Casa del's skeletal fingers gently caressed the lingering black curse mark on Aelios's forehead, yet his gaze pierced through the void, as if staring at the far end of an endless abyss. Fa, Celestia, Salsa, Zhamisi, and Yuyuer sat cross-legged in the corner, their bodies wreathed in energy fluctuations different from before—Fa's star pupils occasionally flickered with dark green light threads, Celestia's wind-thunder aura had become more condensed, Salsa's soul body carried an added chill from the abyss deep within, domineering purple-green patterns faintly showed beneath Zhamisi's skin, and Yuyuer's crystal ball refracted an even more intricate spiritual light spectrum. They were silently digesting the transformation brought by that life-and-death trial of poison and spirit.
"Lord Casa del," Arya's gentle voice broke the silence, her elf-green eyes filled with sincere concern, "what can we do? Aelios… and their injuries…" She glanced toward Fa and the others, whose auras had not yet fully stabilized.
Tisk gripped his molten lava hammer tightly, the ice-fire patterns on the hammerhead flickering restlessly. "My hammer can shatter stubborn stone! Just tell me what to do!"
Rex's electronic eyes scanned everyone's condition with cold analysis. "External wounds have already been treated by Lin Ya, but soul-level depletion and fusion with newly acquired power require time. External intervention carries higher risk than benefit. I suggest maintaining a protective formation and providing a stable environment."
Lin Ya closed her eyes and sensed the surroundings. Verdant vines spread beneath her, emitting a gentle life halo. "My natural spiritual power can soothe soul exhaustion and accelerate internal balance. Rest and recuperation are the best medicine."
Kayla paced irritably, her thunder claws scraping out tiny electric arcs. "Watching my companions suffer makes me feel like I have strength but nowhere to use it!"
Casa del slowly turned around, his abyssal gaze sweeping over the group. "Quiet waiting is the greatest help at this moment. Disturbing their balance will only push them back toward the edge of collapse." His bony fingers pointed toward the dark dome above. "Conserve your energy. Tomorrow morning, gather in the plaza to face my trial."
The air instantly froze. Fa opened her eyes; her star pupils intertwined with deep blue and dark green light. Her voice was weak but carried undeniable resolve: "Understood… We will be ready." The other four also opened their eyes—fatigue still lingered, but a fiercer fighting spirit burned in their depths after the tempering. They knew the true challenge concerned Aelios's life and death, and whether they could obtain the power to turn fate from this abyss guardian.
The next morning. Everyone stood on the plaza outside the Soul Abyss Grand Hall, paved with black soul crystal stones. The air was cold and deathly silent, with only faint light from simulated deep-blue stars overhead. Casa del stood alone in the center, his deep-blue cloak fluttering without wind, like an ancient rock. The bone dragon "Night of Eternal Silence" lay quietly to one side, its ghostly blue soul flames leaping, radiating suffocating pressure.
"Then let's begin," Casa del's voice echoed like the abyss.
Initial Test: Shadow of the Poison Dragon
He raised a bony finger casually, as if brushing away dust. In an instant, the space in the center of the plaza twisted violently. A torrent of ink-green and deep-purple energy gushed forth, carrying a pungent corrosive stench! The torrent rolled and coalesced into a poison dragon over ten meters long, entirely formed of boiling venom! It had no solid scales; its body flowed with lethal viscous poison slurry. Empty eye sockets burned with destructive green flames. It let out a silent roar that shook the soul, and a toxic breath cascaded down like a waterfall!
"Defensive formation!" Fa shouted sharply, her star pupils locking onto the poison dragon's core. Tisk roared and stepped forward, slamming his molten lava hammer down. "Molten Lava Fortress!" Boom! A massive, thick barrier of flowing molten lava and frozen ice patterns rose from the ground to meet the toxic waterfall! Hiss—! Amid intense corrosive sounds, the ice-fire patterns flickered wildly. The barrier shook violently, its surface quickly pitted, yet it stubbornly blocked the first wave of impact.
"Rex! Suppress it!" Fa ordered. "Drone swarm, frost coverage mode—fire!" Rex's shoulder hatches opened, and hundreds of micro-drones surged out like a silver storm toward the poison dragon. The swarm sprayed dense extreme-cold frost mist, rapidly forming thick white frost on the dragon's flowing body, visibly slowing its movements.
"Good chance!" Kayla's beast pupils flashed with fierce light. "Fourth Stage Transformation—Thunder Frost Cataclysm Giant Beast!" Violent lightning and biting cold ice coiled around her, transforming her into a three-meter-tall semi-beast giant god. Her thunder claws tore through the air with roaring thunder as she pounced on the frost-covered dragon neck! Boom! Thunder claws collided fiercely with the icy venom, exploding into a sky of ink-green ice shards! The poison dragon roared in pain, its body twisting violently.
"Lin Ya! Restrain it!" Arya drew her storm bow fully, light arrows ready. Lin Ya pressed her palms to the ground and shouted, "Senro Binding—Wood Thorn Vines!" Countless thick, cold-gleaming thorns burst from the crystal stone ground like living pythons, wrapping around the poison dragon's limbs and torso. Sharp thorns deeply embedded into the flowing venom, forcibly pinning it down! The dragon struggled, stretching the thorns to the breaking point.
"Pierce it, Arya!" Fa's star pupils blazed with ghostly light. Buzz! Arya released the string. A radiant light arrow condensed with pure light energy and anti-magic will tore through the darkness, precisely striking the energy core marked by Rex's drones! Splat! The arrow sank in; the ink-green venom core flickered violently before exploding! The dragon's massive body burst into a sky of splashing toxic rain, blocked by Tisk's newly raised molten lava ice wall.
"Not bad… Just enough to warm me up," Casa del commented indifferently, flicking his finger again.
Dance of the Twin Dragons: 10% Soul Oppression
Space twisted a second time, this time gushing pure silver radiance! An elegant yet lethal spirit dragon formed entirely of flowing mental energy coalesced. It floated silently, its eyes swirling hypnotic vortices. An invisible mental storm swept the field like a tsunami! Sharp soul-piercing screams that could tear apart sanity rang through the air!
"Beware of mental attacks!" Salsa's soul body instantly solidified. She formed seals with both hands: "Soul Wall—Shadow Corridor!" Multiple twisted shadow barriers layered out, forcibly weakening the mental impact. Celestia spread her four wings; wind-thunder power formed an invisible force field to protect the mind: "Wind-Thunder Barrier—Mind Guard!" Zhamisi grunted, snake pupils contracting as she crossed her venom fang curved blades in front of her. Murky green toxic mist formed a shield around her body to resist mental erosion: "Toxic Miasma—Mind Confusion Barrier!" Yuyuer's crystal ball blazed blue, spreading gentle mental soothing ripples: "Mind Clear Spring!"
The spirit dragon's hypnotic eyes locked onto Tisk! Tisk felt a roar in his mind; the scene before him distorted—the molten lava hammer suddenly became unbearably hot, as if melting his hands, and illusions of his clansmen dying horribly appeared on the hammer handle!
"Tisk! Hold steady!" Fa's star pupils flashed sharply. Her time perception suddenly lengthened! She captured the instant trajectory of the spirit dragon's attack and thrust her short blade with chilling cold from afar: "Ice Spike—Break Delusion!" Several extreme-cold ice cones formed out of thin air—not attacking the physical body, but precisely piercing the invisible "tethers" of mental energy connecting to Tisk! Crack! The intangible mental tethers were frozen and shattered by ice-type anti-magic power! Tisk shuddered, the illusions vanished. He roared and swung his now-normal war hammer at the ground to vent his anger.
"Focus fire! Destroy its mental core!" Fa locked onto the target again. Rex's drone swarm changed formation, emitting high-frequency interference waves. Arya's light arrows, Kayla's thunder-frost heavy fists, Zhamisi's corrosive venom blades, Lin Ya's thorn spears, and Celestia's wind-thunder "Delusion-Breaking Spear" bombarded the spirit dragon's core from different directions! The silver soul body flickered and twisted violently under the barrage of energy, finally bursting apart like foam.
"Still needs more effort," Casa del shook his head slightly, his gaze turning toward the silent bone dragon beside him.
"Night of Eternal Silence." The four low words were like a curse awakening the abyss.
Night of Eternal Silence Joins the Battle: Despair's Shadow
Casa del nodded slightly, seemingly acknowledging their performance. "Increase intensity." As his hoarse voice fell, an even older and heavier aura of death descended!
"Roar—!!!"
A dragon roar from ancient primordial times shook the entire Silent Extinction Corridor! The colossal creature behind Casa del—the bone dragon "Night of Eternal Silence"—slowly raised its massive skull! Ghostly blue soul flames blazed in its empty eye sockets. Its mountain-like white bone frame stretched, every bone flowing with the dark luster of accumulated eons, radiating soul-freezing extreme cold and endless deathly silence! Merely standing up, the ancient draconic might caused Kayla, Tisk, and the others to have their breath catch and hearts gripped by an invisible hand.
"Salsa!" Fa called urgently.
"Understood!" Salsa's soul body erupted with intense shadow and icy fluctuations. "Shadow Demon Dragon—Frost Soul Descent!" A youthful shadow demon dragon roared forth. Though far smaller than Night of Eternal Silence, it charged with imposing momentum, icy-blue soul flames locking onto the colossal bone dragon. However, when the young demon dragon slammed into Night of Eternal Silence's mountain-like bone claw, it was violently repelled like a child hitting a steel wall! Its soul flames shook violently, and fine cracks even appeared on its shadow scales! The gap in strength was like a child facing a giant!
At the same time, the ink-green poison dragon and silver-blue spirit dragon re-coalesced, roaring as they pounced toward the group!
Despair's shadow enveloped them. Night of Eternal Silence's massive bone wings flapped, bringing soul-freezing yin winds and deathly cold currents. Its enormous bone tail swept horizontally with mountain-crushing force. The young demon dragon was forced back step by step, barely holding on with agility. The poison dragon and spirit dragon became fiercer under Casa del's power enhancement, with larger toxic smoke ranges and more condensed mental assaults. The group was hard-pressed; Kayla and Tisk were forced to roll away by the poison dragon's breath, while Arya and Yuyuer focused on maintaining mental defenses. Celestia's wind-thunder seemed somewhat dimmed under the bone dragon's draconic might.
Soul Stripping: 20% Soul Reaping
Watching the group struggling under the assault of the twin dragons and bone dragon, Casa del's eyes beneath his cloak flashed with profound light. "20%," he whispered softly, like a verdict.
In an instant, an indescribable rule power from the soul's origin descended! Casa del's skeletal figure became ghostly, ignoring spatial distance as he instantly appeared in the battlefield's center. He did not attack anyone—he simply raised his branch-like hand.
Buzz—!
The plaza's air solidified. An icy, irresistible pulling force emanated from his palm, targeting not the body, but the soul!
"Ugh—!" Kayla, at the very front, was the first to bear the brunt! She felt an indescribable giant force seize her soul core and yank outward violently! Her sturdy beastman body shook violently; the wild fighting spirit in her eyes instantly froze and vanished, becoming hollow. She toppled backward like a puppet with cut strings, slamming heavily onto the crystal stone ground with a thud.
Above her fallen body, a semi-transparent beastman soul identical to her original form floated in the air—filled with shock and confusion! This soul could not attack or be physically touched; it could only watch its body fall and emit silent roars.
"Kayla!" The group's eyes nearly split with rage!
Casa del's figure flickered like a ghost. The next instant he appeared behind Tisk. The dwarf roared and swung his hammer, molten lava and frost exploding! But the hammer shadow passed through the phantom. The bony finger touched the back of Tisk's neck. "No—!" Tisk's dwarf soul was forcibly ripped out; his craftsman body slumped to the ground.
Next was Arya! Her light arrow shot into emptiness, yet her soul was extracted upon the finger's touch! Zhamisi's venom fang curved blades slashed through air, her snake-person soul ruthlessly drawn out! Yuyuer's crystal ball tried to block with blue light; the mental barrier was pierced like thin paper, her soul extracted! Finally, Lin Ya—her natural power shield collapsed instantly, her soul drifting away…
In the blink of an eye, aside from Fa, Salsa, Rex, Celestia, and Lin Ya, the other five bodies lay fallen, their souls stripped and imprisoned! Only five remained facing Casa del, Night of Eternal Silence, and the re-coalesced poison and spirit dragons! Deathly silence and despair instantly swallowed the remaining five.
Desperation Erupts: Limit Ascension of Potential
"Kayla! Arya!" Celestia's eyes nearly split as she looked at the fallen companions. Salsa's soul body fluctuated violently; the shadow demon dragon let out a grief-stricken roar. Lin Ya's face turned deathly pale; the druid's natural power felt powerless before the soul rules. Rex's armor issued urgent alarms; his core computations ran frantically but found no solution to break the soul rules. Fa's right-eye star pupil spun wildly, attempting to analyze the invisible force, but only sensed abyssal chaos.
Casa del's icy gaze swept over the remaining five. His hoarse voice carried cruel mockery: "Is this all you have? Truly… disappointing." His fingers tightened slightly. The floating souls immediately twisted in greater silent agony. "Time is running out. If you don't get serious, these five stripped souls will be lost forever in the void rift, and their bodies will rot."
Lost forever! Bodies rot!
These eight words stabbed like the sharpest ice spikes into the deepest parts of Fa, Celestia, Salsa, Kayla's soul, Rex, and Lin Ya's hearts!
"No—!!!" Celestia let out a heart-rending scream! An indescribable scorching power from the deepest bloodline erupted within her! The four wings on her back—one pair of black bat wings, one pair of tattered black feathers—trembled and expanded violently! The sounds of stretching bones and tearing wings were clear! Brilliant silver-blue wind-thunder light exploded from her body like a detonation!
Rip! Rip!
Two even larger, tougher new wings, flowing with pure wind-thunder runes, tore through the void from beneath her shoulder blades and unfurled fiercely! Six wings! Wind-Thunder Wings! A violent power storm swept outward with her at the center. Her aura surged instantly; silver-blue lightning arcs danced wildly around her. Her pupils transformed completely into storm vortices! Six-Winged Wind-Thunder Arbiter!
"Roar—!" Salsa's soul body emitted a heaven-shaking dragon roar! The pain of seeing companions' souls stripped and the resolve to protect ignited the dragon bloodline deep in her soul! Her youthful shadow demon dragon roared with mingled pain and excitement. Its body swelled madly in dark light! Deep shadow scales became thicker and tougher, edges flowing with tangible shadow blades! The icy-blue soul flames expanded and condensed into two cold icy moons! Draconic might surged like a tsunami; its power level underwent a earth-shaking transformation! Adult Shadow Frost Soul Dragon! It roared defiantly at Night of Eternal Silence; its momentum was no longer completely suppressed!
"Ughhh—!" Kayla's floating beastman soul let out a silent but endless roar of fury and unwillingness! At this moment she recalled what Rakas once said: "…Beastmen ancestors were true children of the earth. Primitive power surges in our blood. If flesh and soul can resonate more deeply, the fifth transformation can be unlocked. This separation of beast soul and beast body will become the door to the fifth stage!" This ultimate protection and longing now acted like a spark igniting gunpowder!
Her soul body expanded and transformed dramatically! No longer giant beast form, it became a towering, semi-transparent giant composed of pure raging thunder and indestructible fighting spirit! The soul giant's eyes shot golden lightning; its muscles knotted with world-destroying power! Even more astonishingly, her soulless body on the ground slowly stood up under the soul giant's will! Though movements were somewhat stiff, the thunder claws on its hands erupted with unprecedented brilliant lightning! Fifth Stage—Beastman Giant God! Soul controlling flesh; combat power skyrocketed!
Lin Ya's verdant life radiance burned fiercely around her. Countless fine vine phantoms shimmering with rune light spread frantically from her feet, attempting to build a barrier against soul power. Rex's armor ran at overload; all shoulder and back weapon hatches opened fully. Ice-blue energy beams and high-explosive missiles poured toward Casa del, the poison dragon, and spirit dragon in an attempt to create chaos.
Fa's right-eye star pupil spun and intertwined at unprecedented speed with deep-blue, dark-green, and silver-white light! The inheritance of the Abyssal Rift and the mysteries of the stars forcibly fused under extreme pressure and protective will! A strange "precognitive" sensation shot through her nerves like an electric current! Not clear images, but a fuzzy "sense" of energy flow trajectories and attack landing points zero-point-several seconds into the future! Star Pupil—Foresight! The cold aura on her short blade surged; her figure became ethereal. Every movement dodged the most lethal soul screams of the spirit dragon and the core paths of the poison dragon's spits by the narrowest margins.
In the instant Celestia unfurled her six wings, Salsa's demon dragon reached adulthood, and Kayla transformed into a soul-war giant god, Casa del's deep abyssal eyes burst with astonishing brilliance! Especially upon seeing the mighty adult shadow frost soul dragon, a strong, nearly greedy appreciation and desire flashed in his eyes. "Soul summoning dragon… Adult realm… Rare through the ages! Good! Excellent!" His voice carried unprecedented excitement. "This is how it should be! This… makes me take it a little more seriously!" He raised his bony finger again. "25%!"