Panic was instantly replaced by despair and a kind of twisted fanaticism. With no way down, the only option was up. The only chance for both survival and fortune lay higher on Mount Aethermoor.
“Up! Keep climbing.”
“Move! I have to get out.”
“There are treasures up there.” The crowd erupted into chaos. People surged blindly toward any slope or rock face that looked climbable. But this was no forgiving mountain. Even the gentler stretches concealed deadly hazards.
Just then, screams rang out. Someone stepped on loose rocks and plummeted into a bottomless ravine. Another rushed into what appeared to be a calm bank of mist, only to be torn apart in an instant by venomous creatures or lurking fiends hidden within. Others drew weapons on their companions, fighting over what looked like the easiest route up.
Chaos, bloodshed, and death erupted across the midpoint plateau where the ” trial participants” had been forced to gather.
“Form ranks. Move into a defensive position!” Grace ordered. Around her, Sovereign Aegis guards, several royal retainers who had regrouped, and a handful of still-clearheaded martial experts moved swiftly into a circular formation.
They formed a tight circle around her and Dustin, shielding them from the stampeding crowd and the occasional arrows or spells that came flying their way.
Protected at the center of the formation, Dustin watched the hellscape unfolding around them and frowned. With his cultivation sealed, he was no different from an ordinary man. In this situation, he truly had become someone who needed protection.
The realization stirred something complicated within him. But more than frustration, he forced himself to remain calm, observing and thinking.
“Grace, we can’t stay here,” he said in a low voice. “When fear overrides reason, and they begin trampling and killing each other, they are more terrifying than any natural hazards in the mountain. We need to escape this chaotic area as quickly as possible and find a relatively safe route upward.”
She nodded, having reached the same conclusion.
“Captain Tort, Captain Crumb, clear a path, ” she ordered crisply. “Move toward the rock face to the northeast. There are fewer people there, and it looks climbable.”
“Yes, Your Highness.’
The two commanders, Ferrick Tort and Wyston Crumb, answered at once. One raised a massive axe, and the other gripped a long sword. Spiritual energy surged from them as they forced their way through the frenzied, crushing crowd, carving out a path with brutal efficiency.
The Sovereign Aegis guards formed ranks and followed closely, with shields and blades raised to block attacks from both sides.
Panic-stricken figures continued to rush at them. Some were struck by poisonous spikes and flying stones that suddenly shot out from the cracks in the rock face.
Casualties began to mount within the team. A guard protecting the flank was stabbed in the thigh with a poisoned dagger by a crazed rogue cultivator. His face turned black instantly, and he collapsed.
Another wandering martial artist was struck in the back by a fireball that came from nowhere. He screamed as flames consumed him.
Dustin struggled forward, shielded by Grace and another guard. Around him, men were wounded and killed protecting them.
He caught the strain in Grace’s expression, the sweat along her brow. The need for strength settled deeper within him than ever before. But he would not rush blindly toward it.
“Look out above!” he suddenly shouted. Though he had no spiritual energy, his eyesight and combat instincts remained sharp. He spotted several loose boulders on the rock wall above them, dislodged by the violent tremors and spellwork below. They were tumbling down with a rumble.
Grace reacted instantly. Her sword flashed, and a sharp arc of sword aura shattered one massive stone midair.
But the fragments still rained down like hail, injuring several team members who couldn’t dodge in time. Then, a millstone-sized boulder plummeted straight toward Dustin.
“Dustin!”
Her face paled, but she was already too far to reach him. At the critical moment, an elderly retainer who had been protecting Dustin suddenly moved; his figure blurred. In the blink of an eye, he appeared above Dustin and raised a withered hand.
A dull thud sounded as the massive stone, hurtling down with crushing force, came to a stop in his palm. With effortless ease, he flicked it aside. The boulder tore into the distant crowd, triggering a chorus of screams.
The elderly retainer retreated to his position without a word, his expression as blank as if nothing had happened.
Dustin cast a long, lingering look at him. The elderly man’s energy waves had been concealed, and he’d never made a move before. To possess such unfathomable strength suggested he was a hidden guardian personally assigned to Grace’s protection.
They pushed through the chaos and reached the northeastern cliff face without further incident. As expected, fewer people had gathered here. The rock wall, however, was steep and treacherous, slick with moss and edged with jagged outcroppings.
Looking up, they saw only a handful of figures struggling to climb. Higher still, the peak vanished into mist.
“Let’s climb up,” Grace said decisively. Those among the Sovereign Aegis guards skilled in scaling cliffs went first, securing ropes and grappling hooks to open a path.
Grace had Dustin follow directly behind her so she could keep an eye on him. The ascent remained a nightmare because the moss-slick stone offered almost no footing. At times, venomous snakes and scorpions burst from cracks in the rock without warning.
There were also surprise attacks from stray arrows or small-scale spells that came from nowhere. Even in these conditions, some competitors were still intent on eliminating their rivals.
Dustin relied almost entirely on instinct and coordination, with constant help from Grace and the others, just to keep pace.
After more than half an hour of grueling climbing, they finally pulled themselves onto the platform above. The area was small, but for the moment, their group alone occupied it. They had, at least temporarily, escaped the blood-soaked slaughter below.
After taking a headcount, they found that fewer than 20 of the 30 or so people they had gathered remained, and most were injured. Before they could even catch their breath and assess their surroundings, another unexpected event occurred.
