Hearing Jian’s words, Yizhe’s eyes darkened. A terrifying pressure instantly erupted from his body.
The overwhelming might of a Ruler descended upon the area, causing the air itself to tremble. Jian’s knees immediately gave out, and his body was forced down as he crashed face-first onto the cold ground.
In an instant, blood began seeping from every pore of his body, staining his sweaty clothes and making the scene gruesome.
His friends’ eyes widened in shock.
"Jian!"
However, just as Alec and the others were about to resist the winged warriors and armored giants surrounding them to rush toward Jian, they suddenly felt the same terrifying pressure descend upon them.
The pressure of a peak Celestial was not something that could be easily endured.
But unlike Jian, who was directly targeted by Yizhe’s pressure, they were only forced to their knees. Their bodies trembled under the immense force pressing down on them, making even the slightest movement difficult.
Before they could react, the many winged warriors moved in and restrained them. The giants positioned themselves behind them, their sharp weapons pointed at their necks.
The situation immediately became extremely dangerous.
From above, Yizhe’s indifferent voice echoed through the area as he slowly stood from his throne. The luxurious throne vanished the moment he rose.
"Courage?"
A mocking sneer appeared on his face as he looked down at Jian.
"Speak of courage when you have the strength to stand straight before me."
His words were filled with ridicule.
Jian gritted his teeth, desperately resisting the invisible force crushing down on his body. Blood flowed from the corner of his mouth, yet a faint laugh escaped him.
Even under such terrifying pressure, he still forced himself to raise his head slightly.
Yizhe’s eyes narrowed in surprise.
He had not expected this weak Celestial before him to still be capable of resisting his power... nor did he expect him to still have the audacity to laugh.
"So what..."
Jian coughed, blood staining his lips.
"You still... ugh... didn’t come down."
The pressure intensified.
Yet Jian continued.
"What a... ugh... coward."
The moment those words left his mouth, the force crushing his body increased several times over.
Unable to endure any longer, Jian’s vision darkened, and he finally lost consciousness.
Yizhe’s eyes flickered as he glanced at his figure, an uneasy feeling rising in his heart.
’These people might be weak. However, they can control many natural laws. Unlike me and those who saw Kyle’s demise. After that day, we could no longer summon any additional natural laws beyond the ones over which we had gained full authority... As if nature itself were rejecting us.’
Along with the uneasy feeling came fear, lurking in a tiny corner of Yizhe’s heart. It had nothing to do with whether this group of Celestials could summon more natural laws than him... but with the unwavering resolve he saw in Jian’s crimson eyes.
Even in such a state, this man still struggled to stand.
Even with death hanging over his head, he still chose to resist.
That pair of glowing crimson eyes reminded Yizhe of Kyle.
No... it wasn’t just Jian.
Everyone staring at him at that moment with dark gazes, as though they wanted nothing more than to tear him apart.
Despite being the strongest person present... despite being able to kill every one of them with the flick of a finger...
For some reason...
They all made him feel afraid.
Yizhe’s fingers shook subconsciously as memories of that pair of glowing green eyes suddenly flashed through his mind—eyes that had fearlessly confronted the dark calamity after it emerged from the Layer of Ancients, a calamity before which none of them could even stand upright.
A faint shiver ran through him.
He quietly hid his trembling hand behind his back, making sure no one noticed.
Taking a slow breath, he gradually suppressed the turmoil in his heart. Within a few seconds, his expression returned to its usual cold indifference, as though nothing had happened.
Only then did he glance down at the army below.
"Take them all away."
His emotionless voice echoed.
"Chain them in the prison where we imprisoned the Leader of the Golden Guardians Clan."
Yizhe paused for a moment.
Silence spread across the battlefield.
Then, a faint smile slowly appeared on his face, as though the words he was about to speak were of no consequence, despite the shock they would bring to everyone present.
"We will hold a public execution."
His gaze swept across Alec and the others before continuing.
"This group is related to the Ice Devil. We have sufficient proof of that."
His voice remained calm and indifferent.
"They cannot be allowed to roam free after the chaos they have already caused since entering the Celestial Realm."
He slowly swept his gaze across the surrounding crowd.
"Let their deaths serve as a warning."
"A fitting example... for anyone else who dares to follow the same path."
As soon as Yizhe finished speaking, the owner of the dungeon hurriedly stepped forward. He glanced at Yizhe with barely concealed fear before quickly nodding in agreement, terrified of saying anything that might offend the person who was currently known as the strongest in the entire realm.
"What the Ruler said is truly wise!"
He exclaimed while wiping his face.
Alec clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white as he watched Yizhe’s retreating figure disappear into the distance with dark, unwavering eyes.
A sharp shove from one of the armored giants behind him forced him forward.
He stumbled a step before steadying himself. Narrowing his eyes, he muttered in a low voice.
"So... these are the so-called Rulers."
Sinon’s expression was equally grim.
"Now I understand why there are so many terrible rumors about Kyle."
He let out a cold snort.
"I’m certain now that he did nothing. These people are more than capable of twisting the truth to suit themselves."
In the end, the entire group was dragged away and thrown into a dark prison deep beneath the Rulers’ territory. Of course, some of them tried to escape several times during the journey, but every attempt ended in failure. They were caught again and again before they could get far, earning nothing but harsher treatment from the winged warriors and armored giants, whose numbers were simply too great.
Once inside the prison, heavy chains were fastened around their wrists and ankles.
The chains restraining them were forged from a special material that completely sealed every form of energy within their bodies. No matter how hard they struggled, they could neither circulate nor summon any energy or natural laws. Worse still, the chains were unbelievably sturdy, refusing to break no matter what they did.
The prison itself was equally oppressive. Cold stone walls surrounded them on all sides, and the dim, flickering lights cast long shadows across the damp floor. The air was heavy and suffocating, filled with the foul scent of blood and corpses, carrying an eerie silence that made every clink of the chains echo through the cells.
As Alec and the others tried to wake Jian, who still had not regained consciousness and had been thrown into the opposite cell, where an unknown white-haired Celestial in tattered, bloodied clothes was chained, they also searched for a way to break the chains before the Ruler who had sent them there returned and made things more difficult.
Time was no longer on their side.
Just then, the heavy prison doors groaned open once more.
Several more prisoners were dragged inside.
When Alec and the others looked up, their eyes widened.
It was Elli, Lara, Elizabeth, and Mia.
James looked at his wife, who was chained in the cell to his right, and sighed.
"So... you all got captured too."
Elizabeth frowned. Unlike those who had been dragged into the dungeon to mine, she, Elli, Lara, and Mia had spent far more time roaming the realm and had learned much more about everything that was going on. Because of that, they understood the situation far better than the others.
"They tracked us."
She said grimly.
"It’s likely through the identity cards we received from the Golden Hall of Light. By the time we realized it... it was too late."
Regius and Asher both cursed.
"Those bastards...!"
Suddenly, Bia, who had remained silent until now, looked at Elizabeth and frowned.
"What about Yue? And the kids?"
Her words caused everyone’s expressions to darken even further.
The parents’ hearts instantly tightened, anxiety flashing across their faces.
Elizabeth slowly shook her head.
"We all went separate ways. Yue went after the kids after they left because of Amon’s outburst. We couldn’t contact them before we were captured, so we have no idea where they are or whether they’re safe."