A Similar Storm on the Emerald Sovereignty Battlefield
Cracks spidered across the barren earth, scorched from earlier clashes and still smoldering with lingering spiritual force. The air pulsed with tension—heavy, electric.
Atop a jagged plateau stood Commander Wu Feng, his halberd slung across his back like a slumbering beast. Behind him, five lieutenants stood shoulder to shoulder, each one emanating a sharp, disciplined killing intent—refined through bloodshed.
Opposite them stood the twenty remaining geniuses of the Emerald Sovereignty. Their robes were torn, their bodies bruised—but none had fallen. Their formation held fast, and at its center stood Feng Lieren, his aura pulsing like a storm on the cusp of breaking.
Wu Feng scoffed, voice echoing down the cliffs.
"Hmph. I expected more from the Emerald Sovereignty. Still, you and the Obsidian Shadow advanced the fastest… Impressive. But this is where your momentum ends."
Feng Lieren's gaze hardened, his voice cold and exact.
"Too many lives have been lost—and the damage this trial threatens to inflict is unacceptable. This brutality far exceeds anything we were told. Something has changed in the Death Knights' ways… and I will demand answers."
Sylas stepped beside him, calm and resolute.
"We studied the past trials. They were harsh—but never this hostile. Our group is stronger than any in recent memory. So why the escalation? Is this how the Death Knights provoke our empire?"
Though the weapons had fallen silent, the tension only deepened. Behind Feng Lieren, the druids stirred, their ties to the earth sharpening, spirits coiled like drawn bows. The thought of being used—manipulated in a game of war—fueled their quiet rage.
One of the lieutenants stepped forward with a mocking grin.
"Blame your own weakness. The world isn't fair. If you're overwhelmed, perhaps you were never worthy."
Wu Feng's voice turned cold, final.
"My lieutenants speak the truth. Your empire accepted the risk. This is no garden for prodigies—it's a battlefield. And this is where your arrogance dies."
His aura burst forth like an avalanche—oppressive, absolute. A suffocating wave of pressure crashed across the field, his cultivation standing at the peak of his realm. The five lieutenants followed suit, their combined force forming a towering wall of lethal intent.
Feng Lieren didn't retreat. His voice rang out like a blade drawn from its sheath.
"My druids are not here for your amusement!"
The hue of his bamboo weapon darkened, spiritual energy condensing and sharpening until it cut the very air. The earth cracked beneath his feet as a surge of cultivation exploded from him—righteous fury pushing him into the late stage of Flesh and Bone Forging.
He launched forward, a living tempest, bamboo shadow flaring with divine wrath.
Skylar's eyes widened, recognizing the breakthrough.
"He advanced… in battle."
Then, like thunder following lightning, he moved.
"Sylas! With me—take the two strongest."
Sylas was already in motion. "Let's end this quickly."
Skylar turned to the others.
"Bai Xu, Qiao Ling—handle the remaining three. Everyone else, support. We end this now—no more losses."
Bai Xu's bow was already drawn, his focus razor-sharp.
"Understood."
Beside him, Qiao Ling lifted her Death Arms—a blooming crimson rose in her hand. In a burst of petals, it twisted into a glaive, then reshaped into a thorned whip, before shattering into petal-daggers swirling around her like a cyclone.
"Let's make it beautiful," she whispered.
Then, louder, commanding:
"Charge!"
She surged forward, her weapon constantly shifting—graceful, lethal, mesmerizing. Every motion disrupted enemy formation, clearing the path for Bai Xu's arrows to strike with ruthless precision.
At the battlefield's heart, Feng Lieren clashed with Wu Feng—bamboo meeting steel in explosive bursts. Shockwaves tore through the air with every strike.
Skylar and Sylas moved like twin blades, each targeting a lieutenant with clinical precision. Bai Xu's arrows rained from above, seamless with Qiao Ling's elegant havoc below.
This was no longer a trial.
It was judgment.