"The Di Clan even made an exception this time to open the Holy Heaven Palace to bridge and improve
the relationship between the human race and the spiritual race. All of that for what? We just let some
ambitious people take advantage of this opportunity! This sucks!" Eunice could not help but exclaim,
complaining about the current situation.
"This is not just a coincidence. I feel like they are really coming for the Holy Heaven Palace on
purpose," Rocky speculated while letting out a frown.
"Yeah, I guess you're right. The main reason why the chief even suggested opening the Holy Heaven
Palace was so the members of the human race could increase their strength and capitalize it. After all,
the Holy Heaven Palace is the only place in the entire Ethereal Region where one can improve his
strength by undergoing various trials."
While Rocky and Eunice were still conversing, they eventually reached the top of the mountain. There,
they saw a huge natural lake. It was as green as jade, and one could clearly see his reflection upon
looking in it. Then, at the center of the lake, there was a huge round platform with eight passages that
led to eight different light gates. The scene was actually breath-taking and would not be seen anywhere
else.
Not long after, many candidates had also gathered on the top of the mountain. However, the several
low-grade Spiritual Emperors, who were too weak to pass the entrance to the mountain, were not able
to catch up.
"What you are seeing in front of you is the teleportation platform of the Holy Heaven Palace. As you
may have guessed, the eight light gates will lead you to eight different mysterious areas. But as I said
earlier, the Spiritual Divine Land is the only area that was fully explored by the Di Clan. Now, the
entrance to the Spiritual Divine Land is the second passage on the left. However, if you want to enter it,
you still have to go through the last trial!" Colton declared.
Hearing this sudden announcement, the remaining candidates looked quite nervous as if they were
about to face a formidable enemy again. When they passed through the previous two trials, about ten
candidates had been easily eliminated. Now that the passage towards the Spiritual Divine Land was
already in front of them, no one wanted to miss such a once in a lifetime opportunity to explore it.
"What are we going to do in the last trial?" Michelle asked immediately, curious as to what they had to
overcome this time.
"Well, as you can observe, there is no direct way to reach the transmission platform from where you
are currently standing. Therefore, you must cross the lake to get there. However, be warned that this is
not an ordinary lake. Courage is the key to cross it. If you don't have enough courage, then I'm afraid
that you will never be able to cross it," Colton hinted.
After hearing Colton's vague clue, the candidates started staring at the lake with curious eyes. But no
matter how much they looked at it, they didn't seem to find any danger.
"Don't waste your time by just looking at the lake because you'll never sense the danger it entails by
doing so. Moreover, the light gates won't stay open forever. In just thirty minutes, the entrance to the
Spiritual Divine Land will disappear. Hence, it means that you only have half an hour to cross the lake
and get to the platform," Colton informed.
Immediately after, the eyes of the candidates widened as they exchanged puzzled looks. It seemed
that they had to cross the lake without even knowing what kind of danger was waiting for them.
However, since they had already overcome the first two trials, they had somehow become confident of
their abilities. Thus, in their opinion, this one should be a bit easier compared to the previous ones.
Then, one of the high-grade Spiritual Emperors, who had been the first to rush through the mountain
gate, took the initiative to cross the lake before anyone else. He carefully stepped on the lake,
maintaining his balance as he treaded through its surface. If this was just an ordinary lake, his efforts
would have been enough already. However, out of the blue, his feet submerged, and the lake suddenly
flashed a striking blue light that spread out like a wave of quiet electricity.
In no time, the high-grade Spiritual Emperor felt that his feet became paralyzed and he began to lose
his balance.
Fortunately, his strength was outstanding. He was able to immediately release his spiritual power just in
time to counteract the impact from the lake and soar into the sky.
At the same time, several low-grade Spiritual Emperors also started making their moves in order to
catch up with the high-grade Spiritual Emperor. However, they had not gone far yet when their feet
suddenly submerged beneath the surface of the lake. Then, a numbing wave instantly attacked them,
restraining their mobility. It was as if their feet were enveloped with heavy lead, making them unable to
lift them.
Although they unleashed their spiritual power to the fullest, two of them were still unable to get out of
the lake because they were slow to react.
The next moment, these two candidates could only scream in agony and seek help until they became
unconscious.
Seeing this, Colton rushed to their aid. But when he carried them back to the ground, both of them
were still unconscious.
At the same time, the other three low-grade Spiritual Emperors had no choice but to retreat in a hurry.
There was still a long way before they reached the platform, and they realized that they could not make
it. They did not dare take any more risks, not knowing what could happen to them.
After witnessing this, the other candidates, who were yet to cross the lake, became even more
frightened. They would rather wait for some more than go without being mentally prepared.
Soon enough, some middle-grade Spiritual Emperors, who finally established their resolve, set out to
cross the lake.
Not wanting to be left out and outperformed, the rest of the middle-grade Spiritual Emperors gritted
their teeth and also followed suit.
With this, all of the middle-grade Spiritual Emperors had already entered the lake, leaving the low-
grade Spiritual Emperors on dry ground, where they still stood firmly and cowered in fear. They thought
that if the middle-grade Spiritual Emperors were having difficulty crossing the lake, then it would even
be worse for them.
At this moment, among the low-grade Spiritual Emperors, only Rocky, Valeria, and Gloria remained
calm. Since their real strength had actually surpassed the low grade, it was not too difficult for them to
cross the lake.
Time was almost running out, so Rocky didn't want to dawdle anymore. After all, with his strength, he
could easily cross the lake without any problem. However, he was worried that Eunice and Carla might
encounter some struggles. Then, after hesitating for a while, Rocky approached Eunice and whispered
a few words in her ear.
Instantly understanding what Rocky wanted, Eunice nodded and gestured to Carla.
Soon enough, Rocky, Valeria, Eunice and Carla began to set out while the rest of the low-grade
Spiritual Emperors could just stare blankly at them.
However, upon seeing that Rocky and the girls were able to face their fears, the other low-grade
Spiritual Emperors regained their motivation to continue. They did not want to be defeated before they
could even enter the Spiritual Divine Land, so they mustered their courage and followed.
Of course, Gloria was just waiting for Rocky to make his move. Hence, when he already set out, she
also followed closely.
Afterward, more and more low-grade Spiritual Emperors also toughened up and started crossing the
lake. However, most of them fell into the lake not long after they had set out.
At the same time, the candidates, who had already grasped their rhythm and discovered how to easily
pass the lake, started approaching the teleportation platform with all their might.
Truth be told, the final trial was not too difficult. As long as one possessed enough strength, strong will,
and unwavering concentration, anyone could successfully cross the lake.
Of course, the stronger one was, the easier it would be for him to make it to the center of the lake.
However, even if one was strong enough, the smallest distraction could still lead to some dire
consequences.
Finally, after exhibiting great efforts, more than fifty candidates had already boarded the transmission
platform, while the rest were still working pretty hard.
Since time was not on their side, the candidates, who had already reached the platform, wasted no
time and entered the light gate that led to the Spiritual Divine Land.
At the same time, Rocky, Valeria, Carla, and Eunice were also able to reach the platform, so they
immediately followed the other candidates into the light gate. After they entered the gate, the scene in
front of them instantly changed.
In the blink of an eye, they found themselves on a deserted island. Moreover, there was no one else on
the island except them. The middle-grade Spiritual Emperors that went before them seemed to be
taken to another place.
"I'm guessing that several groups were teleported to different spots where we will all start," Rocky said
as he stroked his chin. For him, staying with the girls was actually not a bad thing.
"Look! There is a big island in front of us!" Carla immediately shouted as she saw a blurry shadow of a
large island just a few miles southeast of the island where they currently were.
"Why don't we go there first?" Since no one was really familiar with the terrain of the place, they had no
choice but to somehow let their instincts pave the way.
"But how are we going to cross the sea?"
"It seems that the Spiritual Divine Land has suppressed our spiritual power. Thus, I don't think we can
fly over there.
If only there are trees around, we can at least make a wooden raft..."
Then, after a while, Eunice suddenly shouted, "Look! There seems to be a lot of floating ice in the sea.
Maybe we can use them!"
The others looked in the direction where Eunice was pointing to. Indeed, they saw that there were
pieces of floating ice on the surface of the sea.
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