The Great Xia Dynasty will not tolerate traitors! The piercing voice echoed in Ye Hao's ears as he made his final struggle!

Taibai Academy, before the towering mountain gate.

Unlike Lin Xiyue and the others, who manifested their presence in the sky and attracted everyone's attention,

Li Zhanjun and the other three were currently standing quite low-key on a viewing platform outside the mountain gate.

This Taibai Academy assessment ceremony was originally organized single-handedly by Lin Xiyue,

so the four old fellows were happy to be at leisure and didn't join in the excitement, choosing instead to silently monitor the situation from here.

However, although they didn't show their faces, they placed more importance on the assessment results of this first batch of students than anyone else.

At this moment, a small light screen was also floating in front of them.

On the light screen, every move Ye Hao made within the illusion was being broadcast in real-time.

"Good heavens..."

"Fortunately, I had some self-awareness that day and didn't go looking for trouble in that grand array."

"Otherwise, my old bones might have ended up making a real fool of themselves!"

Looking at Ye Hao's near-pathetic performance on the light screen,

Li Zhanjun stroked the stubble on his chin, his heart full of relief.

Honestly, on the day Gu Zhiyun had just finished setting up the array and saw Li Fan going in for the trial, his heart had truly felt a bit itchy,

and he had even entertained the idea of going in for a challenge, wanting to see if his military heart, forged over a lifetime of service, was tough enough.

But later, after witnessing the tragic state of a Sword Cultivator Genius like Li Fan, who almost got trapped and couldn't get out,

he immediately chickened out and decisively dismissed the idea.

Looking at it now, that decision was simply too brilliant!

"Who says otherwise?"

Hearing this, Liu Jianshe, who was beside him, also nodded repeatedly, looking like he still had lingering fears.

"I was also very curious about the power of this grand array that day and wanted to try it personally."

"But now it seems... curiosity is something that, at times, is better not to have too much of."

"Otherwise, if this old face of mine were lost in there, I wouldn't be able to pick it back up."

Liu Jianshe's tone was filled with immense emotion.

"Alright, stop the lamenting."

Just then, Zhang Zhenghua, who had been frowning all along, suddenly spoke up, interrupting the small talk.

He pointed his finger at Ye Hao, who had a struggling expression on the light screen, and asked in a solemn tone:

"Listen, old partners."

"Do you think this kid... can still pass this test?"

As the first-place winner of the 'Ten-Day Body Forging' Preliminaries, Ye Hao was originally a key focus of their attention.

Zhang Zhenghua had even once thought that this kid was a talent worth cultivating, a future pillar of Great Xia!

But now... seeing this kid in the illusion being both arrogant and afraid of death, and now even on the verge of betraying his race in the face of external temptation!

Can this still be a pillar of Great Xia?

This is clearly a hidden danger!

"Hard to say..."

"Until the very last moment, no one knows if he can truly find his original heart."

"Human nature is often the most complex thing."

Regarding this, Qin Ming did not easily pass judgment.

After all, it was an illusion, an asura field where human weaknesses were infinitely magnified.

Anyone who went in would likely have a hard time.

Zhang Zhenghua pondered for a moment, then suddenly turned his head and asked in a low voice:

"But if this kid really can't withstand the temptation in the end and chooses to become a Race Traitor..."

"What do you think should be done?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the surrounding air seemed to freeze a bit.

"Hmph... what else can be done?"

Li Zhanjun snorted coldly, and a streak of iron-blooded killing intent immediately appeared on his face.

"Since he would choose to betray Great Xia in an illusion, it proves that in reality, for the sake of profit, he could just as easily harbor such thoughts of betrayal!"

"The reason we went through all the trouble and took such roundabout ways to organize this entrance assessment..."

"Isn't it exactly to prevent such scum from appearing and infiltrating the supreme cultivation academy of our Great Xia at the source?"

Speaking to this point, a cold light flickered in Li Zhanjun's eyes, and his tone was grim.

"So..."

"As long as this kid dares to nod his agreement..."

"Then..."

Li Zhanjun did not explicitly say the remaining words.

But his meaning was already more than clear.

Upon hearing this, the other three did not object but instead nodded in silence.

Regardless of the situation, they would not allow a menace with great power and the potential for betrayal at any moment to be born.

Therefore, no matter how good Ye Hao's talent was or how extraordinary his performance was.

As long as he set foot on the wrong path.

Then... they would not hesitate to nip him in the bud!

Great Xia absolutely has no room for traitors!

...Inside the illusion.

Ye Hao did not know that he was currently standing at the most important crossroads of his life, one that even concerned his life and death.

At this moment, hearing the conditions offered by the Silver-Armored Man, his expression shifted between light and dark, and his heart was undergoing unprecedented torment.

Life, or death?

Betrayal, or steadfastness?

"What?"

"Does this even require thought?"

In mid-air, the leading Silver-Armored Man looked at the hesitant Ye Hao, his face showing a trace of impatient mockery.

"Heh, it seems you still don't recognize the situation."

"Do you think you still have room to bargain?"

"Fine, I don't have that much patience to waste on you."

The Silver-Armored Man slowly held up three fingers, his tone icy, as if issuing a final ultimatum.

"Three minutes!"

"I will only give you three minutes to consider!"

"If you agree, you will personally take action and slaughter this group of ants below for me to see, as your Pledge of Loyalty!"

"If you don't agree..."

The world-destroying light orb in the Silver-Armored Man's hand trembled slightly, and a terrifying pressure instantly locked onto Ye Hao.

"Then... die!"

Boom!

As the word 'die' was spoken, the sky and earth changed color!

This blatant threat caused Ye Hao's face to instantly turn deathly pale.

"I..."

He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but found his throat seemed to be blocked, unable to make a sound.

"You damned beast!!"

Just then, from the crowd below, a roar of extreme anger suddenly came.

Lin Guohui, covered in blood, was pointing at the Silver-Armored Man in the sky and cursing loudly:

"You alien bandits!"

"You want us Great Xia people to kill each other? Keep dreaming!"

"Ye Hao!!"

Lin Guohui turned his head to look at Ye Hao in the sky, his eyes full of bloodshot veins as he roared:

"If you're a man, don't be a coward for me!"

"Better to die standing than to live on your knees!"

"We Great Xia people are not cowards!!"

Along with Lin Guohui's roar, the surrounding Great Xia people, who were originally in despair, also seemed to be injected with a surge of strength.

They all looked up and started shouting at Ye Hao in the sky.

"God Ye! Don't agree to it!"

"We aren't afraid of death! Let's fight them to the end!"

"You are our guardian god! How can you bow your head to them?!"

"Ye Hao! Even if it's death, let it be a glorious one! Don't let us look down on you!"

Those shouts, like the crying of a cuckoo with blood, every word and sentence struck Ye Hao's heart.

However.

The Silver-Armored Man high in the sky was indifferent to these noisy curses.

In his eyes, this was merely the final wailing of a group of doomed ants.

He just quietly looked down at Ye Hao with that playful and cold gaze, waiting for him to make the 'correct' choice.

And at this time, Ye Hao.

Listening to the calls from below, some filled with grief and anger, others with expectation, that once-arrogant face was now filled with distortion and pain.

Tick-tock... tick-tock... time passed second by second.

Large beads of cold sweat began to seep from his forehead, sliding down his cheeks.

Amidst this suffocating silence.

A whisper filled with seductive intent quietly echoed deep within his mind.

"Stop struggling... isn't this an easy choice?"

"Look at that Silver-Armored Man, look at that kind of power..."

"As long as you join them, you can obtain this power! You can even go to a broader sea of stars!"

"What is the price?"

"It's just slaughtering a group of ants."

That voice grew louder and louder, carrying an irresistible magic, constantly eroding Ye Hao's sanity.

"Don't tell me you actually consider these ants to be your kin?"

"Stop joking!"

"You are a god! A high and mighty god!"

"Are they even worthy of being mentioned in the same breath as you?"

"Kill them all! Use their blood to pave your path to the heavens!"

"As long as you live, as long as you become stronger, that's enough, isn't it?"

"Agree to him... quickly agree to him...!"