Fifth Spiral Arm, a vast expanse of empty space.
Here, far from the bustling starfields, there was only eternal darkness and deathly silence.
A colossal, light-year-scale statue, black from head to toe, hung silently in the void.
The statue was ancient and bizarre in form—neither human nor beast—and its surface was riddled with countless holes.
At this moment, however, every one of those holes was tightly shut, like pores on a sleeping beast that had yet to open.
All around the statue stood over a hundred figures. Their auras varied in strength, but even the weakest had reached the seven-digit realm.
Some sat cross-legged in meditation, while others stood with their hands behind their backs, gazing into the distance at the statue. All of them were waiting for the countless holes to open.
Buzz—
The void trembled as a scorching, tyrannical aura abruptly descended.
A massive golden carriage engraved with the patterns of nine flood dragons came roaring in.
Around it clustered more than a dozen guards clad in golden armor, each radiating an aura at the eight-digit level.
At the sight of the golden carriage, the hundred-plus cultivators immediately broke into discussion. "It's the Radiant Sun Divine Lord, Yang Citian!"
"What an imposing display."
"He actually came too? He's the Deputy Court Master of the Great Sun Divine Court, an absolute powerhouse at the nine-digit level!"
"The Great Sun Divine Court has expanded incredibly quickly these past years. Its power cannot be underestimated."
"That Nine-Dragon Golden Carriage he rides in is said to be a rare flying treasure, even faster than a first-class flying sword."
"Sigh... there's another formidable enemy in the fight for this ruin."
"Yang Citian has a fiery temper. We'd better be careful later and not provoke him."
"Competing against someone like that is truly mountain-crushing