"Only beings of the highest order can break it?"
Vexar's jaw tightened until his teeth ground together.
"So my 'honorable senior' went to this much trouble just to imprison my father."
Vexar knew his father's strength better than anyone.
He was nowhere near the upper echelons of this world.
The gate wasn't built to hold him.
It was built to humiliate him.
One of the Dragon Kings exhaled slowly.
"Then we face reality. Kidnapping Vexar and forcing him to open the gate inside the Sanctum is suicide. None of us should pretend otherwise."
Their original plan had been risky but workable.
Slip in.
Rescue the prisoner.
Steal the elixirs.
Run before the Sanctum could mobilize.
That depended on speed.
Trying to capture Vexar alive inside his own stronghold, drag him through layers of formations, open the gate, and then escape?
That was fantasy.
Even if they unleashed every sea beast hidden inside Rowan's world, it wouldn't change the outcome.
The Sanctum didn't only consist of the capture squads loyal to Vexar.
There were tens of thousands of other disciples.
Many of them were veterans.
Some were frighteningly strong.
And if word spread far enough, powerful elders stationed elsewhere could arrive.
Vexar clenched his fists.
"…Then we withdraw. We plan again."
Rowan shook his head.
"Not yet."
He raised the Ruyi Jingu Staff.
"This is still a door. Doors can be opened."
His other hand manifested the Heaven-Sundering Blade.
"Between this staff, this blade, and all of us striking together, we might be able to force it."
One of the Dragon Kings studied him.
"Odds?"
Rowan lifted his hand.
"Seven out of ten."
Silence.
Then nods.
"That's good enough."
Vexar turned to Rowan and bowed deeply.
"Whatever happens, thank you."
"Move," Rowan said. "We don't have much time."
He drove both weapons into the stone gate.
The impact shook the underground palace.
The gate trembled.
Cracks raced across its surface.
Vexar and the four Dragon Kings attacked at the same time.
Blades, claws, and raw force slammed into the seal.
Rowan layered spatial distortion into the strike.
The gate howled.
"Open!"
With a final surge, the runes collapsed.
The stone gate split apart.
Vexar rushed inside.
"Father!"
A man hung bound to a pillar, one arm missing, body scarred and broken, barely breathing.
Rowan appeared beside him and severed the chains in a single stroke.
"We're leaving. Now."
A ripple of hostile energy surged toward them.
Rowan felt it instantly.
"They've noticed."
They burst from the chamber just as a figure descended from the sky on a drifting cloud.
Vexar.
Smiling.
"You really came," he said lightly. "I was hoping you would."
His eyes flicked to the Dragon Kings.
"This saves me the trouble of hunting you down."
Aegiron didn't hesitate.
He swung.
A tidal arc of blue energy tore through the air.
Vexar caught it with one hand.
Casually.
"Pathetic."
His form expanded, towering over them, pressure rolling outward in crushing waves.
Rowan didn't join the clash.
Not yet.
He began forming projection sigils, hands moving in precise patterns.
Aegiron and the other Dragon Kings attacked together.
For a moment, they actually forced Vexar back.
Then the sky filled with movement.
Dozens.
Hundreds.
Then thousands.
Disciples descended from every direction, riding swords, clouds, and living constructs.
Spells ignited.
Formations snapped into place.
Runes lit the air like a storm of stars.
Rowan felt the balance shift.
Badly.
Vexar spread his arms.
"Disciples of the Jade Apex Sanctum."
His voice boomed across the valley.
"Seize these intruders."
The trap had closed.
And Rowan was still counting.