Read Novel Full Chapter 1423 Many Top Disciples!
Chapter 1423 Many Top Disciples!
"This… this is only a corpse!" someone shouted hoarsely. "How can it still be this terrifying?"
Another disciple struggled to raise his head. His back bent under the invisible weight, his body trembling as if he carried an entire mountain range on his shoulders. "Stand… I must stand…"
The pressure was not only physical. It clawed into their bloodlines, stirring the faint dragon lineage within many of them. Those with weaker bloodlines felt an intense suppression, as though their own power was kneeling before its true origin. Some coughed up blood as their circulation faltered under the suppression.
Minutes passed like eternal torment.
Even strong disciples found it difficult to remain upright. Their faces turned pale as they released their full cultivation to resist. Flames erupted around some of them. Lightning crackled around others. They summoned every ounce of strength they possessed simply to avoid being forced to their knees.
Dale, who had stood arrogantly earlier, now had both fists clenched tightly at his sides. His arms trembled as golden aura surged around his body. His expression was twisted with strain, teeth grinding audibly as he forced his spine to remain straight.
"This is nothing," he muttered fiercely, though sweat streamed down his temples.
Jane stood not far from him. Her long black hair fluttered in the violent pressure as a soft radiance surrounded her. She had closed her eyes, her breathing steady but heavy. Though her legs shook slightly, she refused to kneel. There was tension in her posture, yet her composure remained intact.
Aden stood at the very front.
Compared to the others, his posture was remarkably stable. His robe fluttered under the crushing aura, yet his feet remained firmly planted. His expression was calm, though his eyes had sharpened considerably. The pressure was clearly affecting him, but he did not bow his head. He faced the dragon skull directly as if silently challenging its will.
Max observed everything quietly.
Around him, disciples continued to fall.
Some lasted a minute before collapsing. Others endured three or four minutes before their consciousness gave way. A few strong ones remained kneeling but conscious, their bodies shaking violently as they fought to stay awake.
By the fifth minute, the ground was scattered with unconscious figures.
By the seventh minute, even several disciples who had initially stood confidently were forced down to one knee. Their pride was crushed beneath the relentless suppression.
Only a small group remained standing properly.
The top ranked disciples of various halls stood upright, though none looked relaxed. Their auras flared brightly as they resisted the ancient dragon's will. Veins bulged on their foreheads. Their breathing grew heavier with each passing second.
Yet they stood.
The contrast was stark.
While hundreds lay unconscious or kneeling in defeat, only the true top geniuses remained upright, their figures like solitary pillars beneath a collapsing sky.
High above, the elders watched silently.
The dragon skull loomed overhead, its hollow gaze indifferent.
Ten minutes beneath the will of a fallen true dragon was not merely a test of strength.
It was a measure of whose heart could endure the weight of an ancient era.
"There are many disciples who are able to withstand this pressure easily," Max thought as his gaze swept across the vast interior of the dome.
Since the dragon's oppressive will barely affected him, he had the luxury of observation. Where others struggled just to remain conscious, Max stood in silence, his mind sharp and analytical. He watched the top ranked disciples of the various halls with keen interest.
The thirty third hall was not the only place that harbored monsters. Beyond Aden, Jane and Dale, he could see figures from other halls standing tall beneath the overwhelming dragon pressure, their auras stable and their expressions firm.
Some radiated scorching flames that intertwined with the skull's oppressive aura. Others exuded icy calm, their presence unmoving like ancient glaciers resisting a storm. A few even seemed to thrive under the pressure, their bloodlines faintly roaring in defiance.
The Divine Realm truly was vast.
Max felt a quiet excitement rise within him. These were not small geniuses nor provincial talents from a mortal world. These were elite disciples nurtured within one of the great clans of the Divine Realm. Each one here had survived countless competitions, countless resources poured into their growth. This was the real battlefield of geniuses.
His eyes continued to scan the crowd.
Then suddenly his gaze stopped.
"Huh?"
Among the sea of struggling disciples and the cluster of stable elites, one particular figure caught his attention. It was a lady with long black hair cascading down her back. She stood calmly beneath the crushing aura, her posture straight and elegant.
Her expression was neither strained nor arrogant. It was composed, almost indifferent. Around her, the pressure twisted the air violently, yet she seemed anchored in place as if the dragon's will acknowledged her existence.
However, it was not her composure that drew Max's focus.
The moment his eyes locked onto her, something within him stirred.
A subtle pulse.
Then another.
Deep within his body, the Black Dragon Chaotic Bloodline that flowed through his veins reacted.
It was not fear.
It was not suppression.
It was hunger.
Max's brows furrowed slightly as he felt the sensation intensify. His bloodline, which normally remained stable and dominant, now felt restless. It was as though a sleeping beast inside him had suddenly caught the scent of something irresistible.
'I feel like my bloodline wants to devour the bloodline in that lady.'
The thought startled him.
This was not the ordinary resonance between similar bloodlines. When he encountered dragon lineage before, there was either dominance or subtle recognition. What he felt now was different. It was primal. It was greedy. It was instinctive.
His heart beat slightly faster.
He focused inward, trying to calm the surging dragon energy within him. The chaotic black power that slumbered in his veins coiled faintly, like a dragon raising its head in interest. It was not reacting to the pressure of the skull. It was reacting specifically to her.