"Heh, the Outer Realm is my turf."
"You couldn't even defeat me here — and you think you can fight me out there?" The Hall Master of the Dark Hall laughed with open derision.
After all, he had come from the Outer Realm, so he naturally believed that he still held considerable influence there. That Yue Xian would try to threaten him with the Outer Realm — he found it genuinely amusing.
"The Outer Realm is vast beyond measure, and its experts are countless."
"This fairy will make you understand that the meager backing you have out there amounts to nothing more than a swarm of ants," Yue Xian said.
"Utterly ridiculous." As for the Hall Master of the Dark Hall, his fists were now clenched tight, his anger mounting.
In his view, once they were in the Outer Realm, Yue Xian would have no way to contend with him — nor would anyone from the Martial Sacred Continent for that matter.
Yet here was Yue Xian, speaking with such confidence that she would make him pay once they reached the Outer Realm. It left him seething, feeling as though he had been looked down upon.
"Yue Xian, do you think this Hall Master is some outcast abandoned by the Outer Realm? Do you think I came here to throw my weight around because I have no one to rely on out there?"
"Let me tell you — you're wrong. This Hall Master is a genius in the Outer Realm as well. My arrival here was nothing more than an accident."
"When you truly set foot in the OutThere, you will learn just how great this Hall Master's influence truly is."
All at once, the Hall Master of the Dark Hall erupted, venting these words in a fury. It was clear from his outburst that he despised being underestimated — Yue Xian had genuinely enraged him.
But after he finished speaking, there was no response from Yue Xian. She had truly departed.
"Just as expected — a useless coward who can only spout empty words."
"A fairy? What a joke!"
"Nothing but self-deception."
"She could only chase me down and hunt me while she still had the advantage. The moment I surpassed her, she fled faster than a dog."
"With abilities like that, she dares challenge me to a battle in the Outer Realm? How laughable." With Yue Xian gone, the Hall Master launched into a string of cold mockery and ridicule, using it to vent the frustration bottled up inside him.
Only after he had finished his verbal humiliation and his emotions had somewhat eased did he shift his gaze toward the distance.
There was clearly nothing there — and yet the Hall Master's eyes narrowed.
"The Gate of Illusion — truly wondrous. But I'm afraid… you cannot escape."
No sooner had the Hall Master's voice fallen than the four clones that had been stationed on the ground shot into the air, each landing at a distant point.
BOOM — BOOM — BOOM — BOOM
They each took position in a different direction, like four great mountains, guarding the four cardinal points — surrounding something invisible.
ROAR —
Suddenly, the four clones let out piercing roars in unison, and countless powerful black hands shot outward, clawing at the space they had enclosed.
HUM —
Almost immediately, the space that had been invisible began to shift and shimmer, and the Gate of Illusion materialized.
Once the Gate of Illusion appeared, countless hands emerged from the four clones as well, clenching into fists that hammered relentlessly against the Gate.
The Gate of Illusion had been utterly indestructible, yet those fists seemed to carry a special force that even the Gate could not withstand. In moments, the Gate — once unbreakable — began to shake violently.
Inside the Gate itself, the world was trembling just as violently, as though it were on the verge of collapse.
"No — this place is going to be destroyed! We're all going to die!!!"
Inside the Gate of Illusion, every last person wore the ashen face of death.
Despair — a hopelessness without end. They had felt this despair before, because the Hall Master of the Dark Hall had already been on the verge of breaking open what should have been an unbreakable Gate.
It was only Yue Xian's arrival that had given them hope, a feeling of rebirth from the brink of destruction.
But now, even Yue Xian had proven no match for the Hall Master of the Dark Hall. They knew… there was no one left who could stop him.
In this moment, there was only one thing left for them to do — wait for death!!!
The thought of their impending deaths was enough to bring even many of the adults to bitter, anguished weeping.
The children understood little, but seeing the adults cry, they began to wail as well.
In an instant, the vast expanse of the Gate of Illusion descended into chaos, panic spreading to every corner.
By now, even the Elven King and the Immortal of the Heavens had lost the heart to try to calm anyone.
Because they too knew that their situation was truly dire — a catastrophe bearing down upon them. Even if they could steady the crowd's emotions, none of them could escape the fate of death.
"Chu Feng, I know you are hiding inside this Gate of Illusion."
"If I'm not mistaken, inside the Gate at this very moment, there must be wailing and screaming everywhere. And whether it's you, or the Elven King, or that Immortal of the Heavens — none of you can stop them, because you yourselves are equally consumed by despair."
"Despair — that is precisely what this Hall Master desires. That is the price for opposing me."
"This Hall Master… intends to make you despair until you break." The Hall Master of the Dark Hall stood like a spectator, watching with a gleeful smile as his four clones worked to dismantle what had been an indestructible Gate.
"My Lord Hall Master, please stop — please, I don't want to die!"
"No — we never opposed you! We are willing to submit! Please, don't kill us!"
Some among the crowd had begun to beg for mercy, even though they knew full well that the Hall Master could not hear their pleas — and that even if he could, it would make no difference. Yet faced with death, they still revealed the fatal flaw within them… cowardice!!!