Heaven-Dominating Martial Emperor

A vast and mighty aura filled the heavens and the earth.

The handsome, youthful-looking Monk, his eyes as crystalline as amber, was now gazing quietly at Ye Chen.

Rays of radiant light streamed from every pore of his body. His might was world-shaking, and he felt like an immense, boundless mountain standing in Ye Chen's path.

Without a doubt, this mysterious and powerful Monk before him was the "Lord Shakyamuni" Cheng Ji had spoken of!

"Who are you?"

Ye Chen felt a heavy, oppressive pressure from the Monk before him. He frowned and asked,

"Me?"

"It's a real shame. To think, we briefly clashed once before. I never imagined that after all this time, my young friend Ye Chen would have already forgotten me."

Lord Shakyamuni smiled faintly. His smile was exceptionally gentle, as pleasant and comforting as a spring breeze.

"So it was you!"

Ye Chen's pupils contracted.

He suddenly remembered that time outside the Dragon Prison Cave. He had relied on the power of the cave's great array, intending to slay the Holy Temple's Buddha's Son.

But he ultimately failed, because a Saint Monk had traversed a vast distance to block his attack and rescue the Buddha's Son!

That was undoubtedly an incredibly powerful Saint Monk, his strength on a completely different level from Cheng Ji and the other two.

After all, back then, Ye Chen had been in control of the Dragon Prison Cave's great array, which was powerful enough to obliterate an ordinary Divinity Transformation Realm Cultivator.

Yet, even from such an immense distance, that Saint Monk still possessed the power to clash head-on with Ye Chen. It was simply unimaginable!

It was only then that Ye Chen realized the powerful Saint Monk who had saved the Buddha's Son was none other than this Saint Monk, Lord Shakyamuni, standing before him now!

"So, young friend Ye Chen does remember me. What a pleasant reunion this is," Lord Shakyamuni said with a smile.

"Shakyamuni? Wait, could it be..."

Nearby, Xu Ao seemed to have realized something. He looked up, stunned, and his voice trembled as he spoke. "The leader of the Holy Temple's Twelve Saint Monks, known as the Great Saint Monk... He's also one of Yan Province's top experts of this generation, a..."

"A genuine Divine Might Realm Great Power?!"

The moment the words left his lips, he couldn't help but gasp.

The other experts from the Xu family were equally shocked.

Who would have thought that for a single ambush targeting Ye Chen, the Holy Temple would dispatch four Saint Monks—three at the Eighth Layer of the Divinity Transformation Realm, and one a Divine Might Realm Great Power!

A force like that was enough to run rampant through the eastern territories of the dynasty. It was absolutely terrifying!

"Mere titles, hardly worth mentioning."

Lord Shakyamuni spoke with a detached air, his gentle gaze falling upon Ye Chen. "I originally only came to witness the prowess of my young friend Ye Chen for myself. I never thought that if I hadn't been here today, my fellow monks might have met with disaster."

"We haven't seen each other in only a month, and yet your prowess, young friend Ye Chen, has grown even greater than before."

Behind him, the two Saint Monks, Fa Zhao and Fa Ming, had already straightened their backs. They seemed to have found a newfound confidence to face Ye Chen, no longer as terrified and helpless as they were before.

Ye Chen narrowed his eyes. He looked at Lord Shakyamuni's smiling face and said casually, "Last time, you rescued your Holy Temple's Buddha's Son from me."

"This time, do you think you can save them from me as well?"

"Peace," Lord Shakyamuni said, placing his palms together. His voice was gentle. "I have come to prevent my young friend Ye Chen from wantonly killing the innocent."

"Wantonly killing the innocent?" Ye Chen paused, then laughed. "And you think you can stop me?"

Hearing this, everyone present was stunned. They clearly hadn't expected Ye Chen to remain so confrontational, even when facing a Divine Might Realm Great Power. It was as if he didn't take his opponent seriously at all.

Lord Shakyamuni remained perfectly calm, merely smiling gently. "Why don't you try, young friend Ye Chen?"

"Try it is!"

Ye Chen took a step forward, and a furious, world-shaking aura erupted from him, threatening to rock the very heavens and earth!

A clear cyan light enveloped him. He thrust out his palm, and amidst a blinding radiance, a Cyan Dragon seemed to take flight, hurtling toward the two Saint Monks, Fa Zhao and Fa Ming.

The two monks' faces went deathly pale, and they trembled violently. Faced with Ye Chen's attack, they couldn't even muster the will to resist, their hearts filled only with a profound sense of powerlessness.

Clearly, Ye Chen's strength far surpassed their imagination. If he were to use his full power, even experts on the level of a Saint Monk would be like clay dolls before him—utterly fragile and unable to withstand a single blow!

"How can this brat be so powerful?" Cheng Ji couldn't help but blurt out, his voice thick with disbelief.

'A fine strike indeed. It has already surpassed the power of a Divinity Transformation Realm expert. A pity that it's still not quite enough to move me.'

Lord Shakyamuni's expression remained unchanged. He casually raised a hand, and a phantom image of the Buddha appeared behind him. It was as if a five-peaked golden mountain materialized from thin air, crashing down toward Ye Chen.

It not only smashed the Cyan Dragon into a shower of light but also continued to press down, attempting to crush Ye Chen's body.

"Rise!"

With a heave of his arms, cyan light flared across the sky. Ye Chen's gaze was profound as he struck out with both fists at once, slamming them into the golden mountain.

This was the first time he had ever directly faced a being in the Divine Might Realm.

But he felt not a shred of fear or cowardice in his heart—only an overwhelming will to fight!

Ever since he had first broken through to the Primordial Mansion Realm, he had been able to slay any foe within the Divinity Transformation Realm.

Now that he had reached the Peak of the Primordial Mansion Realm, why shouldn't he be able to clash head-on with a Divine Might Realm Great Power?

BOOM!

The five-peaked golden mountain was shaken, sending out waves of golden ripples. The staggering boom echoed between heaven and earth, but the mountain's descent remained unstoppable.

Ye Chen's expression was preternaturally calm, as if he weren't facing a dreaded Divine Might Realm Great Power, but merely an ordinary opponent.

He threw dozens of punches in quick succession, each one carrying the force of ten thousand thunderbolts, as if intending to shatter the very void!

With every punch that landed, the golden mountain trembled violently, sending out a dense web of countless ripples. At last, it exploded with a thunderous roar, transforming into a storm of Spiritual Power that swept across the sky.

The experts of the Xu family were all dumbfounded, the scene before them feeling utterly absurd.

'Ye Chen actually... managed to block an attack from a Divine Might Realm expert?'

"Interesting."

Lord Shakyamuni's eyes narrowed slightly, his expression still calm and composed.

"Let's see how many of them you can save from me!"

Ye Chen glanced at Lord Shakyamuni, then suddenly threw a backhanded punch straight at Cheng Ji.

Within the piercing cyan light, the ancient, desolate cry of a dragon seemed to ring out as immense power descended upon Cheng Ji in an instant.

"No!"

Cheng Ji's pupils contracted and a chill shot through his heart. He scrambled to dodge, but his entire presence was already locked down by Ye Chen!

His kasaya had already blocked one of Ye Chen's attacks for him, and it had been damaged in the process. This time, it might not be able to save him again!