The Seventh Layer had been completely cleared.
After the Mother Empress Lashabel was blasted into nothingness by the Spear of Judgment, the Offspring that had lost their Mother Empress withered and died at a visible rate.
Within a mere two hours, the green sea around the Black Pyramid became a mass of dry, yellow grass. When the wind blew, fragments scattered through the sky.
The entrance to the passage leading to the Eighth Layer emerged, black light faintly flowing over its steps.
The Saints gathered before the entrance. Some were eager to try, while others looked hesitant.
Although they had won the battle on the Seventh Layer, everyone had witnessed the Mother Empress's terror-immunity to soul attacks, mastery of both water and wind Laws, and a Life Source Pearl that made her nearly impossible to kill.
The Seventh Layer already held a monster of this caliber. What would await them on the Eighth Layer and Ninth Layer above?
"I'll stay here," a brown-haired Saint spoke first. "My strength was barely enough for the Seventh Layer. If I go any higher, I'm afraid I'll only hold you all back." With him taking the lead, several others declared in succession that they would stay on the Seventh Layer to train.
Desri did not insist. Making it to the Seventh Layer alive had already proven their strength. Choosing to train here until the ten-year period ended was certainly a prudent course.
In the end, only nine decided to continue the challenge. Desri, Tulilei, Fain, Rosalie, Olivier, Wangcai, Bebe, and the three Six-Eyed Golden Lions. Nine figures stepped through the spatial gateway to the Eighth Layer, one after another.
Cold.
The air of the Eighth Layer scraped their faces like knives. Thick ice lay beneath their feet, hard as steel. Stepping on it produced