Eternal Sacred King 61 to 65

 Chapter 61: Spirit Testing Stage

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Within three days, more than 500 people had gathered before the stone gate. Most of them were mortals who had not cultivated before and there were a couple dozens of Qi Refinement Warriors.

Once the three days had passed, the fog behind them turned murkier and impenetrable.

Even if anyone outside wanted to join Ethereal Peak, they could only wait for the next year by now.

Notwithstanding the 500 odd people waiting outside the stone gate, even the two children could not really conceal their fatigue after the three days as they stood there chatting idly.

“Senior brother, how many of these people do you think can get to join the sect?”

“Five at most.”

Through that vast forest, the sound of birds singing and running water was all around. As such, the discussion of the two children was almost like mosquito buzzing and no one could hear them.

Yet, within the crowd, a bow and saber carrying scholar frowned as a look of shock flashed through his eyes.

Cultivating The Mystic Classic of the Twelve Demon Kings of the Great Wilderness did not merely change one’s body. The Body Tempering aspect would heighten their sense of smell; the Tendons Transformation aspect their sense of vision and the Bones Strengthening aspect their hearing.

The changes were all encompassing.

Even though Su Zimo was of the Human race, his physical body and five senses were even sharper than those of Spirit Beasts!

Despite the soft voices of the two children, Su Zimo heard everything clear as day.

Only five out of the 500 of them could be accepted into the sect!

That was a ratio of 1:100! How could anyone imagine that?

Su Zimo had initially thought that he would be able to enter Ethereal Peak with ease with his borrowed Heaven spirit root. But now, it seemed like he couldn’t just rely on that!

The conditions for one to be able to join Ethereal Peak must be extremely stringent or there wouldn’t be so many people eliminated!

Just as Su Zimo was contemplating on what he should do, he heard the two children continue.

“Who do you think stands a greater chance, senior brother?”

“The couple that doesn’t really seem to fit in. Even though they’re only at Level 5 Qi Condensation, they look like they have an extraordinary aura. They’re decent. Oh, that little fatty too. He looks rather sharp so he should be fine. Junior brother, he’s even fatter than you! Hehe!”

Su Zimo swept his gaze at him.

Amongst the crowd, a man and woman stood by their own somewhere slightly further, not fitting in with the crowd.

Su Zimo was around the same age as the man who wore a purple robe with sharp brows and an edged chin. He looked haughty as his hands rested behind his back with eyes closed, standing still. It looked as though he was one with the environment.

The woman was wearing a flawless white blouse and looked beautiful like a fairy. Yet, her ravishing looks carried a cold expression where one could sense from a distance away.

Su Zimo had a feeling that the reason why the man did not want to fit in was out of disdain and the woman merely did not want to.

As for the little fatty...

To be exact, he was not little at all and looked to be around 16 years old. His neck and waist could not be made out and he merely resembled a water bucket that had two elephant legs as he rolled about the crowd without stopping.

His rotund face carried small beady eyes that fluttered about. In just three days, he was already one with the crowd.

“Senior brother, what about that bow and saber carrying scholar? Do you think he has a chance?” The fat child asked.

Su Zimo was curious when he heard the conversation being steered to him, intrigued to find out what the skinny child thought of him.

“That man... is a little strange. Even though he’s a scholar, he’s carrying a huge bow and saber. I suspect that there must be more to his weapons.”

Right then, a gentle ray of sun shone through the greenery.

The sun had risen.

Arranging their attire, the two children stood on either side of the stone gate with a stern expression. The skinny child spoke, “Ethereal Peak’s disciple acceptance consists of three stages. First is the Immortal Affinity Stage. There is a certain affinity required for one to attain immortality. I believe that all of you have that for being able to make it through the mist here.”

“The second stage is the Spirit Testing Stage. Those with a superior-class spirit root, Earth spirit root or Heaven spirit root will be able to make it to the third stage once they pass through this gate.”

“The third stage is called the Life and Death Stage. Those who the second stage can head up the stone steps behind me and you’ll pass once you reach the peak. But let me remind you guys, this is an extremely treacherous peak. Any misstep and you’ll fall to your death without a corpse. Please do be careful and not force yourselves.”

At that thought, everyone felt their hearts skip a beat as they all looked unnerved.

The reason why they wanted to join Ethereal Peak was because they wanted to attain immortality. If they were to lose their lives joining the sect, how could they achieve immortality?

The tip of the peak was shrouded in clouds and could not be seen.

It was clear that the path would not be that easy to climb.

The dozens of Qi Refinement Warriors present smiled, looking confident.

All of them could tread the skies with their swords. Climbing the peak posed no challenge to them at all.

Amongst the group, one of the mortals was dissident as he yelled, “How is this fair? All of those Qi Refinement Warriors can easily fly their way to the peak but we have to climb it step by step!”

“Humph!”

One of the Qi Refinement Warriors harrumphed coldly and scoffed, “There’s nothing such as fairness in this world. If you want to speak of fairness, come to me after you achieve Qi Condensation!”

“You...!” The mortal was speechless and indignant.

The two children of the Ethereal Sect were not annoyed in the slightest as the fat one chuckled. “Everyone, you’re overthinking it. The path is definitely fair for everyone. Even Qi Refinement Warriors will not, no, may not be able to reach the peak. If they’re not careful, they’ll end up losing their lives as well!”

As though he was about to let something slip, the fat child looked flustered for a moment as he changed his statement.

Most people merely thought that the fat child had said something wrong by accident.

At that reply, many of the mortals present heaved a sigh of relief.

However, the dozens of Qi Refinement Warriors looked terrible.

They had cultivated earnestly with some of them even at Level 9 Qi Condensation. If they were to die here just because they wanted to join a sect...

Su Zimo glanced sideways.

The purple robed haughty man still had his eyes closed as though he was indifferent to what the two children had said.

The white bloused woman maintained her cold expression with an unyielding gaze that seemed to be frozen.

The little fatty among the crowd was still laughing and looking nonchalant.

“Come, the first person,” The skinny child raised his hand and indicated for the first person to enter the stone gate.

It was a Level 7 Qi Refinement Warrior.

The man was somewhat nervous as he paused before the stone gate. Bowing to the two children, he smiled and asked, “Fellow Daoists, can an ordinary spirit root work? Is there any leeway?”

The two children shook their heads.

Sighing, the man walked towards the stone gate.

The moment he reached the stone gate, a water barrier appeared across it with four shimmering lights.

Four elements – it was an ordinary spirit root!

The man tried his best to barge through the stone gate but he was blocked by the water barrier. In the blink of an eye, he was bounced back from it.

Failure!

The fat child looked apologetic as he nodded to the man before raising his voice to the crowd, “Next.”

Chapter 62: Variant Spirit Root

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

“Pseudo spirit root, fail!”

“Ordinary spirit root, fail”

“Superior-class spirit root, pass.”

...

Everyone continued proceeding to the stone gate where more than half of them were rejected.

Only those with a superior-class and above spirit root could get to pass the Spirit Testing Stage.

In the blink of an eye, there were only a couple dozens of people left with the haughty man, the white bloused woman, the little fatty and Su Zimo.

There had yet to be a single Heaven spirit root amongst the tested yet.

There were tens of Earth spirit roots and the rest were all superior-class.

The two children could not hide their looks of disappointment as they placed their remaining hope in the last dozens of people.

Right then, the little fatty walked through the stone gate all smiles.

The moment he reached the stone gate, a roaring sound rang out, scaring everyone.

Bang! Boom! Boom!

The water barrier turned yellow right away before materializing slowly into a sturdy mud wall.

Earth element, Heaven spirit root!

Out of the 500 over applicants, there was finally a Heaven spirit root!

The two children nodded to the little fatty with a kind smile, their eyes sparkling.

As he crossed the stone gate with ease, he came to the two children with smiles and pulled their hands together like long lost friends. Casually, he started engaging the both of them in conversation.

Both of them were a little stunned and they nearly spilled everything about themselves within a few mere sentences.

At that sight, Su Zimo smirked internally – that little fatty looked to be amiable and cute from the outside, but her was sharper than any of them.

Before long, the skinny child was the first one to recover as he coughed gently and swung the little fatty’s chubby hand away and said in a deep voice, “Fellow Daoist, please respect yourself and wait at the side instead of distracting us.”

“Yes, yes. Self respect. I understand that I’ve got a huge self to respect,” The little fatty giggled without looking awkward at all.

The skinny child rolled his eyes and got rid of the little fatty before yelling toward the stone gate, “Next!”

Someone tried and failed once more.

The number of people remaining was diminishing.

Finally, the haughty man opened his eyes as he turned to look at the white bloused woman not too far away. Giving a slight grin, he headed for the stone gate.

His actions attracted everyone’s attention.

It was as though he was a born ruler where every single move he made would attract the gazes of the masses.

The little fatty stopped smiling and looked at the stone gate.

Frowning slightly, the white bloused woman raised her head and her eyes followed the haughty man coldly too.

The haughty man stopped himself before the stone gate where the water barrier showed no indication of color.

“Hehe.”

After a temporary silence, giggles spread from the crowd.

“What’s he putting a show on for when he doesn’t even have a spirit root?”

“I know, right? And here I was thinking that he was someone incredible.”

“Wait, something’s not right. How did he become a Qi Refinement Warrior without a spirit root...”

The moment that sentence was spoken, everyone fell silent.

It was as though an invisible hand had gripped the covered the mouths of the mocking crowd as they watched with agape eyes.

The two children had a stern expression as well.

The little fatty was in deep thoughts. As though he had realized something, his chubby body shivered slightly as he could not contain his shock.

Oo! Oo!

Right then, a bizarre howling sound came out of the stone gate as the water barrier shimmered, looking like a breeze had just passed through it.

“Wind element, variant spirit root!”

The two children yelped.

When he heard that, Su Zimo’s heart skipped a beat too.

Of the five types of spirit roots, the Heaven spirit root was the best and rarest. However, there was a single spirit root that was even rarer than that – the variant spirit root, containing elements such as wind, thunder, ice, light and darkness et cetera.

One could say that a Heaven spirit root could only be found in one out of 10,000 men. Yet, a variant spirit root was tenfold rarer than that.

Naturally, a variant spirit root only had a single element as well and was a type of Heaven spirit root. However, that did not mean that it was stronger than the usual five elements; it was just extremely rare.

The haughty man smiled and crossed the stone gate with ease.

Excitedly, the skinny child whispered, “Junior brother, stand guard over here. I’ll go inform the peak master and be right back.”

“Yes, yes. Hurry on, senior brother,” The fat child replied hastily.

Right then, the white bloused woman outside the stone gate moved as well.

“Hold on, senior brother. We can wait till this one’s done too,” The fat Dao child called back the skinny one.

Nodding his head, the skinny child watched the white bloused woman keenly, seemingly even more nervous than her.

When she arrived before the stone gate, there was no color on the water barrier still.

This time round, no one dared to mock anymore.

“Could it be another variant spirit root?” The eyes of both children widened in disbelief.

Everyone else watched the stone gate with bated breath.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

Suddenly, a layer of frost covered the water barrier before freezing it into ice!

“Ice element, variant spirit root!”

Everyone gasped.

“It’s been tens of years since a variant spirit root has appeared at Ethereal Peak! But now, there’s two in one go? No, I’ve got to hurry and report it to the peak master!”

The skinny child drew out a flying sword and sped towards the back of the peak, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

Everyone else watched the haughty man and the white bloused woman with looks of admiration and respect.

The little fatty smiled his way to the white bloused woman before pandering to her, “Miss, you’re so beautiful. I’ve never seen a woman as beautiful as you in my life. You’re even prettier than our village beauty, Sister Caifeng!”

It was as though thunder had struck everyone present as they rolled their eyes.

That little fatty really did dare to say anything with drivel such as his village beauty, Sister Caifeng and whatnot.

He wasn’t wrong in his words – the white bloused woman was indeed extremely beautiful. However, most people would not dare to spout such truths, let alone in front of her.

Yet, the strange thing was that everything seemed natural and sincere when they came out of the little fatty’s mouth without a single bit of awkwardness.

If any other women heard such an open and brazen compliment, they would definitely feel shy. However, the girl was unmoved as she glared at the little fatty coldly without saying anything.

The little fatty wasn’t dissuaded as he slipped away to the haughty man’s side before commenting in awe, “Sir, you have such a good figure. I’m really envious!”

“Get away!”

The haughty man’s lips pursed slightly as he spat out those two words.

“Ah, alright!”

The little fatty nodded his head keenly as he disregarded cleanliness and rolled away on the floor immediately!

Because his figure resembled a ball to begin with, his rolling motion indeed made him look less than human.

The white bloused woman’s lips twitched as her frostiness diminished slightly, watching with a trace of bemusement.

Spying her expression with his sharp eyes, the little fatty stumbled over to the white bloused woman’s side with an intoxicated expression. His eyes seemed as though they were sparkling as he praised, “Wow, you really look so beautiful smiling!”

Instantly, the friendliness in the girl’s eyes disappeared. However, she stretched out her delicate hand and patted on the little fatty’s head, neither harshly nor gently.

Smiling with squinted eyes, the little fatty looked to be enjoying it.

“How could there be someone this shameless?!” Those were the words that passed through everyone’s minds.

When the fat child looked at the remaining tens of people and saw nothing special about them, he waved his hand patiently and demanded, “Continue with the test. Hurry up.”

Su Zimo tidied his clothes before heading up.

Chapter 63: E-Exploded?

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Su Zimo’s actions did not attract anyone’s attention.

Compared to the haughty man, white bloused woman and little fatty, he seemed simply way too ordinary apart from his slightly weird dressing.

The reason why Su Zimo waited for the end of the test wasn’t because he wanted to pull a surprise on everyone.

It was because he had no spirit root to begin with. Even though Die Yue had planted the spirit root for him, he could not help but feel nervous as to whether things would turn out well.

Standing still before the stone gate, he watched the water barrier keenly.

Swoosh!

A red flash of light shimmered through the water barrier before burning into raging flames, exuding a scorching warmth.

Su Zimo was elated.

Fire element, heaven spirit root!

Apart from the haughty man and white bloused woman, everyone turned their sights to him.

Out of the 500 people, other than the two variant spirit roots, the little fatty was the only Earth element heaven spirit root. Now that Su Zimo was the second, he naturally attracted everyone’s attention.

Furthermore, those with some knowledge on cultivation knew that a Fire spirit root was superior to an Earth spirit root.

On the one hand, the Fire element had the highest killing power amongst the five elements.

On the other hand, one who possessed the Fire element had the chance to become a Weapon or Elixir Refinement Master.

Those two paths required one to have a high mastery and understanding of the Fire element. As such, those with a Fire spirit root had an innate advantage.

Waiting with a hawk eye by the stone gate, the little fatty was hoping to make his acquaintance as well after Su Zimo passed through it.

“Eh?”

The fat Dao child was standing at the side idly as he let out a casual surprised remark. Smiling, he then nodded and said, “Not bad, not bad. Come on over, sir.”

After all, the fat child had his fill of surprises after the appearance of two consecutive variant spirit roots and hence the reason for his less than enthused response.

Right then, no one had noticed anything strange about Su Zimo just yet.

He stood before the stone gate motionlessly instead of crossing right away.

It wasn’t that he did not want to – the stone gate was stopping him.

He could feel a strong resistance that was trying to keep him out of the gate!

In theory, the water barrier would only block out those without or those who possess a pseudo and ordinary spirit root. Yet, the scarlet water barrier was resisting Su Zimo who clearly possessed a heaven spirit root.

If not for the fact that he had an extremely strong physique, he would have been sent flying like the first Qi Refinement Warrior.

“How could this be?”

Su Zimo strategized as he fought against the resistance of the water barrier.

He knew his background clearer than anyone else.

He was someone without a spirit root to begin with.

It was only natural for the stone gate to resist him at that thought.

But, what was up with the clear indication of his Fire spirit root?

If he were to continue with this stalemate, notwithstanding the fat child of Ethereal Sect, even everyone else would realize that something was wrong and Su Zimo’s efforts would have been wasted.

Indignant!

Su Zimo was indignant!

Why?

He had already come so far just to be stopped by a single stone gate!

With a darkened expression, he moved towards the water barrier and took a fierce step!

Su Zimo had already displayed the stance for the Plow Heaven Stride with his single step. Instantly, he gave off such a menacing aura that even the fat child at the stone gate jumped in shock.

“Mmm?”

As though he had sensed something, the haughty man opened his eyes and looked towards the stone gate.

Turning her head slightly, the white bloused woman frowned gently too.

Everyone found themselves witnessing the strangest scene ever.

Even though Su Zimo was almost entirely through the stone gate, the scarlet water barrier did not dissipate at all. Instead, it wrapped around him like an elastic veil that was trying its best to stop him.

It stunned everyone present.

What was going on?

Fire element, heaven spirit root. That’s right.

But, why would the stone gate try to prevent this man?

It was a wrestle between Su Zimo and the scarlet water barrier.

All of a sudden!

Squinting his eyes, Su Zimo’s body rang out with crackling sounds and his entire body seemed as though it had enlarged. With his tendons and bones cracking together, he gave a soft yell and strode out once more!

Swoosh!

The water barrier shattered and fell to the ground.

Having successfully passed the stone gate, Su Zimo’s expression relaxed as he heaved out a sigh of relief before walking to the fat child.

Right as he was about to speak, he saw a weird look in the fat child’s eye as the latter glared behind him intently.

Snap!

Suddenly, a boom sounded out from behind Su Zimo.

He turned around instinctively only to witness a fissure forming on the crossbeam of the mighty 30 foot stone gate!

Crack! Crack! Crack!

Before anyone realized what was going on, the fissure spread out swiftly and in the blink of an eye, filled the entire stone gate with dense, horrifying cracks!

Su Zimo’s heart skipped a beat.

Bang! Boom! Boom!

Along with a huge crash, the stone gate crumbled right before everyone’s eyes just like that, turning into a pile of rocks with dust clouds flying about.

What followed was a deathly silence.

Everyone’s faces froze right away.

The haughty man scowled while a look of surprise filled the white bloused woman’s face as her mouth gaped slightly, losing her previous demeanor.

The little fatty was so rattled that his eyeballs were almost popping out.

“E-E-Exploded?!”

The fat child was completely lost as his mind and eyes went blank.

It was already phenomenal enough for variant spirit roots to make their appearance in the test such that his senior brother had gone off to inform their peak master about it.

But, what was up with this scholar before him!

He had caused the entire stone gate to explode with a simple spirit root test...!

Unnerved, Su Zimo coughed gently before revealing a friendly smile to the fat child. “Fellow daoist, I suppose that stone gate must be really old, huh?”

“A-Ah! Yes!” The fat child replied automatically, “It’s been a couple thousand years now.”

“That must be it then.”

Su Zimo nodded his head and continued solemnly, “It’s only natural for problems to arise since the gate has been here for such a long time enduring the weather all round the year. How unfortunate that I had to come across its demise.”

“Huh?” The fat child’s jaw almost dropped to the ground.

Su Zimo patted the fat child on the shoulder and reminded sincerely, “This may not be a bad thing though. At least, it serves as a reminder for the sect to conduct constant maintenance to some of the older structures you guys have so that today’s situation does not repeat itself. These issues have to be nipped in the bud before they are allowed to manifest.”

The fat child was befuddled to begin with through the confusion. With Su Zimo’s explanation, he was even more astounded and was almost convinced.

In reality, the stone gate was initially a gigantic spirit testing stone with its middle dug out by the cultivators of Ethereal Sect and placed here, turning into the stone gate they perceive today.

The spirit testing stone was a spirit item of the universe and was extremely perceptive to spirit roots – there was no way it would be destroyed through a lack of maintenance.

If no one had destroyed it, it could have lasted for even millions of years without any issues.

The little fatty was the first to react as his eyes flickered, glancing at Su Zimo while raising a thumbs up.

He knew that he was not at Su Zimo’s level where the latter could spout nonsense with a straight face. As such, he could not help but feel impressed.

Su Zimo could not help but feel guilty.

Everything had gone beyond his expectations. Even though what he said was akin to duping kids, it was better than having his background exposed.Chapter 64: Life and Death Stage

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

The fat child was thoroughly confused by Su Zimo as he froze for a long time without understanding what had happened, pointing at Su Zimo and stammering, “Y-Y-You! I-I-I...! I’ll go let the peak master know about this too!”

Shrugging his head as though trying to clear his mind, the fat child patted his storage bag and summoned a flying sword before speeding to the back of the peak.

In the blink of an eye, both children guarding this place had disappeared.

Unnerved, the fat child had left in a hurry without saying anything else.

The little fatty seemed to be extremely interested in Su Zimo. With bright, shimmering eyes, he stumbled over and bowed. “Sir, how did you do it! Can you teach me?”

With an unchanging expression, Su Zimo shook his head. “That... has nothing to do with me.”

Even though he said that, his heart whispered another tune.

There were only two reasons why the stone gate blocked him.

First, it was because he was a cultivator without a spirit root to begin with.

Second, even though it was also a heaven spirit root, the Fire spirit root that Die Yue gave him was different from normal ones.

Su Zimo could not tell which of the two reasons it was.

After the Spirit Testing Stage, there were only 80 out of the 500 left with more than 20 Qi Refinement Warriors.

Based on the order of events, the remaining 80 people should head up the peak through the path beyond the stone gate so that they could proceed with the third stage – Life and Death.

However, with the two children from Ethereal Sect gone, everyone was lost as to whether they should continue with the original plan or wait where they were.

Right then, the haughty man chuckled and started ascending the peak.

His actions caused everyone to waver.

The two children had mentioned earlier that the third stage was merely to head up the peak through the path. However, everyone knew that if they could be the first to reach the peak, their chances of being accepted would be much higher.

After the haughty man, the white bloused woman made her move too.

Exchanging glances, everyone else followed suit immediately.

The path was made from green stones and was neither rugged nor tough. Instead, the journey was picturesque with luscious greenery and the soothing melody of birds singing.

As they traversed through the clouds with the accompanying scenery, it was as though they were in paradise; everything felt relaxing unlike a treacherous Life and Death Stage.

Su Zimo was in no hurry as he hung around at the back of the pack.

He felt that since Ethereal Sect set this stage, it wouldn’t be to give the first person who reached the peak an advantage.

It was way too cliche and wasn’t a fair method given the number of people present. Finally, if it was that simple, it wouldn’t be named Life and Death Stage.

After Su Zimo destroyed the entire stone gate for a mere test, the little fatty was now hanging around him instead of the haughty man and the white bloused woman, chatting non-stop the entire way.

Worried that he may let his background slip, Su Zimo was rather distracted as he only replied casually every now and then.

“Bro, everyone went through the spirit root testing so ordinarily. But your test was like a fart to Mother Nature!”

“Why do you say that?”

“Because it was loud and clear!”

“... ”

“Bro, you seem like you have a dignified demeanor. I suppose you have quite the extraordinary background?”

“I’ve studied for a couple of years in the past.”

“My, bro! That’s like a rare gem in the crowd! You can both study and fight!”

“... ”

Su Zimo finally understood the powers of the little fatty as he hurried ahead, wanting to bury himself into the crowd.

Right then, the people up ahead stopped in their tracks.

Su Zimo looked up and frowned.

That was the end of the mountain path! Everyone found themselves facing a steep peak that extended into the clouds boundlessly.

The true test had arrived!

The smooth mountain road was merely a warm up!

The many mortals present looked up at the peak solemnly.

For them, the only way they could reach the top was to climb by hand. However, the peak was simply way too steep that there was barely any edge for them to grab on to.

On both sides of the mountain road was a deep abyss where a single misstep would mean certain death!

Everyone could not help but recall the words of the children. This was a stage treacherous like no other. Any single mistake and they would find themselves dead without a corpse. Hence, they should be careful and not force themselves.

Many of the mortals could not hide their fear in their expression as they gave up internally.

There were some who were indignant about things and whispered in discussion.

“Ethereal Sect is way too much. They’re trying to get us killed just to join them.”

“Isn’t that right? It’s not as though our spirit root is lousy as well. If push comes to shove, we can just join some other sects. That would be better than dying here.”

“I don’t even know how high this peak is. What if we climb halfway up and run out of energy?”

Unlike the many mortals, the 20 odd Qi Refinement Warriors present looked relaxed.

While this mountain may seem insurmountable to mortals, all they had to do was ride their flying swords and rise endlessly.

One of the Qi Refinement Warriors pulled out a flying sword from his storage bag and with a single leap, he chuckled with a suave expression. “Alright, I’ll make a move first and await you guys at the peak.”

Right after, he soared into the skies and disappeared into the clouds in the blink of an eye.

Not willing to lose out, the other Qi Refinement Warriors took out their spirit weapons and followed suit.

Yet, the strange thing was that the haughty man did not move at all. Instead, he frowned and gazed into the clouds, contemplating about something.

It was the same for the white bloused woman as she stood there in deep thoughts.

Some of the mortals gathered their courage and began climbing the peak. Compared to the Qi Refinement Warriors, they were much slower and every single step was horrifying.

A single misstep and they would fall right into the abyss!

“Bro, aren’t you moving?” The little fatty looked at Su Zimo.

Right as he was about to reply, a shriek rang out from the clouds.

“Ah!”

Everyone’s hearts skipped a beat.

In the blink of an eye, a shadow fell from the clouds and glided through everyone’s vision into the dark abyss beneath!

At that sight, everyone’s expressions turned grim as chills ran down their spines.

The person who had fallen was the Qi Refinement Warrior who had moved first!

A Qi Refinement Warrior was dead just like that?

What had he encountered up there?

The clouds rumbled and shifted, emanating a chilling killing intent.

“Ah!”

It was yet another shriek.

A shadow fluttered by them and dunked into the depths of the abyss.

Gulp, gulp.

The place rang out with everyone’s gulping sounds.

In just a mere short while, two Qi Refinement Warriors had fallen to their deaths!

The two children were right. The third stage was fair for everyone such that even Qi Refinement Warriors may not be able to reach the peak.

The few mortals that had just started climbing up the peak found themselves getting cold feet as they watched everything unfold in utter horror.

There were already people who had started to climb down.

What kind of a joke was that? There was no need for them to take such a risk when even Qi Refinement Warriors have died.

Suddenly, the haughty man laughed and mumbled. “Life and Death Stage, Life and Death Stage. The peak represents life while the abyss represents death. Interesting! Challenging!

Chapter 65: Crane Obstacle

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

The way most of them looked at the haughty man had changed.

While everyone else was scared to death and wanted to back off, he was the only one who looked raring to go without a single bit of fear.

“Ah!”

“Ah...!”

Yet another chain of shrieks as the Qi Refinement Warriors who had moved ahead first fell from the clouds one after another, disappearing into the abyss on either side of the mountain path.

Finally, there were people who could take it no longer as they started backtracking.

The little fatty held his tongue and exclaimed, “Even a Level 9 Qi Refinement Warrior fell down. Just what did they encounter in the clouds?”

Su Zimo saw everything even clearer.

There were a total of 23 Qi Refinement Warriors who soared into the skies. In the blink of an eye, every single one of them had fallen!

That was a little horrifying.

Many mortals started climbing down the walls, looking terrified with trembling feet. Without even turning back, they dashed down the mountain path.

There were more than 80 people who had passed the second stage. Now, all the 23 Qi Refinement Warriors have already failed. Coupled with the mortals who had left, there were only 17 people left at the base of the peak.

All of the 17 were resolute warriors who did not show the slightest look of fear in their eyes even at the sight of all those Qi Refinement Warriors falling over.

Even the little fatty who was chattering the entire way merrily had gone silent, his beady eyes fluttering about as he was deep in thoughts.

Su Zimo had always felt something unusual about this stage as everything seemed suspicious.

However, he could not point out just what exactly was wrong.

At almost the same time, both the haughty man and white bloused woman summoned a flying sword and soared to the skies. However, their speed was clearly slower – it was clear that both of them were being wary about the situation as well.

“Bro, remember to be careful. I’ll scout the way for you first,” The little fatty was also a Qi Refinement Warrior as he retrieved a small shield from his storage bag. The shield expanded with the wind and carried his rotund body into the skies slowly.

The remaining 14 people inclusive of Su Zimo were mortals who had no spirit qi within them.

If they wanted to ascend the peak, they would have to climb the peak step by step physically.

Su Zimo hesitated no more as he approached the base of the peak. With a nimble leap, he hung onto the walls and started climbing up swiftly.

That shocked the remaining 13 people as they almost mistook him for a monkey instead of a human climbing the peak.

By now, Su Zimo had almost perfected his Tendons Transformation. He was nimble like a python and agile like an ape. Moving with ease, the peak posed no challenge to him at all.

Apes were natural born climbers.

If Su Zimo had given it his all, even Qi Refinement Warriors who could soar through the skies may not even be able to match his speed.

Previously at the Cang Lang Mountain Range, even when Elder Qian of Joyful Clan soared through the skies, Su Zimo’s speed while climbing the towering old tree matched his!

Of course, Su Zimo had used his Sanguine Ape Transformation at that time and Elder Qian was only a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Even without using all his strength, Su Zimo had left the 13 remaining mortals far behind his tail.

“Caw, caw!”

Right then, Su Zimo vaguely picked up on some birds crying out.

Even though he had lived a year in Cang Lang Mountain Range, he still could not understand the language of beasts. However, he could tell of how they felt through their sounds.

Those birds clearly sounded happy and mocking.

“Why are there spirit beasts here?”

He frowned as he continued climbing without slowing down at all.

“Bastard, how dare you!”

Before long, the voice of the haughty man hollered out above.

Su Zimo raised his head and gazed over, squinting his eyes.

Far beyond the clouds, a gigantic bird was extending its wings while cawing out with a raised head. Su Zimo could faintly make out the bird assaulting the haughty man, white bloused woman and little fatty in midair.

Every single gentle flap of its wings brought about a hurricane as all three of them swayed back and forth midair, looking as though they could fall anytime.

“A spirit demon?”

Su Zimo was stunned.

The bird exuded an aura that was the same as spirit demons.

It looked as though it had just become a spirit demon, equivalent to a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Even then, its strength was enough to hold out against the three of them.

It was clear that the bird had not used its full strength. Instead, it was running circles around the three of them like a cat circling a rat, flapping its wings from time to time so that none of them could ascend further.

The haughty man had a Wind spirit root to begin with and thus was barely able to maintain his balance despite swaying in the wind.

The white bloused woman had a frozen expression. She was encased by a transparent ice barrier – it was clear that she had already used a talisman.

As for the little fatty, his shield was steady and spacious. He sprawled on it, gripping onto its edges tightly with sweat pouring down his puffy face, looking all nervous.

“So, this is the obstacle of the Life and Death Stage. One would be able to reach the peak if they could get through this bird.”

Now that he understood the reason, Su Zimo was prepared to continue climbing. Right then, the little fatty shrieked.

Perhaps because the bird saw that Su Zimo and the others were approaching as well, it seemed as though it no longer wanted to waste time as it flapped its wings furiously.

The little fatty was the first one to lose control as he fell from midair with his shield blown into oblivion.

“AHHHHHHH!”

His face was pale as a sheet as he flailed his arms, crying out loudly. When he caught sight of Su Zimo above him, he called, “Bro, run! There’s a fierce bird up there!”

The place where the little fatty fell was not too far away from Su Zimo.

Su Zimo had a decent impression of the little fatty and was not about to leave the latter in the lurch. With a swift motion, he strode horizontally across the wall and grabbed the little fatty from midair.

By then, the little fatty’s eyes were rolled over while he drooled all over, seemingly passed out of fear.

Su Zimo frowned.

He was already halfway through the climb. If he were to put the little fatty down, he would have to repeat an entire journey once more.

Even though the little fatty was heavy, he was nothing compared to the Cold Moon Saber and Sanguine Crystal Bow hanging on his waist.

At that thought, Su Zimo grabbed the little fatty with one arm while continuing to climb with another without slowing down at all.

It was only after he got closer that he managed to make things out clearly.

It was a crane that looked to be in its infancy stage, its eyes filled with merry excitement.

It was as though making the climbers fall was the most fun game it ever played.

Swooping down, the crane extended its claws and landed on the white bloused woman’s talisman ice barrier.

Crack! Crack!

The barrier began cracking as the crane clawed at it with ease.

With a strong gust of wind, the woman then fell from her sword. Even though her gaze looked slightly dim, she did not make a single peep of disgruntlement as she disappeared into the abyss.

The haughty man followed soon after, holding out for not much longer under the attacks of the crane as he fell through the skies looking indignant.

“Caw, caw!”

Rearing its head, the crane looked extremely gleeful.