Ascension Road, Zhao Zhiqing Defeated
The two little ones, riding the White Dragon Horse and aided by the Lightning Thunder Roc, reaped a bountiful harvest.
In the Small World, the place that the two little ones had set up to raise the wild animals they had captured had become even more crowded with strange faces.
Hua Qiang didn't make a move; he just stood by and watched the two of them having a great time.
The two became more and more proficient in using their skills, and he even guessed that they might be able to fight and even defeat a level two monster.
He couldn't help but secretly marvel at the extraordinary talent of his twins.
The next day, Hua Qiang and Zhao Zhiqing met up and headed to the second match venue – Ascension Road.
The back mountain of the Cloud Water Sect is often shrouded in mist, and the entrance to the forbidden area is obscured by thick fog, making it both mysterious and dangerous.
Stepping inside, it's so quiet that you can only hear the occasional sound of the wind, as if time itself has stood still.
The Ascension Road is hidden deep within this forbidden area. It is paved with ancient bluestone, and the traces of time have etched mottled patterns on the stone surface.
On both sides of the stone steps, strange Spirit Plant grow, some shimmering with a faint light, others emitting a faint fragrance, but no one dares to touch them casually, because these Spirit Plant often carry deadly poison.
The higher you climb on the Ascension Road, the greater the pressure becomes.
It was an invisible pressure, as if it came from the scrutiny of heaven and earth, testing everyone who dared to embark on this path.
The clouds and mist surged around me, often giving me the illusion that I would step into the endless void at any moment.
Occasionally, eerie sounds would come from all around, like murmurs or roars, sending chills down one's spine.
Only those with great perseverance and courage can follow this Ascension Road and reach that unknown and mysterious summit.
Yun Tianxing stepped on flowing clouds, his black Daoist robe fluttering in the wind. Behind him, twelve elders and several deacons followed closely, riding on their Magic Tool, as they descended in a grand procession to the viewing plaza below the Ascension Road Heaven.
This plaza, paved with white jade, is a hundred feet in circumference, with massive bronze pillars engraved with the Cloud Water Sect standing along its edges. At this moment, it is densely packed with nearly ten thousand disciples.
Amidst the throng of people, their chatter rose and fell like boiling water in a pot.
"I heard that this competition will determine who among the two will become the Saintess Maiden!"
Several Earth Immortal Realm disciples in the front row stood on tiptoe to look, among them the young man in red lowered his voice.
"Hey bro, were you drunk yesterday? Or is it that you don't have internet at home?"
This is the Saintess Contest; one round was already held yesterday!
A man in a gray robe looked at the young man in red as if he were a monster.
"Oh, really?"
The young man in red scratched his head awkwardly and said, "I was out on a mission and just got back."
"That's understandable."
"Senior Sister Zhao was the challenger of the previous Inner Sect Sword Trial Tournament, and now she is the Personal Disciple of the Eighth Elder."
Although Senior Sister Lan is the Ninth Elder's Personal Disciple and has just returned from the Secret Realm, she is probably no match for him.
Before he could finish speaking, the girl in green beside him sneered and said, "Have you forgotten about how you fought three level -Peak Level 3 demonic beasts alone at Lan Zizhu?"
I bet she can hold out for another ten levels!
On the outskirts of the crowd, several Handyman Disciple squeezed against a pillar, their necks stretched out like white cranes.
"I've heard that there's a restriction every three steps on this Ascension Road, and starting from the ninth step, inner Inner Demon will appear..."
The discussion was interrupted by the sudden ringing of a bell, and the crowd fell silent instantly.
Zhao Zhiqing was dressed in a moon-colored long dress that moved without wind, and the jade pendant at her waist gleamed with a warm luster.
Lan Zizhu was dressed in a black outfit with dark gold cloud patterns embroidered on the cuffs. The two stood side by side, looking like a pair of beautiful women in the morning light.
When the jade tablet in Yun Tianxing's hand burst forth with azure light and transformed into the word "Start," the square instantly erupted in cheers.
Amidst countless gasps of surprise, Zhao Zhiqing and Lan Zizhu lightly touched the ground with their toes and stepped onto the stone steps engraved with flowing cloud patterns.
In an instant, the bronze lamp pillars on both sides of the Ascension Road suddenly lit up with eerie blue flames, casting the figures of the two people in flickering light.
The sounds of betting and cheering from the crowd mingled with the fluctuations of Spiritual Power emanating from the Ascension Road, creating a scorching wave in the morning mist.
The moment Zhao Zhiqing and Lan Zizhu stepped onto the Ascension Road, pale golden runes appeared on the surface of the stone steps, winding like a flowing galaxy beneath their feet.
The pressure from the first three steps was not too great, and the two of them moved lightly, like birds flying in the forest, and in the blink of an eye they reached the sixth step.
Lan Zizhu conjured an ice blade in her palm, shattering the oncoming mist, and ice crystals fell in a flurry.
With a flick of her jade-like fingers, Zhao Zhiqing's plain skirt billowed as several Sword Qi pierced through the mist, clearing a path forward.
As they stepped onto the ninth step, the bronze lamppost suddenly burst forth with a scarlet light, and an invisible pressure slammed down on their shoulders like a heavy hammer.
Lan Zizhu's dark-colored outfit was soaked with cold sweat, and strands of hair clung to Cang's cheeks, yet he still gritted his teeth and maintained his footwork.
Cracks began to appear on Zhao Zhiqing's moon-colored skirt. She gripped her Longsword, and as the blade trembled, she cleaved the approaching phantom demon into dust.
Amid the gasps of the onlookers, the two figures appeared and disappeared in the blood-red mist.
When you climb to the thirteenth step, ancient animal patterns appear on the surface of the steps, and with each step you take, you hear a rumbling sound that shakes the earth.
Lan Zizhu suddenly staggered, her knees hitting the stone steps hard, and her right hand scratched the stone surface, leaving a bloody mark.
The moment Zhao Zhiqing clenched her fist, countless fragments of memories turned into phantoms and attacked her—her father's tears before his death, the grievances of being ostracized by the younger members of her Lineage, these Inner Demon coiled around her ankles like venomous snakes.
She bit her tongue, using her blood essence to activate her sword technique, and as she shattered the illusion, blood spilled from the corner of her mouth.
By the seventeenth stage, the oppressive force had materialized into a sky full of thunder and lightning.
The Lan Zizhu formed an ice shield around itself, but it was shattered by lightning.
Zhao Zhiqing's Sword Qi also became unstable, and she had to exhaust all her Spiritual Power with each swing of her sword.
The two figures trembled violently in the lightning, and blood seeped from the deep and shallow footprints on the stone steps beneath their feet.
The murmurs in the square gradually subsided, and tens of thousands of eyes were fixed on the Ascension Road. Two figures were seen struggling against each other in the gale, yet complementing each other, like lone warriors wrestling with the heavens and earth.
Upon stepping onto the twenty-first step, the oppressive force of the Ascension Road suddenly materialized.
Zhao Zhiqing's Longsword was covered with cracks, and each time she resisted the restriction, her tiger's mouth bled from the shock.
The ice blades of the Lan Zizhu had long since shattered, and it could only cleave the oncoming Gale Force with its bare hands.
Their hair was disheveled and their clothes were tattered, yet they stared intently at each other, their eyes burning with an inextinguishable fighting spirit.
The twenty-third level of restrictions devoured Spiritual Qi like a black hole. Zhao Zhiqing staggered and knelt on the stone steps, a metallic taste rising in her throat.
Lan Zizhu's fingernails dug deeply into her palm, and blood dripped onto the stone steps.
Just as Zhao Zhiqing swung her sword to block, a sudden burst of internal force tore through her defenses, knocking her down the steps.
In the instant she fell, she looked at Lan Zizhu's disheveled figure, her eyes filled with resentment.
In this thrilling duel, the Lan Zizhu ultimately prevailed.