Beautiful silver lightning painted the otherwise desolate atmosphere in its color. While the sight itself was mesmerizing, its connotation made every genius pale.
They were desperately escaping the lightning around them in hopes of reaching the altar, their only hope, yet they found that the altar itself was the most dangerous part of the trial. How could they not be terrified?
Unfortunately, they didn't even have time to panic. The altar's situation didn't change the fact that lightning was still attacking them. Instead of caring about those in a worse situation than them, they'd rather think about how they'd survive!
However, the scene within the altar's brilliance wasn't what these geniuses imagined. The silver lightning constantly attempted to strike the altar's surface, but it wasn't given the opportunity to. The bright eruption viewable from the outside was caused by residual lightning alone.
On the divine altar, Damien stood with his hands on Jiao Mei's back. Whenever lightning arrived around them, he circulated it through his and her body, creating a circuit that would enhance both of their power.
While it was true that he could absorb all the surrounding lightning alone, the truth was that he didn't need it. This silver lightning wasn't Heavenly Lightning, only a mimicry. Therefore, even if he absorbed it all he wouldn't benefit much.
The princess, on the other hand, would benefit immensely. Instead of wasting this lightning, what was the harm in using it to raise another genius who could aid in the war later?
Nevertheless, Damien, Zara, and Jiao Mei were entirely relaxed inside the silver lightning storm. Only Marcus Strow was drowning in distress.
He used a great deal of his mana just to survive the lightning outside the altar, and now that he was inside, he didn't have the energy to survive. The only reason he could stay alive until now was because most of the surrounding lightning was absorbed by Damien and the princess.
Still, his body was covered in gruesome burn wounds from the residual lightning alone. If the trial went on for too much longer, he'd surely die.
He could only count himself lucky that the Dimensional Leaderboard rarely ever conjured death zones that were impossible to survive. Only about 10 minutes later, the lightning storm ceased.
But Marcus' luck didn't reverse. In that final instant, a stray lightning bolt flew out from Damien's body and struck him in the skull, immediately vaporizing his spiritual world and killing him.
The environment returned to its previous quiet.
Of the few hundred disciples that entered the Mystic Realm from the Dawn World, only around 120 survived. Of them, 12 were from the Eclipse Sect.
Without a word, everyone sat down where they were and began recovering. They had no idea when a new trial would begin.
On the altar, Jiao Mei's face was pale and fear-stricken. While she was mostly focused on absorbing the lightning Damien fed her, she was still aware of her surroundings. She clearly knew that Marcus' death wasn't an accident.
"Do you want to ask why I killed him?" Damien asked casually. He could see the panic on Jiao Mei's face.
She shakily nodded her head in response. She and Marcus had a few problems due to their status, but she never had true enmity with him. Moreover, besides uttering some hateful words, Marcus didn't provoke anyone enough to deserve death. She couldn't understand why Damien killed him so indifferently.
Damien smiled slightly. "I guess you could call it a preemptive strike? Or maybe it's just me not wanting to deal with troubles. You see, I've built a habit of nipping problems in the bud before they can ever bloom, and this was one of those situations."
"B-but how could he cause problems for you? He doesn't even have half your strength!" Jiao Mei questioned.
In response, Damien could only shrug. "He seemed like the type of person who'd latch onto someone else's thigh to borrow a knife to kill. I mean, if you doubt my reasoning I can't really argue. My judgement was based on instinct alone. Still, as practitioners, sometimes our instinct is the most accurate warning sign."
Damien didn't lie to Jiao Mei. From the beginning, he was never one to allow his enemies to hold a grudge and come back for revenge. He killed them as soon as he had the power to do so, regardless of identity or consequence.
Aside from that, his instinct was what allowed him to survive when he was at his lowest, and it was what brought him some of his most fortuitous encounters to date. He trusted his instinct over anything else.
When he heard warning bells in his head looking at Marcus, he also thought it was strange. He could clearly see the vengeful light in the latter's eyes, but someone so weak couldn't harm him.
But then he realized something: the only way for Marcus to cause him any trouble at all was through a powerhouse. This conclusion led to two different paths. First, Marcus would wait until the Storm Heavens Mystic Realm ended and use the Heavenly Jewel Palace's influence to trouble Damien. Or second…
There was a powerful genius in the Storm Heavens Mystic Realm that could rival Damien.
Being the person he was, Damien naturally hoped his instinct pointed to the second option, but he couldn't be sure. However, it was true that his anticipation for this Mystic Realm became more pronounced.
As for Jiao Mei, she quietly took in Damien's words. While he spoke them as a matter of course, it didn't feel the same to her.
She was someone who'd been sheltered and carefully raised since birth. Whenever she went to train, she'd always have protectors with her. Only recently did she begin entering Mystic Realms and Challenge Gates, but she still hadn't learned how different it was fighting beasts or men.
Jiao Mei wasn't an idiot. She understood that Damien's reasoning, while flimsy on the outside, came from unwavering confidence. In that case, his assumptions were most likely correct. Still, what kind of life did one have to live to become so untrusting?
Even a minor slight from Marcus, a small slip-up in his demeanor, was all it took for Damien's senses to go on alert. This was all it took for him to meet death.
Could this be called the right path?
Jiao Mei looked at Damien, a different sort of curiosity in her eyes. She suddenly wanted to know more about him. She wanted to know what experiences shaped his character, what created the man that stood before her today.
He was just too mysterious. Whether it be his background, his power, or even the benevolence he'd shown her and his general demeanor, she couldn't understand it at all. Not to mention Zara, who always quietly stood by his side.
Sadly, Jiao Mei knew she likely wouldn't receive answers even if she asked. And more than that…
The clouds parted, creating a rift in the sky. Above those clouds there was no light and no darkness, only a single gate with archaic text engraved on its surface, matching the divine altar.
The ringing of titanic bells sounded from the gate in the sky, and with those rings, stairs materialized from the surrounding lightning essence.
Slowly, a stairway to heaven formed. This was the entrance to the next trial.
