Finally, after waiting for so long, the day that the Ethereal Valley would open drew near.
The valley was at the bottom of the Ethereal Mountain, which was the holy land of the spiritual race.
Since it was very important and sacred, it was being guarded by the parliament.
The parliament was comprised of the patriarch of the spiritual race and twelve other elders. It was
considered the highest authority in the entire spiritual race. Compared to the Shura Race that was
heavily submissive to the royal family—as well as the human race that had several conflicting sects
and clans—the spiritual race was seen to be the most unified one. In fact, all major decisions that
would likely affect the future of the race would be voted upon by the parliament. Even the patriarch did
not have the power to overturn what the parliament had decided.
At this moment, the teams formed by the five largest clans of the spiritual race were already prepared
to set out and enter the Ethereal Valley.
Aside from the Wankong Clan, the other four greatest clans included the Lingji Clan, the Xiayu Clan,
the Bilong Clan, and the Hongling Clan.
They were actually the five greatest tribes of the spiritual race that had existed since ancient times. The
most powerful one among them was the Lingji Clan, who originated from a famous and powerful
matriarchal tribe. Although the disparity in terms of gender was mitigated upon the establishment of the
clan, they still kept its matriarchal system. All their previous leaders were women, and most of their
warriors were female.
The Hongling Clan was second to the Lingji Clan in terms of overall power. However, compared to the
other four great clans, it possessed the longest history. It also had abundant resources and several
talented disciples.
On the other hand, the Xiayu Clan and the Bilong Clan were about equal in strength.
Lastly, was the weakest among the five—the Wankong Clan.
Nonetheless, they still deserved to be a part of the five greatest clans due to their superb medical skills
that no one in the spiritual race could match. If it wasn't for this, the parliament might have already
expelled them from the five greatest clans, especially because of its recent decline.
However, if the Wankong Clan could not find a way to stop their decline, the parliament might
eventually consider removing their status and looking for a more deserving clan.
Three days later, the teams of the five clans gathered at the foot of the Ethereal Mountain before they
set out to the Ethereal Valley.
Interestingly, it seemed that no one knew what the specific requirements of entering the valley were. It
was as though the valley had its own mind that could decide who could only enter. Those who were
judged as unqualified wouldn't be able to pass through even if they had strong spiritual roots. However,
if one was allowed to enter, he would not find any difficulty of getting inside at all.
Since then, it had been a puzzle to the members of the spiritual race how the Ethereal Valley decided
to grant passage to its visitors.
Moreover, some areas inside the valley were restricted. One could only explore them if he had a certain
level of attribute of the spiritual root. It meant that even if one tried his hardest to break into the
restricted areas, he would have no chance of succeeding if he did not meet the requirements.
This was the main reason why the Wankong Clan extremely valued Rocky. As the chosen one with a
spiritual root with five attributes, he had high chances of getting into every restricted area in the
Ethereal Valley.
Being the young master of the Wankong Clan, Alex was tasked to lead her clan's team. Her spiritual
root was at the second grade of the Earth Stage, which was actually one of the best in their entire clan.
However, for some unknown reason, she still remained as a Spiritual King and failed to break through
to the Emperor Realm.
Aside from Alex, the strongest members in their team were Jeffrey, who was at the premium stage of
the Emperor Realm, and three medium-stage Spiritual Emperors. These Spiritual Emperors had
already entered the valley several times back then. Hence, their only role in this quest was to escort the
team and protect the younger members from impending dangers.
At the same time, the four other clans also had veteran Spiritual Emperors in their teams that were
tasked to ensure the safety of the rest of their members.
As soon as the teams arrived at the entrance of the Ethereal Valley, they were welcomed by an elder
and other Spiritual Emperors from the parliament.
"The Ethereal Valley is going to be open for a whole month. Everyone that can enter the valley can
freely explore the place. However, be warned that some parts of the valley can only be accessed by
those who possess a spiritual root of the required level and attributes. Therefore, if you find yourselves
unable to enter these areas, it is wise not to forcibly break into them. Otherwise, be prepared to suffer
the consequences of your actions," the elder sternly warned.
"Now, if everyone is ready, go and begin the quest! The Lingji Clan will go first," the elder declared right
after he glanced at all the participants in the area.
Upon hearing this, the warriors of the Lingji Clan walked towards the entrance of the Ethereal Valley.
As soon as they stepped inside, some of their members were instantly teleported back outside. It
meant that these people were deemed unqualified by the valley, and they would not be able to go
inside no matter what they did.
After a few minutes, all of the team members of the Lingji Clan had finally tried to enter the valley.
About a third of them were sent back, while the rest were able to successfully get inside.
Then, it was the turn of the Hongling Clan to enter the valley.
Their warriors had also tried getting in. The number of those who were able to get in was quite close to
that of the Lingji Clan. Thus, both clans had about thirty warriors that had successfully gotten in.
Next in line were the warriors of the Xiayu Clan and the Bilong Clan.
Compared to the first two clans, the Xiayu Clan and Bilong Clan had fewer warriors who managed to
make it inside the valley. Nonetheless, the gap in number was not too big.
Finally, it was the turn of the Wankong Clan's team.
"Spiritual Emperor Jeffrey, we'll go after you!" Alex told Jeffrey, signaling the Spiritual Emperor to lead
the way.
Jeffrey immediately nodded and headed to the entrance of the Ethereal Valley.
The moment he got in, the other Spiritual Emperors of the Wankong Clan also followed behind him.
After that, Alex ordered the other members of the team to go inside one after another. However, this
was where things got a bit frustrating. Most of the members of their team were immediately sent back,
and compared to the four clans, only a few managed to enter the valley successfully.
Seeing this, Alex couldn't help but show a hint of depression on her face. Although she had already
expected that something like this would likely happen, she still felt rather upset upon witnessing the
harsh reality.
At the same time, even the elder and the Spiritual Emperors from the parliament just shook their heads
and sighed as they expressed their disappointment.
"I guess this is their last chance. If the Wankong Clan cannot gain anything from this quest, I'm afraid
we'll have to consider removing them from the five greatest clans of our race," the elder said in a low
and gloomy voice.
"Who knew that they could fall to such an extent? I can still vividly remember the days when everyone
admired them because of their outstanding medical skills. But look at how things suddenly changed. It
seems that not everything can last forever," a senior Spiritual Emperor of the parliament chimed in and
remarked with a sigh.
The other Spiritual Emperors just kept quiet but still nodded in agreement.
Almost all of the warriors from the Wankong Clan had already tried getting in, but only a dozen were
able to successfully enter. At this moment, the only ones left who would try their luck were Alex, Rocky,
and Vivian.
"All right, let's go." After heaving a deep breath, Alex called for Rocky and Vivian, then headed towards
the entrance first.
Rocky and Vivian followed her closely, and the rest of the members who failed to get in just watched
them carefully.
Then, the moment Rocky and Vivian passed through the entrance, they immediately sensed a special
warmth and energy that enveloped them.
At the same time, the God-killing Sword in Rocky's Magic Spiritual Space suddenly vibrated as though
it was responding to something inside the valley.
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