The woman removed her helmet, revealing a stunning face framed by long pink hair.
Her skin was as white as snow, with a faint rosy glow that made her even more captivating.
The young men in the city couldnât help but stare in awe.
She truly was that beautifulâher face had almost no equal.
Of course, it was none other than Olivia.
Richard noticed that she hadnât aged at allâstill appearing like a woman in her twenties.
Without her cunning personality, she would have been a woman unmatched by anyone.
The moment she appeared, Richard saw the Thundervale Clanâs ark suddenly rise, confronting the Skylight Clanâs ark midair.
"You shameless womanâyou dare to show yourself here!" Sean Thundervale shouted, his gaze locked onto Olivia with killing intent.
It was said he once had feelings for her.
Olivia had even respondedâbut only as part of her scheme to steal a priceless treasure from him.
If he hadnât lost that treasure, he might have been far stronger than he was now.
Someone like Gray would have stood no chance against him.
Olivia looked at Sean with disdain.
"Youâre still clinging to that after all this time?"
"What? You expect us to forget? Do you know how much effort our ancestors spent to obtain it?" Roland shouted angrily, joined by other towering members of the Thundervale Clan.
"Even the Skylight Clan wonât be able to protect you."
"Today, weâll capture you and bring you back to the Thundervale Clan!"
Their voices thundered, summoning countless bolts of lightning across the sky.
"Oh? Are you really going to waste your time on me?" Olivia replied casually, then glanced toward the crimson mountain of the Order of the Crimson Veil.
At that moment, a group of elders descended from the mountain.
They carried a massive black key, over ten meters long, emitting thick, dark smoke.
It took three of them just to lift it.
The mere sight of the key caused the Thundervale Clan to stop focusing on Olivia.
After all, their reason for coming to the Eastern Region was far more important than revenge.
Behind the elders stood Ethan Holystar, the Lord of the Crimson Veil.
One of the elders signaled to him, speaking softly.
Then the elder turned toward the crowd.
"Everyone, our elders request that no disturbances occur, as it may interfere with the opening of the World of Death. If you have grudges, set them aside for now. Inside the World of Death, you may fight as much as you wish. No one will careâeven if you fight to the death," he announced, glancing particularly at the Thundervale Clan and the Skylight Clan.
Even before any battle began, their auras alone had already caused chaos.
Both clans fell silent, though the Thundervale Clan continued glaring at the Skylight Clan.
Naturally, the Skylight Clan had no reason to fear them.
Olivia merely sneered at Sean and Roland.
At that moment, four massive chains suddenly erupted from beneath the groundâfrom four small forests within the city.
The elders of the Order of the Crimson Veil began pulling them.
They were incredibly heavy. Even those eldersâParagonsâhad to unleash their full strength.
The entire cityâand even the skyâshook from their power.
The chains were connected to something.
As they were pulled, a colossal gate slowly emerged.
It resembled a gate of death itself.
It was covered in carvings of scythes and graves, and its aura of death manifested as black smoke spreading across the cityâcold, silent, and deeply unsettling, even to Richard.
The gate was dragged upward into the skyâbut the higher it rose, the harder it became to pull.
Eventually, more elders joined in, as the initial group was not enough.
The gate pierced through the clouds, rising higher and higher.
At such a height, reaching the Grimoire Realm became the minimum requirement to enter.
Otherwise, one couldnât even fly up to itâunless using a flying ark.
After about an hour, the gate finally reached its position in the sky.
It stoppedâand remained floating there.
The elders carrying the key inserted it into a matching slot in the gate.
The key turned on its own.
A loud click echoed.
Thenâthe gate slowly opened.
Beyond it was a dark world.
Though unclear, one could still see vast lands filled with massive graves.
"Rememberâthis gate will close again in twelve hours. If you donât return in time, you will be trapped there forever," Ethan Holystar announced.
He and the elders stepped aside, allowing entry.
Yet no one dared to go first.
Even the arrogant Thundervale Clan hesitated.
As everyone wondered who would take the first stepâ
A young woman suddenly appeared.
Pale-skinned, with long straight black hair and blunt bangs.
She moved so fast that most people couldnât even see her face clearly.
In an instantâshe entered the gate.
Her speed shocked even the Rulers.
"Grace..." Richard muttered instinctively.
Others didnât recognize herâbut how could he not?
He never expected to see her here.
People began discussing her identity.
Inside the dark world, her figure became faint.
She looked around brieflyâthen flew deeper inside.
"Itâs safe..." people began to relax.
One by oneâor in groupsâthey started entering.
Some even came back out briefly, confirming it was safe.
"Hahaha, weâre not going to fall behind either!"
A flying ark suddenly shot forward from the distance and entered directly.
Most people didnât recognize itâbut those who did became alarmed.
Including the Thundervale Clan.
It was the Order of the Heaven Emperor.
"Quick!" Sean ordered his clan, unwilling to fall behind.
"Lord of the Crimson Veil, why canât we enter yet?!" the Barbarian King roared.
The Ancient Barbarian Tribe still couldnât enter Crimson City.
The gate was in the skyâbut the formation covering the city extended all the way up.
As long as they remained outside the formation, the barbarians had no way in.
They were the only group unable to enter the cityâan undeniably humiliating situation.
"Wait until everyone else has entered!" Ethan Holystar replied indifferently, causing the Barbarian King to frown.
"Humans, what are you waiting for?!" he roared at the people in the city.