"What's going on?" many in the crowd exclaimed, shocked by the sudden turn of events. Without warning, one of the cultivators who had belonged to a neutral power, as well as the lone Barbarian cultivator vanished from the list completely.
The members of the neutral clan felt their stomach sink, while the few Barbarians that had shown up to the event felt their rage grow. The Barbarian race was quick to anger, and regardless of the Monasteries might and prestige, one of the stronger Barbarian elders raced forward towards the staircase and called out loudly.
"Monks! What happened to my son!" the Barbarian roared loudly, demanding an answer from the monastery monks. The crowd was stunned by the Barbarians actions, but eagerly listened on, as they too were curious as to the reason for the removal of the names.
"Quiet yourself in the presence of the monastery," Prior Hishen said as he appeared from within the depths of the monastery and walked to the top of the staircase. He stared down at the hulking barbarian with a frown of disapproval on his face.
The Barbarian elder stared back with defiance in his gaze, not quelled for a second by Prior Hishen. The Barbarian had a cultivation in the Middle World Expansion Realm, and was one of the foremost members of the race. As such, he carried himself with confidence, as well as arrogance.
"Answer me!" the Barbarian roared again. He seemed as if he were about to run up the stairs directly to the Prior if he was not answered.
"Your son merely failed the first trial," Prior Hishen replied with a calm yet exasperated tone. "The first trial of the realm beyond this wall poses no harm, and only eliminates if one does not succeed in the allotted time."
Prior Hishen's explanation answered many questions the crowd had, much to their satisfaction.
"Impossible! My son is a paragon of geniuses! How can he fail when the other weaklings succeeded!" the Barbarian roared again. His voice was deep and slow, making him sound quite stupid, a trait all Barbarians shared.
Prior Hishen sighed and turned around, speaking with his back to the crowd.
"I have said all I need to say. Please retreat back into the crowd," Prior Hishen instructed. His words caused anger to rise up in the Barbarian elder, who roared and then charged up the stairs.
Prior Hishen turned towards the approaching Barbarian, whose figure shook the ground and temple with each step. His face calm, he stretched his hand forward towards the Barbarian with his palm facing outwards.
Without warning, a massive palm, golden in color like the Divine Wall behind them appeared, and pressed out towards the Barbarian. It reached the Barbarian in an instant, who felt surprise at the surprise attack, and then roared in rage as his cultivation flared and his fist slammed outwards.
The fist slammed against the golden palm, and the crowd grimaced as they braced for an apocalyptic explosion. Many of the powerful elders in the crowd moved forward and prepared to protect their youths from the imminent blast.
However, instead of an explosion, there was hardly a sound at all. The Barbarians fist slammed against the golden palm, and then nothing. It was as if the entire attack had been absorbed within the massive palm, which dwarfed the hulking Barbarian. Shock and confusion appeared on the Barbarian's face, who was then surrounded by the palm as the massive fingers clasped around it, grasping him firmly.
The stunned crowd then watched as the palm quickly retreated back into the monastery temple, disappearing into the depths of the main entrance. The entire process was almost silent, with only the screams of rage from the Barbarian sounding out.
Prior Hishen's calm gaze shifted towards the other Barbarians in the crowd, who had expressions as if they too were about to charge forward and fight, although they were slightly less certain after what they had just witnessed.
"He will be held until the end of the realm, as to ensure no further disturbances. As long as the rest of you behave, he will be returned unharmed," Prior Hishen said to them calmly. His words dispelled their heated gazes, and they fell into line like the rest of the stunned crowd.
Just like that, Prior Hishen had overwhelmed a Middle World Expansion Barbarian, without any effort at all. With the Grand Abbots display earlier, and now this, there was only one question on the crowd's mind.
"Just how strong is the Divine Source Monastery?"
…
On the snow-capped mountain peak over a dozen miles high, John sat in a meditative position with his eyes closed. The cold mountain air whirled by, making his long black hair flutter in the wind. He had been in this seated position for many hours now, as his way forward was blocked.
A soft buzzing sound entered his ears all of a sudden, and his eyes opened as he stared at a screen of light that had appeared before him, with many words appearing on the screen. He quickly read the screen of light, his right eyebrow raising slightly at what he read.
"This is a list of those who entered?" John mused as he read the list, which contained the same information as the stone stele outside. He started with his own name, which was at the top of the list.
"Immortal Asura huh? That's my Dao Name? I suppose that's fitting," John mused as he read his own Dao Name for the first time. He found it quite fitting.
"I wonder though. Is it my Dao Name because it's the name of my cultivation technique, or is it the fact that the Heavens have tried to kill me twice to no avail, and consider me an immortal pest? Perhaps it's a combination of both?" he mused with a small smirk on his face as his eyes scanned the next name.
"Master!" John said, feeling a warmth rise within him. It had been over a year since he last saw her, and now she was in the same realm. He could finally see her again, and show her the gains he had made since they last were together.
His smirk faded slightly as he read on.
"Celestria," John frowned. So, his master truly was of the Astral Empire. A princess of the Astral Emperor. His one question was now answered, but many more arose. Why did his master leave the Astral Empire? Why did she retreat to the Yuan Continent? Why does she call Thunderzen her father instead? The questions were endless, and John felt that the answers would not be pleasant.
"Goddess of Death huh?" John mumbled and smiled again as he read her Dao Name. It was very impressive sounding. As expected of someone worthy of calling themself his master.
His eyes then drifted down again, and his smile faded instantly, and was replaced by a menacing glare of hatred. His aura instinctively flared, blasting aside the nearby snow and rumbling the mountain he was on.
"So you've come, Asuros. Good, then I will be sure to finish your life for good this time. There will be no escaping a second time."
