Heaven-Dominating Martial Emperor

With the opening of the Dragon Prison Cave, the entirety of Lei Province erupted in a frenzy!

To the north of Lei Province, vast, colorful clouds began to spread, and from within the mist, a ferocious beast revealed itself!

A large contingent of people sat cross-legged on the massive beast's back.

At the very front of the crowd, a young man with an otherworldly, demonic appearance and pupils that glowed with purple light stood up, his face filled with anticipation.

The day they had long awaited had finally arrived!

"To think we've lain dormant in this barren land for so long..."

"So, the Dragon Prison Cave is finally opening?"

The otherworldly youth let out a soft chuckle. His group had arrived at the border of Lei Province shortly after the first signs of disturbance from the Dragon Prison Cave, waiting for this very moment.

"Legend has it that the Dragon Prison Cave is the burial ground of the Ancient Dragon clan, and that it holds the legacy of the True Dragon Treasure Skill, along with countless other profound secrets..."

"This time, I must be the one to come out on top and seize a world-shaking opportunity. Only then will I have what it takes to travel to the capital of the Great Hong Dynasty and compete with the most elite prodigies!"

From far below, the people of Lei Province paled in terror when they saw the horrifying beast roaming through the clouds.

"That... That's..."

"It's the guardian spirit beast of Feihong Academy! A Sky-soaring Spirit Jiao, rumored to have a trace of an Ancient Dragon's bloodline!"

"Even Feihong Academy is here? Could they have been drawn by the Dragon Prison Cave as well?"

"The commotion surrounding the cave's opening this time seems far greater than ever before!"

To the east of Lei Province, a brilliant golden light descended. A colossal golden giant, carrying a large group of figures, strode into Lei Province as if no one else existed.

Wherever it passed, the earth cracked and mountains crumbled. Each footstep landed like an earthquake, kicking up terrifying shockwaves of energy.

"That's the Ancestral Buddha Giant Statue of the Saint Temple!"

"The people from the Saint Temple are here too? This time we might actually get to see one of the legendary Saint Monks with our own eyes!"

Soon after, to the west of Lei Province, two vast processions of figures streaked across the sky.

As they passed each other, a significant conflict even erupted between them. The terrifying aftershocks swept outward, nearly dissolving the clouds in half the sky.

The astonishing power left countless cultivators in Lei Province trembling with fear.

"Venerable One, we've received word from the border. It seems the three major Demon Dao factions from outside the province have also infiltrated Lei Province!"

Above Vajra Temple, the Prefect's expression turned grim as he received the report from his subordinate and hurriedly relayed it to Venerable Minglei.

"The three major Demon Dao factions from outside?"

Venerable Minglei's gaze sharpened.

"And the Saint Temple, Feihong Academy, and other major powers... They made no attempt to conceal their arrival in Lei Province. Many people saw them."

The Prefect's face was grim.

The Lei Province Cultivation Realm already had a weak foundation. If so many powerful factions were to barge in, it would undoubtedly cause endless turmoil in the future.

"The Saint Temple?"

Ye Chen was taken aback. He recalled the Abbot mentioning this faction before.

The reason *he* had cultivated a heretical path to rapidly increase his strength was so he could join the Saint Temple and become one of its Saint Monks.

"What is Lei Province's standing within the Great Hong Dynasty?"

"And this Saint Temple, what kind of power is it, exactly?"

Ye Chen couldn't help but voice the questions in his heart.

He was once the Saint Heir of the Luoyun Sect, a peerless talent who had conquered all challengers and remained undefeated.

But that was all within the borders of Lei Province.

He knew very little about the world outside, let alone the situation in the Great Hong Dynasty as a whole.

"You may be astonishingly talented, but you are still young and inexperienced. It's normal that you don't know these things."

Hearing this, Venerable Minglei sighed and explained, "The Great Hong Dynasty is divided into five regions: East, West, South, North, and Central. In total, there are thirty-six provinces!"

"Our Lei Province is just an insignificant corner of the Eastern Region."

"In terms of strength, Lei Province isn't at the very bottom of the Eastern Region, but it's close!"

"As for the Saint Temple, it is the top power in Yan Province, one of the three strongest provinces in the Eastern Region! Moreover, they also study the path of the Buddhist Sect, so one could say they share the same roots as our Vajra Temple!"

"The top power in Yan Province?" Ye Chen's expression flickered. 'The Saint Temple's background is that formidable?'

"Indeed. That's why that fellow was so obsessed with his cultivation that he nearly drove himself to madness, all for the sake of joining the Saint Temple!"

"The gap between Yan Province and Lei Province is immense. As the top power in Yan Province, the Saint Temple's foundation is unfathomably deep! Even across the entire Great Hong Dynasty, it has a renowned reputation and cannot be underestimated!"

"It's rumored that every single Saint Monk there possesses a cultivation of at least the Divinity Transformation Realm. They are terrifyingly powerful! Any one of them could destroy all of Lei Province!"

Venerable Minglei's face was heavy, his words laced with immense pressure.

In the entire Cultivation Realm of Lei Province, he was the only expert at the Divinity Transformation Realm.

In these troubled times, he clearly felt overwhelmed by the task of maintaining stability in Lei Province.

"You could say that the opening of the Dragon Prison Cave has attracted all the major powers from the entire Eastern Region of the dynasty!"

"As for the major powers from other regions... the journey is too far, and other mystic realms are appearing in their own territories. It's unlikely they'd come all the way to Lei Province to get involved."

"But even so, the opening of the Dragon Prison Cave this time will likely have very little to do with our Lei Province Cultivation Realm."

"The cultivators of Lei Province have practically no chance of competing against these outsiders!"

The Prefect at his side was also complaining bitterly. At this point, it seemed he no longer saw Ye Chen as an outsider.

Apparently, all the cultivators in Lei Province understood this truth.

They watched the streaks of light flying in from beyond Lei Province's borders, their hearts filled with regret.

Who wouldn't want a piece of the pie from the Dragon Prison Cave?

But it was clear they weren't qualified to even step onto this stage.

"Is the allure of the Dragon Prison Cave really that great?"

"Has it always been this much of a spectacle when it opened in the past?"

Ye Chen could already feel several new, terrifyingly profound auras nearby. Even his own expression couldn't help but turn a little more solemn.

"The Dragon Prison Cave first appeared a century ago, and there is no precise interval between its openings."

"Thirty years ago, the Dragon Prison Cave's reputation was not nearly as widespread as it is now. That was when the Abbot ventured into its depths, obtaining the Ancient God Order and many other opportunities, which allowed him to found Vajra Temple and dominate Lei Province."

"From that point on, word of the Dragon Prison Cave began to spread. The most recent opening was seven or eight years ago. By then, it had already become a battlefield for the major powers from outside the province, and we had nothing to do with it."

"Every time it opens, someone with great fortune obtains an astonishing creation within it. For example, during the opening seven or eight years ago, it's said that a Divine Maiden from a transcendent, otherworldly power obtained the legacy of the True Dragon Treasure Skill!"

"If I recall correctly, that Divine Maiden was called Fairy Luoxia."