Ye Qiu had already climbed two thousand nine hundred and ninety-eight peaks.
At this moment, he needed only to ascend one more peak to equal the record set by the Eternal Blue Sky Great Emperor.
Yet, even with the protection of four Qiankun Cauldrons, the Xuanyuan Sword, and the golden coffin, he felt immense pressure.
In this instant, the demonic mist surged like a tidal wave.
Ye Qiu felt his physical body being sliced by sharp blades. His skin had cracked open, blood was flowing out, and even his bones ached unbearably.
Moreover, the blood within his body seemed to have solidified, and his breathing began to falter.
“Whoosh!”
Ye Qiu gritted his teeth fiercely, his body soared into the sky, and he stood upon the two thousand nine hundred and ninety-ninth peak, his spine straight as a ramrod, like a sharp sword.
“He’s up, he’s up…”
“The Master has made it.”
“The Eternal Blue Sky Great Emperor only reached this far back then. The Master has done it!”
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“If not witnessed with one’s own eyes, who could imagine that a cultivator at the Cave Heaven realm would be just one step away from the final peak?”
On the ground, the various elders cheered joyfully.
Even Elder Ox, who had always believed Ye Qiu was the reincarnation of the Heavenly Emperor, was no longer calm at this moment. His face was flushed red, his expression agitated, as if he were in heat.
“Master, keep going!”
Only Little White Fox showed no trace of joy between her brows. On the contrary, her beautiful pair of eyes were filled with deep worry.
“National Lord, Young Master Ye has created a miracle. I believe he will certainly reach the end,” Elder Sheep said.
“You’re too optimistic,” Little White Fox said gravely. “Don’t forget, back then, when the Eternal Blue Sky Great Emperor was climbing the final peak, he fell. Obtaining the Demon Emperor’s inheritance is far too difficult.”
Her words had just fallen.
“Ah…”
From the peak came Ye Qiu’s sudden scream of agony.
Little White Fox and the elders hurriedly looked over, only to see Ye Qiu roaring towards the sky, golden blood flowing all over his body, enduring unimaginable pain.
At the same time, the peak shook violently.
“Not good, the Master is in trouble.”
Elder Monkey clenched his fists tightly, murmuring, “Master, you must hold on!”
The others said nothing, their eyes wide open, staring fixedly at Ye Qiu, all silently praying in their hearts that he would reach the final peak.
After all, they too wanted to know what the inheritance left by the Demon Emperor truly was.
“National Lord, is there any way to lend Young Master Ye a hand?” Elder Bear asked urgently.
Little White Fox took out the Eight Trigrams Treasure Furnace. This was an imperial artefact, and it possessed a complete artefact spirit.
Just as Little White Fox was about to throw out the Eight Trigrams Treasure Furnace, the voice of the artefact spirit rang in her ear.
“Master, stop quickly. I cannot help Young Master Ye. Once an imperial artefact approaches that peak, it will turn to powder, and I will die too.”
Little White Fox was connected in thought with the Eight Trigrams Treasure Furnace and knew the artefact spirit was not lying to her, so she reluctantly put it away.
“National Lord, why did you put away the imperial artefact?” Elder Bear asked in confusion.
“The artefact spirit of the Eight Trigrams Treasure Furnace said that once an imperial artefact nears that peak, it will shatter into dust. It seems the Demon Refining Pot cannot help Changsheng either.”
Little White Fox’s expression was solemn. Seeing Ye Qiu in such pain, she too felt anxious.
“Ah…”
On the peak, Ye Qiu roared loudly, his body swaying unsteadily. Several times he nearly fell from the cliff, but each time, he barely managed to steady himself.
The demonic mist was endless, like a vast net claiming lives, binding Ye Qiu’s entire body, causing him excruciating pain while making breathing increasingly difficult.
Ye Qiu felt as if he were about to die.
In his ears rang ceaseless sounds of ghostly wails and wolf howls. Countless strands of demonic mist transformed into the appearance of vicious ghosts, laughing ferociously before him.
Not only that, the demonic mist seeped through his pores into his meridians, and eventually even enveloped his primordial spirit. Instantly, his primordial spirit felt as though it would shatter, burning as if scorched by fierce flames.
Although facing an enormous crisis, Ye Qiu’s will to survive burned stronger than ever.
“I cannot die here!”
“I still have so many things left undone!”
“I must find my father!”
“I must help Yue’er uncover the culprit who destroyed the Hundred Flowers Tower!”
“I must return to the secular world. My mother, Sister Lin, Ruyi, Sister Bing, Sister Wan, Little Xue, Nan Ge… they are all still waiting for me.”
Thinking of this, Ye Qiu roared towards the heavens.
“Ah…”
With his cry, nine hundred and ninety-eight strange flames poured out, forming a vast sea of fire that incinerated the demonic mist filling the sky.
Crack, crack, crack…
The demonic mist, as if solid, emitted popping sounds as it burned.
That imperial-grade strange flame, while burning the demonic mist, also enveloped Ye Qiu’s body, blocking further penetration by the mist.
The pain lessened somewhat.
Ye Qiu raised his head and glanced at the final peak. Amidst the dense demonic mist, the stone carving of the Demon Emperor revealed a pair of eyes, staring at him coldly, as if mocking: “Kid, you think you can obtain my inheritance? Keep dreaming.”
In an instant, rage surged in Ye Qiu’s heart.
“It’s just a stone carving. What right do you have to mock me? Who do you think you are!”
Boom.
Ye Qiu exerted all his strength, carrying the four Qiankun Cauldrons, the Xuanyuan Sword, and the golden coffin, and charged desperately into the sky.
Finally, Ye Qiu reached the summit and stood upon the three thousandth peak.
The moment his foot landed, the pain he had endured vanished abruptly. Then winds arose and clouds surged, heavenly thunder rolling.
The demonic mist on this final peak was greater than the combined mist of the previous two thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine peaks, like an endless ocean or a boundless abyss capable of devouring all things in the world.
Ye Qiu stood in place, his heart filled with utmost vigilance, because before climbing, Little White Fox had told him that when the Eternal Blue Sky Great Emperor reached the summit, he had fallen.
He was extremely cautious, his gaze sweeping through the demonic mist.
However, the demonic mist did not envelop him. It was as if it had not noticed anyone reaching the summit.
Moreover, the mountain showed no signs of shaking.
For a full five minutes.
Ye Qiu stood motionless in place.
“Young Master Ye has reached the summit!”
“The first person in eternity!”
“Young Master Ye has created a miracle!”
“…”
On the ground, the elders cheered in unison.
The worry on Little White Fox’s face vanished completely, replaced by expectation. She quietly clenched her pink fists, thinking to herself: “Changsheng, keep going. You must obtain the inheritance.”
On the peak.
After standing in place for a while and seeing no changes, Ye Qiu withdrew all the strange flames.
Then, his gaze fell upon the stone carving of the Demon Emperor.
This stone statue was about a hundred zhang tall, divine and extraordinary.
Ye Qiu noticed that the Demon Emperor’s eyes seemed to have changed, no longer mocking, but carrying a hint of gratification.
“Strange. It’s just a stone carving. How can its eyes change?”
Ye Qiu felt somewhat puzzled.
At that moment, between the brows of the Demon Emperor stone carving, a crack suddenly appeared, and a huge eyeball emerged…
