Let them offer their loyalty!-Chapter 1480 - 632: The Astonishing Heavenly God Trial

Immediately after, the clouds were torn apart by a mysterious and overwhelming force, and a beam of light so dazzling it was almost incandescent burst forth, sweeping over the four like a wave of divine radiance!

At the same time, the golden turtle shells in the hands of Qiu Tu and the other two began to glow with golden light. In an instant, they liquefied into gold droplets, melting into the backs of their hands to form a strange pattern!

And simultaneously, that same bizarre pattern slowly surfaced on the back of Zhao Ji's hand as well.

The next second, the incandescent beam of light abruptly shrank! Once everything returned to normal, all four vanished from where they stood…

....

Light, endless light.

Qiu Tu used to think darkness was the most terrifying, the hardest to endure. But after being swept up by that holy radiance, he suddenly realized that limitless light might be just as unbearable.

And so, he had no idea how much time had passed. As Qiu Tu, eyes squeezed shut, felt his patience nearing its end—

A dizzying whirl struck him.

In the next moment, Qiu Tu felt himself lose all sense of gravity! Like he'd dropped straight out of the sky!

Qiu Tu was startled, and quickly opened his eyes. Sure enough, the sky was racing away from him, the howling wind whipping past! In his peripheral vision, the earth was rapidly drawing closer!

Luckily, as a Seventh Rank cultivator, Qiu Tu was already able to fly in the real world. With a twist of his body, he caught his balance, took a few steps in the void, and gradually floated to a halt in midair.

'Have I returned to the "Northwestern Region"?'

Suspended in midair, Qiu Tu finally had a moment to assess his surroundings. Even as the thought crossed his mind, he looked outward in all directions.

And right then, he found—sure enough—the sky above this place had once again become a shade of ashen gray, pressing down, dark and oppressive, over the entire world.

And beneath that weighty sky unfolded a scene as wretched as the pits of Hell.

Black earth, rent by jagged, bottomless cracks, a reek of rot seeping up from the chasms. The desolation stretched out to the far horizon.

Across the earth, a vast and endless black forest stood silent and menacing. Its trees, their twisted branches as if scorched repeatedly by hellfire, were charred and cracked, bark peeling away to reveal a nightmare core like chunks of charcoal.

'Where is this place?'

Qiu Tu's brows knitted deeply. Though he had ruled the "Northwestern Region" for only a few months, he knew its lands fairly well.

Just by glancing around, this bizarre area couldn't be smaller than several thousand square kilometers. Such a massive and unique region would have been cataloged—no way he'd have overlooked it.

'So…this isn't the "Northwestern Region"? Could it be…this time the "Heavenly God Trial" selected the "Southwestern Region" as its stage?'

With this thought, Qiu Tu's expression became complicated—a touch of relief mingling with somber gravity.

The reason was simple: if the "Heavenly God Trial" chose the "Southwestern Region," it meant the "Northwestern Region" would be spared the coming cataclysm. Those Qiu Tu cared about would be all right. So his heart eased a bit.

But the gravity…came from the fact that, while the "Southwestern Region" was still part of the Human Camp, Qiu Tu's influence here was far less, and he'd have much less support.

'Indeed, there's no path in this world where all wishes are fulfilled…'

With a silent sigh, Qiu Tu descended, chose a safe spot, closed his eyes, and prepared to communicate with the "World Origin" to investigate the details of the "Heavenly God Trial".

As Qiu Tu's eyes shut, the real world slowly faded. In the depths of his soul, the "Seal"—now a size larger—began to materialize in his inner view.

Grasping the tiny seal, Qiu Tu tried to commune with the "World Origin."

Next moment, Qiu Tu vaguely sensed a trickle of information reaching him.

He opened his eyes, sitting quietly by a dead tree, and took time to sort through the messages.

After a moment, his lips parted slowly, his face etched with shock.

No wonder he was so stunned—the knowledge he'd just received was staggering!

This "Heavenly God Trial" was going to be a supermassive event. Not only were there a total of 88 chosen candidates participating, but the "Trial Area" was not the "Northwestern Region", nor the "Southwestern Region", but… the entire "Edge Region"!

Meaning, all 88 chosen would be competing across the four Great Edge Regions to claim the "Heavenly God Positional Frame"!

And apart from the enormous scale, this trial was not like the usual competitions of riddles, secret realms, slaughter, or divine warfare. Instead…it would be judged holistically.

For this trial, the "World Origin" would create a ranking—the eight-eight chosen would all be listed on it.

Any catastrophe being in the "Edge Region" would see the board as soon as they closed their eyes.

Meanwhile, the candidates' performance throughout the trial would determine their rank, updated once per day.

There were four main criteria on the listing.

First, overall personal strength.

Second, the scale of territory claimed within the four regions and the number of beings controlled.

Third, the number of chosen either slain or subdued.

Fourth… the number of "Special Treasures" acquired.

According to the information from the "World Origin," over decades of the Era of Disaster, more than a dozen "Special Treasures" had gradually emerged throughout the four Edge Regions.

Each of these "Special Treasures" possessed extraordinary effects of their own.