On the small boat, the people of the Wendao Sword Sect were worrying about what was to come.
While Lu Yuan was fretting over having to continue acting as Xu Xian...
The silent tomb gate finally stirred...
At first, the tomb gate vibrated without cause, growing more intense by the second.
Next, countless tiny cracks began to spread across the gate.
Then...
Stone fragments fell away, and the azure light curtain surged like the waves of a deep sea, its radiance churning frantically.
Finally, a gap collapsed open, drawing the eyes of the entire world to a single point.
"That is..."
"This is bad, retreat!"
"Watch out!"
Boom!
A thunderous explosion rang out.
An aura that did not belong to this world surged forth from the crack in the azure light curtain.
Everywhere it passed, the mountains and rivers shook, space itself vibrated, and the resonance of the Dao could be heard ravaging the mortal realm.
Everyone present, whether they were the true bodies of saints, the spirit bodies of demon immortals, or ordinary twelfth stage cultivators, all reacted as if facing a mortal enemy.
They immediately retreated to a safe distance and mobilized their full spiritual power to protect themselves.
In the Black Desert, the wind raged without cause, whipping up yellow sand that blanketed the world.
The sky turned dark, and the howling wind roared incessantly in their ears.
Jiang Wanyin controlled the small boat, her expression growing increasingly grave.
Beside her, Lei Yunche, Yao Xiqiao, Lin Fengmian, Ye Xianyu, and Li Qingshan also went on high alert.
The worry in their eyes was plain to see.
They were wary of this sudden situation and the strange aura, but they were even more concerned for Xu Xian's safety, as he was still inside.
And he was not the alone.
Yao Xiaoxiao, Tu Kongkong, Xia Chu Yi...
A flash of crimson silently flickered in the depths of Lu Yuan's eyes.
Others might not understand the scene before them, but he knew exactly what was happening.
If he was not mistaken, this sudden burst of energy originated from the collapse of the boundary wall.
In other words, someone had slashed through the barrier between the two worlds.
This caused the laws of another plane to leak into Fanzhou, triggering a spatial clash and a plane collision.
To put it more bluntly, someone had collapsed the sky within the small world of the Emperor's Tomb.
The tomb gate was merely affected by the leaking aftershocks.
Lu Yuan had been to the small world of the Emperor's Tomb before and knew whose handiwork it was.
He could not imagine what kind of power was required to shatter the boundary wall.
At least in his view, the power of an Immortal King would likely not be enough.
The only explanation was...
The Sovereign has awakened...
The Sovereign has been unsealed...
He had struck with the full power of an Emperor within the Emperor's Tomb.
That was the only possibility.
So, he wondered, had Xu Xian compromised?
Had he sided with the Sovereign, or was he possessed?
Heaven only knew.
But one thing was certain: he was not dead.
The suddenness of it all caught everyone off guard.
Both the demons of the Demon Abyss and the external saints were stunned.
"What happened to the tomb gate?"
"Are they coming out?"
"What overbearing power... it actually forced back so many saints..."
A similar scene was playing out not just in the Black Desert, but also at the other seven tomb gates that had not yet closed.
The stone gates cracked, fragments fell, the light curtains churned, and energy leaked out to sweep across the mortal realm.
The only difference was that the beings in front of those gates were not saints, nor were they twelfth stage experts in the tribulation transcendence stage.
Under the impact of this energy, they suffered heavy losses.
Those with low cultivation stages were torn apart on the spot, while others were instantly vaporized.
Even those with higher stages were sent flying, either crashing into distant mountains or being buried under the yellow earth.
Some died, some were knocked unconscious, and some were severely injured.
"Damn it!"
"To hell with this!"
"What bad luck!"
Those further away were also affected, but fortunately, they did not suffer major harm.
However, some cloud boats were shredded on the spot, and their formations collapsed.
Eight stone gates, eight roars, and eight waves of energy surged forth.
The mountains shook, the earth quaked, and the air was filled with chaos.
The process of energy leakage lasted for a full few minutes before it finally settled down like a deflated balloon.
The mountains stopped shaking, the ground stopped moving, and space stopped trembling.
As the wind faded and the dust settled, some people crawled to their feet with faces covered in grime, while others looked back with lingering fear.
They saw nothing but a vast expanse of ruins.
Outside the Black Desert, the experts who were rushing over accelerated their pace upon hearing the commotion, their hearts filled with both anxiety and wariness.
They knew something had happened.
Inside the Black Desert, countless experts hovered high in the sky, parting the clouds with their hands to look down.
A massive crater had appeared around the tomb gate.
The entire stone gate had sunk into the pit, and the surrounding quicksand was slowly flowing back into it.
Their gazes converged on the very center of the stone gate.
There, the azure light curtain had returned to tranquility, but a hole had been blasted through it.
It was as if a drop of ink had stained a sheet of azure paper.
Turbulent currents were still slowly flowing out from that small gap.
Staring intently, they were shocked to discover that they could actually see another world through this hole.
Yes.
Their vision was no longer blocked, and their divine senses were no longer swallowed.
They could see it.
A small gap, about a hundred feet wide.
Unfortunately, the world inside was currently a grey haze, filled with billowing dust.
Lin Fengmian muttered, "This is..."
Jin Yu said, "The Emperor's Tomb."
Jiang Wanyin whispered, "How is this possible?"
Ye Xianyu asked, "What happened?"
Li Qingshan wondered, "Xu... Little Junior Martial Uncle... he won't be in trouble, will he?"
An ominous premonition hung over the small boat.
Lu Yuan said with relief, "I am still alive."
Whoosh!
Whoosh!!
Whoosh!!!
Everyone's gaze simultaneously turned toward him, their eyes dark and heavy.
Lu Yuan swallowed hard and explained, "Since I am alive, Xu Xian cannot be dead..."
Although the others did not know the details, they understood what Lu Yuan meant and immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
As long as he was alive, that was all that mattered.
However, they still wondered what exactly had happened to cause the Emperor's Tomb to end up like this.
It looked as if it had been smashed to pieces by someone.
A battle must have occurred that was beyond their wildest imaginations.
But... had the struggle for the Emperor's Tomb not already ended?
Surely they could not say that their little junior brother had done this too.
They admitted Xu Xian was extraordinary, but they never believed he already possessed such immense power.
There must be a hidden story.
As for the other experts, including the ten demon gods of the Demon Abyss, the anxiety on their faces was unconcealed.
If it was like this outside the Emperor's Tomb, could their juniors inside even survive?
Logic told them they were likely dead.
"It's over."
"This time, it really is over..."
Jin Yu swallowed hard, her expression dazed. "Sister, Bai Mang... he..."
Jin Qing interrupted her, "He won't."
"But..."
Jin Qing said hoarsely, "I said he won't, so he won't."
Jin Yu fell silent and lowered her head.
Chi Ming let out a long sigh.
The other demon gods also felt a mix of complex emotions. Was the light of hope truly going to be extinguished here?
On the Blazing Fortress, Chi Ji, who had seen this from afar, felt her legs go weak and nearly collapsed.
Fortunately, Huang Xiao was quick to support her.
"Are you all right?"
Chi Ji looked up at Huang Xiao, her eyes full of desperation. "What about the Young Lord?"
Huang Xiao gritted his teeth and said with certainty, "He'll be fine."
"What?"
The fire in Huang Xiao's eyes remained bright. He said, "Don't forget, he is the Young Lord. The Young Lord is highly capable, and he won't die that easily..."
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