At the same time, outside the barrier Mirabel had created around the testing grounds, a familiar figure appeared.
It was Yue.
The moment she arrived, she immediately tried to pass through the barrier, only to be repelled by a powerful invisible force.
Refusing to give up, she unleashed her power and attempted to force her way through, but no matter what she did, the barrier remained completely unmoved.
"Just what’s going on? The kids are in there... but I can’t get through."
A trace of panic crept into her voice as her anxiety grew with every passing second.
Just as she was about to launch another attack against the barrier with all her power, even prepared to burn her lifespan if necessary, something unexpected happened.
Faint cracks suddenly began spreading across the barrier’s surface on their own.
Then, with a crisp crack, a small opening tore itself open—just large enough for a single person to pass through.
"How...?"
Her question was answered the moment she noticed the thin layer of frost clinging to the edges of the opening.
Her pupils contracted.
She slowly reached out to touch the ice, but it dissolved into tiny shimmering particles before her fingertips could make contact.
Her voice came out hoarse, trembling with emotion.
"You..."
She frantically scanned her surroundings, desperately searching for the owner of that familiar power.
"Where are you?"
Only silence answered her.
No matter how long she searched, she couldn’t find anyone.
Her lips trembled.
"Why are you torturing me like this?"
She clenched her fists, forcefully suppressing the storm of emotions threatening to overwhelm her.
Taking a deep breath, she stepped through the opening without another moment of hesitation.
Somehow, Yue could feel it.
She was closer than ever to uncovering the answers she had been searching for ever since she entered the Celestial Realm.
Naturally, the moment someone bypassed the barrier the Rulers had created to prevent any additional participants from entering the test, they noticed it immediately.
Mirabel was the first to react.
"!!!"
She shot to her feet, her eyes narrowing as her senses swept across the entire area before locking onto the slender, veiled figure who had stepped through the barrier.
"How did she get in?"
The other Rulers also became alert, their expressions turning solemn. This was the first time so many unexpected events had occurred under their watch.
Something was clearly wrong.
First, the gate leading to the previously sealed region had emitted a strange light unlike anything they had ever seen. Now, someone who clearly possessed only the aura of a weak Celestial had passed through a barrier created by Mirabel.
None of it made sense.
An uneasy feeling slowly spread through the hearts of the assembled Rulers as they exchanged glances. Ultimately, Mirabel pointed toward Yue’s figure.
"Go. Capture her and bring her here."
A young-looking woman among the Rulers immediately vanished at her command.
But how could Yue not have noticed the many gazes suddenly locking onto her?
The instant she sensed danger approaching from behind, her instincts screamed at her.
Just as the hand reaching for the back of her neck was about to grab her, her figure suddenly vanished from where she stood.
The young-looking Ruler froze.
Her outstretched hand hung motionless in the air.
She, a peak Celestial, had actually failed to capture someone who appeared to have only just stepped into the Celestial rank?
It shouldn’t have been possible.
Not even in the slightest.
For a brief moment, the entire area fell into complete silence.
Seeing the scene unfold, the expressions of every Ruler changed drastically.
Disbelief filled their eyes as they stared at the empty space where Yue had been only a heartbeat earlier. No one had expected her to evade the grasp of a powerful Ruler, let alone do so so effortlessly.
Then, suddenly, the pupils of many of the Rulers, along with Mirabel’s, contracted.
Wait...
They had seen that vanishing skill before!
Long ago, that human who had suddenly appeared and defied the natural order had wielded the exact same ability. To preserve their authority, they had twisted the truth, staining his name with darkness so the world would believe they had slain an evil being and saved countless lives.
Yet despite all the years that had passed, the memory of that human still haunted them.
Only the fact that they had personally watched his soul disappear before their eyes had allowed them to rest a little easier.
But now...
That familiar ability had appeared once again.
For the first time in many years, genuine fear surfaced in the eyes of the assembled Rulers. They snapped out of their daze the moment Mirabel screamed.
"Find her!"
The young-looking Ruler immediately spread her senses across the entire area.
At the same time, several other Rulers around Mirabel disappeared from their positions, searching for the woman whose face was half-hidden behind a veil.
Only a split second passed before the young-looking woman who had been sent first to capture Yue located her figure.
"There!"
She pointed toward the massive gate leading to the frozen land.
Yue had already reached it. The moment their eyes met, Yue vanished once more.
Without the slightest hesitation, the pursuing Rulers chased after her, vanishing through the massive gate one after another.
However, the moment they stepped through the gate, they all sensed the overwhelming aura of the powerful treasure that the first Ruler had sensed.
Their expressions changed instantly. The shock and greed in their eyes were impossible to conceal.
On the other hand, atop the large floating structure surrounded by countless glowing mirrors, Mirabel’s hands trembled ever so slightly. Suppressing the unease rising within her, she immediately established a communication link with Yizhe, informing him of everything that had just happened and urging him to come at once.
***
Inside the familiar Golden Hall of Light, Yizhe stood before Osko and the other anxious elders, cold sweat already soaking his back after hearing their report that twenty-two Celestials seemingly connected to Kyle had appeared within the realm.
The recording they had sent of the twenty-two people appearing had never reached him. It had been intercepted midway by the Golden Guardians Clan.
Ever since Kyle’s death, the Golden Guardians Clan had become a constant headache for him. After receiving the report, he had personally rushed to the Golden Hall to find out exactly what was happening.
Before he could even process that shocking news, Mirabel’s urgent message reached him.
His expression stiffened as he heard it.
The corner of his mouth twitched.
Then he cursed under his breath.
"Can I at least catch my breath? Why is all this bad news coming one after another?!"
Wiping his forehead, Yizhe turned to Osko.
"You secretly engraved tracking symbols into their identity cards, didn’t you?"
Osko nodded without hesitation.
A cold glint flashed across Yizhe’s eyes.
"Good."
His voice turned icy.
"Mobilize the army. I’ll lead personally."
He narrowed his eyes.
"We’ll capture every last one of them. It’s better to nip any potential danger in the bud before it has a chance to grow."