In the range of the most central spot of Central Continent stood a uniquely shaped mountain. It stood tall over three thousand kilometers, its peak piercing clouds and touching the sky. Its height was not the most unusual aspect no matter how rare such tall mountains were in Central Continent.
Its appearance, on the other hand, was conspicuously blocky. There were not many craggy rocks on this mountain. Instead, giant square-shaped rocks reclined on each other, stretching from the base towards the top akin to steps of a celestial staircase.
It was Central Continent's number one mountain—Tian Ti Mountain!
Tian Ti Mountain was also known as the land of inheritances and the mountain of sages among the locals. During the ancient times, it was the ladder of immortals, a stairway to step into the Heavenly Court.
The scale of the stairs was so huge that there was an old legend about it in Central Continent saying the stairway reached the realm of the immortals and was a bridge connecting heaven and earth. There were many touching, mysterious, tragic, and joyful stories revolving around Tian Ti Mountain. Tian Ti Mountain became the holy land of Central Continent's gu masters, a place closest to the Heavenly Court. Many Gu Masters sought for immortality but failed, and before death, they would place their tombs in Tian Ti Mountain. At the same time, a large majority of them would also set up their inheritances in Tian Ti Mountain.
Tian Ti Mountain hid countless inheritances, and only those fated could obtain them. Every year, after clouds and mist that covered it dispersed, Tian Ti Mountain would experience an enormous flow of people. Many inheritances would be inherited, and many new inheritances would be set up.
It wasn't unusual for a gu master to select this region as their intended location to ascend. Not only that, several gu immortals also placed their blessed lands on Tian Ti Mountain and tackled their earthly calamities and heavenly tribulation. Those who failed left their blessed land as inheritances for the fated successors. Fairy Bai Hu was one of the many gu immortals, who failed and succumbed to the might of her earthly calamity, leaving Hu Immortal Blessed behind.
Tian Ti, after all, was a gigantic mountain. Furthermore, the ambitious gu masters intent on making it their preferred location to ascend and gu immortals alike often, carefully so, set perimeters and formations to prevent the commotion and attract other gu masters harboring malicious intentions.
Despite all that, everyone on Tian Ti currently struggled to preserve their lives. The flash of human qi threatening to surpass heaven qi and earth qi lasted but for a brief moment. As if angered by the very notion of one's limited qi surpassing its own supply of endless heaven qi and earth qi, heaven and earth rumbled and trembled alike. Sky and clouds seemed to collapse, churning and forming a mouth that swallowed past Tian Ti's ordinarily obscure peak. Purple dust exploded and shook Tian Ti whole with countless shock waves. Boulders shattered and rained down on innocent victims of heaven's rage, crushing thousands of unfortunate gu masters.
Heaven and earth itself were helpless.
He could not be stopped.
He must be stopped. Unfortunately, heaven proposes and man disposes.
To every survivor's shock, Tian Ti was almost in a ruin. The thought of it in a state of such destruction was inconceivable to other gu masters and gu immortals. After all, anyone who targeted Tian Ti Mountain with violent intentions was dealt with by the Ten Ancient Sects themselves! It was the seat of Heavenly Court. How could anyone dare lay a claim on it? How could any human dare wreck it?
Countless gu masters shed tears and felt indescribable sadness when clouds and fog would hide Tian Ti. It would become extremely dangerous to traverse and invited hordes of beasts until the fog cleared, bringing with it an unfaltering ray of hope in every gu master's heart.
That Tian Ti was in such a pathetic state!
Tian Ti was not a mere mountain but a cultural pillar for the whole of Central Continent!
THAT Tian Ti was almost destroyed.
That Tian Ti incurred heaven's rage—rage so impotent that it could not even transform into heavenly tribulation and earthly calamity!
What stoked such fury?
Who incited such anguish?
Above the spot where Hu Immortal Blessed Land stayed hidden floated the answer to all those questions. His eyes remained closed as he floated between the very sea of clear heaven qi and dense earth qi. It was so much that many gu masters could spot it from the foot of the mountain—those who managed to survive, that is.
Unfortunately, a wave of black smog surrounded the three fairies and the sea of remnant heaven and earth qi. Thousands of swords pierced through the smoke and stopped midair, their poisonous tips aimed at the three fairies. Lastly, four gu immortals appeared through the dark clouds, surrounding the three fairies.
"State your business!" Mi Yao shouted as her eyes narrowed with scrutiny. 'Four rank 6 gu immortals. I… I only know three of them. That's Jian Yi Sheng, a sword path gu immortal.' She glanced at the other two. 'Jun Ki, a poison path gu immortal, and Bi Sun, an enslavement path gu immortal with two desolate beasts.'
'They are all lone and demonic gu immortals. What could they want?'
"Hehe, you three are quite daring!" Jian Yi Sheng had an extremely perverted and villainous appearance. His smiled made him look even more perverse as he spoke in a righteous tone. "You three caused untold damage to Tian Ti Mountain and left behind a trail of cruel bloodshed! How dare you still remain here? Get lost and let us deal with that criminal!"
His vicious gaze landed on the comatose Lo Jik.
"The three of us are supreme elders of Spirit Affinity House." Bai Qing informed plainly. "Think twice about your course of action, sirs."
Jian Yi Sheng's smile froze as he shot a nervous glance towards the only rank 6 gu immortal hidden in dark robes.
The other two demonic gu immortals also appeared intimidated by the very mention of Spirit Affinity House, and for a good reason. How could they compare to the supreme elders of such an organization?
"He has yet to toss in the gu." The hidden gu immortal informed, his voice thick and grainy. "Kill him."
'Who are they?' Bai Qing's heart sank.
"Bold words for a scum." Black Moon snorted coldly and pinned Bi Sun with a predatory gaze that sent a shiver down his back.
"There are four of us, fairies. Let us exact justice for all the poor souls lost due to your sect's poor management." Jun Ki appeared the most elegant of the group. He had a fair, slightly chubby, face. Green light flashed in his eyes as he smiled politely.
"How can lone gu immortals compare to us? How much foundation did you accumulate? Can your wealth even support a group battle like this? How many beads of immortal essence are you willing to sacrifice?" Black Moon snickered and jabbed sharply. The battle had already begun as the two parties tried to lower the opponent's morale. Gu immortals did not make any moves rashly unless truly infuriated.
"They are stalling. The presence of remnant heaven and earth qi makes it unwise to use one's immortal gu worms. Why would anyone risk an immortal gu worm from a backlash for a mere disciple? Attack them. This is the best chance!" The robed gu immortal hit the nail on the head as the three fairies sighed internally.
The greatest difference between them and lone gu immortals was their possession of rank 6 immortal gu worms.
Immortal gu worms were unique. Most rank 6 gu immortals lived their entire life without ever possessing one. Meanwhile, the Ten Ancient Sects boasted deep foundations and wealth beyond one's wildest imagination. Every gu immortal from such super forces had one immortal gu worm at the very least.
The presence of heaven qi and earth qi greatly restricted their use of immortal gu worms, forcing them to utilize mortal killer moves like other gu immortals who did not have any immortal gu worms—just like their opponents.
"Who are you? What is the meaning of this nonsense?" Mi Yao glared at the robed gu immortal. Clearly, he was the leader. Why else would the other three lone gu immortals dare mess with them?
Jian Yi Sheng and others snorted after a moment, instantly launching their attacks. The floating swords was actually Jun Ki's killer move and not Jian Yi Sheng's. The black smoke rushed forward on the sword path gu immortal's command. Lastly, Bi Sun let out a bull desolate beast.
Meanwhile, the robed gu immortal stared in Lo Jik's direction with an impassive gaze.
They battled around the sea of heaven qi and earth qi. Even when they kept their distance, the six combatants suffered intense backlash and couldn't help but curse in their hearts.
The only one to fair slightly better was Bi Sun. Unfortunately, the gu worms on his desolate beast were nearly destroyed, making him experience extreme heartache. Still, the benefits they received to occupy the three fairies made up for his losses and then some more. It was a beneficial transaction—the only concept capable of moving lone gu immortals like him into action.
Fairy Mi Yao and Bai Qing were both water path gu immortals. Their attacks involved tides, arrows of water, coldness, and more. Meanwhile, Black Moon was a strength path gu immortal, an impressive one at that. She was surprisingly the strongest among her peers when it came to using mortal killer moves, effortlessly suppressing the poison path gu immortal, Jun Ki.
'Oh?' The robed gu immortal's gaze glimmered briefly. He focused on Black Moon.
Their battle slowed down slightly as the stagnant heaven qi and earth qi revealed a shift.
*Boom*
An explosion could be heard inside Lo Jik as he tossed rank 6 Flying Bear Strength Immortal Gu into the condensed pocket of tri-colored primordial qi. What exploded out was life! Inside Lo Jik birthed another immortal aperture as it sucked in the surrounding heaven qi and earth qi like a starving baby. His blessed land grew before slowing down.
*Swish*
Lo Jik tossed in Self Dharma Gu, Borrow Strength Gu, All-Out Effort Gu, Heaven Strength Gu, Water Strength Gu, Strength Qi Gu, Bitter Strength Gu, Self-Reliance Gu, Fickle Heart Strength Gu, and every other strength path gu worm in his strength path set.
His blessed land sucked in the surrounding heaven qi and earth qi like a bottomless pit before slowing down—not out of its inability to grow more but the very limits of an extreme aperture.
Lo Jik was always someone with monstrous foundation, the kind that surpassed common sense. Not only was he a grandmaster in almost all the paths, but he also had an extremely polished gu set! Furthermore, his first aperture boasted an extreme aptitude while he was already a gu immortal! Lastly, most of him save for his soul and mind was strengthened and refined using strength path gu worms.
It was simply unfair to compare a gu immortal with a gu master possessing an extreme aptitude.
<<<>>>
'I see…' he suddenly realized. 'So, that's why I understood the meaning of that poem. Truly powerful… whoever created that killer move not only predicted my current predicament but they also accurately deduced my course of action. Furthermore, they could tamper with heaven's will in such a manner… hehe… interesting.'
His thoughts suddenly grew vigorous. The sense of suffocation in his soul lifted. Waves after waves of pure primordial qi washed his body, mind, and soul. The injuries from the dream realms healed at a pace visible to the naked eye!
How could he not realize the secrets of the killer move and marvel its creator?
Lo Jik left behind three batches of special will. Being a gu immortal, he was not burdened by the same limits crushing a gu master. Of course, prepared enough for this instance and wished to gain all possible advantages, such as interaction with heaven's will to raise his understanding of the great dao, Lo Jik left behind sufficient number of wills.
The creator of this killer move was an extremely accomplished individual. Not only did they foresee his failure, the trap that lay within the dream realm, and his preparations, but they also ascertained everything to a very precise degree. It had to be known that Lo Jik inherited Divine Concealment. Most deduction methods involving wisdom path were useless against him! Whoever deduced Lo Jik managed to slip past the defense of this outstanding rank 9 killer move!
Just who could do that?
Who could give slip to the sneakiest venerable in the gu history? Thieving Heaven Demon Venerable left others helpless. No obstruction could keep him from his targets to plunder. Lo Jik couldn't even fathom who could slip past the protection designed by the world's greatest safe cracker.
Even more astounding was the fact that this mysterious individual tampered with his immortal ascension. Unlike Black Moon, who did not expect Lo Jik to interact with heaven's will, this gu immortal knew well enough about the truth. They knew about his second blessed land—the fact that he was a human path gu immortal. That's why they prepared for that third batch of special will.
The first batch existed to destroy his aperture and induce his ascension.
The second batch was there to control and blend the three streams of qi. Lo Jik would not have dared to even do this if not for his earlier experience. In fact, leaving things to his batches of will was merely the worst-case scenario. How could he have expected the dream realm to be such a huge trap?
How could he have predicted… the existence of 'Heaven's Will'?
The third batch was meant to exchange thoughts with heaven's will.
The creator of the poem targeted this batch.
Surprisingly, Lo Jik did not interact with heaven's will. Instead, he was conversing with the creator of this killer move. That's why he understood the true meaning behind this poem. It was an exchange of information—information pertaining one of the most hidden secrets of the gu world!
What did this mean?
It meant that the creator of the killer move not only cracked Divine Concealment's defense, but they also tampered with heaven's will and directly communicated with Lo Jik. They acted in heaven's will position.
They… mimicked heaven's will!
'My dream path attainment… rose.'
He was a dream path quasi-grandmaster.
Now?
Lo Jik successfully inherited the strange inheritance.
His attainment in dream path skyrocketed!
'It was an inheritance... and the only condition was to somehow reach this desperate situation. I would have died if not for preparing so intensely to the point of planning my ascension at the brink of my soul's collapse. I... I would not have obtained this inheritance without such a crazy method. I would not have obtained this mysterious individual's assistance without this level of madness. Perhaps they were the one behind my arrival in Central Continent. Divine Travel Immortal Gu Worm sending me to Central Continent had always been too coincidental.'
He had not planned for this, but after luck and human paths, dream path was the third path to reach the level of a great grandmaster!
'Truly interesting. But there is no free lunch in the world. I feel that all this debt will be repaid eventually. Just... I wonder if I the cost will be worth this support.'
Regaining his consciousness, Lo Jik ignored the ongoing battle and first observed his blessed land. It was a quick glance, yet the wave of satisfaction he experienced was unlike anything before.
Immortal apertures could be categorized into four ranks—low, medium, high, and perfect—each directly affecting the quality of one's blessed land. Lo Jik's human path blessed land reached the absolute peak of a high-grade immortal aperture, boasting an area of six thousand square kilometers.
Meanwhile, his strength path blessed land displayed the highest peak of a perfect-grade immortal aperture boasted by a gu immortal with an extreme aptitude.
Lo Jik's senses took in an area of thirteen thousand square kilometers! It was a super blessed land, still adopting his southern heritage in the form of tall, precipitous mountains. Unlike the gentle peaks and slopes in his human path blessed land, his strength path super blessed land boasted tall and rigid heights. The land appeared tough and infertile on the surface, most certainly hiding plenty of ores in depths waiting to be mined. The wind was dry and the light was filled with inhospitable heat, making it difficult for many to endure such an environment.
Yet, its existence made Lo Jik's heart swell with pride.
His strength path blessed land pulled a gigantic tributary of time. One day in the main continent passed fifty days in his blessed land.
The remnant heaven qi and earth qi transformed into pure droplets of essence—whole eighty of them!
Lastly, Lo Jik watched heaven qi and earth qi form cocoon over three of his strength path gu worms. Surprisingly, he could not form four immortal gu worms as he did in his first ascension despite this time shattering an aperture with extreme aptitude. It was simple, really. A perfect-grade blessed land absorbed a whole lot of the overabundant heaven and earth qi compared to his previous high-grade blessed land. As such, there was slightly less qi available to refine gu worms.
Cautious enough of any sudden resonance like before, Lo Jik refined the three necessary gu worms.
These three immortal gu worms were necessary to survive the incoming ordeal.
Truly.
Said ordeal already acted the moment he took in the rest of heaven and earth qi, promptly trapping everyone in a battlefield killer move!
Aura of immortal gu worms erupted inside his newly formed blessed land one after the other.
And so, Lo Jik's eyes snapped open.
***
Alternate Title: A dream path inheritance; Destruction of Tian Ti; The ambush; Hidden enemy; Stalling; The land of inheritances; The land of demise; Fated deaths; Impotent heaven; Lo Jik just loves blue-balling heavenly beauties; Heaven's Will be like: I have no mouth, but I want to scream!; Offending heaven itself; Lo Jik has a dick only a mother… wait, that's not how it goes; Realizing the truth; A true expert; Cracking the cracker's good crack; Surpassing Divine Concealment; A dream path great grandmaster; A perfect-grade blessed land; 13000 sq. kilometers… that's larger than most countries!; Strength path perfection; Attack; A battlefield killer move; Three immortal gu worms; Other gu immortals watching Lo Jik drown in wealth while dying of thirst; A wicked assistance; A debt owed; Rising Fickle Dick Immortal; Supreme human path profundity: Heaven proposes and man disposes; Heaven's Will's calamity dysfunction
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