The closer they got to the Holy Land, the more figures they encountered along the way.
Some looked miserable, as though they had been waiting for ages. Some Authority Holders wore grim expressions and muttered curses under their breath, while others spoke quietly with their companions.
But indignation showed on most faces. Everyone was heading in the same direction, gathering before the barrier of light sealing off the Immortal Sacred Land.
When they reached the outskirts of the Holy Land, it was just as Shen Yi had expected: the place was in an uproar.
Dozens of figures crowded before the barrier. Curses and arguments mingled, loud enough to hear from far away.
An Authority Holder with a dark-purple body and a face like a mass of swamp mist shouted into the light, "I paid the price half a month ago! Ten large Rule Fragments, not one bit less!"
"But I haven't even laid a hand on the Myriad Hearts Stone, and now you've sealed the place off? What kind of reasoning is that?"
"Half a month? I've got it worse than you!" another Authority Holder cut in.
"I rearranged the schedules of several worlds just to make this trip. And now I can't even get through the gate? Is a promise from your Sacred Land worth so little?"
"Exactly! Give us an explanation!"
"If we don't get one today, we're not leaving!"
The crowd grew more agitated by the moment. A few Authority Holders even seemed ready to force their way in.
Xilos stood among them, watching their furious faces. Suddenly, she understood why Shen Yi had chosen this moment to act.
These people had not come looking for trouble. They had genuinely suffered a loss: they had paid the price, only to be shut out.
They did not even