"Dragon Might... it can actually pierce through reality..."
Yolanda said blankly, her hand instinctively gripping the hilt of her sword.
Westheid glanced at her. "Isn't that perfectly normal? Because that's reality, too... Yolanda, did you really think the Secret Realm Trial was just an Illusion Realm?"
"Those are all real worlds. The power of creation—that's what a Celestial God is."
The black-haired, purple-eyed young man remarked with deep emotion, his fervent gaze fixed on the projection.
'A great being of the Supreme Heaven! A Dominator wielding true authority! To extract and replicate a fragment of history—such an incredible miracle is not beyond the reach of a Celestial God.'
The projection continued to display the scene. One after another, distinctly different True Dragons led their Bloodline Legions to burn towns and slaughter the masses, until all mortals prostrated themselves on the ground, trembling as they submitted to the True Dragons and became a slave race.
Whether it was mountains, forests, deserts, glaciers, or the sky, plains and swamps...
From the nine heavens above to the Yellow Springs below, there was nothing the dragon wings did not conquer.
[Descending upon the Mortal World, Trampling All Life]
[The Demon Dragons dominated and ravaged the entire land as they pleased. Billions of living beings were enslaved.]
[This was the Dragon Calamity Era.]
[The age of Demon Dragons lasted for thousands of years, until the Ancestor of Ten Thousand Dragons, the Star Dome Dragon, the Dragon God "Star Abyss Wings," Severed Contact with His descendants in the Mortal World. Only then did the Demon Dragons' rule begin to crumble.]
[To re-establish their connection with the Dragon God, the Dragon Group resorted to any means necessary. They planned to sacrifice seven hundred million mortals to build a bridge to the heavens. Thus, the slaughter began. The True Dragons began to purge the lands under their rule.]
[Dragon wings shrouded the sky, and scorching flames baked the earth.]
[.........]
The prologue, personally initiated by the Divine Ancestor, slowly unfolded, revealing the background of this Secret Realm Trial to everyone.
Every frame that flashed across the projection was packed with an immense amount of information.
Everyone watched intently, rapidly analyzing the information.
"Is this Trial a historical snapshot? This period of history... is it the end of the Dragon Calamity Era?"
Sylvia watched the projection, her delicate brows slightly furrowed, her fingertips tapping incessantly on the armrest.
"That era seems to be when the Dragon Calamity was at its peak. However, the beginnings of the Empire also took shape back then. For the Divine Ancestor to choose this historical snapshot, the most likely reason is still..."
As if to confirm the Regent King's speculation, the next scene in the prologue was no longer of various ferocious Demon Dragons, but of humans struggling to survive under their fiery breath. Their homes were burned, their families slaughtered.
Faced with an absolutely crushing disparity, any resistance was mercilessly shattered. Under such high-pressure terror, even mortals long accustomed to a life of slavery were forced to find a path to survival.
[At this time of peril and impending extinction, the desperate mortals, guided by the call of the distant Holy Spirit Tree, sought to escape the lands ravaged by Demon Dragons.]
[They would flee a long and arduous path, hunted by the Dragon Group, until they reached the foot of the Holy Tree, where they could finally live and thrive.]
The prologue introducing the Trial's background ended there, leaving everyone a little time to digest the information.
At this point, all the spectators could make an accurate judgment:
"It really is the Great Migration of Suffering!"
There was no need for hesitation; they could have basically confirmed it when the prologue was only halfway through.
The ancestors who founded the Empire were the ones who escaped the Dragon Calamity, taking refuge under the protection of the Holy Tree. Only after receiving the Divine Ancestor's blessing could they stand against the Dragon Group, finally bringing the Dragon Calamity Era to a complete end and expelling the Demon Dragons from the sunlit lands of the Mortal World.
Many of the Trial Takers began to discuss excitedly:
"The Divine Ancestor actually cut out this piece of history! As expected of a Supreme Celestial God!"
"Ha! Even Demon Dragons are nothing but ants before the Divine Ancestor's mighty power!"
"That so-called 'Star Abyss Wings'—what disappearance and severed contact? I bet it heard the Divine Ancestor was making a move and got so scared it fled the Supreme Heaven!"
"..."
As Westheid listened to the mindless praise all around him, he felt a cold sweat coming on.
'Give me a break. Even the Radiant Holy Tree itself would be sweating bullets listening to this. The Empire did indeed rely on the Radiant Holy Tree to overthrow the Dragon Race's rule, but to say that meant the Radiant Holy Tree was far superior to Star Abyss Wings was a bit... much. Every Realm of Order boasts that its own Divine Ancestor is the one true Supreme Celestial God. The Imperial nation argues, based on the extent of its Domain, that the Radiant Holy Tree is the root system of the earth and the source of all sunlight. The Knights list their victories against Chaos to prove that the Yonglan Riding God could instantly defeat any other Celestial God. Then there's the Venerable Master of the Azure Heaven, whose followers just stack conceptual buffs on him using a few vaguely described miracles from ancient times. In any case, the Celestial Gods have never actually fought one another, nor do they ever offer sharp critiques of their peers. It's left entirely to their followers, who argue like rabid fans on an internet forum, endlessly debating who is stronger. But there are indeed differences in power between the Celestial Gods. All Westheid knew was that during the height of the Dragon Calamity, the Radiant Holy Tree was already a Holy Spirit nearing godhood. Yet, it had remained silent and unknown until the moment Star Abyss Wings disappeared, at which point it immediately popped up to grant a divine revelation, establishing its Great Enterprise of Ascension to godhood by protecting mortals and overthrowing the rule of the Dragon Group. Let that sink in. Anyway, Westheid couldn't say anything for certain. He was a die-hard power-scaler, true, but he wouldn't obsessively compare power levels. That was just boring.'
BZZZZ—
Westheid felt the Holy Emblem in his hand grow hot. As was customary, this was the sign that they were about to be teleported into the Secret Realm.
The other Trial Takers also felt the change in their Holy Emblems. The noisy square instantly fell silent. All the Trial Takers held their breath, waiting for the exciting moment.
The Regent King, Sylvia, raised her voice at the opportune moment:
"All children of the Empire, envoys of allied states, and warriors of the Mortal World!"
"You shall have the honor of ascending to the stage built by a Celestial God to become glorious Trial Takers."
"Trial Takers, praise the Holy Tree with grateful hearts and offer the Radiant Holy Tree a performance of your all! Unleash your courage and wisdom, and please the Celestial God!"
Not long after the Regent King's voice fell, all the Holy Emblems grew searing hot, transforming into pillars of light that enveloped the Trial Takers.
BZZZZZZ—
It was as if space itself was trembling with a low hum. Amid flashes of pale golden light, the figures of the Trial Takers vanished, one by one, along with the pillars of light.
In an instant, the vast Temple Square was empty.