When you rushed out, you saw over a dozen figures floating in the sky. They all wore identical dark red robes that billowed dramatically in the wind. Every single one was from the Mizhen Sect.

"Fuck! Ultimate Grandmasters! A dozen of them!!" You didn't dare look for more than a second before turning to flee.

Jokes were fine in normal times, but when facing flying warriors, you didn't mess around. The residual shockwaves from these Ultimate Grandmasters fighting at full strength could pulverize you. You retreated frantically against the crowd's flow.

Bai Chen only now came running up, curiously pushing forward with the crowd to see what was happening. "What the hell are you staring at? Run!!" You grabbed and dragged him away.

Stumbling from your pull, Bai Chen saw your extreme reaction and stopped resisting. His face pale with panic, he fled with you: "Senior brother, what's happening?"

"A dozen Mizhen Sect Ultimate Grandmasters showed up - absolute nightmare fuel!"

Realizing the severity, Bai Chen's face drained of color. At his late-stage Skin Refining level, he'd be like paper against Ultimate Grandmasters. The two of you kept retreating far away - desertion charges were the least of your concerns now. Survival came first.

Only after putting over two li between yourselves and the scene did you dare glance back. You saw eight or nine figures rising from Great Qian's side, but neither group engaged, seemingly waiting for something. More Ultimate Grandmasters kept arriving from all directions - this battle would be earth-shaking.

Still feeling unsafe, you continued retreating. Bai Chen panted after you, though you weren't even using your full movement technique to accommodate him. The poor guy was practically coughing up his lungs trying to keep up.

Then you noticed an Ultimate Grandmaster flying toward Yajiangkou - a gentle-looking woman in black robes strangely carrying a young girl who clearly couldn't fly herself. Your scalp prickled when you recognized the girl.

Wan Qingluan!

You'd encountered that deranged woman again. The black-robed lady must be Yan Zhixue, leader of the Extermination Sect. In your third simulation, Yan Zhixue had killed herself at Wan Qingluan's request, yet now they seemed perfectly harmonious. You couldn't fathom how their relationship would deteriorate from loving to lethal.

Wanting nothing to do with the Extermination Sect's madness, you lowered your head and hurried away to avoid eye contact.

"Shit! No!!" You suddenly realized your mistake - you were using the Phantom Phoenix Steps technique Wan Qingluan had given you. Looking up confirmed your fears - Wan Qingluan was staring directly at you from above, tilting her head in puzzlement.

"Screw this!" Abandoning caution, you unleashed your full speed. If you could just escape into some remote mountains, no one would ever find you. Bai Chen quickly became a distant speck as you vanished in a series of flickers.

The wheezing Bai Chen tried calling after you, but his throat was too parched. Seeing he couldn't catch up, he stopped to gasp for air. Since the dozens of Ultimate Grandmasters were just posturing without fighting, he wasn't in immediate danger. Wan Qingluan only gave you a curious glance before losing interest.

After putting several more li between yourself and the scene, you finally relaxed slightly. Then an inexplicable shudder ran through you - something about the environment had changed. Though nothing looked different, you were certain the area had transformed somehow. The air seemed saturated with... something. Intangible yet present.

"Wait, not intangible!" Your clever little brain had an epiphany - theoretically, anything you could touch could be stored in your spatial inventory. If something existed in this air, you should be able to collect it.

"I'm a fucking genius!" Activating your spatial storage, you suddenly found a mass of white mist swirling within - about ten feet across. As you examined it, you sensed an Ultimate Grandmaster approaching your direction.

Not one to gamble with your life, you had another brilliant idea - instead of fleeing against the crowd and standing out, you turned back toward Yajiangkou, blending in seamlessly. Moments after you left, the Ultimate Grandmaster landed precisely where you'd been, searching the area with visible confusion.

Your face remained impassive as you glanced back, but internally you were screaming: "Holy shit! Jackpot!" Anything an Ultimate Grandmaster sought so urgently had to be incredibly valuable. An even wilder thought struck you - perhaps this white mist was why dozens of Ultimate Grandmasters had gathered!

"Insane! Absolutely insane!" Excitement made every pore tingle, your heart pounding so hard you feared your lungs might burst. Only with great effort did you calm down enough to rejoin Bai Chen.

Touched by your return, Bai Chen gasped: "Senior brother! You came back for me! No words needed - true brotherhood! Wait... why are we going back?!"

"To find Uncle Hu for protection," you half-lied. In this chaos, Bai Chen at his Skin Refining level wouldn't dare travel alone. He quickly followed.

Soon you located Hu Zhongxuan. "Are you two alright?" he asked.

"Fine, uncle. What's happening up there?" you asked, gazing at the gathered Ultimate Grandmasters.

"Remember when you asked why we're fighting this war? You're about to find out," Hu Zhongxuan replied, his barely contained anticipation making even his body tremble slightly. Seeing such intense emotion from a peak Grandmaster surprised you, though you remained silent.

The sky now held seventy to eighty Ultimate Grandmasters in tense standoff, their overwhelming auras pressing down like divine judgment. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers below watched in awed reverence.

Yan Zhixue floated among them, her black robes contrasting with her perpetually gentle smile. Wan Qingluan was nowhere to be seen. You counted carefully - forty-six Ultimate Grandmasters for Jin Yue Nation versus Great Qian's forty-four. Notably, Great Qian's forces included non-imperial supporters like Yan Zhixue from the Extermination Sect and two representatives from Sword Establishment Pavilion (though Lin Jingzhi was absent).

Suddenly, murmurs spread through the crowd as all Ultimate Grandmasters turned toward the southeast. Two more figures approached - one elegantly confident (clearly Lin Jingzhi), the other radiating such domineering majesty that even Lin Jingzhi seemed insignificant by comparison. Most eyes locked onto this imposing figure.

Hu Zhongxuan gasped: "He actually came!"

"Who's that, uncle? Looks impressive!" you asked.

In hushed tones, Hu Zhongxuan answered: "The current emperor of Great Qian - Emperor Xuanwu, Li Anlong!"