Chapter 6: The Strange Trial (Part 1)

Two ancient runes flew out from the center of the altar and struck Guo Shier and Eagle Demon at the same time. Instantly, the two understood their meaning. Guo Shier exclaimed in shock, “It’s a trial? I… I used so many Soul Beasts… Isn’t this a trick? How can we possibly defeat so many of them?”
Eagle Demon said, “I get it…”
Guo Shier also realized it in an instant and said, “Damn! It’s because of those people outside… With so many professional experts, that’s why the altar sent this trial.”
Eagle Demon said with a grim expression, “It will take about five days to run from here to the Ancient Rune Gate… This trial is insane! It’s hard for us to complete. Look… there are the souls of Level 10 mutated rune beasts!”
Guo Shier glanced at the professional experts lined up below and whispered, “Let’s wait for a while. Let them fight first. We can take advantage of the chaos to escape—maybe we’ll have a chance.”
Eagle Demon nodded slightly and whispered, “At this moment, they probably won’t pay much attention to us.”
The Soul Beasts wandering near the giant pillars were gradually drawn to the Ancient Soul Altar. About a hundred of them charged over, howling.
Zhu Jiamao, on the other hand, relaxed. Just over a hundred Soul Beasts—even if some had the souls of Level 10 mutated rune beasts—didn’t bother him. His greatest fear was if all the Soul Beasts attacked together; then he wouldn’t be able to handle it. He shouted, “Don’t panic! Each team should only kill the Soul Beasts that approach them—ignore the rest!”
The hundred-plus Soul Beasts had already taken solid form and were charging forward with terrifying momentum.
Guo Shier and Eagle Demon crouched at the edge of the altar, waiting quietly. Zhu Jiamao and the others hadn’t realized that the altar had removed its defensive rune array. They focused intently on the charging Soul Beasts, preparing for the impending battle.
Boom!
The Grand Saints and other experts struck simultaneously. Virtual runes filled the air, and with just one strike, they torn apart the leading Soul Beasts, most of which were at Level 8 or 9.
Guo Shier was amazed, “Wow! That’s amazing!”
Zhu Jiamao, the Fiery Beauty, Yan Ci, and the experts from the seven major sects didn’t move. Zhu Jiamao kept giving orders, directing his subordinates in battle.
Before the hundred-plus Soul Beasts could reach them, they were torn apart by the virtual runes dozens of meters away, turning into countless fragments of scattered souls that were sucked back into the giant pillars. But moments later, they emerged again from the top of the pillars, terrifying everyone.
Zhu Jiamao wondered, “Can’t they be killed?”

Another batch of Spirit Beasts charged over, slightly more this time—about 150 of them. Spirit Beasts of all sizes roared as they rushed forward.
The attack launched by thousands of Saints and Grand Saints was equally stunning. Saints could use Virtual Talismans, whose power was much greater than that of Real Talismans, with few restrictions. Within just over ten seconds, those Spirit Beasts were torn to pieces by the attacks of the Virtual Talismans.
Batch after batch of Spirit Beasts were shredded into countless fragments, which were then absorbed back by the giant pillars.
Zhu Jiamao said, “Let them attack in groups, taking turns—it’s too chaotic!”
Guo Shier was terrified. He turned to Eagle Demon and said, “If we fight against these Spirit Beasts, it’s simply suicide. Not to mention a hundred or so of them—just a few would be enough to kill us both… What kind of trial is this?”
Eagle Demon shook his head. “I don’t understand either!”
Guo Shier was in agony. The situation left him unable to fight or flee. The two of them were trapped on the altar, forced to pray that those below hadn’t noticed the changes there.
Eagle Demon said, “Look, Dingding and the others are over there!”
Guo Shier replied, “I see them. There are a dozen Saints and Grand Saints surrounding them. They’re fine.”
As time passed, more and more Spirit Beasts rushed over. Zhu Jiamao also grew anxious. He said, “No, we must leave here and return to the Ancient Talisman Sect.” His judgment was accurate—he knew the consequences of staying would be severe. He also realized that if they remained there, more and more Spirit Beasts would gather, and those thousand or so people wouldn’t be able to fight for long.
As he spoke, Zhu Jiamao glanced at the altar and suddenly laughed. “Fiery Beauty, the altar’s defenses have been removed. Let’s go up!” His figure vanished abruptly before reappearing on the altar. Fiery Beauty also flashed onto the altar. The two appeared behind Guo Shier and Eagle Demon.
Guo Shier suddenly sensed something behind him and instantly teleported away without hesitation. Eagle Demon was even faster—he spun around and thrust his spear, using his life talisman blade for the first time.
Zhu Jiamao waved his hand nonchalantly and said, “Don’t move!”
Eagle Demon indeed stopped moving. His poised spear thrust froze instantly, as if the air around him had turned into an impenetrable wall, preventing him from moving. Meanwhile, Zhu Jiamao simply stretched out his palm—without even showing a Virtual Talisman—and pinned a Saint in place.

Guo Shier appeared from the other end of the altar. At a glance, he saw the Eagle Demon fixed in place. In horror, he unleashed his sword talisman. This talisman, which had already become his life talisman blade, underwent a drastic transformation. It was the first time Guo Shier was using it; no incantations were needed—just a thought, and the talisman turned into a giant golden sword blade that swung down fiercely.

The enchanting beauty laughed, “The little guy reacts quickly!”

As she spoke, Guo Shier suddenly sensed something was wrong. The golden sword blade falling from the sky seemed to embed itself in steel, unable to cut through anything, nor could it be retracted. His heart turned icy—these two were incredibly powerful. He had never encountered such formidable opponents before.

Zhu Jiamao said, “Put away your weapon. If you want to die, I don’t mind killing you!”

The enchanting beauty laughed, “Useless, little guy. Put away your life talisman blade. Even if you rise to the rank of Great Sage, it won’t help! Hehe, it’s amazing that you’ve managed to reach the rank of Sage. How old are you?”

Both of them suddenly felt relieved. Guo Shier knew he couldn’t resist—his opponents were far too strong, far beyond his ability to withstand. There was no comparison in their strength. The Eagle Demon suddenly twisted his body, his spear disappearing, before flipping back.

Guo Shier also retracted his life sword talisman and said, “I’m fourteen.” He knew he had to keep fighting.

Zhu Jiamao crossed his arms and asked, “Which sect do you belong to? I’m the chief inspector of the Bloody Secret Realm… Zhu Jiamao.”

Guo Shier’s heart turned icy. Even the last inspector had been too strong for him, and now there was a chief inspector—it was obvious that this man was the real expert.

The Eagle Demon grew even more anxious. He wasn’t worried about himself but about Guo Shier. He darted behind Guo Shier. He knew he couldn’t stop the opponent—the gap in strength was too great. They had no chance. The only hope now was Guo Shier’s wisdom.

“Fourteen!”

Even though Zhu Jiamao and the enchanting beauty had reached the pinnacle of professional skills on the advanced continent, they were still surprised by this age. A fourteen-year-old junior sage who had also received the inheritance of the Ancient Soul Altar—such a rapid advancement was extremely rare.

Yan Ci also quietly appeared. He had been watching Zhu Jiamao and the enchanting beauty and had followed them right away. He had also heard Guo Shier’s age.

Zhu Jiamao asked, “Your name is Guo Shier, and yours is Eagle Demon. Which sect do you belong to?”

The enchanting beauty noticed Guo Shier and Eagle Demon’s wary expressions and smiled, saying, “Don’t be nervous. You’ve secured great rewards for your sect or family. You deserve the most credit for discovering and activating the Soul Altar, so there will be no punishment.” Little did she know that the two of them had come through a coordinate and were not from the Advanced Continent at all.

Even though Guo Shier was extremely clever, he didn’t dare claim he came from the Intermediate Continent. He already knew how terrifying the Advanced Continent was—just like Master Kuumu, who could single-handedly sweep through the North Talisman Sect. He guessed that Zhu Jiamao could also easily take down the Chenxiao Sect by himself.

Yan Ci said with a smile, “The kid is scared by you guys. Hehe, kid, are you interested in joining our Sacred Succession Sect? You could become an direct disciple! What do you say?” He immediately tried to poach talent, angering Zhu Jiamao and the enchanting beauty so much that they almost lost their temper—this was too much.

Zhu Jiamao said unhappily, “Don’t rush to poach him. The kid hasn’t even said… which sect he belongs to!”

Yan Ci thought to himself, “I don’t care which sect he’s from! As long as it’s not a major sect or family, I want this kid!”

Guo Shier had no idea what these people were thinking. He couldn’t say anything right now. When the gazes of those three experts focused on him, his back was drenched in sweat. He absolutely couldn’t continue this topic. He regretted that he wasn’t younger, so he could pretend to be a child, but now he already looked like a teenager. Gritting his teeth, he said, “By the way, are my companions okay?”

Eagle Demon also understood Guo Shier’s predicament and immediately said, “They seem to be over there!”

Guo Shier said, “Should we go check on them first? Hehe, we’ve been separated for so long…”

Zhu Jiamao said, “They’re fine. With so many Grand Saints protecting them, they won’t be in any danger. Guo Shier, what are your plans?”

Guo Shier replied, “I don’t have any plans for now. Let’s wait until we get through this crisis first. Look… there are more and more Spirit Beasts!”

Zhu Jiamao looked up and frowned, “Yes! I don’t know what’s causing these attacks. We’d better retreat to the Ancient Talisman Sect first.”

Guo Shier felt greatly relieved that the topic had changed. As long as they didn’t keep asking which sect they belonged to, everything else could be discussed.

Yan Ci smiled and said, “That’s fine. We can talk about it after we get out! Hehe, kid, you’re quite lucky!”

Guo Shier and Eagle Demon exchanged a glance, feeling slightly relieved. It was too terrifying—having three top experts standing by brought immense pressure. Most importantly, both of them were guilty of hiding secrets, fearing they would be discovered. Yan Ci grabbed Guo Shier’s arm and immediately teleported away. Zhu Jiamao cursed softly, “That old bastard!” He grabbed Eagle Demon as well and teleported away. The demoness giggled, vanished in an instant, and quickly descended from the altar.