454: Chapter 454 The Heavenly Emperor (19)

"Achieving the Guiyi Realm in three years, the Heavenly Eye Divine Ability is already showing its edge, and his talent in the Dao of the sword is rare throughout the ages."

The Fifth Old Ancestor stroked his long beard, his tone filled with admiration.

"With such talent and such Heart-Nature, my Ye family shall prosper!"

However, after the brief joy, a Distant Ancestor with the most steady aura proposed a different perspective.

"Flowers in a greenhouse, no matter how beautiful they bloom, cannot withstand the wind and rain."

His voice was calm, yet it made the Distant Ancestors and Ancient Ancestors present fall into deep thought.

"Ye Yun's talent is indeed unparalleled throughout the ages, but he is young after all, and his experiences are limited to our small corner of the Ye family. If this continues, it may breed arrogance, which will be more harmful than beneficial to his future Dao path."

"A true Dragon should enter the sea to battle the waves, not play in the shallows."

This Distant Ancestor's gaze swept across the crowd, and he slowly stated his proposal.

"In a few days, it will be the once-in-sixty-years Eastern Court Martial Assembly. This is a grand event where the younger generation of all top forces in the eastern part of our Three Thousand Dao Provinces will compete."

"Why not let Ye Yun go with the Prodigies of the clan to see the true demeanor of the Prodigies of the Three Thousand Dao Provinces, and let him know that there is always someone better than oneself."

This proposal was immediately approved by all the Old Ancestors.

They knew very well that Ye Yun's future would not be limited to the Ye family or this Dao Province.

He needed a broader stage and stronger opponents to hone his supreme Dao Heart, which was already beginning to show its edge.

The decision was thus made.

The entire Ye family began to operate at high speed once again for the departure of His Highness, the Imperial Son.

...

Two months passed in the blink of an eye.

During these two months, Ye Yun did not slack off.

He completely absorbed the massive power of the Origin obtained from clearing the Tongtian Tower, and his cultivation naturally advanced, successfully stepping from the Middle Stage of the Guiyi Realm to the Late Stage.

At the same time, the five mysterious sacred bones in his chest finally showed new changes after being nourished by the Chaos Qi.

One of the sacred bones, branded with flame Dao patterns, began to emit a faint warmth, as if something was gestating within it and was about to manifest.

That day, in the early morning.

On the plaza of the Ye family's ancestral land, a team composed of the most top-tier Prodigies of the current generation of the Ye family had already assembled.

They would represent the Ye family in the upcoming Eastern Court Martial Assembly.

Leading them was a young man dressed in white, handsome and elegant.

His name was Ye Wuchen, recognized as the number one person among the younger generation of the Ye family, and his cultivation had reached the Late Stage Grotto-Heaven Realm.

Behind him stood more than a dozen young men and women with equally powerful auras.

They were all Core Disciples of the Ye family, each possessing a Saint Body, and the lowest cultivation among them had reached the Peak of the Guiyi Realm.

Each of them, if placed in the outside world, would be enough to become a Saint or Saintess of an Orthodoxy.

At this moment, these usually proud Prodigies had expressions of excitement and curiosity on their faces.

Because they knew that today, a special member would be traveling with them.

That was the future hope of the Ye family, the Imperial Son, Ye Yun.

Especially Ye Wuchen; he looked towards the direction of the Imperial Son's sleeping palace in the distance, his eyes filled with anticipation.

He was the most fanatical admirer of the Desolate Heaven Emperor, and he felt a special emotion for this Imperial Son who had inherited the Bloodline of the Desolate Heaven Emperor and whose talent was even superior.

Just then, Ye Yun, accompanied by a Great Saint Elder, walked over slowly.

"Respectful greetings to His Highness, the Imperial Son!"

All the Prodigies, led by Ye Wuchen, immediately bowed and saluted with respectful expressions.

"Clan Brothers and Clan Sisters, there is no need for such formalities."

Ye Yun spoke calmly and nodded slightly to everyone.

His gaze lingered on Ye Wuchen for a moment longer.

From this person, he sensed a pure and powerful Sword Intent, as well as genuine goodwill from the heart.

The team was assembled, and a top-tier flying boat, forged entirely from Star God Gold and capable of traversing the Void Realm as if walking on flat ground, slowly descended from the clouds.

The Ye family's Prodigy team officially set off.

On the flying boat, Ye Wuchen took the initiative to come to Ye Yun's side, explaining to him the background of this Eastern Court Martial Assembly and the current power structure of the Three Thousand Dao Provinces.

"Your Highness, the Imperial Son, our Three Thousand Dao Provinces are vast and boundless, divided into five major Celestial Domains: East, South, West, North, and Center. Each domain is ruled by a supreme Heavenly Court."

"And beneath the Heavenly Court are the ten ancient Imperial Clans like our Ye family, as well as twenty-four other top Sects with equally profound foundations. These thirty-four families constitute the top-tier power structure of the Three Thousand Dao Provinces."

Ye Yun listened quietly, noting down all this information.

The flying boat shuttled through the Void Realm at extreme speed, and the stars outside the window kept receding.

A few days later, a magnificent divine city suspended above an endless sea of clouds appeared before everyone's eyes.

The venue for the Eastern Court Martial Assembly had arrived.

The Ye family's flying boat landed slowly outside the divine city.

On the hull, the ancient Imperial Clan emblem of the Ye family emitted a faint pressure, causing other forces that had come to participate in the martial assembly to look over one after another and take the initiative to clear a path.

The Ye family's Prodigy group walked slowly into the venue amidst countless gazes of awe and curiosity.

However, just as they were about to enter the core area specially prepared for the Imperial Clans.

An arrogant and provocative voice came from not far away.

"Heh, I was wondering who it was; it turns out to be our Fellow Daoists from the Ye family."

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw a group of young Cultivators dressed in black and white sword robes, each with a sharp aura, walking over slowly.

Leading them was a young man with an arrogant expression and eyes as sharp as swords.

"Wuji Sword Sect!"

Ye Wuchen's brows furrowed slightly as he whispered the opponent's Origin.

The Ye family members immediately became vigilant, and the looks they directed at the other party carried a hint of hostility.

Wuji Sword Sect, one of the twenty-four Sects, had seen its strength advance by leaps and bounds in the recent few eras, vaguely showing signs of competing with the Ye family.

More importantly, the Sect's founder, the Wuji Great Emperor, was a contemporary of the Desolate Heaven Emperor.

It is rumored that when the Wuji Great Emperor was young, he was always suppressed by the Desolate Heaven Emperor. After finally attaining the Dao and becoming a Great Emperor, he was unwilling to accept it and went to seek revenge, only to be suppressed by the Desolate Heaven Emperor again, which he regarded as a great humiliation.

Since then, the two factions had formed a deep-seated enmity that had lasted for ages.

At this moment, the two parties met on a narrow road, and the atmosphere instantly became tense.

The current Sword Son of the Wuji Sword Sect swept his gaze over Ye Wuchen and the others, and finally, it landed on the young man at the very front of the team, whose figure still appeared youthful.

He looked Ye Yun up and down, making no effort to hide the contempt and disdain in his eyes.

"This must be the rumored His Highness, the Imperial Son of the Ye family, who bears the 'Desolate Ancient Waste Body', right?"

The Sword Son intentionally raised his voice, instantly attracting the attention of the entire venue.

He pointed at Ye Yun and mocked him exaggeratedly to his fellow disciples.

"Truly, seeing is believing. I am curious, what right does a piece of trash who only managed to break through to the Body Tempering Realm after twelve years have to stand here representing a top Imperial Clan like the Ye family?"

"Could it be that the Ye family has fallen to such a state that they need a piece of trash to put on a front?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the whole venue was in an uproar.

The Ye family's Prodigies were instantly furious.

"Presumptuous!"

Ye Wuchen could no longer remain calm; he stepped forward, and his Grotto-Heaven Realm aura erupted, locking onto that Sword Son.

"How dare you humiliate the Imperial Son of my Ye family like this!"

"If you want to die, I will grant your wish!"

A great battle was about to break out.

In the tense standoff, everyone's gaze was focused on the young man who had not spoken from beginning to end and whose expression remained calm.