"Oh my god, that lightning is heading straight for us! Run, everyone run!!!"
At that moment, the people gathered around the altar turned pale with terror, scrambling away in panic.
"No, it's useless—it's too late. None of us can escape." However, Ma Yue and her companions did not flee.
It wasn't that they didn't want to flee—they had already seen the power of the lightning. This was a tribulation they could not escape.
The lightning was simply too powerful. Not only was its momentum terrifying, but its speed was also incredibly fast—it had already struck down in the span of a single instant.
However, when that terrifying bolt of lightning descended from the heavens and fell into the Hundred Refinements Stage, it did not cause any devastating destruction.
Stunned, everyone stood there in shock, deeply bewildered.
They couldn't understand how such a terrifying bolt of lightning could fall without causing any damage at all.
Not even the protective barrier above the Hundred Refinements Stage had sustained the slightest damage—the lightning had passed right through it as though it were nothing more than a beam of light.
But the most astonished of all were Ma Yue and the others standing around the altar.
One by one, they stood there with mouths agape, staring wide-eyed at the Hundred Refinements Jade Stone that had fallen to the ground, their eyes filled with disbelief.
"Did you see that? Did you see what just happened?" Zhou Zongzhi couldn't believe what he had witnessed, so he turned to those around him and asked.
"We saw it. That lightning... just like Chu Feng, it was absorbed into the Hundred Refinements Jade Stone," the crowd said one after another.
"What's going on? Did the Hundred Refinements Jade Stone save us? Or... was the lightning actually triggered by the Hundred Refinements Jade Stone itself—a warning that it is sacred and inviolable, that no one may touch it?"
"Terrifying, absolutely terrifying. As expected of an ancient relic—it is truly not something we can provoke. That fool who didn't know his place has really brought about a catastrophic disaster." The crowd, still shaken, scrambled to their feet and tried to flee, convinced that the Hundred Refinements Jade Stone was the root cause of everything.
"Stop! Everyone stay where you are—no one is permitted to leave!" Just then, Zhou Zongzhi suddenly issued his command.
"Brother Zhou, it's too dangerous here. We have to leave," someone urged.
"Foolish. If that lightning had meant to harm us, none of us could have escaped. As long as we're inside the Hundred Refinements Stage, no matter where we run, the result will be the same—death," Zhou Zongzhi said.
"Are we just supposed to wait here to die?" someone asked.
"Not to die, but to wait for the elders to arrive."
"There's no way we're the only ones who noticed this. The elders of the Guardian Array Clan will surely arrive here shortly. Not only will they come—even the patriarch, who has never shown himself, will appear."
"After all, what happened just now was truly horrifying."
"When they arrive, they'll have no idea what happened. But we—we know exactly what triggered this disaster."
"So, we must all stay here and report what happened to the elders truthfully."
"When that happens, we'll have rendered a great service and will surely be generously rewarded," Zhou Zongzhi said.
"Brother Zhou is truly wise." At this point, the crowd finally understood Zhou Zongzhi's plan, and expressions of admiration appeared on their faces one after another.
"We can't let the elder fall into the hands of the Guardian Array Clan. We have to help." After learning of the plan, Ma Yue spoke up.
"But how are we supposed to help? We don't even know if that elder is alive or dead," Tian Yi said, somewhat at a loss.
"No matter what, we have to try." Even as she spoke, Ma Yue shot toward the altar, reaching for the Hundred Refinements Jade Stone—she intended to take it away.
However, the Hundred Refinements Jade Stone, which appeared so ordinary, was completely immovable in Ma Yue's hands. No matter how much strength she exerted, she couldn't budge it even the slightest bit.
"Hahaha, Ma Yue, you're far too naive. No one has been able to move the Hundred Refinements Jade Stone since ancient times. With just your strength? Save yourself the effort."
"Besides, that elder of yours is already dead," Zhou Zongzhi said mockingly.