The main doors of the Papal Hall were shut from within.
Purple light seeped through the gap between them, and the bronze rings were so cold that frost formed at a touch. Hu Liena had the guards retreat to the foot of the stone steps, then called inside. The reply came between two heavy crashes, too muffled to make out.
By the time Yuan Yu arrived, a purple-black fissure had crept beyond the doors. It cut through the orderly patterns on the steps, cold air still spilling from its depths. Two guards who had not gotten far enough away froze in place, their spears falling from their hands together.
The Earth Origin Boundary-Sealing Seal descended first, securing the steps beneath their feet. Yuan Yu caught both men by the backs of their collars and delivered them to Xie Yue, then spread the Nine Heavens Rosy Cloud Garment to block the purple light still shining outward.
Bibi Dong's voice came from behind the doors.
"Don't come in."
Her words were clear, and Hu Liena finally breathed a sigh of relief. Yuan Yu, however, saw another fissure spreading across a hall pillar. The Wheel unfolded at once, and the Tribulation Blade descended before the fissure, sending the half of the stone pillar about to fall into an open space.
As the pillar fell, a maid behind it had yet to escape. A medicine chest clutched in her arms, she had tripped over a crack in the steps and was down on one knee, unable to rise. Xie Yue rushed over and pulled her up, but the beam overhead had already snapped.
Yuan Yu opened the Boundary-Setting Gate on either side of the beam, sending away the first section to crash down, then raised his blade to support the remaining half. Only after