I am the Thunder Emperor in the fight

After advancing to the half-step Earthly Supreme level, the so-called third trial of the Silent Heart Forest was a piece of cake for Night Falcon.

After spending two hours traversing the intricate and perilous passages of the Silent Heart Forest, a completely different aura rushed towards us.

It is no longer simply darkness, dampness, and chaos.

Rather, it is a unique space that is empty, desolate, and seemingly capable of freezing the soul.

As the night falcon stepped out of the last narrow pass of the labyrinth, the view suddenly opened up, only to be instantly enveloped by something even more profound.

This is the fourth level of the Dark Night Trial, and the final battleground: the Nine Nether Platform.

It was not the high platform or arena you might imagine.

Instead, it was a ring-shaped floating stone platform, suspended above the endless dark void, made of ten enormous, seemingly carved black jade pieces.

The ten stone platforms are not stationary, but rather rotating and floating extremely slowly according to some mysterious trajectory.

The stone platform was smooth as a mirror, but it was covered with dense ancient runes that emitted a faint blue light. These runes flickered and seemed to breathe, echoing the primordial power of the entire Shadow Valley and even the ancestral land of the Black Sky Ancient Clan.

Below the stone platform lies a bottomless abyss of darkness, seemingly capable of swallowing all light. Occasionally, eerie, dark purple lightning silently streaks across the surface, creating a chilling effect.

Above the stone platform was a distorted, dark sky that rippled like water.

In the center of the sky, the outlines of huge, indistinct black figures, exuding endless majesty and an ancient aura, could be faintly seen.

That seemed to be a projection of the will of the powerful members of the Black Sky Ancient Clan, coldly watching everything below.

There are no bridges connecting the Nine Nether Platforms. One can only rely on one's own spiritual power or special movement techniques to fly across the void space that is dozens of feet wide and filled with chaotic spatial power and shadow currents.

At this moment, dozens of figures were scattered across the ten stone platforms.

Those who can traverse the Shadow Beast Wasteland, the Dark Current Maze, and the Silent Heart Forest that tests the mind and will and stirs the deepest fears and desires within, and finally arrive at the Nine Nether Platform, are all true elites and strong individuals in this trial!
The number of people has plummeted from nearly a thousand initially to less than fifty.

The arrival of the night falcon did not cause much of a stir.

Those who can stand here are all extraordinary individuals, each silently adjusting their breathing, observing their opponents, or concentrating on sensing the strange runes and field on the Nine Nether Platform.

But many eyes still lingered on him for a moment.

Clearly, news of his battle with Ghost Nightmare in the Dark Current Cave had already quietly spread among these top participants through some channel.

A ruthless character capable of directly defeating a half-step Earthly Supreme who uses sacred artifacts is enough to make anyone wary.

The night falcon's gaze calmly swept across the entire area.

Their auras were indeed extraordinary.

He even saw several geniuses from the Black Sky Ancient Clan's collateral branches, whose auras were solid and whose eyes were as sharp as eagles, and whose cultivation had all reached the lower Earthly Sovereign level.

One person even faintly touched the edge of becoming a supreme being, with pure and domineering shadow power surrounding him, clearly indicating that his bloodline concentration and the inheritance he had received were not weak.

They also saw several representatives from vassal clans or external forces, whose auras were either sinister, mysterious, or heavy, and who all possessed combat power no less than that of the Nightmare Demon.

Being able to reach this point in a trial that eliminated the vast majority of participants is itself proof of strength.

Based on a rough assessment, there are at least three people here with the combat power of a lower-level Earthly Sovereign!

The rest were at least at the peak of the Supreme Realm or among the best of the half-step Earthly Supreme Realm, and most of them had a calm aura and shrewd eyes, clearly indicating rich combat experience.

"quiet!"

A cold, majestic voice, seemingly emanating from the deepest abyss, suddenly resounded deep within the souls of all the trial participants.

The enormous black silhouette in the center of the distorted sky rippled slightly, and two beams of light, seemingly capable of piercing through the void, swept across the Nine Nether Platform below.

"You have already proven your potential by reaching the Nine Nether Platform. However, the Shadow Hall has a limited number of places, and only the top ten can enter."

"The final competition has very simple rules: a free-for-all across ten platforms! Falling off the platform, losing consciousness, or voluntarily surrendering means elimination!"

"Those who ultimately stand atop the ten platforms will be ranked according to their performance, determining the top ten!"

"Now...begin!"

There were no lengthy explanations, no unnecessary words.

The trials of the Black Sky Ancient Clan have always been so direct and cruel.

The moment the words fell, the ten slowly rotating black jade stone platforms suddenly accelerated!
The rotational trajectories became unpredictable, and the distances between them changed constantly! At the same time, the dark blue runes on the stone platforms shone brightly, and a powerful field of energy enveloped each stone platform!
Standing on this platform, one must not only deal with opponents but also resist the suppressive power of the Nine Nether Platform itself, which greatly consumes spiritual power and movement techniques!
Almost the instant the rules were announced, the battle erupted!

call out!call out!call out!
Dozens of figures moved almost simultaneously!
Some choose to stay put on the stone platform where they first settled, waiting for the opportune moment.

Some rushed towards the nearby stone platform to clear the area; others moved swiftly between the stone platforms with strange agility, looking for opportunities to ambush or gain an advantage.

The roar of colliding energy, the light of bursting spiritual techniques, and the muffled groans and roars of the injured instantly shattered the brief silence of the Nine Nether Platform.

The stone platform where the night falcon was located was neither the largest nor the center.

Almost simultaneously, three peak Supreme Realm experts attacked from different directions!

One person wielded two hooks, the blades carrying a foul stench, clearly coated with deadly poison.

A person holds a bone flute, and as he plays it, invisible sound waves directly attack his soul.

There was another person who was the most valiant. He went straight into the fray, and the power of shadow condensed into beast claws between his fists and feet, making him fierce and unmatched.

Despite being surrounded, the Night Falcon's eyes remained unwavering.

He remained motionless, yet his feet seemed rooted to the spot, standing firmly regardless of how the stone platform spun and shook.

He raised his hands slightly, his ten fingers deftly flicking, and streams of condensed, silk-like dark spiritual energy shot out.

"Shadow Entangling Silk!"

"Nightfall!"

"Shadow Reflection!"

The attacking poison hooks were entangled and deflected by the dark threads.

The invisible sound wave collided with a thin, suddenly rising black curtain, like a clay ox sinking into the sea.

The beast claw punch of the close-range attacker was deflected by the Night Falcon's exquisite shadow counter technique, which redirected the force of the punch and caused the attacker to crash into the poison hook warrior who was attacking from the side!
Pfft! Ah!
Caught off guard, the Poison Hook warrior was grazed on the shoulder by his companion's punch, instantly suffering broken bones and torn tendons. He screamed in agony as he was sent flying, falling into the dark abyss below and eliminated.

The person who played the bone flute was horrified at the sight and quickly retreated.

The close-combat fighter was also taken aback, then roared and pounced again.

But the Night Falcon no longer gave him a chance.

With one opponent dealt with, the pressure eased slightly. He moved swiftly, seemingly blending into the shadow of the stone platform, and appeared a moment later behind the close-combat fighter, delivering a seemingly light "Shadow Palm" strike to the back of the opponent.

The martial artist trembled violently, his protective spiritual energy dissipated, he spat out blood, and collapsed limply, thus being eliminated.

Seeing that things were not going well, the person who played the bone flute turned around and tried to escape to another stone platform.

With a flick of his finger, the Night Falcon unleashed a subtle "Dark Erosion Finger Force," which struck first and pierced the Night Falcon's calf.

The man screamed, lost his balance, and tumbled to the ground, eliminated as well. In just a few breaths, all three formidable opponents who had climbed onto his stone platform were out of the game!

The night falcon did not pursue, but quickly adjusted its breathing and scanned the entire area.

The battle on the Nine Nether Platform was extremely fierce; in just a short time, nearly ten people had been shot down or eliminated.

The rest were all tough opponents.

The battle continues.

The stone platform was rotating and colliding.

People were constantly being ousted from the stage, while others, realizing they were no match for the challengers, voluntarily crushed their trial tokens and withdrew.

Because of his swift and decisive defeat of three opponents, no one dared to provoke the Night Falcon on its stone platform for the time being.

He was happy to have some peace and quiet, observing the situation while occasionally taking action to send down those unlucky souls who tried to use the stone platform he was on as a springboard or thought he was "easy to bully".

His fighting style is simple, efficient, and precise.

Their mastery of dark power is exquisite, always achieving the best results with minimal expenditure.

This performance not only made the other participants more wary, but also made the gazes behind the blurry black outlines on the Nine Netherworld Sky even more focused.

Time slips away amidst fierce competition.

When the number of people on the Nine Nether Platform was reduced to less than twenty, the pace of the battle seemed to slow down somewhat.

Those who have survived to this day are true masters, and they are even more cautious of each other.

The ten stone platforms, some with only one person standing proudly on them, and others with two or three people facing each other, have temporarily formed a delicate balance.

The stone platform where the Night Falcon stood was still occupied by only him.

His breathing was steady. Although the continuous battles had taken a toll on him, the pure dark power continuously provided by the Dark Ancestral Symbol within his body allowed him to recover at a speed far exceeding that of others.

Just then, on the stone platform closest to him, the final showdown broke out.

There were originally three people fighting on the stone platform. One of them, a burly man with an exceptionally fierce aura and a hideous scar on his face, roared.

He unleashed a secret technique similar to burning his bloodline, instantly unleashing terrifying power approaching that of a lower-level Earthly Sovereign, forcefully blasting his two other formidable half-step Earthly Sovereign opponents off the stage!

Of the two who were driven back, one was eliminated, while the other was panting heavily, his crimson eyes scanning the surroundings before finally landing on the Night Falcon, who was alone on the adjacent stone platform and whose breathing seemed relatively calm.

He had caught a glimpse of the battle the Night Falcon had just fought and knew that the man was troublesome, but at the moment he desperately needed a relatively safe stone platform to recuperate.

The stone platform where the Night Falcon is positioned seems to be the easiest one to handle in the vicinity.

After all, the other stone platforms were either occupied by lower-level Earthly Sovereigns or several people locked in a stalemate.

"Boy! Get down! I want this platform!" The man sneered, ignoring the turbulent energy within his body, he forcefully gathered his qi, pushed off with his feet, and his massive body shot through the void like a cannonball, crashing down towards the stone platform where the Night Falcon was!

Before the person even arrived, a violent, blood-smelling shadow fist aura pressed down like a mountain!

Although his condition was unstable, the power of this desperate strike still far exceeded that of an ordinary half-step Earthly Supreme!

Faced with this sudden and fierce attack, the Night Falcon raised its eyebrows slightly.

He could sense that the opponent's attack was at its last gasp, but its power was truly astonishing. He could take it head-on, but that would inevitably expose more of his strength and might affect his subsequent condition.

His mind raced, and his body floated backward as if weightless. At the same time, he made a sweeping motion with his hands in front of him, and streams of dark spiritual energy poured out like splashed ink, without directly confronting the fist's energy.

Instead, it transforms into layers of soft yet resilient "shadow ripples," constantly weakening and deflecting that violent force.

boom! boom! boom!
The fist's energy shattered layer upon layer of ripples, its speed and power constantly diminishing until it finally reached the Night Falcon, at less than 30% of its original strength.

Night Falcon then raised his hand and struck out with a palm, dispersing the remaining force of the punch.

The newcomer landed, staggering and panting heavily. His eyes still held a fierce glint, but his heart sank.

The other party handled it too easily!
This effortless technique of deflecting force demonstrated a level of control far exceeding his expectations.

"You've got some skill! Take another one of my moves!" This man was clearly extremely unwilling and roared as he pounced again, unleashing a barrage of punches and kicks like a storm, but he was obviously running out of steam and his openings were becoming more and more numerous.

The Night Falcon didn't want to get entangled with it anymore.

He moved swiftly, weaving through the gaps in his opponent's fists and feet like a ghost. He seized an opening, pointed his fingers like a sword, and struck a certain acupoint under his ribs with a concentrated "Shadow Pulse Interception Finger".

The man froze, his violent spiritual energy flow suddenly stagnates, and his attack instantly collapses.

With a flick of his sleeve, the Night Falcon was lifted up by a supple dark force and sent off the edge of the stone platform.

Another solution.

At this moment, only ten people remain on the Nine Nether Platform!
That's exactly ten spots available!

The melee seems to be coming to an end.

The remaining ten people each occupied a stone platform, looking at each other warily, awaiting the final verdict.

However, the silhouette of the dark figure in the sky once again emitted a magnificent sound.

"Ten people have been selected, but the order is yet to be determined."

"The Nine Nether Platform must select three outstanding individuals to serve as role models."

"Now, the final challenge begins. You may choose your opponents. The winner will receive an extra reward and priority in the sequence."

"If there are no objections, the challenge... begins!"

These words immediately caused the atmosphere, which had just eased slightly, to tense up again!
This means that although the top ten are set, the rankings and potential rewards still need to be fought for!

But just as more and more people were getting restless.

A heavy, oppressive aura, with a metallic, abrasive quality, suddenly rose slowly from the stone platform where the lower-level Earthly Sovereigns were located.

You should know that during the competition just now, no one dared to touch these three stone platforms. The reason is that these three stone platforms were truly guarded by the Earthly Sovereign!

One of them slowly opened his eyes.

His pupils were vertical, like those of a cold-blooded animal.

He was not tall, and was even somewhat thin, wearing an inconspicuous gray-black linen outfit.

But the moment he opened his eyes, the entire Nine Nether Platform seemed to sink slightly!
A dark pressure, far surpassing all previous participants, condensed to its extreme, and carrying a sharp cutting force, swept out like an unsheathed, peerless, deadly blade!
The lower level supreme!
His gaze, like two cold razors, slowly swept over the half-step Earthly Supremes present.

Those whose gaze swept over him all felt a faint stinging sensation on their skin and were filled with trepidation.

Finally, his gaze settled on the night falcon.

He spoke, his voice hoarse and dry, as if he hadn't spoken in a long time: "I'm a little interested in you."

He slowly raised his hand, pointing at the Night Falcon: "You, do you dare to fight me?" (End of Chapter)