CHAPTER 1784: CHAPTER 1784: THE FINAL TRIAL

After wiping out a small phalanx, Wyatt Barnes promptly retreated, making way for the various large and small phalanxes rushing to support.

Subsequently, Wyatt began to leverage his speed advantage, maneuvering around the various phalanxes. These soldiers had no chance of touching him.

Wyatt’s current speed was comparable to a martial artist in the early Great Saint Realm; these soldiers couldn’t catch up with him.

Under such circumstances, Wyatt repeated his strategy, breaking through the remaining phalanxes one by one.

After spending most of the day, he finally broke through all the phalanxes.

"Finally passed."

Although Wyatt successfully passed the eighth checkpoint’s test, he was drenched in sweat, his tensed nerves finally relaxing.

Just now, facing the onslaught of phalanxes, he didn’t dare to be distracted and had remained tense throughout.

"Huff~~"

"Huff~~ Huff~~ Huff~~"

Wyatt bent down, hands on his knees, panting heavily. Sweat drenched his face and dripped like rain.

At this moment, he could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Since entering the ’Abyssal Marsh’ until now, it was the first time Wyatt felt mentally and physically exhausted, so he rested for a full day before planning to continue to the next stage.

In fact, after passing the eighth checkpoint, the ’entrance’ to the ninth checkpoint appeared.

"After I passed the first checkpoint, that voice told me it would wait for me at the final checkpoint... meaning it will wait for me at the ninth checkpoint! Who exactly is the owner of that voice?"

Wyatt was filled with curiosity as he stepped into the entrance to the ninth checkpoint.

The entrance to the ninth checkpoint was a halo of light.

As Wyatt stepped in, it seemed to trigger something, and the environment around him changed drastically.

The vast underground palace disappeared from Wyatt’s view, and it was a gradual disappearance that Wyatt witnessed clearly. "Indeed, it was all a mirage inside an illusion... I wonder, what will I face in the ninth checkpoint?"

After the underground palace disappeared, all around was a vast expanse of white.

Finally, after some time, Wyatt found himself on a vast duel arena, surrounded by rows of audience seats, but the seats were empty.

"Is this the ninth checkpoint?"

Looking at the duel arena beneath his feet, Wyatt expressed surprise, "Who am I supposed to fight?"

Given the appearance of the arena, Wyatt naturally guessed what kind of test the ninth checkpoint would present — surely he would have an opponent to duel.

"Could it be the owner of that old voice?"

Even Wyatt didn’t know why this thought suddenly popped into his mind.

Once the thought arose, it was difficult to suppress.

The reason for this thought was because after he passed the first checkpoint, the voice had told him it would wait for him at the final checkpoint.

"Although I don’t know who he is... if he can transmit his voice to me in that way, he surely isn’t an ordinary person! If he’s my opponent, it’s probably ominous."

Thinking of this, Wyatt wore a bitter smile.

Although his current strength was comparable to a martial artist in the early Great Saint Realm, if he faced that mysterious old man, it would still not be enough.

As Wyatt smiled bitterly, in front of him, the void trembled and soon split open with a crack.

Soon after, an aged figure walked out of the crack, standing in the air, confronting Wyatt.

This was an elderly man with white hair and a youthful appearance, dressed in loose robes that couldn’t hide his robust build.

The old man was nearly two meters tall, burly like a small tower.

At this moment, the old man was smiling as he looked at Wyatt, his cloudy eyes quickly gleaming with bright light.

"Young man, you’ve done well to get here."

Just as Wyatt noticed the old man, the old man spoke, and his voice was identical to the one that had previously spoken to Wyatt, so Wyatt was certain that this old man was the one who had reminded him earlier.

"Senior."

Facing the old man, Wyatt dared not be negligent. Even if the figure in front of him might just be an ’image’ within an illusion, it deserved his respectful treatment.

Would the image manifested here be an ordinary person?

However, the old man seemed somewhat wooden. He didn’t respond to Wyatt’s salute and continued, "I told you earlier I would wait for you at the final checkpoint... now you’ve finally arrived. If you can defeat me, the ’Minor Devouring Technique’ will be yours."

"If you can’t defeat me, it can only mean you are not destined for the ’Minor Devouring Technique’.

The old man continued.

At this point, Wyatt realized that although the old man seemed to have intellect, in reality, he was acting on a ’template’.

This was evident from the fact that he seemed unable to see Wyatt salute.

The purpose of the old man’s existence was to test him, lacking actual intelligence and unable to interact.

That’s precisely why the old man wasn’t deliberately being lenient.

"The ’Minor Devouring Technique’ he mentioned... could it be the ’Divine Ability’ recorded in the divine power relic in the Abyssal Marsh?"

Recalling what the old man said afterward, Wyatt Barnes’s breathing became somewhat rapid.

Why did he fight so hard all the way here?

Wasn’t it for the Divine Ability?

Moreover, the difficulty he faced along this journey was unlike any divine power relic he had visited before.

Therefore, he was one hundred percent sure that the Divine Ability recorded in this divine power relic was definitely not an ordinary one.

Of course, all of this was merely Wyatt’s speculation.

At this moment, Wyatt Barnes didn’t know that the divine power relic he was breaking through, the ’Abyssal Marsh,’ was the most mysterious divine power relic in the Mysterious Void Sanctum’s sacred martial secret realm, also called the ’First Divine Ability Relic.’

Although people in the Mysterious Void Sanctum over the generations have not known what Divine Ability is recorded in this divine power relic, from its level of difficulty, it’s certain that the Divine Ability recorded inside is extraordinary, thus it also holds the honorable title of ’First Divine Ability.’

"Defeat him?"

When Wyatt Barnes came to his senses and looked at the old man again, he felt like a bucket of cold water had been poured over him, extinguishing all his enthusiasm.

Could he defeat this old man?

This old man, even if he was just a mirror image, surely wasn’t someone he could handle.

For a moment, Wyatt’s heart was filled with bitterness.

He had just used the ’Heavenly Eye’ to probe the old man, and when his Divine Sense touched the old man, it was like a stone sinking into the ocean, completely without response.

This suggested the old man’s cultivation was profound and unfathomable.

However, as the old man spoke again, Wyatt’s bitterness in his heart faded away.

"My cultivation will be suppressed and maintained at the same level as yours... Your cultivation is at the early Middle Saint Realm, so I will also confront you at the early Middle Saint Realm. However, besides maintaining cultivation equal to yours, I will also use the ’Minor Devouring Technique!’"

Those were the old man’s exact words.

Early Middle Saint Realm?

To engage with him at the early Middle Saint Realm?

Upon hearing the old man’s words, Wyatt couldn’t help but feel delighted, nearly bursting into laughter.

"Wait a minute! If he can simulate Solar True Essence, his actual strength could compare to a martial artist at the early Great Saint Realm! Plus, he can perform the ’Minor Devouring Technique,’ making him absolutely unbeatable for me!"

At this thought, Wyatt’s newfound joy vanished without a trace.

However, in the next moment, seeing the True Origin surfacing on the old man’s body, his heart reignited with hope.

It was simply because the True Origin appearing on the old man’s body was not Solar True Essence, but the standard True Origin of someone at the early Middle Saint Realm.

"For an average person, facing an opponent of equal cultivation level who can perform the ’Minor Devouring Technique’ would be impossible to beat... but for me, that’s nothing!"

Wyatt was confident that even if the old man’s ’Minor Devouring Technique’ was an advanced Divine Ability, just relying on the True Origin of the early Middle Saint Realm, it couldn’t possibly match his strength that could rival martial artists of the early Great Saint Realm.

His strength is not greatly dependent on cultivation but more on the ’uniqueness’ of his Solar True Essence!

The Solar True Essence at the early Middle Saint Realm is enough to rival the typical True Origin at the early Great Saint Realm.

Facing the same cultivation level of Solar True Essence, ordinary early Middle Saint Realm True Origin is bound to be crushed.

"It seems this so-called final barrier is essentially non-existent for me."

Wyatt felt extremely satisfied, thinking the final barrier would be tough, but who knew a surprising twist would occur.

If an ordinary person came this far and encountered this situation, they might be incredibly distressed.

However, Wyatt was not at all bothered; in fact, he felt a secret joy in his heart.

"Although he’s a whole major realm weaker than me... but he does perform the ’Minor Devouring Technique’! The Minor Devouring Technique is likely an advanced Divine Ability, and it might be stronger than a typical advanced Divine Ability! Therefore, in this match, even if I’m over ninety percent confident in winning, I can’t be careless."

This ninth barrier, the final barrier within the ’Abyssal Marsh,’ must not be taken lightly.

Hence, Wyatt approached it with great seriousness, not daring to underestimate his opponent.

If misfortune strikes, whom could he cry to?

Moments later, the True Origin on the old man wildly amplified and raged on.

In an instant, he moved swiftly, dashing directly towards Wyatt Barnes with fierce momentum.

"What incredible speed!"

Wyatt’s face showed surprise as the old man exhibited speed far surpassing a typical early Middle Saint Realm martial artist, maybe even rivaling those at the mid Middle Saint Realm.

"His motion techniques are quite extraordinary."

Very quickly, Wyatt discerned this fact.

Though the old man suppressed his cultivation to the early Middle Saint Realm, his achievements in techniques were unmatched by the typical early Middle Saint Realm martial artist.