The general consensus on Gan Ruyuan's conjecture was that it held merit.
However, some voiced their doubts.
"But it's rumored to be a man, and in the current Heavenly Domain, isn't there only that fellow from Crimson Dust Mountain?"
"If I recall correctly, he's still in seclusion and wouldn't be involved in such matters."
After all, there were only a handful of Emperor-level experts in the Heavenly Domain, and their identities could be deduced through elimination.
The current problem was that they couldn't fathom who the other party might be.
Feng Chi, after a moment of contemplation, finally spoke.
"Could it be Ye Yun?"
This suggestion surprised everyone.
The name Ye Yun was one they had all heard of by now.
Gan Ruyuan immediately dismissed it. "That's impossible. Wasn't that guy only at the Quasi-True Immortal realm before? Are you suggesting he reached Emperor-level in just two years?"
Such a rate of improvement was beyond his comprehension.
Feng Chi, however, stated calmly, "I heard that at the Three Mountains Exchange Meet, Ye Yun was only at the Quasi-Heavenly Immortal realm, and wasn't it not long after that he reached Quasi-True Immortal?"
Having truly fought Ye Yun before, from a cultivator's perspective, he had never seen such a prodigy.
Gan Ruyuan snorted.
"In any case, I don't believe anyone could comprehend the power of Heavenly Principle and break through to Emperor-level in such a short time."
Despite his disbelief, others began to seriously consider the possibility.
Xing Lian, seated at the head of the table, was also pondering the matter.
But before they could reach any conclusions, a muffled boom suddenly echoed from outside the great hall, sounding like an explosion in the distance.
Simultaneously, everyone present felt a strong surge of Xuan Qi emanating from afar.
"Huh? What's going on?"
Gan Ruyuan frowned slightly. At that very moment, guards stationed outside rushed in.
"My lords, the people from Chaofeng Mountain have broken out!"
The statement stunned all the Emperor-level experts present.
What in the world was this? Weren't they the ones surrounding Chaofeng Mountain? How had the enemy attacked first?
This defied all logic!
Even Xing Lian showed a hint of surprise, clearly not expecting such a turn of events.
Gan Ruyuan immediately questioned, "How many people came from Chaofeng Mountain?!"
He had assumed that anyone daring to counter-attack them must be Chaofeng Mountain's main force.
However, the guard's next words left him dumbfounded.
"Three! Only three people came from their side!"
"Three people? Are you joking?!"
Gan Ruyuan's eyebrows twitched, and the other Emperor-level experts wore expressions of utter astonishment.
Only three people? Were they here to throw their lives away?
At this point, Xing Lian slowly spoke.
"Could it be Xing Wu, Feng Qingxian, and that Heart of Heavenly Principle?"
She had also heard about Xing Meng's situation.
Strictly speaking, these were the only three Emperor-level experts at Chaofeng Mountain.
And if they wanted to cause trouble in front of so many Emperor-level experts, only fellow Emperor-level individuals could achieve that.
However, the guard quickly clarified.
"No! The ones who came were a man and a woman, and a young girl who looked to be only fourteen or fifteen years old!"
"The front two seemed to be Emperor-level experts, while the girl behind them looked like an ordinary person; no one could sense her cultivation."
This explanation left all the Emperors speechless. What was going on? They even brought a child?
Finally, Xing Lian nodded after hearing the explanation.
"In that case, let's go together and meet our guests."
Although they appeared to have only two combatants, they were both Emperor-level experts. To ensure victory, a full response was necessary.
With her words, their figures instantly vanished, turning into streaks of light as they rushed out of the great hall.
Upon emerging and arriving above the scene, they witnessed a tense standoff.
Over a thousand cultivators were blocking the three individuals in the sky, yet none dared to approach. Judging by the scent of blood in the air, many had likely already perished.
Following this, Xing Lian and the other four Emperor-level experts converged on the area.
As soon as they arrived, a hearty voice echoed from the front.
"Miss Xing Lian, good afternoon. We meet again."
Without a doubt, only Ye Yun would dare to address the Hall Master of the Heavenly Dao Palace in such a manner.
Xing Lian's gaze fell upon Ye Yun among the three, her eyes narrowing slightly.
"It is indeed you. I didn't expect you to reach the Emperor-level from the Heavenly Immortal realm in just two years."
"It's alright, at least this time, you won't be able to instantly defeat me."
Ye Yun smiled faintly as he looked at her, recalling the last time he had nearly been annihilated by her.
Xing Lian's eyes narrowed, and she said softly.
"You've certainly become more confident after this time."
In reality, her surprise was far greater than her outward demeanor suggested.
The primary reason was that Xing Lian found she couldn't quite discern Ye Yun's exact cultivation level. Either his strength was exceedingly high, or he possessed some special means of concealment.
However, regardless of which it was, his daring to appear at this moment indicated he likely had some trump cards.
Feng Chi, who had previously fought Ye Yun, was now rendered speechless by Ye Yun's current state.
After only two years, the man was now beyond his ability to fathom.
The other Emperor-level experts were mostly awestruck by Ye Yun's terrifying progress.
In just over two years, to go from the Heavenly Immortal realm to Emperor-level, this wasn't progress, it was an ascension!
At this moment, Gan Ruyuan stared intently at Ye Yun and said coldly.
"The one who killed Qian Hong in North Wind Sky City before, was it you?"
"That's right, it was indeed this venerable one."
Ye Yun smiled faintly as he looked at him, casually remarking.
"You must be the one from Qianxun Mountain, right? I've done you a service by eliminating a menace for Qianxun Mountain, as Qian Hong was no good."
Upon hearing this, Gan Ruyuan's expression grew even more stern, his voice turning grim.
"How people from my Qianxun Mountain conduct themselves is not for you to lecture on."
"Instead, you, daring to kill an elder of my Qianxun Mountain, will undoubtedly pay a bloody price today!"
Ye Yun paid no heed to his threat.
Instead, he turned his gaze to Xing Lian and said with a smile.
"I've been greatly troubled by your Heavenly Dao Divine Palace since coming to the Heavenly Domain. It's time to settle old and new scores, wouldn't you agree?"
Xing Lian looked at him, then at Xing Meng and Xiao Meng beside him.
"Do you think the two of you, plus a child, are capable of defeating the five of us?"
She recognized the individuals beside Ye Yun as not Xing Wu, but the Heart of Heavenly Principle, whose strength was far inferior to the true Xing Wu.
These three individuals offered no discernible path to victory.
However, Ye Yun shook his head slightly.
"No, I think you've misunderstood something."
As he spoke, his gaze swept over each person beside Xing Lian.
Finally, he said with a smile.
"What I mean is, I intend to challenge all five of you alone."