The moment the golden announcement rang out across the Primordial Flame Realm, the entire floating island shook violently.
Hundreds of golden portals ripped open in the air above the central arena. From each portal came a small, terrified cry.
The pride's children — their precious legacies — were being pulled into the trial.
Zhao Ling screamed first.
Their young son, a four-year-old boy with tiny golden phoenix wings and tiger stripes on his arms, appeared in the largest portal, looking around in confusion and fear.
"Mommy… Daddy… where are we?"
Other children followed — Lin Xue and Su Mei's ice-demon daughter, Tigress Yu's powerful cub son, Lei Xin's thunder-haired girl, and many more. All of them were suddenly floating in the sky, small bodies glowing with innocent power, completely exposed to the dangers of the trial.
The voice of the realm spoke again, cold and merciless:
"Trial of Blood and Legacy: Protect your children from the echoes of your greatest failures. Fail, and your bloodline will be erased from history forever."
Zhao Ling's face turned white. She tried to fly toward her son, but an invisible barrier blocked her.
"No! Not my baby!" she cried, tears streaming down her face.
Wei Chen's expression hardened into pure, cold fury. His golden sun brand exploded with light so bright it lit up the entire realm.
"Pride — formation around the children! Protect them with your lives!"
The fourteen queens moved instantly.
Lin Xue created a massive frost barrier around the largest group of children. Su Mei's crimson chains shot out, wrapping around the portals to pull the kids closer. Tigress Yu roared and grew to giant size, standing like a living wall in front of the youngest ones. Lei Xin summoned thunder clouds to shield the sky. Shang Mian folded space to bring all the children into a single safe zone near the citadel. Hua Shi slowed time around the portals so the children moved slower than the threats. Sheng Si used life-death cycles to strengthen the kids' bodies. Ling Hun bound protective phantom shields around them. Luan Xu turned chaos into order to stabilize the portals.
The main five disciples sprang into action without being told.
Long Tian flew to the front, dragon sword blazing. "I'll guard the eastern side!" Huo Feng took the west with his phoenix legion. Xuan Shi became a living mountain in the center. Mei Ling covered the entire battlefield with charm illusions to hide the children. Bing Qing froze the ground into an ice fortress around the youngest ones.
The first echoes appeared.
From the golden portals came dark figures — twisted versions of the pride's past failures.
One echo looked exactly like the old righteous sect elder who had framed Wei Chen in the mortal world. Another was the corrupted version of Zhao Ling from just hours ago. A third was a ghost of Long Huang himself, smaller but still deadly.
They attacked the children.
Wei Chen pointed one finger — golden beam after golden beam exploded outward, destroying echo after echo. But more kept appearing.
A dark echo of the old Frozen Heart Curse appeared in front of Zhao Ling's son and lunged.
Zhao Ling screamed and tried to break through the barrier.
Wei Chen grabbed her, pulled her against his chest, and thrust deep into her from behind while still pointing one finger to destroy the echo.
"Stay with me," he growled, pounding into her desperately while protecting their child. "We save them together."
Zhao Ling moaned through her tears, pushing back against him. "Yes… husband… save our baby…"
The other queens joined the desperate cycle mid-battle.
Su Mei pressed against Wei Chen's back, riding him reverse while he continued thrusting into Zhao Ling. Tigress Yu lifted both women, helping him thrust harder while guarding the children with her body. Lin Xue kissed Zhao Ling deeply, pouring frost qi into her to keep her calm.
The cycle was raw, emotional, and powerful.
Climaxes came fast and hard — Zhao Ling squirting golden essence while crying, Su Mei squirting crimson while moaning, Yu roaring primal as she came.
Wei Chen filled them one after another, his seed giving them strength to protect the children.
The main disciples were shining.
Long Tian cut down twenty echoes with one sword strike. Huo Feng burned an entire wave of corrupted Zhao Ling echoes. Xuan Shi punched a giant echo of the old sect master into dust.
But the trial was clever and cruel.
The echoes began whispering the children's names, trying to pull them into merge like before.
One echo reached for Yu's cub son.
Yu roared in primal fury and charged, but the echo was fast.
Wei Chen pointed one finger — the echo exploded.
But another echo appeared behind Bing Qing's position, reaching for a small ice-demon girl.
The situation was getting worse by the second.
Wei Chen pulled all the queens into a tight group around him while still inside Zhao Ling.
"We need something stronger," he said.
He pointed his free hand at the ground and created a new pill on the spot — the Legacy Guardian Pill.
Golden light flashed. He tossed the pill to the main five disciples.
"Swallow it! Protect the children!"
The main five swallowed the pills instantly. Their power surged dramatically — each one reaching half-step god realm in seconds.
Long Tian's dragon form grew even larger. Huo Feng's phoenix flames turned into a protective dome around the children. Xuan Shi became an unbreakable mountain wall.
The children were finally safe for the moment.
But the echo of Long Huang appeared again — this time bigger and stronger than before.
It looked at Wei Chen with cold hatred.
"You can protect them for now… but the final trial will force you to choose. One child… or your entire pride."
The ground split open again.
A new, even larger portal appeared — this one leading to the final trial area.
The voice of the realm spoke:
"Final Trial: Sacrifice. Choose which child to save… or lose them all."
Zhao Ling's face turned pale.
The entire pride froze.
Wei Chen's eyes burned with cold fury.
"No one is sacrificing anyone."
He looked at his queens, then at the children floating in the protected zone.
"We will beat this trial together. All of us."
The final portal began pulling the citadel and all the children toward it.
The ultimate test was about to begin.
To be Continued
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