Heaven-Dominating Martial Emperor

A glint flashed in Ye Chen's eyes, his mind churning with turmoil that took a long time to subside.

'Could it be? Was the destruction of the Qin family a direct result of the major factions brawling outside the Dragon Prison Cave back then?'

'Fairy Luoxia also entered the Dragon Prison Cave back then, so she must know about the destruction of the Qin family as well!'

'But that can't be right!'

'Fairy Luoxia explicitly said the destruction of the Qin family was no coincidence!'

'If they weren't just collateral damage from the major powers' conflict, then who would have intentionally targeted a mere mortal family?'

'And just what secrets does Fairy Luoxia know?'

The more Ye Chen thought about it, the more alarmed he became.

He was only now realizing that he seemed to be surrounded by countless secrets.

'I possess the Chaos Five Elements Body.'

'And Qin Ruotong possesses the Innate Spirit Body.'

'Both of us siblings have unimaginably powerful constitutions. Is that also a coincidence?'

'Could the destruction of the Qin family be related to this?'

'I can't make sense of it. There are so many things I just can't figure out!'

'If I want to get to the bottom of this, I need to get stronger, and fast. The best thing would be to find Fairy Luoxia as soon as possible and ask her about it face-to-face!'

'And it's not just her. That guardian from the Vajra Temple clearly knew the inside story, too.'

'But he was willing to die rather than speak. Why?'

'What could be involved in all this that would make him guard the secret with his life?'

Lost in thought, Ye Chen frowned, completely unaware that he had already arrived outside the Dragon Prison Cave.

"Ye Chen!"

Just then, a familiar voice called out.

Ye Chen turned toward the voice.

He saw Venerable Resounding Thunder standing with his hands clasped behind his back, looking at him with a puzzled expression.

"Are you all right?"

"Why do you look so distracted?"

he asked with a frown.

Startled, Ye Chen's figure flashed, and he landed beside Venerable Resounding Thunder.

Only then did he realize that the Prefectural Lord, the Lei family, and several other major powers of Lei Province were all gathered here.

Clearly, no one wanted to miss the opening of a remarkable secret realm like the Dragon Prison Cave.

Everyone wanted to see if they could get a piece of the pie.

Meeting Venerable Resounding Thunder's questioning gaze, Ye Chen shook his head and said, "I'm fine, just thinking about a few things."

"Ye Chen, are you planning to enter the Dragon Prison Cave later as well?"

The Prefectural Lord looked over, his expression complicated.

Ye Chen had killed three of the Prefectural Government's law enforcement commanders.

Yet now, the Prefectural Lord couldn't bring himself to harbor any thoughts of revenge.

After all, the power Ye Chen had previously displayed far surpassed his imagination.

Furthermore, Venerable Resounding Thunder held no enmity toward Ye Chen, perhaps because Ye Chen had forced the abbot to expose his collusion with demonic cultivators.

Even if he wanted to seek revenge on Ye Chen, it would be impossible without Venerable Resounding Thunder's help.

After the fall of the Vajra Temple, the balance of power in Lei Province had clearly solidified.

The Prefectural Government and the Demonic Sect now stood as the two opposing great powers.

He couldn't destroy the Demonic Sect, but with Venerable Resounding Thunder protecting the Prefectural Government, Ye Chen couldn't make a move against them either.

Moreover, the Prefectural Government also represented the will of the Great Hong Dynasty!

Although this was a remote region that the dynasty barely paid any mind to, it was true in name, at least.

Ye Chen glanced at the Prefectural Lord and gave a calm nod. "Of course."

"Young Friend Ye, you must be extremely careful after you go in."

"We are all Cultivators from Lei Province and should, by rights, help one another. However, I cannot help you... And with your level of power, I doubt anyone in Lei Province besides me could be of any help to you anyway."

"So, once you're inside, you'll be on your own,"

Venerable Resounding Thunder said calmly.

"Why?"

"You're not going in, Venerable One?"

Surprised, Ye Chen couldn't help but ask.

With Venerable Resounding Thunder's power, he would surely be able to seize many fortuitous opportunities within the Dragon Prison Cave.

Was he really willing to pass up such a rare opportunity?

"There's something you don't know," the Prefectural Lord explained from the side. "The Dragon Prison Cave has a realm-repelling Array."

"Any Cultivator above the Primordial Mansion Realm is unable to enter!"

'Is that so…' A glint flashed in Ye Chen's eyes. This was good news for him.

With his current strength, he still couldn't face a true Divinity Transformation Cultivator head-on.

But if he only had to face Primordial Mansion Realm Cultivators, things would be much more manageable.

Even if he couldn't win a fight, escape would be a simple matter!

"Sect Leader!"

Just then, the members of the Demonic Sect arrived.

The powers from Lei Province who were present had mostly gathered in a single group behind Venerable Resounding Thunder.

In such a tense situation, their only choice was to stick together for safety.

Ye Chen nodded slightly at the members of the Demonic Sect.

Only then did he take a moment to survey his surroundings.

The area around the entire mountain was packed with a dense crowd of people!

Countless factions from all over the eastern region of the dynasty had been drawn here by the Dragon Prison Cave!

The major powers were arrayed around the mountain, each occupying its own position.

Among them, some factions with particularly astonishing strength were positioned closer to the front.

Even though the contingent from Lei Province, Ye Chen's home, were the local power, they were positioned toward the back of the crowd.

A glint in his eye, Ye Chen looked toward the very front of the crowd.

There, he was surprised to see a group of familiar figures.

It was the people from the Sacred Temple!

The Buddha's Son was at the head of the crowd, sitting silently in a cross-legged position. His hands were formed into a strange Dharma Seal, and his entire body was shrouded in a faint golden light.

Each pulse of golden light seemed to make the Spiritual Power in the surrounding world churn violently.

Anyone could feel the terrifying power contained within that golden light!

In addition to the people from the Sacred Temple, he also spotted the members of Feihong Academy, as well as Song Yubing and her group, who had just arrived.

It seemed, however, that no one had noticed him.

In a gathering of this magnitude, a mere Third-Layer Spirit Sea Realm Cultivator like him was far too inconspicuous.

There were far too many powerful experts to be wary of. In the eyes of these Cultivators from outside the province, Ye Chen was clearly not yet worthy of their attention.

Ye Chen slowly retracted his gaze.

He too closed his eyes to rest and meditate.

Although the number of Cultivators present was huge, surprisingly few people were talking.

The area was steeped in silence.

Until a great roar suddenly erupted from within the Dragon Prison Cave.

"RUMBLE!"

Everyone looked up, their attention now completely fixed upon the Dragon Prison Cave.

"Wait... The seal's power! It looks like it's about to dissipate completely!"

someone exclaimed.

The multicolored glow in the sky slowly faded, and the astonishing surges of energy from within the Dragon Prison Cave ceased.

"Great!"

"The seal is finally gone! We can go in!"

Many cried out in delight, but just as they made to move, they were stopped by the elders at their sides.

"Do you really intend to go in just like that?"