Chapter 2085: Missing Aurelian!

The shadow raised its spear, and dozens of dark figures appeared around Max, each holding the same weapon. Then every one of them moved at once.

Max didn’t move from where he stood. He simply let his Emotion Severing Path expand.

There was no clash of overwhelming energy and no drawn-out struggle, because the result was decided instantly. The moment the shadow’s pseudo cosmic path entered the range of Max’s Emotion Severing Path, the connection holding it together was severed.

The darkness stopped moving, and the countless afterimages froze before collapsing. The Shadow Element scattered into black particles, leaving the real shadow standing alone in the middle of them.

Its spear trembled once.

Max swung Dragonheart, and a single line of sword light crossed the arena. The shadow split apart, its body dissolving into countless dark fragments before vanishing completely.

Silence returned. Once Max stopped holding back, the entire fight had ended in a single move.

Just as the First Shadow finished dissolving, the arena around him began to fade. The darkness surrounding the platform pulled back first, then the stone beneath his feet blurred, and a familiar spatial force wrapped around his body. A moment later, Max vanished from the First Shadow Trial.

When his vision cleared, he was standing in front of the enormous door inside the first monolith again.

After the silence of the trial, the atmosphere outside felt strangely lively. Participants kept appearing and disappearing around the entrance as some were sent inside while others returned from their attempts, whether they had succeeded or failed.

Voices filled the enormous chamber once more, and the sounds of combat echoed from the hundreds of arenas scattered across the monolith.

Max had barely taken a step when he noticed two familiar figures waiting near the entrance. Damian and Revona were standing a short distance from the huge door, apparently waiting for him to come back.

They weren’t alone, though.

Max’s eyes moved past them and landed on Ervin and Rakan, with Rosaline standing beside them.

He was genuinely surprised. Before entering the First Shadow Trial, he had searched the area and hadn’t seen any of them. He figured out what had happened almost at once. They must have already been inside the trial at that time and come back sometime after he went in.

Damian spotted him first and walked over. "You’re back."

Revona came along beside him, and her eyes swept over Max briefly, as though she were checking him for injuries. "So, how did it go?"

Damian gave him a curious look as well. "Was the First Shadow as much trouble as everyone says?"

Max glanced between them. "It was strong for a first trial."

He thought briefly about the shadow’s battle instincts. Even before he used any major techniques, it had answered Dragonheart from nearly every angle, and its combat awareness had gone far beyond what he’d expected from something at only the 3rd level of the Divine Lord Realm.

Compared to Damian and Revona, however, it still wasn’t enough.

Max smiled faintly. "You two don’t need to worry. You’ll definitely clear it."

Damian’s expression relaxed.

Revona nodded slowly. "You’re that confident?"

"You’ll see what I mean once you fight it."

Max then turned to the other three.

Ervin looked much the same as he had before entering the Godslayer’s Pilgrimage, though his aura now carried a sharper edge. Rakan stood beside him with his usual heavy presence, while Rosaline remained calm and composed, carrying the quiet confidence of someone who had already experienced the trial firsthand.

"What about you three?" Max asked. "Have you already cleared the First Shadow?"

All three of them nodded.

"We have," Ervin replied.

Rakan folded his arms. "It was tough, but not tough enough to stop me."

Rosaline smiled faintly. "I cleared it not long ago."

Max nodded, since that confirmed his earlier guess. They had simply been inside the trial when he first arrived.

The group moved a little away from the entrance so they wouldn’t block other participants, and once they were somewhere quieter, they began catching each other up on everything that had happened since entering the Godslayer’s Pilgrimage.

As it turned out, Ervin and Rosaline had both appeared in the same outer-layer city, which was called Silverveil City. According to Ervin, it lay several regions away from Bloodstone City and was known for the large number of Spirit Race and Primordial participants who gathered there.

Rakan had spawned somewhere else entirely, in a place called Ironfang City. It was far more brutal than Silverveil City. Dragon Race participants were especially common there, and according to Rakan, even the Battle Space wagers in that city tended to be bigger and more aggressive.

The more they talked, the clearer it became just how widely they had been scattered after entering the Godslayer’s Pilgrimage.

The Wall of Eternity had sent each of them to completely different regions. Some had been lucky enough to appear near cities, while others had needed to cross dangerous wilderness before finding any real settlement.

After talking for a while, Max suddenly noticed something and looked around again. Damian, Revona, Ervin, Rakan, and Rosaline were all here, but someone was missing.

Max frowned. "Where’s Aurelian?"

The moment he asked, the expressions on Ervin, Rakan, and Rosaline shifted slightly.

Ervin answered first. "I don’t know."

Max looked at him. "You haven’t seen him?"

Ervin shook his head. "Not even once."

Rakan gave the same answer. "I haven’t seen him since we entered the Godslayer’s Pilgrimage."

Rosaline nodded as well. "Neither have I."

Max’s brows slowly drew together. None of them had seen Aurelian, whether in any city or near the Ten Shadows Trial, and they hadn’t even heard rumors about him.

That was strange. Aurelian had entered the Godslayer’s Pilgrimage along with the rest of them, yet he seemed to have vanished completely after they were all separated.

Max fell silent. He had been waiting for a chance to find Aurelian again.

Once someone moved beyond the protection of the cities and the few agreements between the major races, the outer layer was practically lawless. It was the perfect place to settle unfinished business without worrying about the restrictions that existed back in the Divine Realm.

Max had a very specific reason for wanting Aurelian dead, aside from the fact that Aurelian’s elf faction was responsible for the destruction of his family.

The source of Max’s divine bloodline was inside Aurelian’s body, and Max still needed it. If he could extract that source and absorb it, he would finally be able to complete his Heavenly Luminance Divine Bloodline.

That was one of the reasons he had actually been looking forward to running into Aurelian somewhere in the outer layer. He had expected Aurelian to turn up sooner or later, whether in Bloodstone City, at the Ten Shadows Trial, or somewhere out in the wilderness.

What he hadn’t expected was for Aurelian to disappear so completely.

’Where did he go?’

His expression grew more serious. Aurelian wasn’t weak, and he wasn’t the kind of person who would vanish without leaving any trace at all. Even so, none of them had heard a thing.

Max looked out at the crowds around the monolith once more, but there was still no sign of him.