Time trickled by.
For Luo Xiu and his brothers, this was undoubtedly a torturous ordeal.
The thousands of gazes from the crowd were like thousands of blades slowly slicing into them.
An hour later.
With an order from the Ageless Celestial Emperor, the Holy Spirit Great Array officially activated.
In an instant, the hundreds of stone pillars arranged in a mysterious formation burst forth with a dazzling, strange light.
Almost at the same time, the Emperor Realm Cultivators strung up on the pillars let out shrill, horrific screams. Their bodies shriveled at a rate visible to the naked eye.
"Save me, Crown Prince!"
"Lao Ba, I'm about to be drained dryâ!"
Luo Xiu turned his head toward Lao Ba, who was wailing beside him, feeling utterly helpless.
Even he was like a clay Buddha crossing a riverâbarely able to save himself, so how could he possibly save others?
At this moment, Luo Xiu could feel the eerie stone pillars absorbing his Blood Essence Vitality and the Spiritual Power in his Dantian at a terrifying rate.
Even his Divine Sense was being absorbed!
The indescribable pain almost made him collapse.
He had intended to use the Indestructible Divine Flame or the Thunderfish and Thunderworm to escape. However, he hadn't expected that with the activation of the Holy Spirit Great Array, he couldn't even use his Divine Sense.
This won't do... I must find a way to escape. If this continues, we'll all die here today!
...
ăMeanwhile, above the arena.ă
On the protruding platform, the Ageless Celestial Emperor, wielding her magic wand, locked her gaze on Luo Xiu, her expression one of surprise.
How can this human youth have such a powerful Divine Sense? The strength of his Divine Sense... I'm afraid it far surpasses my own.
She found it truly difficult to imagine how a White Emperor could possess a Divine Sense even stronger than a Heavenly Emperor's!
At this point, all the cultivators strung up on the stone pillars, including Lao Ba and Black Fatty, had lost consciousness as their Divine Senses were absorbed.
Only Luo Xiu remained perfectly lucid.
His powerful Divine Sense was like a boundless ocean, seemingly endless, no matter how much the Holy Spirit Great Array drained from it.
As a short time passed, the circle of runes engraved on the ground in the center of the arena began to glow, forming a mysterious light array.
A pitch-black stele slowly rose from within the light array, like a bamboo shoot sprouting in spring.
In just a moment, the stele revealed its full form, radiating a blinding light.
A sacred and ancient aura instantly enveloped the entire Everlasting City, permeating every corner.
Around the arena, the Elves who witnessed the stele's appearance were all amazed.
"Look, there it is! The legendary Wordless Stele!"
"Legend says that whoever sees the divine decree on the stele will attain supreme fortune and might even receive the power of a god!"
"Ah, if only I could see the divine decree..."
"Keep dreaming! Didn't you hear the High Priest? Only the youth with the Divine Eye can see the decree on the Wordless Stele."
"But the Holy Spirit Great Array has been activated and the Wordless Stele has awakened, so why hasn't the youth with the Divine Eye descended yet?"
"Could Her Majesty the Queen's prophecy from years ago have been wrong?"
"Shh... Don't say that! Be careful the High Priest doesn't hear you."
...
On the platform, the Ageless Celestial Emperor's attention was no longer on Luo Xiu.
After the Wordless Stele was activated, she began to look around excitedly, awaiting the arrival of the prophesied youth with the Divine Eye.
However, after a long wait, the prophesied youth still had not appeared in Everlasting City.
...
ăMeanwhile, in the arena.ă
Luo Xiu clenched his jaw, still struggling fiercely. In just that short time, Lao Ba and Black Fatty had become emaciated. If this continued, the two of them would undoubtedly die!
Luo Xiu grew more and more anxious, but in this situation, he couldn't find any way to escape.
Suddenly, he looked up at Su Shenyun on the platform. His eyes lit up as if he had just grasped a lifeline, and he hurriedly shouted, "Su Fox... save me!"
Su Shenyun was conversing with the Ageless Celestial Emperor. Hearing Luo Xiu's shout, her expression instantly froze. Her beautiful eyes trembled slightly as she looked at Luo Xiu in disbelief.
Only the man she longed for day and night would call her 'Su Fox'!
Without hesitation, she glanced at the Ageless Celestial Emperor, then leaped down into the arena and walked toward Luo Xiu.
The Ageless Celestial Emperor's gaze hardened. She quickly waved her magic wand, stopping the Holy Spirit Great Array's operation.
She was afraid the Holy Spirit Great Array would drain Su Shenyun as well. If Su Shenyun were to perish here, she would have a hard time explaining it to Pink.
"Princess Shen Yun, what is the meaning of this? Could it be you've taken a fancy to this human youth?"
"Rest assured, if he survives this, this High Priest will hand him over for you to do with as you please."
Su Shenyun looked at the Ageless Celestial Emperor, her expression complex. "I'm sorry, High Priest. There are some things I wish to confirm for myself. I hope you can give me some time."
The Ageless Celestial Emperor snorted coldly. "Do as you wish."
"Thank you."
What Su Shenyun wanted to confirm now was exactly who this young man was.
Luo Xiu looked at Su Shenyun, who was staring up at him from beneath the pillar, and felt a little awkward about being completely naked.
"I've imagined every possible way we might reunite, but I never thought it would be like this."
Su Shenyun stared at Luo Xiu. "Just tell me. Who are you really?"
Luo Xiu gave a wry smile. "I'm done pretending. I'll lay it all out... I'm Luo Xiu."
Hearing this, Su Shenyun's beautiful eyes widened in disbelief.
Still, she maintained her composure and asked, "How can you prove it?"
Luo Xiu looked at her with a peculiar expression. After thinking for a moment, he spoke in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Remember the first time we met? I was invited by Xiao Li to your home to treat your father for the depletion of his meridians."
"When it was your turn for treatment, I discovered you had the Innate Allure Bone, and then you... did *that* to me."
After he finished, seeing Su Shenyun just standing there silently, Luo Xiu added, "And remember that time Boss Huang was drunk? The two of us, right in front of him, on the sofa..."
"Stop! Don't say any more!"
Su Shenyun's face flushed red as she finally snapped back to her senses, hastily cutting him off.
In truth, the moment Luo Xiu mentioned the first incident, she was already certain this was the man she longed for day and night.
After all, besides Luo Xiu and herself, no third person knew about these things.
Luo Xiu smiled wryly. "When I saw you earlier, I was thinking of a better way to reveal myself, but now... I have no other choice."
"I saw you talking and laughing with the Ageless Celestial Emperor. You two must be quite familiar, right?"
Su Shenyun smiled, then turned to face the Ageless Celestial Emperor on the platform. "I'm sorry, High Priest. This is my man."
"If you insist on sacrificing him to the Holy Spirit Great Array, then you'll have to sacrifice me along with him."
"As long as you're not afraid of my master coming after you."
...