Something answered.
The sound didn't originate from the academy grounds, nor did it echo from the frantic groups of cultivators scattered across the plaza. It came from entirely beyond the broken sky—past the shattered seal, past the towering void creature, and beyond even the protective perimeter of the First Sovereign himself.
It wasn't a roar, a voice, or an explosion. It transcended any physical description Orion could formulate. The phenomenon was closer to a cosmic concept, an unyielding declaration, an absolute law written into the fabric of space. The exact millisecond it rippled across the horizon, every single entity present felt the same undeniable sensation settle into their souls: complete, instinctual submission.
