"Lingyun Sword Technique, sixth form—’One Sword to Dominate the Heavens!’"

Suddenly, Ye Luo swung the Lingyun Sword in his hand, and in an instant, a terrifying burst of Sword Qi surged forth.

"Boom!"

"Boom! Boom!"

The first explosion was caused by the Heavenly Thunder’s force blocking the Sword Qi.

As for the second explosion, it erupted as the Sword Qi struck that massive gate.

However, despite the second strike landing directly on the gate, it had absolutely no effect.

Ye Luo clearly saw that, at the moment when the attack reached the gate, the intricate patterns on it radiated a brilliant glow, completely neutralizing his attack!

Who would have thought that this gate not only could launch attacks but was also capable of defense?

Nonetheless, Ye Luo was quite satisfied with the results of this test.

The formation wasn’t completely unbreakable!

Since Ye Luo’s attack could trigger a response, it also proved that other individuals’ attacks might work as well!

While Ye Luo alone couldn’t breach the gate, what would happen if everyone’s combined attacks were unleashed simultaneously?

"Everyone, focus your attacks on that spot!"

All at once, Ye Luo shouted out a command to the Royal Academy’s students. Upon hearing his orders, they hesitated no longer and unleashed their powers. In the blink of an eye, rays of light surged toward the gate.

One strike may fail. But would so many strikes also prove futile?

No matter what gate or what pattern it has—just smash it apart forcefully!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Explosions sounded repeatedly.

The noise was deafening.

At the same time, the gate itself was rocked wildly under the relentless bombardment!

Dust billowed in every direction, kicked up by the collective power unleashed by the group. It even caused the entire underground maze to tremble.

Were it not for the maze being sturdy enough, this round of attacks might have shattered it entirely!

"Boom!"

Another deafening blast reverberated, but it was different from the ones before—it came from Ye Luo’s latest strike. This time, his target was a small stone!

With the gate’s defenses dispersed widely across its surface, it could no longer focus its protection in one area.

Ye Luo’s attack exploited this weakness and directly blew the gate open!

"Charge in! Rescue the hostages! Kill any Demon Clan members on sight! No prisoners—I want every single one slaughtered!"

Ye Luo issued the command without a trace of hesitation, and instantly, the group rushed forward.

The battle didn’t last long. After all, the Demon Clan’s forces amounted to barely a dozen individuals.

In truth, all they had been doing here was setting up a Great Array.

The sole function of this Great Array was self-destruction!

Indeed, the Demon Clan had decided to annihilate these human geniuses by triggering an explosion powerful enough to obliterate the entire Yunkai City!

The demons stationed here were nothing more than expendable foot soldiers!

From the moment they received their orders, they had been fully prepared to die.

It was clear that no elite warriors had been sent for this mission.

Even the Demon Clan had a limited number of powerful individuals; why would they waste them on such a sacrificial act?

Thus, when the Royal Academy’s students stormed in, the Demon Clan members stood no chance of resisting.

Their slaughter was inevitable.

The rescue mission was successful, and the group even dismantled a vile Demon Clan plot, leaving everyone elated.

With their rescued companions in tow, the group headed directly back to the manor.

But Ye Luo had no idea that he had already fallen into a trap!

This was a carefully constructed trap—one aimed directly at him.

The Da Yue Empire and the Great Tang Empire weren’t far apart in distance.

As such, Ye Luo had undoubtedly caught the attention of the Demon Clan.

This time, the Demon Clan had dispatched an Emissary to carry out a singular task: assassinate Ye Luo.

The air grew thick with the stench of conspiracy, yet regretfully, no one had realized it!

If the Royal Academy students hadn’t carried the rescued captives away, leaving Ye Luo with no reason to examine them, he might have discovered that their bodies had already been implanted with a mysterious force.

This power lay dormant within them, yet to activate, due to its special purpose!

Though the Demon Clan sought to eliminate Ye Luo, he was just one man. In their eyes, despite the threat he posed, his death couldn’t compare to the larger aims of their massive schemes.

So, what was the true goal of the Demon Clan’s operation?

It was the widespread elimination of young human elites!

Thus, the most critical aspect of their plan remained the annihilation of more human prodigies. The clandestine energy placed inside these captives hadn’t been triggered yet, only awaiting the moment they entered the Cloud-Opening Sanctuary!

Before long, the rescued individuals regained consciousness. Not noticing anything amiss, Ye Luo paid them no further attention.

After such a shocking event, those participating in the upcoming exploration of the Cloud-Opening Sanctuary decided not to act alone. Instead, they quietly awaited its opening.

Fortunately, they didn’t have to wait too long, for the Cloud-Opening Sanctuary finally began to reveal itself!

That day, without warning, Ye Luo noticed the sky suddenly darken.

Puzzled, he walked outside, only to see a massive shadow appearing in mid-air.

Indeed, it was a shadow—a gargantuan silhouette that blocked out the sunlight entirely.

What was that?

As Ye Luo stared at it in bewilderment, the sound of cheers reached his ears!

"Haha! It has finally arrived!"

"Indeed, we’ve waited all these days—at last, the Cloud-Opening Sanctuary is here!"

"Prepare yourselves! Now that it has appeared, the exploration is about to begin."

The shadow grew ever larger, until moments later, it remained suspended in the sky.

This was the Cloud-Opening Sanctuary.

Before seeing it with his own eyes, Ye Luo had made countless guesses about what it might look like.

But never had he imagined that the Cloud-Opening Sanctuary was—quite literally—a magnificent palace.

Shrouded amidst the layers of clouds, the Sanctuary appeared and disappeared intermittently, yet its presence had completely plunged the sky into darkness.

Suddenly, as Ye Luo studied the Sanctuary above, three beams of light shot down from the heavens. They were the reception signals emitted by the Cloud-Opening Sanctuary!

"Quickly, move fast! The teleportation light only lasts for fifteen minutes. If you’re late, you’ll lose your chance!"

Yunkai City erupted into chaos at that moment as countless figures dashed toward the beams of light. Order had entirely disintegrated. Though no one assaulted others directly, all semblance of rules had vanished.

Desperate to secure their opportunity, people resorted to any means necessary.

Ye Luo and the Royal Academy students were no exception, speeding forward as fast as they could.