Black Knight at the Peak of the Ninth Tier

Immediately after, vast stretches of light began to dissipate!

Sun Cheng roared, "Everyone! Combat readiness! Protect the examinees!!"

He charged to the edge of the barrier first, his sword energy blazing fiercely.

A barrage of energy attacks, summoned creatures from cards, and the abilities of the staff instantly poured toward the shadows surging through the breach.

A bloody battle erupted in an instant!

Countless grotesque and terrifying creatures from the Source Realm flooded into the exposed gap of the sanctuary like a tidal wave.

They came in all shapes and forms—some resembled burning charcoal, others were covered in metallic carapaces, and some were nothing more than ethereal energy conglomerates without physical bodies.

The battle was brutal.

Restricted by the oppressive haze that dominated their vision, they couldn’t execute effective tactics and had to rely solely on individual valor.

Even as they resisted with all their might, they were at an overwhelming disadvantage in terms of strength.

Within mere seconds, several staff members were torn apart, their bodies reduced to mangled flesh.

Most of the examinees had never witnessed such a scene before. Some had initially wanted to help, but they were so terrified that they dropped their weapons.

Sun Cheng fought desperately, drenched in blood, holding his ground alone. Yet, under the relentless assault of the Source Realm creatures, he was forced to retreat step by step.

A massive charcoal-like creature swung a burning club, shattering the protective aura around Sun Cheng with a devastating blow.

Sun Cheng grunted, blood spilling from his mouth as he was sent flying backward!

Danger!

Just as the charcoal creature prepared to press its advantage—

A pitch-black figure abruptly appeared at its side.

No unnecessary movements—just a single swing of its sword.

The massive blade carried an incomprehensible force, cleaving through the air in an instant!

The creature’s supposedly indestructible claw was severed as easily as slicing through tofu!

Jet-black blood, mixed with embers, splattered in all directions!

The charcoal creature let out a piercing shriek, its massive body staggering backward.

Yet, it didn’t display the same overwhelming dominance as when it had instantly annihilated the giant centipede earlier.

But the Black Knight didn’t pause—swiftly following up with a second strike, a third…

Each swing was delivered with crushing force, without a hint of hesitation.

Within seconds, the massive creature was hacked into pieces.

For a brief moment, the surrounding Source Realm creatures froze in their tracks.

They seemed wary.

Sun Cheng struggled to his feet, staring blankly at the scene.

Earlier, he had sensed Liu Yuan and Yun Huang’s power—one at the fifth tier, the other at the seventh.

He hadn’t held much hope that they could contribute to this battle.

Even if they had managed to escape the haze unscathed, he had attributed it to some rare burst ability.

But this sudden display of combat prowess… it was at least at the peak of the eighth tier!

Perhaps… there was a chance?

His eyes sharpened as he tightened his grip on his weapon.

However, before he could act—

The Black Knight tore open a path through the battlefield of despair.

With every swing of its massive sword, dark green, charred, and even translucent blood sprayed everywhere, staining the already filthy ashen ground into a grotesque mosaic.

Those monstrous Source Realm creatures crumbled before it like fragile toys.

Blades flashed, limbs flew—

It was like an unstoppable killing machine, silently carrying out its mission of annihilation.

Its figure flickered across the battlefield, appearing precisely where support was needed most—beheading elite monsters or sweeping away waves of weaker foes.

The pressure on the battlefield lessened significantly.

The exhausted and near-death officials finally caught their breath.

They stared in awe at the dark figure cutting through the horde, momentarily stunned.

Was this really an examinee’s card?

It was practically a battlefield meat grinder!

Even Liu Yuan’s lips parted slightly in shock. She knew her card was strong, but without a clear frame of reference, she hadn’t grasped just how powerful it truly was.

Now, against the backdrop of this blood-soaked carnage, the Black Knight’s overwhelming strength was laid bare.

However, the respite was short-lived.

Just as the Black Knight bisected another creature—a massive spider-like entity covered in an eerie blue carapace, a peak eighth-tier Source Realm beast—

Three terrifying auras, far surpassing any previous enemies, erupted from different directions!

"ROAR—!"

A deafening bellow, accompanied by the stench of sulfur and burning flesh, shook the air as a colossal beast—twice the size of the earlier charcoal creature, wreathed in crimson flames like a demon from hell—shattered the sanctuary’s remaining defenses and stormed in!

Each step it took made the ground tremble, cracks spiderwebbing outward.

At the same time, from another side of the sanctuary—

A shadowy blur tore through the thick haze, revealing a sleek, panther-like creature covered in countless tiny black scales, its eyes gleaming with cunning and cruelty.

Its speed was beyond extreme, leaving afterimages in its wake—ordinary eighth-tier superhumans wouldn’t even be able to track its movements.

From the third direction came a viscous, corrosive swamp-like entity, oozing forward with a sickening stench.

It had no fixed form, writhing and consuming everything in its path—rocks, the remains of other creatures—all dissolving into its gelatinous mass.

Three creatures… at least ninth-tier, possibly even mid or late ninth-tier Source Realm beasts!

Their target was unmistakable—the Black Knight, the greatest threat on the battlefield!

The flaming behemoth struck first, its blazing claw descending with enough force to boil seas and scorch mountains, aimed directly at the Black Knight’s head.

Sensing the threat, the Black Knight abruptly shifted its aggressive stance, raising its massive sword in defense.

"CLANG—!"

A metallic crash reverberated through the sanctuary.

The Black Knight’s towering frame was driven slightly downward, the ground beneath its feet fracturing under the impact.

Before it could recover, the shadowy panther pounced, its razor-sharp claws slashing through the air with space-rending darkness, targeting the gaps in the Black Knight’s armor.

Reacting with inhuman speed, the Black Knight twisted at the waist, its sword deflecting some of the strikes—but a few still landed on its shoulders and legs, sparks flying as deep gouges were carved into its obsidian plate.

At the same time, the corrosive swamp creature slithered beneath it, tendrils of dark green ooze rising to ensnare and drag it down.

Forced to divide its focus, the Black Knight channeled energy into its blade, repelling the encroaching tendrils.

For the first time since its appearance, the Black Knight’s unstoppable momentum was completely halted.

Under the combined assault of three ninth-tier creatures, it could only defend and counter, searching for an opening.

The Black Knight’s limits were finally being tested.

Its true strength… was at the peak of the ninth tier.

What a pity for that "Imperial Capital Yellow River Guy"—if he saw this, his mindset would probably be very different now.

"Holy shit, am I actually this badass? I lasted dozens of seconds against that thing before barely losing?!"

The battlefield situation, which had just shown a glimmer of hope, instantly took a sharp turn for the worse.