The test on the first floor was pretty simple — you just had to keep walking forward until you reached the other side. The Matriarch herself had only made it to the fifth floor, and according to her, up to that point, it was all the sa — just keep moving forward.
Everyone moved in sync, while Darian floated slightly above them, using the power of chaos to do so.
After almost three hours, he stopped and began to descend, increasing the pressure on everyone below.
This ti, they used their draconic soul domain again. As everyone got used to the pressure, the space also beca more stable — strong enough to give them protection without breaking apart. They didn’t have Darian’s power, but with dozens of them working together, they managed to summon a solid space about a hundred ters wide.
Seeing that the group was adapting, Darian kept descending bit by bit, stopping each ti so they could adjust, until he finally touched the ground.
The initial five Fiendgod force points were now easy for everyone to handle. But after walking for hours, they were already under seven — and it just kept increasing.
As ti went on, the pressure reached ten Fiendgod force points. But everyone was amazed at how fast they were progressing. Their physical bodies had strengthened so much that, in less than a day, they were already completely used to the pressure.
Beyond that, they could feel their bloodlines growing stronger through the strain. If they made it out of this trial alive, they would be completely transford, possessing shocking power. The royal family had clearly been hiding their potential deep down.
Of course, that was only possible because they had the support that gave them ti to breathe and slowly adapt.
"Zelkov, how long do people usually stay here?" Tetoya asked.
"It depends entirely on us. If we manage to get through everything, we can leave. But we’re still only on the first floor — the easiest one. Back then, the Matriarch and her group spent three whole months going from the first to the fifth floor. But they didn’t have the support we have now, and they moved very little each day," Zelkov explained as they walked.
"Three months? That’s a long ti. There’ll probably be big changes in the outside world during that period," Tetoya said, surprised.
She understood why, based on her conversations with Darian. The Matriarch hadn’t opened this trial before — she was probably waiting for the right ti to show the outside world the true power of the new generation of the royal family. The fact that they were inside now ant that the battle would begin soon — and they couldn’t afford to linger too long here.
Zelkov continued, "Back then, besides the Matriarch, there were lots of powerful figures among them. They were generally younger, and two-thirds already had eight rings. anwhile, we have seven, and brother Darian only has four..."
"So basically, we shouldn’t worry about ti. If we’re not strong enough, we’ll just die here and never get out," Tetoya finished.
Everyone took a deep breath and pushed forward as fast as they could.
Darian noticed that everyone could now handle the pressure on their own without his help, so he stepped away and went ahead by himself, moving deeper.
After several minutes at full speed, the pressure grew imnsely. Looking at the asuring crystal, he saw that the pressure there equaled fifteen Fiendgod force points.
After almost half an hour of advancing, he spotted the entrance to the next floor and stepped into it.
He imdiately felt his body grow much heavier. Looking again at the asuring crystal, he saw it now read twenty Fiendgod force points.
His main concern was that the pressure might ramp up too fast with each floor. If it hit fifty already on the second floor, those people would never make it through all of them — there were thirteen floors in total, after all.
He grunted and pushed forward. As he continued, entrances to the next floors appeared one after another, and with each step, the pressure rose drastically.
When he got close to the tenth floor, he finally felt real strain. Walking there was exhausting — like his entire body was being drained of energy.
With great effort, he reached the tenth floor, where the pressure climbed to exactly eighteen hundred Fiendgod force points. As he went on, feeling like he could barely breathe, he spotted a huge gate far ahead.
"That must lead to the next floor... looks like it’s a different kind of test. Damn it... no point forcing it — I need to go back and rest." The pressure was so intense that it was hard to even breathe, so he began to retreat.
Just a bit more, and he could’ve endured the full two thousand Fiendgod force points he was aiming for, but he was still a little short of that.
When he made it back to the start of the second floor, he saw everyone gathered, struggling to adapt to the new twenty-point pressure. They were trembling, but still fighting with everything they had to endure.
"Big brother, did you go to the next stage?" Zelkov asked as soon as he saw him.
Darian answered seriously, "I’ve got bad news. On the tenth floor, the pressure reaches almost two thousand Fiendgod force points. This is probably going to be an insanely hard test for everyone."
Everyone was stunned. In disbelief, Zelkov asked, "Big brother, you... you actually reached the tenth floor?"
Darian nodded. "I did, and I got close to the next entrance, but the pressure was way too much. Even I had trouble with it, so I ca back."
Seeing everyone’s unease, Zelkov said, "Brother Darian, you’re incredibly strong. According to the Matriarch, after the third floor, it’s not just about pressure — there’s also a powerful resistance. Normally, everyone has to endure it together, since it’s a kind of collective trial against all of us. But you managed to reach the tenth floor alone and still co back..."
Everyone stared at Darian in shock. If anyone else had said sothing like that, they’d never believe it — even if they were beaten to death. Had he been holding back this whole ti? It just didn’t make sense for soone to evolve that fast.
Of course, they had no idea that Darian’s body had been reborn and completely purified. His physical growth speed was beyond description — like pure water, where anything dropped into it instantly changed its color. Everyone else, though, was like murky water full of impurities, needing to filter out countless things before seeing any difference.
Hearing that, Darian snorted. "So that’s what it was. No wonder I felt so much resistance. Just walking around was so exhausting that I could barely breathe."
Everyone there swallowed hard. Even though he was that strong, he still ca back to help them as much as he could. They felt weird about it — but at the sa ti, a natural sense of security surrounded them.
"We should pick up the pace," Darian said calmly. "The Matriarch told that just a few days ago, she received word that the Wube family and that planet had already gathered their armies and were about to start their attacks. I’d guess that in five days, it’ll all have begun. The probing they did during the state banquet was to test our overall strength — after all, they already know the Elders and the Emperor very well."
Everyone’s eyes widened in surprise. They had imagined this might happen — but not this soon.
"So, we don’t have much ti to rest. You need to treat this trial as a battlefield in its own way. Every minute we waste, more lives are lost. Picture your fathers, your mothers, and all your elders right now, fighting side by side on the front lines. What’s waiting for them are enemies trying to kill them. Tell — what should you be doing right now?" Darian’s gaze swept over everyone, his voice heavy.
In an instant, everyone stood up, teeth clenched. Soon after, they were pushing themselves at two hundred percent to move faster.
Darian let out a small huff.
He could tell they’d started getting too comfortable and relaxed because of him — that’s why he pushed them like that. Of course, he hadn’t lied; they really didn’t have much ti to spare. Now, after seeing this place as a battlefield, their fear vanished. There was no more hesitation among them.
Darian’s words had lit a fire under them, giving them a strong sense of urgency. They started unleashing their full strength, pushing their potential to the limit. As they did, they felt a strange power flowing through their bodies — sothing none of them had ever felt before.
The Matriarch’s seal had already been lifted, and now they were getting used to and learning to control this vast new potential they possessed.
As for Darian, he didn’t stay idle either. He moved a bit away from the group and rose up into the skies, increasing the pressure on himself.
Reviews
All reviews (0)