Chapter 952: Alert!

　　Accompanying a deafening rumbling sound, the ball of light that gathered the various elders’ forces finally exploded, and the rainbow barrier slowly opened from the middle to form a pentagonal entrance.

　　“Please enter!” bellowed Elder Hua Qian.

　　Of course, he was saying this to the Beiming Dynasty people, who would be the first ones to enter the mountain.

　　Jun Jiuqing didn’t move though. He stood in his position and looked toward Chu Liuyue pensively. Given my understanding of her, she definitely won’t want to miss such a good opportunity. So why isn’t she going in?

　　“Your Highness, it’s time for us to enter.”

　　It was only after receiving a reminder from the youth standing next to him that Jun Jiuqing retracted his gaze and moved to enter the mountain.

　　The four other members quickly followed him in.

　　Just like that, the five people from the Beiming Dynasty disappeared in front of the rest of the people as the faint layer of rainbow light slowly spread and covered the entrance once more.

　　Upon seeing this scene, everyone finally understood why four hours of waiting time were required in between each entry. Even though the barrier was currently at its weakest, it was still so powerful that the elders could only open it for a short while despite having joined forces. Hence, the next group of people had to patiently wait for the elders to open the barrier again.

　　“No wonder nobody has entered Ancient Phoenix Mountain all these years… Only someone as powerful as the barrier would be able to open it by force,” mumbled Yuwen Jinghong in awe. We wouldn’t have gotten this chance to enter Ancient Phoenix Mountain if it weren’t for the weakening of the barrier due to the gradual spreading of the mountain’s powers that happened over a long passage of time.

　　…

　　Time always seemed to be especially grueling when one was waiting anxiously.

　　Night had completely fallen, and the land had descended into darkness. Not a single star or the moon could be seen with all the dark clouds hanging overhead. The only things illuminating this part of the mountain were the luminous pearls held in the hands of the soldiers around them.

　　It seemed that everyone had gotten strung up from the moment the first group of people entered the mountain.

　　“I wonder what’s going on inside…” said Jun Qizhi worriedly with a frown. He put a hand behind his back as he stared at the barrier that was still glowing with colors.

　　“Don’t worry, Your Majesty. His Highness is strong and capable. Besides, Ancient Phoenix Mountain was left behind by the Ancestor, so everything will definitely proceed smoothly,” whispered the servant next to him.

　　While it was understandable that other people had their own worries, there was really no need for them to worry about Jun Jiuqing since he had the blood of the Beiqing Royalty flowing within him. Logically speaking, not only would he not be in any danger, but he might even get lucky in Ancient Phoenix Mountain.

　　“His Highness has been stuck at his current cultivation level for a long time, but who knows? He might be able to break through this time… That would be something to celebrate!”

　　“I hope so…” Jun Qizhi nodded as he turned to look at Chu Liuyue. Like most people, he had also thought that she would be entering the mountain, but his assumption turned out to be wrong.

　　Chu Liuyue appeared serene under the night sky. Unlike the others who were equally as nervous and anxious as him, she looked like a complete outsider who had nothing to do with this situation.

　　Jun Qizhi was surprised to see this. Not everyone can be so calm and patient…

　　Just then, Elder Hua Qian shouted, “Open!”

　　Rumble!

　　A pentagonal hole appeared in the rainbow barrier once more.

　　“Let’s go!” With eyes gleaming with determination, Jian Fengchi moved forward at once.

　　While Mu Hongyu and the others followed closely behind Jian Fengchi, Qiang Wanzhou turned back and took a look at Chu Liuyue. Although his pretty and youthful face was looking indifferent as usual, his eyes revealed a ripple of emotions.

　　Chu Liuyue gave an imperceptible nod in his direction, to which he pursed his lips tightly and left with the others straight after.

　　Their figures soon disappeared behind the barrier.

　　…

　　Chu Liuyue slowly exhaled as she watched Qiang Wanzhou and the others enter the mountain. Thereafter, she sat down on the chair that had been set up for her as if she had made up her mind to wait in peace.

　　“What a shame,” said Gongsun Xiao when he saw this scene. “This is such a good cultivation opportunity, yet you gave it up just like that. Nobody said that you couldn’t enter the mountain just because you’re an empress. I find it truly a shame since I heard that you’re extremely talented.”

　　Chu Liuyue smiled. “Thank you for your concern. It’s true that this is a hard-to-come-by opportunity—that’s why I’m glad to even have the chance to bring my people here. I wouldn’t dare to dream of anything else.”

　　Her reply made Gongsun Xiao even more baffled. Is she saying that she had no intention of entering the mountain in the first place? The reason that the rest of us didn’t enter was that our age doesn’t meet the requirements, not to mention that it’s embarrassing for us to vie with the youngsters. But she… Isn’t she only in her teens? Even if we base it on her previous age, she was only in her early twenties. Don’t tell me that she has no ambitions now that she no longer has a Tianjing Yuan meridian?

　　Not bothered by the speculations the others made, Chu Liuyue remained sitting in her seat as she quietly waited. It was only when people stopped asking her such questions that she finally had some peace and quiet to herself.

　　She initially planned to make use of this time to cultivate, but she ultimately decided against it as she still needed to keep an eye on the goings-on in Ancient Phoenix Mountain and the surrounding area. Hence, she instead opted to reconstruct the ninth-grade Xuan formation in her mind.

　　It hadn’t been easy for her to connect the lines together, so she wanted to strengthen the Xuan formation, as well as take the chance to examine it closely. Knowing how to see the Xuan formation was one thing, while reconstructing it was another. As for comprehending it, that was something that required even more effort and energy.

　　The good thing was that she had studied ninth-grade Xuan formations a bit in the past, so it didn’t go as difficult as she thought it would.

　　As time passed, the Xuan formation in her mind became clearer bit by bit.

　　…

　　“The third group of people, please enter!”

　　The five people from the Dongning Dynasty finally entered as well.

　　…

　　“The fourth group of people, please enter!”

　　This time, it was the Xiyan Dynasty’s turn.

　　…

　　Dawn was currently breaking.

　　The only group of people still waiting for their turn was the Taiyu Dynasty, and many of them looked quite haggard after staying up all night.

　　Dantai Ruoli rubbed her bloodshot eyes.

　　Her companions weren’t looking much better either. Although nobody was stopping them from resting and sleeping, who could actually fall asleep in this place and time?

　　From the corners of her eyes, Dantai Ruoli noticed that Chu Liuyue was still sitting in her original position and looking quite spirited. She couldn’t understand why the difference between them was so huge when the latter had clearly stayed up all night too.

　　However, what she didn’t know was that Chu Liuyue had been repeatedly constructing the ninth-grade Xuan formations in her mind throughout the night. Having received comfort and nourishment from the advanced Xuan formations, she naturally felt quite relaxed.

　　“The fifth group of people, please enter!”

　　Hearing that, Dantai Ruoli and the others snapped to attention right away and excitedly moved toward the entrance one after another without further ado.

　　The rainbow barrier then closed once more.

　　Just then, the golden bell on Chu Liuyue’s wrist jingled. She looked down and realized that Wu Ming’s golden bell had been crushed.