Chapter 181: Dragon God's Trial

This was a dry, desolate mountainous area. As far as the eye could see, towering, steep mountain walls rose straight into the clouds. The surrounding peaks enclosed the area, forming an isolated place with no escape, and even the sunlight was largely obscured.

Yun Che, who had entered through the Trial Gate, surveyed his surroundings and frowned. The area he was in was very small—so small that he could stand in one spot and clearly see its boundaries in all directions. It stretched no more than two hundred and fifty meters north to south and was barely a hundred meters wide east to west. Sheer mountain walls surrounded it entirely, leaving no path to exit. These walls were almost vertical, making climbing impossible.

“Let go… of me…” The Little Fairy in his arms uttered weakly, and her only movable right arm weakly struggled. Yun Che knew she was unaccustomed to, or rather, utterly repulsed by, a man's touch. He knelt down, took a light pink blanket from the Sky Poison Pearl, and spread it on the ground. Then he carefully placed the Little Fairy on it, saying softly, “Don’t worry. Unless absolutely necessary, I won’t touch you casually. We’ve now entered the Dragon God’s Trial Grounds. Whether you like it or not, our fates are completely intertwined. If we succeed, we’ll both survive and gain immense benefits. If we fail… we’ll both die.”

“But before we fail, please don't give up on living. Instead, strive to stay alive, okay? This isn't just my trial; it belongs to both of us, and it concerns both our destinies. I hope you can give me strength and give yourself hope… not just to survive, but to recover your profound veins and meridians, and even break through directly to the King Profound Realm!”

From a young age, the Little Fairy possessed exceptional talent, unmatched by her peers. She had already stepped halfway into the King Profound Realm before reaching middle age. Her life had largely been spent being looked up to by others. She was accustomed to standing at an unattainable height, forcefully and proudly looking down on others… Yet now, Yun Che was consoling her as if she were a child. She was unaccustomed to it and couldn't articulate the feeling. She closed her eyes, unable to respond. However, the will to die in her heart had already quietly dissipated.

“You actually used my bedding for another woman? Aren’t you afraid I’ll get angry?” Little Jasmine said, sounding a bit miffed.

“Jasmine has such a generous heart; she definitely wouldn’t get angry over such a small matter. When I return to the Azure Cloud Imperial City, I’ll definitely buy you many more better sets.”

Jasmine scoffed, “Hmph! Talk about that when you’re alive to return to the Azure Cloud Imperial City. To rashly bring this woman into the trial grounds, I truly don’t know what you were thinking! Not only will the difficulty double, but you’ll inevitably be distracted by her… This is the Dragon God’s trial! Its difficulty is beyond anything you can imagine! My current state also prevents me from using even a sliver of power, so you’re on your own.”

Jasmine’s voice was filled with resentment. In her eyes, Yun Che bringing the Little Fairy was undoubtedly a death wish. However, given her understanding of Yun Che’s character over the past year, his doing so didn’t surprise her at all.

Above, the voice of the Primordial Azure Dragon resounded without warning: “Two young humans, welcome to the Dragon God’s Trial Grounds. This trial consists of three stages. The place you are currently in is the trial ground for the first stage. Directly in front of you lies the only entrance to the second trial ground. Once all the Rock Dragon Warriors here are defeated, the exit will naturally open… Good luck.”

As the Primordial Azure Dragon’s voice faded, two earthy yellow lights suddenly flashed in front of Yun Che. Yun Che swiftly stepped forward, drawing his Overlord’s Greatsword with both hands and holding it horizontally before him.

As the yellow light dissipated, two figures appeared before Yun Che. Their bodies were no different from ordinary humans, but their entire forms seemed carved from rock, appearing incredibly hard. Their heads were half-human, half-dragon. One hand held a rock spear, the other a rock shield. Two pairs of emotionless eyes locked onto Yun Che.

These were the Rock Dragon Warriors the Primordial Azure Dragon spoke of? Yun Che’s initial caution quickly faded, as the power aura emanating from these two Rock Dragon Warriors gave him no sense of threat.

“Their power level is roughly at True Profound Realm, Level Four, equal to yours,” Jasmine said.

The two Rock Dragon Warriors began to move, charging directly at Yun Che. Their bodies seemed very heavy, and the thudding sound of their steps as they ran was particularly deafening.

Facing two enemies of the same level simultaneously would indeed be very tricky for an ordinary profound practitioner. But for Yun Che, it posed no threat at all. With the four divine powers concentrated within him, he could instantly kill opponents of the same level.

As the two Rock Dragon Warriors approached, Yun Che swept his sword horizontally… His sword was longer than the Rock Dragon Warriors’ spears. The first Rock Dragon Warrior had just raised its spear and prepared to attack when Yun Che’s sword smashed onto its rock spear, instantly breaking the shaft. Without losing momentum, the sword then severed the warrior’s body at the waist. Still, the sword's force showed no signs of diminishing, continuing its sweep to smash apart the body of the second Rock Dragon Warrior.

The two Rock Dragon Warriors shattered and fell to the ground, then completely vanished in a flash of light.

Yun Che had only made one move… In just one breath, a single sword strike shattered two Rock Dragon Warriors and a rock spear. It was no exaggeration to say that across the entire younger generation of the Azure Cloud Empire, it would be impossible to find a second person capable of such a feat at his level.

Instantly killing two enemies of the same level didn't make Yun Che relax. This was the Dragon God’s trial; how could it be so simple? If it were only this difficult, why would the previous one hundred twenty-nine trial-takers have perished here?

Less than three breaths after Yun Che eliminated the two Rock Dragon Warriors, four yellow light clusters suddenly began to flicker in front of him. Immediately, four identical Rock Dragon Warriors, spears in hand, charged towards him.

Although the number increased to four, the strength of these Rock Dragon Warriors didn't increase at all; they were still at True Profound Realm, Level Four, on par with Yun Che. Yun Che took a step forward, sweeping his greatsword like a dragon’s tail. With a heavy thud, the four Rock Dragon Warriors, each weighing hundreds of pounds, were sent flying far away, shattering into pieces upon landing.

The four Rock Dragon Warriors were also annihilated in an instant. The overwhelming power and wide attack range of the greatsword were incomparable even to a long spear.

Giving Yun Che no time to wait, as soon as the shattered pieces of the four Rock Dragon Warriors vanished, yellow lights flashed again in front of Yun Che. This time, there were eight beams of light.

Eight Rock Dragon Warriors appeared in a single line before Yun Che. Yun Che remained unafraid of this number. Without waiting for the Rock Dragon Warriors to attack, he actively charged forward, his greatsword sweeping with an unstoppable momentum.

Boom, boom, boom!! Three Rock Dragon Warriors had barely appeared when their heads were smashed into rubble, and they fell stiffly. At this moment, three long spears lunged from around Yun Che. Without even looking, Yun Che swept his sword horizontally, instantly snapping the three rock spears. The ensuing shockwave forced all five remaining Rock Dragon Warriors back. He then flashed forward, unleashing three sword strikes. With three heavy thuds, the five Rock Dragon Warriors were shattered one after another… Throughout the entire process, these eight Rock Dragon Warriors couldn’t even touch Yun Che, let alone get within three steps of him.

At this moment, Jasmine’s warning sounded in Yun Che’s mind: “Don’t attack so fiercely; conserve your profound energy as much as possible. Haven’t you noticed that each wave of these Rock Dragon Warriors doubles the previous one? There will definitely be more and more later!”

“I know,” Yun Che nodded. The first wave was two, the second four, the third eight. If this pattern continued, the next wave would be sixteen, then thirty-two, then sixty-four…

“Dozens of enemies at my level appearing all at once would indeed make others despair. But for me… even if a hundred came at once, I could kill every single one!” Yun Che muttered with a furrowed brow.

As he spoke, yellow lights flashed again in front, revealing eight new Rock Dragon Warriors.

Huh? Eight? Why only eight? Was eight the limit? Yun Che felt a slight surprise. He was about to charge forward and attack when he suddenly sensed something was wrong… The aura of the Rock Dragon Warriors wasn't just in front; it was faintly coming from behind too.

He stopped and quickly turned around, realizing that eight more Rock Dragon Warriors, armed with spears, had appeared behind him and were charging towards the Little Fairy lying on the ground.

“You’re asking for death!” Yun Che roared in anger. He retreated like lightning, his sword striking out like a dragon, creating a storm that swept away all the Rock Dragon Warriors attempting to approach the Little Fairy. He then quickly moved to her side. This time, however, he no longer dared to advance offensively. Instead, he stood in front of the Little Fairy, smashing the charging Rock Dragon Warriors one by one… But before he could finish with the front group, the eight Rock Dragon Warriors from behind charged simultaneously. They seemed to have discerned Yun Che’s weakness, aiming all their spears at the Little Fairy on the ground.

Being attacked from both front and back was nothing to Yun Che. However, the Little Fairy was constantly in danger. Even the slightest lapse in his vigilance could lead to the Little Fairy, in her current state, perishing directly. And now there were sixteen Rock Dragon Warriors, with potentially more to come. If he simply let her lie on the ground and merely defended her from the front, it would be impossible to protect her.

Yun Che made a decisive move. He swung his greatsword vigorously, its dark blade carving a dark full moon around his body, forcing all the Rock Dragon Warriors back two *zhang* (about 6.6 meters). Then he removed his left hand from the greatsword, wielding it with only his right. He scooped the Little Fairy into his left arm, holding her tightly to his shoulder. He then actively charged into the squad of Rock Dragon Warriors, and wherever his greatsword struck, shattered rock flew.

“Are you insane?!” Yun Che’s actions shocked Jasmine into exclaiming. “You’re actually using a greatsword with one hand… This will reduce your stamina by more than half! Holding her will not only increase your physical exertion and affect your mobility, but it will also constantly distract you… If you don't want to die here, quickly drop her and control your energy consumption.”

“I can’t!” Yun Che said without hesitation. “Call me an idiot, or say I’m showing off, but I won’t put her down… If it were you instead, I wouldn’t either!”

As he spoke, Yun Che’s greatsword had already danced out six crescent moon slashes, shattering all sixteen Rock Dragon Warriors.

Jasmine: “…”