This green-armored man's cultivation was unfathomably deep, clearly no inferior to the three great Elders of the Elder Council who had shown themselves. No wonder the three of them had treated him with such courtesy.
Moreover, the green armor on this man was truly peculiar. Its design appeared deceptively simple, its surface dull and utterly unremarkable, without a single runic inscription or magical formation to be seen. But when Han Li sent a thread of spiritual sense sweeping over it, he was struck by a bizarre sense of familiarity. After staring at it for another two long moments, his eyes flew wide open, as though he had just recalled something utterly inconceivable.
If his senses weren't deceiving him, this so-called "green armor" had actually been condensed from an incredibly dense mass of malevolent energy. No wonder its aura felt so familiar.
And yet, possessing such vast quantities of malevolent energy — not only did this man suffer no ill effects, he could actually project it outside his body and reshape it into physical form.
This kind of ability was simply beyond the pale of imagination.
With his heart still pounding, Han Li shifted his gaze and noticed the figures behind the green-armored man — tens of thousands of Flying Spirit Clan members suspended in midair.
Every single one of them wore battle armor of various colors.
When Han Li activated the azure light in his eyes for a closer look, his pupils contracted involuntarily.
The armor worn by these people was identical in principle to that of the green-armored man — all of it conjured from malevolent energy. The only difference was that, depending on the bearer's cultivation level and the quantity of malevolent energy at their disposal, some of the armor looked as solid as a physical object, while others appeared hazy and indistinct, flickering on the verge of visibility.
Staring at these warriors, each one radiating extraordinary malevolent energy, Han Li felt deeply alarmed even as his mind raced nonstop.
Just then, the green-armored man swept his gaze over the crowd behind the three Elder Council members, and a faint smile appeared on his face.
"This trial, which our clan holds only once every three hundred years — how could
"Ha ha — that's exactly why, once we received Brother Iron's message, we immediately moved the trial date forward. The Dark Tide in the Earth Abyss shouldn't have begun yet, right?" the old man asked with a smile.
"It hasn't. Judging from the reactions of the monitoring treasures, the current dark energy is somewhat more dangerous than usual, but at least a full year remains before the official eruption. That said, the dark creatures underground may have already left their assigned strata, so I can't guarantee that only Spirit General-level dark creatures will be encountered in the first three layers. The probability of running into higher-tier Earth Abyss beasts will certainly be much greater. But demon king-level entities — those shouldn't appear. You Elders on the Council can weigh the risks for yourselves. If the casualties end up being too heavy, don't say I didn't warn you," the green-armored man said evenly.
"As long as no demon king-level entities show up, there should be no major issue. The trial can proceed," the white-haired man said without hesitation.
"I have no objections either. Miss this opportunity, and the trial won't be able to be held for at least another century. Many branches simply can't afford to wait that long," the old woman said slowly after furrowing her brows.
The tattooed old man was the last to speak, deliberating for a long while before letting out a soft sigh and nodding in agreement.
Seeing that all three had agreed, the green-armored man let out a low chuckle and raised a single hand toward the sky.
A fist-sized green sphere of light shot upward and, in a flicker, materialized several hundred zhang overhead.
An earth-shaking boom rang out as the sphere detonated, and a massive ring of green light expanded wildly outward.
A green sun several zhang in diameter blazed into being in the sky, blinding in its brilliance.
Behind him, the armored Flying Spirit Clan members — upon seeing this sight — immediately split into two rows, clearing a path through the air.
Though their cultivation levels varied widely, not a single one spoke a word, and their movements were perfectly synchronized. An invisible wave of pressure rose skyward from the spectacle.
When the various branch Elders and others who had accompanied Han Li witnessed this, their expressions shifted slightly but quickly returned to normal. Those like Han Li — the Saint Children participating in the trial for the first time — were far less composed, stirring with unease. Most of them wore looks of open astonishment.
At the very front, the three Elders waved their hands to signal those behind them, and together they flew forward.
The entire procession resumed its advance, drifting slowly through the human wall suspended in the sky.
Han Li sat upon the great bird, his eyes narrowed as he studied the armored warriors on either side.
He found that most of them wore cold, indifferent expressions, neither speaking nor smiling. Those who occasionally let curiosity show in their eyes tended to be the younger ones with comparatively lower cultivation — though even "low" in this context meant Core Formation at minimum.
Those equivalent to Nascent Soul and Deity Transformation stages were everywhere, and quite a few were Spirit Commander-level — comparable to the Void Refining stage.
Han Li couldn't help but muse to himself.
The Earth Abyss garrison stationed here was strikingly similar to the cultivators of Heavenly Origin City back in the human race's territory.
The difference was that the garrison here was far smaller in number, yet its elites were on an entirely different level from anything Heavenly Origin City could muster. To top it off, these defenders regularly clashed with the creatures that erupted from the Earth Abyss, giving them a wealth of combat experience that ordinary Flying Spirit Clan members simply couldn't match.
And judging by the scale of the architecture, it was clear that not all of the Earth Abyss garrison had flown out from their quarters.
While Han Li's mind continued to churn with thoughts, the group passed through the wall of warriors and arrived before a vast array of empty pavilions below.
The Elder Council issued their assignments, ordering all the disciples to take up temporary residence there and restore their spirits and Magical Power. Tomorrow at dawn, once they were in peak condition, the trial would begin.