Luo Chen was utterly dumbfounded.
So... so powerful!
Powerful beyond all reason.
His conviction to grow stronger deepened further.
Everyone around him turned to stone on the spot.
Four Shattering Realm experts!
All annihilated with a single palm strike.
Terrifying! Absolutely terrifying!
And there had even been experts from Yama Hall among them.
Yama Hall was said to have a Quasi-Emperor.
Wasn't he afraid?
The Shangguan Lineage disciples were all frightened out of their wits.
They fled madly in every direction.
But it was futile.
"Perish!"
As the word fell, every Shangguan Lineage disciple exploded into blood mist.
In mere moments, everyone from the Shangguan Lineage, along with the visitors from Yama Hall, had turned into blood mist.
The air reeked of blood.
Before long, a man in tattered clothes, with disheveled hair and blood covering his body, arrived before Ye Chen.
It was none other than Qingxuan.
He had just been beaten so badly that he was gravely wounded, and death had seemed imminent, yet Shangguan Hai and the other four Yama Hall experts had stopped attacking and flown toward the outskirts at tremendous speed.
Because of his severe injuries, he had only just arrived.
"Thank you for coming to my aid, Senior!"
Ye Chen ignored him, casting an indifferent glance at Luo Chen instead. "There will be no next time!"
He disliked being used as someone else's weapon.
Had those people not coveted Wuyazi's inheritance, he would not have acted either.
Under Ye Chen's blade-sharp gaze, Luo Chen felt as though he had been struck by lightning.
He bowed his head deeply, not daring to say another word for fear of angering Ye Chen.
Seeing this, Qingxuan could more or less guess what had happened.
He hurriedly apologized. "Please forgive him, Senior. Chen'er was anxious and offended you."
"How about this? Would you honor our Azure Province Academy with a visit? I could offer you the hospitality of a host and prepare a modest gift to thank you for saving my life!"
"Azure Province Academy?"
Ye Chen was somewhat puzzled.
"Ancestor, Azure Province Academy is a top power in Azure Province!"
Ye Yan spoke excitedly.
Azure Province Academy was the most renowned academy across the surrounding provinces.
Those who could enter were all outstanding geniuses and monstrous talents. It was a place countless martial artists dreamed of.
Once upon a time, Ye Yan had yearned for it too, but given the Ye Lineage's strength, he probably could not even have reached Azure Province back then.
Now, the head of Azure Province Academy was kneeling before his ancestor, begging his ancestor to honor them with a visit.
What magnificent bearing!
"Very well!"
Ye Chen looked at Qingxuan. "Then let's pay it a visit!"
As one of Azure Province's top powers, Azure Province Academy should have an extensive collection of books. Perhaps he could find some clues.
Overjoyed at his words, Qingxuan hurriedly rose to lead the way for Ye Chen.
Azure Province City.
This was the largest and most central city in Azure Province.
It was filled with mighty figures and numerous factions.
Among them, however, Azure Province Academy and the Shangguan Lineage stood above the rest.
At that moment, Ye Chen was browsing books inside Azure Province Academy's library pavilion.
In a worn, yellowed book, he found the content he wanted to read.
"A hundred thousand years ago, foreign races invaded, Great Emperors clashed in a chaotic war, and even traces of immortals appeared..."
After reading for a while, Ye Chen half closed the book, his brows furrowing slightly.
According to the book, the Human Heavenly Court had initially been as solid as an iron plate under the Heavenly Emperor's leadership. Later, however, for some unknown reason, some humans had actually begun betraying them, turning around to attack their own race.
Three great battles had taken place then. Both sides had exercised some restraint in the first two, but the final battle had been entirely different.
That battle was known as the Battle of the Emperors' Fall.
In that battle, the heavens crumbled and the earth split, the sun and moon lost their light, and the laws of the Dao wailed.
More than a dozen Great Emperors fell on the spot, imperial blood flowed everywhere, and the entire Heavenly Profound Continent nearly shattered.
Countless other supreme experts were killed or wounded.
With that, the entire Heavenly Court completely collapsed.
The Heavenly Profound Continent was also divided into five domains.
They were the human Eastern Domain, the Western Devil Domain, the Southern Demon Court, the Northern Cold Desert, and the Central Province Divine Kingdom.
"Humans actually occupy only such a small territory!"
A flicker of surprise crossed Ye Chen's eyes before he opened the book and continued reading.
In a flash, half a month passed.
Ye Chen remained in the library pavilion, reading every relevant book it contained.
He gained a deeper understanding of the situation in Heavenly Profound.
The Western Devil Domain was the Devil Race's territory.
The Southern Demon Court was the Demon Race's paradise.
Both powers had submitted to the Heavenly Court a hundred thousand years ago, yet now each could occupy an entire domain independently.
The Northern Cold Desert was the Cold Race's territory.
They had always kept out of worldly affairs, and even during the Human Heavenly Court's era, their status had been akin to that of feudal lords.
As for the Central Province Divine Kingdom!
"Hmph!"
At the thought, Ye Chen could not help letting out a cold snort.
That was the foreign races' sphere of influence.
They penned up countless humans like livestock, establishing divine kingdoms one after another to draw upon the power of humanity's worship.
Just then, a respectful voice sounded outside the door.
"Senior, might you have a moment?"
It was Qingxuan's voice.
Half a month had passed, and his injuries had mostly healed.
"Come in!"
Ye Chen closed the book and spoke indifferently.
Qingxuan entered, glanced at the book in Ye Chen's hand, and bowed with utmost respect. "Senior, are you deeply interested in the Heavenly Profound Continent's past history?"
"Yes!" Ye Chen looked at Qingxuan.
"I see!"
Qingxuan smiled. "I'm also deeply interested in the Heavenly Profound Continent's past, especially the glorious deeds of the Human Heavenly Court's era!"
"No wonder you have so many books here!"
"You flatter me. I'm glad they could help you, Senior!"
Ye Chen's praise left him overwhelmed by the favor.
"Since you're interested in it too, why not tell me about the Ye Lineage?"
Ye Chen set down the book and spoke casually.
At his words, Qingxuan's expression changed drastically. He seemed deeply reluctant to speak of the subject.
"What is it?"
Ye Chen looked at him. "You can't speak of it?"
Realizing he had lost his composure, Qingxuan hurriedly apologized. "That's not it!"
Then his brows knitted tightly. "The Ye Lineage's affairs involve far too much. Speaking too much of them will bring karmic consequences!"
"It doesn't matter. Just tell me!"
Ye Chen was utterly unconcerned.
Seeing this, Qingxuan steeled himself and gritted his teeth. "Since you're interested, Senior, this disciple will naturally tell you everything I know and hold nothing back. But I cannot verify how much of it is true!"
Ye Chen nodded. "Go ahead!"
"A hundred thousand years ago, the Ye Lineage was the Heavenly Court's foremost power. Even the Heavenly Court itself was founded by Heavenly Emperor Ye Ming!"
Qingxuan's gaze grew distant. At the mention of the Heavenly Emperor, irrepressible reverence filled his eyes.
"But when the great calamity descended a hundred thousand years ago, the Ye Lineage bore the brunt of it!"
"At the time, the Ye Lineage had five Great Emperors. Its prosperity was at its height, and all races bowed in submission."
"But beneath that appearance of prosperity, many hidden dangers had long been lurking."
"The Ye Lineage's descendants championed justice. Whenever they encountered injustice, they would intervene, and they dealt extremely heavy blows. Many disciples of sacred lands, and even imperial sects and imperial clans, voiced complaints about this."
"Moreover, the Ye Lineage's members possessed vast resources, accounting for nearly half of Heavenly Profound's total. Many people harbored resentment over this."
"However, with Heavenly Emperor Ye Ming presiding over them from above, no one dared act out of line."
"But at that time, the Heavenly Emperor was nearing the end of his lifespan. Unable to obtain an immortal art despite the long wait, he could not break through, and his body grew increasingly aged."
"Everyone knew the Heavenly Emperor would soon pass away. It was only a matter of time."
"Unrest and disasters began occurring incessantly under the Heavenly Court's rule, and the first signs of chaos appeared."
"The Heavenly Emperor sent people to suppress them by force, provoking even greater displeasure among the races."
"Presumably, they were only waiting for the Heavenly Emperor to pass away before rising in revolt."
"Just then, the foreign races invaded, drastically shortening this process!"
"After the second battle ended, the Heavenly Emperor was wounded. With his lifespan also exhausted, he ultimately passed away!"
"At that point, the Heavenly Court fell apart, and most of its factions broke away."
"Only a few continued to follow!"
"But those few were also reduced to ashes in the final battle-the battle to escort the Heavenly Emperor's coffin back to his ancestral land!"
At this point, Qingxuan could not help sighing. "Alas, the Heavenly Emperor was such a heaven-gifted genius. Who would have thought..."
After listening, Ye Chen was also filled with emotion.
The final battle must have shaken heaven and earth and made ghosts and gods weep.
"Is there more?"
Ye Chen looked at Qingxuan.