The sound fell, and heaven and earth fell silent.
Jiang Tian's eyes lit up.
He had guessed that the various crystals he'd obtained in the first three secret realms might come in handy later, but those three realms hadn't offered any clear rewards.
He'd stockpiled a pile of Wood Spirit Crystals, Snow Spirit Crystals, and Fire Source Crystals, yet had no idea what they could be exchanged for.
And now, there were rewards in the fourth layer?
As for this "one hour," he had a rough idea of what the trial might be.
"One hour? What does that mean?"
"What is it, exactly? What's the trial? Why won't they explain it clearly?"
"Hold out? Hold out against what? Against whom?"
Confused chatter erupted through the crowd. The disciples of the Three Sects whispered among themselves, exchanging bewildered looks.
The White Lotus Sect was in an uproar too. Some wore puzzled expressions, others spoke in low voices, while a few discreetly swept their eyes over the Three Sects, their gazes cold.
Everyone was guessing what kind of trial this hour would bring.
Just then—
"Rumble—"
A violent tremor rose beneath their feet, and all of heaven and earth seemed to shake with it.
The yellow sand bounced across the ground like boiling water, hissing in a dense "sh-sh-sh" chorus.
Distant dunes crumbled in the trembling, while cracks spread across the sand like a spiderweb.
Then, a vast platform slowly rose from beneath the yellow sand at their feet.
The platform was made entirely of dark gray boulders, its surface smooth as a mirror, without a single seam.
It rose silently from beneath the sand, bearing a heavy, oppressive force that lifted everyone with it.
Along the platform's edge, yellow sand poured down like waterfalls, roaring as it fell.
Higher and higher.