A dull roar suddenly resounded between heaven and earth.
“Boom—”
The originally bright sky rapidly darkened.
Vast layers of dark clouds surged in from the distance, blotting out the daylight.
A fierce gale whipped up out of nowhere, causing everyone's robes to flutter violently. The surrounding spiritual energy seemed drawn by an unseen force, gathering toward the sky all at once.
Wei Quechen paused in his tracks.
Everyone present stopped what they were doing and looked up into the sky in unison.
“What's going on?”
“Has the secret realm's collapse not finished yet?”
“No, look over there!”
Someone raised a hand and pointed into the distance.
Beneath the dim sky, a massive group of people was rapidly approaching from afar.
Leading them were ten cultivators dressed in tight-fitting black outfits.
The ten stood side by side, their robes bearing no markings of any sect or noble family, their faces completely devoid of emotion.
They rode no flying vessels nor controlled any artifacts, simply stepping through empty air.
Ten powerful auras blanketed the surroundings without the slightest attempt at concealment.
The few Soul Transformation cultivators present felt those auras, and their expressions shifted in unison.
“Soul Transformation Realm?”
“The ten people in front... are all Soul Transformation cultivators?!”
The lowest cultivation among the ten was at the early stage of the Soul Transformation Realm, while several possessed auras that had reached the mid stage of Soul Transformation.
Yet what shocked everyone went far beyond this.
Neatly following behind the ten were approximately two hundred cultivators.
They were clad in matching golden armor, each with a standardized long blade hanging at their waist, moving without making a single extraneous sound.
Judging from their auras, every single one of these two hundred cultivators was at the Nascent Soul Realm.
The lower ones were at the early stage of Nascent Soul, while many among them possessed mid-stage or even late-stage Nascent Soul cultivation.
Two hundred Nascent Soul cultivators.
Ten Soul Transformation cultivators.
With such a colossal force suddenly appearing, the entire open glade fell into dead silence.
Nearly everyone froze on the spot at the same time.
Where did these people come from?
It was impossible for the Five Great Sects of the Eastern Region to dispatch this many Nascent Soul and Soul Transformation cultivators all at once.
As for the noble families of the Eastern Region, it was even more out of the question.
In the entire Eastern Region, the factions capable of mobilizing ten Soul Transformation cultivators and two hundred Nascent Soul cultivators simultaneously could be counted on one hand.
“It can't be the Five Great Sects.”
“I've met almost all the powerhouse experts of the top noble families in the Eastern Region, yet I don't recognize a single one among those ten Soul Transformation cultivators.”
“Could they be from the Imperial Family?”
As soon as this speculation emerged, many immediately voiced their agreement.
The Eastern Region Imperial Family possessed deep foundations, its lineage extending even further back than some of the major sects.
If any faction in the Eastern Region could bring out so many formidable figures at once, the Imperial Family was undoubtedly the most likely candidate.
Moreover, members of the Imperial Family always maintained a low profile.
Among the nearly two hundred cultivators who had entered the Qingming Secret Realm, there were bound to be imperial offspring—it was just that ordinary people didn't know their specific identities.
Had news of the anomaly in the secret realm reached the Imperial Family, causing them to send reinforcements to escort their younger generation?
The more everyone thought about it, the more plausible it seemed.
Several elders from noble clans were already straightening their robes, preparing to step forward and pay their respects.
Wei Quechen also reined in his murderous intent, gazing solemnly at the crowd in the sky.
Everyone was speculating on the newcomers' identity.
Only Yun Heng remained standing in place.
She looked up at Xuan Yi through Xuan Shi and the two hundred Golden Armored Guards stepping through the air, finally letting out a quiet breath of relief in her heart.
If she had summoned them a moment later, Wei Quechen might have actually struck.
A moment later, the ten leaders landed simultaneously.
The two hundred Golden Armored Guards followed close behind, landing neatly in formation behind them.
The surrounding crowd subconsciously parted to both sides, clearing a wide path for them.
Everyone held their breath.
They originally thought these people would go search for the imperial offspring hidden among the crowd.
Instead, the gaze of the ten swept past the crowd in front and locked squarely onto Yun Heng.
In the next moment, they began walking toward Yun Heng in unison.
The expressions on everyone's faces gradually turned to confusion.
“Why are they heading in that direction?”
“Are there members of the Imperial Family over there?”
“Could it be the Taihua Sword Sect?”
“No, they seem to be walking toward Yun Heng.”
Wei Quechen also sensed that something was off.
Ever since those ten Soul Transformation cultivators appeared, an inexplicable sense of foreboding had risen in his heart.
Now, watching this group walk straight toward Yun Heng with his own eyes, that foreboding grew increasingly intense.
Xuan Yi led the group until they stood before Yun Heng.
The ten Shadow Guards stopped in their tracks together.
The two hundred Golden Armored Guards also halted behind them.
In the very next instant, everyone present witnessed a scene they would never forget for the rest of their lives.
Xuan Yi through Xuan Shi knelt on one knee first.
The two hundred Golden Armored Guards followed right after, kneeling before Yun Heng in uniform movement.
The voices of hundreds resounded simultaneously.
“Subordinates pay respects to the Young Lord!”
The sound echoed through the surroundings like a thunderclap.
The air seemed to freeze solid.
Everyone present froze on the spot, their expressions practically identical.
Young Lord?
What did these two hundred-plus Nascent Soul and Soul Transformation powerhouses just call Yun Heng?
Everyone stared dumbfounded at Yun Heng, unable to process what had just happened for a long while.
Yun Heng is actually part of the Imperial Family?
No, wait.
Imperial family members would be addressed as prince or Your Highness.
If not the Imperial Family, where on earth did these people come from?
Could they not be from the Eastern Region at all?
Isn't she just an ordinary rogue cultivator with no sect or faction?
Why did she suddenly become the Young Lord of such a massive force?
More importantly, how terrifyingly deep must the foundations of a force be to have ten Soul Transformation cultivators and two hundred Nascent Soul cultivators bow their heads in allegiance?
While everyone was plunged into shock, the System prompts inside Yun Heng's sea of consciousness began ringing madly.
[Strong awe detected from surrounding cultivators.]
[Awe Points +500.]
[Awe Points +800.]
[Awe Points +1,000.]
Prompt after prompt echoed through her sea of consciousness.
Yet on the surface, Yun Heng showed not the slightest abnormality.
With a calm expression, she raised her hand slightly.
“Rise.”
“Thank you, Young Lord.”
From start to finish, Yun Heng behaved completely naturally.
It was as if such a massive grand display was nothing more than an ordinary occurrence to her.
Seeing her so calm and unbothered, the shock in everyone's hearts grew even more intense.
Yun Heng really is their Young Lord!
Wei Quechen, on the other hand, froze completely in place.
He had never imagined in his wildest dreams that this group of people would drop to one knee before Yun Heng and address her in unison as Young Lord.
Wei Quechen's first reaction was that they had mistaken her for someone else.
However, after hearing that greeting of “Young Lord,” Yun Heng hadn't shown a trace of surprise, responding with absolute natural composure.
Everything before his eyes was enough to prove that Yun Heng was indeed their Young Lord.
A thousand thoughts surged through Wei Quechen's mind.
Not the Eastern Region Imperial Family, nor was there ever such a force among the top sects and noble families of the Eastern Region.
In that case, only one possibility remained.
A secluded clan.
Yes, it had to be a secluded clan.
Only a secluded clan that had never revealed its true strength to the outside world could allow a prestigious Young Lord to travel and temper herself alone, while simultaneously mobilizing ten Soul Transformation cultivators and two hundred Nascent Soul guards at a moment's notice whenever needed.
And this might not even be anywhere close to that clan's full power.
Wei Quechen finally realized that things were far from simple.
Or rather... it seemed he had picked a fight with huge trouble.
Rate on N.U.
