Chapter 365: The Serpent God's Forest
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"Ha! Look at these commoners! They have no clue just how big the world actually is…! What plebians!"
Then there were the three noble children with cultivation in the Grade 9 All-Encompassing Immortal Realm. Having already developed their Immortal Domains to a completed degree, they had no reason to be here.
However, they wished to bring back stories of the sad, destitute people that didn't have rich, powerful parents like they did. In a way, they simply wanted to make fun of those who weren't born with a silver spoon up their ass like they were…
'These three idiots; they're useful,' Azmodeus thought sinisterly.
He could make use of them in the Knight Trials that were to come, though he would first need to break through into the All-Encompassing Immortal Realm.
As an evil plot was being pieced together inside the head of an inconspicuous-looking young man with an average appearance, the cold-faced Knight Examiner suddenly turned around and said, "Follow me."
It was no surprise that after this command left the mouth of the Knight Examiner, the Knight Examination participants followed the order. They quickly caught up to the receding Knight Examiner as all of them left the bridge underhang.
"???"
Some of the participants were confused as to why they were walking in the complete opposite direction of the bridge that led into the Empire. Was the test not going to be held in the River Serpent Empire?
One of the participants even found the courage to speak up and ask, "Why are we heading for the Serpent God's Forest, Examiner, sir?"
No response.
The Knight Examiner blatantly ignored what the young man had to say. He simply continued his advance toward an ominous-looking forest to the south of the bridge.
"...Well…"
The same participant who spoke up originally was now considering saying something else. But with a quick clasping of his mouth by a friend of his, he faded into obscurity, being told to keep his head low if he still wanted that same head attached to his shoulders by nightfall.
"The test." Beginning to speak, the Knight Examiner continued to take large strides with his arms behind his back. "This test will be held in the Serpent God's Forest, and under the watchful gaze of the Almighty Serpent God, you all will go through a trial that will gauge many aspects of your existence."
Flick.
Lightly flicking his fingers, the Knight Examiner launched a small pebble into the horizon. It destroyed the top of a mountain peak and did so without causing a single rock to slide down the rest of the mountain.
"From your strength and ability to controlling that strength."
Moving his eyes to a group of Owlbears fighting another group of Owlbears, the Knight Examiner waved his hands in that direction. He then said, "From strength and control to teamwork and seamless flow of abilities."
At this part, the Knight Examiner, as well as all of the Knight Testees, had already entered the spooky Serpent God's Forest. Most of them were too immersed in the examiner's lecture to notice that this happened, but the more astute ones, like Azmodeus, knew right away.
And the Knight Examiner also noticed the ones who noticed. This led to him marking down the participants with at least the smallest amount of potential. As for the others, well…
In the Knight Examiner's mind, they might as well have been considered useless trash.
"From those four things then came awareness. In the Immortal World, being aware of everything that has happened or could happen will be how you survive. And then, finally…"
"ROOAARRGGHH!!!!"
Out of nowhere, a towering Immortal Monster in the Grade 9 All-Encompassing Immortal Realm jumped from an overhanging tree canopy, aiming to gobble the Examiner whole!
Despite the impending danger, the Knight Examiner didn't once stop his lengthy lesson.
In response to the bloodthirsty tiger monster, he simply lifted up a finger and flicked another pebble. This time, however, the pebble was one that aimed to kill…
"Above all else, the most important part of this trial is the resolve to kill. Only with this resolve can you pass the test with flying colors and truly begin your journey as Knight Apprentices of the Omega Dome."
SPURT!
Not once did the Knight Examiner look at the attacking Immortal Beast, and not once did he bother with the cleanup that remained after he was finished with the hill-sized monster.
"In this world, strength is all that matters. And learning how to properly utilize that strength and carry out the tasks set by the Omega Dome is what will allow you all to survive as Knight Apprentices. I am well aware that you all are new to the ways of the Immortal World and just became adults, but you will have to grow accustomed to power and death sooner rather than later."
Without stopping for a single moment, the Knight Examiner ignored the faint, nasty sounds of belching and barfing happening behind him.
The Knight Participants were all very young, and even though they had cultivations equivalent to reality destroyers for the Mortal Planes — in the Immortal Realm, they were not all that different from regular commoner children.
The only ones who appeared relatively unaffected by the gruesome and bloody death of the Immortal Beast were the three bratty noble children and a select few commoner children. Some of them had stomachs made of iron, while others had simply experienced things far worse than the death of a mere mindless monster.
Not everyone had lived lives filled with daisies and tulups… A lot of them had gone through events that the noble children would simply never be able to understand…
"We are here."
"???" "???" "???"
Snapping everyone out of their reveries, they looked around themselves, only to realize that they had somehow already entered the Serpent God's Forest!
"H-How did this happen!?"
"Where are we!?"
"The Serpent God's Forest… There's no way that we're going to make it out of this alive! We're all going to die!!"
"This is fine… Stop freaking out."
...…..
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