Instead of the well-trained Sovereign Aegis guards and their advisors, Dustin was surrounded by a throng of people of all kinds, panic-stricken and bewildered.
Some were ordinary civilians, shivering in fear. Others were martial artists gripping their weapons and scanning their surroundings with wary eyes.
There were rogue cultivators in mismatched clothing, each with a distinct energy wave. Even personnel from the various factions who had remained at the mountain’s base camp were now mixed into the crowd, all of them thrown together like gravel dumped from a cart.
“This… Is this Mount Aethermoor? How did we end up here?”
“It was that golden light. The formation must’ve brought us here.” “Good heavens! It’s so high and terrifying. How are we supposed to get down?”
“My child! Has anyone seen my child?” Cries, screams, curses, and questions rose in a cacophony, creating a scene of utter chaos.
Dustin forced himself to stay calm and scanned his surroundings. He stood near the edge of a broad mountain ridge. The platform was large, yet hundreds of people were packed tightly across it.
Golden light continued to flash along the distant paths and cliff faces as more people were deposited onto the mountain at random. It soon became clear that everyone in Oakvale had been scattered across Mount Aethermoor by that terrifying formation.
“Your Highness!”
“Mr. Rhys!”
A series of familiar shouts cut through the noise. Dustin turned and saw several Sovereign Aegis guards forcing their way through the crowd toward him. Their armor was damaged and slick with blood. Behind them came Grace, her face pale.
Her fitted combat attire was torn in places, her hair slightly disheveled, yet her gaze remained sharp. A drawn sword was clenched firmly in her hand.
Dustin felt a knot of tension loosen in his chest as he shoved through the crowd to reach her. The guards instantly formed a protective perimeter around them.
“Dustin, are you okay?” Grace asked, scanning him from head to toe. Seeing only dust on his clothes and no visible injuries, she let out a sigh of relief. Her expression then hardened.
“The situation is catastrophic. We appear to have been forcibly transported to Mount Aethermoor, and… look over there.”
She pointed toward the void at the platform’s edge. What should have been the path down or a sheer drop was now sealed off by a hazy curtain of light.
Golden runes flowed endlessly across its surface. The barrier was solid and heavy, emanating a sealing force that made the air itself feel oppressive.
One wandering martial artist tried to rush down the mountain and had barely touched the barrier before a powerful force hurled him backward. He crashed to the ground and began coughing up blood.
“The formation not only teleported us up here, but also sealed off the roads down the mountain,” Dustin said grimly.
He studied the runes rippling across the light barrier. Although they were mysterious and difficult to understand, he could vaguely sense a governing force within them.
“It seems the trials of Mount Aethermoor are now open to everyone. Perhaps only those who meet certain conditions will be allowed to leave.”
As if to confirm his words, a grand, ancient voice, devoid of any emotion, resounded directly in everyone’s minds. Regardless of cultivation or language, its meaning was unmistakable.
“The Aethermoor Trial treats all beings equally. Climb the Heavenly Path, pass the trials, and you may gain fortune and leave the mountain. Do nothing, and you shall remain trapped here. Die, and your soul shall become one with the mountain.”
The voice repeated three times before fading into silence. Its message required no further explanation. Either climb upward, pass the trials, and earn the right to leave, or die trapped on this mountain. Dying here meant the end of everything.
