Heaven-Dominating Martial Emperor

"'Where... is this place?!'"

A wave of dizziness spread through his mind.

After an unknown amount of time, Ye Chen groggily opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was a complex tapestry of light.

Countless rays of light wove together, forming a strange and dazzling chaos.

Just as Ye Chen was reeling in shock and confusion, the light before him began to fade.

A vast world appeared before his eyes!

Everywhere he looked, there were green mountains and clear waters, lush with vibrant vegetation.

Immortal cranes took to the sky and white egrets cried out.

A herd of single-horned spirit deer pranced and ran beside a rippling lake.

Beneath ancient trees that pierced the clouds in the distance, wisps of white mist curled upward, creating a scene like a paradise on earth—utterly breathtaking.

Ye Chen stood atop a hill, staring at the verdant landscape around him, momentarily stunned.

Unlike the ancient, dilapidated state of the Dragon Prison Cave he had just left, this place felt like another world entirely!

Everything here was brimming with life. The scenery was delightful, and spirit beasts chased each other playfully across the mountains and plains.

It was a stark contrast to the bloody, cruel world outside!

"'This is a true paradise!'"

Ye Chen took a deep breath. The refreshing fragrance of flowers filled his nostrils, and even the Spiritual Power within him began to circulate a bit faster.

The scene before him far exceeded his expectations.

He couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

'Could it be that you can only enter the true Dragon Prison Cave after collecting all the gilded characters outside and refining all the array foundations?'

'But that can't be right!'

'If there were so many prerequisites, how did all those other Cultivators reach this place when they explored the Dragon Prison Cave in the past?'

'No one has ever mentioned any of this.'

'Perhaps the area outside is the real Dragon Prison Cave.'

'And this place... this must be a hidden space within it.'

'I must have just stumbled into it by some strange coincidence.'

"Someone actually managed to get in?"

Just then, a voice as pleasant as a clear mountain spring sounded beside Ye Chen's ear.

"Why is your aura so weak? Still, to have reached this place, you must have your methods."

"Perhaps... you are the fated one!"

Ye Chen was startled by the words.

He looked toward the sound and was immediately captivated by the sight.

In the shimmering lake nearby, a snow-white figure was frolicking in the water.

As if sensing his gaze, she lifted her head from the lake. Her enchanting eyes seemed to hold thousands of starry rivers, a boundless universe.

The next moment, her figure rose into the air like a fluttering butterfly. Just as she was about to land, a white dress seamlessly materialized, covering her slender body.

Her bare, snow-white feet trod on empty air as she walked toward Ye Chen.

Everywhere she passed, golden lotuses bloomed at her feet, adding to her holy and elegant aura.

Ye Chen's eyes were filled with amazement.

The woman before him was like nature's purest and most masterful creation. Her every move was in harmony with the formless rhythm of the Dao. It was as if all of creation pitied her, and the heavens and earth paled in her presence.

Soon, the woman arrived before Ye Chen.

"You..." Ye Chen opened his mouth, but for a moment, he didn't know what to say.

He still hadn't figured out where he was.

And now, a peerlessly graceful beauty, like a fairy descended to the mortal realm, had suddenly appeared before him.

Stranger still, this woman felt familiar to him.

It was a strange feeling. Ye Chen frowned slightly, unable to recall where he might have seen her before.

Seeing that the woman was just looking at him with a cold expression, seemingly with no intention of speaking, Ye Chen decided to speak first. "Excuse me, what is this place? And... who are you, miss?"

The woman's beautiful eyes shifted, her aura holy and inviolable. "This is the core of the Dragon Prison Cave—the burial ground of the True Dragon clan."

"The burial ground... of the True Dragon clan?" Hearing this, Ye Chen couldn't help but suck in a sharp breath.

'I can't believe I stumbled into a place like this!'

"Correct." The woman nodded, her voice as crisp as celestial music from the high heavens, or the tinkling of a spring—clear and melodious.

"This space has remained evergreen for millennia, its Spiritual Qi vast and inexhaustible, all because the bones of the True Dragon clan are buried beneath the ground!"

"The True Dragons fell countless ages ago, but their remains became the nutrients for this space, nourishing this land for generations!"

Ye Chen was startled. "'Then you are...'"

"I am the World Spirit of this realm."

"I watch over the peace and stability of this world."

The woman replied calmly, "I have watched over it for eons. You are the first Cultivator to have ever broken into this place."

"Although your strength is a bit lacking, I am still incredibly gratified!"

Her gaze softened slightly. "To be able to come here, I assume you have already refined the array foundations outside, the ones carved with the gilded characters?"

"Yes," Ye Chen nodded.

"Then you must have also collected all of those gilded characters."

"It seems the inheritance of the True Dragon clan has not been severed after all."

A graceful smile appeared on the World Spirit's face. With her exquisite features, that single expression seemed to stun the entire world.

Even Ye Chen found his gaze frozen in that moment.

But he quickly recovered and asked in astonishment, "Inheritance?"

"That's right!"

"It is the Body Refining Divine Art of the True Dragon clan, the True Dragon Imperial Jade Sutra!"

"If you cultivate this Body Refining Technique to its deepest levels, it will be enough to evolve your physical body into one no different from an ancient True Dragon!"

"You must understand, they were an incomparably ancient and powerful race! In primeval times, they dominated an entire era!"

"Forging a body comparable to a True Dragon will allow you to roam this world freely and journey across thousands of star-filled rivers!" the World Spirit explained.

Hearing this, Ye Chen finally realized that after he had absorbed those gilded characters, they had spontaneously gathered together and formed an ancient scripture!!!

The scripture looked as if it were cast from solid gold, and each profound character radiated a terrifying, soul-shaking aura!

Right now, the scripture was floating in his mind, seemingly waiting for him to comprehend it!

Ye Chen was secretly alarmed. He could feel a vast, trembling power emanating from this scripture!

"'So the gilded characters were the inheritance of the True Dragon Imperial Jade Sutra!'"

"'And the array foundations where those characters were scattered are the keys to entering this burial ground!'"

Ye Chen took a deep breath, his heart burning with excitement.

"Correct." The World Spirit nodded slightly. "You were able to see through the mysteries of the Guardian Array outside and arrive here. Although your strength is meager, you have still earned my approval."

"You. Will you couple with me?"