After ensuring that Iris’s safety was clear, John’s consciousness quickly faded. His body had been damaged almost beyond recognition, and his soul had nearby been destroyed as well. He fell from the sky like a meteor, crashing towards the earth below.

“John,” Iris called out once more as she appeared below John and caught him in her arms. Worry and panic overwhelmed her as she inspected John, and found his lifeforce to be like a candle in the wind. Only with her divine sense closely inspecting him could she detect his life, as his breathing was incredible shallow.

Her expression turned grave as she noticed the damage to his body, as both his exterior and internals were charred and damaged beyond compare. If it were anyone else with this level of body damage, they would have died a thousand deaths already.

“Kirii!” Iris called out as Kirii appeared next to John as well. “Go get Adam and Chase, adn return immediately.” Iris knew they did not have a lot of time before the area would be flooded with other youths.

Kirii sped off without hesitation, his body like a blur of lightning. Iris’s worried gaze returned to John once more, not sure of what to do..

“Hold on John,” Iris said, her voice unsteady and meek. “Chase will be able to heal you.”

Less than a minute later, Kirii returned, with Adam and Chase riding on his back. Kirii was large enough to carry people on his back now, and thanks to his shapeshifting ability, could grow even larger if need be.

“Let’s go!” Iris commanded as she sped off into the distance, picking a direction towards the distant mountains, and the edge of the Jade Dragon Empire lands. The edges of these trial lands would no doubt have the least amount of youths, as going there would make the journey deeper into the lands longer, and most did not want to waste time like that.

Kirii followed behind, as the group sped forward like a blur. The desert sand exploded behind them, leaving a trail of their furiously carved path.

“Adam, hide the trail!” Iris instructed after noticing it.

Adam nodded his head, and his power flared out as he sat backwards on Kirii. His Qi washed over the area behind them, smoothing out the sand as they traveled, leaving no trace of their existence. In less than two minutes, the group had left the area, as it was no longer safe to be there.

A few minutes later, a large crowd of youths flooded the area, their shocked eyes taking in the scene of destruction. The desert floor was charred for miles and miles, with molten sand filling the many large craters that had been formed.

“Just what happened here?” many of the youths couldn’t help but ask, as they found no signs of anyone remaining behind.

“Someone obviously ascended here, but they must have already died!” someone chimed up with their thoughts.

The youths contemplated these words, and the idea became more and more likely by the second. The tribulation had been beyond anything any of them had ever seen, and surviving such a tribulation would be a miracle. With no signs of life being found in the area either, the most likely explanation was that the tribulator had died.

“That’s quite likely,” another commented, slightly disappointed, while also relieved. If the youth who had such a tribulation survived, they would no doubt be a prodigious monster, and a threat to all in these lands should they so choose.

Arriving in the area as well was Ainsel, whose eyes shifted colors as he closely inspected the area. His gaze eventually lingered in the direction towards the mountains as he spotted something. His body flashed as he appeared in a different area, and closely inspected the desert sand.

“There’s the slightest sign of disturbance, but the desert winds have already started to erase the pathway,” he mused out loud. While his voice was not loud, it was heard by the other youths, who could not help but widen their eyes in shock.

“Do you mean…that the tribulator lived, and already fled the area?” a startled youth asked, almost unable to believe it.

“I’m not sure,” Ainsel replied. “It could have been some allies, who fled after their friend died…or it could be as you said.”

Ainsels words shocked the large group once more, as the thought of someone surviving such a tribulation entered their minds.

“What kind of monster could live through such a tribulation?” a youth asked while thinking about the tribulation they had gone through themselves. Compared to their tribulation, the two were as different as night and day. Their tribulation could hardly be called that in the face of what they had seen.

“I’m not sure, but it’s useless to seek them out at this point,” Ainsel commented as his thoughts shifted to one youth who he did not want to offend again, and who was most likely within the group that was part of this tribulation. “The trail has already been erased. All we can do is move forward.”

Ainsels words disappointed the youths, as they wanted to see who had undertaken such a tribulation. However, they too could not identify the trail anymore, and so after some more exploration of the area, the youths all scattered, venturing deeper into the trial lands.

Ainsel’s gaze continued to linger on the distant mountains hundreds of miles away, his gaze calm but narrowed.

“The only explanation I can think of is that the girl with the eyes ascended, and her eye talents attracted such a tribulation. She’s one of the handful of Meridian Forging youths in these lands, and the only one ready to break through who could attract something like this.

This means that her talents are beyond terrifying, but that still doesn’t explain how such a battle took place in the sky. Either she gave it her all, and died in the tribulation…or that John Fenix interfered, and battled on her behalf. It’s beyond unbelievable…but it’s the only way I can make sense of it.

I’m sure the truth will be revealed before this realm closes, at which point I can confirm my suspicions or not.”

With those thoughts put away, Ainsel left the area, as the desert sands began to sweep over and erase the destruction that had occurred in the desert.