Inside the Feather God Sect, the atmosphere was as tense as a bowstring drawn to its limit, with a murderous aura permeating every inch of the air like a physical presence. Countless disciples stood with solemn, frost-hardened expressions, their hands clutching weapons whose blades glimmered like cold stars in the night sky. They stood frozen in their assigned positions for the ancient formation, as still and imposing as stone statues. Their ready stance suggested a formidable enemy was at hand, and that a battle capable of shaking the very heavens was about to unveil its bloody curtain.
On the jade-white steps before the main hall, five figures stood in a row, as upright as five towering pines. A tangible yet invisible force surged around each of them; their overwhelming presence billowed outward like a raging sea, pressing down upon the hearts of the onlookers like an invisible mountain, leaving them gasping for breath.
Below the jade steps, a young disciple watched, his face a mixture of curiosity and nervousness. He looked like a startled fawn, his eyes reflecting both a fear of the unknown and an irrepressible desire to investigate. He peeked cautiously toward the entrance of the main hall, his eyes flickering with curiosity like the faint glow of fireflies in the night. Lowering his voice to a whisper barely audible above a hum, he asked his senior brother beside him, "Senior brother, who are those eminent figures standing beside our Sect Master, Lingxuzi?"
Chapter 77