Divine Emperor of Death

Time passed.

Although the tense air remained a bit, it slowly disappeared as no one made any significant moves. As for Hayley, she was kept an eye on by both the Earth Dragon Clan and the Fire Phoenix Clan.

After all, she was an outsider and could leak information about the realm pills and, most importantly, their location.

Hayley declared that she wouldn't, but no one trusted her, so she was under the surveillance of Crystia and Sierra. Isabella wanted to vouch for her, but she wasn't sure as she didn't know Hayley well.

When it came to benefits, no one was above greed. To suppress that greed, one needed another form of greed, even if it was less beneficial or the scary realization of the consequences.

Although Isabella couldn't support Hayley, she spent some time with her, getting to know her and asking for more details about the Tranquil Lotus Nirvanic Mantra. It helped her comprehend Rumbling Laws, so she wanted to know more, and Hayley also asked Isabella to demonstrate Rumbling Laws in order to have more insights into her cultivation.

The precise control Isabella had over her energy even attracted other eyes as they witnessed her lovely figure demonstrating the Rumbling Laws.

Crystia also stepped in to to learn from her.

On the other hand, Noctis scoured the distant lands, and Founder Rocksunder maintained a perimeter around the mountain in which they stayed. They both looked for information regarding the two Hidden Pagodas, but perhaps it was the place they stayed, it was quite deserted, although Noctis met two or three Immortal Emperors who ran away at the sight of him.

"Everything seems good…"

In the mountain cave, Evelynn nodded at Shirley as they stood near the entrance.

"The sun is high in the sky. It's the start of the third day, but the remaining two Hidden Pagodas haven't been cleared yet. Oh my- we actually have a chance?"

Shirley blinked.

She thought the other two Hidden Pagodas would be cleared before they knew it. However, the seals on the cultivations still remained.

Eventually, Noctis brought some information.

Apparently, there were two massacres dubbed the Pink Waterfall Massacre and the Mad River Crossing Swamp. The details were unknown, but these two places took as many as ninety-three lives. In other words, ninety-three Immortal Emperors died.

The survivors who walked out of these two places apparently won Empyrean Grade Treasures, shocking Evelynn and the others.

"Of course, the Hidden Pagodas aren't the only sites that would be in this Crystal World…"

Shirley giggled, "The Crystal Fruits on that mammoth tree above the Ninth Hidden Pagoda and even the Empyrean Crystal Beasts with their cores are treasures that would make any Upper Realm salivate."

Dewzai pressed her lips in regret.

If she hadn't used that Crystal Fruit, she might be in possession of an Empyrean Grade Treasure, and by the likes of it, it might even allow her to peak the Immortal Emperor Stage in one fell swoop and even give her a significant advantage to enter the Empyrean Stage.

They didn't go back to that place because it was unlikely that anyone could steal the Crystal Fruits from the rampaging Empyrean Crystal Beasts. After they left, it was basically a land of death.

It was unknown how many inheritors walked into it unknowingly, only to get crushed by a single stomp.

"Shirley, you were really lucky to win the Ninth Hidden Pagoda on the first try. If you had failed, trying again would be near impossible, even with the perks of reaching the Ninth Step, because you would not have been able to gather the Crystal Units again. That just goes to say how difficult clearing the Ninth Hidden Pagoda is, but you managed to clear it. Just how did you do it? How did you beat that ridiculous statue?"

"Aha~" Shirley's nose grew in pride, "That's just how talented I am. Everything I do, I always get to be the winner. I literally won the lottery in life when I was defeated for the first time in my life, still making me win as I got to marry my darling~"

"…"

Dewzai's expression became glum, "Shirley if you don't want to say it, that's fine."

"If I say it, you might be affected by heavy karmic burden."

Shirley raised her hands in surrender. Anything that had to do with the Celestial Transcendent was not a small matter and this wasn't the trial space but the Crystal World, so she dared not even mention it to Isabella and Evelynn other than the specifics of playing an escape game.

"Is that so…?" Dewzai sounded unconvinced, but she nodded her head.

There were too many inexplicable matters in the Candidacy, and she didn't know the answer to everything, so she tried to believe Shirley.

The two of them goofed around while Evelynn and Rea Tyriel were in some other area, the latter challenging her for a battle but without any deals as though purely trying to best Evelynn. Unfortunately, Rea Tyriel learned again and again that he was not a match for Evelynn.

However, that didn't stop her, as she wanted to get stronger.

While they were hiding and training, many things occurred in the Crystal World.

More inheritors fell, bringing the count down to four hundred and ten. The First Haven World clamored over this ridiculous death rate as more than half were killed, and a small part of them died due to natural causes like natural formations entrapping them and killing them.

The Crystal World was perilous but the inheritors were all supreme geniuses that they would never chance upon in their lives yet they were weeded away like nothing, giving most of them an existential crisis.

At the end of the third day, the inheritors and the people of the First Haven World all saw bright characters appear in the skies of the Crystal World.

[Congratulations to all those who survived and the three inheritors who found the Crystal Gates and managed to exit with their lives while forfeiting all the treasures they collected upon getting here. Now, the Second Trial enters its next phase. The Crystal Beasts will no longer remain in the Crystal Mountains and will venture out to aggressively target whoever has absorbed their cores, including the Empyrean Crystal Beasts from the far west. This Crystal Beast Horde will end on the seventh day, concluding the Second Trial.]

"…"

Evelynn, Shirley, and Isabella looked at each other.

They could be a bit safe since they were unable to absorb the cores fully, but as for the others… they were screwed if they didn't soar to the Level Four Immortal Emperor Stage before the Crystal Beasts got to them.

"Elder sisters… what are the chances Dewzai and I would be targeted by those Empyrean Stage Crystal Beasts? We practically offended them, and they appeared a bit sentient, after all…"

However, Shirley couldn't help but ask wryly.

Evelynn and Isabella looked at each other, thinking perhaps they were screwed after all.