Primordial Star Scripture

"Death? You didn't die, so why would I?"

Running into Sima Liao here was somewhat unexpected for Ye Chen.

But soon enough, Ye Chen came to a realization.

Though Sima Liao's combat power was inferior to his, he was nonetheless one of the top figures on the Heavenly God List, with strength at the level of a Mid-Ranked Immortal Divine Venerable. Surviving the Three Great Undersea Killing Formations was, in a way, understandable.

"Sima Liao, you barely escaped with your pathetic life during the Purple Storm's outbreak. Now then, let's see where you'll run this time."

Recalling Sima Liao's earlier pursuit of Mu Qingxue, a cold glint appeared in Ye Chen's eyes.

He had missed his chance to kill this man earlier. Now that they crossed paths again, it was obvious—Ye Chen wasn't going to leave any loose ends behind.

Seeing the killing intent in Ye Chen's eyes, Sima Liao staggered back several steps in fear, his hands trembling as he desperately turned to Lin Shan for help, "Lin Shan, my friend, save me!"

Clearly, Sima Liao didn't dare confront Ye Chen.

Let alone the fact that he had almost lost his life to Ye Chen back in the Yellow Light Danger Zone.

Even now, after barely passing the requirements to survive the Three Great Killing Formations, his minor boost in Divine Soul Power was nothing compared to what Ye Chen must have achieved by also passing through the Formations.

Against Ye Chen, he still held not a single advantage.

When he heard that Ye Chen intended to strike again, fear seized him completely.

Observing Sima Liao's terrified state, Lin Shan was utterly frozen on the spot.

What was going on?

Why would Sima Liao, ranked second on the Heavenly God List, be so afraid of Ye Chen, ranked only fourth?

Unaware of the earlier battle between Ye Chen and Sima Liao, Lin Shan had no way of knowing Ye Chen's true capabilities.

Yet from the sheer terror in Sima Liao's eyes, Lin Shan could infer one thing: Ye Chen undeniably possessed the power to kill Sima Liao.

Otherwise, Sima Liao wouldn't behave this way, not even daring to muster resistance.

As for Sima Liao's plea for help...

Lin Shan pondered silently, refraining from making a sound.

After all, he didn't share any close ties with Sima Liao, and considering Ye Chen's evident strength—it wasn't worth offending Ye Chen on Sima Liao's behalf.

Seeing Lin Shan remain silent, Sima Liao sank into utter despair.

As despair gripped him, Ye Chen turned slightly, nodding toward Mu Qingxue, then stepped forward, preparing to strike and kill Sima Liao.

Suddenly, from deep within the world of the Purple-Silver Vein, a brilliant Divine Light shot forth.

Within the light emerged a gray-robed elder.

The elder seemed to cover the distance in a single step, suddenly standing before the four of them.

Seeing the arrival of this gray-robed elder, even Ye Chen's Mind and Spirit trembled in shock.

This gray-robed elder was actually a Seven-Star Sovereign!

"Could this man be one of the challengers from previous trials who, after being trapped in the Death Killing Formation, managed to survive?"

"And now remains trapped within the Heavenly God Mountain?"

With this unexpected arrival, unsure of the elder's intentions, Ye Chen paused his assault on Sima Liao and turned his gaze toward the man.

Only then did Sima Liao's trembling form regain a shred of composure.

He knew—if it weren't for the countless bizarre interruptions caused by the Sea of Mist, he would already have died by Ye Chen's hand.

"May more oddities keep occurring."

"Hopefully, Ye Chen meets his end, or perhaps I'll gain overwhelming power to surpass him and finally eliminate him!"

Having been spared twice due to unexpected events, Sima Liao's belief in his luck and fortune only swelled.

A strange thought began to creep into Sima Liao's mind: Could it be that the Sea of Mist was his place of destiny, protecting him all this while?

At this rate, if he encountered another opportunity, perhaps the roles would reverse, and he could finally cut Ye Chen down!

Sima Liao burned with silent hope.

The killing tension between Ye Chen and Sima Liao dissipated due to the gray-robed elder's presence, as both turned their attention to him.

Mu Qingxue beside Ye Chen, as well as Lin Shan near Sima Liao, also cast their gazes upon the elder.

Having been transported from the deadly sea to this new realm, they were now seeing their first human figure in this strange land. Naturally, they were eager to uncover the secrets of this so-called "Purple Ore Mystery Realm," as well as the identity of the elder, and the tasks that awaited them.

The gray-robed elder glanced briefly at the four, showing little interest in engaging them in conversation.

He simply commanded, "You four, come with me. I will take you to meet the Great Commanders."

The Great Commanders?

Mu Qingxue, Lin Shan, and Sima Liao were all taken aback.

Previously, they hadn't expected this Purple Ore Mystery Realm to harbor anyone at all. Now, hearing that the place not only had inhabitants but also respected figures referred to as "Great Commanders" was an additional shock.

Ye Chen, however, nodded internally.

Having seen the concealed mausoleum earlier, he had surmised that many challengers from previous trials had been trapped in this Purple Ore Mystery Realm. The elder's words only confirmed his theory.

After speaking his piece, the gray-robed elder didn't bother lingering and instead started descending toward the world below, where the expansive veins of purple-silver ore glistened.

The four quickly followed.

In this unfamiliar domain, lacking any concrete knowledge, they dared not wander off on their own.

Thankfully, though the gray-robed elder was a Seven-Star Sovereign, he wasn't flying at full speed, instead moving at a steady pace to lead the four of them. This allowed Ye Chen and his companions to keep up.

After a period roughly equivalent to the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the elder and the four arrived at the base of a massive mountain within the Purple-Silver Ore Vein.

There, a shimmering door of light suddenly appeared on the Giant Mountain.

"Go in," the elder instructed, glancing at the four.

Ye Chen studied the door of light briefly before stepping inside first.

Mu Qingxue, Lin Shan, and Sima Liao quickly followed.

Once all four had entered, the gray-robed elder also vanished into the door, which then closed behind them, sealing off all traces of their presence.

The Purple-Silver Vein World returned to its previous tranquility, as if no one had ever come.

Upon entering the door of light, Ye Chen found himself in a massive hall.

What shocked him most was that the entire hall appeared to have been built from countless Purple Silver Pearls, with walls made entirely out of the shimmering gems.

Amazing.

How many Purple Silver Pearls would this have taken?!

But even more striking than the design of the hall were the figures seated within it.

Ye Chen immediately noticed that two to three hundred people were gathered here, all seated cross-legged!

Every single one of them was a Sovereign!

"All Sovereigns!"

"These must be challengers from previous trials! Based on the inscriptions I saw in the Mausoleum Graveyard, some of them have been trapped here for tens of thousands of years. Given their talents and the fact that they survived the Three Great Killing Formations, it's no wonder they've all reached the Sovereign Realm after so many years!"

Ye Chen's thoughts raced.

He had long suspected something like this.

But for Lin Shan, Sima Liao, and Mu Qingxue, this sight was a complete shock!

Only recently swept into the Death Storm and barely surviving the undersea killing traps, they had no idea what the so-called "Purple Ore Mystery Realm" entailed when they were transported here.

Now, within the depths of the Heavenly God Mountain, discovering such a gathering of Sovereigns was utterly mind-boggling.

Even in the Five Great Divine Kingdoms, encountering so many Sovereigns in one place would've been nothing short of extraordinary.

Moreover, the power of these Sovereigns was undeniable. Most were Five-Star Sovereigns and above. Some were Eight-Star or even Nine-Star Sovereigns!

While Ye Chen observed these Sovereigns calmly, Lin Shan, Sima Liao, and Mu Qingxue could only feel shock and awe.

At the same time, the Sovereigns in the hall began murmuring amongst themselves as they noticed the arrival of these four newcomers.

"It's been tens of thousands of years, and the Death Storm has erupted once more, bringing in four new faces."

"Two Divine Kings and two Earth Divine Venerables. Sigh, seeing them reminds me of when I first escaped the Death Killing Formation, barely clinging to life."

"Of the five who passed with me back then, only three of us are left alive now."

A Six-Star Sovereign sighed heavily.

An Eight-Star Sovereign chuckled and added, "Sovereign Mo Chen, you may have only been trapped since the last trial, but I've been here for twelve cycles! I've been stuck in this Purple Ore Mystery Realm for a total of 660,000 years!"

Other Sovereigns joined in the lamentation. "Indeed, who isn't the same?"

"Failing the tasks of the Purple Crystal Divine Mountain, unable to achieve the Divine Master Realm—we can only remain trapped here."

"I often wonder if we'll perish here in this Heavenly God Mountain like many of our comrades, or if there's still hope for escape someday."

The murmurs and reflections of the Sovereigns left Lin Shan, Sima Liao, and Mu Qingxue deeply unsettled.

Before arriving at the Purple Ore Mystery Realm, they had heard that failing the Realm's tasks meant being trapped for tens of thousands—or even hundreds of thousands—of years. They hadn't fully believed it, but now the evidence was overwhelming.

And these were all past challengers? Trapped to perish here within the Heavenly God Mountain?

Looking at these Sovereigns, they couldn't help but sense the overwhelming power. Given how long these individuals had been trapped, what were the chances for them as new arrivals to succeed?

Ye Chen, however, set his eyes on the first Sovereign who had spoken—the Six-Star Sovereign.

"That Eight-Star Sovereign called him Sovereign Mo Chen. Could this be the same Sovereign Mo Chen whose epitaph I saw in the mausoleum? The one who hailed from Xingmeng God Kingdom?"

Ye Chen recalled the time he had transformed into a Purple Silver Pearl to slip into the Undersea Mountain Peak and discover the Mausoleum Graveyard within. The very first monument he noticed had been dedicated to Sovereign Mo Chen, a past challenger from Wanmu Mountain Divine Nation.

Seeing the living, breathing Sovereign Mo Chen before him now felt uncanny.

While the Sovereigns in the hall exchanged their thoughts loudly, the gray-robed elder glanced at Ye Chen and the others and commented, "Why haven't the five Great Commanders arrived yet?"

"Explaining the matters of the Purple Ore Mystery Realm and tasks related to the Purple Crystal Divine Mountain, as well as assigning mission locations—these responsibilities fall to the Great Commanders. We mustn't overstep."

The mere mention of the "Great Commanders" caused instant silence throughout the massive hall.