Immortal Supreme: Sovereign of the Grand Dao-Chapter 271: Invaders

The emperor looked at them all with a cold gaze.

"Now."

That single word hung in the air like a death sentence.

Many of the opposition looked on in confusion. What did he mean by "now"? Now what?

The spectators, however, felt only pure fear. Something terrible was about to happen—they could feel it in their bones.

But before anyone could react, two old men suddenly appeared in the air above the arena.

*Whoosh!*

In an instant, a blinding light engulfed the entire colosseum.

"What’s happening?!"

"I can’t see!"

"Someone help—"

The voices cut off abruptly as every single spectator vanished from the arena. Twenty thousand people teleported away in the blink of an eye, leaving only the emperor’s forces and the various sects and rebel powers behind.

A massive barrier slammed down around the arena. Dark energy crackled across its surface like black lightning, sealing everyone inside.

The opposition’s Martial Saint stared at the barrier in shock. "What... what is the meaning of this, Emperor Markus? What do you think you’re doing?"

Emperor Markus’s cold smile widened. "I anticipated all of this. Every move you made, every secret meeting, every alliance you forged. Did you really think I was blind?"

"You..."

"I was prepared," the emperor continued, his voice carrying across the sealed arena. "The moment you decided to rebel, your fates were sealed."

The two old men who had appeared descended slowly, landing on either side of the emperor. Their presence radiated power that made even the rebel Martial Saint’s expression turn grim.

On the left stood Old Man Whitebeard, his long white beard flowing past his waist. He was a loyal servant of the emperor, one who had once served as Arthur’s secret guardian during his younger years.

On the right stood Darius Noir, the Supreme Elder of the Heavenly Sword Sect and grandfather to Kira Noir. His stern face showed no emotion as he surveyed the trapped rebels.

"The formation is complete, Your Majesty," Old Man Whitebeard said calmly.

Darius Noir nodded in agreement. "No one will escape. Not even a Martial Saint can break through this barrier."

Then both old men released their auras simultaneously.

*Boom!*

The pressure of two more Martial Saints crashed down on the arena.

"Impossible!" someone screamed.

"Three Martial Saints?!"

"We’re dead! We’re all dead!"

Thomas Hartfield’s face went completely pale. His legs trembled as he struggled to remain standing under the combined pressure of three Martial Saint auras.

’This was all a trap,’ he realized with horror. ’From the very beginning, this entire tournament was designed to draw us out and eliminate us in one move!’

Kaiser Hartfield clenched his fists so hard blood dripped from his palms. But he didn’t even notice the pain. His mind was too busy racing through impossible scenarios, trying to find any path to survival.

There was none.

The sect leaders who had stood so proudly earlier now looked like lambs awaiting slaughter.

"Your Majesty, please!" the Thunder God Sect’s leader dropped to his knees. "I was deceived! I didn’t know—"

"Silence," Emperor Markus’s voice cut through the air like a blade.

Arthur stood calmly in the center of the arena, completely unaffected by the chaos around him. His expression showed no surprise, no concern, no fear.

’Everything is proceeding according to plan,’ he thought. ’Father’s preparation was thorough. Now we just need to clean up the trash.’

This had been his plan from the start. Use the tournament to gather all potential threats in one location, then eliminate them when they revealed themselves. Simple. Efficient. Brutal.

Outside the barrier, in the streets surrounding the colosseum, the teleported spectators materialized in waves of light.

"What happened?!"

"Where are we?!"

"The arena—look at the arena!"

Those who could see the colosseum from their positions stared in shock at the massive dark barrier now covering the entire structure.

"Something’s happening inside!"

"Are they fighting?"

"The emperor must be dealing with the rebels!"

"Thank the heavens we were teleported out!"

A woman clutched her child tightly. "We could have died if we stayed in there."

"The emperor saved us," an old merchant said, his voice shaking with relief. "He teleported us to safety before dealing with the traitors."

"Long live the emperor!"

"Long live Emperor Markus!"

Cheers began spreading through the crowds as people realized they’d been saved from a potentially deadly situation. Whatever was happening inside that barrier, they were grateful to be on the outside.

Many started speculating wildly about what was happening.

"Do you think the emperor will execute them all?"

"He should! They betrayed the empire!"

"But what about the sect leaders? Can he really kill them without consequences?"

"Consequences? He’s a Martial Saint! Who’s going to stop him?"

"I heard there are three Martial Saints in there now!"

"Three?! No way!"

"It’s true! My cousin’s friend saw them appear!"

The speculation grew more outrageous with each passing moment, but no one could deny the tension in the air. History was being made inside that barrier.

Inside the arena, Qin Tian tried desperately to activate his movement technique to escape. But the formation held firm.

’Master, we need to leave!’ he thought urgently.

His master’s voice was tight with anger and frustration. ’I can’t break through. That bastard emperor knew about me all along! This entire formation was designed to trap even concealed Nascent Soul cultivators!’

’What?! But you said—’

’I know what I said!’ his master snapped. ’But I underestimated him. We’re trapped like rats until he decides to let us go... or kill us.’

Qin Tian’s blood ran cold. His master had never sounded this worried before.

At that moment, Arthur’s gaze shifted slightly, his eyes seeming to look directly at where Qin Tian stood.

For just a brief second, their eyes met.

Qin Tian’s heart nearly stopped. ’Can he see me?!’

His master went silent, equally shocked. ’Impossible. My concealment technique is perfect. Even Martial Saints shouldn’t be able to detect me. Unless...’

Before his master could finish that thought, several more figures appeared within the barrier.

*Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!*

Hooded figures materialized one by one, their bodies covered in a strange, otherworldly aura that felt fundamentally wrong. It was like staring at a crack in reality itself.

There were five of them in total, each radiating power that made even the rebel Martial Saint step back warily.

"What... what are these things?" Kaiser whispered.

Thomas’s eyes widened in recognition. "That aura... it’s not from this realm!"

Emperor Markus’s expression turned even colder as he looked at the hooded figures. "Invaders from another realm. Not the Mortal Emperor World, but outsiders who have infiltrated our continent."

"Another realm?!" someone shouted. "What does that mean?!"

"It means," Darius Noir spoke up, his voice grim, "that your rebellion wasn’t just a political coup. You were being used by foreign powers to destabilize the continent."

The sect leaders who had joined the rebellion looked at each other in shock and growing horror.

"We didn’t know!"

"They approached us claiming to be—"

"Fools," Old Man Whitebeard said simply. "You were all fools who let ambition blind you to the truth."

One of the hooded figures laughed, the sound distorted and unnatural. "Does it matter now? You’re all trapped in here together. Rebels and emperor alike."

Another hooded figure stepped forward. "We didn’t want it to come to this, but since you’ve forced our hand—"

"Enough talk," the third hooded figure interrupted, its voice crackling with power. "I’m tired of these games. Let’s just kill them all and take what we came for."

The figure raised its hand, dark energy gathering in its palm. The air itself seemed to scream as reality bent around the gathering power.

Emperor Markus tensed, preparing to counter the attack.

The rebel Martial Saint moved into a defensive stance, realizing the invaders saw everyone as enemies.

The hooded figure’s attack reached critical mass, about to unleash devastation that would kill dozens—

"You all, be quiet."

The voice cut through everything like a hot knife through butter. Not loud, but impossibly clear. It carried authority that made even the Martial Saints freeze in place.

Every single person in the arena—emperor, rebels, invaders, everyone—turned to look for the source of that voice.

The hooded figure’s attack dispersed harmlessly, the energy simply vanishing as if it had never existed.

Complete silence fell over the arena.

Someone was coming.

Someone far more dangerous than any of them had anticipated.

And whoever it was had just announced their presence with a single command that no one dared disobey.

Suddenly Arthur stepped forward and smiled and beside him an amoured figure stood and radiated a powerful presence that caused fear in the hearts of the rebels.

Even the other forces were surprised.