eurekapd Chapter 233 Alone on the Third Step of the Cold Stone
Chapter 233 Alone on the Third Step of the Cold Stone
After a long pause, the tiny figure on the steps moved again.
"One hundred and forty-seven, one hundred and forty-eight..."
She counted in a low voice, each step she took felt like carrying a thousand pounds on her back, requiring her to pause for a moment.
Despite the difficulties, her will was as strong as iron, and she never retreated in the slightest, continuing to move forward.
Finally, upon reaching the 161st step, Yi Xiaoqi could no longer hold on. Disregarding her composure, she slumped onto the stone steps, breathing rapidly and drenched in sweat.
No, she really couldn't walk anymore. Even if a wild boar chased after her, she wouldn't be able to lift her legs.
"Shall we go?" a voice asked.
"I can't walk anymore..." Yi Xiaoqi muttered softly, only then realizing that her lips were cracked and tasted rusty.
She licked her lips, shook her head laboriously, and looked around in confusion. Who had just spoken?
Her physical strength was so depleted that even her thinking speed slowed down.
After realizing what had happened, Yi Xiaoqi was filled with doubts and gripped her sword tightly with vigilance.
She even suspected that she might have been hallucinating because she was too tired, and that there was no other person actually speaking.
"Let's go." The voice sounded softly again.
This time, Yi Xiaoqi listened intently and heard it clearly, but she still couldn't discern the direction, leaving her bewildered and uncertain.
The silver sword in her hand trembled slightly, and a barely perceptible sword hum rang in her ears. It was a very soft sound, like a breeze blowing through her hair, and the breeze stopped as soon as she heard it.
Looking up, the wind, snow, and mist ahead vanished in an instant, revealing stone steps that wind their way up to the vast blue sky.
Sunlight streamed in, illuminating everything brightly, a stark contrast to the previous gloomy and hazy atmosphere.
She stood up in surprise, sword in hand.
Everyone at the foot of Lianyun Mountain witnessed this scene.
A sharp sword aura swept upwards, clearing the entire staircase, making the stone steps beyond the three hundredth step clearly visible.
The scene was so wondrous that it seemed as if a celestial being had breathed out a breath that instantly dispersed all the clouds and mist clinging to the mountainside.
The clouds and mist dispersed, and the sky suddenly opened up, clear and bright, as if the whole world had been cleansed and refreshed.
Many people were surprised to find that after the fog dissipated, there was a white jade gate halfway up the mountain, which shimmered with a lustrous and translucent color in the sunlight.
There were two figures, a man and a woman, in front of the mountain gate.
The guard, Bai Xing, looked respectfully but was inwardly wary as he gazed at the unfamiliar woman standing on the 999th step and asked again, "Do you really think that little sister in the Acquired Realm can get this far?"
Upon hearing this, Chu Lengyu remained calm and neither agreed nor disagreed.
For her, this was a matter of course, and there was no need to say more.
If one truly disregarded societal norms and used the power of the Unrivaled Sword to carry her up, it would be an easy task; the cold stone steps would pose absolutely no resistance.
"Don't forget the invitation." After saying that, she stepped onto the thousandth step and continued walking up.
Bai Xing watched her retreating figure and asked nervously, "Don't you want an invitation yourself?"
This outsider master shattered Shirahoshi's previous impressions of the area outside of Kiriyama.
She was indeed terrifying, but he believed that the Mist Mountain Tea Party was full of powerful figures who could still suppress her.
Upon hearing this, Chu Lengyu waved her hand gently, and her figure walked further and further away.
Bai Xing's pupils contracted slightly as he watched her leisurely stroll.
The three thousand steps of cold stone staircase of Lianyunzhan may look ordinary, but they are actually the culmination of the essence of the Mist Mountain Formation, painstakingly crafted by generations of predecessors, embodying countless efforts.
It is not just a challenge, but also a test of one's physical and mental limits.
The misty mountains are rich in natural charm, and the rocks, having long been blessed, are naturally different from other places.
Each step of the cold stone contains a strange power that can strengthen the body and temper the mind, allowing one to constantly break through one's limits during the climb.
For most people, the first thousand steps is already the threshold of the Innate Realm, which is difficult to cross.
The higher you go, the more difficult it becomes. Every step is like climbing a cliff, and a slight misstep could injure you or even endanger your life.
The peak master once admitted that he himself could only reach 1,500 steps before he could go no further.
This number is an unattainable peak for the vast majority of people.
As a rotating guardian, Bai Xing has witnessed countless people challenge the Lianyun Stack, with the vast majority giving up after the first three hundred steps.
Previously, during his tenure, no challenger had ever been able to break through the five hundred-step barrier, let alone reach the thousand-step mountain gate.
These thousand steps seem to have become an invisible chasm, keeping most people out. For those who guard it, however, it has become a good place for quiet cultivation.
Watching that figure gradually disappear into the distance, Bai Xing suddenly had a strong intuition.
She has more than 1,500 steps!
Her strength and background may far exceed what ordinary people imagine, and the composure and confidence she exudes are the best proof of that.
But what truly shook him was not only her composed demeanor, but also...
Shirahoshi took out a special compass from her bosom.
This compass is a sensory compass made by the Orchid Vein of Misty Mountain. It can keenly sense the fluctuations of qi and blood in the surroundings, thereby roughly judging the opponent's realm.
Even with the cultivation of techniques to conceal one's aura, fluctuations in one's qi and blood are still difficult to hide.
However, when Bai Xing quietly pointed the compass at the girl in white, the compass remained as still as a dead object, without any reaction!
This scene filled Bai Xing with doubt and uncertainty.
It's important to understand that even a cultivator at the first level of the Acquired Realm would react to the compass's signals. But this woman acted as if she were an ordinary person, rendering the compass completely useless!
But ordinary people can't even finish the first ten steps, so how could they possibly easily cross a thousand steps!
The contradictions and irrationalities in this situation made the woman even more mysterious and unpredictable in his eyes.
Down the mountain.
Bai Guanshui's expression suddenly turned extremely ugly, but he quickly concealed it as if nothing had happened.
The fog in Fog Mountain is not the ordinary cloud and fog between heaven and earth, but the icy fog emitted by the ice lotus, which covers the mountain layer by layer and provides a natural protective array for Fog Mountain.
But now, a huge gap has been torn open.
This is undoubtedly a blatant provocation!
Bai Guanshui clenched his fists. Although he was angry, he knew that with Bai Xing's strength, it was impossible for him to stop the strange girl. Forcibly obstructing her would only bring trouble upon himself.
But what level of innate realm is this strange girl? Could she be at the fifth level of innate realm, comparable to the peak master?
Or perhaps... her strength is even greater...
Bai Guanshui dared not let himself think any further.
As the saying goes, even a powerful dragon can't suppress a local snake. He could only hope that the masters of Wushan could keep this powerful dragon from crossing the river in check.
at the same time.
On the stone steps, Yi Xiaoqi suddenly felt a surge of power coursing through his body, and the exhaustion he had felt vanished instantly.
She seemed to be filled with a mysterious power, her whole body brimming with inexhaustible energy.
She jumped up and down excitedly, then stepped onto the 162nd step without hesitation.
To her surprise, this step had no pressure whatsoever, as if it were completely different from the previous steps.
She was delighted and took another step, still with ease and confidence.
With no burden on her body, she practically ran up the cold stone steps.
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, onlookers gasped in surprise.
"Who's that guy in red? He's fierce!"
"Am I seeing things? Wasn't she just lingering around the hundredth step? How did she suddenly jump to the three hundredth step?!"
"Wow! Four hundred...five hundred already!!"