No Matter. I'll Step In.

Ximen Zhenghao basked in the countless admiring gazes fixed on him. He felt more satisfied than ever, and a hint of a smile appeared on his usually expressionless face.

He took a deep breath, then began his climb under the eyes of the crowd.

His steps were as swift as the wind. In just one minute, Ximen Zhenghao had reached the hundredth step.

The previous record, held by Zhuo Dongxuan and Dai Tianwei, was one minute and five seconds.

Don't underestimate a five-second difference. In truth, it was a chasm that required climbers to possess extraordinary strength, cultivation aptitude, and talent.

Xiao Xueyu, who had already climbed the mountain, furrowed her delicate brows and murmured, "He really is impressive. He's five seconds faster."

"Actually, it should be more than five seconds. Maybe he was too excited or something and made a mistake, costing him a second."

Hearing Xiao Yao's remark, Xiao Xueyu and everyone else thought he was deliberately picking a fight or trying to take Ximen Zhenghao down a peg.

Someone even spoke up indignantly. "Young man, I know you're impressive, but isn't that jealousy of yours a bit much?"

"I'm jealous of him?" Xiao Yao's mouth twitched, his face full of exasperation.

Xiao Xueyu immediately realized that, as the Lotus Sword Emperor's Direct Disciple, the Young Clan Leader was far more prestigious than Ximen Zhenghao and the Ximen Family.

If anyone had reason to be envious, it was Ximen Zhenghao and the Ximen Family envying the Young Clan Leader!

So if the Young Clan Leader said there had been a mistake, then there had been a mistake!

As it happened, Ximen Zhenghao really had made a mistake!

When he reached the forty-seventh step, he had slowed for a beat because he was too excited, losing a whole second.

But he had been climbing so quickly that almost none of the cultivators noticed!

Nine minutes later.

Ximen Zhenghao reached the five-hundredth step.

"Ten minutes for five hundred steps! Who else can surpass Ximen Zhenghao?"

"Too powerful! No wonder he's the eldest young master of the Southern Wilderness Domain's number-one family!"

Xiao Yao didn't speak up again. Soon, he would use the facts to slap these people in the face and show them who the strongest Sea Opening Realm cultivator in the Southern Wilderness Domain really was.

Another thirteen minutes passed.

Ximen Zhenghao appeared behind Zhuo Dongxuan and Dai Tianwei, standing on the six-hundred-and-ninety-eighth step.

Zhuo Dongxuan and Dai Tianwei were both on the seven-hundredth step. They were breathing heavily, but they still had strength to spare.

"Ximen Zhenghao's coming!" Dai Tianwei warned Zhuo Dongxuan beside her.

Zhuo Dongxuan nodded. She wasn't sure whether Ximen Zhenghao would avenge Ximen Zhengxiong, but there was no harm in staying on guard.

In an instant, both women summoned protective gales around themselves. The two forces bolstered each other, making their defenses even stronger.

Ximen Zhenghao behind them naturally saw what they were doing. The corners of his mouth lifted slightly as he said, "You think that'll keep me from knocking you off?"

"Why don't you try it?" Zhuo Dongxuan shot back without hesitation.

That instantly ignited the darkness in Ximen Zhenghao's heart. He gathered all the Mana in his body and unleashed a gale unlike anything he had shown during the climb.

Even with two steps between them, the force still made Zhuo Dongxuan and Dai Tianwei lean sideways, looking as if they could barely stay on their feet.

"Hahaha! If you start sucking up to me now, I might still let you live!" Ximen Zhenghao crowed, delighted.

But Zhuo Dongxuan and Dai Tianwei showed no intention of sucking up to him. Instead, they both snapped back at him.

"Hmph! Suck up to you? Keep dreaming!"

"You're just like your younger brother, petty to the core. You got jealous of Xiao Yao just because the two of us were standing beside him, then had your brother attack his clansmen. Calling you and your brother beasts would be an insult to beasts everywhere."

Xiao Yao's expression darkened below. He'd been wondering which of his clansmen had offended the Ximen Family, never imagining it had been him.

Of course, that wasn't what mattered. What mattered was how absurd the reason was: the Saintess of the Shocking Heaven Tower and the Mysterious Moon Society's Saintess had merely been standing near him.

He had thought a prestigious lineage like the Ximen Family couldn't produce cultivators like this.

But he had been wrong. A noble birth didn't guarantee good character. Some people were even worse than those born low.

"Young Clan Leader, if they keep provoking Ximen Zhenghao like this, he'll knock them off!" Xiao Xueyu said, her face full of worry.

Xiao Yao, however, remained completely calm. "It doesn't matter. I'll step in."

Ximen Zhenghao's face was now twisted with anger, his eyes glinting viciously as he strode straight toward them.

Bzzzz!

The powerful gale blew Zhuo Dongxuan and Dai Tianwei away. As Ximen Zhenghao passed the seven-hundredth step, he slammed the two women right off the steps.

Under the terrifying pressure, they plummeted at an incredible speed.

"He's falling even faster than Ximen Zhengxiong did! Who could possibly save them?"

Xiao Yao set the Nine-tailed Celestial Fox on the ground. "Wait here quietly for me to come back."

"Ying, ying, ying!" The Nine-tailed Celestial Fox held up its chubby forepaws to show it understood.

The next instant, a faint silvery-white glow appeared around Xiao Yao once more. No-Self activated, and his overall strength surged twentyfold.

Whoosh!

In the eyes of the cultivators, he became a streak of light.

This was different from when Xiao Xueyu had fallen earlier. The seven-hundredth step was simply too far from the foot of the mountain!

And from what he had observed, the higher one climbed on Rainbow Peak, the stronger the pressure became.

If they fell from that height, they would naturally descend even faster, and catching them would require even greater strength.

Fortunately, he had the strength to catch them from the seven-hundredth step.

Dai Tianwei and Zhuo Dongxuan did everything they could to steady themselves, but nothing worked. Their rapid descent made it difficult even to breathe.

Thump! Thump!

As they landed, Xiao Yao caught each woman around the waist with one arm.

The veins stood out all over his body. He looked as if he'd used every ounce of strength.

"No way! He actually caught them? Impressive!"

"That must have put a huge strain on his arms. I wonder if it'll affect his climb."

The God of Slaughter was the God of Slaughter. If it were me, the three of us would've already been smashed into a puddle of flesh!"

The Saintess of the Shocking Heaven Tower in his left arm and the Mysterious Moon Society's Saintess in his right—what a wonderful feeling that must be!"

Ximen Zhenghao gritted his teeth as he watched Xiao Yao steal the spotlight. He was furious—furious that this young man could be so strong.

He could've caught them too, but both his arms would've dislocated, leaving him unable to exert any strength for an hour.

That boy couldn't possibly be stronger than me!

So his arms must be ruined!

Just as he was thinking this, Xiao Yao brought the two women back to where he'd been standing. After setting Zhuo Dongxuan and Dai Tianwei down, they immediately asked, "Your arms!"

"I'm fine," Xiao Yao said.

Seeing that the two women and the Xiao Clan members still didn't believe him, he could only wave both arms freely to prove it.

Ximen Zhenghao was stunned, but he quickly decided it was all an act. Xiao Yao's arms had to be ruined; he was just putting on a brave face!

But the truth was that Xiao Yao was completely fine.

"Brother Xiao Yao, Ximen Zhenghao really is very strong. You'd better not face him head-on," Dai Tianwei warned him kindly.

Xiao Yao smiled faintly. "You two helped me teach Ximen Zhengxiong a lesson for knocking Xiao Xueyu off the steps, but Ximen Zhenghao knocked you two off in turn. So I'm going to avenge you."

"But..." Zhuo Dongxuan started to say, then saw the confidence and arrogance in Xiao Yao's expression.

At that moment, it was just like when they had first met at the Dao Fruit Tree.

Could Xiao Yao really defeat Ximen Zhenghao head-on this time?

Of course she hoped so, but after seeing Ximen Zhenghao's strength, she didn't think it very likely.

No matter what, all she could do now was support Xiao Yao.

"Go, Xiao Yao! I'll wait down here to hear the good news."

Hearing this, Dai Tianwei immediately understood that Brother Xiao Yao had made up his mind to go. So she said, "Brother Xiao Yao, be careful. Don't push yourself too hard."

Xiao Yao repeatedly murmured, "Mm." Then he headed toward the climbing entrance behind the stone tablet.

But then the Nine-tailed Celestial Fox suddenly sprang up and leaped into his arms, crying, "Ying, ying, ying!"

"Little fox, do you want to climb the mountain with me?"

The Nine-tailed Celestial Fox wagged its nine golden-orange tails and nodded again and again, so adorable it tugged at the heartstrings.

"Fine! We'll climb together."

As soon as Xiao Yao finished speaking, his figure vanished from where he stood. He reappeared at the entrance to the climb.

After taking a deep breath, his gaze sharpened. Holding the Nine-tailed Celestial Fox in his arms, he walked toward the first step.

"He's starting! The God of Slaughter's starting his climb!"

"I'll bet five Low-grade spirit stones that he won't be as fast as Ximen Zhenghao."

"Five Low-grade spirit stones count as a bet? You should be betting at least fifty thousand!"

"I'm backing the God of Slaughter this time. So far, this young man's been unstoppable, and his predictions have been pretty accurate."

At that very moment, countless eyes were fixed on Xiao Yao. Most of them hoped he could keep Ximen Zhenghao in check.