An hour passed within the blink of an eye while Yuan inspected the Nameless Emperor's Tomb with his divine sense.
Besides its pristine condition, there really wasn't anything too special about the temple itself— at least Yuan didn't notice anything unique about it.
He also noticed that even though tens of millions of people had gathered in front of the temple, they all left an empty path straight down the center leading to the temple for some reason, almost as though they were expecting someone to walk through the path.
About five minutes before the Nameless Emperor's Tomb's opening, the Ji Family showed up at the site.
All of the Sect Leaders and Clan Leaders went to greet the Ji Family upon their arrival, including Yu Jian from the Jade Sword Manor.
However, these powerhouses were absolutely gobsmacked when they noticed Lord Ji's unusual and shocking condition.
"L-Lord Ji! What happened to your arm?!"
Lord Ji, who was almost an invincible existence within the Third Heaven had suddenly lost an arm, an injury that most would consider to be crippling. However, who or what could possibly injure the strongest cultivator in the Third Heaven to such a degree? None of these Sect Leaders or Clan Leaders could imagine.
Lord Ji's body shuddered after being reminded of his injury— one that he doesn't even remember getting.
"I… I don't remember." He eventually shook his head. "When I woke up, my arm had disappeared."
The Sect Leaders exchanged glances with each other. What could have possibly caused such a phenomenon? One doesn't simply wake up with an arm missing!
These experts all believed that Lord Ji had been attacked while he was asleep, as that was the only logical explanation, but such a thing was easier said than done.
However, Lord Ji insisted that he doesn't remember anything, so the Sect Leaders and Clan Leaders had no choice but to drop the topic.
"I would normally give a speech, but as you can see, I am not in the condition to do so." Lord Ji spoke a moment later, and nobody there could blame him.
Eventually, it was time for the Nameless Emperor's Tomb's opening.
Yuan could sense a sudden change in the atmosphere, almost as though the presence of an otherworldly expert just showed up.
The temple suddenly began emanating a golden glow that would grow brighter with every passing second.
BOOM!
The entire Third Heaven shook for a brief second when a powerful ripple swept the place.
Suddenly, like a ghost, the figure of a tall individual wearing exquisite white robes appeared in the empty path that all of the sects had purposefully avoided.
This figure was entirely made out of spiritual energy, yet it felt like he truly existed as a real person, and he was carrying a large sword on his back while wearing a mask on his face.
When the experts there saw this masked figure, they all lowered their heads and silently bowed to him, their hearts trembling with reverence.
Although nobody there knew this masked figure's true identity, they all had a good feeling that he was the Nameless Emperor— the master of this unfathomable tomb.
Yuan's body trembled slightly when he saw this masked figure and the sword on his back.
'Empyrean Overlord…' It only took a glance for him to recognize the sword and the masked figure.
A few moments after he appeared, the masked figure began taking small strides towards the temple in the distance.
As he slowly approached the tomb, not a single soul in that area dared to make even the slightest movements, and even the most powerful cultivator in this world, Lord Ji, had to hold his breath.
Unbeknownst to most of the people there, several experts from the upper heaven were hidden amongst them, and they were just as awed by this masked figure's unfathomable presence despite being part of powerful families and sects in the upper heavens themselves.
'I have heard countless rumors about the Nameless Emperor's Tomb and its unknown master, but I never really understood why even the experts in the Ninth Heaven are wary of this place until today! This masked figure… If he is still alive today, he would, without doubt, be one of the strongest cultivators in the Nine Heavens!'
'How is he exuding such a powerful aura even though he's just a phantom created entirely out of spiritual energy?! Even the top experts in my family cannot emit such an aura while they are alive! This doesn't make any sense!'
After taking exactly 99 steps, the masked figure stopped his movements and proceeded to reach behind him to grab the Empyrean Overlord.
The moment his grasp tightened on the Empyrean Overlord, all of the experts there suddenly felt a cold sensation around their neck, almost as though there was a real blade pressing against their skin at this moment.
The experts tried their damned hardest to not swallow by accident, and their back was quickly soaked in cold sweat.
The experts from the upper heavens even subconsciously grabbed their weapons when they sensed this chilling sensation, but they quickly released their hands when they realized the situation.
'His Sword Qi is so profound that our body— our very soul— had instinctively reacted defensively even though it wasn't directed at us… Even the current Sword Emperor would look like a sword apprentice compared to him! Why does such an existence exist in this world?! What is the Heavens thinking, allowing such a thing to happen?!'
While the experts from the upper heaven were in deep thoughts, the masked man suddenly made his movement and swung his sword vertically at the temple.
A beautiful arc of sword light was created by the swing, and it flew straight at the temple.
Sha!
Almost as though the sword light ripped through space itself, a massive portal suddenly appeared in front of the temple.
The Nameless Emperor's Tomb was finally open, but nobody there dared to move, as the masked figure had yet to disappear.
Thus, the tens of millions of people there patiently waited for the masked man to disappear after opening the tomb like he usually does. However, what happened next shocked everyone there.