Heroic Spirit Trial and Rising Undercurrents

Yun Ji's warning was like a splash of cold water, instantly diluting Su Yan's joy at breaking through. The powerful energy stirred deep within Mount War God, like a slumbering giant awakening, exuded a heart-palpitating pressure. Even from a distance, they could vaguely sense it.

"Misfortune cannot be avoided if it is bound to come," Su Yan quickly calmed himself, his eyes sharp as knives. "Since we've been noticed, hiding would only make us look guilty. Why don't we go investigate what was disturbed? Perhaps... it's another opportunity."

His suggestion was bold and risky, but everyone knew that facing such a presence, simple evasion was futile. Mo Hen checked his mechanisms and said gravely, "I agree. At least we need to know what's targeting us." Bai Zhi tightened her grip on her willow branch and nodded. Yun Ji gave a slight nod, accepting it. The mist around her seemed to thicken, indicating she was fully engaged in deducing fortune and misfortune.

The four wasted no more time, cautiously advancing deeper into Mount War God, following the direction of the faint pressure. The further they went, the heavier the killing intent became. Tiny fragments of Battle Intent, like razor blades, began to appear in the air. An ordinary cultivator would struggle to maintain their protective spiritual energy here. The monsters they encountered along the way also increased in level to around 40, but they posed little threat to the four in peak condition, providing them with valuable experience.

Finally, after traversing a barren land littered with the colossal skeletons of unknown beasts, they arrived at a massive, circular valley. In the center of the valley, instead of the terrifying monsters they expected, stood a majestic, ancient altar built from countless weapon remnants! Hovering above the altar was a golden orb, constantly shifting in form, burning as fiercely as the sun. It was from this orb that the heart-palpitating pressure emanated. Around the orb, faint silhouettes of countless armored, imposing Heroic Spirits stood in silent vigil, like the most loyal guards.

At the base of the altar, near the valley's entrance, stood an ancient bronze gate, ten zhang tall. Carved with depictions of battles and slaughter, it exuded an aura of desolation and antiquity.

"This is... the Ancient Heroic Spirit Altar?" Bai Zhi's beautiful eyes widened in shock. "Legend has it that only those recognized by Mount War God, possessing great destiny and immense willpower, can trigger an anomaly here and receive the Heroic Spirit Trial!"

"It seems that purifying the outer altars and the pure starlight and Battle Intent that Su Yan's breakthrough attracted met the conditions for recognition," Mo Hen analyzed, a rare spark of excitement in his eyes. The Heroic Spirit Trial meant a tremendous opportunity!

Just then, the colossal bronze gate slowly opened. A deep, resonant voice, as if traversing through eons, echoed directly in their minds:

"Latercomers, you who bear the Light of Order, cleansing defilement with unyielding Battle Intent, may enter this gate and undergo the Heroic Spirit Trial. Those who pass shall receive our boons; those who fail, their souls shall return to the Battle Banner!"

As the voice faded, an invisible force enveloped the four, instantly pulling them into the bronze gate.

Inside was not a physical space, but a vast, boundless phantom of an ancient battlefield! The sky was crimson, the earth cracked, and smoke rose everywhere. Countless golden-armored Heroic Spirits and blurred monster phantoms were engaged in a fierce battle, their roars shaking the heavens! An intense concentration of Battle Intent, killing intent, and a belief in protection and defiance permeated every inch of space.

"What is the trial?" Su Yan asked, on guard, gripping his Compass.

As soon as the words left his mouth, four incredibly solid Heroic Spirit Warriors, clad in heavy armor and wielding different weapons, separated from the battlefield ahead, each locking onto one of them. Their auras had reached the level of Elite Level 40!

"It seems we fight individually and defeat our respective Heroic Spirits!" Mo Hen understood instantly. With a flicker of his body, he moved to confront the Assassin Heroic Spirit wielding twin daggers, moving like the wind. His Mechanical Beast thrived in this chaotic battlefield environment.

Before Bai Zhi stood a Priest Heroic Spirit, wielding a staff and surrounded by auras of healing and purification. She took a deep breath, gently swayed her willow branch, and responded with the pure Buddhist techniques of Mount Putuo.

Yun Ji's opponent was a Strategist Heroic Spirit, whose aura was ethereal, wielding an eight trigrams array disk. She revealed no weapon, merely standing still, the mist around her flowing, as if engaging in a silent battle of heavenly secrets and array formations with her opponent.

Su Yan faced a Berserker Heroic Spirit, over ten feet tall, wielding a colossal axe as large as a door panel! The Heroic Spirit roared and charged with earth-shattering steps, its great axe cleaving down with the power to tear everything apart! The ferocity of its attack far surpassed any enemy they had encountered before!

"Good!" Su Yan roared, not daring to meet the blow directly. Shrink Ground into Inches activated instantly, his body appearing to the side as he simultaneously unleashed a Lightning Talisman!

"Crack!" The blinding lightning accurately struck the Heroic Spirit, dealing considerable damage and actually triggering a paralysis effect, causing the Heroic Spirit's movements to stiffen for a moment!

"Little Big Dipper!"

No words were needed. Little Big Dipper had already transformed into a purple lightning bolt burning with Battle Intent, pouncing forward! Its passive Battle Intent Burn had been triggered, its attack speed and power continuously increasing as the battle wore on. Its claws flashed, creating afterimages as they fiercely tore at the Heroic Spirit's heavy armor, emitting a grating sound! Starfire spewed forth, silver-white flames scorching the Heroic Spirit's energy body.

However, the Berserker Heroic Spirit had extremely high defense and immense strength. Even when paralyzed, its counterattacks were still ferociously sharp. The great axe swept out in a wide arc, forcing Su Yan to constantly use Shrink Ground into Inches to dodge, his mana being consumed rapidly. Little Big Dipper was also hit by the axe's wind several times, its health dropping, barely sustained by Life Drain and a healing wave sent from afar by Bai Zhi.

"We can't fight a prolonged battle!" Su Yan's mind raced. This Heroic Spirit was powerful and heavy, but its agility was somewhat lacking. "Brother Mo Hen, Miss Bai Zhi, Daoist Yun Ji, finish quickly. We might need to deal with further changes!"

While transmitting his thoughts, he fully activated his Compass, his Star Track Deduction ability being used to its fullest in combat for the first time! His mental energy was being consumed at an insane rate, the future attack trajectories and energy circulation nodes of the Heroic Spirit flashing through his mind for the next few seconds.

"Five feet ahead and to the left, sweeping attack!"

"Jump right, downward slash misses!"

"Three inches below the throat, energy node, will appear in three breaths!"

With the Compass's assistance, Su Yan dodged fatal attacks by mere millimeters, as if he had foresight, and directed Little Big Dipper for the most effective counterattacks. Simultaneously, he continuously used Armor Shattering Talisman to weaken the Heroic Spirit's defense, and Soul Chasing Talisman (Corrosion) was frequently unleashed, purple lightning and black patterns constantly eroding the Heroic Spirit's core.

On the other side, Mo Hen, relying on his unpredictable movement and endless array of mechanisms, had successfully lured the Assassin Heroic Spirit into a trap zone, limiting its speed advantage. Victory was within reach. Bai Zhi's battle with the Priest Heroic Spirit was more of a war of attrition, their healing and purification abilities constantly canceling each other out, waiting to see who would falter first. Yun Ji's confrontation with the Strategist Heroic Spirit was the most bizarre, the space around them constantly twisting and changing, array lights flickering, appearing calm but in reality, extremely perilous.

Finally, through the tacit cooperation of Su Yan and Little Big Dipper, and the precise prediction of the Compass, the Berserker Heroic Spirit's core node was hit simultaneously by Soul Chasing Talisman (Corrosion) and Little Big Dipper's Starfire Claw Strike, which gathered all its strength!

"Boom!" The Heroic Spirit's massive body froze, then transformed into the purest golden light particles, integrating into Su Yan and Little Big Dipper.

[System: Successfully passed the Heroic Spirit Trial (Berserker), obtained 'Essence of Strength'! Strength attribute permanently +10, Physical Damage increased by 5%.]

[System: Your summoned beast 'Little Big Dipper' has absorbed the origin of the Berserker Heroic Spirit, its Strength Aptitude greatly increased, and the effect of the skill 'Battle Intent Burn' has been enhanced!]

A surge of power coursed through Su Yan's body; he felt his physical attack capabilities had been elevated by a notch! Little Big Dipper let out an excited roar, the star patterns on its body erupting with dazzling light, its aura climbing once more!

Almost simultaneously, Mo Hen and Bai Zhi also defeated their opponents. Mo Hen obtained Essence of Agility, and Bai Zhi obtained Essence of Spirit Power, their respective attributes strengthened. Finally, the distorted space around Yun Ji subsided. The Strategist Heroic Spirit bowed to her and transformed into light particles, integrating into her body. She obtained Essence of Spirit.

The four exchanged smiles, each having gained something. However, the trial was not over.

The phantom of the ancient battlefield slowly dissipated, and the four reappeared before the bronze gate. The golden orb above the altar slowly descended, transforming into a blurry, golden-armored, tall figure whose face could not be seen – the owner of the deep voice from before.

"You have not disgraced the glory of Mount War God," the Heroic Spirit Commander's voice held a hint of praise. "However, catastrophe is imminent, and the dark currents of defilement have already infiltrated the mountain's foundations. Though our lingering spirits can prevent it from reaching the core, we cannot eradicate it."

He raised his hand, and four points of golden light flew towards the four, transforming into four ancient bronze tokens, engraved with crossed battle axes and star patterns.

[Mount War God Ally Token] (Special Item)

Description: A token of recognition from the Ancient Heroic Spirits. With this token, you can summon some Heroic Spirits from the Outer Reaches of Mount War God to assist in battle (long cooldown), increase your cultivation speed by 20% within Mount War God, and gain one qualification to enter the 'War Blood Pool' for a baptism (requires all four tokens to be gathered to activate).

"With this token, protect order and cleanse defilement. If you encounter insurmountable force, you may return with the token; Mount War God will always be an ally's backing." The Heroic Spirit Commander's figure began to slowly dissipate. "Remember, the source of the corruption is hidden in 'Valley of Buried Soldiers'..."

Before the voice faded, his figure, along with the entire altar, slowly vanished as if they had never existed. Only the bronze tokens in their hands proved that what had just happened was not an illusion.

"Valley of Buried Soldiers..." Su Yan committed the name to memory. It was clearly their next target and an important stronghold of the End Times Cult on Mount War God.

Just as they were processing their immense gains, Yun Ji's face suddenly turned pale, the mist around her fluctuating violently, and she coughed up a small mouthful of blood!

"Daoist Yun Ji!" The other three were alarmed.

Yun Ji waved her hand, wiping the blood from her lips. Her eyes, hidden behind the mist, were filled with unprecedented solemnity. "Heavenly secret backlash... I forcefully deduced 'Valley of Buried Soldiers' and triggered extremely terrifying shielding... Not only is there endless killing intent there, but also... a slumbering, ancient will filled with death and warfare, and... an active, powerful 'End Times Altar'! They are using the killing intent and ancient will of the Valley of Buried Soldiers to accelerate the formation of 'Anchor Points'!"

She looked at Su Yan, her tone urgent. "We must go to the Valley of Buried Soldiers immediately to stop them! Otherwise, once the 'Anchor Points' are fully activated, not only will Mount War God be completely lost, but their power will even accelerate the progress of other 'Anchor Points' through the earth veins!"

The joy of their recent power enhancement vanished, replaced by an even more pressing crisis.