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It wasn't just within Lingxiao Sect — every martial artist on the entire Dark Star had their gaze fixed on the same spot at this moment.
The Imperial Garden!
At this very time, the Imperial Garden churned with multicolored radiance that dazzled the eye, hovering silently in the sky some unfathomable tens of thousands of zhang above. Drifting clouds passed alongside it, lending it an ethereal, half-glimpsed quality that made it impossible to see through.
And as the commotion from the Imperial Garden intensified, an invisible oppressive force spread outward of its own accord.
The might of Imperial Authority! Fortunately, this Imperial Might was not too powerful. Otherwise, at least eighty percent of the martial artists on the Dark Star would have been in serious trouble.
Hum…
A series of faint vibrations rang out from all across the Dark Star. Palm-sized jade tokens materialized one after another, radiating a soft, white glow. Even those that had been stored inside spatial rings seemed drawn by some mysterious force, flying out on their own.
The owners of these Imperial Jades reached out and grasped them. An indescribable sensation coursed through their entire bodies. Every one of them shuddered, and looks of delight appeared on their faces.
The Imperial Garden was about to open!
No one had told them this directly, but the moment they touched the Imperial Jades, they all sensed this marvelous truth at once. From the day the Imperial Garden first appeared to now, they had waited a full two or three years. At last, the Imperial Garden was finally going to open.
This was an opportunity of a lifetime. Countless people were filled with excitement and exhilaration.
Within Lingxiao Sect, Yang Kai's figure flickered, and he appeared beside Yang Yan and the others, his expression solemn as he looked up toward the sky.
"Yang Kai!" Yang Yan called out, her crimson lips parting as she was about to say something, but Yang Kai simply grinned. "I know."
Yang Yan gave a slight nod and said nothing more.
Qian Tong and the others had wanted to ask Yang Kai how his realm stabilization was progressing, but this was obviously not the time for such matters, so they kept silent as well.
Time continued to pass. Under the watchful eyes of everyone present, the Imperial Garden in the sky was now enveloped in dense, multicolored rosy clouds, appearing both majestic and breathtakingly beautiful. Before long, the multicolored clouds suddenly surged inward, pouring into the interior of the Imperial Garden as though it had absorbed them.
Immediately after, three pillars of white light shot straight down from beneath the Imperial Garden. Their speed was extraordinarily slow.
Upon seeing this, Yang Kai felt a chill run through him, and his expression shifted slightly.
The last time the Imperial Jades had appeared, a similar phenomenon had occurred — and the result was that Dragon Cave Mountain's protective grand formation had been blasted apart. Now these pillars of light had appeared again, three of them firing at once. Would Lingxiao Sect suffer the same fate?
Fortunately, Yang Kai's worry proved unfounded. Although the three pillars of light shot straight downward, they stopped after extending only to the middle of the sky. Once the pillars faded, it appeared that something had been left behind in midair, radiating an intense, blinding glow.
Everyone held their breath, their eyes fixed on the spot.
Though the distance was great, the people present were all of considerable strength, and they could see clearly enough. What the three pillars of light had left behind in their wake were three white jade disc-shaped objects, hovering eerily in midair.
Their size didn't appear particularly large — perhaps only spanning a few zhang across. Upon the surface of each white jade disc, intricate and mysterious patterns shimmered with light, clearly inscribed with elaborate formations. The distance between each disc appeared to be at least a hundred li.
"Space Formation!" Yang Yan's beautiful eyes flashed with a hint of surprise. After a moment of contemplation, she called out, "It seems one must pass through those three Space Formations to enter the Imperial Garden."
"So that's how it is!" Qian Tong and the others' eyes lit up with sudden understanding.
All this time, they had been wondering how they would manage to penetrate into the Imperial Garden once it opened. After all, from what they could see with the naked eye, the Imperial Garden appeared to have no clear entrance whatsoever — a question that had given countless experts on the Dark Star considerable headaches.
They had originally speculated that the entrance had something to do with the Imperial Jades that had recently appeared. But now it seemed that assumption was entirely wrong.
When the Imperial Garden opened, three Space Formations would appear, and one only needed to pass through them to enter the Garden! The Imperial Jades, meanwhile, served solely to shield against the Imperial Might.
Without an Imperial Jade, there was simply no way to get close to those three Space Formations!
Everything suddenly clicked into place.
"This old man shall go first!" Just as the group was lost in thought, an aged voice rang out from beside them. The words had barely been spoken when two figures shot upward, transforming into streaks of light and hurtling toward one of the Space Formations.
They were none other than the Palace Master and Grand Elder of the Floating Mist Palace!
Now that the Imperial Garden had opened and the Space Formations had appeared, they had no intention of wasting a single moment. Strike first and gain the upper hand — they set off at once.
By paying the price of a single Imperial Jade, they had gained access to the interior of Lingxiao Sect. Departing from this plaza to head for the Imperial Garden would put them at least half a day ahead of everyone else on the Dark Star.
In that half-day head start, they could explore far more locations and search for far more treasures!
No sooner had they departed for the Imperial Garden than two more groups rose into the air from within Lingxiao Sect. However, their geographical starting positions were less than ideal — though they were within Lingxiao Sect's territory, the plaza was a considerable distance away from where they currently were.