Thinking this, Ruan Hongbo felt beads of sweat the size of beans roll down his forehead, realizing that life at Heavenly Extreme Hall wouldn't be easy going forward either. Originally, the strength of Heavenly Extreme Hall and Tianzhao Palace had been neck and neck, but now the other side had produced an Emperor Sovereign. If Heavenly Extreme Hall wanted to survive, it had no choice but to show its sincere loyalty.
Qiu Ze was a true overlord! No wonder he had come swaggering and so full of himself.
Inside the Mountain Protection Grand Array, Ye Hen and the others wore expressions of utter despair and pallor. The sect had already been in turmoil with Shi Cangying stirring up trouble, splitting it into two factions. And now Qiu Ze had actually advanced to the Emperor Sovereign Realm and was standing right outside the Mountain Protection Grand Array—how were they supposed to go on?
Shi Cangying's face was similarly stricken with horror. He no longer dared to act presumptuously toward Qiu Ze and stammered in panic, "So Palace Master Qiu has long since ascended to the Emperor rank! Shi offers his congratulations to Palace Master Qiu!"
Ruan Hongbo, Mu Zheng, and the others all echoed in unison, "Congratulations to Palace Master Qiu on achieving the Emperor rank!"
Qiu Ze burst into hearty laughter, his voice rumbling like thunder and sending chills through everyone's bodies.
……
In the cave, Yang Kai stared intently at the strange stone, not daring to miss even the slightest change.
After he had shattered tens of millions of mid-grade and high-grade Source Crystals, converting them into a Spirit Mist Sea, an even more powerful devouring force had emanated from within the strange stone, continuously swallowing the spiritual energy. As time passed, the crimson glow on the stone's surface grew increasingly radiant, and Liu Yan's aura became clearer and clearer.
After several days, Yang Kai gradually realized that things were not what he had imagined.
Liu Yan was in no danger. Although she had been swallowed by the strange stone, Yang Kai could sense that she was currently in a deep slumber, perfectly peaceful. Moreover, the aura she released unconsciously even carried a trace of excitement and joy.
It seemed that this encounter was not a misfortune for her at all—it was, in fact, something incredibly beneficial.
Could it be that Ye Chong's words weren't lies, and there really was a fortuitous opportunity here? It was just that this opportunity was meant for Liu Yan.
Recalling how Ye Chong had kept staring at Liu Yan when speaking of the opportunity back then, Yang Kai felt this might very well be the case.
But what exactly this opportunity was, Yang Kai still couldn't quite figure out. All he could do now was guard Liu Yan's side and wait to see what happened.
After another day, the Spirit Mist Sea inside the cave had grown exceedingly thin. Though the spiritual energy within this secret realm was extremely dense, the strange stone still didn't seem to have reached saturation.
Yang Kai once again scattered another ten million Source Crystals and repeated the process, letting the strange stone devour them all.
At this moment, the entire strange stone had turned completely crimson, as though it had just been fished out of scorching magma. The cave was unbearably hot as well, the surrounding walls having been melted away.
Liu Yan's aura grew ever clearer. But what shocked and delighted Yang Kai was that Liu Yan's aura seemed far more powerful than before, and it carried an additional quality—a certain indescribable essence that defied explanation.
Staring at it, Yang Kai's heart suddenly stirred, and he murmured, "Wait—this is just an egg!"
Earlier, he had assumed too much and hadn't paid much attention. But now, looking more carefully, he realized that the oval-shaped strange stone resembled nothing so much as a large egg.
Thinking of this, Yang Kai recalled that Little Xiao Xiao and his Dharma Body had both hatched from pitch-black stones—the special way stone puppets came into being. Could it be that Liu Yan would also hatch from within this strange stone?
This strange stone was different from the two unusual stones he had obtained back then, so it wasn't a product of the stone puppet clan. Yang Kai couldn't quite determine what this stone actually was, but with this speculation in mind, he couldn't help but grow expectant.
If his guess was correct, then Liu Yan would one day break free from the stone—he just didn't know what she would look like afterward.
This truly was a fortuitous opportunity meant for Liu Yan.
Two more days passed in the blink of an eye.
The speed at which the strange stone devoured the surrounding spiritual energy had noticeably slowed, and it was growing slower by the moment. Yang Kai knew the stone must be nearing saturation. What would become of Liu Yan would soon be revealed. He stared unblinkingly at the strange stone, his heart churning with anxiety.
Half a day later, just as Yang Kai was growing increasingly uneasy, a crisp cracking sound suddenly rang out from within the stone.
Yang Kai's head snapped up in alarm as he quickly looked toward the strange stone, only to find that a thin fissure had appeared right in its center.
Crack, crack, crack…
The moment that first crack appeared, it seemed to trigger a chain reaction. A continuous series of sounds rang out as crack after crack appeared, spreading across the entire stone in a pattern as dense as a spider's web.
Yang Kai's expression grew grim as he focused even more intently, ready to step in and lend Liu Yan a hand at a moment's notice.
CRASH—
With a sudden sound, the entire strange stone shattered apart, breaking into countless tiny fragments that scattered across the ground.
Yang Kai was alarmed, thinking something had gone wrong with Liu Yan. But when he saw a mass of brilliant crimson light appear where the stone had been, his heart eased once more.
Liu Yan's aura was clearly radiating from within that light, confirming she was still safe.
The light blazed fiercely, flooding the entire cave with a crimson glow. Yang Kai squinted and peered closely but couldn't make out any details. He sent out his divine sense, only to find it equally obscured—as though the light had inherited the strange stone's ability to devour spiritual sense, rendering him unable to see clearly.
A full incense stick's worth of time passed before the crimson light abruptly receded, plunging the cave back into darkness.
Only then did Yang Kai finally see the scene before him clearly.