Eternal Temptation: Awakening Sinful Desires

With a loud hum, an invisible force surrounded Asher and all the other participants of the trial, causing them to feel weightless as if they were being lifted off their feet and carried away in a sudden gust of wind. Within seconds, they found themselves standing in an unfamiliar landscape with many tall trees growing everywhere, surrounding them on all sides.

There were many different kinds of vegetation scattered throughout this vast forested region. Trees with thick trunks stood tall above them while bushes covered the ground beneath their feet, creating a dense thicket that was difficult to traverse through. The smell of earthy soil permeated the air around them, making one feel like they were walking along an old trail deep within an ancient forest.

A heavy silence filled the atmosphere, making it seem like there were no other living beings nearby. Everything seemed so peaceful and serene. However, one could never tell for sure because they had just entered an unknown territory that contained many dangers lurking underneath its surface.

Every participant was separated from one another by a vast distance, giving each one a huge area of land to explore. It was as if they were being isolated in their own personal domains, trapped in their own individual worlds without the ability to interact with others.

But remembering the words of the beautiful elder, they knew that it wouldn't always remain like this for long as they could be attacked by others or ambushed by wild beasts at any moment. Therefore, they needed to stay vigilant at all times, lest they end up becoming easy prey for someone else waiting for them to lower their guards.

Although this was a trial where they needed to be wary of other participants, it wasn't yet time for that, as without any points to earn, they would be wasting their efforts fighting amongst themselves.

So, with a new resolve in mind, each person rushed ahead into the wilderness before them, looking out for any signs of hidden beasts while hoping to finish the first trial as fast as possible without encountering other participants.

---

Within the vast wilderness of the Twilight Mist Sect's trial grounds, a young man stood alone under the shadow of a towering tree. His eyes scanned his surroundings, searching for any potential threats lurking nearby. Yet, despite his caution, he failed to notice the ominous aura emanating from the dark depths of the forest.

It was like a silent predator watching its prey from afar without revealing itself. If he had paid closer attention to it, he might've noticed it sooner and avoided walking straight into its trap. Unfortunately, however, he didn't seem to sense anything wrong with the situation at the time.

After making sure there was nothing dangerous nearby, he began walking toward an open clearing in front of him and took out two daggers from his spatial ring, preparing for battle. Once he was ready, he began moving forward once again. With each step, he left footprints on the soft earth as he marched through the dense foliage.

The sounds of rustling leaves accompanied him as he proceeded deeper into the forest, creating an eerie atmosphere that sent shivers down his spine. However, he kept pressing on regardless, undeterred by the foreboding vibe that enveloped him.

Soon enough, he noticed a strange mound that appeared in the middle of the path ahead of him. The mound was about five meters wide and three meters high, shaped like an upside-down bowl covered by grass and moss. It was such a peculiar sight that he couldn't help but stop and stare at it for several moments.

'What's this?' He wondered to himself before stepping closer to investigate the mound. However, as soon as he approached, an intense feeling of dread washed over him, causing goosebumps to erupt across his skin and a chill to run down his spine. Suddenly, a strong gust of wind blew through the area, pushing aside the branches of trees and revealing the source of his apprehension.

When he saw what was hidden underneath the thick canopy of foliage, his jaw dropped open in shock as his eyes widened in horror. Standing atop the mound was a creature unlike anything he had ever laid eyes upon. It was humanoid in shape, but that was where the similarities between humans ended.

Because this creature had an exoskeleton that looked like it belonged to some kind of insect instead of being made of flesh and blood. Its skin was smooth and shiny, with a reddish tint. Its eyes were compound eyes like those of an insect and had a red pupil.

It had two arms attached to its torso, with sharp blades extending out of the forearms while its legs were large and muscular, covered with bony plates that resembled armor plating.

As if sensing the young man's presence, the monster turned towards him with its head tilted sideways as its antennae twitched around in confusion. Then, its mandibles opened wide and let out a deafening roar that caused the hairs on the back of the young man's neck to stand up straight. Without warning, it charged right at him, its claws aiming for his neck.

'What... the fuck?!' The young man gasped in disbelief, frozen in place, as he gazed at the monstrous abomination looming before him. 'What the hell is that thing?!'

Before he could recover from the initial shock, the creature swung its bladed arms in a vicious arc that came close to decapitating him. But somehow, he managed to duck underneath the attack and roll backward on the ground, escaping the range of its claws. Unfortunately, though, he lost one of his daggers during the process, and it fell to the ground near the monster's feet.

Upon seeing the shining metal lying there, the creature paused for a second to consider its options before snatching it from the soil. It held it close to its mouth and inspected it with interest before biting into it. The sharp teeth of the monster pierced through the blade like it was made of paper, shattering it into tiny metallic shards before swallowing them whole like a tasty snack.

At this point, the young man's fear reached new heights as he stared at the beast eating his weapon, knowing that his life hung by a thin thread. Although he wanted to flee from the monster's grasp, he was paralyzed in terror, unable to move or think straight.

In desperation, he grabbed his remaining dagger tight, leaped up in the air with every ounce of strength left within him, and brought it down with a mighty swing that would cleave through the monster's skull and sever its head into two halves.

"DIE!!!" he screamed as his blade descended towards its target. But just before the sharp edge could hit home, a pair of sharp blades pierced through the air, stabbing straight into his chest. His eyes rolled into the back of his head, and a stream of blood gushed out from his mouth as he felt the pain of his insides being shredded apart by the monster.

The monster didn't wait for the young man to die before continuing its meal, consuming the young man's corpse and savoring every bite of flesh it devoured. The young man screamed in agony for a long time, unable to resist the agony of his flesh being eaten, before falling limp in the monster's grip, who didn't pay any attention to him and focused only on gorging itself on his flesh.

The scene was horrific beyond description as the young man died in a gruesome and painful manner, but the very next moment, as the monster continued devouring him, an eerie red light appeared from behind the monster and aimed towards its head.

And just when it was about to pierce the monster's head, its compound eyes turned red, and its antennas shivered around like crazy, as if it were in some sort of panic.

Phew!

A sharp wind flew by and cut the monster's arm clean from its body as the red light also slashed through the air. However, the red light was somewhat off target and missed the head as the monster managed to evade at the last second. Still, despite missing its intended target, the red light, which was a spear with a bloody aura wrapped around it, managed to sever one of the monster's arms with ease.

The monster let out a horrifying screech before stumbling backwards, dropping the young man's corpse in the process while looking at the red-haired and crimson-eyed youth who just showed up.

"Raaaaaa!!!!"

Seeing the monster screaming with anger, Li Xueli raised his spear and charged towards the monster once again. And just like before, with one swift movement, his spear sliced the monster's remaining hand before it could even react to his sudden appearance. Blood sprayed through the air like a fountain, covering the area in red liquid.

Li Xueli watched in satisfaction as the monster writhed in pain for a few moments before attempting to run away.

However, his eyes narrowed in irritation at its cowardice. He struck down hard with his spear, piercing through the monster's head and sending a wave of blood spraying across the field.

Then he turned away from the corpse of the monster and looked at the young man lying beside it, noticing his lifeless body and broken limbs.

"Another idiot who doesn't recognize his own incompetence and decided to jump into something beyond his means," Li Xueli spat with disdain towards the deceased youngster, who couldn't even last more than a second against the monster, which was just a High-Stage Rank-2 Star Beast.