Time passed. Meng Hao wasn't standing in the exact center of the land mass, but he was certainly the center of all attention.
Outside, beyond the battered remnants of the ninth shield layer, was an army of bizarre creatures that filled the starry sky from end to end. They all hovered there silently, looking down, but unwilling to set foot onto the land mass.
The massive gap in the shield still existed; it hadn't closed up. However, despite the many hours which had passed, not a single individual had entered through it.
The strange nature of the land mass ensured that the energy of the Vast Expanse was scant, and also made it so that the will of the Vast Expanse was weaker. Because of that, the creatures that made up the army weren't as easy to influence as before.