Under Yang Yan's gaze, everyone more or less guiltily lowered their heads.

Yang Yan himself didn't care, acting as if he hadn't noticed anything at all, his eyes as calm as still water.

"I won't waste words, this is news you all have the right to know."

"Let me just tell you directly—the core barrier of Buzhou Space hasn't shattered."

As soon as Yang Yan said this, joy surfaced on everyone's faces.

As long as Buzhou Space still existed and could continuously supply energy to the barrier outside the Hidden World, they didn't have to fear the Demon Race breaking in anytime soon!

At the very least, large waves of demon troops pouring in was impossible.

And if they just sent a few Demon Monarchs, or even Demon Emperors, with Ice Emperor Ao Tian and Moonlight Emperor Yang Yan here, plus the joint forces of the great clans, they should be able to cope.

Among these people, only that short‑legged man didn't show a hint of a smile.

He had been there and witnessed the entire process back then; he knew the real situation.

Ao Tian even had the expression of someone waiting to enjoy a good show.

The core barrier indeed hadn't shattered!

What Yang Yan said wasn't wrong.

It's just, what difference does this "not shattered" make from shattered?

Right now Buzhou Space was already on the verge of collapse; it wouldn't take much—just a few Demon Emperors from the Outer Domain Demon Race striking with full force would be enough to break it.

So then, is the Outer Domain Demon Race short on Demon Emperor‑level figures?

The answer was obviously no.

You had to know, even that small squad of demons that hastily fled in the Ancient Times—given the Demon Race's long Life Force and their development till now—would definitely have produced countless talents.

Yang Yan might be a monster among monsters, but in the end, from nothing to Emperor‑level perfection, he'd only cultivated for a few years!

Over such a long span, that small group of demons who escaped in the Ancient Times, after being tempered by the long ages, had probably already grown into a towering giant tree!

What's more, they had never stopped thinking about leading troops back to invade; they had surely accumulated a power beyond imagination.

In contrast, the Human Race had been self‑imprisoned for too long, only knowing how to fight among themselves, their development coming to a grinding halt.

In fact, because there were only so many resources between the two realms, and now with resources growing scarce, they were gradually entering the End of the Dharma Era.

So as the elder experts slowly fell, the overall strength of the Human Race just kept getting worse.

Thinking of this, a flash of cold light involuntarily burst out from Yang Yan's eyes.

Anyone down below who accidentally met his gaze felt a chill in their heart.

Seeing these people secretly rejoicing, Yang Yan was somewhat angered.

In the end, he still personally spoke the truth:

"Although the core barrier of Buzhou Space hasn't shattered, in reality it's already been smashed by Chiyou until it's as fragile as paper!"

"How can that be?!"

As soon as Yang Yan's voice fell, a young man shot to his feet in disbelief.

His eyes were wide as he stared at Yang Yan, speaking with a slight tremor:

"Lord Moonlight Emperor, wasn't it rumored that Chiyou is dead? May I ask, was it you who killed him with your own hands?"

Although the young man's manner was respectful on the surface, his words carried a faintly aggressive edge.

"Yes."

Yang Yan nodded flatly.

Hearing this confirmation, the young man gritted his teeth, grief and rage twisting his features:

"The three old ancestors of my Wu Family, plus the previous Patriarch—my father—four experts with strength comparable to Emperor‑level, all fell in the battle against the Chiyou Demon God!"

"Lord Moonlight Emperor, your martial might is unmatched, yet after you arrived you still allowed the elites of every great family to die to the last man before you finally killed Chiyou!"

"And then—and then you tell everyone that the core barrier of Buzhou Space is practically useless!"

"What are you trying to say?"

Before Yang Yan could speak, Ao Tian was already on his feet, killing intent surging, his eyes filled with murder as he locked onto that young man.

Perhaps it was the fearlessness of a newborn calf that had never seen a tiger, but faced with Ao Tian's killing intent, the young man didn't flinch at all. Instead, his grief and anger only intensified, his chest heaving violently.

"I want to ask, since the Moonlight Emperor clearly has this level of strength, why didn't you act? Why did you allow all of this to happen—what was your true intention?!"

"Shrrrip…"

A sudden flash of light shot out from the main seat.

When it settled, the sword Jing Hong was thrust into the young man's left chest. Jing Hong cast him a frosty glance, then slowly drew the sword out.

"Patriarch!"

The remaining elders of the Wu Family who had come along all stared, their eyes about to split.

Seeing the young man's Life Force already gone as he fell to the ground in unwillingness, how could they possibly hold back?

The few old men drew their swords and charged straight at Jing Hong.

As the foremost of the Ten Swords, Jing Hong already possessed the authority to decide and act on his own; faced with their counterattack, he struck without hesitation.

Just three strokes, and the three Wu Family elders were all cleanly and efficiently cut down beneath his blade! 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

These elders only had mid to late Sect‑level strength, while Jing Hong possessed power on par with Emperor‑level.

Killing them was naturally no different from slaughtering chickens.

"Heh. Overestimating yourselves."

Seeing this scene, Ao Tian let out a few cold laughs on the spot.

Under his aura, the hundreds of Hidden Clan members present all fell silent as one; not a single person dared to utter another word.

Even though they had the same doubts as that young man, the reality before them was that the new Patriarch of the Wu Family was dead!

"Jing Hong, come back."

Yang Yan's face remained expressionless at Jing Hong's action.

Clearly, what Jing Hong had done was well within the bounds of what he approved.

Looking at the crowd below, who all looked furious but didn't dare speak, Yang Yan couldn't help but laugh.

Only, that smile looked rather grim, even carrying a hint of terror.

"Didn't you all want to know the answer? I'll tell you myself then!"

Yang Yan suddenly raised his voice, making everyone's hearts lurch.

The cold gleam in his eyes faded back to calm. He placed his right hand on the armrest of his seat, feeling the chill of the material.

His long, slender, fair fingers lightly tapped on the armrest.

Tap, tap, tap…

For a moment, the only sound in the entire hall was Yang Yan's rhythmic tapping on the armrest echoing in the air.

After a few seconds of silence, he lowered his head slightly; beneath that indifferent face, he forcibly pulled out a faint smile.

"Since you want to know, then I'll tell you."

"First—my name is Yang Yan. I am the Moonlight Emperor, one of the Four Emperors. But that is only a title; it doesn't make me the true emperor of all!"

"In other words, on what grounds do I have the obligation and responsibility to save your old ancestors and Patriarchs?"

"You want me to make a move—based on what?!"

Yang Yan's words made the faces of everyone present change drastically.

Moonlight Emperor Yang Yan—he actually wasn't standing on the same side as them!

Indeed, when great calamity loomed and everyone was in danger, they had subconsciously treated Yang Yan—whom they'd once targeted—as someone on the same battle line.

And they took that for granted.

But now, Yang Yan's one "based on what" shattered all of their illusions!

Exactly.

Based on what?!

Seeing the diverse and vivid expressions on the faces of the hundreds below, Yang Yan let out a mocking laugh:

"Just relying on you lot? What heaven‑defying benefits can you possibly offer me?"