Buzz!
The moment Jiang Yi left the Heaven Fate canopy, the entire Mystic Divine Mountain vibrated. The winding road that seemed to lead to heaven lit up. The pathway suddenly lit up with the seven colors of the rainbow. It was like the road really would lead to heaven.
Swish! Swish!
Jiang Yi and his two companions ascended the mountain slowly. Many Heaven Fate canopies lit up as they did. She Fei, Zhan Tianlei, Tu Long, and others emerged from their own canopies and sprinted toward the road as well. They had not reacted that quickly at first. However, the fact that Yi Chan and Yin Ruobing were there too made them even more excited. Their movements stirred the rest of the crowd as well.
“Wow!”
The changes in the Mystic Divine Mountain and the multicolored pathway attracted the attention of everyone at the base of the mountain. The changes this time were much more significant than the ones before. Could the Mystic Divine Mountain really be open now? Could they really go straight up to the peak?
Swish! Swish! Swish!
More and more people were rushing over. They resembled a group of frightened birds. From amidst the Heaven Fate canopies emerged countless people. However, they did not rush up the mountain. Instead, they rushed toward the base of the pathway.
The restrictions on the Mystic Divine Mountain were very strange. Anyone who wanted to get to the peak had to physically walk up. Anyone who wanted to take a shortcut and fly up would be stopped. Even the Nine Thearchs would not be able to do such a thing.
Jiang Yi was the first to step on the path to heaven. Immediately, he discovered a problem. With one step, he felt like he was on the Bridge of Helplessness in the Mystic Divine Palace. His body suddenly felt like it weighed a ton, and his entire body seemed to sink down. When he took a second step, the weight of his body seemed to increase. He guessed that the further he got, the scarier this would become.
“Go!”
Since he already decided to ascend the mountain, Jiang Yi was not about to back down from the challenge. He had arranged to meet Ao Lu today. What’s more, there were sudden changes to the restrictions on the Mystic Divine Mountain. All of these showed him that he could definitely enter the Mystic Divine Palace. Whether one could enter the palace itself was down to one’s capabilities and fate.
“He! He!”
Yin Ruobing and Yi Chan followed closely behind Jiang Yi. Both of them were nearly as powerful as him. All of them were peak-stage Heaven Monarchs. Although it was unclear exactly how many stars they each had, they all had at least three. The two of them paused upon stepping onto the path as well. However, neither of them panicked. Instead, their eyes reflected excitement. They followed Jiang Yi and kept their eyes on the peak, charging forward crazily. In just a few minutes, the three of them had reached hundreds of steps.
Swish!
She Fei and Zhan Tianlei were right behind the three of them. The two of them were Demigods, but their pace was nearly the same as the three people in front of them. They were about a hundred steps or so behind them.
Behind them were Ye Ying, Ling Qijian, Yin Feihuang, Tu Long, and others. This group was visibly slower than She Fei and Zhan Tianlei. Their bodies weighed down on their feet, and they looked quite unstable as they walked. Slowly but surely, however, they ascended the steps.
“Hahaha!”
They heard a crazed laugh behind Ling Qijian and Yin Feihuang. Then, they saw a young man dressed in yellow robes, who was holding onto a white jade flute. He had his mouth wide open, exposing his set of white teeth. Like a flying sword, he overtook Ling Qijian and the others. He was much faster than the others were. In fact, he was even a bit faster than She Fei and Zhan Tianlei.
“This…”
“Why is Jian Wuying moving so quickly? Doesn’t he also have four- or five-star skills?”
“Precisely. Aren’t Yin Feihuang and Tu Long four- or five-star martial artists as well? She Fei and Zhan Tianlei are Demigods, and yet Jian Wuying is moving faster than them?”
There was a stir at the base of the mountain. The consecrators from the various great family clans had not even begun to ascend the mountains. They were letting their young masters and young mistresses ascend the mountain first. Now, seeing Jian Wuying caused them to start discussing among themselves.
“Road of Azure Clouds, Trias of Wind, and a Golden Millet Dream! The Mystic Divine Palace is finally open…”
Just as the crowd was looking shocked, they heard a crystal clear voice from the west. It sounded like it was coming from the nine heavens, and it carried with it a sort of suppressive force which caused the people to feel reverence. Countless disciples of the Zhan Clan heard the voice and fell down onto their knees immediately. “Greetings, Battle Thearch!”
“The Battle Thearch?”
The millions of people at the base of the Mystic Divine Mountain stiffened. Many people who had been sprinting toward the mountain stopped mid-way as well. They quickly fell to their knees in fear. Nobody dared to offend someone like the Battle Thearch. What’s more, there was nothing they would be able to do if the Battle Thearch wanted to ascend the mountain as well.
“Stand up, everyone. If you want to ascend the mountain, then go ahead; but those who are already over forty years old can save the trouble. You won’t even be able to cross the Road of Azure Clouds. The older you are, the harder it will be for you to advance on that road.”
The Battle Thearch did not show himself, but what he said answered the question that many people had in their minds. There was a pause before he spoke once again. “The Mystic Thearch left behind some valuable instructions when he left. When the Mystic Divine Mountain reveals the Road of Azure Clouds, Trials of Wind, and a Golden Millet Dream, that means that the Mystic Divine Palace is about to open. The Mystic Divine Palace’s second owner will also appear. All of you can go and try and fight for the place. Whoever can conquer that palace will become the descendant of the Mystic Thearch. He will be the friend of the Zhan Clan forever!”
“Wow…”
Suddenly, everyone at the base of the Mystic Divine Mountain stirred again. Countless people flew toward the stone path like flies to a lamp, but the people over forty years old remained where they were. Someone like the Battle Thearch would not tell lies. The elders of the Nine Thearch Clans themselves did not move. Although they all wanted to try, they knew that it would all be in vain. Moreover, if they angered the Battle Thearch, they feared that they might lose their lives.
In the time that the Battle Thearch addressed the crowd, Jiang Yi, Yi Chan, and Yin Ruobing had already climbed thousands of steps. She Fe and Zhan Tianlei were still behind them by about a hundred steps. Ling Qijian, Ye Ying, Tu Long, and Yin Feihuang were a little further behind—they were about seven hundred steps behind.
Jian Wuying himself had already cleared more than eight hundred steps. He was about to catch up to She Fei and Zhan Tianlei. Behind him was a huge group of people—about twenty thousand or so people. However, they were all much slower than Tu Long and the others. Ling Shiya was evidently weaker, at only four hundred or so steps.
Jiang Yi and his two other companions were beginning to perspire. In fact, Yi Chan and Yi Ruobing’s robes were drenched with perspiration. Their robes clung to their slender bodies, causing the people below them to suffer. All of them could have done without the distractions.
“Ruobing, Yi Chan, are the two of you alright? Why don’t I make the journey for you?”
Jiang Yi did not turn back. He only sent a voice transmission to each of them separately. Yin Ruobing forced a smile and responded: “Jiang Yi, focus on your own journey. Don’t worry about me. Don’t belittle me.”
Yi Chan sighed softly. Without saying another word, she continued to move steadily upward. Jiang Yi activated his divine senses to check behind him. Without saying more, he focused on his own journey as well.
They did not know how many more steps they had to take, but Jiang Yi knew there were at least ten thousand steps in total. If there were more steps behind the white clouds that were covering half the mountain, then he really did not know how long they could go on for.
…
“Clan Head! The man right at the front of the group seems quite strange.”
On top of the city wall east of the Mystic Thearch City, countless elderly men were standing and observing the Mystic Divine Mountain. The one in the middle wore white armor. His face had no hair and was sharp as a knife. His features were slightly red. This elderly man was one of the three strongest people in the entire continent—the Battle Thearch.
On hearing the consecrator’s exclamation, the Battle Thearch showed no sign of emotion on his face. He said nothing. Instead, he turned to the other Demigod beside him and said, “He is a little strange. This rascal was probably the first to find out that there were changes on the Mystic Divine Mountain. Otherwise, he would not be at the front of the group.
“Look, he’s maintaining his position so effortlessly. He must be under twenty-five years old. Yet, he has five-star skills. If he did not, he would not be having such an easy time. Whose clan does he belong to? How come I’ve never heard of this person? Why not we send someone to check his identity?”
“There’s no need for that.”
The Battle Thearch laughed mirthlessly. “His identity is fake. I’m sure all of you are familiar with his true identity!”
“Fake?”
Many Demigods of the Zhan Clan looked astonished. They released their divine senses to scan him. One of the Demigods seemed to have guessed something. Surprised, he exclaimed, “Could that be… Jiang Yi?!”
“What?”
All the Demigods looked stunned. One particular old man—whose head was full of white hair—exclaimed furiously, “Clan Head, How about I go and kill him right now? The Mystic Divine Palace cannot lend in the hands of this criminal from Sin Island.”
“There is no need!”
The Battle Thearch continued to look in front, expressionless. He waved his hand and said, “The Mystic Thearch already left instructions. Any human would be allowed to take part in the competition for the Mystic Divine Palace. Criminals from Sin Island are humans as well. What’s more, we would not need to do anything to take him down. I’m guessing that that old Wu Shang would turn up even before all the valuables of the Mystic Divine Palace have been looted…”
