The End

Suspicion and doubt filled the journey. The record only described the main hardships, but reality was even more desperate than words could express.

The team had recovered. Guided by Mo Wenxi's divination, they were shown the direction, but not the distance or the time it would take.

Fortunately, no further mishaps occurred. Exhausted, they finally reached the destination where their cultivation was restored.

"There's the exit portal! I'm gonna miss this place!" Shaheluo stretched, relaxing as he looked at the portal.

Behind the teleportation array was a large formation of countless giant worms. Individually weak, they lived in swarms. Combined with their ability to bury themselves in sand, they gave the group immense trouble.

Especially after Yan and the others initially hunted a few, the worms pursued them relentlessly. They were only driven back after a major battle, which also marked the beginning of the team's further deterioration.

Later, Yan draining his Immortal Seed dry turned the crisis around. The others were puzzled at first, thinking he was just currying favor. It wasn't until Yan took out a fragment and explained what he'd witnessed on the first night that everyone believed death was possible here!

It was a desiccated skeleton, its features still somewhat youthful. Likely a prodigy in life, it had died on the path to the destination. The sword in its hand was broken by some tremendous force. Kneeling there, words were carved upon the blade as a warning to those who came after...

However, upon arriving at the destination's portal, everyone relaxed considerably. Reaching this point meant they wouldn't die.

Then, Chi gathered the guys together and mysteriously whispered something. Using the pretext of "ladies first," he sent the three women in the team ahead. Then, citing safety concerns about the teleportation array's other side, he pushed the still-weak Fan Cang through.

Afterwards, Chi pretended to be concerned about Yun Feng, and Qian Dan pushed him through the portal as well.

"Alright, that's enough people over there. Brother Yan, what did Fan Cang say about the other side?" Chi stretched and turned to look at Yan.

"He said it's safe, backs against the worm formation. Should be about a hundred meters!" Yan checked the token Fan Cang had just given him.

"Good, notify him. The four of us are racing to see who gets out first! Have him rank us! Let's see who kills the most worms, the fastest!" Shaheluo and Qian Dan combined their techniques to create four tokens, handing them to the other two. "These record your kills. Brother Yan, use your art to link the token data so Brother Fan and Brother Qian can set up a scoreboard outside!"

"This ranking will decide who's the big brother and who's the little brother among us four after we get out!" Chi added.

"Qian Dan, strongest!" Qian Dan manipulated magnetism, condensing sand around his body into an extremely sturdy suit of armor and a large blade.

Chi used a technique to carve out four paths, leading straight through the worm formation. "Alright, race tracks are set!"

"Qian Dan, gonna show off!" Qian Dan shouted and prepared to charge out.

The other three also took their positions. Shaheluo ran a hand through his hair, blood boiling. His long hair lifted like flames, and his entire flesh seemed to turn into molten lava.

Chi drew a dagger, assumed a stance, and his entire aura shifted.

Yan took out a blue, ancient-looking greatsword from a jade slip, with faint threads of wind appearing around him.

A thunderous boom echoed from the opposite side, and a few figures instantly charged into the formation.

There was no finesse, just relentless spellcasting and slaughter, a venting of all their recent frustrations.

The *swish* of blades slicing flesh, the *sizzle* of fire burning fat, the dull *thuds* of wind and dust piercing tissue, and the grating *scrapes* of sand on metal.

On the outskirts, Yun Feng used a technique to erect a board, and Fan Cang directly linked the scoring tokens of the four inside to it, allowing those outside to see the rankings and scores in real time.

The shocked gasps of the watching disciples, the group's slaughter, the screeches of the worms, and the changing scoreboard composed a unique symphony.

Not long after, the roars of the worms ceased, the dust settled, and the four walked out of the billowing dust simultaneously—no clear victor.

The wind died down, the dust dispersed, revealing the four's faces. Seeing they had emerged together, they checked the number slain; it was 156 for each. They exchanged smiles, gathered the five who had come out earlier, and continued forward.

They might have been calm, but the ordinary disciples who witnessed this scene were not. Four Foundation Establishment freaks had passed the seemingly insurmountable Worm Array relying solely on magic and physical bodies...

Just then, a flash of light appeared outside the Worm Array, rapidly arriving before the nine and gradually solidifying into a yellow-haired man standing ahead of them.

"You nine must be the ones taking the Desert Trial, right? Not bad!" The man looked at them with satisfaction.

Yan scrutinized his face, pondered for a moment, and suddenly paled. He pinched Chi's hand; a gust of wind swept around them, sand pelting everyone, who instantly caught on and warily stared at the man.

"Hey now... little ones, what's the matter?" Seeing their sudden alertness, the man glanced around but found no apparent threat.

"Now!" Seizing the man's moment of distraction, Shaheluo took the lead in charging. Qian Dan joined him in a frontal assault, while the others scattered, finding positions to provide cover or launch sneak attacks.

"Hey! What's the big idea?!" the man yelped in surprise, yet his footwork never wavered. No matter how well the group coordinated, landing a hit on him proved impossible.

Then, Qian Dan spotted an opening. He coordinated with Yun Feng to strike with metal, while Dun, aided by Fan Cang, finished channeling his power in a flash and swung his greatsword.

Chi unleashed a torrent of magma-like flames from above, Yan closed in for a stab under the environmental cover, and the sand below transformed into sharp spikes.

Only then did the man belatedly realize he was probably being mistaken for one of the infected. "Wait... all of you, don't—" Before he could finish, or perhaps because the group simply wouldn't listen, they swarmed him en masse.

The man shook his head, letting their attacks land on him and kick up a billowing cloud of dust.

From within the dust cloud, Chi, whose spell had been suppressed, was thrown out. Qian Dan also flew backward, skidding several steps. Dun and Fan Cang were likewise blasted away, but with Shaheluo and Lan Jinxi stepping in to aid them, none of those thrown back were injured.

The dust settled, revealing the man completely unscathed, though his clothes were slightly dirtied, and he had Yan restrained with one hand.

"Junior brothers and sisters, you really didn't hold back! You wouldn't even let your senior brother finish a sentence." The man sighed and released Yan. "Can you listen properly now?"

Realizing they were utterly outmatched, the group could only stand there and nod.

"If I hadn't pretended to be a corpse, you'd have thought dying out here was no big deal. You'd have charged in recklessly or even sought death. Only this way would you take the trial seriously." Then the man smacked his own forehead. "Besides, this senior brother had a rough time in there too! No food or water, my only companion—a broken sword—got taken. I just came out to congratulate you, and then I get jumped! I wasn't even trying to scare you, was all this really necessary?"

"The desert harbors a virus that controls corpses to infect others. They can even replicate the deceased's appearance and magic from their lifetime. They're extremely troublesome and have cost us dearly. Their original host is the worm, and you have worm bite marks on you!" Only then did Yan explain the reason, addressing both the man and the group.

"No... I... then how am I supposed to prove it?!" The man wanted to explain but realized no excuse would suffice.

Yan thought for a moment and said with utmost seriousness, "Cut off your head. If you can still talk, you're infected."

The man laughed in exasperation, "And what about those who aren't infected?"

"They'd be dead."

This exchange had the surrounding onlookers roaring with laughter.

"Your batch... really... sigh!" The man didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "It seems Junior Sister Han was right; this group isn't easy to deal with." Then he looked at the group and announced loudly, "You pass! Go and pester your masters and teachers now! Stop driving this senior brother up the wall!"

There was supposed to be a challenge match afterward, but their monstrous talent was obvious to all. Not many dared to challenge them. A few burly men challenged Shaheluo and Lan Jinxi and were soundly defeated, allowing the group to smoothly enter the academy.