The others could sense the changes in spiritual qi within the Royal Reed Sea but not disturbances as far away as at Circ.u.mference Mountain.
It was just that everyone could sense that the atmosphere on the battlefield had begun to change now.
While the Heaven Emperor was also somewhat taken aback by this, he was actually not all that concerned about the Dynasty River having recovered.
It was something else which had truly caused him to frown.
His gaze was on his finger that was pointing towards Yan Zhaoge.
That index finger was currently shockingly covered in a layer of frost!
Yan Zhaoge, Cao Jie, Zhuang Shen and the others quickly noticed this too.
Zhuang Shen, Lang Qing and the others who had originally thought that victory was firmly in their grasp instantly felt that things were not good.
Such a cultivation base, such strength, these characteristics. These Human Exalts immediately thought of a person.
Still, why would that person have appeared here, attempting to obstruct the Heaven Emperor?
Surprise appeared within the gaze of the Southeastern Exalt Cao Jie as well as he now turned to look at Yan Zhaoge and the others.
Yan Zhaoge and Yan Di appeared rather puzzled and at a loss as they warily observed the occurrence which had just come all of a sudden.
The Heaven Emperor turned and look elsewhere amidst s.p.a.ce.
A ma.s.sive figure slowly surfaced there.
Everyone successively gazed in that direction and saw a black snake that was gigantic to the extreme breaking through the great earth up above as it appeared before them.
The qi of water wreathed the black snake as it resembled a long black river, possessing an even stronger aura than a true dragon.
As the black snake exhaled, it was an icy cold qi that penetrated into one's bones that emerged.
Atop its head was a ma.s.sive jade chariot, beside which stood boys and girls who held either jade ornaments of good fortune or treasured orbs.
While there were golden curtains hanging from the sides of the jade chariot, obscuring the view of the person within from the outside world, those who saw this black snake that carried a jade chariot all understood who it was who had come.
This was the sole female of the World beyond Worlds' Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors.
She was also effectively the number one female expert of the current World beyond Worlds.
The Profound Cold Emperor, also known as the Cold Emperor!
Her name was Jie Mingkong, and people in the World beyond Worlds were used to calling her the Female Emperor.
Like the Heaven Emperor, the Brocade Emperor and the others, she was one of the Five Emperors.
The Female Emperor was the most solitary existence amongst the Five Emperors as she had never ever partaken in the affairs of others which did not concern her.
The Brocade Emperor's great battle with the Immortal Artifact Mars Halberd that year had been a rare battle between Emperors, a momentous occasion indeed.
Yet, the Female Emperor who had been at Kunlun Mountain in the World beyond Worlds had still been totally unconcerned about this. Let alone not having appeared, she had never even sent any communication regarding the matter.
Now, while the Heaven Emperor and the Brocade Emperor had returned to the World beyond Worlds, most of the other experts amongst the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors were still actually in extradimensional s.p.a.ce.
The Female Emperor had been in the World beyond Worlds these past years, though.
Still, whether it was the Heaven Emperor and Zhuang Shen's lot or Yan Zhaoge and Cao Jie's lot, even as they had wondered if the unpredictable Upper Exalt might show up, the sole person they had not even taken into consideration was this Emperor.
Yet, she who seldom left Kunlun Mountain had come to the southeastern Yang Heaven Territory's Royal Reed Sea, to Broad Creed Mountain on this very day.
Also, after having arrived, she had actually prevented the Heaven Emperor from making a move.
Let alone how Lang Qing, Zhuang Shen and the others were exchanging looks, feeling all quizzical and uncertain, even the Southeastern Exalt Cao Jie was greatly puzzled by this.
He immediately turned to look at Yan Zhaoge and Yan Di, yet heard Yan Zhaoge asking via sound transmission now, “Did you invite this Emperor over as a helper?”
Glancing deeply at Yan Zhaoge, Cao Jie saw that his expression was solemn and in no way feigned.
He slowly shook his head, “It wasn't me.”
Yan Zhaoge's pupils dilated slightly as he returned his gaze to the Heaven Emperor in mid-air and that jade chariot atop the head of the ma.s.sive black snake, falling into deep thought.
Similarly gazing at that jade chariot, the Heaven Emperor asked, “Why is Fellow Daoist Jie blocking this humble Daoist?”
As he asked this, ripples seemed to emanate between the heavens and the earth.
The ma.s.sive black snake coiled as the scales of its entire body pulsed unceasingly.
A formless wind guested on the golden curtains hanging on the jade chariot which drifted to the sides.
Everyone gazed over and saw that it was clearly a sculpture of ice sitting within the jade chariot.
It was just that the figure of a person existed within the ice sculpture.
It was an incredibly beautiful woman garbed in white who wore an ornamental ring of black jade on the index finger of her right hand.
The woman was frozen and sealed entirely in the ice, her eyes closed as if in a deep slumber.
Cao Jie, Zhuang Shen and the others did not find this to be strange.
“The Female Emperor usually seals herself away in ice to cultivate in her profound arts. This is especially so for her eyes. It is said that she has not opened them in the past hundred years and more,” Cao Jie explained to Yan Zhaoge and Yan Di.
Yan Zhaoge and Yan Di nodded silently as they looked at that ice sculpture, not saying a word.
The boy and girl attendants standing by the sides of the jade chariot atop the head of the black snake paid their respects to the Heaven Emperor, Cao Jie, Zhuang Shen and the others in unison.
After that, one of them who stood at the front said, “Heaven Emperor, rather than by her own volition, our Lady has come more at someone else's behest this time…”
“That's enough,” The Heaven Emperor suddenly said, cutting him off, “This humble Daoist can understand that Fellow Daoist Jie cherishes talent.”
“Even this humble Daoist rather admires this youth Yan Zhaoge too. If this were usually, mending our relations.h.i.+p would make for an admirable tale.”
The Heaven Emperor shook his finger, shattering the layer of frost on it, “Still, this Yan Zhaoge first opposed this humble Daoist and then even killed my disciple, Qing Shuzi. If I could lightly let this go even then, this humble Daoist would basically have given up on all my authority in the World beyond Worlds thereafter.”
He was not being as casual and leisurely as he had been when dealing with Cao Jie, Liu Zhenggu and the others earlier.
He extended both hands, one up, one down, before bringing them in together at the middle.
The great earth up above instantly descended.
The earth sandwiched the Royal Reed Sea from above and below, seeking to crush everything into smithereens.
A jade-like l.u.s.tre flickered on the surface of the ice scripture on the jade chariot atop the black snake's head.
Cold frost suddenly surged atop the surface of the great earth up above which was dark and sealed.
Endless glaciers swiftly expanded, filling up the area.
Instantly, the area above Yan Zhaoge and the others where the sky had been replaced by the great earth was thus frozen into a glacier instead.
It was filled with cold, transparent ice all around as specks of starlight vaguely flickered amidst the darkness.
Shattering noises resounded from the glacier from time to time as cracks appeared on its exterior.
Still, they were quickly frozen solid again by the st.u.r.dier ice.
The Heaven Emperor's figure flickered, instantly vanis.h.i.+ng from the spot before appearing virtually immediately on the head of the black snake, in front of the jade chariot!
Then, he raised his sleeve, unfurling it towards that ice sculpture in the jade chariot!
In other to avoid any further unexpected things happening, the Heaven Emperor used his ultimate move at the start.
He first swept his spear amidst s.p.a.ce as he instantly appeared before the jade chariot atop the head of the black snake. Next, with his left sleeve, he executed the powerful Heaven Earth Within Sleeve!
This was a powerful technique which was still able to secure victory in a single blow even against mighty experts of the same level!
His sleeve opened, s.h.i.+fting all within the world as s.p.a.ce and time turned illusory.
That black snake which looked even more gigantic than an endless range of mountain peaks instantly shrank, next seeming like an earthworm as it appeared set to be sucked into the Heaven Emperor's sleeve.
The jade chariot atop the black snake's head was small as a speck of dust as it was just completely invisible to the naked eye.
Still, as the black snake was about to be sucked into the Heaven Emperor's sleeve, a brilliant light suddenly surged atop its head.
A crisp breaking sound resounded from the ice sculpture in the jade chariot before it shattered to reveal the woman in white within.