"Ah, ah—finally out!"

Ash collapsed to his knees the moment he left the mist, and since they were holding hands, everyone else knelt down as well. They breathed heavily, as if they had just returned to the living world, so moved they almost wanted to cry.

They weren't exaggerating at all; what they had just experienced was a truly nauseating trial—the Blindness Test constructed by the Blindness Technique.

They still had no idea what the main theme of the Blindness Test was, but the curse was something they experienced firsthand: sensory deprivation!

Some might wonder, didn't they have the Holy Domain? Couldn't they resist it?

They really couldn't!

No matter how all-encompassing the protection of the Holy Domain is, it still has to allow light and air to enter, or else the mages would be just as blind and deaf. And the terrifying aspect of the Blindness Curse is that it uses light and air as its medium; even if you have the Holy Domain up, you'll still be affected.

After being blinded and deafened, they had no choice but to hold hands and move forward together, lest they come out short a few companions. However, there were many obstacles and traps on the ground, and they stumbled their way through with the protection of the Holy Domain. They even thought about flying, but it turned out there were even more obstacles in the air...

Eventually, they completely lost their vision, hearing, taste, smell, and touch, unable to even control their bodies, as if their consciousness was imprisoned in a dark urn. However, Alice was the MVP this time—she wasn't affected, and Harvey simply had Alice drag them out.

"No wonder the Mercury Wooden Horse left no traps," Igula exhaled a murky breath. "These trials alone are enough to stop an army—even if the Qinri Alliance captures the Vine Castle, they can't penetrate the Silent Spiral."

"Speaking of which," Ash recalled something, "we're already deep into the ninth layer, so why haven't we encountered any believers of The Gods of Four Pillars?"

The first five layers of the Silent Spiral were quite easy to get through because they were trials constructed by the Tribulation Fire Technique. They remembered 'Supreme Truth' as the main theme, and although they got burned a bit by the tribulation fire, it was thrilling but not dangerous overall. But by the unfamiliar sixth layer, their progress significantly slowed down.

The sixth layer's 'Rotating Light Trial' and the eighth layer's 'Natural Trial'—though they couldn't grasp the main theme, they managed to push through with the Holy Domain.

However, the seventh layer's 'Bronze Law Trial' cost them quite a bit of time.

The curse in the Bronze Law Trial was extremely bizarre. It didn't harm the trialists but gave them infinite chances: it simply sent them back to the trial's starting point!

Ash and the others were nauseated and felt like playing those tough games where one mistake sends you back to the beginning. It took them a lot of time to figure out the main theme of the Bronze Law Trial, thinking it was the most disgusting checkpoint, but the Blindness Test of the ninth layer immediately slapped them in the face.

Along the way, they also witnessed the 'New World' constructed by the Nine Great Skills: although the five whose tribulation was the Tribulation Fire had the same ideals, the details were different—Dust Tribulation Fire was gentle, Killing Tribulation Fire was aggressive, Universal Tribulation Fire was lofty, and so on;

The Natural Technique constructed a lush nature, where wind, rain, thunder, mountains, sea, forests, sun, and moon were all human-incarnate. Humans were no longer human but rather new, eternal life that coexists with the universe;

The Bronze Law Technique constructed a society full of precepts. From the physiological level, no one could violate the precepts, 'evil' was extinct, reminding Ash of the familiar Shattered Lake Prison;

The Blindness Technique constructed a void New World where people lost all their senses and merged directly into the nihility of the world.

However, after nine trials, they still hadn't found any believers of The Gods of Four Pillars.

"If it were you, would you stay in those trials?" Igula retorted.

Ash shook his head repeatedly.

"Even if the Four Pillars God Sect left people behind to guard the middle ground, they would choose those trials with easily adaptable main themes and without changing scenes," Igula analyzed. "Like the Natural Trial and Rotating Light Trial."

Not all trials, like the Tribulation Fire Trials, had convoluted scene changes. Trials like the Rotating Light Trial and Natural Trial had only one area and never changed scenes. If they weren't in a hurry, resting and experiencing the New World inside would be quite a nice tourist option.

"More than finding believers of The Gods of Four Pillars, I want to find Mr. Tamasi," Qikara howled sincerely, "Mr. Tamasi, where are you—come out now!"

"Stop yelling," Igula entered the next Fog Gate, "let's move on."

The group passed through the Fog Gate of the tenth layer, arriving at a peaceful grassland. Green grass spread beautifully, blue skies, and white clouds; the sky and grassland met at the horizon, reminding Ash of a very classic computer wallpaper.

"Is it a nature-related trial?" Igula speculated, but as they took just two steps, their expressions changed drastically, and they quickly activated their Holy Domains!

"What's happening?" Ash looked at his foot, "It feels like my toe's being bitten!"

"Me too!" The Beastman lifted his foot, now bare, and the group could clearly see his toe was bitten and bleeding. He grinned wryly, "This curse... really tasty!"

"Same here," Harvey knelt to remove Alice's boots, "but Alice isn't affected."

Igula and Gwen nodded subtly, indicating they too had their toes bitten. Worse yet, the Holy Domain couldn't block this attack, at most weakening it a bit, and the attacks aimed at their toes continued!

How bizarre, what curse has a taste for toes? Sandworms?

"Hurry through this level, don't make a fuss," Igula said, casting the Spirit Miracle to lower their presence, and everyone stealthily crossed the grassland. Although their toes kept getting injured, it didn't much hamper their movement.

Until they saw someone sitting in the distance on the grassland.

A person gnawing on their own foot as if it were chicken claws, chewing bloodily, exposing bone fragments beneath the flesh.

A person whose hands had been gnawed until only skeletal remains were left.

A person they had heard of for a long time but never met!

"Did I see that right!?" Qikara lowered her voice, almost growling, "Oleva the Berserk actually has this hobby!?"

Indeed, the person on the grassland who was self-harming and self-consumed was Oleva, one of the only three Legendary Mages in the Senluo Wasteland, the former head of the War Holy Temple, and now the top combat power of the Four Pillars God Sect — 'Exterminate Pope' Oleva!

Yet at this moment, where was the noble dominion a Legendary Mage should possess? His hair was disheveled, covered in blood and dirt, drooling nonstop, and crazily gnawing at his own feet, hardly better than a beggar!

But Igula felt a chill rising in his heart: "Let's bypass him and cross this layer, don't draw his attention!"

Everyone nodded one after another, but just as they were about to take a detour, Igula stepped on the lawn, producing a crisp 'crack'.

They looked down and discovered a large number of transparent ice crystals hidden among the green grass. At the same time, a sudden blizzard erupted on the sunny tenth layer.

Miracle · Sword Barrier!

Ash instantly constructed a massive defensive barrier, enough to resist any Holy Domain Miracle, but the next second it was directly shattered by icy spears! What terrified them even more was that although they had raised the Holy Domain, the fierce ice crystals still pierced their bodies, causing blood to burst forth from them!

"The water vapor within the Holy Domain!" Igula shouted loudly as he retreated: "He directly condenses the water vapor within the Holy Domain to attack... try to shrink the Holy Domain to cling to your skin!"

While fully concentrating, it wasn't difficult to shrink a Holy Domain into a War Dress, but managing to do so in battle required years of Holy Domain experience—and time was precisely their greatest shortcoming!

"It's useless!" Qikara shouted, clutching her bleeding chest: "I just covered the Holy Domain on my skin, but I was still attacked!"

At this moment, they finally saw clearly the Legendary Mage renowned in the Wasteland—Oleva faced the sky, back to the ground, supporting his limbs on the earth, crawling toward them like a bizarre spider. When his muddy eyes swept over them, a bizarre blood glow emanated from them.

The blizzard intensified, nearly freezing their Holy Domain, further hindering their mobility!

"Wait!" Qikara's eyes lit up: "This is his Ice and Snow Holy Domain—his Holy Domain has completely covered us!"

When a mage has immersed himself long enough in a Holy Domain, it becomes possible to integrate magic into it, such as Qikara could unleash a Flame Holy Domain, causing anyone stepping into her domain to spontaneously combust.

This move might seem formidable, but it was actually quite impractical: If you cover the enemy with your Holy Domain, then you have no Holy Domain covering yourself!

Thus, such magic Holy Domains only hold some utility when absolutely dominating a Two-winged Mage; in Holy Domain and even Legendary level battles, mages would rather honestly wrap the Holy Domain around themselves.

In other words—

Miracle · Wrathful Sword!

Miracle · Imagining Overlap!

Miracle · Black Flame Vanishing Arrow!

Miracle · Alice's Ten Finger Shots!

Miracle · Falling Spark!

At the same time, all the mages launched remote attacks on Oleva! Even though Oleva avoided them in time, many attacks still landed on him—

"Uwaa!"

Ash's body shuddered, feeling his organs jumbled together, covering his mouth failed to stop the blood from spilling from the corners.

He looked around and found that the others were also severely injured, barely staying upright, immediately realizing, quickly shooting several Joyful Swords to heal everyone, and shouted: "Damage link—we're all under a damage linkage!"

No wonder my toes were constantly injured.

No wonder even when Qikara clung the Holy Domain tight to her skin, the ice crystal still pierced her chest.

The curse on the tenth layer of the Silent Spiral was shockingly the damage link—as long as one person gets injured, the others would suffer the same wounds!

"This place," Gwen gasped, saying, "might be a New World constructed by Great War Magic."

"Great War Magic pursues peace, and the way to achieve it is through destroying all wars."

Igula suddenly understood: "As long as everyone is in a damage link, indeed no one would dare start a war, because hurting someone else is equivalent to hurting oneself."

"But that conclusion only stands on the premise that..." the Swindler smiled bitterly: "no one is a lunatic."

Crack!

Oleva's head rotated at a spine-chilling angle, letting out a nearly inhuman roar, with endless frost sweeping toward everyone!

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