The Seventh to Ninth Floors – A Trial of Blood and Steel 

Jiang Chen, Bai Muchen, and Xiao Dong had changed.

It had been days since they first entered the Temple of Heaven and Earth. Days of blood, battle, and hardship.

Each floor had tested them in ways that no normal battlefield ever could. It wasn't just about raw strength, but adaptability, resilience, and survival. The Temple did not just forge warriors; it refined them.

Their clothes were torn, their bodies bruised, but their eyes burned with unshaken determination. 

However, their foundations had become much more stable, their battle experience grew with every fight, and their understandings of their own techniques and abilities were evolving with each passing day. 

They had stepped onto the Seventh Floor.

And here, their greatest trial yet awaited them.

The moment they stepped forward, an overwhelming gravity pressed down upon them.

BOOM!

Jiang Chen's feet cracked the stone ground beneath him as the sheer weight of the atmosphere nearly buckled his knees.

"What the fuck?!" Xiao Dong cursed, his muscles straining as if the heavens themselves were trying to crush him.

Bai Muchen's Titanblood Physique flared, resisting the suppression, but even he gritted his teeth. "This isn't normal gravity… This is—"

Jiang Chen's golden-amber eyes flickered as he activated his Starshadow Body. The space around him distorted, easing some of the pressure.

Then, he looked up.

And what he saw made his breath hitch.

Colossal figures.

Towering beings over thirty meters tall, clad in ancient, rusted armor, wielding weapons as large as mountains. Their empty eye sockets burned with flickering ghostly blue flames.

"The Abyssal Titan Sentinels."

A title carved into a massive stone slab at the center of the battlefield.

"These bastards…" Bai Muchen muttered, his fists clenching. "They're not just big. Their bones radiate ancient power."

Jiang Chen's gaze sharpened. "They're remnants of an ancient race. These aren't just spirit beasts… They're warriors from a forgotten era."

Xiao Dong let out a shaky breath. "And I bet they're not gonna just stand around."

As if on cue, the ground trembled.

One of the Titan Sentinels moved.

BOOOOOOM!

A giant axe, wide enough to cleave a castle in half, swung down toward them with terrifying force.

Jiang Chen's Starshadow Burst activated instinctively.

His body flickered, avoiding the axe's devastating blow as it shattered the ground where he once stood.

"Fuck! These things are ridiculously strong!" Xiao Dong cursed, barely dodging as another sentinel stomped toward them, causing shockwaves with each step.

Bai Muchen roared, his Titanblood Physique burning with power. "Then we break them the only way we know how—head-on!"

Jiang Chen smirked. "Fine by me."

Jiang Chen dashed forward, his spear igniting with Chaotic Qi, twisting space itself around its edge.

"CHAOTIC SPEAR STRIKE!"

He lunged at one of the towering Sentinels, aiming for the weak points in its joints.

BOOOOOOM!

His spear pierced through the titan's knee, the force causing the massive being to stagger.

But—

CLANG!

A second titan swung its sword toward Jiang Chen with frightening speed.

Jiang Chen's Starshadow Body activated in a split second—his figure blinked out of existence, reappearing behind the attacking giant.

He exhaled sharply. "Shit… They're faster than they look."

Xiao Dong, meanwhile, was laughing like a madman.

"HAHA! FINALLY, SOMETHING TO REALLY TEST ME!"

His Madstorm Qi erupted as he launched himself at one of the giants. His fists moved like thunder, crashing into its armor with the force of an avalanche.

CRACK!

The titan's chestplate fractured, but it remained standing.

"Damn," Xiao Dong grinned, spitting out blood. "These things are tough."

Bai Muchen charged in, his Titanblood Physique fully awakened. His fists glowed with an earth-shattering force.

"HEAVEN-SUNDERING FIST—TITANBLOOD VARIANT!"

His strike connected—

BOOOOOOOOOOM!

The Titan collapsed, its entire torso caved in.

One down.

Two to go.

Jiang Chen's eyes burned. They were adapting.

And the temple was watching.

As soon as they stepped through the gateway, the temperature dropped.

No.

It vanished.

Jiang Chen's breath misted in the air. The ground was black, covered in a fine layer of ash.

Xiao Dong frowned. "What is this place…?"

Bai Muchen's jaw tightened. "A land of death."

Jiang Chen stepped forward, his boots sinking slightly into the ashen soil.

Then—

A whisper.

A faint, eerie voice slithered into his mind.

"You… do not belong here."

His blood froze.

The next moment—blackened figures rose from the ground.

They were humanoid, but barely. Their bodies were charred, their faces twisted in eternal agony, as if they had been burned alive.

Jiang Chen's Chaos Qi flared violently. "Shit. These things aren't normal spirits."

Bai Muchen exhaled slowly. "They're remnants. Souls that were consumed by something far worse."

Xiao Dong cracked his knuckles. "Well, they're gonna have to deal with me now."

The Ashen Wraiths attacked.

They didn't move like warriors.

They crawled, twisted, and lunged with movements that defied logic, their limbs snapping unnaturally as they moved.

Jiang Chen dodged, his Starshadow Body allowing him to weave through their erratic strikes.

But—

SLASH!

One of the Wraiths phased through him, its claws sinking into his shoulder.

A searing pain spread through his body.

"FUCK!"

It wasn't just a normal attack.

It was burning his soul.

Bai Muchen cursed. "Jiang Chen! Don't let them touch you! Their attacks burn more than flesh!"

Jiang Chen gritted his teeth.

He had to finish this quickly.

He raised his palm—dark energy coalescing around him.

"HEAVEN-SUNDERING PALM!"

BOOOOOOM!

The ground erupted, the force of his attack obliterating a dozen Wraiths instantly.

Xiao Dong and Bai Muchen followed suit, tearing through the horde with their own devastating attacks.

After an hour of brutal combat—

The Wraiths were gone.

And the exit appeared.

Jiang Chen exhaled sharply.

They were exhausted.

And yet, they had one more floor to clear.

As they stepped onto the Ninth Floor, something felt different.

The air was heavy, charged with killing intent.

Jiang Chen narrowed his eyes. "Something's coming."

Then—

A massive arena materialized before them.

And at the center…

A figure sat upon a throne of bones.

It slowly stood.

Then spoke.

"You have done well to reach this point."

Jiang Chen's blood ran cold.

The Ninth Floor Boss… was sentient.

And it was watching them.

"Prove yourselves… or be consumed."

The final battle before the Tenth Floor had begun.