Chương 886: Chapter 885: Outdated Version

Ye Chen felt a twinge of embarrassment for having misunderstood the Celestial Prince. But the other man was his enemy—an apology would be out of place. So Ye Chen decided to simply obliterate him. The Heavenly Emperor Fist that Ye Chen unleashed now was far more terrifying than before. It felt as though the Heavenly Emperor himself had descended, his imperial might flooding the heavens. Within the shadowy outline of the fist, six ancient cosmic phantoms faintly emerged.

It had almost reached the level of manifesting the full cycle of the six paths of reincarnation. Even the Celestial Prince in front of him felt a trace of suppression—as though the sheer momentum was weighing down on him, slightly dulling his combat power. Yet the Celestial Prince remained calm. He raised his hand and executed his secret art. Endless divine flames surged alongside mysterious five-colored divine light, coalescing into a towering pillar of radiance.

Countless immortal phoenixes poured forth from within, each one linked to the others, carrying the might of an emperor as they flew straight to meet the fist shadow head-on. The Celestial Prince allowed himself a proud smile. Back then, the Heavenly Emperor had created the Heavenly Emperor Fist by fusing his own Dao and laws into a single supreme technique. That was exactly where he had lost. Now, he had perfected it beyond even the Heavenly Emperor's original.

But in the very next instant, the Celestial Prince's expression changed again. In the blink of an eye, countless immortal phoenixes exploded apart. The light pillar was struck squarely by Ye Chen's fist. Six illusory universes sealed it in place, and in an instant, the entire construct was refined to nothing. Then Ye Chen arrived like a storm, killing intent blazing. Another fist roared forth. The Celestial Prince hastily retreated, but his speed was nowhere near Ye Chen's. He was blasted apart.

Yet he did not fall. His fragments turned into immortal fire and withdrew tens of thousands of li before swiftly reforming. He stared at Ye Chen in utter shock. That last punch had not been terrifying merely in raw power. It had conjured the grand scene of the heavens first opening and all things being born. It delivered a double assault—mental and physical.

If not for his multitude of life-preserving divine arts and the fact that this was only an incarnation without a flesh-and-blood body, he might have been directly suppressed and annihilated by that single strike. This version was far more horrifying than the Heavenly Emperor Fist he had faced back then. How could this be possible? Did Ye Chen possess such monstrous talent that he could innovate beyond the original? It was simply absurd.

The Celestial Prince could not help but blurt out in disbelief, "Why is your Heavenly Emperor Fist even more terrifying than the one the Heavenly Emperor used back then?" Ye Chen paused for a moment at the question. Then he looked at the Celestial Prince as though he were staring at an idiot.

"When the Heavenly Emperor beat you to death, you were already a quasi-immortal, while he was only at the peak of Great Saint. So you're saying after he beat you, he just stopped improving?" The Heavenly Emperor Fist was the pinnacle work of his entire life. Everything he had ever learned had been poured into it. With every new realm he reached, the technique had grown stronger.

Legend said that the Heavenly Emperor's most supreme battle in the cultivation world had been against the descending Undying Celestial Emperor. That final punch had gathered all his essence, energy, and spirit—along with every technique and secret art he possessed—and unleashed them in a single devastating strike. It had not only sent the immortal artifact Undying Heavenly Blade flying and blasted the Undying Celestial Emperor to pieces; rumor held that even the Heavenly Gate itself had been shattered by that fist.

That was the true peak of the Heavenly Emperor Fist. The Celestial Prince was working with an outdated, obsolete version. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. The Celestial Prince finally understood. His face darkened. But right now, the specifics of the Heavenly Emperor Fist didn't matter. What mattered was Ye Chen's combat power. Ye Chen was only in the early Saint realm.

No matter how invincible the Heavenly Emperor Fist might be, he should not possess this level of strength. The Celestial Prince asked himself honestly. Even if it were his true body—with the Sacred Spirit Root and True Phoenix Immortal Body—self-sealing his cultivation down to the early Saint realm, he might only be able to fight Ye Chen to a draw at best. That realization made his expression turn completely ashen. The Celestial Prince placed extreme importance on bloodline and talent.

Those with low aptitude didn't even qualify to become his maidservants. Those with sufficiently high talent earned his exceptional leniency. The same applied to enemies. If their talent was lacking, he wouldn't even bother looking. If it was slightly below his own, he felt only disdain and contempt. But if it surpassed his own… Then he would treat them with utmost seriousness—and deep wariness. The Celestial Prince was, in every sense, a classic talent supremacist.

The moment he realized Ye Chen's aptitude might rival that of his true self, killing intent and dread surged to their absolute peak within him. Ye Chen had to die! In that instant, the Celestial Prince no longer hesitated. His aura climbed to its utmost limit. More oppressive than ever before. In this moment, the Celestial Prince's silver hair whipped wildly in the wind. Beneath his feet, a divine sovereign phantom appeared, making him resemble a god awakened from slumber.

At the core of his being, a hairline crack had appeared on the Heavenly Heart Immortal Crystal—nearly inaudible—and it was slowly widening. This wisp of divine sense incarnation had now erupted to its absolute limit. With unshakable confidence, he charged toward Ye Chen once more. He would annihilate Ye Chen here and sever his path to immortality forever. Ye Chen, however, paid no mind to the Celestial Prince's surge in power. With a cold sneer, he rushed forward in turn.

The battlefield erupted into thunderous chaos once again. But after only half a breath, a faint wisp of divine fire escaped from the fray. The Celestial Prince stared at Ye Chen in utter disbelief. He couldn't win… Even though he had poured every ounce of strength into this divine-sense incarnation, even at the cost of shattering the Heavenly Heart Immortal Crystal, He was still completely outmatched by Ye Chen… Deep in his heart, a trace of fear actually took root.

The way Ye Chen threw his punches was even fiercer than the Heavenly Emperor back then. It cast a dark shadow over him, shaking his confidence in this era's Immortal Path. How could such a monster exist? Was Ye Chen the Heavenly Emperor's own son? Or had the Heavenly Emperor already perished, and Ye Chen was his reincarnation? While the Celestial Prince reeled in shock, Ye Chen charged in again. Imperial might towered to the heavens, as though determined to crush every disrespectful being beneath it.

At that moment, Ye Chen sensed the commotion here had drawn the attention of nearby cultivators—likely spectators rushing to watch. He intended to obliterate this incarnation of the Celestial Prince before they arrived. The Undying Celestial Phoenix Clan carried the word "undying" in their name. They were indeed far harder to kill than ordinary cultivators. And the Celestial Prince was the cream of that crop—slightly harder still. But only slightly. If Ye Chen wanted him dead, it would not be difficult.

Yet in the next instant, a bold idea flashed through Ye Chen's mind. Perhaps he shouldn't kill this incarnation too easily. For one thing, the Celestial Prince truly had some substance—he was one of the absolute peak existences in this world. If even his incarnation could be casually slaughtered by Ye Chen, who would dare send anything valuable in the future? On his fiancée's side, the upcoming transition from acquired to innate would still require an enormous amount of origin energy.

Moreover, the Heavenly Heart Immortal Crystal was meant to be a gift for Yan Qingcheng. Casually beating the Celestial Prince to death and handing over the crystal would yield one kind of emotional impact. But fighting a bitter, hard-won battle—barely emerging victorious—and then presenting the crystal would deliver an entirely different level of emotional value. In short, staging a grand, drawn-out clash with the Celestial Prince offered countless benefits.

With that thought, Ye Chen narrowed his eyes toward the Celestial Prince. Chaotic qi seeped from the cracks between his Heavy Pupils, instantly condensing into a pure land. He trapped the Celestial Prince inside. Then Ye Chen tossed down a grand formation, completely shrouding the entire area. The Celestial Prince froze for a moment, then tried to break free of the pure land. But Ye Chen—already inside with him—blasted him back with a single punch. Ye Chen moved at terrifying speed.

As the Celestial Prince flew backward, Ye Chen closed in instantly. His Heavy Pupils swirled, scanning precisely. Then one hand thrust forward like lightning… The Armament Secret was activated. He seized hold and yanked viciously. The Celestial Prince jolted as though struck by lightning. A muffled groan escaped him. His aura plummeted like a landslide. In utter disbelief, he stared at Ye Chen. Ye Chen had actually entered the depths of his incarnation so effortlessly. And taken the single most important thing!