Chapter 151: The Ascent Path

This stone path is also known as the “Ascent Path.”

In the Chiyun Mountain world, those cultivated candidates among the elders have the opportunity to challenge special life-or-death trials.

The simplest of these trials is the “Underground Lava River” mission. After cultivation, these gifted beings of extraordinary talent can usually complete it, earning five hundred contribution points.

A tier above that is the “Ascent Path” special life-or-death mission! This one is far more difficult. To this day, none among the young prodigies of Chiyun Mountain have succeeded. According to historical experience, only those who have developed at least the rudimentary form of a third-tier true essence, who possess rich combat experience, and who wield powerful secret techniques and weapons have a chance of success. Completion of this task grants a full ten thousand contribution points—a tremendous reward, for success indicates one is nearing mastery of true essence.

Those lacking sufficient strength dare not even attempt it, for failure could easily cost one’s life. Only Situ Hong has dared to try, but he failed spectacularly and nearly died.

The highest level of all is the “Celestial Prison,” a truly terrifying mission. The Celestial Prison holds the most vicious and powerful of the captured enemy races imprisoned by the Xia Clan. Only those who have successfully mastered the third-tier true essence can attempt it, and even then, success is not guaranteed. Still, it is considered a reward-based mission for those who have achieved that level, offering a staggering one hundred thousand contribution points!

Those who have not mastered true essence must absolutely not attempt it! One would be annihilated almost instantly upon entry.

“The Ascent Path,” Dongbo Xueying gazed at the stone path before him. This was the life-or-death trial he wished to attempt. It was no easy feat to find a mission that could genuinely threaten one’s life, and clearly, the “Ascent Path” was perfectly suited for that purpose.

Clack, clack, clack.

As he stepped onto the first stone slab, Dongbo Xueying immediately felt an invisible force enveloping him.

Let me see just how difficult this Ascent Path truly is, he thought. Extending his right hand, he summoned a black spear. The shaft was thick, the tip sharp and gleaming with cold light.

Step by step, he advanced.

Gradually ascending, a thunderous roar echoed from the distance ahead. A massive waterfall cascaded down, its waters like a great curtain crashing into a stone pool below, splashing into countless droplets that rose as thick mist. The white mist enveloped the stone pool and extended for hundreds of meters, covering a significant stretch of the stone path.

…

The Ascent Path is divided into three main sections, beginning at the foot of the mountain. The higher one climbs, the greater the danger. Those who feel their strength is insufficient must surrender early, for in a life-or-death battle, there is no time to yield. Delay in surrendering means death.

Once one voluntarily calls out surrender,

the spirit of the spatial artifact within the Chiyun Mountain world will teleport the person out of the stone path range. If one does not surrender, as Dongbo Xueying was now walking along the path, the array’s restrictions would prevent escape from the stone path entirely.

“Hu hu~~” The white mist swirled.

Dongbo Xueying advanced with increasing caution.

The white mist signified that the Ascent Path had entered its first segment, and death was imminent.

“Cursed human,” muttered a small humanoid creature with dark red skin and a massive curved blade strapped to its back. It glared coldly at Dongbo Xueying, who stood within the mist in the distance.

Due to the array’s effects,

the native beings of this realm could see humans clearly, while humans, under the array’s influence, could not see their surroundings clearly. Dongbo Xueying could only cautiously probe his surroundings using his connection to the world, limited to a radius of just a few dozen meters.

Though the environment favored the native beings, the creature felt no joy, for once the special mission began, it would be a matter of life and death for it as well.

Only by killing it could the human hope to pass this segment.

“Why? Why must I die? Cursed humans, seizing my territory and treasures, forcing me into labor, and now making me fight to the death.” The small native being clenched its teeth. Whether out of hatred for humanity or the lure of the great reward for victory, it would do everything in its power to kill the young human in black before it.

“One strike! He will die!”

The small native being observed silently, seeking the perfect moment to strike.

It had been chosen by the Xia Clan to guard the first segment of the Ascent Path precisely because of its talent for assassination.

…

Step by step, Dongbo Xueying advanced along the stone path.

The thick white mist obscured vision, but he remained alert, sensing the area within a radius of several dozen meters. Beyond that, the array prevented his connection to the world from reaching further.

“Whoosh.”

In his perception of the world, a blurry, small figure suddenly appeared.

Too fast!

The speed of an extraordinary being was naturally great, and at just a few dozen meters, the distance was far too short. Dongbo Xueying had barely sensed a vague figure rushing toward him when a massive curved blade, streaked with blood, slashed through the air and came cutting toward him. It was too sudden, too fast, and the blade’s trajectory was unpredictable and bizarre.

“Boom!” Dongbo Xueying twisted the shaft of his spear, and the black spear shot forth like a coiling dragon. “Clang!” The spearhead met the curved blade in midair.

“What!” The small native being was shocked.

Its blade was famous for its unpredictability—how could it be so easily blocked?

What it did not know was that Dongbo Xueying’s spear techniques had long been known for their subtlety and unpredictability. After integrating the mysteries of the wind, his techniques had become even more elusive, surpassing even the curved blade in their evasiveness. The spear effortlessly “clung” to the curved blade, and the rotational force within the spear shaft immediately disrupted the blade’s trajectory, sending it veering aside.

“Shish!”

The spearhead darted like a snake’s tongue.

The combined forces of wind, water, and fire erupted together. The seemingly simple thrust tore through space itself, leaving a faint black fissure in its wake—a rift into the unknown. The spearpoint halted just short of the small native being’s forehead.

The creature’s forehead now bore a small hole, its brain reduced to pulp. It was dead—utterly and completely.

“Thud!” The small native being’s corpse collapsed onto the stone path.

Looking at the body, Dongbo Xueying remained calm. Humans and the races of beasts and native beings were rivals for survival—there was no room for pity. If given the chance, these beings would retaliate, slaughtering humans without mercy. History had shown this tragically in the Xia Clan’s past.

“That curved blade was indeed strange, but in that aspect, it was still inferior to my spear techniques,” Dongbo Xueying mused. “It seems the first segment of the Ascent Path poses little threat to me. However, as I climb higher, the danger will increase exponentially. I hope this path can truly temper my spear techniques and help me perfect them.”

That single thrust had been powerful enough to tear open space itself.

Yet Dongbo Xueying was still not satisfied.

He could feel that his spear strike had clearly been far from perfect.

Clack, clack, clack…

Dongbo Xueying continued forward, step by step, deeper into the stone path.