1364 Reaching the Summi

Tang Xiu led the way and advanced again. His pace didn't slow down and was even a level faster. Even though he could sense the pressure on him had become slightly bigger, it wasn't that unbearable to him. He then quickly caught up with Heroic Sword Venerable on the 7,000th ladder.

How can this be?!

Heroic Sword Venerable noticed that Tang Xiu was catching up and was shocked. Due to the shock, his footing was staggered and he was almost forced back by the enormous oppressive force on the next step.

A smile crept up on Tang Xiu's mouth and he lightly said, "A human must never be too arrogant for one could have his face be smacked after bragging. You know, wanting to be the leader and the most dazzling man in the fifth batch will only be a dream."

With that said, Tang Xiu took another step and took over Heroic Sword Venerable. He directly went to the 7,201st stair. Much to the chagrin of Heroic Sword Venerable, he kept his distance farther from the man and it took him only a little over a day to climb up to the 8,000th stair.

There, he turned around and looked below.

Tang Xiu saw Heroic Sword Venerable facing difficulty in advancing. Seeing his furious eyes, he gave the man a middle finger and contemptuously laughed. "Hahaha, a pebble wants to compete with a pearl? You really overstretch yourself."

Puah…

Heroic Sword Venerable spurted out a mouthful of blood after hearing Tang Xiu's taunt. He trembled violently with resentment, knelt on one knee, and then was barely able to stabilize his body.

At the bridgehead.

Thousands of Immortals were completely shocked by Tang Xiu's performance. After the continuous inquiry among them, they finally found out Tang Xiu's name: Great Tang Heavenly Emperor. However, none of them knew where this Great Tang Heavenly Emperor came from, and from what sect or force he belonged to.

"Did this Great Tang Heavenly Emperor pop out of a stone or something? Just his aptitude and cultivation alone are enough for him to gain fame in the Immortal World, right? But why has no one ever heard of this person before?"

"Is this Great Tang Heavenly Emperor his real name? I've never heard of this name before. Could he be a peerless genius secretly groomed by a super sect and now he just recently started adventuring in the Immortal World?"

"He's really against the natural order! Had he not stayed too long on the 6,000th stair, he could have already passed the bridge and reached the Drunken Immortal Palace, right?"

"He's so young, I can sense that he's really young. Yet such a young man has such great potential is simply unimaginable. Could he be the one who'll get the inheritance of Drunken Immortal Supreme?"

"Awesomely terrifying! He's fast, much faster than the other trial takers. It's like the spatial pressure on the bridge has no effect on him whatsoever."

"There are quite a lot of talented people in this fifth batch! Aside from that Great Tang Heavenly Emperor, there are more than 20 people left on the bridge. That's incredible! Also, that Myriad Swords Sect's peerless genius, Heroic Sword Venerable seems to be on the brink of death."

"…"

Dala stared at Tang Xiu with a complicated expression. Given his keen eyesight, how could he not be able to tell that Tang Xiu had been advancing forward with ease? He hadn't yet exerted his full strength even under such enormous spatial pressure.

The Inner Pill Sect and Limitless Palace will surely be out of luck if this kid grows. He… must be related to the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect, thought Dala inwardly.

Next to him, the slack-jawed and shocked stout man muttered, "Master, this Great Tang Heavenly Emperor is really amazing. Aside from Black Zephyr old freak, no one else seems to be better than him. I have a feeling that he can definitely pass the bridge trial and arrive outside the Drunken Immortal Palace."

"He's going to pass, without a doubt." Dala nodded slowly and said, "However, those four around him are similarly powerful. They all have climbed up more than 6,800 ladders and they seem to be able to persist for a long time."

"Do you know something about the origin of this Great Tang Heavenly Emperor, Master?" asked the stout man. "How come we've never heard of his name until now given his aptitude? Also, those four around him, they obviously changed their appearances and auras. Why are they afraid to show their true faces to everyone?"

"It's likely they may have some powerful enemies!" replied Dala.

"Then it will be very likely their enemies will be very unlucky!" said the burly man. "Should any one of these five grow and breakthrough to the Supremacy Stage, their might will be outrageously powerful."

On the stairway.

Star Peng's eyes were filled with madness. He had reached his limit withstanding the huge pressure. However, he kept persevering—for that inheritance, for the sect to resolve their impending crisis.

"Puah…"

Right as he climbed the 7864th stair, he finally couldn't bear the huge pressure anymore and was forced to fly back and then fell heavily on the bridge.

"I refuse to give up!!"

Star Peng's eyes turned bloodshot. He tightly clenched his fists and punched the ground hard.

Star Luminous, who was three steps behind him, saw that Star Peng was forced back. His eyes were also filled with madness. They were the only ones from their sect who came to the Boundless Mountain Range and entered this Secret Palace. Should Star Peng fail, then he would be the only one left. The pressure he felt inside was bigger than the spatial pressure he felt from the outside.

I must persevere! I must insist. I must keep climbing even if I have to die!

Star Luminous gritted his teeth and frantically circulated the Immortal Force in his body. He had made up his mind to never be forced back by the pressure even if he must die in this trial.

He advanced step by step with a trembling body and madness-filled eyes, with every fiber of his muscles cracking violently.

Perseverance and insisting to keep moving forward had become his only faith.

Buzz…

A surging aura suddenly blasted out from Star Luminous. In nearly a flash, he, who nearly had reached his limit under the pressure, suddenly felt that his body now became lighter.

"A sudden… breakthrough?!"

Even in his dream, Star Luminous never imagined that he would break through to the Perfected Golden Immortal Stage at this moment. It must be noted that he had advanced to the Golden Immortal late-stage only 700 years ago. He immediately realized an insight—the Heavenly Dao rewards the diligent and those who persevere unremittingly.

He felt like crying at the moment. Ever since his Grand Master, Star Cultivation Great Emperor, failed his tribulation and vanished, the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect had to go through bitter tribulations and hardships of being attacked by several factions. Impending dangers and jeopardy were right in front of their door and many of their people were constantly killed. The sect's resources were gradually depleted and he had been persevering and supporting the sect through these hardships.

Many people in the sect abandoned themselves, resented their incompetence, and even despaired. Yet, he didn't. He shouldered the title of the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect's peerless genius, so he kept cultivating all out instead, unleashed everything he got in the battles, and wandered the edge of life-and-death time and again while constantly accumulating experience.

All he relied on was his perseverance, so he still survived to the present.

"The path is so far and only by persevering one can move forward."

Star Luminous took a deep breath and gradually suppressed his excitement. His eyes and resolve became extremely firm. He felt everything was a lot easier when he tried taking another step forward.

Quickly after, Star Luminous came to the 8,000th stair. When he looked at Tang Xiu, he could see a relieved and grateful look on his face.

Why does he look relieved and grateful?

Star Luminous's expression shifted and respectfully said, "Senior Great Tang, did you see me breaking through?"

"Of course!" Tang Xiu replied with a smile. "You wouldn't have been able to arrive at the 8,000th stair so easily without breaking through to the Perfected Golden Immortal Stage. The Vermillion Bird Holy Sect is really blessed to have such a peerless genius in you."

Star Luminous's expression sharply changed and he stared at Tang Xiu vigilantly in an instant.

"You don't have to guard against me," said Tang Xiu with a voice transmission. "What you need to know is that I'm not hostile to you. Otherwise, you and Star Peng would have already died even before entering the Secret Palace."

Star Luminous froze for a while and suddenly sobered up. With an embarrassed face, he awkwardly said, "I apologize, Senior Great Tang."

Tang Xiu casually waved and said, "I'm deeply related to your Vermillion Bird Holy Sect. I didn't expect that you could reach this point. Alright, let's stop conversing here. Go forward! If your mind is firm enough, I'm sure you won't be troubled by this trial."

"Understood!" Star Luminous complied curtly and stepped on the 8,001st stair.

Quickly after, Star Tears and Sablefiend Scorpio also came to the 8,000th stair, surpassing Heroic Sword Venerable. However, their distance from the man was only three stairs.

"Let's keep advancing! Don't be caught up by some idiot lest we hear some stupid bragging from him again," said Tang Xiu while glancing at Heroic Sword Venerable with disdain.

"Asshole!" Heroic Sword Venerable roared angrily.

Tang Xiu straightly ignored him, but Star Tears couldn't suppress her killing intent towards the guy. However, she realized that it was not yet the time to kill Heroic Sword Venerable, so she suppressed her killing intent and followed Tang Xiu up the stairs.

On the 16th day.

Tang Xiu, Star Tears, Star Luminous, and Sablefiend Scorpio had passed the bridge trial. When the four of them came to the outside of the Drunken Immortal Palace, Black Zephyr old freak greeted them quickly. Although he was a bit surprised to see Tang Xiu, he respectfully greeted him, "Thank you, Fellow Immortal."

"No, there's no need for you to thank me as that was your fortune and chance." Tang Xiu shook his head and smiled slightly.

"May I ask whether Fellow Immortal has any request for me?" asked Black Zephyr.

"Well, recently I met a very talented young man—Star Luminous, a peerless genius from the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect," replied Tang Xiu with a voice transmission. "Coincidentally, he experienced a similar thing like you and broke through to the Perfected Golden Immortal Stage under the pressure on the bridge. I'm sure you're also aware of the predicament surrounding the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect. If you really want to thank me, please help that sect for me in the future!"

"Understood!"

Black Zephyr carefully observed Star Luminous for a while and then nodded silently. Then, he said, "By the way, the 9 Immortals who have successfully arrived here are required to activate the Nine Stars Array. There are five of us now, so we need to wait for 4 more people."