Noticing this, the corner of Yang Kai's mouth twitched slightly upward, though he didn't make any overt moves. It was enough for him to be privately aware of it.
The appointed time arrived swiftly. Everyone gathered along the shores of Broken Mirror Lake couldn't help but silently condense their strength, ready to spring into action at a moment's notice. They kept their eyes and ears open in every direction, not only searching for the location where the Artifacts would appear, but also watching for any moves from their enemies.
Seizing Artifacts would inevitably lead to battle—and that was exactly how the Yang family intended to accelerate the progression of the succession struggle.
Unlike Yang Kai's comprehensive awareness, the other five Yang family heirs relied on their own guesses, periodically casting their gazes toward Broken Mirror Lake and designating the lake's surface as a priority zone to watch. Every now and then they whispered a few words to the Blood Guards standing nearby, soliciting their opinions.
The atmosphere grew tenser by the moment.
Suddenly, a pillar of radiance erupted from the depths of Broken Mirror Lake, surging skyward. A powerful wave of energy exploded outward, and with the naked eye—through the crystalline water—one could see brilliant lines of light flickering to life one after another, converging into a mysterious formation that blanketed the entire lakebed.
The spiritual energy of heaven and earth stuttered.
"It's appeared!" Countless exclamations rang out from the spectators, every one of them craning their necks toward the lake.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh...
Beam after beam of light shot from the lakebed straight into the sky, and within each radiant column, an Artifact of varying shape and color gleamed, igniting the greed of all who beheld them.
In the blink of an eye, nearly a hundred beams had soared into the upper air, trailing cascades of water droplets that poured down like a torrential downpour.
Every pair of eyes clung to those hundred beams of light with the tenacity of leeches, burning with desire.
After rising to roughly thirty zhang, the beams' momentum gradually halted. With a thunderous boom, they radiated outward in every direction, scattering without pattern at speeds that rivaled shooting stars!
"Young Master Huo!" Huo Xingchen turned his head toward Yang Kai, urging him anxiously.
Yang Kai gave a faint nod.
The next instant, half of their camp's fighters launched into the air. Each one made a beeline for the nearest Artifact, employing whatever means they had, snatching the treasures into their hands amid laughter and elation.
None of the young-generation leaders budged. Most of those in the Shenyou Realm held back as well. The ones who shot out were all Zhenyuan Realm fighters and Shenyou Realm cultivators below the third level.
It wasn't just Yang Kai's side that played it this way—the same was true everywhere else.
Everyone knew that this first batch of Artifacts would be of limited grade. It would be foolish to throw their formation into chaos over such prizes.
Moreover, since these first Artifacts radiated outward in every direction, they were essentially delivered on a platter—there would be no contest or interference from enemies. There was no reason to scramble.
The spectators, on the other hand, had eyes blazing with fervor, swallowing repeatedly.
Anyone who came merely to watch could only be of modest strength. The sight of so many Artifacts appearing at once was irresistible.
The six heirs had brought a combined total of nearly eight hundred fighters. Even dispatching only half of them, the hundred Artifacts—though impressive in number—were far from enough to go around.
Not a single Artifact made it out of the lake. Every one was intercepted mid-flight by the fighters.
Once those who had claimed Artifacts returned to their respective camps, broad smiles broke out on every side.
The first batch was divided almost peacefully among the six factions, with no proper battle erupting, and each side had secured roughly the same quantity.
"All mid- to low-grade earth grade." Huo Xingchen glanced at the retrieved Artifacts and curled his lip. "The Eight Great Families really are stingy."
Han Xiaoqi's expression remained indifferent. She brushed the loose strands of hair behind her ear and said, "Young Master Huo, you come from one of the great super-clans—you don't understand the hardships of ordinary martial artists. These Artifacts may not amount to much to you, but for others, they can represent a significant boost in power."
Huo Xingchen chuckled. "My beauty, there's no need to be so formal between us. I may be a Huo, but we're allies now, aren't we? That's a topic worth discussing—once this business is settled, we should have a proper chat."
Han Xiaoqi fell silent immediately, casting a pleading glance at Yang Kai, hoping he would say something to put a stop to Huo Xingchen's pestering.
Yang Kai's brows were tightly knit as though lost in thought, his gaze fixed on the mysterious formation beneath Broken Mirror Lake.
The glowing lines continued to radiate their brilliance, casting shimmering patterns across the lakebed. Just as Huo Xingchen finished speaking, another hundred beams of light burst from the depths.
Huo Xingchen glanced at Yang Kai, and seeing that his expression hadn't changed, immediately barked in a low voice: "Seize them!"
The same group that had claimed prizes moments ago launched into the air once more.
"Everyone, be careful!" Yang Kai suddenly called out.
The others were still riding the high of their earlier haul and didn't quite understand why he said that—until they took a close look at the trajectories of these new Artifacts, and their vigilance flared.
This second batch was different from the first. Rather than radiating outward, they shot straight up and hovered directly over the center of Broken Mirror Lake, packed together in a dense cluster.
Every fighter's true yuan surged to full concentration. Power coursed through their bodies as the glow of martial skills and Artifacts blazed to life. In an instant, all six factions collided in the center.
A fierce battle erupted without delay.