The first spirit vessel to land seemed to be carved out of ice, with a translucent hull that made the light ripple around it. A faint mist surrounded it, blurring the view of the prow and the pa.s.sengers. It had an elegant and sleek design, full of curves rather than the aggressive edges and corners the combat vessels of the Abyss Sect seemed to have.

It landed without a sound, and didn't raise even a spec of dust. Twelve silhouettes jumped from the spirit vessel, still hidden in the mist. Richard took a step forward and gave a polite bow.

"The Abyss Sect welcomes the members of the Noan River Sect." He said in a monotone, almost robotic voice.

"Still annoyed by formalities, Richard?" An aged, but sweet voice echoed from the mist as a figure took a step forward. It was an elegant woman clad in deep blue clothes. Her silvery hair was tied in a bundle behind her head, and the wrinkles of her face turned even more apparent as she gave a smile.

Richard snorted as he heard her comment, but his expression was somewhat strange as he faced her. The woman's smile grew wider, but before she could say anything, another spirit vessel arrived, raising a gust of wind and a cloud of dust.

"As rude as ever." The elderly woman complained with an annoyed expression as she waved a shriveled hand. The wind calmed down and the dust settled, revealing the spirit vessels behind it.

Unlike the elegance of the spirit vessel of the Noan River Sect, this one looked crude in comparison. It had a wide deck and a stout design, giving it a solid feeling. What drew attention to it, however, was its material. It glowed with a deep, purplish light that seemed to flicker nonstop.

"My apologies for that, Sarah." A middle-aged man jumped from the spirit vessel with an apologetic expression on his face. His golden clothes fluttered in the air as he gracefully landed on the ground.

"The Abyss Sect welcomes the members of the Roaring Mountain Sect." Richard greeted the man with an indifferent expression on his face. The man gave him a polite bow before gesturing for the pa.s.sengers in the spirit vessel to come down too.

The ten young cultivators of the Roaring Mountain Sect and a woman dressed in the same golden clothes as the man jumped down from the spirit vessel.

A young man took a step forward as he looked up. He had dark-brown hair that reached his shoulders and a pair of dark eyes that exuded nothing but coldness. His brows were furrowed as he looked at the incoming spirit vessel.

Jake's eyes seemed to s.h.i.+ne with a ferocious light as he saw the young man. His aura rose unconsciously as his face turned solemn.

"The Southern Flame Sect is here, but I don't see the spirit vessel of the Storm Peak Sect." He commented, not looking concerned at all. The man dressed in golden clothes gave him a sharp glance, but the youth ignored it completely, never taking his eyes away from the spirit vessel that was landing.

The Southern Flame Sect's spirit vessel was of a bright red color, covered in motes of pale light that seemed to flutter in its surface, much like ashes. It landed a bit further than the other two spirit vessels, and the pa.s.senger did not lost any time to jump out from it.

"The Abyss Sect welcomes the members of the Southern Fire Sect." Richard greeted again, in an even more robotic voice than before. It was as if he was struggling to not show annoyance.

An elderly man with a shaved head looked at Richard with a serious face, not pleased at all. His clear eyes were blazing with indignation as he looked at Richard. His bright red clothes seemed to be on fire as he walked toward Richard with heavy steps. The clothes could barely contain his bulging muscles as he walked with his back straightened, full of authority.

"Is this the way your sect welcomes visitors, Richard?" He asked in a biting tone. Richard, on the other hand, showed no further reaction, making the man furrow his brows. "You can't even take the h.e.l.lblaze Trials seriously. Maybe your Sect Master should have sent someone else."

"Come on, Baldwin, don't be so stuck up." The High Elder of the Noan River Sect, Sarah, said with a naughty smile. Amon had to make an incredible amount of effort to control his expression. He couldn't believe that a woman as old as her and in her position was acting like this.

"Grow up, Sarah. You are acting a few hundred years younger than you should." Baldwin said with a displeased expression. Sarah seemed to shrug it off, and didn't mind him anymore.

"The Storm Peak Sect is indeed late." Richard said as he frowned deeply. "Eustace is not one to be late like this."

As he said it, Sarah's expression turned serious and Baldwin furrowed his brows.

"I am sure they will be arriving soon." The High Elder dressed in golden clothes from the Roaring Mountain Sect said in a calm voice. Sarah gave him a piercing glance, making the man look at her coldly.

"You might not know this, Leonard, but Eustace is even more stuck up than our dear Baldwin here." Sarah said with a sneer. "He would rather kill himself than run late in a gathering for the h.e.l.lblaze Trials."

"Something happened in the Storm Peak Sect." Baldwin closed his eyes, pondering deeply. "I believe we should try to contact them."

The four High Elders looked at each other, thinking. At that moment, a weary voice echoed from the middle of the plaza. "There is no need for that."

The four of them froze for a moment as they looked at the small man that seemed to have appeared out of thin air, without any one of them noticing. Richard immediately fell to one knee, as did all the other Abyss Sect's Elders and Jake. The other disciples were a heartbeat late, but they also fell to one knee.

Seeing this, Amon followed suit, even though he had no idea who the man was.

"We greet the Sect Master." Jake proclaimed for all of the disciples present.

"Is he… Lars Borgins?" Amon asked himself as he saw the small man standing alone in the plaza. His brown hair was tidied and his clear eyes had an indifferent gaze, but just looking at him made Amon feel a horrifying pressure, as if he could he killed with the snap of a finger.

A blood-red sword was hanging from his back, and Amon found it quite familiar. He frowned deeply as he looked intently at the red jewel embedded in the guard of the sword. His golden eyes had a strange glint as his suspicions grew.

Sarah, Baldwin and Leonard, as well as the common Elders from their sect and the disciples all bowed politely as they saw the Sect Master of the Abyss Sect.

Borgin didn't seem to care about the greetings as he waved his hands dismissively.

"There were unforeseen circ.u.mstances in the Storm Peak Sect." Borgin spoke with a calm, but cold voice. "They will be late, but should be arriving soon."

The expressions of the High Elders eased somewhat, but Sarah still had a deep frown on her face. Something was very wrong. As she was pondering, however, a new piercing sound started to echo through the interior of h.e.l.l's Keeper Mountain.

Amon looked up and saw a new blur speeding in their direction. This one, however, was much, much faster than the previous three spirit vessels. In the blink of an eye, the blur was already upon them.

It suddenly stopped, revealing a spirit vessel that looked more like a needle than a boat. It seemed to be made of silver, but had a strong metallic l.u.s.ter that made one want to avert their eyes from it.

A slender and graceful figure jumped down from it, dressed in l.u.s.trous green robes. It was a very beautiful woman with silky black hair and dark eyes. She bowed deeply at Borgin and spoke in a polite tone.

"My apologies for the delay, Sect Master Borgin." She said with an apologetic expression.

"No problem. Your Sect Master told me about it." Borgin answered in his indifferent tone.

The woman gestured to the spirit vessel and all the pa.s.sengers descended. As they approached, the High Elder's expressions turned serious and they all had a frown.

Not only they, Jake and the youth from the Roaring Mountain Sect also frowned as they saw the members of the Storm Peak Sect.

"Where the h.e.l.l is Derek?" A youthful voice came from the side of the disciples of the Southern Fire Sect. A young and tall man had a displeased look on his face as he looked at the Storm Peak representatives. "I also don't see Thomas, Clarice and Helen."

Baldwin sent the young man a piercing glance as his aura shot up. A gust of wind formed around him and the ground cracked. The air itself seemed to turn heavy as the young man felt an almost unbearable pressure fall on him, pressing him to the ground.

"Mind your manners!" Baldwin said in a cold voice. "I wonder what Sect Master would think of his disciple if he saw this pathetic display."

The pressure suddenly disappeared, and Baldwin turned to Borgin. He gave a polite bow as he spoke in a soft voice. "My apologies."

Borgin gave him a slight nod, not minding at all. Jake had a strange look in his eyes and the young man of the Roaring Mountain Sect was barely holding his laughter.

"Enough of this." Borgin said in a cold, authoritative voice. "Now that everyone is here, it is time to start."

Everyone present turned silent as Borgin pointed a finger to the Ashen Heart Tree.

To Amon's surprise, the tree started shuddering, making its gray leaves rustle. One by one, its branches moved, pointing to the skies as the twisted white trunk started moving. The tree's rustle turned even louder and a creaking sound started echoing from it, as the white trunk began to slowly untwine.

The process took several seconds, and when it was done, Amon held his breath. The Ashen Heart Tree's twisted trunk untwined in two thinner trunks, which arched in what looked like a gateway.

A curtain of light shone between the trunks, glowing with a h.e.l.lish sheen. In the gloom of h.e.l.l's Keeper City, that ominous light was like a beacon in a dark night.

Amon felt an intense heatwave coming from the gateway, making him start sweating even before crossing it. The air around the gateway seemed to distort, giving it an oppresive feeling.

As he saw the Ashen Heart Tree and the gateway it formed, the anxiety he had somehow managed to suppress returned at full force. He felt like his chest would explode due to the anxiety and he fear he had when he looked at that curtain of light.

All Amon could see beyond that h.e.l.lish light was a sinister omen.