Chapter 6: The Strange Trial (Part 2)

Guo Shier was grabbed tightly by Yan Ci, leaving him completely immobile. He inwardly groaned, realizing that this guy had his eye on him and wanted him to join some so-called Holy Inheritance Sect. In this world, having great potential meant one could end up trapped. Especially since he and Eagle Demon had received the inheritance from the Ancient Soul Altar, they were like two pieces of fat meat targeted by wolves.

Zhu Jiamao appeared among the crowd. He flew slightly up to two meters in the air and shouted, “Fight our way back!”
The large group immediately took action, rushing back the way they came. At first, they moved fast, flying low, but after about a kilometer, they realized something was wrong. Initially, only a hundred or so Spirit Beasts were attacking them as they stayed near the altar, but now there were eight or nine hundred Spirit Beasts launching attacks.

Zhu Jiamao also sensed something was off and grew suspicious. Guo Shier’s mind stirred, and a fragment of inheritance memory flashed through his mind, making him suddenly understand. Eagle Demon understood as well. There was a giant pillar every hundred meters, forming a huge grid. Once someone entered one of these grids, it would alert the Spirit Beasts inside the pillars, triggering their attacks.

If it had only been Guo Shier and Eagle Demon, it wouldn’t have been a big problem, as their targets were small and wouldn’t alert many Spirit Beasts. But with a group of thousands moving together, it caused a huge disturbance, attracting countless Spirit Beasts.

At this point, the group became chaotic. Zhu Jiamao shouted, “We attack! Fairy Queen, take care of the flanks. I’ll open the way. Yan Ci… you lead the rear guard!”

Taking advantage of the chaos, Guo Shier and Eagle Demon ran to Zhang Yaojin’s squad. Zhou Xiaoling and the others immediately gathered around them, exclaiming in joy, “Shier, Uncle Eagle Demon, you’re finally back!”

They had gone through hardships together, though this time things had gotten a bit out of control. Zhang Yaojin didn’t show much joy or sadness. He already had confirmation that the inspection team wouldn’t pursue him for returning late. The same applied to Chen Zhen Dong. Since they had discovered this Soul Altar, they not only avoided blame but also earned merits.

Guo Shier asked, “Are you all okay?”
Sun Min’er said excitedly, “We’re fine, fine… Haha, I can join a major sect now, hahaha…”
Eagle Demon wondered, “What do you mean? You’re not going back to your own sect?”
Sun Min’er replied, “Why would I go back? With a major sect accepting me, why bother returning? Back where I’m from, people from major sects are different—they have more opportunities and better conditions for cultivation! To be able to join one… that’s luck! My original sect would only approve, not oppose it!”

Peng Yuanwang nodded vigorously beside him and said, “I’ll go with Min’er!”
Guo Shier asked, “Will the rest of you… all go too?”
Zhou Xiaoling shook her head and said, “I’m not going. I need to return to my own sect.”
Lan Hu also said, “I’m returning to my own family.”
Guo Shier and Ying Mo knew that the team had dispersed. They didn’t mind either; the original purpose of forming the team was just to survive, so it was normal for it to break up now.
Chen Zhendong said, “I’m not going back either. I plan to head to another advanced continent. Maybe we’ll have a chance to meet again.”
Zhang Yaojin said, “It’s a pity we didn’t step onto the Ancient Soul Altar… Congratulations to you two for obtaining the inheritance!” There was a hint of regret in his tone.
Guo Shier said, “We didn’t expect the altar to activate as soon as we stepped on it.”
Zhang Yaojin said, “When the altar activates… it causes a huge stir. News has spread, and it’s said that countless professional experts have arrived. This is a huge opportunity. I guess… no single sect will be able to take possession of this Ancient Soul Altar. It should be jointly managed, with quotas allocated to various sects and families.”
The large group slowed down, with more and more Spirit Beasts gathering around them. Xuan Ai said, “It’s truly spectacular. Thankfully, we don’t have to fight up there. It’s too terrifying…”
Sun Min’er’s face turned pale. He said, “If we go up there… it means one thing: death!”
Since the team was in the middle of the larger group, they were relatively safer. Moreover, most of the experts present were Grand Saints or Supreme Saints, extremely powerful. Even if hundreds of Spirit Beasts attacked, they could be quickly killed by them. Under Zhu Jiamao’s command, they split into two groups—one to fight and the other to rest.
Guo Shier understood that without so many experts gathered together, just him and Ying Mo alone, the journey would definitely not be this dangerous.
As more and more Spirit Beasts turned into fragments, fewer Spirit Beasts emerged from the giant pillars, but they were of higher levels. Those fragments seemed to have been reassembled, forming even more advanced Spirit Beasts.
Zhu Jiamao’s expression grew increasingly serious. There were seven or eight Grand Saints around him, all experts with astonishing combat prowess, ready to step in at any moment to provide assistance. The Spirit Beasts in front of them had gone from level six or seven at first to level seven or eight later, and now almost all of them were at level ninety, growing more and more powerful. Even the Grand Saints found it difficult to deal with them.
“Speed up! Stay close behind and narrow the battlefield!”

Zhu Jiamao truly is a supreme master; he gradually understood the situation. Though he wasn’t sure of the reason, it didn’t prevent him from making the right decisions.
A great sage said, “I see two level-11 mutated Spirit Beasts!”
Zhu Jiamao replied calmly, “I know!”
As the speed increased, many people began flying low to the ground. Zhu Jiamao became the vanguard of the group, tearing apart all the Spirit Beasts in their path.
Guo Shier’s team followed the main group effortlessly. As the speed rose, he and Eagle Demon noticed something strange: the fragments of Spirit Beasts scattered in the air—those shattered spirits—were drawn to their own souls and poured into them in large quantities. Not only Guo Shier but also Eagle Demon experienced this. With so many Spirit Beasts shattered ahead, both of them soon felt as if they had been satisfied.
Eagle Demon whispered in surprise, “Shier, what’s going on?”
Guo Shier shook his head. “I don’t know either. Just keep absorbing them; I think it’s beneficial!”
As their souls grew full, numerous Spirit Beast fragments flowed into their life talismans, which were then greedily absorbed by the Giant Nesting Dragon Talisman, the Ancient Flame Sparrow Talisman, and the Dark Winged Demon Scorpion Talisman. Guo Shier was overjoyed, clearly sensing changes in these three talismans. He tried hard to search his ancestral memories but couldn’t find them in such a short time.
After flying low for about four or five hours, fewer and fewer Spirit Beasts appeared ahead—no more than fifty in total, most of them level-10 mutated Spirit Beasts, with even some level-12 ones. Such Spirit Beasts required several great sages working together to defeat. Fortunately, with Zhu Jiamao’s leadership and timely interventions at critical moments, the group was able to move forward smoothly.
At that time, countless Spirit Beasts were chasing behind the group. Since they killed batches of Spirit Beasts with each grid they passed through, the group rushed forward rapidly, only for the newly formed Spirit Beasts to keep chasing after them, putting immense pressure on the rear of the group.
Therefore, the group had to move swiftly toward the Ancient Talisman Gate without stopping. More and more Spirit Beast fragments floated above Guo Shier’s head. Even more terrifyingly, among the blocking Spirit Beasts, there were human-shaped ones whose strength rivaled that of sages.

Guo Shier simply released the Dark-Winged Demon Scorpion. As soon as this giant appeared, it immediately caught the attention of the surrounding Saints, but no one said much. Guo Shier shouted, “Everyone, come on!” The Eagle Demon flew up first, and the others followed onto the scorpion’s back, which saved a lot of energy. The Dark-Winged Demon Scorpion was a flying sigil worm; although it couldn’t fly continuously, it could glide by flapping its wings, so its speed was fast enough to keep up with the group.

Sitting on the back of the Dark-Winged Demon Scorpion, Guo Shier could finally absorb the Soul Fragments in peace. He didn’t know why, but he definitely couldn’t miss this opportunity. His soul was growing rapidly, and he silently chanted prayers to refine it.

Zhu Jiamao, the Fiery Beauty, and Yan Ci complained bitterly. They knew that as long as the giant pillar was destroyed, no more Soul Beasts would be able to reform, but how could they bear to do it? This was the most complete ancient Soul Altar, and any damage would drive people crazy. So they could only push forward as hard as they could.

The distance between the altar and the Ancient Sigil Gate wasn’t too far. If they ran at full speed, it would take about five days, while Saints flying at full speed would only need a few hours. Now, with the group blocked by Soul Beasts, they couldn’t fly freely, but by flying close to the ground, as long as Zhu Jiamao kept breaking through, they could reach there in less than a day.

When there was still an hour’s journey left to the Ancient Sigil Gate, thirteen-level mutated Sigil Beasts appeared ahead. These were enemies even Saints couldn’t handle, so it mostly relied on a dozen or so Grand Saints and Zhu Jiamao to break through. Fortunately, the number of Soul Beasts appearing was even fewer.

There were about seven or eight twelve-level mutated Soul Beasts and two thirteen-level ones ahead. The Fiery Beauty also rushed over to help. Zhu Jiamao could handle one thirteen-level Soul Beast without trouble, but dealing with two would delay his breakthrough.

Saints were already starting to suffer casualties. There were too many Soul Beasts surrounding them. Although there were no thirteen-level mutated ones, the eleven- and twelve-level mutated Soul Beasts, caught in the swarm of attacking beasts, could be injured suddenly.

Guo Shier kept an eye on the entire group. He had to admit that these high-level professionals were extremely powerful. So far, the group remained orderly. Whenever a Saint was injured, they were immediately dragged to the center of the group for protection, with backup Saints stepping in. Thanks to the formidable strength of the Saints and their fierce attacks, the group could still advance steadily.

Gradually, the number of Soul Beasts decreased, and those daring to attack were mostly high-level ones, making the battles even more brutal.

Guo Shier, the Eagle Demon, and the others didn’t need to participate in the battles. Their strength was too weak; they were completely useless.

Zhou Xiaoling pointed at the distance and exclaimed, “Look! That’s the Ancient Seal Gate. We’re almost there!”
Guo Shier sighed inwardly and whispered, “Everyone, get ready. The road ahead… isn’t easy to navigate!”
Indeed, after Zhu Jiamao and the others destroyed two Level 13 mutated Spirit Beasts, almost all the Spirit Beasts turned into fragments and were absorbed by the giant pillars. Countless ancient runes surged out from the pillars, forming the shape of a mutated Seal Beast in the air. Immediately afterward, countless spirits were injected into its body, and in an instant, an unparalleled soul pressure, like a storm, rushed toward everyone.
Guo Shier stared blankly at the giant creature over 200 meters long and murmured, “Damn… What level is this mutated Spirit Beast?”