Unsealing Emptiness

Chapter 454: Trial of the Phoenix II.

Seconds ticked by slowly as the audience on the elevated platform watched with bated breaths. Their chosen participants struggled under the intense flames akin to a hungry void.

It was a few minutes later that the first casualty occurred. The participant’s shaking knees could not bear the pressure any longer

He was a young master of a noble clan who, if not for this slip-up, would have succeeded the clan leader in the future.

His guardian on the platform watched helplessly as his young master fell and the Celestial Phoenix picked him up immediately, throwing him in the air while ignoring his screams, and then swallowing him in one go.

The rest of the participants who were just about to give up tried even harder.

Yet, the pain was increasing every moment.

Without fail, people began to drop to their knees one by one.

Each time they fell, the Phoenix didn’t miss a beat before picking them up mercilessly and swallowing them.

Zier looked horrified as the girl standing next to him gave him pleading eyes as she fell to her knees. Yet, he couldn’t even think before her upper body was already in the Phoenix’s mouth, and in the next second, she too was swallowed.

’He... wasn’t joking,’ he gulped, glancing at the smirking Rai who stood with Ember on the raised platform.

At the same time, he too was curious like everyone else as to why they weren’t being affected by the fire like others. ’Is it because of the Scent?’ That was the only plausible explanation.

It wasn’t just him, Raven and Blaze too thought that it was because of the Scent.

And as if they had already accepted this as a fact, they began wondering just how many more secrets Ozul held in him.

As people began falling every ten or so seconds, their guardians on the platform couldn’t help but voice out their complaints.

"They must be cheating."

"Why aren’t those three affected?"

"There must be something wrong!"

"It’s impossible to stay so calm if they were going through the same pain."

"..."

These were all the people whose participants had already failed.

When the complaints were growing too much, the City Lord couldn’t ignore it any longer.

Frowning, he released his pressure and asserted, "If any of you dare question the Celestial Phoenix, step forward. You will be allowed to test the flames yourselves, provided you put your life on the line!"

Everyone was quiet again. Only the distant screams of those participants could be heard.

Even if they were absolutely sure that something was wrong, they couldn’t offend the City Lord and the Celestial Phoenix, nor were they willing to bet their lives away.

And while Ryujin had the duty to shut their complaints, in his mind, he too was questioning if the Phoenix was playing favorites with those three. The thought alone irritated him.

He wasn’t at fault for doubting the Phoenix as even Ember, who had known her for far longer, was the same as him.

Ozul was the only person there who didn’t care about this strange situation in which only three remained unbothered among all the participants.

Instead, he was more focused on the Celestial Phoenix when she was swallowing those people.

He concentrated particularly on the Spiritual Essence of those people as they were being swallowed.

Even with all of his hypersensitivity, right after the Phoenix swallowed those people, he wasn’t able to track their Spiritual traces any longer.

There were also a few times when he could sense a sparse amount of Spiritual Essence around her, but it would scatter into the Realm quickly and disappear.

’Something is strange,’ Ozul couldn’t put a finger on it.

He was keenly observing the Phoenix in feint hope that he could learn something about souls, but once she swallowed them, he was just as blind to the process as others.

Despite not understanding anything, he kept his eyes on the Phoenix till the end.

Soon, only ten people were standing in front of the Phoenix as she ate the last participant of this trial.

The fire died down as the pain that everyone, except the trio, was feeling in their souls vanished as well. They all heaved a sigh of relief.

The 7 other survivors included the 4 Dragon Hatchlings of the Immortal Sect, Vesta, and two other young masters who had come from reputable kingdoms. Excluding Vesta, they all plopped down on the ground the moment the fire died.

Vesta was a proud Beastkin and even when she felt fear in the presence of the Celestial Phoenix, she refused to fall to her knees in front of another beast.

To her side, the once-princess Sarah glared murderously at the trio. She scorned the idea that the companions of her most hated man effortlessly passed the trial while they had to grit their teeth till they bled!

Aakal too was bleeding from his palms; his nails had dug deep when he was clenching his fists earlier. The others didn’t fare better either.

And right now, all of them were glancing in the direction of the trio, all wondering if they were somehow cheating.

"Rejoice, for you have passed the trial." The Phoenix advised them with a flat tone.

Following that, the City Lord coughed and addressed the guardians again, "The trial has concluded. All of you will be escorted out and wait there."

Once again, the embers sparked, and winds of black flames surrounded everyone including Ryujin, teleporting them outside the Realm.

The only person spared from the teleportation was Ozul, who looked a little surprised that he was left alone on the raised platform now. Though he stayed quiet, staring intently at the Phoenix, wondering how she would bless these people.

Feeling something brush against his legs, he didn’t need to look down to know that it was Jinx. He picked her up and held her in his arms all the while his eyes remained on the Phoenix.

On the other platform, the Phoenix allowed everyone to catch their breaths before speaking, "All of you came for my blessing, and now you have earned it. Be warned, I will be reinforcing your bones and it will hurt."

And so, she began from the left. The first man chosen was one of the young masters from another kingdom.

"Stay conscious."

As her words fell, she flapped her wings and the familiar sight of those flames filled everyone’s eyes. The flames surrounded the young master and immediately, he started screaming to the top of his lungs!

*ARGHKH...!*

Everyone observed with anxious eyes as the skin of that young master seemed to melt, but regenerate at the same time over and over again.

It was as if an immortal was stuck in a pit of molten rocks, forever condemned to burn, and where even death seemed like the gentle hands of mercy.

The horrific process of the melting skin continued for almost half a minute. By the end of it, the young master fell unconscious. He would wake up a different man.

The Phoenix teleported him out of the Realm before starting with the next person.

Ozul kept an eye on the process and he was the only one who noticed the change in that young master.

’His bones are denser, and there are a few embers in his Spiritual Core that are continuously purifying the Spiritual Essence on their own.’ Ozul could now understand why those who received the ’blessing’ were sure to reach the Transcendent Realm.

Not only were their physical body upgraded to another level, but the Phoenix embers in their Spiritual Core were like an additional cultivator!

The process of redirecting the Spiritual Essence throughout their body while refining it in their Core at the same time was not painstakingly slow. Those embers would reduce the work of the cultivators in half!

While Ozul was analyzing everything carefully, the Phoenix was almost done with everyone except the trio.

Unlike others, Vesta kept her screams to muffled groans even when she felt tearing apart her skin. Before being teleported outside, she gave one last look at the raised platform where Ozul was standing, trying to convey her challenge but failing to look threatening in her current state.

And then, the Phoenix finally looked at Zier before speaking,

"Your impurities must have been cleansed by Mother. You might not have felt anything before, but it will be different this time."

Zier gulped with an ashen face, rethinking his decision of cultivation.

However, it was too late to back down now as the black fire hissed and slithered around him like a hungry snake.

*ARGH...!*

His screams didn’t differ much from the others.

But by the end of the process, he stayed conscious, just not in a state of mind where he could muster up any strength to speak.

Raven too screamed but stayed conscious, not willing to lose out to Zier.

Among the three of them, Blaze was the most resilient as he too refused to scream just like Vesta. His muffled moans resembled a snoring bear.

His childhood consisted of people throwing rocks at him. He refused to scream back then, and he refused to scream now.

"Well done," the Phoenix complimented before teleporting him outside as well.

Ozul and Jinx were the only ones who remained in this Realm besides the Phoenix now.

"You have talented companions."

Sighing, Ozul couldn’t help but reply, "I wish they were stronger though."

It had been a while since he was allowed to rest as he pleased because they were really weak.

"It won’t be long now," boasted the Phoenix.

She curiously eyed the cat purring in Ozul’s embrace as he gently stroked her fur.

"I haven’t the slightest clue what magic you must have played for Mother to like you so much." There was a hint of envy in her tone, but it wasn’t easy to notice.

"Do you need something from me?" Ozul hoped she did because then, he would have her answer his questions as well.

There was a moment of silence as if the Phoenix didn’t know how to speak of the matter.

With a tired tone, she finally uttered, "There is war coming..."