The might of the Emperor pressed down on everyone, making breathing difficult and turning their hands and feet to ice.
Here and now, regardless of cultivation level or age, every powerhouse before the Emperor's Might felt as helpless as three-year-old children. This realization filled them with both shock and terror—they finally understood just how lofty and unapproachable a being the Starry Sky Great Emperor truly was.
The Emperor's Might alone carried such overwhelming power. If the Great Emperor were still alive, a single thought from him would likely reduce everyone present to dust.
That was an existence that had unquestionably surpassed the Void King Realm!
Fortunately, the Emperor's Might did not persist for long. After roughly the time it took to burn a stick of incense, that invisible force gradually receded until it vanished entirely. Gasps of air filled the air one after another, and every face wore an expression of someone who had narrowly escaped death.
Before anyone could catch their breath, yet another anomaly struck!
A deafening hum shook heaven and earth, emanating from the Emperor's Palace.
"What now?" someone cried out with a grim face. The repeated upheavals throughout the day had already frayed their nerves to the breaking point—they feared some terrible change had occurred within the Emperor's Palace.
Looking up, they saw that from the position of the Emperor's Palace, a pillar of light had erupted, descending seemingly slowly but actually with tremendous speed toward the ground below. The pillar was only as thick as an arm, yet it seemed to contain world-ending power, making it impossible to look at directly.
Yang Kai's face turned ashen in an instant.
There was no other reason—this mysterious pillar of light was shooting straight toward his Dragon Cave Mountain!
The Emperor's Palace had always hovered directly above Dragon Cave Mountain, and this pillar of light was falling straight down. Dragon Cave Mountain was directly in its path, with nowhere to hide.
The Mountain Protection Formation was formidable, and within it lay layer upon layer of restrictions, but whether it could withstand this pillar of light, Yang Kai had not the slightest confidence. In his urgency, he looked toward Yang Yan, only to see her wearing the same grim expression. He immediately knew things were bad.
In the blink of an eye, the pillar of light from the Emperor's Palace collided with Dragon Cave Mountain's Grand Mountain Protection Formation. That formation shield—which had withstood the combined assault of over thirty Return Void Stage experts for two days and two nights without breaking—dissolved like snowflakes beneath a blazing sun.
Without a sound, the Grand Mountain Protection Formation was pierced through. The shield's light flickered wildly and instantly dimmed to almost nothing.
Then the pillar of light plunged into some location within Dragon Cave Mountain and vanished without a trace. Faintly, a powerful wave of energy radiated outward from that spot.
Countless gazes turned in unison toward the interior of Dragon Cave Mountain. Expressions varied—suspicion, confusion, greed, wariness…
No matter what that pillar of light actually was, it had undeniably erupted from the Emperor's Palace. Everyone had seen it with their own eyes. And now, after the pillar had disappeared, it seemed as though something had been left behind.
Everyone wanted to know what it was!
Was it a supreme treasure, or an entrance into the Emperor's Palace? Whatever it was, it was enough to make anyone's eyes burn with envy, to draw them toward investigation. The appearance of this pillar of light had once again made Dragon Cave Mountain the center of all attention.
At this moment, Dragon Cave Mountain's Grand Mountain Protection Formation had already been breached. If not for the woman surnamed Ye standing there with her phoenix eyes radiating authority, the scene would have long since descended into chaos. The fragile balance that remained existed solely because of her intimidating presence.
But how long could she hold them at bay? No one could say for certain. After all, the stakes were enormously high this time. The woman surnamed Ye stood alone—no matter how powerful she was, she could not possibly stop everyone.
The woman herself seemed to recognize this. An invisible force emanated from her delicate frame, and though she appeared slender and fragile, she stood with an air that said one person could hold a pass against ten thousand.
Yang Kai's eye twitched. Bitterness flooded his mouth.
That things had developed to this point was something no one could have predicted. There were only two options now: retreat and let these powerhouses explore Dragon Cave Mountain themselves to satisfy their curiosity, or stand firm and deny anyone entry, claiming for himself whatever the pillar of light had left behind. There was simply no third path.
Standing firm was impossible. Even a mighty tiger could not fend off a pack of wolves. With only the woman surnamed Ye alone, how could she possibly withstand the charge of so many powerhouses?
But retreating was not in Yang Kai's nature either. If they were curious about what the pillar of light had left behind, so was he!
Reading the room, he could see the experts from the various factions exchanging glances, clearly on the verge of making a move. Yang Kai knew he had to make his choice now—if he waited for them to act first, he would inevitably lose the initiative.
With that thought, Yang Kai sent a spiritual transmission to the woman surnamed Ye. She raised her delicate brow in surprise, then gave an almost imperceptible nod.
The moment the two of them reached an understanding, Mo Xiaosheng of the Battle Heaven Alliance, unable to contain his curiosity any longer, stepped forward and clasped his fists with a grave expression. "Senior Sister Ye…"