Woosh
"Huff… huff…" It was the squad leader — barely escaping death at Wang Ming's hands by teleporting away. His face was pale, drenched in sweat, and he was panting heavily.
"Damn, that bastard nearly killed me," the squad leader cursed, his body trembling as he recalled how Wang Ming had slaughtered those giant behemoths. He had almost faced certain death himself if not for having an emergency escape route.
"I need to find the boss," the squad leader muttered as he forced himself to stand and looked around. He moved cautiously, scanning his surroundings — a desolate landscape of molten magma and frozen terrain, with patches of purple smoke rising from the ground. He avoided those areas with the smoke as it was poisonous; the poisonous gas there was deadly, and even the few plants that survived in this extreme environment were venomous. The entire place resembled an apocalyptic wasteland.
After walking for some time, the squad leader finally spotted a small group of people in black robes adorned with a skeleton symbol.
"Hmm?" One of the robed figures raised an eyebrow when they saw him running toward them with a frantic expression. Their confusion deepened when they noticed he was alone.
"Boss!" the squad leader shouted, almost crying in relief when he saw a handsome middle-aged man sitting cross-legged on the ground, meditating. The man frowned slightly at the disturbance and slowly opened his eyes — a heavy pressure instantly descended on the area.
"Did you bring the princess as a hostage?" the man asked in a calm but authoritative tone.
"Boss, I apologize… we failed. An anomaly appeared," the squad leader said, his body trembling under the leader's piercing gaze.
"What happened?" the leader asked, his cold, detached voice making the air grow heavier.
"Boss, the thing is…" The squad leader began explaining everything — about Wang Ming, the titans, and what had transpired. The man listened silently, his brow furrowing deeper with every word.
"Looks like I can't wait any longer," the leader said as he stood up. "My physique still hasn't gained enough resistance to these harsh conditions."
The leader possessed a special physique and had been training it in preparation for the third trial. Shaking his head, he reached into his storage ring and brought out a rectangular box.
"T-The Sacrifice Pagoda…" The squad leader's pupils shrank to the size of pinpricks as he drew in a sharp breath.
The leader looked around at the men nearby — they stared back at him with fanatical devotion burning in their eyes.
"Leader, let us be the sacrifices!"
"No, I will do it!"
"Step aside! I'll gladly give my life!"
The group erupted into chaos, arguing and shouting over who would be the one to die. Each man drew out weapons, their voices filled with a feverish eagerness to sacrifice themselves.
The squad leader felt a chill run down his spine. These were the elites of the Black Church — warriors who had been brainwashed since childhood and molded into the most loyal dogs of the organization.
Woosh!
Slash!
'Madmen,' the squad leader thought, watching in horror as the fanatics slit their own throats or impaled their hearts without hesitation. Compared to their crazed devotion, his own greed-driven loyalty suddenly felt almost sane.
Gegege—
Sinister laughter echoed around them as pale, ghostly figures rose from the corpses and were sucked into the rectangular box.
Shing!
A blue barrier instantly surged from the box, forming a translucent, rectangular shield around the leader.
"Come," the leader commanded.
The squad leader obeyed without resistance, stepping into the barrier beside him. Together, they approached a nearby portal — and vanished from sight.
---
Outside the Spirit Dimension
While everyone inside the Spirit Dimension was occupied with their trials, the outside world was anything but calm.
Ring... Ring...
"Huh?" Jiang Hong, who was standing before the entrance of the Spirit Dimension beside Lei Ping, raised an eyebrow when he saw his communication token flash and vibrate.
'Sect Master Hui Mei?' Jiang Hong frowned when he saw the name appear.
"Why would the Sect Master of the Heavenly Sword Sect be calling?" Lei Ping voiced the same thought aloud, his tone uneasy.
"Hello," Jiang Hong said after accepting the call.
Boom! Boom!
"Damn it—Sect Master Jiang Hong, is your sect alright?!" Hui Mei's voice came through, breathless and strained, accompanied by the sounds of violent explosions in the background. Alarm bells instantly went off in Jiang Hong's head.
"Sect Master Hui Mei, what's happening?! What are those sounds, and why do you sound so panicked? And what do you mean is my sect alright?" Jiang Hong's tone turned serious, and Lei Ping's expression also turned serious beside him.
"Damn it! The Black Church—they've launched simultaneous attacks on all the sects! Many of our disciples are already injured! We just discovered that they've also infiltrated the Spirit Dimension! We were trying to find a way to break into it when these bastards struck!" Hui Mei shouted angrily.
Jiang Hong and Lei Ping's pupils contracted sharply.
"What?! They're attacking the sects?!" Lei Ping shouted.
"These bastards… this is the second time they've attacked! What the hell are they after?!" Jiang Hong growled through gritted teeth. Decades ago, the Black Church had attacked their sect as well, causing immense damage. That incident was the first time they had revealed themselves to the world.
"Do you know what exactly they're after inside the Spirit Dimension?" Jiang Hong asked, forcing himself to stay calm.
"No idea," Hui Mei replied grimly. "I've contacted the other sect masters—every single sect is under attack. You need to prepare yourselves immediately. I suspect your sect will be next—"
BOOOOOOM!
A deafening explosion erupted near one of the peaks, shaking the entire mountain range.
"Damn it! I'll contact you later—those bastards are attacking us too!" Jiang Hong roared as he cut the connection. His forehead veins bulged with fury.
"Supreme Elder! Inform everyone—then join me in the fight!" Jiang Hong commanded before vanishing from the spot.
Lei Ping nodded sharply, his expression grim, before turning and disappearing in another direction.