Silence.
The air suddenly became strangely still.
The phantoms all stared at Tu Yaoyao, their faces filled with astonishment.
No one had expected this infamous executioner to refuse to act—and so decisively at that. For a time, doubt and bewilderment kept growing in the hearts of the old monsters.
Yet Tu Yaoyao's expression grew ever colder as she continued speaking sternly.
"I will not wade into this muddy water."
"For the sake of our past friendship, I shall offer you one more word of advice. This is no longer our era. Cloud Star has undergone several epochs and changed beyond recognition. Even you would do well not to act rashly."
"If you can continue to hide your brilliance and cultivate in obscurity, restoring your strength and vitality, perhaps it will be good for everyone. Who knows, we may still have a sliver of a chance to ascend the Great Dao."
The moment she finished speaking, the phantoms suddenly burst into cold laughter.
"Hahaha..."
"Not act rashly?"
"What a joke! Cloud Star now has nothing but a bunch of incompetent juniors. Are they worthy of making us wary?"
"I never thought you would say such things. It seems the God Butcher who once made every star tremble in fear is no longer what she used to be!"
"Tu Yaoyao, don't tell me you've truly been scared out of your wits?"
"I refuse to believe there is anything on today's Cloud Star worthy of our caution. I fear your selfishness is too great, and you are merely using excuses to brush us off!"
Listening to their mockery, Tu Yaoyao's face darkened further.
She swept her cold gaze over the phantoms and sneered without yielding an inch.
"Heh."
"You old undead fools have slept through endless years. You have no idea what