Despite the reputation and strength of the woman surnamed Ye inspiring wariness, she was only one person. With so many powerful experts present joining forces, how could she possibly hold them all back?
Only Qian Tong and Fei Zhitu remained standing in place with dark expressions, holding back. Given their relationship with Dragon Cave Mountain, they naturally wouldn't go looking for trouble with the woman surnamed Ye—they were far more worried about Yang Kai's situation.
Aside from them, two other groups hadn't moved either. The first was the Qiantian Sect contingent led by Grand Elder Mo Yu, and the second was a handful of women led by Liuli Gate Elder Gong Aofu.
The former seemed to be lost in thought, merely watching the interior of Dragon Cave Mountain with a smile tugging at his lips, seemingly enjoying a fine show, adopting the posture of a detached spectator.
As for the latter, although she was itching to force her way into Dragon Cave Mountain, Gong Aofu was, after all, only a Return Void Stage Two cultivator—slightly lacking in strength. Seeing the woman surnamed Ye unleash her fury, all she could do was stand in place with an anxious expression, powerless to intervene.
Beyond these people, practically everyone else—regardless of cultivation level—was desperately trying to charge into Dragon Cave Mountain. Most of them didn't necessarily want to make an enemy of the woman surnamed Ye; they were simply too curious about what secrets lay hidden behind that pillar of light. Seizing the opportunity while she was surrounded by multiple Return Void Stage Three experts, they employed various means to try to bypass the battlefield and rush inside.
Watching the situation spiral out of control, Ge Qi, Chang Qi, Hao An, Ning Xiangchen, and the others naturally sprang into action as well, summoning their respective Artifacts to block the intruders.
Sacred Energies of every color streaked and burst through the air. Before Dragon Cave Mountain's grand protective formation, a colossal melee erupted in the blink of an eye.
This battle had started abruptly, and it ended just as quickly. After all, the enemy was simply too numerous. The woman surnamed Ye and the other four Return Void cultivators couldn't possibly stop everyone. Seizing the moment when she was entangled, Mo Xiaosheng once again unleashed his mysterious spatial power, his figure blurring on the spot.
This time, the woman surnamed Ye truly had no way to stop him. All she could do was watch helplessly as he vanished from where he stood and charged into Dragon Cave Mountain.
"Damn it!" The woman surnamed Ye gritted her silver teeth. In that brief moment of distraction, even more Return Void Stage experts slipped through, breaking free from her grasp. Their bodies flickered as they hurtled toward the mountain's interior.
A deep sense of powerlessness welled up inside the woman surnamed Ye. If she were a Void King Stage expert, stopping this crowd would require no effort at all. But she was merely at Return Void Stage Three. Although one foot had already stepped into the domain of the Void King Stage, under the suppression of the Dark Star's laws of heaven and earth, she could never break through that final barrier. The strength she could bring to bear was drastically diminished.
Continuing to stall was pointless. The woman surnamed Ye beckoned, grasping the Erosive Bone Departing Fire Lamp in her palm. Her slender figure flickered as she enveloped Yang Yan in her aura and charged into the mountain after the others.
Since she had left, the rest had no intention of staying behind. They all followed in quick succession.
Qian Tong and Fei Zhitu exchanged a glance, both with furrowed brows and worried expressions. They sighed in resignation and followed after them as well.
Over on the Qiantian Sect side, Mo Yu considered for a moment before saying, "You all stay outside. I'll go in and take a look."
Given how things were unfolding, another major battle could easily erupt before long. Mo Yu certainly wouldn't let his sect's disciples wade further into danger.
"Master!" Shen Shitao suddenly called out.
Mo Yu glanced at her and smiled warmly. "You have something to say?"
Shen Shitao bit her red lip gently and said with some unease, "Junior Brother Yang once saved both my life and Senior Sister Lü Ying's. If it's at all possible, Master... could you please look out for him?"
It had taken all her courage to voice those words. Mo Yu was her master—she had no standing to request that he do anything, and this situation was far too complex. Intervening could easily draw fire upon themselves. She had braced herself for a rebuke the moment the words left her lips.
To her surprise, Mo Yu merely pondered briefly before nodding readily. "Fine, I'll do my best. But don't get your hopes up—this time... heh!"
Mo Yu left the sentence unfinished, but everyone understood what he meant. He clearly felt that Dragon Cave Mountain's situation was looking rather grim.
Yet both Shen Shitao and Lü Ying were overjoyed, thanking him profusely and bowing gracefully. By the time they straightened, Mo Yu had already vanished without a trace. The two women exchanged a glance and let out soft breaths of relief—never expecting their master to be so agreeable.
Regardless of how things ultimately turned out, having found the courage to plead on Yang Kai's behalf before Mo Yu, they had done what they could.
On the other side, Gong Aofu similarly instructed Yin Sudie and Dai Yuan to remain outside and wait, then charged alone into Dragon Cave Mountain.
She moved through the mountain with little obstruction, but Gong Aofu could still sense that the mountain had once been riddled with restrictions and formations—only now they had all been destroyed.
With so many powerful experts having stormed in earlier, no number of restrictions and formations could have held them back, especially with no one currently manning Dragon Cave Mountain's arrays to bring them to full power.
Gong Aofu's heart stirred with alarm. Before long, she arrived at a particular location deep within Dragon Cave Mountain where a large gathering of Return Void Stage experts had assembled, several of whom were at Return Void Stage Three. They stood arranged in a semicircle around a vast area, and at the very center lay the spot where the Imperial Garden's pillar of light had descended earlier.