AGM 467 – The Hardest Path
The Royal Xia Clan of Grand Xia was exceptionally famous and dominated the entire region in ages past. The Tyrant Emperor and Blood Emperor were names given to those top-tier powerhouses after they became Emperors of Grand Xia.
Chu Mang and Ouyang Kuangsheng entered the Tyrant Emperor Door, walking on the pathway of his inheritance.
While Mu Feng entered the path of the Blood Emperor’s Inheritance.
After that, the gaze of the Vermilion Bird landed on Fan Le as it spoke, “Your perception ability with regards to constellation can only be considered ordinary among this group of people. However, your convention is top-notch and you can actually use psycheforce? It just so happens that there was an emperor of my Grand Xia that specialised in psycheforce. You’d best make good use of this opportunity and see if you can pass the test, therefore obtaining the inheritance.
After speaking, the Vermilion Bird pressed down with its talon as another statue appeared. The eyes of this statue contained an endless depth. Just a single glance caused the hearts of those who saw it to shiver.
Fan Le then walked towards the direction of the statue.
The Vermilion Bird turned its gaze onto Qin Zheng, “The power of space is an extremely outstanding ability. You have advantages in both attack, escape and it could even be used to complement other abilities. You too, have to make good use of this opportunity.”
After speaking, its talon pressed down. Qin Zheng bowed towards the Vermilion Bird before stepping onto his path.
The Vermilion Bird turned its gaze onto Bai Qing, “I can feel your determination in enduring the cold and dark energy of the devils within your small and weak frame. Seeing how you were able to persist up till now, it truly isn’t easy. Your path will be an extremely difficult one. In the entire history of Grand Xia, the Chaotic Devil Emperor was one of a kind. From young, he had always been alone and after he dominated Grand Xia, he was unwilling to become the Xia Emperor. But even so, he still consented to leave his inheritance behind in the Royal Tomb for future descendants. His trial will be exceedingly crafty and challenging. I hope you will be able to pass.”
The sharp talons of the Vermilion Bird pressed down again. Bai Qing bowed to it and started walking towards the Chaotic Devil Emperor statue.
Very quickly, only Qin Wentian and Yun Mengyi remained.
Qin Wentian’s gaze shifted to the Vermilion Bird, he then asked, “Senior, these inheritances were left behind by the ancient emperors of Grand Xia. But what about the emperors themselves? Are they all already dead?”
Since they were able to become the Emperors of Grand Xia, there was no need to doubt their strength. And according to Fairy Qingmei, back then in Grand Xia, the pinnacle of strength were those Ascendants at the peak of Celestial Phenomenon. How could people like that die so easily?
And also, upon reaching that realm, how could those people be fine with remaining in Grand Xia? They would definitely leave this place for a vaster piece of sky, aiding to further their pathway in cultivation.
The Vermilion Bird stared back at Qin Wentian and didn’t reply. It was pondering, which inheritance would be suitable for Qin Wentian.
The sensory abilities and perception of this young man before him, as well as the power of his Astral Souls, were the most terrifying among this batch of people. With his talent, even when compared to the descendants of the Royal Xia Clan in the past, this young man might be the one who has the most opportunity to obtain the complete inheritance of one of the ancient emperors.
Those that Yun Mengyi brought here today were all extremely outstanding. The Vermilion Bird had personally chose the emperor gates in which each individual had the highest chance of success. But even among these elites of the younger generation, Qin Wentian still shone the brightest, he was like a blazing sun.
“How important is this man to your quest of reinstating Grand Xia?” At this moment, the voice of the Vermilion Bird rang out in Yun Mengyi’s mind.
Yun Mengyi’s gaze flickered, she naturally understood the meaning of the Vermilion Bird. Glancing at Qin Wentian, she replied, “Extremely crucial.”
From her perspective, although Di Tian’s background was mysterious. This man should share an exceptionally close bond with Qin Wentian. Qin Wentian could even impart him the secret art of the Demonic Divinity Sacrificial Transformation, from this, one could see that Di Tian had the absolute trust of Qin Wentian, and was his representative.
In addition to that, the monstrous talent Di Tian had shown, made it so that he was even more important.
The eyes of the Vermilion Bird shifted back onto Qin Wentian, “The inheritances of my Grand Xia isn’t so easy to acquire. If you want the chance to obtain the complete inheritance, there would be a very high chance that your life will be in danger. Of course, regardless of you or the earlier six who entered, or even the descendants of my Royal Xia Clan, there were people who survived, but they left here with only part of the inheritance of the respective ancient emperors, and not the complete set. I want to know, how great is your ambition?”
“I want the complete inheritance.” Qin Wentian replied.
“If I select a path with the highest degree of difficulty, would you dare to walk on it?” The Vermilion Bird asked again.
Qin Wentian’s eyes gleamed, he replied, “The higher the difficult and the more dangerous it is, the more powerful the obtained inheritance would be. Why would I not dare?”
“Since this is the case, let me give you a warning. You might come across various scenarios that might be unimaginable to the current you. Especially for the last test, stay true to your heart. You can go.” As the voice of the Vermilion Bird faded, its sharp talons pressed down on the ancient coffin once more. Rumbling sounds echoed out while behind the Vermilion Bird, the grand hall was actually pulled apart from the left and right. This time, no statue appeared. There was only a golden gate that exuded an incomparable majesty.
Qin Wentian bowed and stepped onto the path selected for him. Very swiftly, he entered the gate as his silhouette disappeared.
Right now, within the grand hall, only Yun Mengyi remains.
After Qin Wentian left, the Vermilion Bird gaze at Yun Mengyi as it spoke, “With your strength, I’m afraid that the path of reinstating Grand Xia is going to be a long and arduous one. Since you brought these people here, I believe that all of them are no ordinary characters. However, it isn’t going to be easy to control characters like them. If they are merely ‘friends’, how can you be sure of their loyalty? Do you want to take the risk?”
“I don’t seek to become the Empress, my only wish is for the nine traitorous clans to fall. “ Yun Mengyi knelt down, “Begging old ancestor’s pardon, I brought all of them here because there’s one man whom the others are all willing to listen to. That person, is the core. He’s of utmost importance.”
“The one prophesied by the Venerate Heavens Sect, is the man you talked about, that same person who lit up the eighty-one stone pillars earlier?” The Vermilion Bird asked.
Yun Mengyi shook her head, “Not him.”
“There’s someone even more outstanding compared to him?” The flames in the eyes of the Vermilion Bird flickered. Di Tian was someone who had lit up all of the eighty-one stone pillars!
“I think so,” Yun Mengyi nodded her head. “The man I’m talking about mastered the secret art of our Grand Xia, the Demonic Divinity Sacrificial Transformation. He has transformed into a primordial great roc and has a cultivation base at the second level of Heavenly Dipper. In fact, he even used some mysterious method to negate the transformation and slay a Celestial Phenomenon Ascendant with a single sword strike. Right now he is still unconscious, hence I didn’t bring him over.
“Also, the Astral Souls of these person is so powerful that it’s inconceivable. The first three of his Astral Souls originates from the 5th Heavenly Layer.” Yun Mengyi added. Upon hearing her words, the gaze of the Vermilion Bird sharpened. It asked again, “What Astral Souls does he have?”
“Heavenly Hammer, Great Dream, Demon Sovereign.” Yun Mengyi replied.
“This person is now unconscious? Why? And are you sure?” The Vermilion Bird asked.
“Because of the battle that happened today where I had to use the power of the Seven Slaughters Puppets to obtain victory.” Yun Mengyi explained. “The man I’m talking about has a background that wouldn’t lose out to Grand Shang. He is definitely the one that will create the future where Grand Xia comes under one rule. Yet, I believe that his final stopping place would definitely not be in Grand Xia.”
It was as though the Vermilion Bird hadn’t heard her words. After recovering from its stunned state, it nodded lightly. In its heart, it finally understood what was going on.
“Understood. You should get moving as well.” The Vermilion Bird pressed its sharp talons onto the ancient coffin for the final time. A statue appeared while a path opened up. Yun Mengyi stood up and proceeded forwards, leaving the Vermilion Bird behind in the grand hall.
“Negating the Demonic Divinity Sacrificial Transformation and even having an additional body that shares the same soul and essence as the original. This young man…” The Vermilion Bird murmured. After Yun Mengyi’s speech, it already knew that Di Tian was the person that Yun Mengyi was talking about. However, since it had already promised Qin Wentian to keep this a secret, it naturally wouldn’t reveal this to Yun Mengyi. Although it didn’t know why Qin Wentian wanted to keep this from the others, it could only hope that Yun Mengyi’s judgement wasn’t wrong.
After Qin Wentian stepped into the gate, he could clearly felt the power of spatial energy. The spatial fluctuations got increasingly intense as the space around him warped, sending him into a separate dimension.
Right now, Qin Wentian found himself in a world of ice and snow. The vast land was covered by a blanket of white, the atmosphere was so cold that it caused him to involuntarily shiver.
“There are bound to be many trials on the pathway of inheritance. I wonder how high the difficulty of this particular trial is.” Qin Wentian mused. He then stepped out, leaving behind his footprints in the blanket of snow.
However, right at this moment, Qin Wentian halt his steps. He could feel something monitoring his movements. An instant later, a terrifyingly cold intent burst out, wanting to freeze Qin Wentian solid.
“Peng!”
Stellar Transposition instantly erupted, Qin Wentian retreated explosively. His countenance radiated sharpness as he looked straight ahead, trying to pinpoint the location of his opponent.
Only to see a pile of thick snow convulsing, while a silhouette rose from it. It was actually another human who was clad in white. But strangely enough, both his face and skin, were the color of snow.
“My perception actually failed to sense him?” Qin Wentian stared at his opponent. Evidently, his opponent had insights into the Mandate of Ice and Snow, it seemed that he could fuse with it as one to erase any traces of his presence.
“How rare, there’s actually someone here.” That snowy figure spoke, feeling incredibly astonished. After which, a smile flashed as he revealed his pearly-white teeth, “From the time since I started guarding this place, only a minority would dare to venture here. To think that even after so many thousands of years, there would still be someone who dare to come here.”
“Senior, what is the first trial?” Qin Wentian asked.
“Trial? Do you know that within the rules set, I’m allowed to kill you?” The snowman stared at Qin Wentian while a sinister grin appeared on his face.
“In that case, may I ask senior, what are the rules of this trial?” Qin Wentian asked again. The strength of this man was immeasurable, and certainly wasn’t someone he could defeat. However since the Vermilion Bird sent him here, there shouldn’t be a trial that was impossible to pass.
“What’s your cultivation level?” That snowman continued grinning. After so many years of loneliness, he finally had a chance to vent his emotions.
“Second level of Heavenly Dipper.” Qin Wentian replied.
“I shall suppress my cultivation level to the second level of Heavenly Dipper. There’s only one rule here. Defeat me or die.” Hints of amusement flashed through the eyes of the snowman, his words causing Qin Wentian to frown slightly.
“Right.” Qin Wentian replied. Stepping forwards, a flood of astral light erupted. He executed Stellar Transposition while a sword flew out simultaneously, directly slashing against the snowman’s body.
However, Qin Wentian only saw that the snowman was transforming back into a pile of snow, his form melting away, easily avoiding the power of his attack. Evidently, his opponent wasn’t human.
“Kacha!” A crisp sound rang out. Qin Wentian’s legs were sealed by ice.
He lifted his feet wanting to move yet he found that the power of the frozen ice was way beyond what he expected. The power of frost seeped through his legs, freezing his blood, cutting off the path of energy circulation so that his astral energy had no way to reach his legs.
“This…” Qin Wentian’s gaze stiffened. Not only his legs, even both his arms and body had started to freeze.
“I said that I would suppress my cultivation to the second level of Heavenly Dipper. However, I didn’t say that I would do the same for my Mandates.” A voice as chilly as the cold wind drifted over, causing Qin Wentian’s heart to shudder. This was merely the first trial after he entered the gate, was the level of difficulty already this high?