"Ten Elders!"
Fan Zichen, mounted on his horse, cast a sideways glance at Yue Lao and Han Lao, his eyes blazing with anger. The seal was about to break, and these hidden leeches were finally emerging into the world!
Instantly, a chilling aura enveloped the entire valley. The ordinary martial artists from the human territories, in particular, trembled with flushed faces. Aside from the royal bloodlines, local martial artists rarely broke through to the Heavenly Martial realm. Reaching the Spiritual Venerable realm was already considered an ancestral achievement!
It was understandable that there was a vast gap between the Spiritual Venerable and Sky Fusion realms, a whole major realm, let alone the significant difference within the first layer of the Sky Fusion realm!
"Hmph!"
Fan Zichen snorted coldly, leading the Blood Robe Army to camp in a relatively open area. Yue Lao and Xue Lao had long lost their earlier smug enjoyment. First, they had seen the Great Han, and now, with the arrival of the Weiyang lineage, these two were like stubborn stones in the hearts of the Ten Elders, stumbling blocks to their unification of the Southwest Domain. They were an eyesore, as troublesome to deal with as kicking a stone that might easily break a bone – an agonizing predicament! Sudancai.com
Soon, time reached noon. The temperature in the entire valley peaked. The humidity here was extremely high, making it both hot and muggy!
Some martial artists who had arrived earlier were now looking extremely grim, their patience clearly wearing thin.
"Boom!!"
Just moments after noon, the two Stone Sculptures of Wangtianhou suddenly vibrated. Layers of thick dust began to peel off, revealing their original golden splendor.
Strands of golden elemental energy started to swirl around the two stone-carved Wangtianhou. Suddenly, the elemental energy rapidly condensed, transforming into two lifelike Wangtianhou that appeared like nascent spirits. They floated in mid-air, looking down upon the top martial artists of the Southwest Domain!
"Roar!!"
A mighty roar echoed, causing the surrounding mountains to shake violently. The liquid-like elemental energy flowing between the peaks vanished completely!
"Hum~~"
A faint white light emanated from the palace at the center of the valley. The old man, who had disappeared for several days, reappeared above the palace, scanning the gathered top martial artists of the human territories in the Southwest Domain with a smile.
However, he then shook his head, unable to hide his disappointment. The collapse of the Imperial Dynasty and the loosening of the seal had brought about a tremendous impact on the human territories of the Southwest Domain. For ten thousand years, there hadn't been a single expert in the Heaven Transformation realm in these human lands!
"Alas!"
He sighed, looking at the martial artists with burning eyes. He then stroked his beard and said, "Esteemed juniors, the Imperial Dynasty's secret treasury is fraught with peril. This is a trial left by the Emperor. Only the most powerful can enjoy the accumulation of the Imperial Dynasty and shoulder the banner of humanity!"
"The first layer of this trial is the Wangtianhou!"
"Open!"
The old man spoke softly, waved his right hand, and the elemental energy Wangtianhou, standing in mid-air, instantly merged with the stone sculpture!
"Roar!!"
"Roar!!"
"Roar!!"
A deafening roar that spanned a thousand miles erupted. Countless martial artists first felt a bombardment like divine thunder from the Nine Heavens exploding above their heads!
This trial was also extremely fair. The intensity of the thunderous roar heard by martial artists of different realms varied in strength!
The thunderous roar shook the hearts of all the martial artists present, causing their blood to surge and their hearts within their chests to feel as if they were being drawn, achieving a frequency with the roar of the Wangtianhou, contracting and relaxing with its highs and lows!
This caused the martial artists' complexions to fluctuate between flushed and pale!
With the continuous roars, some martial artists instantly couldn't withstand the immense pressure. This was a battle and suppression of bloodlines. They lost control of their bodies, their eyes went white, and they fell to their knees like wooden puppets, like zombies!
Without spirit, without intellect!
"Kneel!"
"Kneel!"
"Kneel!"
......
The Wangtianhou continued its roars, echoing throughout the valley. To the ears of the martial artists, it transformed into an oppressive force imbued with supreme imperial might, each sound like an imperial decree from an emperor, compelling the martial artists to involuntarily prostrate themselves on the ground!
"Ah!!"
"Ahhh!!"
Some martial artists roared in anger, desperately trying to expel the enchanting sounds entwined in their minds!
"Open!"
Wang Yue's eyes slightly widened. Sword energy erupted, directly tearing through the insidious sounds that were coiling around his mind.
He scanned his surroundings and saw that most martial artists were clutching their heads, struggling to resist, their faces ashen and sweat pouring down.
At this moment, after Wang Yue was the first to awaken, Fan Zichen, Li Bai, Xu Chu, Yue Lao, and other Sky Fusion realm experts quickly recovered.
Ying Yu and other imperial factions looked on in shock, their skin ashen white. The immense mental assault felt like long blades scraping layer by layer across their hearts, making life worse than death!
The old man above the palace nodded as he watched the awakened martial artists. Although their realms did not enter his sight, their exceptionally strong mental power was quite considerable.
"Huff... Huff..."
Martial artists continued to awaken, each dripping with sweat, their elemental energy weak. Their eyes, when they looked at the stone-carved Wangtianhou entangled in sonic waves, instinctively retreated. It was terrifying, too terrifying. If this hadn't been a trial, they wouldn't even know how they had died.
"Bang bang bang!!"
As some awakened, others succumbed. Like zombies, they knelt on both knees and continuously prostrated themselves towards the Wangtianhou!
The ordeal lasted for a full hour. Nearly half of the martial artists present were eliminated, becoming mindless beings, kneeling on the ground, endlessly performing the act of prostration.
The old man sighed. He truly wished that all the martial artists present, and even those in the entire Southwest Domain, could enter the great hall. Unfortunately, human cultivation aptitude varied. The Emperor's trials would never be easily passed. After all, the strength of the demonic beasts in the Ancient Wasteland was a factor. The Emperor's actions were like sifting sand, favoring quality over quantity!
The martial artists who awakened were all elites within their respective realms!
From the highest like Wang Yue, Fan Zichen, and Yue Lao, to the top Sky Fusion realm experts, down to those at the Spirit Communication, Divine Mansion, and even the Divine Mansion realms!
The Emperor's actions were for the strong to take the lead in shouldering the banner of humanity and confronting the ancient wilderness. As for these lower-realm martial artists who passed the trial, they were the core strength cultivated by the Emperor for the human territories. Perhaps in a hundred years, they would be the ones to shoulder the banner of humanity and continue the human lineage!
The old man looked around. Most of those who could awaken had done so. Hesitantly, the old man formed a strange hand seal. White elemental energy instantly bloomed, and the palace emitted a golden glow. The great doors of the palace slowly trembled!
"Creak—creak—creak!"
The doors, emitting a faint golden light, slowly opened!
A soaring aura emerged from within, incredibly ancient and profound, as if it had traversed the long river of history spanning tens of thousands of years, rushing forth!
A golden vortex, shimmering with faint blue lightning, condensed directly, its light flowing and rotating gently!