The Purple River Sect disciples behind the head elder chuckled softly.
Heilam clenched his fists. Grisham remained silent, his smile faint but unchanged.
The head elder was about to speak some more but before he could do so, a calm voice spoke suddenly.
"Oh?" it said softly. "Is that so?"
The voice did not come from either side. It came from the middle. And it made everyone freeze in their tracks.
Before anyone could react, space rippled gently between the two forces. No loud sound. No flash of light. A figure simply appeared.
A man stood there, hands behind his back, dressed in plain black robes. His presence was quiet, almost gentle. Yet the moment he appeared, the air itself seemed to hold its breath.
"Then," the man continued calmly, "let me personally witness your glorious might."
The head elder's smile vanished completely. He started looking like someone who had seen a ghost. Heilam's eyes widened as well.
