The empire moved swiftly. In just ten days, countless powerful individuals had gathered in the capital. High above the capital, countless teleportation arrays spanning tens of thousands of meters floated in the air, packed with top-tier experts from various provinces. No one dared to refuse the empire's call. Even secluded families and hidden clans sent representatives to support the cause! Above the capital, the sky was densely packed with powerful figures. Terrifying auras permeated the heavens and earth. There weren't just human experts among them, but there were many powerful demonic beasts as well. Though only numbering in the tens of thousands, their presence was overwhelming. They were massive in size. Though they were far fewer than the human experts, their aura was no less intimidating. Especially the demonic beasts at the helm, their aura was comparable to erupting volcanoes, distorting spacetime around them. And more experts were pouring in from across the realm. At the Ninth Prince's Residence. Ye Guan stepped out from the cultivation room. Upon emerging, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. At that moment, Sang Han approached him. She looked at Ye Guan with surprise. Her instincts told her that something had changed about him, but she couldn't quite say it. It was all because Ye Guan wasn't cultivating the conventional realms. Unless he made a move, it was impossible to gauge his strength. This was one of the advantages of not cultivating traditionally. Ye Guan opened his eyes and looked at Sang Han with a smile. "Miss Sang." Sang Han looked at him. "You've broken through?" Ye Guan replied, "Not exactly a breakthrough, more like I gained something." Sang Han nodded, not pressing any further. "We're about to head to the Empyrean Star Battlefield. Let's go." Ye Guan said, "Alright." With that, the two figures vanished from where they stood and appeared above the capital. Sang Han brought Ye Guan to the teleportation array, where Ji Wuchen was waiting for them. When he saw them, Ji Wuchen smiled and said, "Lady Sang, Brother Ye." Ye Guan returned the smile. "Your Highness." Ji Wuchen sized up Ye Guan, looking a bit surprised. "Brother Ye, have you broken through?" Ye Guan shook his head. "No, I just had some insights." Ji Wuchen nodded and said nothing. Ye Guan then looked toward You Lian beside Ji Wuchen. Her expression was calm, and she said nothing, but she glanced at him. A smile tugged at Ye Guan's lips. Just then, an invisible pressure spread across the heavens and earth. Everyone was startled and looked up. In the distance, the emperor walked across the skies at a measured pace. Today, he was clad in a majestic imperial dragon robe. Though he walked slowly, it felt as if towering mountains were pressing down on everyone, making them feel suffocated. All present bowed respectfully. Ye Guan looked at the emperor, slightly lowered his head, and clenched his hands, pretending to be suppressed by the emperor's aura like everyone else. The Great Daoist Brush Master stood next to the emperor. The Great Daoist Brush Master's gaze instantly landed on Ye Guan, and he frowned, as something felt off. However, his power was sealed, making it impossible for him to discern Ye Guan's strength. Could that punk have improved? The Great Daoist Brush Master stared at Ye Guan. His instincts said it was unlikely. Ye Guan no longer had the Little Pagoda or the Qingxuan Sword. Under such conditions, a breakthrough in such a short time would be impossible. Of course, he also knew that logic didn't always apply to members of the Yang Family. The emperor also glanced at Ye Guan. Then, he addressed the crowd, "Everyone, in this journey to the Empyrean Star Battlefield, we shall flatten the Celestial Clan!" His words were soft, but they exploded like thunder in everyone's ears. "Flatten the Celestial Clan!" Everyone roared in unison, their voices shaking the heavens. The emperor said, "Go!" As soon as he spoke, all the teleportation arrays beneath everyone's feet activated. Beams of light rose and wrapped around the crowd. In an instant, everyone vanished from the skies of the capital. In a spacetime tunnel, the emperor and the Great Daoist Brush Master led the way. The emperor walked with his hands behind his back, exuding a terrifying and formless pressure; none dared to meet his gaze. No one knew just how strong the emperor truly was. He hadn't made a move in countless years, after all. Beside him, the Great Daoist Brush Master kept his aura completely restrained; he was utterly unreadable. Many gazes turned to him. The new Grand Preceptor piqued everyone's curiosity. Ye Guan glanced at the emperor, but his gaze soon shifted to the old man behind him, Lord Han. Ye Guan cast a deep look at Lord Han before closing his eyes to rest. He knew that many people were watching him at the moment, including the Ninth Prince nearby and the Crown Prince in the distance. Suddenly, the Little Pagoda said, "Is there anyone here who can kill you?" "Of course," Ye Guan replied, and then he added, "But only one or two." Little Pagoda asked, "Can you already feel your faith power?" Ye Guan shook his head. This surprised him. Even after his improvement, he still couldn't sense the faith power, nor could he see the Main Universe. This place was simply too far from the Main Universe. Little Pagoda said, "Can you sense the so-called 'Truth' now?" Ye Guan still shook his head. "I've gotten a vague sense of it, but understanding it and sensing it are two very different things." Little Pagoda said, "Still, it's a good start." A deafening explosion erupted outside the spacetime tunnel. Everyone was startled! The emperor at the front waved his sleeve, parting the tunnel. The crowd found themselves in a starry sky. Several thousand meters ahead stood a middle-aged man in a black robe, holding a long saber with a wicked smile. A Celestial Clan expert! The middle-aged man looked at the emperor and grinned. "You're Ji Zhan of the empire?" The emperor calmly returned his gaze. "And?" "Hahaha!" The man burst out into a peal of laughter. The next moment, before anyone could react, a saber beam tens of thousands of meters long slashed down from above! Even spacetime was torn apart! Ji Zhan raised a hand and punched forward. A golden dragon, tens of thousands of meters long, surged forward, instantly dispersing the saber beam. The powerful impact sent the middle-aged man flying nearly ten thousand meters away! All the empire's experts were fired up, cheering loudly at the sight. Ye Guan narrowed his eyes as he observed Ji Zhan. This emperor was even stronger than he had expected. The Celestial Clan's expert grinned. Without even lifting his saber, countless saber energies filled the skies, pouring down like a torrential storm upon everyone. Ji Zhan remained calm. With a sweep of his sleeve, golden light surged forth. A golden dragon soared skyward, dispersing all the saber energy effortlessly. Kust then, a saber suddenly pierced the golden light, heading straight for Ji Zhan with blinding speed! Ji Zhan raised two fingers and flicked. The Celestial Clan expert, along with his saber, was blasted away! The Celestial Clan expert stopped, laughing. "As expected of the empire's strongest. Impressive!" Hearing that, the empire's soldiers were invigorated; their morale soared to the skies. Ji Zhan waved his sleeve. A mysterious force swept across the field, not toward the Celestial Clan expert, but toward Ye Guan! Before anyone could react, Ye Guan was blasted tens of thousands of meters away! Ji Zhan looked at Ye Guan. "Since you are the Grand Preceptor's mortal enemy, my empire naturally cannot tolerate you. I won't kill you, but you are now forbidden from setting foot into my empire's territory." Sang Han was stunned. She looked from the emperor to Ye Guan, utterly shocked by the sudden turn of events! She looked at the Ninth Prince beside her, but he said nothing. The emperor glanced at the Celestial Clan expert in the distance, and the latter smiled. The emperor said nothing. He opened his palm and activated an array. Soon, everyone entered the teleportation portal. As soon as they entered, You Lian's gaze met Ye Guan's for a moment. Soon, all the empire's forces vanished. Only the Celestial Clan's expert remained. He looked at Ye Guan and grinned. Then, without another word, he soared to the sky and slashed down with a powerful saber strike! In the spacetime tunnel, the Great Daoist Brush Master realized something. "No! Something's wrong!" he exclaimed. The emperor turned to him. The Great Daoist Brush Master exclaimed, "Damn! There's something wrong here! Let's go back! Now!" The Emperor said nothing, but with a wave of his sleeve, he and the Great Daoist Brush Master tore through spacetime and returned to the battlefield. When they arrived, they found a corpse floating in the air. The Celestial Clan's expert was dead! "He wasn't killed by him." The emperor's eyes narrowed. Then, he turned his gaze toward the distance. His vision pierced the starry skies, and he saw Ye Guan fleeing under the protection of four mysterious experts. The Great Daoist Brush Master exclaimed, "Arrest everyone around the Ninth Prince! There's a mole among them!" The emperor coldly replied, "No rush. We cannot let that kid escape." With that, he tore open space again and chased after Ye Guan and his protectors.