Heaven-Dominating Martial Emperor

Upon hearing this, Ye Chen just smiled faintly. "Not bad."

What he didn't say was that his purple scales were on the verge of evolving into a superior grade, not far from reaching the silver-scale stage.

Ye Chen believed that if he were to encounter an expert on the level of the Supreme Profound Daoist now, he could suppress, or even kill, them with his physical body alone!

"Such an incredible cultivation speed. Should I say your talent is world-shocking, or that you're just incredibly fortunate?"

The World Spirit couldn't help but sigh softly.

"Speaking of which, how long did it take for me to refine this precious True Dragon blood?"

Ye Chen glanced out the window, a feeling that something was amiss. When he had started cultivating, the sky-ship had been in the middle of a thunderstorm, the view outside filled with thick, ink-black clouds.

But now, as far as he could see, the sky was clear and bright. The sky-ship seemed to have long since flown out of the thunderstorm's range!

"It should have been about three days."

Chiming calculated the days from the side. "Speaking of which, we should be arriving in Dongxuan Province soon. Miss Song has come to visit several times these past few days, as have people from the Demon Exorcism Institute..."

"Three days?!" Ye Chen was startled. 'Has it really been that long without me noticing?'

He suddenly remembered that he had said he would give Luo Rou a gift on the second night. He never expected time to pass so quickly; the appointed day was long gone.

It was said that one couldn't perceive the passage of time when engrossed in cultivation. This was especially true for the legendary Great Powers, who would often enter seclusion only to find that several years had passed in the outside world.

For some, a single slumber could last for hundreds of years.

The realms of such beings were unfathomably profound, and their lifespans were far beyond what ordinary Cultivators could compare to. Ye Chen had only ever read about them in ancient texts.

"We're about to arrive in Dongxuan Province. Are you still going to attend that Peach Blossom Banquet?"

"With your current strength, participating in a competition for the younger generation is a bit like bullying, isn't it?"

the World Spirit said, its voice cool and detached.

"Bullying?"

Ye Chen smiled. "We'll see. After arriving in Dongxuan Province, I might not even get to the Peach Blossom Banquet smoothly."

According to Song Yubing, the Song family, one of the four great families of Dongxuan Province, would send experts to stop him.

If it were the old Ye Chen, dealing with the formidable Song family might have been quite troublesome.

But things were different now.

Ye Chen was confident that as long as no Great Power from the Void Realm appeared, his abilities were enough to let him run rampant in the eastern region of the dynasty!

Just then, the voice of He Daoyun suddenly sounded from the Forbidden Array in the room.

"The sky-ship is approaching its destination. We will be preparing to land in half an hour. Please get ready."

"..."

The voice echoed throughout the entire sky-ship.

Hearing this, the Cultivators aboard all began to make their preparations.

Their destination, Dongxuan Province, was finally within reach!

...

「Yan Province, Saint Temple.」

In the main hall, Master Minghui sat in the seat of honor, his brow furrowed in silence.

Below him, a crowd of Saint Monks were arranged on both sides, also silent.

After an unknown amount of time, Master Minghui finally spoke, breaking the silence in the hall.

"Is there still no news of Master Jingde and the others?"

Hearing this, the Saint Monks looked at each other. One of them replied in a bitter voice, "No."

Although he had expected it, a grim expression still appeared on Master Minghui's face upon hearing the answer.

"Master Jingde and the others boarded the sky-ship several days ago to ambush that boy named Ye Chen."

"Logically, they should have returned the next day."

For a Divine Might Realm expert, an altitude of ten thousand meters was nothing.

After killing Ye Chen, they could have left the sky-ship directly and returned to the Saint Temple.

The problem was, several days had already passed.

Forget about whether they had killed Ye Chen or not; there had been no news at all. Not even a shadow of Master Jingde and the others had been seen!

It was hard not to suspect that some mishap had occurred, leaving them trapped and unable to escape.

As for their demise... that was impossible, of course!

The team led by Master Jingde consisted of four Divine Might Realm experts!

A lineup like that could dominate a corner even in Dongxuan Province, the largest province in the eastern part of the dynasty. How could they possibly encounter a fatal threat?

At the very least, they were only going to ambush a teenager, not venture into some dangerous forbidden ground. No matter what, they couldn't have been completely wiped out, right?

But Master Minghui had already contacted the Valley of Death.

Similarly, the Divine Might Realm expert who participated in the ambush, the Celestial Tier assassin Mu Liuji, had also lost contact!

"Speaking of which, I asked you to contact the Xu family in Yuan Province. Did you?" Master Minghui suddenly asked.

"We did."

A Saint Monk responded, "The Xu family's Supreme Elder, Xu Qianfeng, is also missing."

"..."

The hall once again fell into a heavy silence.

Now, anyone could tell something was terribly wrong.

Four Divine Might Realm experts from different factions, all missing at the same time?

This undoubtedly meant that the operation to ambush Ye Chen had met with some kind of resistance!

They were either still trapped on the sky-ship...

...Or, it was feared, they had already met a grim fate!

Of course, no one could accept such an outcome. No matter what, four Divine Might Realm experts working together should have been more than enough to protect themselves. The idea that their lives were in danger was simply too hard to believe.

"It seems we must contact the people from the Treasure Gathering Chamber of Commerce."

"They've been out of contact since they boarded the sky-ship. No one knows what they encountered. Our only choice is to ask the Treasure Gathering Chamber of Commerce for clarification!"

Master Minghui sighed heavily. "It's best we inform the abbot about this matter."

"Logically, the abbot and his group should also be arriving in Dongxuan Province soon."

...

「Aboard a small sky-ship.」

A young man, his entire body wreathed in Buddhist light, sat cross-legged at the bow with his eyes tightly shut, seemingly in cultivation.

A brilliant Buddhist light surged between his lips and nose with every breath he took.

Each surge expelled the turbid qi from his body, making the young man's form appear even more solemn and divine, like a true Buddha untainted by the mortal world.

Suddenly, the young man's eyes snapped open. Within his golden, glowing pupils, dense Sanskrit incantations appeared. A mysterious aura of the Great Dao pulsed outward, and the entire sky seemed to tremble with it.

"Have you broken through?"

Just then, an Elder Buddha materialized behind the young man. His lips parted slightly as he spoke in a hoarse voice.

"I have."

The young man slowly rose to his feet, his face brimming with intense confidence.

"After breaking through to the Divinity Transformation Realm, my combat power has soared to unimaginable heights."

"At this Peach Blossom Banquet, I will surely secure a top position!"