"Master, what should we do..." Yun Wan looked at Shangguan Yu, then at Shi Tian, and then at the enigmatic Three Great Titans. She was well aware that although she possessed a Heavenly Dao Mandate, it was just that—a Heavenly Dao Mandate. Compared to these five individuals, her so-called mandate seemed utterly insignificant.
"We do nothing. We need only watch," Lady Female Sect Leader Ye Tianlan replied softly.
"But what if... what if they attack Xiao Jinr?"
"Then let them attack."
"Huh?" Yun Wan was startled and asked, "Didn't you just say that if they kill Xiao Jinr today, the Chixiao King would certainly not let the matter rest?"
"That was then, this is now. I didn't realize it before, but now your master has come to understand that the waters of this matter run deep... and its implications are vast. The consequences are also beyond what I can bear. So, it's best to let nature take its course. We can only let nature take its course. Behind this chessboard, it's those great powers and lofty experts playing their game. We bystanders should not meddle."
To be honest, Lady Female Sect Leader Ye Tianlan could not see through the intricacies of this chess game. Truth and falsehood were too complexly intertwined. Precisely because she could not see through it, she dared not and would not rashly intervene.
"Hah! If not for the descent of this Calamity Star today, this king would have thought the three of you would remain turtles in their shells forever."
The speaker was none other than the World Little Tyrant, Shi Tian.
He wore a purple-gold crown and dragon robes, standing atop the head of that massive, ferocious lion-tiger beast with his hands clasped behind his back, imposing and majestic. His icy-cold face held a pair of sharp eyes that swept over the Third Prince, the Zixiao King, and the Great Heir Apparent one by one. A trace of a disdainful smile curled at the corner of his mouth, a smile that also carried contempt.
Indeed.
Shi Tian utterly despised the Great Heir Apparent and the other two.
Back when he first burst onto the scene, relying on his indestructible Pure Yang Tyrant Body, an Ancient Throne Mandate, and three Star Destiny Mandates of the Present Era, he roamed the world unopposed. When he challenged the Great Heir Apparent and the other two, however, none of the three showed their faces. No matter how he provoked them, they never responded, not even once.
Especially after Shangguan Yu emerged and ended his era, Shi Tian, unable to do anything about Shangguan Yu and feeling his face was utterly lost, urgently wanted to challenge the Three Great Titans to salvage some dignity. Unfortunately, the Three Great Titans still did not appear.
Even when he single-handedly barged into the inner sect of the Shangqing Sect, broke into the Crimson-Letter Sect's Zixiao Pavilion, and even ventured alone into the Immortal Dynasty's Purple-Gold Hall, beating those so-called prodigies and experts into a miserable rout, the Three Great Titans still did not show themselves.
Therefore.
Shi Tian looked down upon the Great Heir Apparent and the other two from the bottom of his heart, also considering them to have reputations that far exceeded their actual worth, not worth mentioning.
"Being a turtle isn't so bad," the Third Prince replied at this moment, his tone light and calm. "If possible, I truly would like to be a turtle."
"Oh?" Shi Tian stared at the Third Prince, raised a hand, and pointed, shouting, "You are the Third Prince from the rumors?"
"That would be me."
"I hear you possess nine destinies, are guarded by Seven-Colored Holy Dragons, and your eighty-one-day ascension is hailed as the greatest of the Present Era."
"Merely rumors, not to be taken seriously."
"Whether it's rumor or not, this king will test and find out."
As Shi Tian spoke, he was about to make a move to probe the Third Prince's depths when suddenly, the crimson beam of light underwent a strange transformation.
Inside, Xiao Jinr was seen clutching her head with both hands, appearing to be in great pain, continuously murmuring, "No! Don't! I don't want to hurt anyone, I don't... I beg you, don't do this!"
"Don't! Don't—" "Why! Just why."
"Jin'er only wanted to help Big Brother, why must you all be like this..." "No! Jin'er won't allow anyone to hurt Big Brother! It can't be... it can't..."
The crowd noticed that the crimson beam of light had, for some reason, become extremely unstable, churning like boiling water. Within it, it seemed as if some terrifying power was contained.
The power was strong!
So strong that it caused Shangguan Yu, Shi Tian, and even the Three Great Titans to slightly furrow their brows. They could all sense the formidable power within the crimson beam, and this power seemed to be growing stronger and stronger. What was even more inconceivable was that inside, Xiao Jinr, who was clutching her head, saw her originally azure-blue hair gradually turning bright crimson. Xiao Jinr also appeared to be in increasing pain, her murmurs growing sharper and more intense.
If it were only this, it wouldn't be enough to make these individuals frown. The real reason was that the blood-red full moon in the night sky was growing brighter and more sinister, and the rolling, blood-sea-like dark clouds in the night sky were churning and boiling.
This scene made the Three Great Titans and others somewhat doubt: was this really just the descent of a Calamity Star?
All three of them had witnessed the descent of Calamity Stars before. Not only Calamity Stars, but also Tribulation Stars and Misfortune Stars. Yet, whether it was a Calamity Star, Tribulation Star, or Misfortune Star, none of the celestial omens they caused upon descent were as intense as this.
Moreover, was this really just a celestial omen?
Probably not.
If it were merely a celestial omen, it would have dissipated long ago; it couldn't possibly last this long.
Yet, after all this time, the omen not only hadn't dissipated but had grown increasingly intense. What puzzled them even more was that the little girl under the crimson beam was becoming more and more unfathomable, not only releasing terrifying power but her entire physical body undergoing peculiar changes.
What... was going on?
Unclear.
Even though the Three Great Titans possessed extraordinary statuses, as they watched this scene, they were utterly perplexed. They faintly felt that this might not be as simple as the descent of a Calamity Star. It seemed more like some ancient and terrifying existence was, as if, reviving and awakening.
Could it be that this little girl was some terrifying existence, now about to revive and awaken?
The more they looked, the more possible it seemed.
The three raised their heads, exchanged glances, and saw both alarm and suspicion and concern in each other's eyes.
Perhaps because he also sensed the increasingly powerful force contained within the crimson beam, Shangguan Yu frowned as well, lost in thought. Especially when he noticed the somewhat peculiar expressions on the faces of the Three Great Titans, his frown deepened.
Only Shi Tian paid it no mind. Of course, it wasn't that he didn't feel the terrifying power within the crimson beam, nor that he failed to see the changes occurring in Xiao Jinr's body. But these were still insufficient to make Shi Tian feel fear. On the contrary, they stirred his competitive spirit.
Since his earth-shaking debut over a decade ago, he had never known how to write the word 'fear'. In his life's dictionary, the meaning and concept of those two words simply did not exist.
"Hmph! What Great Heir Apparent, what Third Prince, what Zixiao King, and what Taiji Human Prodigy—just a bunch of cowardly turtles in their shells! After this king eliminates this Calamity Star, I'll settle accounts with the lot of you!"