Heaven-Dominating Martial Emperor

Buddha's Son wasn't curious about why he had run into Ye Chen here. He was just glad.

Glad that Ye Chen had come to Dongxuan Province!

Clearly, the other man was also here for the Peach Blossom Banquet. There was no doubt about it.

The defeat he suffered in the Dragon Prison Cave over a month ago had weighed heavily on Buddha's Son's mind. It had almost become a mental block.

After all, he hailed from a powerful force like the Holy Temple of Yan Province. He had never imagined he would be defeated by a young Cultivator from a barren land like Lei Province.

But in the end, he had indeed lost, and lost miserably.

If Lord Shakyamuni hadn't intervened from a great distance to stop Ye Chen, he might have even perished back in Lei Province.

As one of Yan Province's most brilliant prodigies, Buddha's Son had rarely lost a contest against his peers since he began his cultivation journey. In fact, it had almost never happened.

Therefore, that crushing defeat had been seared into his memory.

He used it as a constant warning to himself, desperately wanting to improve his strength just so he could defeat Ye Chen fair and square one day.

Although Ye Chen had surely gained many benefits in the Dragon Prison Cave—he was, after all, the biggest winner of that expedition.

But Buddha's Son was known as the reincarnation of a true Buddha. His cultivation talent was outstanding even in the vast eastern region of the dynasty. Plus, with the Holy Temple's immense backing, he had access to a vast amount of cultivation resources.

He believed that as long as he worked hard, he could surely catch up to Ye Chen on the path of cultivation, and eventually surpass him.

And now, he had done it. He was a bona fide Divinity Transformation Realm Cultivator.

Even across the entire eastern region of the dynasty, he was definitely a leading figure among the younger generation of Cultivators.

'How many people can break through to Divinity Transformation at my age?'

'Even a place like Dongxuan Province probably doesn't have many!'

As for Ye Chen…

Buddha's Son studied Ye Chen from a distance.

Ye Chen was sitting quietly cross-legged on a small hill, seemingly meditating and cultivating.

But his aura was exceptionally tranquil. From his appearance alone, nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

That extremely restrained aura also made it impossible for Buddha's Son to judge Ye Chen's strength at a glance.

He also tried to use the power of his Divine Soul to probe Ye Chen.

But as soon as his Divine Soul's power spread out, it was as if it had touched a chaotic zone.

He couldn't sense anything at all.

This stunned Buddha's Son, but he quickly figured that Ye Chen must have obtained some rare treasure from the Dragon Prison Cave, which would explain such a strange situation.

'Back then, you were only at the Ninth Layer of the Spirit Sea Realm. Now, over a month later, you'd be lucky to have broken through to the Primordial Mansion Realm.'

'Although your combat prowess is extraordinary, the gap between the Primordial Mansion Realm and the Divinity Transformation Realm is far greater than you can imagine.'

'You could defeat me when I was in the Primordial Mansion Realm and you were in the Spirit Sea Realm, but as a Primordial Mansion Realm Cultivator, you can never defeat me now that I'm in the Divinity Transformation Realm!'

Buddha's Son's eyes gleamed, his heart surging with battle intent.

He was almost itching for a fight, eager to test Ye Chen's current capabilities.

Of course, he was even more eager to see just how magnificent the expression on Ye Chen's face would be when he realized he'd been left far behind.

Buddha's Son slowly approached until he was about a thousand meters away from Ye Chen and stopped, not moving any closer.

He stood with his hands clasped behind his back, observing Ye Chen from afar as various thoughts drifted through his mind.

'Would it be too hasty to make a move now?'

'Perhaps it would be better to wait for the Peach Blossom Banquet to crush him in front of everyone?'

Just as Buddha's Son was pondering, Ye Chen, who was cultivating cross-legged in the distance, suddenly opened his eyes. Within their profound depths, it was as if myriad lights shone forth, as if the sun, moon, and stars were rising and falling.

But soon, it all dissipated into nothingness. The visions seemed like mere illusions that had never occurred.

Buddha's Son was taken aback. He rubbed his eyes and looked again, only to find that Ye Chen's eyes had returned to their normal clarity.

For some reason, the aura around Ye Chen seemed even more tranquil now, giving him an inscrutable feeling.

'How strange!'

'With my current strength, I still can't see through him?'

Buddha's Son shook his head. In his view, this was just an illusion born from his deep-seated obsession.

"Have you finally arrived?"

Just then, Ye Chen suddenly spoke, his calm voice drifting between heaven and earth.

Buddha's Son froze. 'Did Ye Chen discover me a long time ago?'

'But that shouldn't be possible! He had maintained a distance of nearly a thousand meters from Ye Chen!'

'And Ye Chen was meditating. How could his senses have detected my arrival?'

'Is this kid just bluffing?'

The thought had just crossed Buddha's Son's mind.

The next moment, the void before him began to ripple. A torrent of indescribably terrifying energy erupted between heaven and earth, sweeping out in all directions!

Buddha's Son's face changed drastically, and the hair on his body stood on end!

'What's going on?'

He retreated repeatedly, a look of shock in his eyes as he stared ahead!

As the torrent of energy tore through the sky, a towering ship broke through the void and appeared before Ye Chen.

On the ship stood more than a dozen figures packed closely together. A powerful aura billowed from each of them; every single one was at the Divinity Transformation Realm or higher!

Seeing such a formation, the distant Buddha's Son's expression changed dramatically, and his heart trembled!

"Where are Elder Song Xuanxing and the others?"

The one in the lead was a burly, bare-chested man.

A large broadsword hung at the man's waist. His face was fierce, and his eyes, as wide as bronze bells, stared grimly at Ye Chen.

'Song Xuanxing?'

'Isn't that the Punishment Elder of the Song family?'

Hearing this, Buddha's Son instantly realized that the Cultivators on this towering ship were probably all from the Song family!

'Only a great clan of that stature could so easily dispatch such a terrifying lineup!'

"They're all dead," Ye Chen replied nonchalantly.

"Dead?!" The burly man snorted, his viciously glinting eyes narrowing. "Could it be you…"

"That's right, I did it." Ye Chen smiled. "I was even waiting here for you. I didn't expect you to arrive so quickly."

Hearing this, the burly man's expression immediately became one of suspicion and uncertainty.

Behind him, the experts from the Song family all showed looks of fury.

'Since when did someone dare to act so insolently before our Song family?'

"Don't act rashly. Let me test this person's capabilities."

The burly man frowned. He raised a hand to stop the experts beside him who were about to attack, then slowly drew the broadsword from his waist, his expression cautious.

'If Elder Song Xuanxing wasn't lying to me, then the combat prowess of the young man before me is probably unimaginably terrifying.'

'Otherwise, Elder Song Xuanxing and his group wouldn't have called for reinforcements!'

'And they certainly wouldn't have all lost their lives here!'