Upheaval in the Valley of Night

A beam of pitch-black light shot toward Lu Yuan and Yeye from the distance, moving with terrifying speed.

Lu Yuan's eyes snapped to it. No time to think — he wrapped his arms around Yeye, space rippled, and both of them vanished.

**Boom!!**

The beam punched through the displaced space and slammed into the stone wall. A thunderous roar rolled through the cavern; the wall crumbled. Shockwaves tore outward in every direction, and the entire underground expanse seemed to shudder.

Far away, Ye Heng and Yan Liang felt the faint tremor. Their expressions shifted slightly.

They looked at each other, a grave weight settling over their faces.

"An Emperor Grade Feral Beast?" Yan Liang said slowly. "Wonder who ran into that."

Ye Heng smiled faintly. "Whether it's Yeye or Ye Jing — they can only blame their own bad luck."

Yan Liang's expression remained impassive. "I'd rather it not be Lu Yuan's group. I still want a proper match against him."

"Plenty of chances later. No need to rush."

Yan Liang went quiet and said nothing more, only nodding.

Then Ye Heng continued: "We need to conceal our auras. If we end up running into an Emperor Grade beast ourselves, that'll be nothing but trouble."

Yan Liang's face turned serious. He nodded.

Wisps of black mist coiled around them both, and in an instant, they seemed to dissolve into the surrounding darkness.

In another section of the valley, Ye Jing and his Elf companion had also felt the tremor.

They looked at each other. Ye Jing let out a cold laugh. "Can't tell if it was my royal brother or royal sister who drew such rotten luck."

The Elf male beside him smiled. "Brother Ye Jing, do you have any leads? Any idea where the token might be? How did your clan handle trials like this before?"

Ye Jing's expression grew somber, and he shook his head slowly. "Every trial is different. The old ones are no reference."

A flicker of disappointment crossed the Elf's face. "Then we search bit by bit. Looking for a needle in a haystack like this... the difficulty is rather steep."

Ye Jing said nothing, just shrugged. "Let me help you conceal your aura. We can't afford to stumble into an Emperor Grade beast."

"Fair enough."

Ye Jing placed a hand on the Elf's shoulder, and the two of them vanished from sight.

In a narrow crevice, space rippled, and two figures stepped out — Lu Yuan and Yeye.

A faint unease still showed in Lu Yuan's eyes.

*That attack was terrifying.* Even with the Great Solar Spirit Body active and Steel Body engaged — every card in his hand — he wasn't certain he could have blocked it.

*So that's what an Emperor Grade Feral Beast looks like.*

Good thing he had spatial movement. Without it, he might not have made it out.

Just then, Yeye pushed lightly against his chest.

Lu Yuan came back to himself. He glanced down at the girl in his arms — Yeye was looking up at him, her usually unreadable face touched with something that might have been a faint flush, her cat ears twitching softly.

She said nothing. Just watched him quietly.

Under her steady gaze, Lu Yuan grew oddly self-conscious. He cleared his throat and released her.

"You alright?" he asked, smiling.

"Fine," said Yeye.

She surveyed their surroundings. "That Emperor Grade Feral Beast was incredibly powerful. If it weren't for you, I'd have been eliminated already."

"Don't worry." Lu Yuan grinned. "I'm here."

Yeye gave a small nod. "Mm."

Then something seemed to occur to her. She reached out and took hold of his arm, speaking quietly. "We need to conceal our presence. We can't risk running into another Emperor Grade beast."

As she spoke, wisps of black mist began to flow around her, wrapping both herself and Lu Yuan within them.

Lu Yuan felt the dark energy brush against him and raised an eyebrow slightly. *A dark-attribute power application.*

Honestly, now that he possessed Emperor Grade dark-attribute genes himself, he could do the same.

He said nothing about it, just smiled. "Makes sense. Let's go."

Yeye gave a slow nod. "From what I know of my ancestor, the token could be hidden inside one of the beasts — or left in some out-of-the-way corner. It's even possible that an Emperor Grade beast is guarding it."

Lu Yuan's brow lifted. "Then we hunt while we search. If there's an Emperor Grade guardian... we'll figure that out when we come to it."

"Mm."

In the plaza of Youming Palace, three glowing screens floated in the air. The Tianming Sage, along with the Night Clan's assembled elders and younger members, watched the figures within.

Most eyes were fixed on the screen showing Lu Yuan and Yeye, a peculiar look on their faces.

Yemu in particular — watching Lu Yuan hold Yeye in his arms — couldn't stop his eyes from narrowing. A low, displeased grunt escaped him.

The Tianming Sage, by contrast, studied Lu Yuan with unhurried interest. A faint smile played at his lips.

"This human boy has something to him."

The words seemed to stun the room. Yemu and the others stiffened, casting surprised glances at the Sage.

Their ancestor was a Battle Saint — his standards were extraordinarily high. Not every prodigy who had claimed the top of the Prodigy Rankings necessarily earned his attention. After all, only a rare few among all those past champions had ever gone on to reach Battle Saint level.

No one had expected him to praise this human.

Yemu composed himself and spoke carefully. "Ancestor... what's so remarkable about this human?"

The Tianming Sage just smiled and shook his head. "He's considerably stronger than any of you are imagining. Who would have thought the Battle King Rank could produce someone like this... Impressive. Truly impressive."

Then he let out a soft sigh. "If only there were more talents like him. Our time is running short."

The others exchanged glances. *Considerably stronger than they imagined?*

But seeing that the Sage offered nothing further, none of them dared press.

At that moment, one of the screens shifted. An elder narrowed his eyes, a small smile appearing.

"Oh? From the look of things, Ye Heng and Yan Liang have their sights set on a Sovereign Grade beast."

On screen, Ye Heng and Yan Liang had located a massive jet-black serpent. They were easing toward it, clearly intent on hunting it down.

Yemu nodded gravely. "It seems they've all guessed that the ancestor hid the token inside a beast."

Even as he spoke, Ye Heng and Yan Liang had already engaged.

Yan Liang's strength was undeniable. The former top-ranked figure on the Prodigy Rankings before Lu Yuan's rise, he lived up to every bit of that reputation.

Three pairs of black-winged silhouettes materialized around him, adding to his own wings — four pairs in total, vast and dark. A crushing aura surged off him in waves, pressing outward like a tide. Even the jet-black serpent seemed to eye him with wariness.

Yan Liang's form blurred. In an instant he was hovering above the serpent's head, a pitch-black longsword blazing with Spirit Power as it slashed down.

**Boom!!**

Black mist surged across the Sovereign Grade serpent's body to meet the blow. A thunderous collision rang out, and ring after ring of dark shockwaves rippled outward, sweeping toward both Yan Liang and Ye Heng.

Their expressions tightened. Both darted back in tandem, retreating fast.

The dark shockwaves struck the stone walls, leaving corrosion wherever they landed.

Then Ye Heng and Yan Liang pressed forward again, rejoining the fight.

Outside, the Night Clan members watched with quiet nods.

Yemu's expression remained somber. "Not bad," he said flatly.

"Ye Heng's talent falls a step short of Yeye's, though the gap isn't enormous," offered an elder Cat-kin with a smile. "The real asset is Yan Liang. His power is genuinely formidable."

The others nodded.

"He was the top of the Prodigy Rankings, after all."

Just then, a middle-aged Cat-kin man narrowed his eyes.

"Looks like Yeye and Lu Yuan are going after a Sovereign Grade beast as well."

Heads turned to the other screen.

On it, Lu Yuan and Yeye were closing in on a savage beast resting in the corner against the stone wall — its body encased in black scaled armor, massive and menacing.

"A Night-stalking Earth Shell Dragon? That one's no pushover."

A few Cat-kin leaned forward with interest.

Then, on screen, Lu Yuan's body erupted with blinding golden radiance — a sun blazing to life in the midst of darkness.

The Night-stalking Earth Shell Dragon jolted awake with a furious roar.

Lu Yuan's form vanished from where he stood and reappeared directly above the dragon's head.

Golden sword-light fell.

**Boom!!**

Black Spirit Power surged across the dragon's body to meet it. Light crashed against light, filling the cavern with a resonant crack.

The next instant, the Night-stalking Earth Shell Dragon let out a shriek as its body was blasted backward, slamming into the stone wall.

A beat of stunned silence from the Cat-kin observers. Eyes went wide.

Even Yemu's gaze sharpened.

"That powerful? A single strike sends back a Sovereign Grade beast?"

He glanced sidelong at the Tianming Sage — who stood nearby with eyes half-lidded in quiet amusement, entirely unsurprised. The old ancestor had clearly already read Lu Yuan's strength.

The hurled Earth Shell Dragon hadn't even had time to right itself when several shadows materialized at its flanks. Razor lines of black sliced through the air.

The next moment, they landed.

*Shhk.*

Gashes carved themselves across the dragon's body — scales torn, blood welling free. But the wounds were shallow, the damage limited.

Yeye frowned slightly. Before the dragon could counterattack, she pulled back, melting into the shadows.

The Earth Shell Dragon roared and moved to retaliate — but Lu Yuan was already in front of it again. Consecutive flashes of golden sword-light cascaded down, overwhelming the beast in a near-continuous torrent.

In a matter of moments the dragon's defenses shattered. Its armored scales cracked and gave way. It was killed by force.

Yeye looked at Lu Yuan and quietly slid her sword back into its sheath.

During their earlier sparring she had assumed he'd already been fighting at full strength. It turned out he had been holding back all along.

Outside, the assembled Cat-kin fell silent.

The Tianming Sage's lips curved in a faint smile. He murmured softly, almost to himself:

"As expected. Barring some accident, this human boy will one day stand among the pinnacle powerhouses of the stars."

A jolt ran through the crowd at those words. Eyes flicked from the Sage to the screen, then back again.

A pinnacle powerhouse among the stars — that was Battle Saint level. War God level, even.

Yemu narrowed his eyes. "Lu Yuan's strength is impressive. It seems that Yeye's odds of winning the trial are now considerably higher, barring any surprises."

The Tianming Sage let out a soft laugh. "Winning the trial isn't only about strength. Luck matters too — if you can't find the token, you simply can't find it."

Yemu paused, then nodded slowly. "The ancestor makes a fair point."

On screen, Lu Yuan and Yeye collected what the fallen Earth Shell Dragon had dropped, then split the carcass open and checked inside. No token.

Mild disappointment. They moved on, making sure to check every corner and crevice along the way.

*Maybe the token is just sitting quietly somewhere, waiting to be found.*

The Valley of Night was vast. They swept through one section thoroughly and came up empty — they'd hunted a large number of beasts, including two Sovereign Grade creatures, and found nothing.

Lu Yuan had already settled into the mindset of a long haul.

Then, without warning, a chorus of roars erupted simultaneously from all directions. Powerful auras surged from every side, wave after wave, flooding the valley.

Both Lu Yuan and Yeye stopped in their tracks. He raised an eyebrow and looked at her — surprise flickering in both their eyes.

"What's going on with the beasts? Is your ancestor behind this?"

Yeye shook her head slightly. "I don't know."

The upheaval wasn't limited to their section. In another part of the valley, Ye Heng and Yan Liang had finally brought down the Sovereign Grade serpent through considerable effort and were pausing to recover — when they too felt a torrent of powerful, violent auras crash in from every direction.

Both their expressions changed. They activated aura-concealing Combat Techniques simultaneously and vanished.

Yan Liang swept his gaze around, sensing the savage energy churning through the air. He frowned.

"What's going on? Has the Tianming Sage raised the difficulty again? Your clan's trial standards are really something else."

Ye Heng's mouth twitched. "It was never this intense before..."

He was starting to question everything. *Has ancestor grown dissatisfied with all three of us? That can't be right — he always spoiled Yeye. He wouldn't go this far, would he? Could it only be our section that's like this?* No, ancestor wouldn't do something so obviously unfair just because he favored Yeye.

*So what was happening?*

On the far side of the valley, Ye Jing and the Elf male were still moving through the dark when a shape emerged from a corner ahead.

A wolf padded into view — its fur an inky black. Its pupils flickered with an eerie green glow, and strange black mist curled around its body. The aura it gave off was powerful, but threaded through with something deeply, wrongly unsettling.

Only King Grade — yet both Ye Jing and the Elf felt a cold prickle run through them.

They looked at each other, and saw the same unease reflected back.

Before either could say a word, the Night Demon Wolf let out a snarl and lunged.

"This filthy beast — kill it!"

Ye Jing bellowed, Spirit Power surging. He charged to meet it. The Elf male followed right behind.

At the very same moment the beasts throughout the Valley of Night went berserk, something stirred in a remote corner.

A creature crouched there — massive and black-furred, built like a great tiger, two sharp horns rising from its head. Wisps of sickly, malevolent green energy coiled around its body, curling inward and sinking deep.

The energy merged with the beast. A series of low, agonized groans escaped it.

Then its flesh and bones began to writhe.

One after another, grotesque tentacles and eyes pushed through its skin — erupting from its body, spreading, multiplying, utterly wrong.