Bum… Bumbum… Bum.
Afanzo's heart slammed against his ribs with the energy and force of a full-grown elephant in rage. And the blood within him stampeded through his veins like wildebeest startled by a pride of hungry lions. The pearl that made its home within his chest told him something as it always did. Blood. It needed more. And once it got what it wanted, his strength would explode to the next level. But most of all, he would transcend the mortal barrier and become a full-fledged Immortal. All the while protecting his lands from the pale-skinned intruders.
Afanzo occasionally gazed at Long Wei, the one cultivator he noticed didn't even flinch in the face of his aura. He couldn't quite place the reason, but he felt that he saw no reason to be afraid with all the artifacts he collected over the years and his ever-increasing battle prowess.
"They are here," he whispered to no one in particular. He smirked and spun the spear.
Saint Ream Experts at least fifty of them, each flanked by ten Mortal Transcendents, punctured through the thin barrier erected by Afanzo with the aid of the Temple.
The pearl within him told him two things and both things would aid him in protecting Gaia. One, as long as he used the Saint Realm and Mortal Transcendent natives as a sacrificial offering to the temple behind him, his battle prowess would break past the Human Immortal Realm and enter the Earth Immortal Realm. Which gave him enough strength to protect his world from intruders at a small price. The second was giving him ownership of the Temple and its vast array of abilities.
He didn't hesitate. Before the experts had a chance if understanding the situation, Afanzo swung his spear in a circular motion. Large amounts of bright blue liquid formed a swirling whirlpool that engulfed everyone behind him. He swung the spear downwards and the whirlpool morphed into a gigantic ball of spiked ice, puncturing every Saint Realm Expert and Mortal Transcendent within it. Screams that put the shrill screams of women in labor to shame-filled the atmosphere.
The pearl within him thrummed and all the blood spilled disappeared. Some went to the Temple and the rest to it.
Situations changed faster than anyone could anticipate. One moment they were watching Long Wei's entrance in awe and the next a few Saint Realm experts were slaughtered like headless chickens in a small cage. Fear gripped the cultivators' hearts with the force of two mountains.
"What's happening?" a young lady asked grabbing a whip made from lizard leather.
"I don't know. But Look. The Temple. It's lighting up!" someone exclaimed in total shock.
Cultivators turned their gaze to the Temple. At the tip of the temple, a ball of red light formed. Another ancient aura swept everything, pushing the cultivators a few meters back. From the ball, a barrier of mass proportions erupted, this one much different from the thin membrane that engulfed the area previously. The dome-shaped barrier engulfed the area within five hundred miles from it across all directions.
Some of the cultivators regretted setting foot here. None of them thought they'd become hamsters in a cage the moment they stepped close to the Temple. Fear, an emotion that cultivators guarded against, flooded them in waves. Why? It was an instinct that only a few eventually got rid of, even when they knew that actual death was not on the table.
Liang Heng sat on a large stone, recovering some of his injuries and qi. He saw no reason to decline Young Master Li's offer to aid him in the Temple. It was that or risk his chance at obtaining a good enough score to pass the entrance exams and start as an Outer Disciple. And the bargain was worth it. His reserves would be filled within the next hour. If he kept his expenditure to the minimum then it could last him the next seven days. And he still had more.
He didn't bother with the commotion happening around him and kept his eyes closed. Whatever happened, happened. Saint Realm experts were killed, and he didn't bat an eyelid. Focus was his game. That only changed when the barrier engulfed the entire area. He opened his eyes and grouped up with the other cultivators temporarily working for Young Master Lo.
As long as he gained something interesting from the Temple then everything was worth it.
In the air, Afanzo felt a massive boost to his combat strength. It hadn't yet surpassed the barrier between a Human and an Earth Immortal, but he was infinitely close. He was in a state known as the Infinite Chasm. This state occurred when one's combat strength was infinitely close to breaching a boundary it was never supposed to. Someone within this state is countless times stronger than other beings of the same combat strength but weaker than those in the realm above his combat strength.
Long Wei squinted when he felt Afanzo's aura reach the cusp of spilling over into the Earth Immortal Realm. Things were still under his control as long as Afanzo didn't breach past the Earth Immortal Realm. Now that he thought about it, all he didn't need to do was kill the guy. They could still battle him, restrain him and keep him alive afterward. The man had a special hatred for him, and that was ticking his nerves. Most of all, the flood dragon stench wading off him irritated his pure dragon bloodline. It couldn't fathom the reason and need to share the same space with a cheap knockoff like him.
"Bai Yunru, have you fought a peak Human Immortal before?" Long Wei threw the question.
Bai Yunru frowned. He understood where Long Wei's thoughts headed, and he wasn't certain he wanted to head in that direction as well. But, if he at least found out his limits now, in a pretty safe space then he would know when to give up or flee in actual life-and-death situations.
"No. At most I've exchanged blows with Mid Stage Human Immortals," Bai Yunru said.
"Whelp, now is your chance. You won't fail the trials if you lose. I'll step in," Long Wei assured him.
Bai Yunru gave it one more thought and made his decision.
"Fuck it." Bai Yunru bit the bullet and drew Pale Emotions from its sheath. His blade trembled slightly once it tasted the air filled with Afanzo's Aura. Bai Yunru stuck his index and middle finger together and ran it across the edge of the sword, calming its soft trembles.
Long Wei had his hands behind his back, a light and friendly expression adorning his face. Few people had the authority or background to deny his requests. More likely, he would never meet such a person in this life. He reached behind him, hoping to grab onto the much-needed tea Elder Cai always prepared for him, but he grasped thin air. He hissed, cursing the trials for their cruelty. When he got back, he would learn how to make tea. Or…He turned his gaze to Jinwu Xiaodan.
"Xiaodan, do you know how to make tea?"
He smirked.