A big white bird swooped in from the north. Sitting on its back were eight women in white robes, each of them extremely beautiful. The woman at the front had a frosty expression, but she looked like an angel descending from the heavens. She was every bit as pretty as Agatha and Fern, but she considered herself superior in every way.
"Hmph, Annalise," Fern said, wrinkling her nose. She was unable to control her jealousy. Before Annalise had arrived, Fern had been the center of attention, and countless young men had surrounded her like moths to a flame. But as soon as Annalise had appeared, everyone had turned to look at her instead.
"Legend has it that the Snow Palace sect has a special technique that allows them to possess the aura of an immortal," Blake said to Fern. "It looks like the rumors might be true. Elsa was peerless, so how much stronger will Annalise be if she has absorbed Elsa's aura? It's such a pity that Elsa died on Earth. Otherwise, I would have loved to compete against her."
Fern smirked. "Do you want to know a secret?" she asked. Then she continued without waiting for his answer. "Elsa's jade tablet isn't broken."
"What?" Blake asked, his jaw dropping.
When everyone heard what Fern had said, they were instantly shocked, and they all knew what it meant.
Many of those who had gone to Earth had fallen, including the leader of the Thunder sect. And yet, apparently, Elsa was still alive. How could they not be thinking about it?
Had she rebelled? Been captured? Why hadn't she returned?
Many thoughts ran through everyone's minds. Some people were thinking the worst and believed the people of Earth had captured Elsa and had humiliated her in every way possible.
"The reputation of the Snow Palace sect has been destroyed," Blake said with pity, shaking his head.
Alex, who had been the one to capture Elsa, had no idea what everyone was thinking. But if he had, it wouldn't have mattered. After all, they already thought he was the devil incarnate. He sat in the camp of the Purple sect, concentrating on his inner power, as it roiled within him and began to surge. His body was emitting beams of light, and he advanced to another level.
His aura was overwhelming, but after a long time, it finally calmed down.
He slowly opened his eyes, and a bolt of lightning flashed across the tent. He had now reached the peak of the divine level, and he was within half a step of the innate realm.
"Within three days—six or seven at the most—my injuries should be fully healed," he muttered to himself. "Then I'll kill the water dragon and use it to make medicine. It's time for the entire divine realm to know how strong I am."
A series of exclamations came from outside the camp, and it soon became obvious that Hendrix Snyder had arrived.
An entire palace surrounded by mist flew through the air. Faintly, people could make out servants bustling about the building.
"Just what you'd expect from the High sect," someone said, laughing. "The Cloud Palace is a wonderful treasure, and it is said that it can block an attack from an immortal."
Maddox, Blake, Annalise, and the others all looked at the palace with solemn expressions.
At the front of the palace was a young man wearing a robe embroidered with nine dragons. He stood with his hands behind his back as he looked out at everyone. When his long hair blew in the breeze, he casually pulled out a leather cord and tied it back. The young man had an imposing aura, as if a warrior angel had descended upon the world.
When Agatha saw him, her breath caught in her throat, and she couldn't tear her gaze away from him.
Hendrix's arrival heralded the official opening of the assembly. The Cloud Palace stopped moving and hovered above the courtyard.
"Fellow warriors, I invite you to visit the palace," a loud voice rang out.
"I don't mind if I do," Blake said. "I would like to see if Hendrix really is invincible." He laughed heartily as wings of purple flames burst from his back, and then he soared into the sky.
Maddox smiled and took a step forward. He stepped into the air as if he were walking on the ground. Every step he took was as if he were ascending to the heavens as he calmly walked up to the Cloud Palace.
"Wow, that is so cool," someone said, their voice breathless.
Annalise, Agatha, Fern, and the others all used their respective techniques to soar into the sky. Those from the Great World sect were the greatest show offs. They created a dragon made of fire, whose roar echoed through the air, and then they climbed up its back to reach the palace.
The palace remained high in the air, and it had no ladder, so only the most powerful warriors were able to reach it. Those who couldn't fly could only remain below and wait for the outcome of the battle.
"Don't go anywhere," Enzo warned Alex. "After I've taken first place, I'll be back to deal with you properly." A moment later, a gust of wind, accompanied by lightning, swept him up to the palace.
"Alex, let's go," Verity said, taking his hand and tugging at it. "They'll be up there for a while, so this is our chance to get out of here." She glanced up at the palace. "If we don't go now, we might not be able to go later."
Alex shook his head.
Verity was stunned. Looking around, she spotted a few of Enzo's followers standing to the side, with their arms crossed. They looked over and smirked at Alex.
"Don't even think about running," one man said. "You offended Enzo, and no matter where you try to flee, he will track you down and kill you. There is no escape for you."
"I have no intention of running," Alex said, grinning at them. "On the contrary, I'm looking forward to seeing what Enzo can do." He reached out his hand and clasped Verity's shoulder. "Do you want to see what the palace is like? I can take you."
He hugged her, and then they floated up into the air like a balloon and made their way to the palace.
The crowd wore a variety of expressions, from raised eyebrows, to mouths hanging open, to puzzled frowns. They had had no idea that Alex had reached the divine level. For someone to reach that level at such a young age meant that they were an elite of their generation.
Even the people from the Thunder sect frowned, but then they relaxed.
"So what if he's at the divine stage?" one disciple asked, shrugging. "He still can't match Enzo's abilities."
The others nodded, and then they stood there, waiting for the battle to begin.
Alex smiled as he landed in the palace courtyard, attracting everyone's attention. The number of divine-level warriors in this generation was fairly small, so they all knew each other, and they were surprised to see someone new.
"Who is he?" Fern asked, looking at him with interest.
Alex's aura marked him as being at the early stage of the divine level, but he was handsome, which aroused Fern's curiosity.
"He seems to be from the Purple sect," Blake said. "He knows Agatha, and apparently, he provoked Enzo earlier."
"That's a pity," Fern said, sighing. "Enzo is crazy, so he'll destroy him easily. It's such a shame. He really is handsome."
Agatha frowned, stunned to see Alex there.
"Verity, come over here," she called.
Verity was still in shock, but when she heard her sister, she snapped out of it and walked over to her.
Alex turned to see Enzo watching him with a ferocious smile, but he didn't care. He simply continued to scan the area. The courtyard was more than a thousand feet wide, and the dozens of people sitting in it were all above the divine level.
"Why are you here?" Agatha asked.
The contest had rules. As soon as someone stepped foot in the palace, they were considered a contender, and anyone could challenge them at any time. That was exactly why Agatha hadn't brought Verity with her.