Even the greatest geniuses present were stunned, jumping in shock. The pressure inside the glacial world was crushing, but the High Elder didn’t bother to warn them beforehand.
Alm and Bruno just sighed, ignoring what was happening. However, for the other young ones, that pressure was deadly. Their defenses, made of laws and protective power, shattered instantly. Against the pressure of immortal laws, they seemed incredibly fragile.
"No...!"
The young ones did their best to withstand the pressure, but despair soon took over. They couldn’t last even a single breath before bursting into shards of ice.
The world inside the glacier had turned into a deadly hell. More and more disciples were dying, and even some geniuses began to fall. They tried calling for help from the High Elders outside, but they didn’t move. It became clear that it was all a trap, and the youths tried to flee in panic.
"The path of experts is paved with blood and bones. Now that the great formation has been activated, there’s no turning back. No one can save you. If you want to live, the only option is to move forward. If you can’t endure, then you’re not qualified. Only the power of the Divine Dao and your strength can help you," said one of the High Elders coldly from outside.
As he spoke, nearly a million youths perished. In just a few seconds, half of those present died without any chance of survival.
The bodies of the dead turned into shards of ice, and as more died, those who were resisting noticed that the pressure slightly eased.
"Everyone, calm down! Suppress the fear, the world belongs to those strong enough. Their deaths bought us time. Let’s not waste this chance!" shouted one of the geniuses among the youths.
He was a young human-looking man, tall and muscular. After his words, the others tried to shake off the fear, calm themselves, and fought against the pressure.
Soon, they realized they were starting to get used to that terrifying pressure and were thrilled. It was clearly a brutal test: the weak died so the strong could resist longer.
Some were already running toward the top of the glacier. All were geniuses and seemed to have understood something important.
Others quickly followed, realizing the only way to survive was to reach the core. There was no way back.
They didn’t know exactly what the trial was, but they understood they couldn’t let everyone die. With enough strength, they could survive. The greatest show of power would be reaching the peak of the glacier, where the true body of the Immortal Undine was sealed.
Watching countless youths grit their teeth and push forward, a chill ran through Alm and Bruno’s eyes. Ruri had already discovered the formation’s functions.
As people died, a portion of the power of the immortal water laws was diluted. The life energies of the youths became the formation’s fuel. This energy controlled part of the immortal runes, and that power could then be absorbed by the survivors.
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Everyone there was a Heavenly Elemental Spirit, even those not born under the same element. They could absorb part of the Yin or Yang from those laws and strengthen themselves, while the other Heavenly Elemental Spirit of the same race remained sealed and powerless to resist.
Bruno felt a wave of anger. ’What cruelty. This must have existed for a long time, how can they accept sucking the power of someone from their own race?’
Alm snorted and followed the crowd toward the glacier’s peak. The pressure increased as they climbed, as if an invisible world was crushing them, making it hard to breathe.
As more people died, the pressure eased a bit before growing again. Only the truly talented weren’t in immediate danger.
The glacier was a hundred miles wide. Normally, cultivators like them would cover that distance in no time, but now even walking was a challenge. The bone-chilling cold crept into their bodies and souls. Those with less resistance, even if geniuses in other areas, couldn’t withstand it.
"No... I don’t want to die...!"
People collapsed as they watched others fall around them, and the glacier’s peak still seemed far away. Despair took hold of many.
A few minutes after it began, two-thirds of the youths had died. There was no hope of return; the remaining ones could only push forward and scream in despair.
The High Elders outside watched impassively as the scene unfolded.
’Ruri, can you communicate with the Undine through the formation?’ Bruno asked.
’Not yet. I’ve sent subtle messages, but she seems to be ignoring me,’ Ruri replied, a bit annoyed.
Alm snorted coldly. ’I could feel her anger earlier, but her will is now weakening. She must be reaching her limit and will soon disappear. Only her divine soul will remain, and that won’t last long either.’
Bruno looked around, determined. If this kept up, they’d lose a valuable resource, and he couldn’t just watch so many youths die without doing anything. ’Let’s go all out.’
Alm agreed, and within their souls, two tattoos began to pulse. A supreme domain of laws made their bodies shoot forward like lightning. Unfortunately, their powers were limited due to their bodies’ low cultivation. They could still do some extreme things, but chose to show only the surface. Even with that, they could reach the peak with ease.
"What?!"
As he pushed forward through everyone, shouts of surprise and fear echoed instantly.
"You think you’ll get the prize first? Keep dreaming!"
The burly man waved his hand, and a rune on his forehead appeared like a portal. Immediately, a deafening roar echoed in the air.
The void trembled, and in an instant, an icy-blue Wyvern appeared. Sitting atop it, the man shot toward the peak, following Alm and Bruno closely at an impressive speed.
’Icy Wyvern, interesting.’
Alm and Bruno were surprised; they hadn’t expected that man to have such a powerful creature. The Wyvern’s cultivation was at the Divine Origin Realm, several realms higher than that of the young man. Having a beast of that level by his side was a huge cheat.
In seconds, he was right behind them. This pushed the other geniuses to try even harder. Some summoned wings of lightning or wind, others used spatial movement techniques. Those without special abilities just ran, pushing their bodies to the limit.
Hundreds of young people raced toward the peak, risking their lives without holding back any energy. If they didn’t, they’d lose their chance to claim the main prize.
’Whatever,’ Alm muttered.
Pure Yin and Yang power mixed around them, distorting the formation’s energies. The High Elders watching from outside widened their eyes.
Not even they could do that! It was impossible for such power to be in the hands of a young man taking the trial, especially someone who wasn’t officially part of the sect.
Their hearts pounded; if he wasn’t who they thought, why had he infiltrated the formation? The answer was obvious: to steal.
"Kill him! Spare nothing!" shouted a High Elder to the youths inside the formation.
"You dare steal what’s mine?! You’re courting death!"
The burly man roared, now just a few steps away, and his Wyvern attacked fiercely. Alm and Bruno couldn’t dodge.
An ice spear formed and shot out with a whistle toward its target. The young man’s technique was unique, using the Wyvern’s power combined with his own to attack. The spear seemed to teleport, hitting the target’s back the moment it left his hand.
’This comes from a Kun Peng’s spatial laws! He must have other powerful beasts hidden.’
Ruri confirmed, surprised. A powerful Kun Peng was an ancient creature, usually found with its race in their own realm. Seeing one as a young man’s pet was unexpected and shocking.
The world was truly vast, full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers. Ruri was surprised because beast tamers were very rare. But she forgot that she herself had even scarier pets.
*BOOM!*
Alm and Bruno used the power of their tattoos to suppress all elements of the attack, then punched the ice spear, making it explode. Quickly, they used the blast as momentum, taking advantage of the energy to accelerate.
But it wasn’t surprising when, as they moved away, the void around them shook. Runes appeared, forming a vast net that sealed the surrounding space.
There was no way that powerful genius would be foolish enough to let something so obvious slip by. He anticipated their move and set a trap to seal them.
"Impossible!"
The burly young man shouted, stunned as he saw a black saber appear in his opponent’s hands. The saber easily cut through the runic barrier with spatial laws... laws that came from a specialist beast with superior cultivation. No one was indifferent to the scene.
Without stopping, Alm and Bruno kept running toward the peak of the glacier.
The burly man, shocked and furious, tried another attack, but they were already out of his reach. With a roar, he urged his Wyvern to chase them, invoking the spatial laws of his hidden pet to gain more speed.
"Great High Elder, what do we do?!"
Outside the barrier, a High Elder cast an anxious glance at his leader, who had remained silent until then. His expression was grim, unable to understand how that anomaly had managed to infiltrate.
"Should we use the formation to attack him?!"