Chapter 1310: Chapter 1308: Finally Arriving at Moral Mount
If the past Shi Xiaole’s mind was quick as lightning, then now it was like a violent storm, a single thought arising, followed by countless ideas and inspirations pouring in.
Some of the once-intractable problems were swiftly met with answers.
The Demon Martial Way rotated even faster, just half a step away from the 110% peak. After digesting the many swordsmanship insights, the Wind Sword Way moved from the mid-phase of 120% to the late phase.
Shi Xiaole gazed at the corpse, its surface shrouded in a dense and turbid brightness, its aura astonishingly reaching the 110% peak realm.
"Chaotic Light Martial Way, could this person be Mingguang Hermit?"
Shi Xiaole secretly speculated about the identity of this person. This was a Sky Origin Realm Supreme Lord from 160,000 years ago, incredibly powerful, who at that time was securely ranked among the top ten of the world.
In Shi Xuanzhong’s assessment, this person’s talent was no less than that of the Sorcerer Lord, but his temperament was even more resolute, and his future was limitless.
After the first great world war, this person did not enter the Ten Great Dangerous Places but chose to disband his powers and wander into the chaotic world, hoping to find another path.
Now, it seemed he was nearly successful. The unique Chaotic Light Martial Way had been cultivated back to the 110% peak, just a step away from the king’s return.
Unfortunately, he died here.
"Mingguang Hermit, I hope you are not dead, but merely yet to succeed, that one day in the future you will reappear in the world and create new splendor."
Remembering Shi Xuanzhong’s sorrow and reminiscence for this friend, Shi Xiaole’s nose tingled. He solemnly bowed to the corpse and, after a moment’s pause, resolutely walked into the depths of the sea of thunder.
One could see that, for the instant when the sword light cleaved through the lightning, the heavens and the earth turned black, with vague shadows of chaotic void streams. The power of the thunder here was about to breach the endless void!
Only a Supreme Lord could walk here, anyone less than a Supreme Lord would surely turn to ash.
Yet today, there stood a lone figure, a solitary man with a sword, who dared to venture into this death zone, resisting it with merely a Void Origin Realm level of cultivation.
If this scene were to spread to the outside world, it would undoubtedly shake the entire cosmos!
The Shi Xiaole of before had already broken through the limits of the human Void Origin Realm, and now, he was further advancing on that foundation. The Wansheng Madman, reputed to be invincible below the Supreme Lord, couldn’t stop his sword strike.
Fifteen thousand kilometers.
Sixteen thousand kilometers.
...
Shi Xiaole exerted all his strength, his body split open, his head exploded, and fine cracks proliferated all over his body, resembling a shattered porcelain figurine, with the Demon Martial Way barely holding on.
At a depth of twenty thousand kilometers, the might of the thunder was nearly half the strength of a Supreme Lord!
The exit was right in front of him. With a final, wild roar to the heavens, Demon Martial Way formed a protective circle of light around his head. With Divine Sword Control, he swung his sword forward.
Boom boom boom!!
The Sword Qi shattered, and thunder exploded; the world seemed to be ending, with chaotic void streams sweeping out. Expending his last ounce of strength, Shi Xiaole miraculously burst through the sea of thunder.
Crack.
His protective aura shattered, missing death by an inch within the sea of thunder.
Resting for several days, Shi Xiaole finally caught his breath, operating the Demon Martial Way while scanning the surroundings. Another month passed, and he fully recovered from his injuries, then strode forward.
Here, Shi Xiaole had no way back; he could only move forward.
About half a day later, from afar, Shi Xiaole saw a mountain.
This mountain was not tall, but it was exceptionally weighty and majestic, settled upon the earth with mysterious white mist swirling around it. Even Shi Xiaole, with spiritual strength surpassing a Supreme Lord’s, couldn’t unravel its composition.
As he neared, strands of white mist floated towards him, overwhelming Shi Xiaole with a sense of being crushed.
"Hahaha, this mountain has stood for a million years, and finally, a fourth person has reached here."
The booming voice resounded, causing Shi Xiaole’s ears to buzz. Then he saw the white mist part to reveal the ruined stone steps at the mountain’s base.
"Senior is?"
"I am the guardian of Moral Mount."
Moral Mount?
Shi Xiaole’s mind thundered, his suspicions confirmed, momentarily leaving him at a loss for words.
For Shi Xiaole, this mountain was not unfamiliar.
It was because during those three years defending the city, Shi Xuan had told him about a mysterious route in the Life-and-Death Unfounded Cave, leading to a place beyond the skies. However, to traverse this route was extremely challenging; even Shi Xuan himself had faced life-and-death trials.
Moral Mount was precisely the final barrier of this path.
Everything became clear.
The Seven-colored Divine Bead was made from rare stones collected from the limitless void (Chapter 1292), hence its strong resonance in the endless void.
It was because of this that he had followed the chaotic Void Channel, entering the sealed Life-and-Death Unfounded Cave and embarking on this path.
Every bite and sip is predestined—how true it is.
"Who are the first three people?"
Shi Xiaole asked.
"I do not know the first, the second is named Shi Xuanzhong, sharing blood with you, and the third goes by God." (Chapter 965)
The voice hummed.
"If I ascend this mountain, will I be able to leave East Victory world and enter the place beyond the skies?"
Shi Xiaole asked.
"Indeed, but success is not guaranteed for you. I might as well tell you, the land beyond the heavens you speak of has far more talented individuals than the East Victory world. Over the past million years, only seven people have made it to the opposite side of this mountain, but only one has truly entered the East Victory world."
The voice seemed to recall something, and the tone changed, "Of course, Shi Xuanzhong is an exception, he too has passed through. The land beyond the heavens, plus fifteen worlds, over a million years, only thirty-two individuals have laid eyes on the Moral Mount of the major worlds, and the only ones to successfully pass through were these two!"
Shi Xiaole took a deep breath, his eyes ablaze with fighting spirit.
Now, his only choice was to cross Moral Mount to enter the land beyond the heavens, then utilize the Void Channel of the land beyond the heavens to smoothly return to the East Victory world.
Therefore, he had to get past the trial, whether he could or not; there was no other option!
Just right, he wanted to see how his own natural combat abilities compared to his father’s, to the most talented of the sixteen worlds, over the past million years. Who stood higher and who lower?
Optimizing his condition to the best, Shi Xiaole then began to ascend the crumbling stone staircase, which was only three feet wide, step by careful step.
After several hundred steps, an endless stone platform emerged, surrounded by swirls of white fog. An old man with white eyebrows and hair was smilingly watching Shi Xiaole.
"Young man, I am the first guardian of Moral Mount. You and I will fight at the same level; defeat me, and you may proceed to the next level,"
said the old man with white eyebrows and hair.
"Please."
Shi Xiaole nodded.
The old man didn’t indulge in pleasantries, flipping his palm forward and pushing out, a huge palm imprint enveloping Shi Xiaole from the sky, within it countless mysterious light threads circulating.
"Five Elements Martial Arts."
The old man’s mastery of the Five Elements Martial Arts surpassed that of the Five Elements Axe Emperor from the South Sea by who knows how much, actually achieving the highest realm where the five elements blend and cycle endlessly.
Just the power of this one palm was not much less than the killing moves of Wansheng Madman!
And this was merely Moral Mount’s first challenge – no wonder in a million years, among the talented from sixteen worlds, only two have passed.
As thoughts flashed through his mind like electricity, Shi Xiaole’s movements didn’t slow down. Extending his right hand’s index and middle fingers, he pointed them subtly forward.
"Hmm?"
A look of anger and surprise flitted across the old man’s eyes.
Then, a nearly invisible sword Qi easily pierced through the Five Elements palm imprint, causing it to explode in the air, with forty percent of the sword Qi’s force remaining. With a hissing sound, the old man was forced back ten thousand meters, his robe torn apart.
"Young man, it seems I have underestimated you!"
The old man was taken aback.
It was true that Shi Xiaole’s martial understanding was far inferior to the previous thirty-two individuals, so in the old man’s view, his strength was definitely the lowest, perhaps not even capable of passing the first challenge. But to his surprise, Shi Xiaole had given him quite the shock.
Not waiting for the old man to counterattack, Shi Xiaole appeared in front of him like a ghost, flicking out three sword points in quick succession.
The first sword was countered by the old man with three palm forces.
With the second sword, as the power of the Five Elements continued to explode, the old man’s palm force didn’t decrease but increased. He struck six times in succession, each strike stronger than the last, eventually surpassing Shi Xiaole’s third sword.
"Five Elements Divine Palm!"
In the midst of the shouting, the old man delivered his strongest palm.
However, just as the palm force reached its pinnacle, it suddenly fell apart. It was the third sword light that found its flaw; at the same time, a hole appeared in the old man’s chest, death’s aura pervading.
"How, how did you do that?"
The old man clutched his chest in disbelief.
"From prosperity to decline, the strongest points are also the most vulnerable,"
Shi Xiaole replied.
Murmuring to himself, the old man’s eyes grew brighter, and finally, he gave a deep bow to Shi Xiaole, "The master appears from the successful; thank you for your instruction, young master. Please proceed."
Shi Xiaole turned and left the platform, quickly disappearing into the steps above.
"Perhaps, this youngster could become the third one to pass through?"
As he watched Shi Xiaole’s receding figure, the old man nodded and then shook his head, "It’s too difficult; the guardians that follow..."
The second platform.
There was another old man, but this one had black hair and beard, exuding a suffocating aura of annihilation.
Bang!
Without any unnecessary words, the two engaged in battle.
The black-haired old man wielded a broken spear, and with each swing, endless black rain fell. This black rain contained the ultimate power of annihilation, effortlessly piercing through the void.
In terms of endurance, this man was not equal to the first guardian, but in attack power and burst strength, he was an entire level stronger. Such attacks, throughout the vast heavens and non-supreme beings, almost none could withstand even a single blow.
The battle darkened the skies and the ground; spear radiance and sword light constantly intertwined, cutting and slicing. On the boundless platform, their figures were submerged everywhere.
After tens of thousands of exchanges, both sides reached their peak in momentum. The black-haired old man let out a shout, and his spear glowed with a divine light capable of piercing the firmament, his annihilation aura surging like a ferocious river, undying and unceasing.
Shi Xiaole, unflinching, used his arm as a sword, and swung it gently yet swiftly forward.
In complete silence, the spear radiance split, and the black-haired old man, his body gushing blood, was blasted away in retreat.
Annihilation, too, is a form of negative energy; absorbed by the Demon Martial Way, a significant part of the black-haired old man’s killer move became an aid to Shi Xiaole’s strength.
