Her long hair flew wildly in the wind, her robes fluttered in the wind, and her deep purple outfit gleamed with a cold, eerie light under the blood-red moonlight.
His eyes remained calm and composed, devoid of fear, hesitation, or regret, displaying only a resolute disregard for life and death.
Her clear, cold eyes reflected the approaching crimson warhammer, yet she didn't blink.
She didn't turn around, not even having a chance to glance at Xiao Yan. She simply used all her Soul Power to meet the unstoppable warhammer.
" Zhu Zhuqing--!"
Xiao Yan's voice was hoarse at that moment.
His body moved before his brain gave the command; his wings flapped wildly.
He lunged at Zhu Zhuqing like an arrow released from a bow.
His right hand stretched forward desperately, his fingertips less than three inches from the hem of Zhu Zhuqing's clothes.
But the hammer was too fast; so fast that Xiao Yan's fingers had barely touched the hem of Zhu Zhuqing's clothes before the blood-red warhammer had already fallen.
The Clear Sky Hammer slammed into Zhu Zhuqing's claws.
The claws shattered into countless fragments in an instant, and the state of the Martial Soul Possession was directly shattered.
The Clear Sky Hammer, its momentum undiminished, slammed heavily into Zhu Zhuqing's chest.
Even after being blocked by the claws and cushioned by the protection of the Soul Power, the force of that hammer blow was still enough to flatten a small mountain.
Zhu Zhuqing's body flew backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing into Xiao Yan.
Xiao Yan held her in his arms, his feet carving two deep furrows in the ground, and he was propelled backward dozens of feet by the terrifying impact.
It crashed through countless stone pillars and rubble before finally coming to a stop.
His arms were almost numb from the impact, but he held onto Zhu Zhuqing tightly and refused to let go.
" Zhu Zhuqing!"
Xiao Yan looked down at Zhu Zhuqing in his arms. Her face was as white as a sheet of paper, and the last trace of color in her lips was rapidly fading.
Her chest caved in slightly, and blood kept spilling from the corner of her mouth, dripping down her chin onto Xiao Yan's hand.
Warm blood flowed slowly through Xiao Yan's fingertips.
Xiao Yan could feel her body temperature rapidly decreasing, and her heartbeat growing weaker and weaker, with the intervals between each beat lengthening, like a candle flickering in the wind, ready to be extinguished at any moment.
He placed his hand on her back and continuously transferred the remaining Soul Power in his body into her.
Trying to stabilize her fading vitality.
However, most of his Soul Power had been scattered by that hammer blow, and what he could do now was just a drop in the ocean.
But at that moment, a dark light suddenly shone on Zhu Zhuqing's body.
That light was different from her Soul Power protecting her; it was like moonlight shining on the earth.
It resembled an extremely ancient, dark stream of light rising from the depths of the underworld.
Deeper than the night, more profound than the abyss. The light was initially extremely faint and thin, like a layer of water ruffled by the wind, gently rippled on Zhu Zhuqing's body.
It then quickly spread out, outlining a huge circular magic circle beneath their feet.
The edges of the magic circle were engraved with countless ancient dark purple runes, each of which was slowly rotating and exuding a pressure that transcended the mortal realm.
Those runes were not any known script in the Douluo Continent; they were more ancient and profound than the runes used by Soul Master.
Every stroke and line contains a power law that transcends the Soul Power system.
Xiao Yan could sense that the power of these runes was essentially the same level as the Angel God power he had felt deep within the Spirit Hall's secret realm.
This is the power of God!!!
Zhu Zhuqing's body was slowly lifted up by that layer of dark light and suspended in mid-air.
Her wound stopped bleeding under the influence of this force, and her weak breathing gradually became steady.
The sunken chest was healing at a visible speed, and the broken ribs were returning to their original positions under the pull of this force, making extremely faint clicking sounds.
An ancient voice resounded from the depths of her soul, a voice without gender or age, an echo seemingly from the very end of time, carrying endless vicissitudes and majesty:
"The examinee, Zhu Zhuqing, has triggered the First Trial of the Nether Swift Shadow God - the Shadow Trial."
During the trial, the examinees are not allowed to leave the Nether Space.
Before completing the First Trial, the examinee will be protected by the Nether Power, and all injuries will gradually heal.
Failure to complete the trial will result in the destruction of both body and soul.
Zhu Zhuqing slowly opened her eyes, and the dark light of the ancient magic array beneath her feet was now reflected in her originally cold eyes.
She looked down at her healing wounds, then at Xiao Yan kneeling on the ground covered in blood, before turning to the massive magic array beneath her feet.
She understood. When she shielded Xiao Yan with her body, the impact should have killed her instantly.
She seemed to have inadvertently triggered a test from a deity.
Nether Swift Shadow God!!!
She had never heard of the name before, but she could feel that the power resonated with her deeply.
Netherworld, shadow, speed—this is the essence of the Serene Moon Love Shadow Cat Martial Soul.
Xiao Yan tried to reach out and grab her, but his fingers passed through the layer of dark light and couldn't touch her body.
Zhu Zhuqing shook her head slightly at him. Before she could speak, her figure slowly sank into the magic array, enveloped by the dark light, and disappeared into a bottomless dark shadow.
Xiao Yan stood at the edge of the now-dimmed magic array, his fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
The mad old man had already roared and rushed into the distance when Zhu Zhuqing triggered the divine test.
They seemed to have an instinctive fear of that netherworld power.
Xiao Yan was left alone in the ruins. As his internal injuries flared up, he completely lost consciousness.
Dou Qi Continent, Jia Nan Academy.
Today is the annual big day since Jia Nan Academy was reorganized.
This day holds special significance in the history of the college.
Two years ago today, an earth-shattering battle broke out in the Inner Academy.
The Fallen Heart Flame broke through the seal, and the Black Alliance seized the opportunity to invade, almost leveling the entire Inner Academy.
In that battle, the academy lost dozens of outstanding students and elders.
The young man who single-handedly held back the Fallen Heart Flame and bought precious time for the academy was forever left in the scalding lava at the bottom of the tower.
Since then, the college has held a solemn memorial ceremony every year on this day.
It's not about dwelling on past pain, but about ensuring that those who come after remember.
During the most perilous time for the Jia Nan Academy, there was a group of people who risked their lives to protect this land.
Nearly two years have passed since that earth-shattering battle in the Inner Academy.
Two years may not be a long time for a cultivator's long life, but for these young people in the Inner Academy of the Jia Nan Academy, it is enough for far too many changes to happen.
Those freshmen who trembled in fear during the war have now earned a place on the Strong Ranking.
Those students who once could only hide behind the Grand Elder for protection are now able to stand on their own.
Hunting Fourth Rank- or even Fifth Rank Magical Beast is no problem for them when they go out to train.
But no matter how time passes, there is one person who remains an unhealed wound in the hearts of everyone in the Inner Academy.
Whenever someone cultivates in the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower, they can feel that faint, almost non-existent Heart Flame.
Whenever someone passes by the black statue in the center of the square, or whenever someone is startled awake from meditation in the middle of the night, they can't help but think of that name.
Xiao Huohuo.
That Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower was packed with people.
All the students in the Inner Academy were dressed in neat academy uniforms, dark blue robes with the flame emblem of the Jia Nan Academy embroidered in silver thread on the cuffs and collar.
That was a unique mark of the Inner Academy disciples.
This academy uniform is rarely worn on ordinary days because the training intensity in the Inner Academy is too high; wearing it for a few rounds of fighting would leave it in a terrible state.
But today is different. Today is not only a day of rest for the Tower, but also a day of remembrance.
Every Inner Academy disciple was exceptionally careful when putting on this academy uniform, smoothing out every wrinkle and fastening every button.
Because they knew that this uniform represented them as members of the Jia Nan Academy, and that they would never forget that day.
The trainees stood in neat rows according to their respective classes and factions.
Each formation had an elder in charge of maintaining order.
Looking down from above the square, the dense crowd resembled a meticulously cut piece of black marble, with every edge straight and sharp.
Occasionally, a few hushed conversations could be heard from the crowd; it was newly enrolled students asking senior students about the origin of the statue.
But before he could finish speaking, his companion stopped him with a look.
The occasion was too solemn; no one dared to make a loud noise.
Although the veteran students didn't say it, they all knew it in their hearts:
Nearly half of the people standing here were rescued by Xiao Huohuo during that great battle.
If he hadn't held back the Fallen Heart Flame, even more people would have died that day.
The sky was leaden gray, with thick, low-hanging clouds that made it seem as if a rainstorm could break out at any moment.
But it hesitated to fall.
The edges of the clouds gleamed with a dim light, shrouding the entire academy in a gray hue.
Occasionally, a breeze would blow from the direction of the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower, carrying a very faint smell of sulfur.
That was the residual aura of the Magma World at the bottom of the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower.
This smell was all too familiar to the students in the Inner Academy; they smelled it every day while cultivating in the tower.
But that flavor is fading day by day, just like that person's name, its edges being worn away little by little by time.
It was so stifling, it made my chest feel tight.
Several veteran members of the Pan Gate subconsciously glanced up at the direction of the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower, then silently lowered their heads again.
They weren't used to this kind of dullness; when Xiao Huohuo was around, the Pan Gate team was never this quiet.
Unlike before, a huge black statue now stands in the very center of the square.
The statue was Luo Cheng six months ago.
The site was personally selected by Great Elder Su Qian, and this obsidian statue, several meters tall, was erected in the very center of the square.
The entire sculpture took nearly three months from quarrying the stone to its final completion.
To create this statue, the members of Pan Gate used their Dou Qi to carve out enough stone piece by piece from the back mountain.
They said that Xiao Huohuo was as hard as a rock, and only Mo Yaoshi was worthy of him.
The statue's base is a single piece of granite quarried from the back mountain of the academy, weighing several thousand kilograms. It was carried to the center of the square by more than a dozen Strong Ranking experts working together.
The base is engraved with two lines of large, gold-stamped characters. "Founder of Pan Gate, Xiao Huohuo ".
Each character is a foot square, with strong and vigorous strokes, written by Great Elder Su Qian himself.
He said that Xiao Huohuo was unrefined, but the academy couldn't be unrefined. These words had to be engraved on stone, to withstand the wind and rain, and to last for a hundred years.
The figure on the statue stands on flames, which are made of an extremely rare fire-attribute crystal.
It is made of Scarlet Flame Crystal. This kind of crystal can only be mined deep in volcanoes and was brought back by the disciples of the Pan Gate from the volcanic veins of the Black-Corner Region.
Even under the dim light of a cloudy day, the Scarlet Flame Crystal still glowed faintly red, as if it were truly burning. As night fell, the red light became even more pronounced, appearing from afar like an inextinguishable flame quietly burning in the center of the square.
After finishing their late-night practice, many students would walk alone to the statue, sit for a while by the faint red light, saying nothing and just staying quietly.
Behind the statue is a large Heavy Xuan Ruler, the outline of which is exactly the same as the real Heavy Xuan Ruler.
The statue's face is young yet resolute, with a slight upturn at the corners of its mouth, carrying a hint of cynical smile.
The students in the square stood in several square formations. At the very front, closest to the statue, was a group of the Inner Academy disciples wearing the Pan Gate badge on their chests.
They were few in number, less than a hundred, but each of them was a top-two-hundred expert on the Strong Ranking.
They would undoubtedly be a core force in any faction within the academy.
They sat cross-legged with solemn expressions and ramrod straight backs, and no one moved even though their knees were numb from sitting for so long.
Everyone wore the same badge on their chest; it was the symbol of the Pan Gate.
Standing at the very front of the Pan Gate formation were a burly young man and a little girl who looked somewhat naive.
The young man had a resolute face, with a jawline as sharp as if carved by a knife, and several faint scars could be seen under his bronze skin.
His hands were flat on his knees, his fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles were white.