Heaven-Dominating Martial Emperor

First, he passed through a mesmerizing starry sky.

The next moment, Ye Chen's feet touched solid ground, the scene before him shifting as a massive palace came into view!

He turned and looked around, discovering he was standing on a small continent floating in the middle of space.

A boundless, star-filled void surrounded the continent. The starlight was brilliant and dazzling, with rivers of stars cascading down like silk ribbons, winding around the continent's periphery.

And at the very center of the continent stood that magnificent palace.

The palace looked ancient and worn, as if it had been weathered by endless ages, and was covered everywhere in a thick layer of dust.

But even so, the palace still looked grand and imposing. It was impossible to tell what material it was built from, but it exuded an aura of immense solidity.

At the very front of the palace were two enormous bronze doors. They were slightly ajar, and through the gap, he could see only pitch-black darkness, offering no clue as to what lay within.

At that moment, Ye Chen was standing at the continent's edge.

He gazed at the magnificent palace in the center of the continent. His heart stirred; it was as if something was calling to him from the great unknown. He involuntarily began to walk, making his way toward the palace.

It was then that Ye Chen suddenly realized the Kunlun Key he had been carrying was now gone.

'It seems the Kunlun Key is like a single-use key. Once it's used, it's gone.'

Ye Chen was lost in thought.

For ages, only the Kunlun Key could open this secret realm of Kunlun Mountain.

Yet the Kunlun Key was a one-time-use item.

'Could it be that when this secret realm was created, it was only ever meant to be opened once? And only the holder of the Kunlun Key was allowed to enter.'

'Or are there other Kunlun Keys in the world, just scattered in unknown locations?'

Ye Chen couldn't find an answer to this question.

The entire continent was desolate and empty.

The only thing Ye Chen could do now was enter the palace before him and investigate.

The palace seemed close, but because Ye Chen couldn't use his Spiritual Power here, it took him a full hour of walking to reach its exterior.

The bronze doors were massive and imposing. They hadn't seemed so large from a distance, but up close, he saw they were over ten meters tall—clearly not built for humans to pass through.

Even the gap between the doors, which had looked quite narrow, now appeared immense, wide enough for a demonic beast to fit through.

Ye Chen reached out and tried to push one of the bronze doors.

As expected, he couldn't move it.

Ever since entering this space, the Spiritual Power in his body had been sealed, suppressed by some unknown force, stagnant like a pool of dead water.

Fortunately, although he couldn't push the doors open, the gap was more than wide enough for him to pass through.

He composed himself and observed from outside the doors for a moment.

Although the entire continent was surrounded by rivers of stars, bathed in brilliant starlight, the darkness within the doors was impenetrable. The starlight seemed to be blocked by something, unable to illuminate the scene inside.

Seeing this, even though he had no idea what was inside, Ye Chen had no choice but to brave the danger himself.

He focused his mind and went on high alert.

Even if he couldn't use his Spiritual Power, Ye Chen had more than just that to rely on!

A faint green light enveloped Ye Chen's body. He took a deep breath and walked into the palace.

SWOOSH!

The moment he stepped inside, the entire palace lit up.

Ye Chen shuddered and quickly looked around.

The palace walls were covered with densely packed bronze lamps. At this moment, as if sensing Ye Chen's arrival, all the countless lamps ignited, illuminating the entire palace as bright as day.

Ye Chen could finally see the scene inside the palace clearly.

He also suddenly understood why the bronze doors had been made so enormous.

There, in the very center of the palace, stood a giant, pitch-black cauldron!

The cauldron was ten meters tall, with two towering handles and four sturdy legs. Its surface was carved with images of the sun, moon, and stars; flowers, birds, insects, and beasts; and battles between gods and demons. Ancient scriptures were also inscribed upon it.

Just a single glance sent a vast and majestic aura washing over him.

This giant cauldron seemed to have been passed down from an extremely distant era; Ye Chen could feel the weight of history from it.

'Are these bronze doors so huge just to let this giant cauldron pass through?'

'But what is the origin of this giant cauldron?'

Ye Chen swept his gaze across the entire palace.

He discovered that aside from this most conspicuous giant cauldron, the palace was almost completely empty.

'Could it be that the purpose of building this palace was just to house this giant cauldron?'

Ye Chen took a deep breath, suppressing the shock in his heart.

He knew this giant cauldron had to be extraordinary. He cautiously approached it and looked up.

The giant cauldron remained perfectly still, showing no reaction to his approach.

Before the giant cauldron, Ye Chen felt as insignificant as a speck of dust.

'This giant cauldron has probably been around for far longer than even the Ancient Demon Gods!'

Ye Chen's eyes flickered. He tentatively reached out and touched the giant cauldron before him.

At that very moment, the giant cauldron suddenly rumbled, letting out an earth-shattering BOOM! A violent and piercing aura erupted, churning with enough power to nearly tear Ye Chen's body to shreds!

In front of Ye Chen's eyes, a series of profound and mysterious images suddenly appeared!

He saw a vast, endless darkness. Beneath this darkness seemed to be a massive vortex, one large enough to swallow the entire cosmos.

He saw many planets larger than the sun, yet before the seemingly endless black vortex, these countless planets were smaller than specks of dust, all of them swallowed by the terrifying suction!

Suddenly, a pair of crimson eyes lit up within the massive vortex.

If even planets were as small as dust, just how enormous was this pair of eyes? An entire galaxy snaked through the darkness, yet it was not even as large as one of those eyes' lashes.

The moment he saw that pair of crimson eyes, Ye Chen's Divine Soul trembled violently, and his own eyes filled with blood!

He felt a consciousness filled with countless dark emotions—bloodlust, terror, horror, ferocity—violently surge into his Divine Soul!

Ye Chen's head felt like it was about to split apart. He almost screamed in pain, feeling as if his brain was being torn to shreds. His heart was filled with profound despair and unease.

'What in the world is happening?'

'What... are these scenes?!'

Ye Chen had no time to think.

Just then, a brilliant golden light exploded within the boundless darkness. A giant cauldron, like a scorching sun crossing the sky, hung high above the gloom, unleashing a dazzling radiance!