Yang Yan had been waiting for those exact words. Without a moment's hesitation, she pulled an array disc from her spatial ring. It looked much like the one Wuyi used — gold and silver in coloring, though slightly smaller in size.
Small it might be, but it had no trouble controlling Dragon Cave Mountain's grand array.
She fed several strands of Saint Yuan into it, and the disc immediately let out a low hum. The gold and silver colors surged toward the center, quickly merging into one inseparable whole.
At the same time, Dragon Cave Mountain — previously laid bare for all to see — was once again shrouded in clouds and mist. The mountain protection grand array flickered to life with a faint glow, wrapping the entire peak in its embrace.
"I'm heading back first. Wuyi isn't very skilled at controlling the array yet," Yang Yan said.
"Mm." Yang Kai gave a slight nod.
Yang Yan immediately dove downward and vanished. The instant she left, Yang Kai's figure was exposed for all to see. The sight startled every powerful observer watching the area.
Yang Kai swept a cold gaze around him. Though he couldn't see anyone, he knew his Dragon Cave Mountain had attracted far too many powerful eyes. Most were mere spectators — only a handful had any real connection to the siege.
With a faint, cold laugh, Yang Kai likewise blurred and plunged into Dragon Cave Mountain.
"That kid… he's turned the grand array back on. Does he really think he can wipe them all out in one go?" Back in Tianyun City, Fei Zhitu stared blankly.
Qian Tong was equally baffled: "Surely he can't be that ambitious?"
The two exchanged glances, completely at a loss to explain what they were seeing.
On the other side, Jin Shi and Feng Pozi harbored similar doubts but had some faith in their subordinates, so they weren't particularly worried. It was Feng Yan — who had been supporting Feng Pozi all along — whose eyes flickered with a strange light before she turned to observe Dragon Cave Mountain with keen interest.
She was very curious to see how this battle would ultimately end.
"How ignorant!" Over at Liuli Gate, a stunningly beautiful woman in courtly robes slowly shook her head. Disappointment showed in her eyes. She had actually been somewhat impressed upon seeing the dense layers of restrictions around Dragon Cave Mountain, but after the defenders scored a small victory, they had grown so arrogant as to reopen the grand array, attempting to trap everyone at once. Truly disappointing.
Opening the array without an absolute advantage — that wasn't trapping fish in a barrel. That was cutting off one's own escape.
Behind the woman stood two young women. One wore an expression of gleeful schadenfreude, while the other looked deeply worried, her lovely face pale.
The two were close in age and similar in build, but worlds apart in appearance — one bewitchingly beautiful, the other plain to the point of homeliness. They were Yin Sudie and Dai Yuan of Liuli Gate, and the woman who had spoken was Gong Aofu, daughter of the Liuli Gate Master and master to both girls.
"Master, what do you think Dragon Cave Mountain's fate will be this time?" Though Yin Sudie addressed her master, her pretty eyes drifted toward Dai Yuan.
She had once suffered a devastating defeat at Yang Kai's hands and naturally hated him to the bone. Now, watching Dragon Cave Mountain teeter on the brink, she was delighted — especially seeing Dai Yuan fret over the mountain's fate, which only deepened her pleasure.
"Isn't it painfully obvious? Why bother asking me?" Gong Aofu gave a cold snort.
"Master means that Dragon Cave Mountain won't make it through this?" Yin Sudie giggled.
"From the very beginning, the ones in charge of Dragon Cave Mountain made the wrong call." Gong Aofu shook her head slowly without answering directly. "Pitting a small hilltop like this against titans like Wanshou Mountain and the Demonic Blood Cult — that's throwing an egg against a rock. Even if this little hilltop has layers upon layers of restrictions and somehow scrapes out a victory, so what? Jin Shi and Feng Pozi are still here. Do you think they'd just stand by and watch Dragon Cave Mountain strut around? The moment they decide to act, the defenders will have no choice but to submit."
"I see!" Yin Sudie put on a studious expression and cast a smug glance at Dai Yuan, who bit her red lip without a word.
Chuckling, Yin Sudie added, "Master means that if Dragon Cave Mountain had any sense, it shouldn't have provoked Wanshou Mountain and the Demonic Blood Cult in the first place."
Gong Aofu neither confirmed nor denied it, simply saying, "That is the way of the world. Whoever has the bigger fist gets to speak."
"But Master, if Elder Jin Shi and Lady Feng truly make a move, Yingyue Hall won't sit idle — and Elder Qian Tong certainly won't stand by!" Dai Yuan suddenly interjected, her expression grave.
"Yingyue Hall?" Gong Aofu cast a faint glance at Dai Yuan and laughed softly. "Even so, what of it? With the means Jin Shi and Feng Pozi possess, dealing with Dragon Cave Mountain would take only a few breaths. Even if Qian Tong intervenes, who could he possibly stop? By then, everyone will be dead. Do you really think Yingyue Hall would make enemies of Wanshou Mountain and the Demonic Blood Cult over a bunch of corpses?"
Dai Yuan's slender body trembled.
Gong Aofu frowned at her. "Yuan'er, are you feeling unwell?"
Before Dai Yuan could answer, Yin Sudie chimed in with a light laugh, "Master, Senior Sister is just worried about Dragon Cave Mountain. She's fine."