trembled, on the verge of collapsing under the thunder and lightning, but Ye Chen lightly uttered a word: "Disperse!"
A mysterious and indescribable fluctuation spread out, and the sky full of thunder and lightning vanished into thin air, disappearing so abruptly.
With a clattering sound—
Strings of Order Divine Chains interwoven with Dao Trace Power appeared, swirling with mysterious Dao Traces, all of which Ye Chen drove into Hongtian Great Saint’s body, sealing every one of his Dao injuries, suppressing them deep within.
At last, Hongtian Great Saint trembled all over, his bones thundering, the World Heart Fragment shattered, turning into streaks of flowing light vanishing, and endless Blood Qi surged violently, shaking the nine-layered clouds.
A terrifying column of Blood Qi shot into the sky, piercing through the endless mist, completely startling the mortal world, clearly visible for tens of thousands of miles around.
At this moment, an immense, boundless pressure emerged overwhelming Ye Chen, and a pair of cold eyes fell upon him...