"Right on time."
"But no matter — let the famously reclusive Immortal Sea Fish Clan be the first to learn of our Prison Sect's might."
The Warden gazed into the void, showing no fear whatsoever. If anything, he looked excited.
But then his expression shifted, and he turned toward the white-robed figure: "Master, you're really leaving?"
It was only now that the white-robed figure had arrived before the enormous spatial gate that stretched from the summit all the way to some distant point among the stars.
He was clearly about to bolt.
"Should I stay and wait to die?" the white-robed figure asked.
"Heh…" The Warden chuckled at those words.
"Master, since you've put it that way, there's no point in me holding anything back at this stage."
"Not only are you a Heavenly Dragon-realm Spirit Master — in truth, I too have entered the Heavenly God realm of martial cultivation."
With those words, a faint wisp of aura escaped from within him, yet it swept across the entire mountaintop.
Not a single person below the True God realm could withstand it, and even those at the late True God stage felt the crushing weight of death.
"The Warden has actually stepped into the Heavenly God realm!!!"..o Sensing that terrifying pressure, the members of the Prison Sect erupted in wild elation.
The Heavenly God realm — even some overlord factions of the vast Heavenly River had spent lifetimes trying to reach it, yet this was a threshold many never managed to cross.
The white-robed figure, however, remained calm: "I sensed long ago that you had already entered the Heavenly God realm."
"…"
"Master, if you knew — then why…?" The Warden was bewildered.
"Within the sealing formation, I incorporated a strand of my perception."
"Their hidden strength goes beyond a single first-level Heavenly God."
With those words, the white-robed figure stepped through the spatial gate.
"Damn — the Immortal Sea Fish Clan had been hiding this much?"
"Despicable."
Hearing this, the Warden also realized things were dire.
"Warden!!!"
"What do we do?!"
At that moment, every member of the Prison Sect turned to the Warden, awaiting his decision.
The Warden stared into the void, unwilling to concede, but ultimately swept his sleeve and issued his command: "All sect members — follow me. We leave this place."
With that, the Warden led every Prison Sect member present toward the spatial gate.
Meanwhile, at the location where Chu Feng and Little Fish stood.
In the blink of an eye, tens of millions of figures descended from above, their densely packed silhouettes forming a true sea of people.
Chu Feng and Little Fish found themselves completely surrounded by this ocean of bodies.
Yet despite being engulfed by such an overwhelming force, neither Little Fish nor Chu Feng showed the slightest panic. Instead, a profound sense of security washed over them.
Seeing this arrangement, Chu Feng finally allowed himself to relax — but the moment he did, his entire body went limp.
Even though he desperately wanted to stand upright and properly greet the Immortal Sea Fish Clan, his body had already been pushed far beyond its limits, held together by sheer willpower alone.
The instant that willpower gave way, his body refused to obey.
He could no longer stay on his feet, and consciousness slipped away as he collapsed.
"Big Brother!"
Seeing Chu Feng about to fall, Little Fish rushed forward to catch him.
But before she could reach him, another figure moved faster and caught Chu Feng first.
It was a broad-shouldered old man clad in armor, sturdy of frame, yet with a head full of white hair.
"Grandpa?" Little Fish stared, a hint of surprise on her face.
This man was none other than the former patriarch of the Immortal Sea Fish Clan — Little Fish's grandfather.
"Who would have thought that while I was in seclusion, the Immortal Sea Fish Clan would produce such an exceptional junior."
Little Fish's grandfather looked down at the bloodied, battered Chu Feng cradled in his arms, his eyes filled with admiration and pride.
"Grandpa, he's not a member of the Immortal Sea Fish Clan," Little Fish said.
"Oh?" Her grandfather raised an eyebrow, then turned to look at the vast Immortal Sea Fish Clan army.
"Go — find every last Prison Sect member for me. Dig through this entire world if you have to, but bring them to me."
() "Yes, sir!!!"
In an instant, the tens of millions of Immortal Sea Fish Clan members vanished.
Where moments ago an ocean of people had blotted out the sky, only Little Fish's grandfather, Chu Feng, and Little Fish remained.
But no one worried.
They all knew that this old man, standing alone here, was more dependable than an army of tens of millions.
Little Fish's grandfather produced a pill and placed it into Chu Feng's mouth.