Although the Floating Skill was amazing, its effect wouldn't last long. As soon as it wore off, the
premium-stage Spiritual King landed on the ground between the burrows. Assuming that there was
something dangerous hiding down the holes, he was very cautious about his movements. When he
saw that nothing seemed to be coming out, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. He then turned around
and taunted the members of the Lingji Clan and Wankong Clan, saying, "Look at you! Do you really call
yourselves warriors? Don't be so afraid of these holes. Come on! Prove you're not a disgrace to your
clans."
It seemed that his derision had actually worked on the people of the Lingji Clan because they ended up
aggravated by what he said.
"Anita, this cave might be free from danger after all. Let's go and explore as well," a Spiritual King of
the Lingji Clan urged their leader, who was a premium-stage Spiritual Emperor.
"Let's not rush. We can wait," Anita replied as she waved her hand. She was looking into the distance
as though she was waiting for something to happen.
After his mockery, the premium-stage Spiritual King used his Floating Skill again to fly over the
remaining burrows. Just as he passed a hole, a huge snake-like beast shadow suddenly emerged from
under him, wriggling and rushing up from the dark.
The beast shadow then opened its mouth, revealing two rows of sharp teeth, and swallowed the
floating premium-stage Spiritual King completely.
Right after its meal, the beast shadow silently went back into the giant burrow.
Everything happened so fast that most of people present were taken aback. They didn't expect that
even a premium-stage Spiritual King would get killed so easily.
However, this scene came as no surprise to some Spiritual Emperors because they had gone through
this experience many times before.
Meanwhile, the abrupt loss of a team member had left the members of the Xiayu Clan, especially
Abdullah, stunned.
"The arrogant will end up hurting themselves. The unjust shall die," Anita swiftly commented, adding
insult to injury.
Abdullah knew that her words were directed at him, but he chose to keep quiet and suck the humiliation
up. After all, it was because of his carelessness that he quickly lost a subordinate.
Since it was Alex's first time in the Ethereal Valley, the cruel scene had overwhelmed her quite a bit. "It
never occurred to me that this place could be so dangerous!"
Just as well, the other members of the different clans couldn't deny that the instant death they
witnessed had made them feel scared.
'I guess the Ethereal Valley is more dangerous than the Holy Heaven Palace. This cruel trial makes me
think the deities who created this place aren't so nice.' Even Rocky frowned slightly. Judging from what
just happened before his eyes, he knew that the following trials would only get more terrifying as they
went on. He realized that the Ethereal Valley was far too dangerous than what he initially imagined.
"I expect that all of you have already learned a lesson. This is the consequence of showing off and
being too rash," Anita remarked with a scoff, implicitly addressing the man who proposed to explore the
holes earlier. Then, she continued, "That savage creature is a demonic spiritual beast. They are
merciless and always hungry for spiritual creatures possessing spiritual power. It is their tactic to move
under these holes until they get close to their target. At the perfect timing, they will rapidly come out of
the holes and devour the prey. If anyone wants to pass through all these holes, he will have to properly
locate the position of the demonic spiritual beasts and avoid them. To do so, he should move very fast,
or he will end up as feed to these monsters."
"Ha! That's easier said than done. It won't be a problem for you to locate the demonic spiritual beast
since you are a Spiritual Emperor. But most of the people here are just Spiritual Kings. They certainly
don't have the ability to do that!" Abdullah snorted, letting out a sour expression.
"So what? That's why it is called a trial. If everything can be easily done, then what good is this quest
for?" Anita replied indifferently.
"Enough chitchat. If we want to cross this cave, we should do something about those creatures. I
suggest that a small group will become a decoy to lure the demonic spiritual beast away. When it's
already out of the way, we can guarantee our safety. How about this? I'll volunteer to be the one to lead
the group that's going to be the bait. I just need the two other clans to each send a Spiritual Emperor
that will assist me. When the three of us have successfully distracted the beast, the rest can take that
opportunity to cross over." Although Abdullah's proposal sounded kind on the surface, it was obvious
he had an ulterior motive for doing so. He wanted Anita and Finnegan to join him in the group that
would distract the demonic spiritual beast. With their combined strength, there was a huge possibility
that the rest of the members of the three teams could safely pass through. Abdullah wanted to ensure
that nothing bad would happen to the rest of his team since they had just lost a high-level Spiritual
Emperor.
Moreover, he also wanted to take this chance to show off his talent and courage in front of Alex.
"Abdullah, I'm actually pleased that you are taking this initiative. Your idea isn't half bad. However, if
you are thinking that I should be part of the group that will join you, I will have to decline. After all, this
kind of trial is a rare opportunity for you juniors. I don't want to interfere. Instead, I will ask Mila to assist
you," Anita said with deep perception. She knew that the main role of the premium-grade Spiritual
Emperors was to protect those who had come to train. If they did more than what they were tasked, it
would be pointless. They would rob off the younger ones of the experience that they needed.
"Fine. Alex, who will you send from your team?" Abdullah knew what Anita was thinking, so he had no
choice but to turn to Alex.
Alex, meanwhile, felt very hesitant since Finnegan was the only Spiritual Emperor in her group. Thus, if
anything happened to him, their team would be in an extremely disadvantageous situation. Therefore,
she could not risk sending Finnegan away and do the risky task. However, aside from Finnegan, she
should be the next strongest member. Hence, she would have no choice but to do it herself.
But just as she was about to volunteer herself, a voice suddenly echoed from behind her. "I will do it."
All the Spiritual Emperors present looked in the direction where the voice came from and found that the
man who just spoke up didn't even have an astonishing appearance. In fact, as they analyzed him,
they recognized from his aura that he was a just a low-level Spiritual King. With this, a trace of disdain
appeared on their faces. They all believed that this person was being too full of himself.
However, Alex thought the opposite. She knew that he was fitting for the role since it was none other
than Rocky.
"Are you sure about this?" Alex asked just to make sure.
"Yes, of course," Rocky immediately answered.
"Wait a minute. Just because you volunteered doesn't mean that we'll agree. I'm afraid that you are too
weak for this task," Abdullah suddenly butted in and wore a disapproving expression.
"Well, it's true that I am not that strong. But rest assured that I can run fast! If distracting the beast is
the job, then you can trust me. Believe me, the demonic spiritual beast will not be able to catch up on
me," Rocky emphasized with a proud smile.
Of course, many were dumbfounded by Rocky's confidence. They began murmuring at each other
because they could not believe that someone would be so proud to admit he was good and quick to
escape.
62fb1bb41dcb31934bd49bda