Chapter 1457

Volume 9: The Myriad Races of the Spirit Realm

Early the next morning, Elder Jin Yue, Elder Shi, and the two Saint Sons, Bai Bi and Lei Lan, were all on the first floor of the pavilion, standing there quietly, waiting for something.

Among them, Elder Shi and the other elder showed a hint of anticipation, while the two Saint Sons were bewildered, a look of surprise flashing in their eyes as they gazed at the staircase.

After the time it takes to eat a meal, footsteps sounded from above. Then, a figure flashed, and Han Li appeared at the stairwell, a slight smile on his face.

"What? You succeeded?" Elder Shi’s eyes lit up as he asked.

"Thank you, seniors, for your instruction. I've mostly grasped it and should be able to use it against enemies," Han Li replied with a smile.

"Very good. The danger of this trial may be much greater than in the past. Although Daoist Han is a high-level Spirit General, you might still encounter formidable enemies that are difficult to handle on the way. So, last night, Elder Shi and I discussed lending you a family treasure to protect yourself in case of any unexpected circumstances," the young woman said suddenly, carefully observing Han Li's complexion.

"A family treasure?" Han Li was stunned, greatly surprised.

"Indeed. Take this Thunder蛟 Scissor." As Jin Yue spoke, she shook her sleeve, and a ball of green light flew out, instantly transforming into a pair of green scissors.

Han Li instinctively raised one hand and grasped the treasure, examining it closely.

The scissors were about half a foot long, with an ancient design, their surface a deep green but covered with faint silver, profound patterns. It was clear at a glance that this was no ordinary item.

"Seniors, are you truly lending this item to a junior like me?" Han Li ran his hand over the scissors, feeling a chilling coldness, and asked with delight.

"Actually, our clan has several other treasures that are more suitable for use in the Abyssal Gorge, but unfortunately, these treasures require a considerable amount of time to refine. There isn't enough time. This Heaven Thunder Scissor, however, doesn't require such trouble. You only need to infuse it with your spiritual power to activate it and harm enemies, and its power is incredibly great! But because of this, it can also be easily taken by powerful opponents, so Daoist Han must use it with extra caution," Jin Yue solemnly warned again.

"Thank you, seniors, for bestowing this treasure. I will certainly use it carefully." Knowing that these two elders were providing such an important treasure for the safety of their clan's Saint Sons, Han Li did not decline, smiling as he accepted the item.

Jin Yue nodded, then gave instructions to Bai Bi and Lei Lan, but did not produce anything else.

Han Li saw this and didn't mind.

The treasures meant for those two were probably given to them when they left Sacred City. The small golden gourd that Lei Lan used during his fight with the Crimson Flame Clan in the arena last time was likely one of them.

A short while later, the five individuals walked out of the pavilion and ascended into the air.

In the sky, many people from other branches were already gathered, waiting.

At this moment, none of them were riding giant birds or flying insects; all were suspended in mid-air with wings on their backs.

Moreover, the Saint Sons from various branches of the Spirit-Winged Race had gathered together, separated from their respective elders.

These Saint Sons were vastly different from the previous day; everyone's face was solemn, and there was no longer any whispering.

Han Li's gaze flickered. He also had no intention of speaking to anyone, leading the two behind him to a corner of the crowd, remaining silently.

But not long after, Han Li suddenly felt someone watching him. His heart stirred, and he turned his head to look back.

A hundred or so feet away, a thin, short woman, resembling a young girl, was looking him up and down.

Her skin was dark, but her neck was adorned with some strange black tattoos.

When she saw Han Li looking at her, she even offered a slight smile, revealing unusually white teeth.

Han Li, however, felt a chill in his heart!

Because when his divine sense swept past her, the dark-skinned girl was clearly a high-level Spirit General, and her aura was somewhat peculiar, making him feel an implicit threat, as if she had cultivated some special divine ability.

Han Li showed no unusual expression on his face, but his lips moved slightly.

Bai Bi, who had been standing beside him with his eyes slightly closed, suddenly heard Han Li's transmitted voice.

He opened his eyes in surprise and followed Han Li’s gaze to look at the thin girl, but his face instantly turned pale, and he hurriedly lowered his head.

"Brother Han, that is Ao Qing of the Seven Peaks Clan. Her reputation far surpasses that of Zhu Yinzi; she is the foremost in divine abilities among our generation. However, this woman is ruthless and has an extraordinarily strange temper, taking lives at the slightest provocation. Brother Han, it's best not to provoke her," Bai Bi's voice, tinged with a hint of awe, echoed in Han Li's ears.

Han Li frowned, pondering why the woman was observing him so closely when he felt another gloomy gaze sweep over him. This time, it was genuinely malicious.

Han Li's expression darkened, and he briefly glanced in that direction.

He saw Zhu Yinzi and the other Saint Sons of the Crimson Flame Clan standing in another corner of the crowd, glaring at him with ill will.

Han Li coldly met their gaze before expressionlessly withdrawing his own.

The Crimson Flame Clan was determined to win over the Sky Roc Clan and would surely cause trouble for them during the trial. Han Li, however, felt no emotional stir regarding this.

Since Han Li and the others had emerged relatively late, they did not have to wait long in the air.

Half an hour later, when the three great elders of the Joint Elder Council and the armored man in green appeared before the crowd, the entire group immediately began to move, heading straight for the colossal wall that resembled a small mountain not far away.

For some reason, even though the top of the wall was empty, the entire team did not fly directly over the massive wall, but rather stopped directly beneath a section of it.

The armored man in green walked to the very front of the group. He chanted something, then suddenly pointed his hand at the wall.

With a thunderous rumble, the surface of the massive wall facing the crowd trembled. Amidst the flashing five-colored light, a faint silver magical formation gradually appeared.

Upon seeing this, the armored man in green immediately opened his mouth and spat out a faint purple wooden token.

The token glowed brightly, and a purple light beam flashed and shot out. After a few blinks, it plunged into the center of the magical formation.

Instantly, the silver formation buzzed, and then, amidst a flow of strange light, the formation abruptly disappeared, but a massive silver gate appeared at the bottom of this section of the wall.

The gate was dozens of feet high, radiating an icy light, appearing incredibly heavy, as if made of pure silver.

Without a word, the armored man in green collected the token and, from a distance, waved his sleeve towards the massive gate.

Immediately, a sheet of purple light mist unfurled and struck the gate.

With a resounding crash, the silver gate slowly began to open amidst the light mist.

A gray, sinister wind immediately blew in from outside the gate. Wherever it passed, the Saint Sons felt an inexplicable shiver, and the hairs on their bodies stood on end as if a sharp blade were approaching their skin.

It was utterly bizarre!

Han Li naturally felt the strangeness of this wind, and a blue light flashed in his eyes.

The gate was open. Naturally, the entire group no longer hesitated and walked out of the silver gate, and the situation behind the massive wall instantly became clear.

Han Li couldn't help but gasp.

Not far behind the gate was a vast expanse of black earth.

On the ground, not only was there no vegetation, but the soil and rocks were all a dark black, stretching endlessly as far as the eye could see.

High in the sky was a sea of gray-white mist, exceptionally thick, and its edge was also invisible, appearing incredibly dense.

The gap between the mist sea and the ground was only about thirty to forty feet high, appearing extremely narrow, but strange wind whistling sounds echoed continuously from within, as if capable of devouring everything.

Everyone who saw it couldn't help but feel uneasy.

"This is the Abyssal Gorge Gate. It indeed looks very perilous," Han Li muttered to himself.

"Alright, we have arrived here. Besides the Saint Sons, no one else is allowed to proceed. The Abyssal Gorge Gate is in the mist, ten thousand li from here," the old woman leaning on a cane suddenly said.

Though her voice was not loud, it clearly reached everyone's ears. The previously restless crowd immediately quieted down.

"Alright, since we're here, it's time to announce the content of this trial. I'm sure everyone has been eagerly waiting," the white-haired man said with a chuckle from beside her.

The old woman glanced at the white-haired man, then continued calmly:

"We, the elders of the Joint Elder Council, have discussed it. The content of this trial is different from previous ones, which involved killing specific dark demonic creatures. Instead, you are required to bring back a spiritual item called a 'Netherflame Fruit' from the Abyssal Gorge. If you succeed, your trial will be considered successful. This spiritual fruit, unlike other spiritual items, is only born in places where darkness and filth are most concentrated. The fruit ripens approximately once every five hundred years, and only one fruit will be born on each fruit tree. The Netherflame Fruit you bring back must be a ripe one. The first layer of the Abyssal Gorge does not have enough dark energy, so this fruit will not appear there. Of course, if anyone doesn't believe it and wants to try their luck searching in the first layer, that is up to them. The second layer may have a small number of Netherflame Fruits, but whether they truly exist, we cannot guarantee. The third layer will definitely have this spiritual item, and in considerable quantity. How you choose to act is naturally up to you. The trial period is three months. After three months, no matter how many people succeed in the trial, we will reopen this gate to welcome you back. Have you all listened carefully?" The old woman's voice commanded respect without anger, and what she spoke concerned the success or failure of the trial. Han Li, as one of those participating in the trial, naturally listened with full attention, not daring to miss a single word.

"Alright, now that the trial content has been conveyed to you all, you may depart. In three months, this elder hopes to see most of you again. The rest of you may return; the Demon Sealing Gate will close again shortly," the tattooed elder commanded in a deep voice.

Then, he shook his sleeve and immediately walked towards the city gate behind him, showing no intention of looking back.

The white-haired man and the old woman exchanged glances. Without hesitation, they followed closely. Then, the other elders of the Joint Elder Council also silently followed. Most of the branch elders, seeing this, glanced at their clan's Saint Sons a few times, then returned with a slight hint of worry.

Only a small number took this opportunity to transmit a few more instructions before turning and leaving.

In a blink of an eye, on the vast open ground outside the massive gate, only hundreds of Spirit-Winged Saint Sons remained, standing there and exchanging bewildered glances.