The Final Trial! Chapter Forty-Six: Prey

As Luo Chen led the group swiftly away from the army of blood ants, they eventually arrived at a cave halfway up a barren mountain. Standing at the cave entrance, Luo Chen gazed into the distance at the vast swarm of blood ants, fully aware that not even this cave would likely withstand their relentless advance. But with only himself and these few companions, this was the only feasible choice.

"Xuan Yu, you take everyone and hide here for now. I'll go out and draw the blood ant horde away," Luo Chen said, waving his hand as a shimmering barrier instantly enveloped the group. At this moment, there was no other way; someone had to serve as bait, or none of them would escape.

"Brother Chen, what are you doing? Let me go with you! You’ll only get yourself killed!" Qing Xuanyu pleaded from within the barrier, but Luo Chen did not yield. He merely walked up to her, touched the barrier, and gently caressed her face through its shimmering surface. Still, he did not release the protection. No matter how hard Qing Xuanyu struck at the shimmering wall, it did not yield. In truth, this barrier was not Luo Chen's own creation, but rather forged by Shi Ling at his command, using the deathly aura that lingered in this place.

The barrier did more than merely shield them; it thoroughly masked their presence. From outside the cave, there was no sign of life—only the endless breath of death. The formation would maintain itself for four hours before dissolving on its own. Without looking back, Luo Chen glanced once more at the distant army of blood ants, then, in a flash, propelled himself down the mountainside toward them.

It was only now that Luo Chen began to unravel certain mysteries. Why were there so many sword-bearing corpses in this place? He had long wondered. Swordsmen would only abandon their blades in two situations: either as a forfeit upon losing a bet, or upon their own death. The swords here had clearly once belonged to their wearers—those who first explored this secret realm.

But it was not only the earliest explorers. As Shi Ling had suggested, this space was likely a fragment that broke off from the Sacred Mountain upon its fall. That catastrophe had occurred nearly ten million years ago. Since this space separated from the Sacred Mountain and drifted into the void, countless waves of people had entered—and perished—here over the millennia.

Perhaps a few escaped, but they were the rarest exceptions. Gazing down at the thousands of blood ants at his feet, Luo Chen let out a cold laugh, drew a short blade, and without hesitation, sliced a shallow cut across his palm. As blood welled up and dripped onto the ground, the entire swarm of blood ants erupted into a frenzy, their eyes igniting with a scarlet glow.

"So it’s true. My guess wasn’t wrong," Luo Chen murmured, then darted away from the cave, leading the swarm in a direction opposite from Qing Xuanyu and the others, blood drops marking his trail. That was precisely what he intended: to lure the blood ants by scent, keeping them from returning to hunt his companions.

He had guessed correctly. This was no ancient sword tomb, nor some legendary secret realm—it was a slaughterhouse, a place to breed bloodthirsty spirit beasts. Perhaps it had always been so, even before it was torn from the Sacred Mountain, a breeding ground for a single purpose: to cultivate an army of voracious, killing spirit beasts.

Looking at the blood ant army, Luo Chen understood why, since his arrival, aside from the sword corpses, he had seen no living creature. The moment he and his group appeared, the blood ants had tracked them relentlessly. No matter how he tried to shake them, the swarm always seemed able to follow their trail, never giving up.

It was then that Luo Chen boldly conjectured: the blood ant horde’s pursuit of him and the others from Tianqing Academy was no accident. The ants could track the breath of any living being, hunting down life and devouring it utterly.

This was the true terror of the secret realm. Over nearly ten million years, however vast the realm might be, every living thing had likely been consumed by the blood ant horde.

Hour after hour, Luo Chen led the swarm farther away. At last, judging he had gone far enough, he found a pile of rocks and sat down to rest.

"Shi Ling, this won’t work. If I keep bleeding like this, I’ll die of blood loss before the ants even catch me," he said helplessly, glancing at the wound in his palm. If he stopped bleeding, the swarm would turn back to hunt Qing Xuanyu and the others. But if he kept going, he himself would perish.

"Master, there’s nothing I can do unless you find someone else to take your place. The Devouring Dragon Blood Ants have been a terror to gods for millions of years," Shi Ling replied.

Luo Chen sighed at the response. Easy to say, but who could he possibly find in this place to take his place? Since he’d begun running, he’d seen no living creature but himself and the blood ants.

Suddenly, voices drifted over from behind the rocks. "Hey, did you hear? If we kill the students from Tianqing Academy and keep them from passing the trial, there will be extra rewards when we get out!"

"Really?"

Luo Chen’s brow furrowed. He was curious about this so-called extra reward. Even before entering the secret realm, he had sensed danger at every turn. When the door opened, he’d noticed dozens of hostile glances.

But something didn’t add up. Judging by their dress, these were just members of ordinary noble families. With the Heavenly Sword Hall overseeing the trial, how could they dare act so brazenly against Tianqing Academy? Unless they were certain the truth would never come to light, or that they could keep his group trapped here forever—or perhaps the power behind them could match Tianqing Academy itself.

No—could it be the Heavenly Sword Hall itself? A chilling thought took root in Luo Chen’s mind. Considering Qing Xingyue’s earlier actions, and piecing together other clues, things began to make sense. The resurrection of Tianqing Palace would shake the very foundations of the continent, threatening the interests of the Heavenly Sword Hall and others. To claim the right to return, Tianqing Palace had to win the sacred trial, a rule set a thousand years ago.

"Hmph. With that little strength, they dare to covet my Tianqing Academy’s people," Luo Chen muttered. Glancing at the dust rising on the horizon, he stroked his chin and allowed a strange smile to play at his lips. His gaze hardened, and suddenly a surge of bloody aura welled from his palm. At that moment, his spiritual senses detected the blood ant horde approaching faster than before.

Luo Chen concealed his presence, cast a shroud of necrotic aura from the mark on his hand, and sat quietly to await the unfolding drama.

Before long, the group at the foot of the hill sensed something amiss. Beyond the rolling clouds of dust, the earth began to tremble, and an eerie sound drifted from within the haze.

"Big brother, look! What’s that?" one of the men cried, pointing toward the encroaching dust storm. As all eyes turned, they saw not only dark, shifting shapes, but myriad crimson, gleaming eyes—like demons of slaughter incarnate.

"What in the world is that?"

"Weren’t we supposed to ambush the Tianqing Academy students here? What’s happening now?" the leader demanded, but the others only shook their heads in panic, unable to answer.

"Big brother, let’s run!" one of them urged, preparing to flee, but the leader blocked his path with a sword, an eerie grin spreading across his face as he stared at the blood ant army just a dozen meters away.

"No one leaves. Go hunt the blood ants," he commanded. The group’s fear only deepened. Watching from behind the rocks, Luo Chen felt a pang of pity, but it quickly vanished. Glancing away, he vanished in a flash, racing toward the distance.

His goal had been achieved. Whether those people escaped or not, at least for now, the blood ant horde would not be pursuing him alone. But now, Luo Chen found himself at a loss—where should he go next? His earlier suspicions troubled him; there were well over a thousand participants in the team trial, but after overhearing those men, Luo Chen could no longer tell friend from foe.

Suddenly, a terrible thought struck him. He froze—what about Qing Xuanyu and the others? Instantly, he turned and sped back the way he had come, panic rising in his chest. It was only natural: his companions had no idea that someone had marked them as prey. Four hours had passed since he left—that meant the barrier had dissolved. They were free, but if they encountered anyone from another faction, and Qing Xuanyu was unaware, disaster would surely follow. The more Luo Chen thought about it, the faster he ran. Across the desolate plain, only a streak of light could be seen racing at impossible speed.

"I have to make it in time!" Luo Chen muttered under his breath, never slowing for a moment. Nearly two hours later, he finally glimpsed the familiar barren mountain.