Ye Chen mused, “The opportunity for true Longevity is right before me! Could it be hidden within this Imperial Palace?”
He knew there were only two major opportunities here: the inheritance of the Martial Dao Great Emperor and the Dao Rhyme emanating from the Bronze Ancient Palace.
The ancient Martial Dao Great Emperor was merely a low-star Emperor, and his path was focused on martial arts—clearly irrelevant to the pursuit of Longevity. The only possibility was the Dao Rhyme! The Bronze Ancient Palace, an Ancient Supreme Artifact, was highly likely to contain the secret to eternal life.
Ye Chen began his preparations. He had no intention of competing for the Martial Dao Great Emperor’s inheritance; martial arts, while powerful, were not his ultimate 'Path.' He would head straight for the Bronze Ancient Palace's Dao Rhyme.
He sat cross-legged, his hands weaving complex spiritual seals, channeling power back into his wooden golems. When the time came to seize the Dao Rhyme, these puppets would be the ones doing the heavy lifting, allowing him to slip away unnoticed.
With that thought, Ye Chen extended his divine sense outward, probing the perimeter of the Imperial Palace.
Ten miles!
A hundred miles!
...Several hundred miles!
In this moment, Ye Chen exposed a fraction of his true power, allowing him to scan the entire secret realm. The heavens and the earth, every blade of grass, every tree—all were instantly captured by his inner eye.
He saw the white bones scattered throughout the ruined cave dwellings of the ancient inheritance—the remains of one-star, two-star Great Emperors, and even some Quasi-Emperors. They sat cross-legged, radiating a profound sense of sorrow.
Ye Chen realized this ancient secret realm was a minor world created by a Three-star Martial Dao Great Emperor. He had intended to lead his entire faction to weather the erosion of the River of Time, waiting for the opening of the Ultimate Path to the Supreme Realm.
But the interval between the opening of the Ultimate Path was simply too long! The Martial Dao Great Emperor had ultimately failed.
This minor world had attempted to seal its own aura, but the restriction had eventually shattered, leaking its energy. That was why the mountains were broken, the rivers had run dry, and the powerful experts in the supreme Spirit Crystal mine had been afflicted by the ominous power.
A vivid, tragic scene played out in Ye Chen’s mind: the desiccation of this small world. As spiritual energy dried up, the powerful figures in seclusion were forced to awaken, and a massive war erupted over the dwindling cultivation resources. Everyone desperately fought for a sliver of hope, but it was useless. The power of Heaven and Earth, the very mandate of the world, had reached its limit after enduring such a vast stretch of time. The final outcome was death.
Ye Chen sighed softly, reciting a melancholic verse: “The path to Longevity is paved with dry bones, the River of Time flows east, its waves washing away all magnates. The Southern Wilds remain, but the people of yesteryear are gone.”
He could deeply empathize with the profound sorrow of those powerful figures as they met their end. He had seen too many such mighty cultivators perish.
Yet, his own Willpower / Persistent Thought for Longevity did not diminish; it grew stronger. On the path to eternal life, there were only the living and the dead. No matter how strong a person was, if they fell, their existence was meaningless.
I must achieve Longevity! I must achieve Longevity!
A fierce flame flickered in Ye Chen’s eyes. He felt a surge of emotion. Tens of thousands of years had passed since the last opening of the Ultimate Path. Now, with the appearance of the Bronze Ancient Palace, it signaled that the Ultimate Path was about to open once more.
Over the millennia, countless hegemonic powers had sealed themselves away in minor worlds or slept in forbidden zones. For the last ten thousand years, even high-star Great Emperors had gone into seclusion. The reason the Heavenly Net Palace had been able to rise in the last few thousand years was simply because major powers like the Grand Dao Sect, Supreme Profound Sect, and Cangmu Academy chose to ignore such minor squabbles.
Until the Ultimate Path appeared, the rise and fall of factions in the Southern Wilds—even ordinary Emperor-tier forces like the Fuyao Dynasty—were just minor disturbances. Ye Chen knew that major powers like the Grand Dao Sect rarely intervened, leading many cultivators to severely underestimate their true foundation.
But soon, when the Ultimate Path emerged, those true peak magnates would finally awaken.
With that in mind, Ye Chen continued to expand his divine sense. He saw numerous Spirit Boats, shimmering with divine light, surging toward the Imperial Palace. The Supreme Profound Sect, the Ancient Yao Family, and Cangmu Academy—almost all their top prodigies were rushing here!
“Hmm?” Ye Chen frowned slightly. The news of the Imperial Palace has been exposed?
He quickly located Qin Wang, who was hiding in a secluded spot, engaging in a private, questionable activity. Qin Wang’s arm veins were bulging, and he was muttering, “Baixue, Baixue, Baixue, ah…”
After a few breaths, Qin Wang looked lost in thought. “Was that my brother’s Willpower / Persistent Thought subtly acting up again?”
Ye Chen shifted his gaze, a faint smile touching his lips. “So, Qin Wang was the one who spread the news. He’s quite clever, much smarter than his brother, Qin Xiao. He knows he’s no match for me, so he’s trying to borrow a knife to kill, setting a trap to eliminate a rival while he hides away.”
He then turned his attention to the other major talents.
On the Yao Family’s Spirit Boat, Yao Huanhuan said, “The Ancient Great Emperor’s Imperial Palace inheritance has appeared, and the Bronze Ancient Palace’s Dao Rhyme is right inside. The competition is bound to be fierce!”
Another Yao Family disciple replied, “Indeed! But for people like Ye Chen, who already cultivate the martial path, the advantage is huge!”
Yao Huanhuan smiled faintly. “True. I haven’t seen Ye Chen since the last time at the Grand Dao Sect. I have a few questions about alchemy that I’d like to ask him.”
A disciple asked hesitantly, “But Senior Sister! When we enter the Imperial Palace, should we still compete with Ye Chen for the Great Emperor’s opportunity?”
Yao Huanhuan scoffed. “Of course not! What use is a Martial Dao Great Emperor’s inheritance to our Yao Family? But we absolutely must compete for that wisp of Bronze Ancient Palace Dao Rhyme!”
The Yao Family disciples nodded in agreement.
Yao Huanhuan then whispered, “If the Heavenly Blade Sect, Heavenly Net Palace, Supreme Profound Sect, or the Ancient Qin Family try to bully the Ye Family, we’ll secretly lend a hand.”
A disciple hesitated. “Senior Sister, didn’t our Old Ancestor tell us to stay far away from the conflicts involving those factions?”
Yao Huanhuan pouted. “Dummy! As long as they don’t find out, it’s fine.”
The disciples nodded again. “Oh. Understood.”
Ye Chen moved his gaze away, scanning the Supreme Profound Sect’s direction. Other Divine Son candidates, such as Lin Lei, had already rendezvoused on their Spirit Boats.
Lin Lei frowned, clutching a communication jade slip and constantly trying to activate it. “Hmm? Why hasn’t Qin Xiao responded?”
Another Divine Son candidate, Chu Yuan, lowered his voice. “Could he already be… dead?”
The Supreme Profound Sect disciples were momentarily stunned.
Lin Lei’s lips curled into a slight smile. “Forget it. If he won’t answer, I won’t bother. If he’s dead, it’s all the better for us.”
Chu Yuan’s eyes flashed with cunning as he smiled faintly.
After a moment, Ye Chen stopped observing, quickly scanning the Cangmu Academy and Pill Fragrance Sect factions before withdrawing his divine sense back into his body. He began planning his next move. Even with his numerous golems, he still needed to proceed with caution.
***
A few days later.
Ye Chen sat cross-legged. While waiting for Liu Xuan, Luo Lingkong, and the others to recover, he used the time to cultivate the Desolate Heaven Art!
Boom!
A brilliant divine radiance surged from his body. The faint phantom of a Martial Dao Furnace rose behind him, accompanied by the chanting of profound Daoist scripture. An aura of Dao and Essence permeated the air, and his martial will was so fierce and overwhelming, like a vast ocean overturning, that it deeply alarmed Liu Xuan, Fang Yan, and the others.
Liu Xuan’s beautiful eyes flickered. Her red lips parted in astonishment. “Junior Brother Ye Chen’s martial will is terrifying! It doesn’t resemble anything a Profound Venerate Stage Two cultivator should possess!”
Fang Yan sighed with emotion. “Elder Mu said that Junior Brother Ye Chen’s martial inheritance is incredibly profound, something that even Elder Mu himself marveled at!”
Suddenly, Luo Lingkong, who had been silent for days, opened his eyes and slowly declared, “I’ve achieved enlightenment!”
Liu Xuan and the others immediately looked at him.
An incomparably cold sword intent erupted from Luo Lingkong, even more terrifying than before. His sword intent had ascended to a new level!
Shing!
Luo Lingkong’s spiritual sword shot out, circling rapidly in the void. The sword intent was vast, and the life-and-death Sword Qi was even more frightening.
Liu Xuan frowned slightly. “Enlightenment again?” Luo Lingkong had achieved enlightenment many times in the past few months. After every failure, he grew stronger. But after growing stronger, he failed again.
Thinking of this, Liu Xuan smiled faintly and muttered, “He’s probably going to fail again soon…”
Fang Yan chuckled, looking at Luo Lingkong, but held his tongue.
Just then, Ye Chen frowned slightly. An ancient voice echoed in his mind.
“Excellent! Excellent! Excellent! Looking across this entire minor world, only you are worthy of receiving my martial dao inheritance! I am the master of this small world, Martial Refining Great Emperor. Young man, what is your name?”
Ye Chen slowly opened his eyes, scanning his surroundings.
The ancient voice chuckled. “Young man, don’t bother looking. I am only a wisp of Willpower / Persistent Thought now, trapped by that fragment of Bronze Ancient Palace Dao Rhyme.”
“Senior, my name is Ye Chen,” he replied.
The Martial Refining Great Emperor nodded. “Good. Your martial talent is the strongest I have ever witnessed! My successor can be none other than you!”
“Senior, what exactly happened in this secret realm?” Ye Chen asked.
The Martial Refining Great Emperor sighed wistfully, recounting how he had created the minor world to await the opening of the Ultimate Path.
Ye Chen was slightly stunned. The passage of time was merciless; even a figure as mighty as the Martial Refining Great Emperor was reduced to a mere wisp of Willpower / Persistent Thought.
The Martial Refining Great Emperor gave a bitter laugh. “I never imagined that just as my Willpower / Persistent Thought was about to dissipate, the Bronze Ancient Palace would sweep past this minor world and leave behind a wisp of its Dao Rhyme. What a twist of fate! What a cruel twist of fate!”
“Senior, have you managed to seal that wisp of Bronze Ancient Palace Dao Rhyme?” Ye Chen inquired.
The Martial Refining Great Emperor nodded. “More or less. I forcibly activated my Emperor Weapon, the Martial Refining Pagoda. Fortunately, that wisp of Dao Rhyme had already been marked with sealing restrictions by numerous other Great Emperors, which allowed me to retain it. My Willpower / Persistent Thought is fading fast. I shall now open the Imperial Palace for you and activate the Martial Refining Steps! Come and accept my inheritance!”
“That wisp of Bronze Ancient Palace Dao Rhyme is at the very top of the Martial Refining Pagoda! Right now, the Dao Rhyme and the Pagoda’s power are in a delicate balance. My remaining power is too little to intervene further!”
“Understood! Please open the Martial Refining Pagoda, Senior,” Ye Chen said.
Boom!
Suddenly, an incomparably terrifying aura surged from the Imperial Palace. Brilliant Great Emperor Dao Patterns, like a dazzling river of stars, poured out over the land. A savage and overwhelming martial will transformed into a storm that swept across the mountains. For a moment, the mountains shook, the rivers surged, and the momentum was world-shaking!
At this very moment, the area where the Imperial Palace was located resembled a giant sun sinking into the earth, radiating magnificent light.
Ye Chen looked at Liu Xuan and the others. “The Imperial Palace is opening, and that wisp of Bronze Ancient Palace Dao Rhyme is on the Martial Refining Pagoda. Prepare to move!”
Liu Xuan’s eyes sparkled. “Understood!”
Just then.
Rumble! Rumble! Rumble!
The void not far away shook violently as several Spirit Boats streaked across the sky like divine rainbows.
The prodigies from the hegemonic powers—the Supreme Profound Sect, the Yao Family, and Cangmu Academy—had arrived!
Lin Lei of the Supreme Profound Sect shouted, “The Great Emperor’s inheritance and the Bronze Ancient Palace Dao Rhyme have appeared! How can we allow your Grand Dao Sect to take them all?”
As his voice fell, the Supreme Profound Sect disciples, led by Lin Lei and Chu Yuan, charged forward.
On the other side, the geniuses from Cangmu Academy, the Pill Fragrance Sect, and other factions also stepped into the void and rushed toward the palace!
“That wisp of Bronze Ancient Palace Dao Rhyme belongs to our Pill Fragrance Sect!”
“That Dao Rhyme belongs to our Cangmu Academy!”
...