Eternal Holy Emperor
Chapter 446 - 399: Void King, True King

Chapter 446: Chapter 399: Void King, True King

"It’s actually the Wonder Palace, quite the grand spectacle," Zhao Tianyi said, his face showing surprise as he quietly introduced it to Ye Chen.

Qingcheng Palace has ten layered pavilions and thirty-three distinct courtyard-gardens, among which the Beautiful Palace, and especially the Wonder Palace, are the most renowned.

However, whether it’s the Beautiful Palace or the Wonder Palace, they are both important sites within Qingcheng Palace and under normal circumstances, they would not be opened to the public, only during special occasions would they be accessible.

And the distinguished guests who are invited within are no ordinary people; they usually need to be notable figures from the world’s top forces before an invitation is extended.

Generally speaking, only those who have reached the heights of the Saintly Treasure Realm, the pinnacle of esteemed status, are qualified to be invited in. For the gate to open today was somewhat surprising to Zhao Tianyi.

Could the sons and daughters of the great Immortal Sacred Lands truly have such influence as to make the owner of Qingcheng Palace open the Wonder Palace?

Seeing the puzzled expressions on their faces, the charming young lady giggled at Zhao Tianyi, her bright eyes smiling lightly, instantly charming, and said with a light laugh, "Gentlemen and ladies, today a few Saint Heirs and Saintesses wish to convene an elite assembly. Moved by this, the Hall Master personally opened the Wonder Palace for hospitality. Please, esteemed sons and daughters, do come inside."

Numerous young elites entered the luxurious and florid palace, with delightful fragrances assailing their noses and vibrant colors flowing around them, but it wasn’t as opulent or grandiose as other buildings; conversely, it had a pleasing design that soothed the mind.

The palace was dazzling with gold and encrusted with countless fresh flowers, each in full bloom, emitting the sweet scent of orchids that was refreshing to the spleen and lungs, lifting spirits and easing fatigue from the body.

Within the palace was a Divine Spring bubbling forth, home to seven-colored Immortal Carps swimming freely, and where Immortal Geese soared into the sky, surrounded by rising and falling mist.

The palace lives up to its name, causing fish to sink and geese to fall!

The palatial space was ample enough to accommodate over ten thousand people, more than spacious for three thousand elites.

There were already hundreds of banquet tables set up in the palace. Youthful and graceful girls presented all sorts of exquisite delicacies, and there was a rich Immortal Brew for the taking, refined and elegant, noble and grand. Spirit Fruits, dense with Spiritual Energy, were placed on Jade Plates, making everything seem so considerate.

Many young elites took their places at the banquet tables, from inside to out, densely packed, nearly all of them toasting and socializing heartily with many actively making connections.

Those who had reached this place were no longer enemies, especially those who stood out from among the many elites—they felt a kindred spirit and willingly befriended one another.

The Purple Mansion Sacred Land was fraught with dangers, and at times like these, having one more friend was often better than one more enemy.

Especially notable were a group of prominent young men and women at the innermost tables, appearing just like children of Heaven, aglow with Divine Radiance; the Saint Heirs supremely handsome and elegant, and the Saintesses beautiful and dignified, graced with a noble and captivating beauty.

They were few in number, not even ten, but each had an extraordinary Dao Rhythm flowing within them, exuding an air of nobility and grandeur, as if perching high above, the center of all the young elites’ gazes.

They were the organizers of this grand assembly of youth, the sons and daughters of the various Immortal Sacred Lands, from the Heavenly Saint Domain, from other Great Domains, and even those blessed by the Heavenly Ten Thousand Domains at the Center.

It can be said that they held esteemed statuses, and their strengths were among the top of their generation, able to spar with the older generation. Almost all were chosen as future masters of the Sacred Lands, forming their own circle in mutual conversation.

The other young elites vied for their attention, daring not to show the slightest neglect, hoping to befriend these sons and daughters.

These Saint Heirs and Saintesses lowered their stance and conversed with serene expressions, making many young powerhouses feel honored by their attention.

Amidst all this, Ye Chen remained calm, sitting aloof at an outer banquet table, savoring the fine wine of the Wonder Palace by himself, which took Zhao Tianyi by surprise, "Brother Ye, don’t you wish to make connections with these Saint Heirs and Saintesses? After all, these are influential figures. Befriending them could be beneficial for the future."

"Why must I shamelessly seek their acquaintance? Those are the next generation masters of Immortal Forces; both their strengths and backgrounds far surpass others, why would they even notice the likes of us. Even if we approached, they would only disdain us further. Everything before us is but a facade," Ye Chen laughed, downing a glass of fine wine with flair.

Zhao Tianyi was first startled, then couldn’t help but sigh, "Brother Ye sees through it all."

Indeed that was the case. As the sons and daughters of the Immortal Sacred Lands, their statuses were revered, almost guaranteed to be the future masters of Sacred Lands, controlling vast powers, lofty and esteemed.

How could ordinary young prodigies catch their eye? And today’s amiable conversation was nothing more than a diplomatic gesture.

But the main reason was that Ye Chen simply didn’t need such networking. He had the confidence and strength to look down upon these so-called Saint Heirs and Saintesses, though such things were better left unsaid.

The two men drank, not bothering to join in, standing out as somewhat unconventional, but no one paid them any mind.

"Brother Zhao, is every Saint Heir and Saintess from the Immortal Sacred Lands a young king?" Ye Chen suddenly asked, his curiosity piqued. He thought about the saint heirs and saintesses above him, all powerful yet shrouded in their own secret treasures that masked their auras. If one didn’t actually engage in combat with them, even someone like him would find it difficult to gauge their true strength.

However, if every Saint Heir and Saintess from the Immortal Sacred Lands were young kings, that would be quite astonishing.

Zhao Tianyi shook his head, "That’s impossible. There couldn’t possibly be that many real young kings. The same holds true across the Heavenly and Myriads of Realms."

According to his explanation, true kings couldn’t be numerous, even among the saint heirs and saintesses of the Immortal Forces, who are heirs to a great power. Their strength was indeed powerful compared to other youths of their generation, and they could be called kings, but they still fell short of being a true king.

Many of them were merely Void Kings or fake kings. The title ’king’ was just a manner of speaking externally; in actuality, more often than not, they were at the Half-step King stage.

Although only Half-step Kings, their strength was quite formidable almost on par with that of a true king.

Those saint heirs and saintesses up there, perhaps one or two of them were indeed true kings, while the rest were merely Half-step Kings.

Naturally, all the great saint heirs and saintesses wielded the mighty Divine Skills and secret techniques from within the Immortal Forces, and to some degree, they even had the power to fight against a king.

But he also pointed out another perspective: in reality, so-called kings were just slightly more powerful Void Kings, also within the Half-step King stage. A true king could not emerge in abundance in any era; they were few and far between.

Those who were truly kings were distinguished by the title ’True King’. They were the real kings of their generation, having taken the crucial half-step toward touching upon the Ten-layered Heaven Level of the Mythical Era, fully realized in all aspects through Ultimate Ascension.

The title of ’king’ as used today was merely an honorific bestowed upon other sufficiently powerful contenders of the same generation.

"I see." Ye Chen came to understand that only Immortal True Kings were the real kings, and other so-called kings were just a group of Void Kings, albeit ones with powerful titles.

And those Ye Chen had slain in the past, like Xia Shuangwang and Red-scaled King, and those he had dominated on the Domain Battlefield, such as the Four Great Kings, were all powerful Void Kings.

True kings were only those who had taken another Half-step in the Ninth Layer Heaven domain: the Immortal True Kings.

Ye Chen sighed internally. Though not true kings, these Void Kings had potent King Blood, worthy of reviving his Innate Holy Body Bloodline.

Suddenly, a commotion spread throughout the Wonder Palace, as nearly everyone turned their gaze toward the entrance.

Because at that moment, two figures emerged from the gate, particularly the man leading the way, whose presence was markedly captivating.

He moved with the grace of a dragon and the strength of a tiger, his tall and robust body striding forward. Thick black hair cascaded over his shoulders, and his eyes, when opened, shot out brilliance like two Divine Lamps.

This man was extraordinary. A halo of Divine Light surrounded his head, brilliance enshrouded his body, and he wore a resplendent crown, shining brilliantly. He was dressed in a five-dragon robe, majestic and world-conquering, like an unexcelled king above all others.

His appearance captured the attention of nearly every young powerhouse in the Wonder Palace, both males and females. The women’s eyes shone with admiration, while the men felt awe, unwilling to meet his gaze directly, sensing an overwhelming pressure.

At the same time, Zhao Jun, who earlier wore golden armor with arrogance, now followed behind this man with subdued temperament, showing none of the temper he had before, and the resemblance between their ages and appearances led people to easily guess the identity of the newcomer—

Prince of Zhao, Zhao Wudao!

Upon seeing the newcomer, Ye Chen clearly perceived a cold vengeful glare shooting from Zhao Tianyi’s eyes, landing on Zhao Wudao.

"Zhao Wudao, eh..." Ye Chen murmured under his breath, with his own gaze also landing on this prince of the contemporary Immortal Empire’s Zhao Country.

Zhao Wudao, a prince whose status was on par with the saint heirs and saintesses of Immortal Sacred Lands—distinguished and noble. Moreover, with his extraordinary Cultivation, he was suspected to be a King-level figure—very powerful—one of the absolute top three young talents from the Heavenly Saint Domain.

From an early age, he had showcased extraordinary talent, embarking on Cultivation at six years old, achieving Innate status by nine, and stepping into the Demigod realm at fourteen. His journey through Cultivation had been rapid and astonishing, showing unprecedented potential that surpassed previous Kings of the empire, garnering the attention of the entire Heavenly Saint Domain.

Though still within the Demigod category, it was rumored that Zhao Wudao had already secured the position of king, standing on the Absolute Peak among his contemporaries in the Heavenly Saint Domain, having long been capable of becoming a Divinity Transformation Realm powerhouse. Now, he was simply biding his time, accumulating strength for the day when he could break through, leap across several realms in one go, and press down his peers.

In truth, he was a terrifying Super Expert. Even among those present, he was certainly among the top figures.