Chapter 4810: Challenge
However, it turned out that the living could enter the tower too, just that they had to pay with their life. There were many levels to the Hidden Dragon Life Tower, and the higher one went, the greater the amount of one’s lifespan absorbed.
As most people who entered the tower were already on the verge of death by the time they entered the tower, they would die on the first floor. However, there were plenty of people in the world who had bizarre thoughts in mind. Despite being alive and kicking, they still wanted to enter the Hidden Dragon Life Tower and offer their life to the Hidden Dragon Martial Sect, all for the sake of leaving their name on it.
However, these people would all die by the time they reached the fifth level.
There were also exceptions. Some had entered the Hidden Dragon Life Tower and returned alive. One of the most notable figures who achieved that was Dugu Lingtian.
He had reached the ninth level of the Hidden Dragon Life Tower and left his name on it. That was the current record on the tower.
So, if Chu Feng wanted to break Dugu Lingtian’s record, he had to reach the ninth level at the very least. It was just that this was a place not to cultivate but to offer one’s life.
There was a limit to how much life one had. No matter how talented Chu Feng was, it was unknown whether he could really reach the ninth level or not.
That was also the reason why Xia Yan and the others were so worried and frightened for Chu Feng. They were afraid that he would really die there.
“Why did Lord Dugu Lingtian scale the Hidden Dragon Life Tower back then?” Chu Feng asked curiously.
“No one knows why Lord Dugu Lingtian did that, but it was certain that he had no intention of offering himself to the tower. He did return alive after all,” Xia Yan replied.
“I did hear of some rumors,” Duan Liufeng suddenly interjected.
“What is it?”
Chu Feng, Xia Yan, and the others all turned to look at Duan Liufeng curiously. They wanted to know the inside story before Dugu Lingtian’s decision to climb the Hidden Dragon Life Tower too.
“Someone speculated that Lord Dugu Lingtian had lost his mind trying to break records, so he wanted to renew all of the records in the Hidden Dragon Martial Sect. Even for non-cultivation places like the Hidden Dragon Life Tower, he still wanted to leave his name behind,” Duan Liufeng said.
“But didn’t they say that the others only managed to reach the fifth floor? If Lord Dugu Lingtian was only planning to break the record, he could have just stopped at the sixth floor. There was no need for him to go all the way up to the ninth floor,” Xia Yan replied.
“If you were already in a frenzied state, determined to secure all of the records, would you choose to give up on the sixth floor when you know that you can go much higher than that?” Duan Liufeng replied.
“I understand what you’re saying,” Xia Yan nodded in realization.
“Ah? Why?”
However, Li Muzhi was still confused as to what they were talking about.
“He wanted to preserve the record so as to ensure that no one would break it in the future. The further he went, the lower the chances of someone surpassing him in the future. If his goal was to secure all of the records, it goes without saying that he would have to make sure to create a record that no one would be able to best,” Xia Yan said.
“Is that so? That would mean that Lord Dugu Lingtian had really lost his mind. To think that he would even want to take the record of a place like the Hidden Dragon Life Tower… Haaa…”
Li Muzhi looked like there were many thoughts in his mind, but he eventually chose not to voice them out.
“I don’t think that Lord Dugu Lingtian is that kind of person. I believe that he has another aim in mind. Does the Hidden Dragon Life Tower serve no purpose other than to offer one’s life to the sect?” Chu Feng asked.
“None at all. At least I haven’t heard of anything like that. Chu Feng, you shouldn’t think too much into it. Lord Dugu Lingtian is a formidable individual, but the truth is that none of us truly understood him. It’s not entirely implausible that his actions were a result of him losing his sanity,” Li Muzhi said.
“Where is the Hidden Dragon Life Tower? Bring me there,” Chu Feng said.
“Chu Feng, are you still intending to challenge the Hidden Dragon Life Tower even after knowing what kind of place it is?” Xia Yan exclaimed in disbelief.
“Of course,” Chu Feng replied.
“You… Are you out of your mind?! Why are you going this far? Is this really for Junior Zi Ling? Just how perverted are you to cast away your life for a woman?” Xia Yan glared at Chu Feng grudgingly as she spoke.
“You’ll understand in the future,” Chu Feng said.
“You need not say anymore. I already understand it all. Never have I ever seen anyone as lecherous as you are. Forget it! I can’t stop you if you’re so determined to seek death. Follow me!”
Even though Xia Yan was incredibly angry, she still chose to lead the way for Chu Feng. Duan Liufeng, Li Muzhi, and the others also followed along too.
Soon, they arrived at the Hidden Dragon Life Tower.
There were usually few people who would come to a place like the Hidden Dragon Life Tower, but at this very moment, there were many people gathered in the area. Naturally, they were here because they heard that Chu Feng was planning to challenge the tower, so they wanted to join in the commotion.
What was worth noting was that Zuoqiu Youyu was present too. He had already recovered his usual appearance by now.
Chu Feng was a little surprised by Zuoqiu Youyu’s presence since he thought that the latter valued his reputation a lot. After the vile beating he suffered in the hands of the Hidden Dragon Chief Disciple, Chu Feng thought that he would be too embarrassed to show up here.
But it seemed like Zuoqiu Youyu was much more thick-skinned than he had thought.
“Are you really intending to challenge the Hidden Dragon Life Tower?” Zuoqiu Youyu asked.
“Why? Are you planning to do the same too?” Chu Feng asked.
“I don’t resort to unorthodox deeds like that,” Zuoqiu Youyu replied.
“I reckon that you just don’t dare,” Chu Feng said.
Before Zuoqiu Youyu could say a word, Xia Yan had already butted right in, “What do you mean by unorthodox deeds? Lord Dugu Lingtian has challenged the Hidden Dragon Life Tower back then too! Are you saying that Lord Dugu Lingtian’s deeds are unorthodox? Who do you think you are?
“If you don’t dare, just say so! I think we really should call the Hidden Dragon Chief Disciple here and see if you still dare to shoot your mouth in his presence! Heh, it would be interesting if he severs your tongue!”
Xia Yan’s tongue was much harsher than Zuoqiu Youyu, going straight for the latter’s weakness.
As soon as she said those words, Zuoqiu Youyu’s face darkened. Everyone could tell that he was enraged. Seemingly knowing that he couldn’t argue against Xia Yan, he decided to just ignore her altogether.
“Brother Chu, you can inscribe your name on the tower as soon as you surpass Lord Dugu Lingtian’s record. That would be enough. Make sure that you don’t force yourself. As long as you survive, there’ll be hope,” Duan Liufeng said.
“Got it!”
Chu Feng directed a smile toward Duan Liufeng before assessing the Hidden Dragon Life Tower carefully.
All in all, this tower had eleven floors. The first floor was shining with brilliant specks of light, reminiscent of a river of stars. However, if one were to take a closer look, one could notice that every speck of light was actually a name.
They were the names of those who had offered themselves up to the Hidden Dragon Life Tower written with spirit power.
There were also many names on the second floor too, but the number was much fewer compared to the first.
By the sixth floor, there weren’t any names anymore.
On the ninth floor, however, there was a single name—Dugu Lingtian.
