"Rise, all of you."
Gai Jiuyou's voice echoed through the Netherworld Cave.
Dark golden light spread from her fingertips, gently lifting the ten figures kneeling on the ground.
Lin Shisan stood beside the stone platform, his gaze sweeping over the ten figures one by one. Among these masters of the Ten Hells Gate, even the weakest had reached the middle stage of the sky soaring realm.
The First Gate Master at their head was a gaunt-faced old man whose cultivation had actually reached sky soaring great perfection, only one step from crossing the threshold into the three flowers realm. An old scar over his right eye cut across his brow bone, its edges threaded with fine golden patterns.
"My lord, we have waited here for a thousand years and never left."
The First Gate Master raised his head, pressing his gaunt fingers against the golden mark on his left breast. "The disciples of the Ten Hells Gate are scattered throughout the Tianyuan Continent, numbering more than thirteen hundred in total. Among them, forty-seven are at the sky soaring realm or above, more than three hundred and twenty are in the yellow dragon realm, and all the rest are at the meridian opening realm or above."
Forty-seven. The number made Lin Shisan's breathing grow a little heavier.
The Ten Hells Gate had more sky soaring realm cultivators than any single sect of the Immortal Alliance, perhaps even more than all Eight Sects of the Immortal Alliance combined.
And this was merely one of the trump cards Gai Jiuyou had left behind a thousand years ago. Just how many more contingencies did she have?
"Very good." Gai Jiuyou nodded slightly, her gaze sweeping over the ten gate masters. "I have awakened you today for one thing alone."
The First Gate Master bowed.