A few days later.
Deep into the Eternal Beast Dynasty.
Hour of Snake. (11:00 PM - 12:00 AM )
The Verdant Elder stood at the edge of a jagged black cliff, high above the forest below.
Dense greenery spread out in every direction, but the cliff itself was bare—nothing but dark stone scarred by ti. The winds blew quietly here, whistling through the rocks like whispers of the past.
It had been a few days since his fight with Aksai. A few long, silent days.
He had gone deep into the heart of the Eternal Beast Dynasty, far from any prying eyes or old enemies. Here, no one followed. Even Aksai hadn't left a trace.
The demon beast had spent his ti healing, ditating, and preparing. His body had nded. His mind had sharpened. He had cast off the chains of his past trials. Now, he was ready.
A deep breath entered his lungs. Cold night air filled his chest, heavy with Spirit essence from the forest below.
He let it out slowly. Then, without hesitation, he released the restraint within himself.
The Spirit essence inside his veins surged like a flood. It roared through his channels without pause, without resistance. The energy rushed toward his Dantian, pulling in more with every beat of his heart.
The air changed.
It was still the middle of the night, but the peaceful quiet was gone. The sky darkened quickly.
The stars vanished.
The half-moon disappeared behind thick clouds that ford out of nowhere.
Black thunderclouds churned above him. They twisted and grew, spiraling in a slow circle right above the cliff. The air thinned. It felt heavier and colder.
It was as if the world had held its breath.
Inside the Verdant Elder's body, the Spirit essence gathering in his Dantian started to shift. It was no longer the raw, flowing energy it once was. It grew thicker. Denser. Its color turned deeper.
The energy inside his core wasn't just collecting—it was changing.
It was refining.
What had once been like a wild river was now turning into a calm, deep lake of mist. A swirling, potent gas began to form in the middle of his Dantian. At first, it was formless. But as the seconds passed, the gas began to spin and tighten. A shape slowly took form.
A gaseous core. The mark of the third realm.
Every breath he took now dragged in more Spirit essence from the world around him. The plants in the forest trembled as their stored energy was pulled away. The Spirit essence in the air vanished like water soaking into dry earth.
The Verdant Elder remained still, eyes closed, focusing every thought on the transformation happening inside his core.
His pain had been conquered. His heart had been tested. Now, only the storm remained.
Boom!
A loud crack tore through the night sky.
Before the Verdant Elder could even lift his head, a thick bolt of lightning slamd into his body. The world turned white for a mont, and then the pain ca—sharp, burning, and unbearable.
It was as if his blood had turned to boiling oil. His Spirit veins lit up in agony. The flow of his Spirit essence was disrupted, scattered like leaves in a storm.
Raaaah!
The demon beast scread. The sound echoed through the cliffside, shaking the rocks. His legs wobbled, but he did not fall.
Even with his body screaming and his soul trembling, he clenched his teeth and forced his Spirit essence to move again. He drove it toward his Dantian, pushing through the chaos that now filled his body.
Another strike was coming.
He could feel it—a hum in the air, a tension that made his bones ache.
This ti, he was ready.
With a deep growl, he activated one of his strongest 2nd Order Spirit spells. Thick vines and roots burst out of the black rocks around him, twisting and weaving into a large do over his body. The wood creaked and groaned, alive with potent wood-elent Spirit essence.
Then the second bolt struck.
Boom!
It hit the vine do like a hamr, smashing into it with a loud bang. The vines held for a mont, but then split apart. Roots snapped. Splinters flew in every direction. Smoke rose from the shattered wood.
But the barrier had done its job. The force of the lightning was less than before.
Still, the Verdant Elder took the hit.
His skin cracked. His muscles tightened, veins feeling as heavy as molten lead. His shell fractured along the back, thin lines crawling across its surface. His eyes turned red as blood rushed to his head. The pain was worse than anything he had ever felt.
But he was still standing.
He let out another roar, voice hoarse and raw. His Spirit essence rushed faster now, fighting the pain, obeying his will.
Another strike was coming. He could feel it again.
This ti, he didn't take chances.
He called on his Spirit essence again and ford two layers of vine dos—one over the other. The outer layer was thicker, more twisted and full of energy. The inner layer was tighter and stronger. Both pulsed with wood-elent essence.
Then ca the third strike.
And the fourth.
And the fifth.
The storm above had no rcy. Each bolt ca with greater force than the last. Every strike cracked the barriers, broke the earth, and sent the Verdant Elder staggering. The pain nearly made him lose his mind, but he didn't give up.
He held on.
His roars shook the mountain. His will burned brighter than the lightning. Ti passed slowly.
Each second felt like an hour. His body was torn and scorched, yet he stood firm. Over and over, he rebuilt the wood barriers and faced the storm again.
This went on for nearly half an hour. Then, sothing strange happened.
As the thunderclouds rumbled one last ti, a set of glowing runes ford in the sky. They looked like strange symbols, made of pure light and shaped like ancient numbers or forgotten words.
The runes turned into lightning.
But this ti, when they struck, they didn't hurt.
The pain stopped. The lightning entered his body, flowing through his veins like calm water. His Spirit veins stopped burning. His Dantian glowed, and the spinning mass of gas within began to slow down. It took shape—clear, solid, and stable.
His Spirit essence cald, but grew stronger.
The gaseous core was no longer loose or wild. It had taken a proper form—the mark of the 3rd Order. The trial was over.
The Verdant Elder's body was broken, but his Spirit was whole. He had survived the Celestial Wrath. He had passed the final test.
And at this point, he had officially stepped into the 3rd Order Spirit realm.
The chaos died down after the Celestial Wrath trial ended. The night turned quiet once again save for the distant sounds of nocturnal demon beasts who were obviously intimidated by the lightning strikes.
Cool wind brushed over the black cliffs, carrying the scent of fresh soil and broken vines. The sky had cleared after the long storm. Stars blinked slowly above, and the half-moon cast a soft silver light over the dark mountain range.
The Verdant Elder stood at the edge of the cliff, eyes closed, his massive form still. His breath was steady. His mind was calm. For the first ti in many days, there was no pain.
He had done it.
He had crossed the final trial and stepped into the 3rd Order. His Spirit essence was stable, his body had survived, and his soul, though scarred, was still intact.
A rare smile ford on his beastly face.
However, his smile didn't last long.
Because— everything changed in the next mont.
There was no warning. No shift in wind. No sound.
Just a sharp, sudden pain.
A flash of black.
A dagger pierced into his right eye, sinking deep with a sickening crunch.
The Verdant Elder let out a roar that shook the cliff. His body staggered, and he crashed into the ground, one of his front legs giving out from the shock.
Blood poured down the side of his face.
His right eye… it was gone.
He quickly lifted his head with the other eye wide open, searching for the attacker. His Spirit sense flared, but it was already too late.
A figure stepped out of the darkness. Like a shadow lting into form, the man revealed himself, holding the bloodied dagger in one hand.
Aksai.
Clad in black robes that blended with the night, Aksai stood still, face cold and unreadable.
[ The effects of the Druid's Blessing: Night Wind have ended due to external factors. ]
Aksai's neural link fabric generated a prompt as soon as his figure stepped out of the veil of darkness.
===
AN: The black teor dagger Celestial Stinger was introduced in chapter 266. The Druid Blessing: Night Wind was introduced in chapter 437.
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