At the peak of the Immortal Mountain.
A man in a blue robe, a man in a red robe, a middle-aged man in a black robe, and a man drinking on a pine tree… all of them were silent, their eyes fixed on Mo Luo Xue as she walked through the two-hundred-meter restricted zone with a proud air.
“Ex… Extreme-grade Spiritual Root?” The man in the red robe practically stammered the words, his eyes nearly popping out of their sockets. His face was a testament to the word “unbelievable” written in large characters.
Compared to the man in the red robe’s astonishment and shock, the middle-aged man in the black robe laughed with unrestrained joy. “Hahaha! This time, you’ve been wrong! All of you have been wrong! The Marrow Cleansing Pill, the Immortal Brew, the Fire Rat Fur Coat, give me all three of those treasures!”
The man in the red robe was still sitting on the ground, scratching the back of his head, bewildered. “Hey, did I get hit with some kind of illusion? This… this is really an Extreme-grade Spiritual Root?”
The man on the pine tree fell silent.
“Good, Changfeng Gate claims her,” said the man in the blue robe.
“Heh, you even dragged your own sect into this? Even if Changfeng Gate is the second most powerful among the Ten Great Sects, you can’t be this domineering!” The middle-aged man in the black robe flashed a cold light in his eyes.
“Want to have a go?” The man in the blue robe asked calmly.
“Fine! You think I’m afraid of your Qingcheng Sword Immortal title just because it’s famous in the cultivation world?” The middle-aged man in the black robe didn’t back down, his immense power gathering in his hand, a dazzlingly bright light flaring in his palm.
“Enough of the arguing, don’t spoil the mood. If you fight during the Immortal Ascension Assembly, and the ripple effects reach the mortals on the Pan Yu Immortal Path, you won’t be able to bear the consequences. If the Cultivation Alliance comes looking for someone, I don’t believe your sect would dare to cover for you.” A cold snort came from the pine tree, the usually casual and carefree man suddenly becoming serious.
The middle-aged man in the black robe couldn’t help but stop the spell he was preparing as soon as he heard the words “Cultivation Alliance.” He snorted coldly and stopped looking at the other man.
No one dared to provoke the Cultivation Alliance with its immense power. Every time the Cultivation Alliance meted out punishment, it was utter annihilation!
“The bet isn’t over… still want to bet?” A soft voice suddenly rang out, causing everyone to startle and turn towards the man in white in the corner.
The man in white opened his eyes. He sat cross-legged, calmly gazing at everyone. All that could be seen in his pupils were coldness and solitude.
“Bet? What else do you want to bet on?” the man in the blue robe asked, frowning.
The man in white stood up expressionlessly. With a slight wave of his hand, the dust on his clothes automatically separated and floated away. His white clothes were once again pristine.
“I bet that someone can walk the entire Pan Yu Immortal Path,” said the man in white softly. His face was sharp like a knife, and the sunlight shone on his face like it was illuminating a renowned sculpture, his sharp facial muscles seeming to be the work of an artist’s chisel.
“Walk the whole Pan Yu Immortal Path?” The middle-aged man in black furrowed his brow.
“Didn’t someone once complete the whole Immortal Path? Bet?” The man in white said calmly, his eyes not on the man in blue or anyone else present. He was only focused on the bet.
Everyone stared at the man in white in disbelief. It was true, someone had passed the hundred-meter mark of the Pan Yu Immortal Path and completed it. The last one to do so was the Eternal Emperor, who transcended all things in the world and achieved supreme existence. The one before him was the Hongmeng Patriarch, also a being so high up it was impossible to see or touch… Why? Why would there be someone comparable to these supreme beings among this group of mortals?!
“What’s the stake?” someone asked.
The man in white drew his sword, the cold and imposing sword aura splitting the air!
For a moment, everyone thought the Grim Reaper had drawn his blade. Not the black sickle that was a man’s height, but the snow-white long sword in front of them.
Transparent, frigid sword aura shot up towards the heavens. The solitary and desolate sword intent made everyone tremble. The pine tree’s needle-like leaves fell soundlessly. In the air, countless needles were sliced in half, not from the middle but cut horizontally from both ends.
A desolate, lofty presence swept across the mountain peak. The man in white’s sword was lofty, desolate, a desolate wilderness and snow-white sky.
“The sword’s name is Ling Xiao,” said the man in white. “It’s the stake for this bet.”
“A big bet,” said the man on the pine tree softly.
“Accept?” The man in white asked.
The man in blue robe silently looked at the man in white. He could tell that the man in white was serious about this bet! In other words, the man in white truly believed that Mo Luo Xue could walk the whole Pan Yu Immortal Path!
“Interesting,” said the man in blue robe. “Next time we spar, I hope you won’t bring a fire poker to the fight.”
“Good.” The man in white nodded, raising his hand to insert the long sword into a hard rock on the ground. The blade cut through the stone as smoothly as a heated knife slicing into cream cheese.
“She’s almost at her limit,” said the middle-aged man in black suddenly, in a low voice. Everyone immediately turned their attention to Mo Luo Xue halfway up the mountain, only a hundred or so meters from the end.
Mo Luo Xue took a step, then swayed heavily. A trace of blood seeped out of the corner of her mouth. After a moment, she wiped away the blood and took another step.
“Crack—” Finally, the wound on Mo Luo Xue’s neck split open. The thread-stitched wound couldn’t withstand the immense pressure and rapid blood circulation and burst open again. Blood flowed from Mo Luo Xue’s snowy neck, dripping onto the ground. In an instant, the originally spotless jade steps were dotted with streaks of red.
“She can’t hold on,” the man in red robe sighed with admiration. “But she’s done fantastic for a woman.”
“Sword Nut, I really don’t understand why you’d just give away such a peerless sword,” said the man in red robe, squatting beside the sword firmly stuck in the rock. “From its sharpness, tempering process, luster, sharpness, and other aspects, you’ve been nurturing this sword for more than a hundred years, right?”
Before the man in white could speak, the middle-aged man in black sneered. “Just casually handing over a sword worth more than the combined total of all the other bets. Have you eaten too much, or are you delirious from hunger? Has your sect become so eager to show off their wealth that they don’t want to be seen as poor as the rumors claim?”
The man in white shook his head. “Ling Xiao is worth more than the combined value of all the treasures here… times ten.”
Everyone was stunned, but a wave of doubt followed… What exactly is this guy trying to do?