The day the trial began had arrived.
On this day, Sick Old Man personally came to take Fang Qing and Yang Qi away from Whale Prairie, flying toward the true core of Suspended Mountain—the Heaven-Reaching Star-like colossal peak that occupied the center of the entire starfield.
The closer they drew, the more they could sense the peak's grandeur and oppressive presence.
The void was steeped in deep darkness. Only that colossal peak hung eternally in the air like a golden mountain so immense that words could not describe it, radiating boundless light.
"This is Suspended Mountain's main peak, Mount Sumeru."
Sick Old Man's tone carried reverence and barely concealed excitement. "Sumeru was an ancient term used to describe the vastness of a divine mountain, while 'mustard seed' described something exceedingly small. Thus came the saying, 'A mustard seed contains Mount Sumeru,' meaning that one with great divine abilities can contain the vast within the minute. This place is that 'Sumeru.'"
As they continued to approach, Fang Qing admired Mount Sumeru.
He said he had already seen Mount Sumeru—the one in the Eternal Life Realm.
Yet the Mount Sumeru here, amid this dark void, shone brighter than any star. Like an eternally burning blazing sun, it constantly radiated a cold, murderous golden brilliance that seemed capable of severing all life.
This gold seemed condensed from the purest western Geng Metal Qi, carrying the sharp aura of war, slaughter, and change, like the sacred White Tiger beast of myth that ruled over killing.
A massive golden storm surged up from Mount Sumeru's surface like boundless golden waves, sweeping across the surrounding heavens. Its reach extended billions of miles, permeating countless nearby subsidiary planes and spatial folds.
With a single glance, Fang Qing saw that this void, which should have been pitch-black, was