Slaying the Shadow Beast

By noon on the second day in the Azure Prison Spirit Realm, the space that had once served as a trial ground had become a purgatory spewing the ashes of death.

As Superintendent Su unleashed his Foundation Establishment Dao Foundation, Earth Smoke Fire, the Spirit Realm underwent a gruesome transformation.

Every once-verdant Spirit Plant withered and caught fire within half an hour. What they released was no longer fresh wood energy, but thick gray smoke laced with sulfur and corrosive spiritual energy.

"Hiss—"

A student from Class One discovered in horror that the Spell Power barrier he had raised hissed like something eaten away by strong acid when it touched the smoke. The once-bright shield dimmed and cracked before his eyes.

But that was not the worst of it.

From the dense gray fog, mutated Smoke Fire Demon Beasts slowly emerged.

Their bodies were a strange ashen gray, and dark-red ghostly flames burned in their once-empty eye sockets.

Unlike the earlier Demon Beast projections, which knew only how to close in and tear at their prey, these monsters had absorbed the Killing Intent of Earth Smoke Fire and gained Spell Arts that should never have been theirs.

A Smoke Fire Wolf opened its mouth and spat out a spell. When it exploded, it delivered a tremendous physical impact and left behind a patch of fire poison that lingered for a long time.

"No! Save me!"

Screams rose and fell throughout the jungle.

For students at the Qi Refining First Layer, this was no longer a trial. It was a slaughter.

Most of the force of their Spell Arts was swallowed by the thick layer of smoke and fire around the Demon Beasts, while a single casual wave of flame from a beast could shatter their defenses.

White lights flashed one