Meanwhile, in Bellion City, everyone was starting to gather around the soon-to-be-ready portal.
Mixed emotions painted every face.
Some were happy, eyes glistening with the hope of finally returning home after so many years in an expedition that had gone wrong from the very beginning.
Some were anxious, remembering the warning. They might arrive in an extremely dangerous place on the other side. Every survival method they possessed had to be ready at a moment's notice.
Some were terrified.
The scene unfolding above them was enough to freeze blood.
Over ten thousand desperate cultivators surrounded the barriers, launching attacks with everything they had. This was no longer a measured attempt to deplete energy. This was an all-out assault born of desperation.
Numerous attackers now hovered directly above the city, raining destruction downward. The barriers shimmered and groaned under the relentless onslaught.
As time passed, more and more spots on the first layer shattered.
But the attackers did not stop there. They kept hammering at the remaining layers, even when it meant facing their own rebounding attacks. Their determination was absolute.
And where individual strength failed, cooperation took over.
To prevent the broken spots from regenerating, weaker cultivators began converging on those areas, launching attacks together. Without any formal communication, an orderly rhythm naturally formed. They took turns attacking and bracing themselves against the rebound, creating a continuous rotating cycle of assault and defense.
From inside the city, more and more stretching spots appeared across the inner layers, bulging inward like membranes pushed to their limits.
But none compared to the spot at the very center of the hemispheric barrier.
Above them all, Prince Ozan stood.
His colossal avatar hammered the same spot relentlessly, each strike sending shockwaves across the entire formation. The layers beneath him stretched deeper than anywhere else, deformed into a near-spike pointing toward the city below.
Leyvi stared upward, genuinely amazed.
"This guy is truly monstrous. No wonder he insisted on cultivating all three systems. His strength is terrifying," Leyvi remarked in amazement as he stared straight upward.
He had always thought that he was already very strong. But after witnessing Prince Ozan in action, Leyvi realized that the ceiling was far higher than he had imagined. The current him stood absolutely no chance against the strongest prince.
"This prince already knows that he is monstrously strong, but even then, this is still beyond expectation. If this prince were to fight him, this prince would lose." Dastan admitted openly after carefully gauging their powers.
"What? You can't beat him even though you're a Nascent Soul Realm expert? You must be kidding, right?" Leyvi and the others were shocked. They knew very well how terrifying a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator was.
"Hmph! Why would this prince lie about such a thing? Don't expect this prince to fight him if he ever breaks in. Let Bodo handle him." Dastan replied bluntly.
"Doo... If I use my bloodline transformation, I might still lose." Bodo scratched his head, giving his honest opinion.
Bellion squinted slightly. Seeing Prince Ozan's display, his absolute confidence was finally shaken for the first time. Previously, it had always been one hundred percent. Now, it had dropped to ninety-nine.
That remaining one percent represented the terrifying possibility that the barriers could actually be breached.
Prince Ozan was using the rebound force from his own attacks to launch himself even higher. Every time his colossal avatar exploded, his real body would shoot straight upward. Then he would descend again, forming a new avatar and striking with even greater power, repeating this cycle endlessly.
Not only was he no longer afraid of the violent rebound that had seriously injured him a week ago, he had even turned it into an advantage, creating a terrifying loop of continuous momentum and escalating destruction.
Executing such a technique was no easy feat. It demanded extreme precision to maintain the correct trajectory, as well as overwhelming defensive capability to withstand the rebound force without suffering fatal injuries.
The amount of deformation he alone caused to the barriers sent chills down the spines of everyone inside the city. No one doubted it anymore.
If there was ever anyone capable of breaking through the grand formation, it would be Prince Ozan, this monstrous prince.
"I hope he doesn't have the stamina to keep this up," Bellion muttered.
Kiyara gulped nervously as she hugged her thick braid tightly. For Bellion to say something like that, it meant the possibility was real.
Time kept ticking.
Despite the all-out assault from nearly fifteen thousand cultivators, the barriers remained unbroken.
As time passed, the attacks gradually weakened.
Many cultivators had completely run out of energy, some even reaching total exhaustion. They slid helplessly off the barriers and tumbled down the sides, sustaining injuries. Quite a few crashed into others below, dragging more people down with them in a chaotic chain reaction.
Inside the city, thousands of cultivators finally began to feel relief as the ferocious assault slowed.
They could clearly see that even the monstrous Prince Ozan was gradually losing stamina. The depth of the stretching on the barriers was no longer as terrifying as before.
Then, without warning, the atmosphere shifted.
Almost at the same time, everyone turned toward the portal.
Before their eyes, the large purple slit slowly began to open.
The portal would finally be ready!
Cheers erupted across the city. They could finally go home.
"Everyone, please form a line! Once the portal fully opens, you must cross one by one! Let me warn you, do not rush in together or you will die!" Barcas shouted loudly beside the portal.
"Shut up! Don't tell me what to do! I'm sick and tired of waiting!" A man in the crowd suddenly roared, his voice filled with impatience and fury.
His aura flared violently as he dashed straight toward the half-opened portal, prepared to kill anyone who dared block his path.
"Stop! It's not fully ready yet!" Barcas instinctively moved to intercept him, not wanting the portal to be disturbed at this critical moment.
Barbara's face drained of color. Her brother was not a fighter. If that man attacked in his irrational state, Barcas could lose his life.
But the next moment—
The charging man split into three parts.
He fell to the ground in a spray of blood, his body separated from shoulder to hip in two clean, diagonal cuts. The pieces thudded separately against the stone.
The crowd fell into stunned silence.
Those who had briefly felt emboldened instantly froze in place. Several sharp gulps echoed in the air.
Standing over the corpse was a tall, valiant-looking woman. Two swords gleamed in her hands, still dripping. She had chopped him from top to bottom in an instant, the motion so fast most had not even seen it.
"Sister-in-law! Thank goodness," Barbara breathed in relief.
Livana had always stayed close to her and Barcas, but due to her pregnancy, she never fought. Barbara had almost forgotten that her sister-in-law was, in fact, incredibly powerful.
An oppressive aura suddenly erupted from Livana, her face twisted with anger.
"Listen here. My husband worked tirelessly to make sure the portal could function as soon as possible. Disobey his words, and I will make sure you end up like this."
She pointed her sword at the corpse.
"Now form a line!"
Her shout carried across the crowd like a whip crack.
The crowd obediently began forming a line. No one dared to be impulsive anymore. Many among them were not afraid of Livana personally, but they recognized there was no reason to act unreasonably like the dead man. Not now. Not when the portal was finally open.
"Livana, you are pregnant. You shouldn't be putting your body under this much pressure." Barcas arrived at her side, concern in his voice.
"Yes, husband."
Livana's aura subsided instantly. Her tone shifted completely, becoming much softer. Even her expression changed drastically, from fierce warrior to gentle wife in the span of a breath.
The crowd was speechless.
Who is this? Where is the ferocious lady from a moment ago?
"Haa..." Princess Waniwani sighed from nearby. "Look at her. I have never seen her so feminine like this. My precious Royal Guard has been snatched away by a man."
"That man will soon have a familial relation with me." Anda smiled beside her. "His sister will be married to my husband in the future. You would not mind freeing Livana, right?"
"Don't say it like I am some kind of heartless person." The princess pouted. "I am already torn that I have to leave behind so many people. I already gave Livana my blessing when she came to tell me previously, you know."
"Hehe. I am just kidding. Don't get mad, Princess. You will age faster." Anda teased.
On the other side, Dastan was fuming.
"Hmph. If Livana hadn't acted just now, this prince would have killed him myself! How dare he try to ruin everything for everyone! Look, the portal is almost fully open. It's time for this prince to seal my cultivation base…"
Before he could finish his sentence,
BOOM!!
The ground behind them exploded.
Thick dust and debris blasted outward, but the cloud was immediately swept away by the sheer force of the figure standing in the newly formed crater.
Everyone turned.
Shock rippled through the crowd.
Most of them turned pale.
Standing in the crater was a figure they all recognized.
"OZAZAZAZA!!"
The booming laugh echoed across the city.
"I made it in time! That portal, I shall claim it!"
The voice thundered across the area, carrying overwhelming authority and power.