Chapter 802: Secret of the Stone Tower
The profundity of earth allowed Xiang Shaoyun to clearly sense the earth in his surroundings and manipulate the power of earth with better precision and control. This formation was formed from the stone towers, and the sweeping energy bursts were all pure earth energy. This made it easier for Xiang Shaoyun to see through the formation.
With every aspect of the formation clearly imprinted in his head, Xiang Shaoyun slowly stood up. He reached out and controlled the weak links of the energy around him, gradually pushing the energy away, and started heading in a certain direction.
The path he was walking was also filled with earth energy, but the earth energy was different—there was some sort of emptiness to it. It had no offensive power and seemed more like it was there only to scare others.
Using the profundity of earth to slowly erase the empty earth energy, Xiang Shaoyun was able to pass through safely.
"Huh, I wasn't wrong, after all," muttered Xiang Shaoyun as he wiped his cold sweat.
Although he could clearly sense his surroundings, the area was still filled with dangers. A single misstep would spell his doom. Thus, it was understandable that he would be under great pressure.
Using the same method, Xiang Shaoyun moved around repeatedly, approaching the stone tower in the process. In the sky, Xiang Zixuan saw everything that was happening. His eyes widened in shock, and he couldn't believe that Xiang Shaoyun could actually start walking around in the formation.
"How is this kid doing that?" Xiang Zixuan was alarmed. He was getting anxious, and he charged down, trying to give it a try himself.
However, the moment he approached the curtain of light, he sensed a terrifyingly destructive force. He stopped midair, afraid that if he went deeper, the formation would kill him.
He flew backward to pull some distance from the formation. With a ruthless look in his eyes, he said, "If I can't get the secret, you can forget about it!"
He then swung his purple sword at the formation below. He was planning to trigger more of the formation's power and get Xiang Shaoyun killed.
Rumble!
The loud explosion scared Xiang Shaoyun so much he stood frozen where he was, not daring to move at all. Fortunately, although the explosion sounded scary, it had failed to actually affect the formation. He was still unharmed.
As for Xiang Zixuan, he was once again struck by the backlash. This time, the backlash was even stronger. He was blasted away before he could even do anything. With a miserable wail, he crashed into the ground far away, and a fountain of blood sprayed out of his mouth.
The first elder appeared. He grabbed Xiang Zixuan and quickly left.
"No, I have yet to figure out the tower's secret! I can't leave!" Xiang Zixuan struggled with the last bit of consciousness he had.
"From the moment you were pushed out of the formation, you lost your chance at finding the tower's secret," said the first elder.
"No! I can return inside the formation! I will unveil the tower's secret! I beg you, first elder. Give me another chance!" Xiang Zixuan was unwilling to admit his defeat, and he started pleading.
However, the first elder was completely unmoved. He brought Xiang Zixuan outside and tossed him toward the Black and White Guardians. "He failed."
The expressions of the Black and White Guardians dimmed as they nodded and stepped forward to help Xiang Zixuan. By this point, Xiang Zixuan knew there was nothing else he could do. He did not want to make a spectacle of himself before so many people, so he sat down cross-legged and started recovering.
"Haha, I knew this kid wouldn't be able to get through the trial, but you guys had refused to believe me," said Old Urchin as he clapped smugly.
The third and seventh elders had unsightly expressions. Xiang Zixuan was a genius they had their eyes on. They also hoped that the Holy Hall could form an alliance with the Xiang Clan. Such an alliance would benefit them greatly.
Alas, Xiang Zixuan was eliminated from the trial, and with Old Urchin jeering at them, they felt terrible.
"Don't get too happy yet. The other kid might not be able to get through the trial either," said a random elder who couldn't stand Old Urchin’s smugness.
"Hehe, I am also hoping that the kid won't get through the trial," said Old Urchin with a sly look on his face.
The elders couldn't decide if Old Urchin was speaking the truth. They all assumed that he was only saying those words to irritate them.
To the side, Tuoba Wan'er heaved a sigh of relief. Good thing he failed. I can now wait peacefully until grandfather leaves seclusion and decides on my marriage.
In her eyes, Xiang Shaoyun would not be able to get through the trial. After all, his cultivation level was obviously lower. He had only passed the earlier trials through luck. The final trial would not be something he could pass so easily.
The first elder ignored all the discussions and stepped into the forest of towers once again. By this point, Xiang Shaoyun had already arrived near the main stone tower. The closer he was, the more dangerous he found his surroundings were. It was getting increasingly harder to find a safe path.
Xiang Shaoyun stood calmly, carefully sensing the energy around him. Finally, he found another spot with empty energy, and he slowly moved toward that spot. After a while, he was standing before the stone tower again.
He couldn't help but sigh, "We were here so easily earlier, but he did not appreciate it, forcefully turning everything dangerous before knowing how precious it is. What a bastard."
Xiang Shaoyun was able to see something from the tower. The markings on the tower were glowing, with rays of light shining from the markings connected to the formation. The glowing markings seemed to be projecting numerous humanoid silhouettes, but no matter how he focused, he couldn't see what was so special about the silhouettes.
"These silhouettes are most definitely the key to unveiling the secret. But how should I go about it?" Xiang Shaoyun rubbed his chin as he sank into thought.
After some observation using the Light of Wisdom, he finally grasped something. Using the profundity of earth, he spread his senses toward the tower. He wanted to try communicating with the silhouettes through the tower.
The moment his energy touched the tower, the remaining portion of the formation became active all at once, scaring him so much he started trembling. If he had somehow triggered the killing desire of the formation, he wouldn't be able to escape death.
He decided to take out the Radiant Saint Armor to protect himself just in case. But he soon found that no attack had been triggered from the formation. Instead, an odd phenomenon had been triggered, and the silhouettes actually started moving. His eyes were wide with shock as he stared at the silhouettes.