The guards at the Immortal Garden's entrance breathed a collective sigh of relief when they returned. They had witnessed everything within the garden with absolute clarity.
Zhou Yan's strength was indeed immense. Two half-gods, the Ice and Fire Elders, had been killed with a mere two palms from him. Their strength was considerable, and they had possessed pseudo-divine artifacts, making it virtually impossible for them to be defeated so easily by anyone of the same rank. Yet, Zhou Yan had dispatched them with just two slaps, even taking their pseudo-divine artifacts. They hadn't dared to show themselves at that moment, absolutely terrified.
However, to appease the imperial family of the Glazed Empire, they had to put on a brave face and stage a performance outside. After all, they had attempted an interception, but failed. They claimed they dared not act for fear of harming the Eighth Prince. Their duty was to guard the Immortal Garden; their responsibility ended once they left its boundaries. They had truly done their best.
"Did they leave?"
"They're gone, didn't look back."
Seeing that Zhou Yan had paid them no mind and had left directly, everyone felt relieved. Honestly, they had been utterly panicked moments before. It was fortunate that the other party had ignored them, completely disregarding their presence. Being ignored was a blessing that allowed them to escape unscathed.
Zhou Yan and his companions dragged the Eighth Prince through the streets. More and more people witnessed this scene, and they were all astonished. They began to follow, eager to see Zhou Yan's ultimate fate.
"What kind of creature is that? It looks like a snake."
"What a cute little snake, so adorable! I wish I had one."
"It's a flying snake, and it can fly without wings. It must be an unusual species."
The Eighth Prince was utterly speechless. He was being dragged away, yet these lowly commoners were not concerned for his life but were instead discussing a pet. These plebeians all deserved to die!
The next moment, the Eighth Prince stumbled, being dragged along once more.
"That scoundrel dares to attack me even now! When the imperial experts arrive, I will kill every single one of you commoners!" The Eighth Prince was filled with resentment, desperately wishing for the royal family to receive his message quickly and dispatch a large army to his rescue.
Indeed, an army appeared ahead. It was the City Guard, responsible for protecting the imperial city. Every soldier was powerful. Seeing the army, the Eighth Prince tried to utter sounds, but his face was so swollen like a ball that his words were unintelligible.
"Leave this to me," Zhen Mi stepped forward, taking out her crystal staff. The pseudo-divine artifact exuded a bone-chilling coldness the moment it was revealed. Zhen Mi did not intend to harm the innocent. She controlled her energy to the utmost, releasing an ice storm that swept forward, covering the approaching army. As the ice storm engulfed them, the soldiers who had been advancing instantly turned into ice sculptures, like frozen statues. Thousands of soldiers, frozen in their forward momentum, appeared lifelike. Apart from the soldiers, the surrounding area remained completely unaffected, demonstrating the extreme control Zhen Mi possessed over her magic.
The onlookers were stunned, watching the scene with disbelief. For many powerful individuals, killing these soldiers would not be difficult. However, controlling such a spell with such precision was something extraordinary, far beyond the capabilities of ordinary people.
"Crack, crack, crack—"
Before long, the ice-encased soldiers shattered into fragments and vanished. If the people present had not witnessed it with their own eyes, no one would have believed that an army of thousands had ever been there.
The Eighth Prince, seeing this, widened his swollen eyes and could only stare blankly as Jin Ye dragged him away. Zhou Yan's followers gasped and retreated even further, daring not approach. The scene was too terrifying. The strength of these individuals, and their disregard for the Glazed Imperial family, greatly astonished the surrounding populace.
Due to the Divine Stone incident in the Glazed Empire, numerous powerful individuals had flocked to the Glazed Imperial City. They observed Zhou Yan and his companions closely but had no idea of their origins; they had never seen them before. However, the power displayed by Zhen Mi was truly formidable.
"Such a young half-god expert! Where did this prodigy come from? Their power is astonishing."
"I wonder how this Eighth Prince offended them, but it's good they taught him a lesson. This Eighth Prince is no good."
"We don't know who they are, but this is the Glazed Imperial City. Are they deliberately provoking the Glazed Empire?"
Five minutes later, the street ahead was empty. Over a hundred powerful figures, all experts of the Glazed Empire and all at the half-god level, had gathered. This was the true might of the Glazed Empire. These individuals had already cleared the area of civilians, awaiting Zhou Yan and his group. Upon seeing them, a person dressed in royal attire stepped forward and said, "Are you not being too audacious? How dare you treat the Eighth Prince in such a manner? No matter who you are, release the Eighth Prince at once, or you will face the consequences."
Zhou Yan remained unmoved and replied, "Then show me the consequences. I'm waiting."
"You!" The person was furious upon hearing Zhou Yan's words. Seeing Zhou Yan's utter confidence, they asked, "Who exactly are you?"
"I'll give you a chance to attack. If you don't, I will," Zhou Yan ignored them.
"Who are you? Do you truly intend to oppose our Glazed Empire?" the person questioned arrogantly once more.
Jin Ye transformed into a golden light and charged towards the individual, piercing their heart directly before quickly returning to Zhou Yan's side, still gripping the rope. "This guy talks too much," Jin Ye said impatiently.
"He indeed spoke a lot of nonsense. I don't like it either. You beat me to it; I was planning to make a move," Zhou Yan said.
"There are quite a few people here. I want to fight... one." Jin Ye had initially intended to fight ten, but upon realizing they were all half-gods, it could only contend with one at present. It was still in its infancy.
"Bang!"
A while later, the person in front fell to the ground. The surrounding onlookers were once again astonished. Jin Ye's speed was so incredible that no one could react. This person represented the Glazed royal family and had been killed so easily. This was a blatant provocation against the entire Glazed Empire. A face appeared in the sky. Seeing the situation, it roared, "Such an ungracious wretch! Do you truly think our Glazed Empire fears you? Kill!"