Eternal Holy Emperor
Chapter 182 - 167 The Dark Willow and the Bright Flowers

Chapter 182: Chapter 167 The Dark Willow and the Bright Flowers

In the gloomy, ancient passageway, a trialist was beheaded, his head severed and rolling far along the ground, his cut neck spraying blood vividly in the eerie blood mist, shocking everyone.

Just a moment before he was alive, yet in the next, he had been decapitated, all of it happening so suddenly that people could hardly react.

Right beside the now-fallen trialist, a tall stone soldier moved, its ten-foot-long spear swung in a slashing motion, fresh blood still clinging to its tip, confirming it as the killer.

That the stone soldier could move petrified all the onlooking trialists, an occurrence none had anticipated.

Several princes and princesses’ complexions changed, initially indifferent to the Thirteenth Prince’s words, but now his warnings seemed prescient.

Then, on both sides of the corridor, more tall stone soldiers began to animate, as if coming to life, their spears clanging as they were drawn and swung at the crowd simultaneously.

Many trialists were afflicted in an instant, but while none were killed, the stone soldiers, each possessing immense strength, swept groups of trialists away with their irrefutable spear thrusts, causing bodies to tremble on the verge of splitting and mouths to expel blood.

Just this encounter alone hit at least half of the trialists, each one’s body convulsing chaotically, a deeply uncomfortable experience. However, without hesitation, they began to fight back, swords clashing against spears with a resonant clangor.

But their attacks on the stone soldiers were utterly ineffective, failing to genuinely damage any of them, leaving only superficial marks.

In contrast, these stone soldiers were formidable; their shields and long spears used in tandem managed to blast many trialists backward, making them spew blood.

A Top 100 Trial Participant charged forward, his heavy hammer clashing against a stone spear with sparks flying, yet not overpowering the stone soldier, equally matched.

Everyone was alarmed by this; these stone soldiers were comparable to the Top 100 Trial Participants, with more than fifty of them estimated in the hallway.

Could it be that all previous trialists who had screamed in agony met with absolute silence and never reemerged, facing these formidable foes numbering over fifty, facing only a path of death?

There could be as many as fifty stone soldiers encircling them, their combined spear and shield attacks sending trialists flying, with some even forced to choose elimination for self-preservation.

Still, the stone soldiers continued their assault, causing the Spirit Talismans to flicker distressingly with dim light.

While the Spirit Talismans could withstand two or three hits from a Martial God, those were just ordinary hits, and wearing down over time. Now, they understood why even Top 100 Trial Participants protected by Spirit Talisman had been killed here in this mysterious realm, unable to enter due to their youth, while the stone soldiers relentlessly attacked, eventually breaking through even the toughest defenses.

BOOM!

Fifty stone soldiers relentlessly attacked the crowd, exhibiting no martial arts but striking with swift, precise, and brutal blows, overpowering many trialists.

Top 100 Trial Participants fought back, managing to withstand the stone soldiers. A stone soldier swept its spear toward Ye Chen, but with a metallic clang and sparking impact, Ye Chen wielded a long spear in his hands, colliding with and vibrating against the soldier’s spear, sending an odd force through it and blasting the stone soldier away.

Clearly, this wasn’t the full extent of Ye Chen’s strength; otherwise, his flick would have shattered the stone soldier instantly.

Nevertheless, this scene shocked the other trialists nearby, not expecting such a powerful individual among them, though they didn’t give it undue focus since some experts preferred to remain concealed.

The Twelfth Princess of Soaring Dragon Empire uttered a light cry while wielding a Heavy Weapon, striking a stone soldier which protected itself with a shield. Even the impact of the Martial God Dao Soldiers couldn’t completely break through its defense, but the shield cracked.

Seeing this, other princes and princesses immediately utilized their Martial God Dao Soldiers, the explosive noise reverberating down the corridor and blasting apart numerous stone statues as they shattered.

This was only possible because the Martial God Dao Soldiers had been partially revived. If a Martial God wielded them fully revived, even these stone soldiers with their superior fortitude would likely shatter under a single strike.

With the Martial God Dao Soldiers’ attacks, the pressure on the trialists significantly lightened, each channeling their True Yuan into the soldiers, supporting a more extensive revival.

Eventually, all fifty stone soldiers were blasted to debris, leaving nothing behind. However, there were still losses in the battle: eleven killed and twenty-three eliminated.

After facing life-and-death crises twice in a single day, a shadow loomed over everyone’s hearts. What secrets did this mysterious realm hide to be so perilous? Could there truly be a legacy of a Supreme Divine here?

With heavy hearts, the trialists proceeded, led by the princes and princesses wielding the Martial God Dao Soldiers at the forefront.

After they had traveled a fair distance, they encountered another ambush, but this time, it wasn’t stone soldiers. Instead, thousands of arrows, each capable of piercing through True Yuan defenses, shot out from the walls, creating a dense rain of projectiles that terrified anyone who saw it.

Still, seven princes and princesses wielding the Martial God Dao Soldiers unleashed Divine Power and annihilated the arrow rain, but still, a dozen people in front were shot before they could react.

The casualties grew heavier, and everyone became anxious, fearing they might be next.

The long, mysterious passageway seemed to stretch on infinitely, and as they walked for what felt like at least a day, they faced nine sudden ambushes. Each attack came in a different form, and as they progressed, the attacks became more intense and terrifying, with the number of casualties sharply rising. By the end, the combined death toll had surpassed one hundred.

Even many Trialists began to despair, wondering if this passageway was truly endless and if they would be trapped here for life, unable to leave.

The princes and princesses from Super forces grew restless, especially after repeatedly deploying the Martial God Dao Soldiers, which significantly drained their resources.

Just when everyone was filled with anxiety, a glimmer of light appeared at the end of the passageway. It turned out to be a surging, dense cloud of nature’s spiritual energy, so pure that just a whiff of it revitalized everyone, truly a magical experience.

"Could it be that we are leaving this deadly passageway and entering a true Immortal Realm?"

"That’s great! With such rich nature’s spiritual energy, there must be an Immortal Land ahead."

"At last, we won’t have to face the threat of death anymore."

Hope suddenly sprang up among everyone, it indeed seemed like finding light at the end of a dark tunnel.

However, at this moment, Ye Chen’s expression gradually grew heavier, for he knew that the giant golden Red Sand Scorpion was likely lurking in that mysterious area. The dangers there could only be said to be even more terrifying than the so-called deadly passageway they had experienced.

Growl—

Several stone beasts charged from behind, their approaches terrifying. It was the final ambush wave, consisting of fierce, sculpted stone beasts which suddenly came to life. Fortunately, everyone was prepared, and only six were eliminated without further casualties.

"Hurry, let’s leave this deadly passageway and head over there."

The Trialists rushed forward eagerly, only to be momentarily blinded by the dazzling light. Squinting their eyes, they gradually adapted and realized they were no longer in a dark, deadly passageway, but in a piece of heaven and earth.

This heaven and earth wasn’t vast, just a few dozen miles in size, but it was filled with surging nature’s spiritual energy, far superior to the outside world by leaps and bounds, even surpassing the Pocket Worlds controlled by top forces.

Little bridges over flowing streams, sounds of bubbling springs, Spirit Deer racing, cranes soaring – everything was in such harmony, it was enchanting.

"Look, there are the Nine-Thousand Black Blossoms, a Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures plant with palm-sized petals that are at least a thousand years old."

A Trialist exclaimed, spotting a bizarre black flower in the distance, its large palm-sized, black petals shimmering, eyes gleaming with excitement.

Once Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures surpass a thousand years, their medicinal effects increase substantially, even possessing the miraculous effect of prolonging life, highly valued by ancient beings nearing their lifespan.

"There are Frost White Lotus Seeds..."

"There are Soul Summoning Lotuses too, and such a large one..."

Exclamations drew attention, revealing plants with subtle luminescence embedded in the green wilderness, each significantly larger and older than those found outside, clearly thriving exceptionally well in this advantaged environment.

Everyone was tempted, no one could stay calm in the face of Treasures even coveted by Martial Gods and Heavenly Gods.

But at that moment, one person’s gaze did not fall on these heavenly materials and treasures; instead, it shifted toward a nearby dilapidated Ancient Hall. In the center stood a broken Divine Throne, vacant.

Below the Divine Throne, however, there were nine archaic Dao Platforms with hazy figures seated on six of them, their bodies enveloped in a mysterious aura that seemed to merge with the Heavenly Earth Dao, drawing Daoist influence.

Yet at that moment, the six figures opened their tightly shut eyes, shooting cold gazes.

These individuals were the long-missing Super Experts eligible for kingship!