King’s Ancient Road, this was an ancient path filled with enigmas, far more mysterious and dangerous than the Trial Road.
The Trial Road was merely a path to test the strengths of the many young generations of the Tiandu Continent, and in critical moments, one could even activate a Spirit Talisman for protection. Unless one was extremely unlucky, death was unlikely.
But the King’s Ancient Road was much more perilous. Initially, only those at the Innate Realm or above were eligible to participate. Ye Chen had the qualifications to participate because of his extraordinary talent and cultivation.
Based on some content from his memory, he keenly knew the exceptional nature of this King’s Ancient Road. The further one went, the more crises filled the path, with absolutely no Spirit Talismans for protection; it all depended on one’s own strength.
Moreover, King’s Ancient Road gave Ye Chen a subtly odd feeling, as though it was anything but simple, seemingly a gateway to another more vast and mystical realm.
However, all this was not what Ye Chen dwelled on the most. What he yearned for was to confront that young generation’s Heavenly Pride—Huang Tianqin—who had destroyed his Dantian and expelled him from the King’s Ancient Road!
Whenever this person’s name was mentioned, the expressions of several Gate Masters subtly changed, as if they harbored some apprehension, enough to prove that this person was truly extraordinary.
Ye Chen, lost in thought, did not have much knowledge about Huang Tianqin. His memory from that time only told him that the confrontation was indeed very strong, absurdly so, far more so than Ye Chen at that time.
Moreover, he remembered how Huang Tianqin looked down upon him with scorn and disdain, claiming that destroying his cultivation was only to see how much of a genius the person, who achieved Innate status at the age of thirteen, truly was. To him, it seemed rather ordinary, as he took pleasure in snuffing out geniuses.
He didn’t kill Ye Chen, but casually broke his Dantian and disposed of his Innate cultivation that was built over the previous thirteen years of arduous practice, expelling him from the Trial Road, all to witness the despair in Ye Chen’s eyes as he went from being a genius to a wastrel.
Although Ye Chen was no longer the naive youth he once was, that memory was still deeply etched in his mind, making his gaze turn cold.
He was not the so-called righteous gentleman. He would seek revenge for that year’s grudges, no matter what, to show the world that Ye Chen was not simply a kind-hearted soul.
The Supreme Elder seemed to be aware of the enmity between Ye Chen and Huang Tianqin and revealed a wry smile but ultimately nodded, "Yes, he is eligible to participate in this King’s Ancient Road."
"Good, then I will cripple him on the King’s Ancient Road," Ye Chen said simply and directly.
The crowd was astounded. They hadn’t expected Ye Chen to be so forthright. Several Gate Masters thought Ye Chen’s tone was too arrogant. Huang Tianqin was no ordinary person; although young, his strength was exceptional, with very few among the young generation of the entire Tiandu Continent capable of matching him. Where did Ye Chen’s confidence come from?
But then, recalling Ye Chen’s terrifying strength, which even subdued the three Gate Masters, they found themselves speechless. Perhaps Ye Chen truly did have such prowess, but his youthful face often caused one to overlook his fearsome power.
The Supreme Elder also smiled wryly. He had heard of the past events, which had caused quite a stir, and after hearing Ye Chen’s words, could only discourage him, "Young friend Ye Chen, both you and Huang Tianqin are the pride of our young generation on the Tiandu Continent. You should coexist peacefully, discord is unwarranted."
Both of them were truly unparalleled geniuses, their future achievements destined to be exceptional. He did not wish to see them engage in fratricidal conflict.
Ye Chen nodded and seriously said, "Rest assured, I will not kill him. Just crippling his Dantian and shattering his Primordial Spirit will be enough. Nothing too excessive."
Not too excessive? Crippling the Dantian and shattering the Primordial Spirit was clearly intent on crippling Huang Tianqin.
The Supreme Elder opened his mouth and eventually was left without words, silenced by the determination in Ye Chen’s eyes, heaving an inward sigh, deciding to persuade him when the time came.
"Young friend Ye Chen, your strength is now sufficient to become a member of our Heavenly Level Academy; you may leave now," the Supreme Elder said.
Ye Chen shook his head and declined, "I cannot leave just yet. My friends are still on the Trial Road; I must ensure their safety."
The Supreme Elder nodded slightly in acknowledgment, "This generation’s young people from the Xiafeng Country are also quite remarkable, even said to be the best in history. With one among the Top 100 Trial Participants and even a Crown Prince Xia Yang who holds the qualification of a deity, truly extraordinary."
But he glanced at Ye Chen. The most formidable one was still this young Ye Chen, who had already become a Martial God early on, causing many of the younger generation to fall into despair, fearing they may never manage to catch up to him in their lifetimes, a figure not easily forgotten.
Finally, the Supreme Elder left, taking with him the four derelict Gate Masters as they broke through the void to depart. Naturally, new Gate Masters would replace them in time.
The Demon Flood Dragon roared. After witnessing Ye Chen’s overwhelming strength, it submitted completely. Yoou Yan lay beneath Ye Chen, allowing him to sit upon its back, and from then on, it became Ye Chen’s mount.
That day, the entire Trial Road was shaken to its core.
One wave had not yet settled when another arose. The incidents with the Eighth Prince and the pursuit of the Demon Flood Dragon hadn’t fully spread when the matter with the Demon Flood Dragon led to an outright battle with the four Gate Masters of the Trial Road.
Yet, contrary to everyone’s expectations of Ye Chen’s defeat and the subsequent severe punishment and expulsion from the Trial Road by the Tiandu Academy, an unforeseen outcome occurred. Three Gate Masters made their move, only to still be no match for Ye Chen, which caused an uproar at that moment.
This Young Martial God was so powerful that he could dominate several Martial Gods—wasn’t this too astounding?
People had always thought that Ye Chen was merely in the early stages of the Martial God Realm. Although a youthful prodigy, he shouldn’t be capable of surpassing a regular Martial God. But in reality, Ye Chen had already become more formidable than anyone expected.
Every one of those who could serve as a Gate Master on the Trial Road was at least at the Second Layer Heaven of the Martial God Realm, stronger than those who had just stepped into this domain. Yet, they were all suppressed by Ye Chen. How immensely powerful must he be, far beyond an ordinary Martial God.
Moreover, he was just seventeen years old and had already become this powerful—surely this was somewhat monstrously prodigious.
Even many believed that Ye Chen might be the reincarnation of an ancient Divine being. Otherwise, how could he have reached such heights at such a tender age?
And another unexpected event was that the disturbance eventually alerted the Heavenly Divine Realm Supreme Elder from the Tiandu Academy. However, instead of taking action against Ye Chen, the Supreme Elder severely punished the Four Great Pass Masters, clearly aiming to appease Ye Chen’s anger and currying favor with him.
All of these events left people dumbfounded, but those with insight understood that Tiandu Academy might harbor fear toward Ye Chen because his growth rate was astonishingly world-shaking.
Anyone who had truly investigated knew that, a year ago, Ye Chen was nothing but the useless Young Master of Luofeng City in the borderlands of Xiafeng Country. However, within a short year, he had rapidly ascended to his current stage. How did he cultivate, traversing so many realms in succession to reach this point?
Ye Chen’s formidable power led the world to foresee that a dazzling new star was rising, emanating an aura befitting a king, soaring above all trials, possessing the true qualifications to claim the throne.
This was the title the trialists bestowed upon Ye Chen, surpassing even those Super Experts who were eligible for kingship.
The seventeen-year-old Young Martial God was an extraordinary Martial God Expert, like a towering Great Mountain standing before the younger generation, making all others look up in admiration without any hope of reaching his heights.
Word of his feats naturally spread to the outside world, turning into a storm that shook the Tiandu Continent.
Too strong, not just a Young Martial God but also a youthful king, invincible and unrivaled.
Everyone was astonished, but some astute individuals felt it was only natural. After all, behind such a young achiever might stand a Supreme Divine being, a disciple of a Divine being. Although his youth and achievements were shocking, in the eyes of the highest Divine beings, nothing seemed impossible.
This made people even more certain that a Supreme Divine must be supporting Ye Chen; otherwise, no one would believe that a youth could reach the Martial God Realm at the age of seventeen and defeat several Martial God Experts.
Such achievements were far too astonishing, virtually beyond imagination. Many speculated that Ye Chen could not have the strength to overcome the three Gate Masters on his own. It was believed he must have leveraged the legacy left by a Divine being, utilizing it to attain this level.
Moreover, the use of the Heavenly Divine Spear, one of the Heavenly God Dao Soldiers, added more credibility to such beliefs.
Next, people thought that Ye Chen aimed to enter the mysterious realms within the Twelfth Pass, where the Super Experts with claims to kingship had disappeared, as he had always sought Crown Prince Xia Yang.
However, this speculation was soon dispelled, as the Young Martial God Ye Chen did not set out at all but remained seated in meditation at the Twelfth Pass.
Later, Ye Chen took an astonishing action—robbery!