Three full breaths passed, and after the bell rang three times, they waited a long while longer...
Only after she was certain there would be no more chimes did Jiang Wanwan slowly raise her eyes to Jiang Xiaoxiao.
"The Heaven-Questioning Bell rang!"
Jiang Xiaoxiao nodded. "And three times, at that!"
"What blind fool dared provoke His Majesty!" Jiang Wanwan's eyes were icy, her killing intent chilling.
Where was even a trace of the languid, happy manner she had shown while bickering with Jiang Xiaoxiao earlier?
Jiang Xiaoxiao was no different.
A sharp red gleam flashed through eyes that had held a hint of laughter moments before.
"I don't know either, but I expect we'll find out soon!"
The sisters were orphans. Had Lin Hao not given them food back then, they would have frozen and starved to death that snowy, windswept night, let alone attained their current cultivation, become Immortal Platform Realm experts, and earned a place in the Ninefold Heavenly Towers.
Thus, in their hearts...
Lin Hao was not only His Majesty the Heavenly Emperor, but also their lifesaving benefactor, the man who had given them everything and a new lease on life.
Provoking Lin Hao enraged the sisters even more than attacking them directly!
Soon, Jiang Xiaoxiao and Jiang Wanwan exchanged a glance, then turned to Zhu Zhuqing and Zhu Zhuyun, their tone brooking no argument.
"You two wait here for a while. My older sister and I have something to attend to!"
Without waiting for the Zhu sisters to respond, the two women flickered, turning into two streaks of light, one pink and one blue, and vanished at the end of the corridor outside the hall.
Zhu Zhuqing and Zhu Zhuyun stood where they were, looking at each other, their eyes filled with curiosity.
"That bell just now..."
Zhu Zhuqing was puzzled. "What did it mean?"
"I don't know." Zhu Zhuyun shook her head. "But it seems to be something very serious. Could they be going to war?"
"After all, His Majesty the Heavenly Emperor was provoked..."
Meanwhile, on the Douluo Continent.
Watching the images in the sky and hearing the Heaven-Questioning Bell chime three times, Zhu Zhuqing and Zhu Zhuyun were not the only ones who were curious.
At that moment, the entire Douluo Continent was swept up in curious discussion.
In taverns, on the streets, and within sects, everyone was discussing this sudden development in the Shrouding the Heavens World...
Inside Spirit Hall.
Bibi Dong, Chrysanthemum Douluo, and Ghost Douluo stood high in the Supreme Pontiff's Hall, looking up at the sky with solemn expressions.
"Judging by those two young girls' killing intent, it seems this Shrouding the Heavens World isn't entirely peaceful either," Chrysanthemum Douluo said curiously.
Ghost Douluo mused, "Probably..."
"After all, with a colossus like Heavenly Court, there are naturally bound to be enemies."
A gleam flashed through Bibi Dong's eyes. "What I'm more curious about is what consequences this 'provocation' will bring."
"If, as those two young girls said, someone dared provoke Heavenly Emperor Hao Lin Hao, then next..."
"We may get to witness the true combat power of the Shrouding the Heavens World."
Ghost Douluo nodded at her words. "Your Majesty is right."
"Although we've now seen the grandeur of White Emperor City and those incredible sights, we still have no clear concept of how people fight in the Shrouding the Heavens World or its levels of power."
"If a conflict really breaks out..."
"This will be an excellent opportunity to observe, a window into that world's true strength!"
Similar thoughts spread among the various major factions.
Everyone realized that this might be a once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity, a chance to glimpse the power of the Shrouding the Heavens World.
The Zhu Family, Star Luo Empire.
Dai Weisi and Zhu Hongfeng were also watching closely.
"Zhu Zhuqing and Zhu Yun are both in Heavenly Court. If Heavenly Court really goes to war, as Zhu Yun guessed, will they be dragged into it?"
Zhu Hongfeng was somewhat worried.
Dai Weisi shook his head. "They're only maids..."
At this point, Dai Weisi's expression grew somewhat awkward. After all, Zhu Zhuyun was his fiancée, yet she had now gone to serve another man as a maid...
But soon, his awkwardness faded.
After all, he still needed the support of the Spirit Cat Duke before him.
Thus, Dai Weisi continued, "Even if Heavenly Court goes to war, they probably won't be called upon to participate."
Shrek Academy, Heaven Dou Empire.
Yu Xiaogang likewise looked at Ma Hongjun, who was full of anticipation and curiosity about the combat power of the Shrouding the Heavens World, and shook his head slightly.
"Don't get excited too soon."
"Zhu Zhuqing and Zhu Zhuyun are ultimately just maids in Heavenly Court. If Heavenly Court really launches a war against outside forces, there's no way they'd let two maids participate, is there?"
Tang San nodded. "You're absolutely right, Teacher."
"Still, even seeing the slightest hint would be tremendously valuable to us!"
"That might be possible!"
Yu Xiaogang nodded slightly and said no more.
"But maybe, if Zhu Zhuqing and Zhu Zhuyun asked Jiang Xiaoxiao and Jiang Wanwan to let them go and broaden their horizons, they might take them along?"
"Huh?"
At that moment, hearing Ma Hongjun's quiet muttering, Tang San, Oscar, Ning Rongrong, and Xiao Wu's eyes lit up.
After all, it was not impossible.
For a time, everyone's eyes once again filled with curiosity and anticipation. "I really want to know which is stronger, an expert from the Shrouding the Heavens World or a Titled Douluo!"
Only Yu Xiaogang looked at Ma Hongjun with displeasure.
The highest level of the Ninefold Heavenly Towers, in the Shrouding the Heavens World.
Here stood a magnificent hall whose ceiling was too high to see, surrounded by swirling clouds and mist, with stars seemingly within arm's reach.
Deep within the great hall, a towering throne stood silently.
The throne was dark gold throughout, carved with images of the sun, moon, stars, mountains, rivers, and seas, exuding a supreme majesty that suppressed all heavens and ruled over myriad worlds.
Yet at that moment, the throne was empty.
Beside it stood a woman of peerless beauty.
She wore a plain white dress, its hem trailing along the floor like flowing moonlight.
Her face was cool and exquisitely beautiful, her features as lovely as a painting, and her bearing unworldly, like a fairy descending from the Nine Heavens. She was none other than Tantai Guyue.
Within Heavenly Court, her status was second only to Heavenly Emperor Lin Hao, and she oversaw its daily affairs.
At that moment, Tantai Guyue's expression was calm as her gaze swept across the great hall, where figures already filled the space below.
At the very front stood two figures whose presences were as unfathomable as an abyss.
On the left was an old man in blue robes, slightly stooped and ordinary in appearance, looking like nothing more than an ordinary, sickly elder.
But had someone with profound cultivation been present, they would have sensed the power within him, as vast as the cosmos. Though concealed and held in check, it still inspired awe.
He was none other than-Gai Jiuyou!
A peerless expert whom Lin Hao had deliberately sought out and fought after becoming an Emperor.
Although he had ultimately lost to Lin Hao, Lin Hao still admired him greatly and had specifically used information about the Road to Immortality, Red Dust Immortals, and more to invite him to join Heavenly Court.
On the right stood a beautiful woman in palace attire.
Her face was likewise stunning, her bearing graceful and noble, yet her brows held an indifference that looked down upon all living beings.
She had a voluptuous figure, and though she merely stood there quietly, she seemed to merge with all of heaven and earth.
Most striking of all was the long blade she held. Ancient and simple in design, its blade was dark gold, with divine light faintly flowing along its edge, giving off a presence that made hearts tremble.
She was precisely the one who "only wanted to be the county magistrate's wife, but didn't care who the county magistrate was"...
The Undying Heavenly Empress, who wielded the Undying Heavenly Blade, remained a virgin despite marrying the Undying Heavenly Emperor, was the Phoenix Nest's number-one green tea, had raised two stepsons for the Undying Heavenly Emperor, and had tried to suppress Lin Hao when he was a Quasi-Emperor only to be suppressed by him instead-now one of Heavenly Court's "Heavenly Gods"!