After Xiao Chen left the city gates, he bowed slightly to the four people not far away. After this simple greeting, he walked by them.
Etiquette was important when facing experts at the peak. This was a form of respect and was the same be it in the Sky Dome Realm or the Kunlun Realm.
After Xiao Chen was far away, one of the old men said in amazement, “This youth is really strange. All the outstanding talents in the city are waiting for us to pave the way, yet he directly walked away.”
“Given his cultivation, he should have no problems protecting himself in the periphery of the heart of the ocean.”
“He already advanced to quasi-Emperor at such a young age. How come I never heard of such a person in the Heavenly Starry Ocean before? Have I remained in seclusion for too long already?”
The middle-aged man, Zong Boxiong, withdrew his gaze from Xiao Chen and said indifferently, “He is Xiao Chen, the Azure Emperor’s descendant. He has already been conferred King by the Martial God Palace and inherited the Azure Dragon King’s insignia, sweeping through the younger generation of the Kunlun Continent.”
“The Azure Emperor’s descendant!”
The three old men’s expressions suddenly changed. They quickly turned back to look, appearing distracted as they gazed at that white figure.
The Dragon’s Gate’s Azure Emperor destroyed the Sea Monarch Palace ten thousand years ago. If not for the sudden fall of the Azure Emperor, the Dragon’s Gate would not have ruled the Heavenly Starry Ocean for only such a short time.
Now that the Azure Emperor’s descendant appeared, the three old men immediately recalled how the Dragon’s Gate had ruled the Heavenly Starry Ocean, and wondered if it would happen again.
“Zong Boxiong, why are you so familiar with this person’s information?”
Zong Boxiong replied calmly, “I have a godson that got into some disputes with him. If not for this Xiao Chen, he would not have become the top youth of the Black Sea.”
“How come your godson has disputes with him?”
Zong Boxiong smiled mysteriously and answered, “They both came from the Sky Dome Realm. He bears a grudge against Xiao Chen for killing his father!”
“Hang on, it looks like someone is following this fellow.”
“It is the people from the Divine Dragon Palaces. They really think highly of this fellow, sending four Great Perfection quasi-Emperors.”
“It is not our problem. We’d best not bother; it is more important to go to the heart of the ocean.”
The four chatted idly as they directly entered Despair City. Only Zong Boxiong turned to a certain direction with a contemplative look. His lips moved slightly; then, he made to catch up.
---
Outside Despair City, Xiao Chen had already gotten far away. Suddenly, a message appeared in his mind, and his expression immediately changed drastically. Then, he warily looked around his surroundings.
What’s wrong? Ao Jiao asked from the Immortal Spirit Ring.
Xiao Chen cautiously replied, “Someone is keeping an eye on me. Four Great Perfection quasi-Emperors from the Divine Dragon Palaces have been secretly following me for a while now.”
The strange message just now told Xiao Chen that four Great Perfection quasi-Emperors had been following him since his departure from the city.
Perhaps the people following him had treasures that could hide their aura. Xiao Chen checked with his Spiritual Sense many times but could not find anything.
“Go!”
Whether was it real or not, Xiao Chen spread out his Freedom Wings and prepared to fly to the surface of the sea in one breath.
Two Great Perfection quasi-Emperors would already be difficult for Xiao Chen to handle. With four of them, unless he used the Sea Monarch Crown at the surface of the sea, retreating safely would be tough.
Various scenes before flashed before Xiao Chen’s eyes like fleeting shadows. Then, the scene fixed on the surface of the sea. He took a step forward, planning to step across.
However, a formless energy suddenly obstructed him. The power of the world surged, and the space above him became restricted.
When Xiao Chen stepped forward, he bounced back from the folded space.
He looked around, and four old men wearing dragon robes in various colors suddenly appeared, gazing at him expressionlessly.
The old man wearing blue-colored dragon robes standing to Xiao Chen’s east demanded coldly, “Xiao Chen, hand over the Sea Monarch Headscarf on your forehead. Our Eastern Sea Divine Dragon Palace will cut off all grudges with you.”
“Hand over your Sea Monarch Crown. Our Northern Sea, Southern Sea, and Western Sea Divine Dragon Palaces will write off all grudges between us!” the other three old men shouted coldly in unison.
The force from the space rebounding was great. Xiao Chen landed and took ten steps back before he stabilized his footing. Then he looked at the four men surrounding him and frowned slightly.
The four Great Perfection quasi-Emperors circulated their Heavenly Laws and drove the power of the world, working together to lock down the space above.
Without a word, Xiao Chen’s figure flashed. He continuously used the Roaming Dragon’s Nine Transformations, materializing thousands of clones and scattering in all directions.
“How stubborn!”
The blue-robed old man leading the group snorted coldly before drawing a sword. Boundless sword Qi together with the power of the world swept through the place.
“Boom! Boom! Boom!”
Like sweeping through brittle branches, the sword Qi instantly eliminated all of Xiao Chen’s clones, leaving only the distant main body.
“Chase!”
The four old men’s figures flashed, heading in the direction Xiao Chen had taken, chasing with all their might.
A Small Perfection quasi-Emperor was someone who had solidified their Heavenly Laws, increasing the power of the world they could drive tenfold.
A Great Perfection quasi-Emperor was someone who had formed their Heavenly Seal and was working on condensing a soul in the Heavenly Seal and placing their own Spiritual Mark into it. They became one with the heavens and could use the power of the world as they pleased.
The four old men chasing Xiao Chen were all Great Perfection quasi-Emperors. They could use the power of the world as they pleased, controlling it freely.
As these old men flew, it seemed like their bodies did not move. Instead, it looked like the world was moving backward. When it came to movement, they were much better than Xiao Chen.
If not for the exquisiteness of the Thunder Dragon Steps and the speed increase of the Freedom Wings, Xiao Chen would not even have the chance to flee.
Sticking close to the seabed, Xiao Chen opened his Freedom Wings and flew swiftly.
The four old men from the Divine Dragon Palaces followed after him, moving like phantoms. He could not shake them off.
This was especially so for the blue-robed old man from the Eastern Sea Divine Dragon Palace. When Xiao Chen tried to increase his speed further, that old man would swing his sword and block him.
“Do you think that we do not know about the uses of the Sea Monarch Crown? That is not something that belongs to you, and it never will. If you do not hand over the relics of the Sea Monarch, we will make sure you suffer an unforgettable humiliation!”
The blue-robed old man swung his sword again. The sword Qi appeared like a dragon carrying the power of the world. The might of this sword locked down the entire space.
If Xiao Chen tried to break through forcibly, the people chasing him would catch up and surround him again.
Xiao Chen could not be bothered with it. He simply swooped down and gently flapped the Freedom Wings, increasing his speed by another twenty percent.
What should I do? Ao Jiao, should I just fight it out with them?! Xiao Chen asked. Half a day had passed, but he still had not managed to outrun these four people. A decisive light flashed in his eyes.
Given Ao Jiao’s strength in addition to Xiao Chen’s, if they fought with all their might, the four behind would definitely not have the upper hand.
However, doing so would make it hard for Xiao Chen to avoid taking severe injuries.
There is no rush. Go to Despair City and enter the heart of the ocean. The environment there is complicated, and you can easily hide from these people.
Ao Jiao quickly deterred Xiao Chen from the Immortal Spirit Ring. Given his current situation, he could not afford to get severely injured again.
With the pressure from the four, Xiao Chen had no other choice but to enter Despair City. At this moment, the city was empty. All the waiting outstanding talents and loose cultivators had already gone into the heart of the ocean.
“He is trying to enter the heart of the ocean. Stop him!”
The blue-robed old man noticed that Xiao Chen was heading to Despair City, which startled him.
Left with no choice, the four worked together and executed their Profound Martial Techniques.
In the hands of a Great Perfection quasi-Emperor, Profound Martial Techniques were much more powerful than when a Small Perfection quasi-Emperor executed them—they were shockingly powerful.
The damaged sculptures, collapsed walls, and old buildings in the dilapidated city turned into dust when these Martial Techniques struck them.
Now that half a day had passed, the flames in Xiao Chen’s eyes were already replenished.
He turned his head and quickly formed the Taiji Yinyang Flame Diagram. Space froze, and the world seemed to split into two.
“Bang!”
With a loud sound, the four strong Profound Martial Techniques struck the Taiji Yinyang Flame Diagram. It held on for a while before shattering explosively, reducing the four Profound Martial Techniques into shock waves and dispersing them.
Using this time, Xiao Chen kept advancing, moving like a roaming dragon. In two breaths, he arrived at the entrance to the heart of the ocean.
That was a deep well glowing with white light. Normally, a large number of Superior Grade Profound Beasts gathered there, making it hard for ordinary people to approach.
However, before Greater Heavenly Martial Emperors, the Superior Grade Profound Beasts could not do anything. The moment these beasts sensed them coming, they fled, leaving the place empty.
A strong aura surged again. Xiao Chen frowned at the obstinate persistence of these four people. If they were Small Perfection quasi-Emperors who were just solidifying their Heavenly Seal, he would not be in such a miserable state.
“Pu tong!” Xiao Chen jumped decisively into the deep well.
The four Great Perfection quasi-Emperors of the Divine Dragon Palaces were too late. When they landed on the ground, Xiao Chen was no longer in sight.
“This is rather problematic. He has entered the heart of the ocean. Should we stand guard here, or should we follow him?” the old man from the Western Sea Divine Dragon Palace asked with some frustration.
The blue-robed old man replied sullenly, “We continue to give chase. Since there is more than one entrance to the heart of the ocean, there is no point standing out here.”
With this, the blue-robed old man immediately jumped down. After hesitating for a while, the other three followed him.
---
There was a whirlpool in the deep well. After Xiao Chen jumped in, he discovered that he could not resist its pull. He felt the world spinning around him as he continued to sink into the whirlpool.
After some time, he felt his body turn light; the suction of the whirlpool had disappeared.
Taking in his surroundings, Xiao Chen discovered himself in a pitch-black space. Currently, he was falling at a very rapid speed.
This space was extraordinary, more than a thousand times—ten thousand times—larger than Despair City, forming a world of its own.
As Xiao Chen fell, he could see numerous remains of strong Profound Beasts floating beside him.
Needless to say, these were due to those major characters. Without those people taking action, the ones who came after would not have even been able to land.
In the center of the space, there was a faint blue clump of water that was incomparably extraordinary. It seemed to contain an incredible amount of water-attributed energy.
The moment Xiao Chen saw it, it brought to mind the extremely horrifying Divine Lightning Talisman in Misleading Fog Lake.
However, while the Divine Lightning Talisman was filled with berserk offensive energy, the blue clump of water appeared gentle and calm, radiating great comfort.
Is this the heart of the ocean?
From where Xiao Chen was, he could only see a silhouette. He could not even judge its distance.
Revolving around the heart of the ocean were seven floating annular landmasses, one ring fitting snugly inside another, like seven gigantic gears slowly rotating.