Inside the arena.
Thirty-some Five Luminaries transformations, layered with profound mysteries, like Immortal Arts from the Great Natural Order itself, wildly assaulted from all directions.
What was both startling and unbelievable was that the mysterious Mortal Lord still stood upon the Nine-Headed Flame Cloud Crimson Chariot. Not only did he not lift a hand to defend himself, he didn't even spare a glance, remaining with his back turned as he poured wine from a jug.
What was he doing?
Did he not realize Huanghe and the others had each unleashed powerful Immortal Arts, ready to tear him to pieces?
No.
He must have known.
It was impossible for him not to know.
But...
Since he knew...
Why hadn't he acted?
Unclear.
No one knew.
Just as everyone found it impossible to comprehend, a bizarre scene unfolded.
Whether it was the Formless Fire Dragon Art unleashed by Bai Qi, the Keen Cloud Wave Art unleashed by Liu Ziyu, the Eight Directions Chaos Motion Art unleashed by Li Shengyang, or even the Five Peaks Lotus Art unleashed by Huanghe and the other twenty-plus experts of the Lotus Secret Realm—all of them, every single one, inexplicably and unbelievably froze in mid-air at this moment.
The Five Luminaries transformations ceased.
The profound mysteries stopped evolving.
Even the radiant light no longer flickered.
The thirty-some vast and powerful Immortal Arts hung suspended like a painting.
How could this be?
Why was this happening?
No one knew.
They only knew it must be related to that mysterious Mortal Lord.
Because many knew that back on the floating island, when Li Zhengshi unleashed an Immortal Art, it had similarly frozen inexplicably in mid-air.
Moreover.
Flower Butterfly Fairy also knew that at Eight Treasures Manor, when Mu Lingyao unleashed an Immortal Art, it too had been frozen in mid-air.
Now, thirty-some Immortal Arts were once again frozen in mid-air.
What they couldn't understand was this: Li Zhengshi was merely a One-Luminance Venus Golden Immortal, and Mu Lingyao was only a Two-Luminance Jupiter Golden Immortal. Yet Huanghe and the others were all Five Luminaries Unity Great Nature Golden Immortals! The vast and powerful Immortal Arts they unleashed at this moment—how could they also be inexplicably frozen in mid-air?
How exactly did he do it?
And when had he acted?
Acted?
No!
He hadn't acted at all.
Indeed.
He hadn't.
Everyone saw clearly: when the thirty-some Five Luminaries Unity Great Nature Golden Immortals unleashed their Immortal Arts, this Mortal Lord merely had his back turned, pouring wine from a jug. Forget acting, he hadn't even glanced their way.
Why?
Why on earth was this happening!
No one knew.
Everyone gathered at the Tower of Stolen Gold, every single one—be they proud Immortal geniuses or senior experts—stood frozen like statues, eyes wide, mouths agape, utterly dumbstruck as if witnessing an inconceivable miracle.
A miracle?
No.
Stranger than a miracle!
Because many of them had seen miracles before, or at least heard of them. Yet the scene unfolding at this moment was something none had ever seen or heard of before.
They couldn't even imagine how a mortal with no cultivation, without even lifting a finger, could cause all these Immortal Arts to freeze in mid-air.
Even more terrifying, more wondrous, and more bizarre was that not only were the thirty-some vast and powerful Immortal Arts frozen in mid-air, but Huanghe and the other thirty-some Five Luminaries Unity Great Nature Golden Immortals were also frozen in place, one by one.
If the freezing of thirty-some Immortal Arts in mid-air left them feeling incredulous and bewildered...
Then the freezing of thirty-some Five Luminaries Unity Great Nature Golden Immortals in mid-air was, for the crowd, more than just unbelievable and bewildering. It was scalp-numbing, spine-chilling, a fear that shook their very souls.
"With skills like these, you dare dream of taking this lord's life?"
The Mortal Lord drained his cup of wine, turned to glance, and with a step—contracting the earth to an inch—instantly appeared in mid-air, right beside Huanghe.
His hand rose and fell. *Thud!* Huanghe smashed violently into the ground, his legs instantly reduced to a bloody pulp, landing precisely opposite Xuan Yun.
"You!
You!
And you!"
*Thud! Thud!*
The Bai Family's Ancestral Patriarch, Bai Qi, smashed violently into the ground, his legs also reduced to a bloody pulp, landing precisely opposite Bai Yufei. The Jinwu Li Family's Ancestral Patriarch, Li Shengyang, similarly had his legs mangled, landing opposite Li Xiao. The Jinwu Liu Family's Ancestral Patriarch, Liu Ziyu, legs mangled, landed opposite Liu Feng.
Xuan Yun stared at his master Huanghe opposite him. Bai Yufei stared at his Ancestral Patriarch Bai Qi opposite him.
Liu Feng stared at his Ancestral Patriarch Liu Ziyu opposite him.
The three of them were utterly, completely, hopelessly despairing—a despair deeper than falling into hell itself.
When their own Ancestral Patriarchs had arrived, their hearts had swelled with hope, believing that once their patriarchs came, they could take revenge and tear that Gu Qingfeng to pieces.
Until now. Until this moment. Witnessing with their own eyes their own patriarchs frozen in mid-air, then crashing down—all their hope shattered completely, leaving only endless, boundless despair.
"I said it before: today, one million kowtows, not a single one less. It doesn't matter if your patriarchs come, not even if the Heavenly King himself descends—it's useless."
As Gu Qingfeng in mid-air took a step, he was already back on the chariot. Without even looking, he said, "All of you, get down here and face your death!"
As the word "death" fell, the thirty-some Immortal Arts frozen in mid-air instantly dispersed and vanished like blooming fireworks.
The thirty-some Five Luminaries Unity Great Nature Golden Immortals frozen in mid-air plummeted down as if struck by lightning, their knees hitting the ground, all bleeding from seven orifices, their meridians severed, their Immortal Spirits scattered.
Silence.
Dead silence.
A deathly stillness.
No one dared speak.
No one dared breathe.
Some couldn't even stand steadily, collapsing to the ground in terror.
This entire scene had taken less than a few breaths. The Mortal Lord hadn't moved a muscle. Thirty-some Great Natural Order Immortal Arts, thirty-some Five Luminaries Unity Great Nature Golden Immortals—all frozen motionless.
With the might of a single word, thirty-some Great Natural Order Immortal Arts dispersed like fireworks, and the Immortal Spirits of thirty-some Five Luminaries Unity Great Nature Golden Immortals were all scattered.
These weren't thirty-some Venus Golden Immortals, nor thirty-some Jupiter Golden Immortals. These were thirty-some Five Luminaries Unity Great Nature Golden Immortals! Each was a major figure with name and reputation in the Dual-Pole Celestial Domain. Each had merged with the Great Natural Order. A single thought could bring about myriad transformations; a raised hand could summon heavenly thunder and earthly fire. Even Five Luminaries Great Perfection Saturn Golden Immortals were no match for them.
Yet such powerful, thirty-some Great Nature Golden Immortals had now been crippled into uselessness by the mere vocal might of this Mortal Lord.
The feeling was like the collapse of a divine tower they had always believed in.
Truly so. For those mortal Immortals, Five Luminaries Unity was the goal they had always pursued. And now, witnessing with their own eyes that very goal they pursued being so utterly helpless before a mere mortal...
How could the mortals gathered at the Tower of Stolen Gold dare to speak? How could they dare to breathe? How could they possibly remain standing firm?