The air within the Cardinal Hall seemed to have frozen into heavy blocks of lead, crushing everyone's breath. The news Li Wuyang had brought about the "Abyssal Starfield of Annihilation" and the "Supermassive Space Gate" rang in the heart of every high-ranking alliance member like the bells of doomsday judgment. Panic spread silently through exchanged glances like an unseen plague. Even the deeply cultivated elders who had weathered countless storms found it difficult to completely conceal the fear and pallor on their faces.
"A direct, stable passage... Does that not mean the defenses we have maintained for hundreds of millions of years will become utterly useless?" An elder Golden Immortal in charge of stellar domain defenses spoke hoarsely, his hand gripping the jade slip trembling slightly.
"The Finality Council... possesses such heaven-defying means! One must know that constructing a stable passage across such a vast sea of stars requires an immeasurable amount of energy, as well as an extremely profound grasp of the laws of space..." Another grandmaster proficient in formations muttered to himself, his face filled with disbelief.
Voices of doubt, concern, and even a trace of despair began to permeate the hall. Xuan Nü had "fallen," Ling Xiao Sword Master was severely injured, Wonderful Sound Bodhisattva had yet to recover, and though the strongest among them, Li Wuyang, had returned with an unfathomable aura, he could not support everything alone. Faced with the Finality Council's ultimate scheme, one that sought to leave them without a way out, what could the alliance use to resist?
Li Wuyang took in everyone's reactions, his heart heavy but his mind unruffled. He knew that the more critical the moment, the more important a leader's composure became. His calm gaze swept across the hall. His voice was not loud, yet it reached every