“Ah, ah-finally out!”

Ashe collapsed to the ground the moment he emerged from the mist, and since they were all holding hands, everyone else ended up kneeling as well. They breathed heavily, as if they had just returned to the land of the living, so moved they almost wanted to cry.

They weren’t exaggerating; they had just endured one of the most nauseating Trials-the Blind Sight Trial, constructed by the Demi-God of Blind Sight.

Even now, they had no idea what the main theme of the Blind Sight Trial was, but they had experienced the curse firsthand: sensory deprivation!

Some might wonder, didn’t they have their Sanctuaries? Couldn’t they resist it?

Turns out, they couldn’t!

The Sanctuary’s protection, no matter how comprehensive, still needed to allow light and air to pass through; otherwise, the sorcerer would be as good as blind and deaf. The terror of the Blind Sight curse lay in its reliance on these two mediums. Even with a Sanctuary, you would still fall victim to it.

After being blinded and deafened, they had to hold hands and move forward together, lest they lose a few companions along the way. The ground was littered with obstacles and traps, and they stumbled through with the Sanctuary’s protection. They even considered flying, but the obstacles in the air were even more numerous…

Eventually, they lost all sense of sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch, unable to even control their bodies, their consciousness seemingly trapped in a dark coffin. But this time, Alice was the hero-she wasn’t affected, and Harvey had her drag them out.

“No wonder the Mercury Trojan Horse didn’t leave any traps,” Igor exhaled a breath of relief. “These Trials alone are enough to stop an army-no matter if the Qinyi Alliance conquered the Vine Giant City, they couldn’t penetrate the Silent Spiral.”

“Speaking of which,” Ashe recalled, “we’ve already delved into the ninth layer, so why haven’t we encountered a single disciple of the Four Pillars?”

The first five layers of the Silent Spiral were relatively easy to navigate, as they were Trials constructed by the Demi-Gods of Tribulation Fire. By adhering to the main theme ‘Truth is Supreme,’ they managed to pass through with only minor burns from the Tribulation Fire. But once they reached the unfamiliar sixth layer, their progress slowed significantly.

The ‘Light Spiral Trial’ of the sixth layer and the ‘Natural Trial’ of the eighth layer were challenging, but they managed to push through with their Sanctuaries.

However, the ‘Bronze Law Trial’ of the seventh layer delayed them considerably.

The curse of the Bronze Law Trial was peculiar; it didn’t harm the Trial Takers and even offered them unlimited chances: it simply transported them back to the trial’s starting point!

Ashe and the others were utterly frustrated, akin to playing a difficult video game where a single mistake meant starting over. It took them a while to figure out the main theme of the Bronze Law Trial, thinking it was the most annoying challenge, but the ‘Blind Sight Trial’ of the ninth layer quickly proved them wrong.

Throughout their journey, they witnessed the ‘new worlds’ constructed by nine Demi-Gods: though the five Demi-Gods of Tribulation Fire shared the same ideals, their details varied-Dust Tribulation Fire was gentle, Fire of Slaughter was aggressive, Inferno of Tribulations was lofty, and so on.

The Natural Demi-God crafted a lush world where wind, rain, thunder, mountains, seas, forests, the sun, and the moon were all transformed from humans. Humans were no longer mere mortals but eternal beings, living in harmony with nature and the cosmos.

The Bronze Law Demi-God, on the other hand, created a society bound by strict rules, where no one could physically break the laws, eradicating ‘evil’ altogether. This reminded Ashe of the familiar Shattered Lake Prison.

The Blind Sight Demi-God constructed a new world where people lost all their senses, merging directly into the void of existence.

Yet, after enduring nine trials, they still hadn’t encountered any disciples of the Four Pillars.

“If it were you, would you stay in those trials?” Igor retorted.

Ashe shook his head vigorously.

“Even if the Four Pillars Cult left people to guard midway, they would choose trials where the main theme is easy to adapt to and without scene changes,” Igor analyzed. “Like the Natural Trial and the Light Spiral.”

Not all trials had the complex scene changes of the Tribulation Fire Trials. Trials like the Light Spiral and the Natural Trial consisted of a single area, with no scene changes throughout. If they weren’t in a hurry, resting and experiencing the new world would be a pleasant travel option.

“More than finding disciples of the Four Pillars, I want to find Mr. Tamashi,” Chikara howled sincerely. “Mr. Tamashi, where are you-come out already!”

“Stop yelling,” Igor said, stepping into the next Fog Gate. “Let’s keep going.”

They passed through the Fog Gate of the tenth layer and arrived at a serene grassland. Lush green grass, blue skies, and white clouds met at the horizon, reminding Ashe of a classic computer wallpaper.

“A trial related to nature?” Igor speculated. But as they took a few steps, their expressions changed dramatically, and they quickly raised their Sanctuaries!

“What’s happening?” Ashe looked at his foot. “It feels like something bit my toe!”

“Same here!” The orc lifted his foot, now barefoot, showing his bleeding toe. He grimaced with a wry smile. “This curse… has quite the taste!”

“Same for me,” Harvey said, crouching to remove Alice’s boot. “But Alice is unaffected.”

Igor and Gwen nodded slightly, indicating they too had been bitten on the toes. Worse still, the Sanctuary couldn’t block the attack, only slightly mitigate it, and the assault on their toes continued!

What kind of curse targets toes? Sandworms?

“Let’s hurry through this layer and keep quiet,” Igor instructed, casting a Mental Miracle to lower their presence. They stealthily crossed the grassland. Though their toes were injured, it didn’t significantly hinder their movement.

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

A person gnawing on their foot as if it were a chicken claw, bloodied and exposing bone.

A person whose hands were chewed down to skeletal remains.

A person they had heard of but never met!

“Am I seeing things!?” Chikara whispered, almost roaring. “Oreyva the Frenzy Battle has such a peculiar hobby!?”

Indeed, the person on the grassland engaging in self-mutilation and cannibalism is none other than Oreyva, one of the three legendary sorcerers of the Senlo wasteland, the former head of the War Temple, and now the top combat force of the Four Pillars Cult-the Pope of Annihilation!

Yet, at this moment, where is the dignity and aura befitting a legendary sorcerer? His hair is disheveled, his body covered in blood and grime, drool dripping as he frantically gnaws at his own foot, looking worse than a beggar!

But Igor felt a chill rise within him, “Let’s bypass him and move through this layer without attracting his attention!”

Everyone nodded in agreement, but just as they were about to take a detour, Igor stepped on the grass, producing a crisp ‘snap’ sound.

They looked down and discovered numerous transparent ice crystals hidden among the green grass. At the same time, the sunny tenth layer suddenly erupted into a blizzard.

Miracle: Sword Body Barrier!

Ashe instantly constructed a massive defensive barrier, capable of resisting any Sanctuary Miracle, but in the next second, it was shattered by an ice spear! Even more terrifying, despite their Sanctuaries being raised, the vicious ice crystals still pierced their bodies, causing blood to burst forth!

“The water vapor within the Sanctuary!” Igor shouted as he retreated, “He’s directly condensing the water vapor within the Sanctuary to attack… Try to shrink the Sanctuary to fit tightly against the skin!”

When fully focused, shrinking the Sanctuary into combat attire is feasible, but achieving this in battle requires years of Sanctuary experience-yet time is precisely their biggest shortcoming!

“It’s useless!” Chikara shouted, clutching his bleeding chest, “I just covered my skin with the Sanctuary, but I was still attacked!”

At this moment, they finally saw the legendary sorcerer renowned in the wasteland-Oreyva, facing the sky, back to the ground, crawling towards them like a bizarre spider. His murky eyes swept over them, revealing an eerie blood-red glow.

The blizzard intensified, nearly freezing their Sanctuaries and further hindering their mobility!

“Wait!” Chikara’s eyes lit up, “This is his Frost Sanctuary-his Sanctuary completely covers us!”

When a sorcerer has immersed in their Sanctuary for long enough, they can integrate their spellcasting into the Sanctuary. For instance, Chikara can manifest a Flame Sanctuary, where anyone entering his Sanctuary will spontaneously combust.

This technique seems powerful but is actually quite impractical: if you cover the enemy with your Sanctuary, you won’t have your own Sanctuary covering you!

Thus, it’s only somewhat useful when overwhelming two-wings sorcerers; in Sanctuary or even legendary-level battles, sorcerers will still honestly keep their Sanctuaries on themselves.

Which means-

Miracle: Rage Sword!

Miracle: Visualization Overlap!

Miracle: Black Flame Instant Annihilation Arrow!

Miracle: Alice’s Ten-Finger Strike!

Miracle: Starlight Fall!

Simultaneously, all sorcerers launched remote attacks on Oreyva! Even though Oreyva managed to dodge in time, many attacks still landed on him-

“Ugh!”

Ashe’s body trembled, feeling his insides churn into a mess, unable to stop the blood from trickling from his mouth as he clutched it.

He glanced around and saw that everyone else was similarly wounded, teetering on the brink, and immediately understood. He quickly unleashed several Joy Swords to heal everyone, shouting, “Damage Chain-we’re all in a Damage Chain!”

No wonder their toes kept hurting.

No wonder Chikara covered his skin with the Sanctuary but was still pierced in the chest by ice crystals.

The curse of the tenth layer of the Silent Spiral is indeed a Damage Chain-if one person is injured, everyone else suffers the same injury!

“Here,” Gwen gasped, “might be a new world constructed by the War Demi-God.”

“The War Demi-God seeks peace, and the way to achieve it is by destroying all wars.”

Igor suddenly realized, “If everyone is in a Damage Chain, then indeed, no one would start a war, since harming others equals harming oneself.”

“But this conclusion assumes…” the Con Artist chuckled bitterly, “no one is insane.”

Crack!

Oreyva’s head twisted at a grotesque angle, emitting an almost inhuman roar, sweeping towards them with endless frost!