Wide eyes shifted from the distant mountain that had just crumbled, and back to the Grand Abbot, who stood there as if nothing interesting had happened. His face was neutral, if not with a slight warm smile, one that seemed to perpetually linger to his face.
The Grand Abbots gaze shifted towards the group where the Forbidden Alliance cultivator had come from, and then shifted over the nearby crowds as well. He could tell that the man was targeting John, but had no idea why. The Divine Source Monastery cared not for the squabbles of the outside world, and thus received little news of what was going on at any particular time.
"I care not for your reasons, but no action shall be taken against another while on the lands of my monastery," the Grand Abbot's calm voice drifted out, targeting those aforementioned groups specifically.
The Forbidden Alliance members breathed a sigh of relief, as they could tell that the Grand Abbot was not going to kick them all out, so long as they took no more action. While all of them wanted to capture John, they realized it would need to be done after they left these lands.
"It's fine. Leave him be for now. He'll most likely be kicked out of this land soon for causing such a commotion. Even if the monastery allows him to stay until the realm closes, we'll be able to track him and capture him after we leave these lands. Knowing his location is already more than enough for now," one of the foremost leaders in the Forbidden Alliance group instructed.
The Grand Abbot's gaze washed over the crowd with silent warning, and then fell onto John once more. He inspected him for a brief moment again.
"Young man. You have a seal, at such a young age? How did you come to obtain it?" Prior Hishen asked. Like all the others, he could tell that John was not from a powerful clan or sect, or at least was not pampered like a young master would be. He did not wear ornate robes, nor come with an entourage of guards, both things young masters would have.
Only someone like that would be able to afford a seal due to its staggering cost, and so they wanted to ensure that John's seal was obtained through proper means.
"I bought it myself," John said, a slight frown on his face as he didn't appreciate the obvious doubt coming from the monk.
Prior Hishen's eyebrow twitched at John's bluntness, as there was no courtesy in his voice. Instead he was direct and blunt, something the monk was not particularly used to.
"I see," Prior Hishen mused before falling silent. The Grand Abbot said some inaudible words to Prior Hishen, who then nodded.
"Young man, you may enter," Prior Hishen said to John, gesturing to the portal. The monk's words surprised the crowd, who thought he would forbid John from entering, either due to his rude arrival, or his low cultivation. Afterall, what would he be able to do against World Expansion experts?
John nodded in thanks and quickly climbed the large staircase, arriving at the top before the monks and the portal. His gaze naturally shifted towards the Grand Abbot, who he inspected as well. The man's cultivation was beyond amazing, and he was curious as to the secrets behind such a powerful figure.
The Grand Abbot stared back warmly, and his small smile seemed to ever so slightly widen for a brief instant, although John was not sure if he had actually seen this happen.
"Young man. Seek the center of the realm, and nothing else," the Grand Abbot said to him.
"Thanks," John nodded his head in thanks for the hint, and then stepped forward through the portal. He had wanted to inspect the monks a bit longer, but was already behind the others who had entered, and had no time to lose if he were to find out the secrets of the realm for himself.
He felt no ill will from the monks, and as such ruled out the land beyond the divine wall being something akin to a trap. It was most likely a land of opportunity, although the nature of the opportunity had yet to be discerned.
The monks watched John enter, and after a slight nod from the Grand Abbot, they performed a sequence of moves again, at which point the portal began to recede, and eventually disappeared.
"What an idiot!" someone in the crowd mocked.
"Right? He has no chance inside against the World Expansion geniuses. Just what does a no-name Heaven Tribulation brat think he can do?" another chimed up.
"It seems like the Forbidden Alliance was targeting him for some reason? I wonder why?" another asked.
"Who cares. If he's lucky he'll die inside. If not, he'll fall into their grasp when he leaves. Either way, that brat is as good as dead!" another said.
"Good, after that entrance of his, I have no sympathy for him. His fate is his own making," another chimed in.
The crowd eagerly discussed both John and the others who had entered, and began to make predictions, wagers, and other things of events that might occur. Within the Honorable Alliance crowd, some of the more powerful cultivators had recognized John, and breathed a sigh of relief to see him enter safely.
In the back of the crowd, two men were standing, their eyes locked onto the position where the portal was. Both their auras were withdrawn, making them quite forgettable within the massive crowd.
"They have entered safely. Let's go," Sect Leader Thunderzen said.
"Aye. Let's go grab a drink in Divine City," Thunderfist replied, and the two quickly left, returning to Divine City.
"Grand Abbot. Why did you allow him to enter so quickly? If we pressed for information, we could have discerned if he is the one in possession of the first seal," Prior Hishen said, to which the Grand Abbot smiled.
"Ah, but I have already confirmed the truth myself," the Grand Abbot said. "A tiny trace of the divine aura still lingers on his body, from when he had taken out the seal. I have already confirmed that he is the one in possession of the seal."
"Truly?" Prior Hishen asked, taken aback. He fell silent for a moment, and then turned to gaze towards the divine wall, as if he could see through the monastery blocking his view, as well as the divine wall on the other side.
"Then our mission is one step closer to completion. Could this time truly be the one?" he asked, to which the Grand Abbot placed a hand on his shoulder in a friendly manner.
"Who can tell what the future holds," the Grand Abbot said before walking away, receding back into the monastery. "Raise the stele," he said as his figure disappeared within.
Prior Hishen performed a series of hand gestures, and the ground began to tremble, surprising the crowd. It was as if an earthquake was shaking the land, and their gazes soon fell on a massive stone steel that rose from the ground right next to the base of the staircase, standing twenty yards wide and one hundred yards tall.
"What's this?" many in the crowd asked curiously, and their question was quickly answered.
Words quickly sprung up on the stone stele, relaying a variety of information. The crowd quickly scanned the stele, and realized what it was.
"These are the names of all the geniuses who entered!" one exclaimed.
"It even has their Dao Names, ages, and other information!" another said.
"And there are even more numbers next to their name. I wonder what they mean?" another asked curiously.
"The list seems to be ordered by cultivation level," another mused as they read the list, as did the rest of the crowd. Their eyes widened as they reached the bottom of the list, which revealed two absolutely shocking things almost none of them had been expecting.
The two names were shocking for different reasons. One for the true name, and one for the Dao Name, neither of which the crowd had been expecting.
-Name: John Fenix
-Cultivation: Peak Heaven Tribulation
-Age: Eighteen
-Dao Name: 'Immortal Asura!'
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.
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-Cultivation: Peak Dao Transformation
-Age: Twenty-Six
-Dao Name: 'Goddess of Death!'
-Name: Lilian Celestria
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