Selina Wu spoke up.
Martin Wu gritted his teeth and cursed, but still stepped forward, standing in front of Selina Wu and trying to shield her from the biting cold wind.
Allen Ju made no move at all. He glanced at Leon Lu, Gloria Rong, and the others behind him. "If any of you want to leave, now's your chance."
"This place really is a bit too dangerous."
"But even after I lost my Third Young Master Ju title today, you all still chose to stand by me. I won't forget that."
"Even if you leave now, it won't change our relationship."
Allen Ju spoke quietly, and his complexion now looked much better.
With Evan Lin helping him refine the Nourishing Spirit Pill, Allen's physical condition had improved a lot. But he was still just an ordinary person with no cultivation, so he couldn't help feeling chilled by the cold winds leaking from the Winter Gate.
Leon Lu had some strength and could withstand the cold, but the worst off were Gloria Rong and those pampered heirs who'd never suffered hardship and had no inner strength at all.
At this moment, quite a few people's faces had turned pale, and their bodies were trembling uncontrollably.
White frost was visibly creeping across the ground near everyone’s feet, spreading toward them from the barrier of the Winter Gate, which looked ready to shatter at any moment.
The temperature kept dropping, the cold wind grew stronger, and worst of all was the massive Froststorm Vortex—a force that felt utterly unstoppable by human means.
The vortex rose from the ground to the sky, and after absorbing that streak of deep blue 'galaxy,' it now appeared as a giant, smooth, ice-blue mirror, spinning endlessly.
The mirror reflected harsh, cold sunlight—what hit people’s eyes was a dazzling brightness, and that mountain-like, terrifying pressure that kept building up.
In that moment, it was as if heaven and earth had lost all light.
All around was nothing but wind and snow, and the extreme Froststorm Vortex inside the Winter Gate.
The sheer force and energy were making even the Ju family ancestral hall outside the array tremble nonstop; the main building looked like it could collapse at any moment.
The Ju family steward had dragged Grandpa Ju two hundred meters away and was clearly ready to pull them even farther back if needed.
"How powerful is this thing, really?"
Grandpa Ju was being carried by the Ju family steward, wrapped in a blanket, and looked pretty comical.
Meanwhile, a whole crowd of Ju family members was desperately sprinting this way.
Everyone had been completely scared stiff by the giant Froststorm Vortex inside the Winter Gate—no one had time to care about Grandpa Ju's situation anymore.
"If it fully detonates, it'll probably wipe out every building within two hundred meters."
The Ju family steward took a deep breath. "It's terrifying."
"Even standing here, I still feel scared."
"Back in the day, I heard Nightstar's Four Seasons Grand Array was something that could make even Pointing-to-Mystery experts turn pale. Seeing it today, it's way beyond what I imagined."
Hearing the Ju family steward talk like that, Grandpa Ju could only look helpless.
He was already regretting it in his heart—regretting forcing Allen Ju into this mess. He should've asked about the friend Allen insisted on protecting, and figured out his real identity, background, and strength ahead of time.
If he'd done that, things wouldn't have blown up like this, putting the Ju family's ancestral hall in danger.
"But Allen Ju and the others... they haven't come out yet?"
Grandpa Ju watched the Ju family members scrambling out in panic, and his heart suddenly skipped a beat.
"I don't think so."
The steward nodded. "He still chose that friend of his—trusting without reason, insisting without reason."
"He's betting his own life on this."
"I used to think Allen Ju was way too steady—never got into any real trouble as Third Young Master Ju, and honestly, he was missing that arrogance and swagger a young master should have."
"But today, it looks like I misjudged him."
The Ju family steward looked melancholy as he spoke, and Grandpa Ju was stunned for a moment. He thought about a lot, then shook his head.
Since Allen Ju chose to stay, chose to trust that Master Lin from Seacrest, he’d basically put himself in real danger.
If Master Lin from Seacrest wins and keeps them safe, that's great. But if he loses, Master Lin will definitely die, and even if Allen Ju survives, he might never be able to stand in the Ju family again.
Looking at it this way, this really is one hell of a gamble for Allen Ju.