Battle of Dragon Imperial Pass (1)

The halo spread in every direction, shaking the accumulated snow on the mountains until it slid down in rustling sheets and whipping the flags inside the pass into a snapping roar.

Under the impact of the starlight, the barrier of the defensive array flickered violently several times. The runes' glow went from bright to dim, then from dim back to bright, repeating again and again before it barely stabilized.

Inside the pass, dozens of figures rose into the air at the same time. They wore silver-white armor, long swords hanging at their waists, the knight emblems on their chests glittering beneath the starlight. Their auras were powerful and orderly; every one of them was at the seventh step or above. They formed a fan-shaped formation, enclosing the place where that beam of starlight had fallen.

There was no fear on their faces, no panic, only a steady calm that could only be forged through countless battles.

Five figures flew out from the depths of the pass at extreme speed, leaving five silver-white trails in the air. Their auras were more than a single level stronger than those knights'. Just standing there, they made people feel an invisible pressure, like unseen mountains pressing down on their chests.

Five ninth-step elders.

Their attire was different from those knights'. Their armor was deep silver, the emblems on their chests were golden, and the hilts of the long swords hanging at their waists were inlaid with gemstones of different colors. Most of their hair had already gone gray, and the wrinkles on their faces looked as if they had been carved by knives, but their eyes were as sharp as hawks, and their bearing was as steady as mountains.

Immediately afterward, two even stronger auras rose from the core of the pass.

One was