Whoosh!
Xiao Yao took his first step, setting foot on the first stair of Radiant Peak!
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
His speed was beyond imagination, like a beam of light streaked with white and golden orange.
The golden-orange glow was naturally the Nine-tailed Celestial Fox in Xiao Yao's arms.
"Why does he seem even faster than Ximen Zhenghao was earlier?"
"If Ximen Zhenghao was as fast as a gale, this killer's faster than the wind itself!"
"That's incredible! I can feel my blood boiling!"
Fifty seconds!
In just fifty seconds, Xiao Yao had reached the 100th stair.
He was a full ten seconds faster than Ximen Zhenghao had been.
Of course, if Ximen Zhenghao hadn't made a mistake, he would have been nine seconds faster.
Zhuo Dongxuan, Dai Tianwei, Xiao Xueyu, and the Xiao Clan members were all beaming with joy.
Ten minutes after Xiao Yao began climbing, he was already standing on the 550th stair—fifty stairs higher than Ximen Zhenghao had been at the same point.
Ximen Zhengxiong and the servants of the Ximen Family stared in disbelief.
"Impossible! How could this be?"
"My brother has Emperor Tier cultivation aptitude and talent. He even forcibly suppressed his cultivation to keep from advancing to Dao Beginning Tier so he could take part in the Giant Spirit Secret Realm. So how could this boy, who's only at the peak of the sixth level of Sea Opening Realm, surpass him?"
Zhuo Dongxuan answered him directly. "Ximen Zhengxiong, nothing is impossible!"
"Hmph! He's just fast at the start. Maybe he'll run out of steam later!" Ximen Zhengxiong argued stubbornly.
Five minutes later, Xiao Yao had slowed considerably, but he still reached the 700th stair.
Compared to the twenty-three or twenty-four minutes Ximen Zhenghao had needed to reach the 700th stair, Xiao Yao had been far, far faster.
At that moment, the cultivators present all felt how powerless they were before an absolute prodigy.
Most importantly, Xiao Yao still hadn't even broken a sweat. He looked utterly at ease.
[System notification: Congratulations, host, on completing the mission: Reach the 700th stair without taking a single breath. You have received a one-minor-realm cultivation advancement and the phenomenon Immortal King Descends Upon Nine Heavens!]
"The young master who said he'd eat a pound of shit if I reached the 700th stair without taking a breath had better not welsh!"
As soon as Xiao Yao said this, the young cultivator who'd promised to eat a pound of shit paled, but he still stood his ground. "I'll eat it! Someone, bring me a pound of shit!"
"Coming right up!" At that, a pound of fresh, slightly runny shit appeared in front of the young cultivator.
The stench made him gag, though he still shouted, "Why is there actually shit here?"
"Quit yapping. Eat shit!"
Several cultivators nearby immediately unleashed their mana, quickly shoving the shit into the young cultivator's mouth.
Chomp! Chomp!
Another three minutes passed.
Ximen Zhenghao successfully reached the 800th stair, while Xiao Yao was only five stairs behind him, on the 795th.
Ximen Zhenghao was still celebrating when he noticed Xiao Yao. He turned around, eyes full of astonishment. He couldn't understand how Xiao Yao had caught up so quickly.
"Are you trying to avenge those two beauties of yours?"
Xiao Yao's gaze sharpened as he retorted, "They're not my beauties. We're just friends. But even so, I'll make you pay in blood."
Dai Tianwei and Zhuo Dongxuan felt a pang of disappointment.
But on second thought, they'd only known him for a few days. It made sense that they were friends; calling them his beauties would've been going too far!
"Heh! Then come at me! Let's see what you've got!"
Ximen Zhenghao spread his arms arrogantly, looking completely unafraid of Xiao Yao.
Xiao Yao said no more. Mana surged within him, and an immense, fierce gale swirled around his body, even affecting Ximen Zhenghao.
Ximen Zhenghao staggered, his footing unsteady. He'd clearly used all his strength, so why was this happening?
Just then, a streak of light flashed past him. In an instant, Xiao Yao overtook him.
Ximen Zhenghao was struck and sent flying off the stairs. Under the terrifying pressure, he plummeted at an unbelievable speed.
"Why is this happening?"
Ximen Zhenghao blinked, his mind filled with confusion and disbelief.
Crack!
That was the sound of Ximen Zhenghao's Dao heart shattering. Even if he were rescued now, he might still die from the shock overwhelming his heart and blood.
"Brother!"
Ximen Zhengxiong shouted and immediately rushed toward the spot where Ximen Zhenghao was most likely to fall, intending to catch him himself.
But Ximen Zhenghao had fallen from the 800th stair. Even Ximen Zhenghao himself wouldn't have dared claim he could catch someone in that fall, let alone his weaker younger brother.
Ximen Zhengxiong knew this too. Before setting off, he'd given the Ximen Family's servants a look, and they all followed him. Clearly, he hoped their combined strength would let them catch Ximen Zhenghao.
Boom!
A deafening crash rang out. Sand and stones flew as a storm erupted.
Ximen Zhenghao slammed into the ground, leaving a crater a hundred meters in radius. The Ximen Family's servants, Ximen Zhengxiong, and Ximen Zhenghao were all reduced to dust.
Was this what happened to those who opposed the killer?
How horrifying!
The cultivators trembled all over, their fear reaching its peak.
Standing on the 805th stair, Xiao Yao looked at Ximen Zhenghao and the others, whose souls had been destroyed along with their bodies. Now he could finally relax!
His next goal was to keep climbing and see if he could reach the summit.
He slowly exhaled, turned, and continued upward.
Seven minutes later, he stood on the 872nd stair.
By then, he was unquestionably the number one name on the stone stele.
"1. Xiao Yao [Southern Wilderness Domain], 872nd stair, Xiao Clan of Xuanzhou City."
"The killer still looks like he's got strength to spare!"
"He hasn't even broken a sweat! His strength, his cultivation aptitude, his cultivation talent—it's all ridiculous!"
"Maybe he'll make history and reach the summit?"
"How could that be? Even the peerless prodigies of the Eastern Victory Domain couldn't do it. Surely he'll find it hard too!"
A quarter of an hour passed.
Xiao Yao reached the 991st stair.
By then, he was drenched in sweat and panting nonstop. Thanks to the Quasi-Immortal tier spell No-Self, this was the limit he could currently reach!
Only the final nine stairs remained!
He didn't want to give up now, but the problem was, he had nothing left in the tank!
The Nine-tailed Celestial Fox saw how exhausted Xiao Yao was. It leaped down and stepped onto the 992nd stair, seemingly unaffected by the pressure of the Dao.
"Yip, yip, yip!"
Its cries were clearly cheering Xiao Yao on.
But Xiao Yao slowly closed his eyes. No one would blame him if he went back down now, but he knew he'd regret it.
If so, why not risk everything?
In the next instant, Xiao Yao opened his eyes, his sharpness fully unleashed. His handsome, otherworldly face brimmed with an unstoppable edge.
The phenomenon Chaos Seeds the Azure Lotus, activate!
The phenomenon Moon Rises Over the Sea, activate!
The phenomenon Immortal King Descends Upon Nine Heavens, activate!
In an instant, three supreme phenomena appeared behind Xiao Yao. The peerless sight below drew one gasp of astonishment after another from the cultivators.
Xiao Yao now had the strength to keep climbing. After stepping onto the 992nd stair, he scooped up the Nine-tailed Celestial Fox with one arm and pressed on toward the 993rd.
Thump, thump, thump!
Huff, huff, huff!
Amid the sound of his heartbeat and breathing, Xiao Yao reached the 1,000th stair, becoming the first Sea Opening Realm cultivator in the world to summit Radiant Peak.
At the same time, the information on the stone stele changed.
"1. Xiao Yao [Southern Wilderness Domain], 1,000th stair, summit reached, Xiao Clan of Xuanzhou City."
"Xiao Yao reached the summit! He's made history!"
"The Xiao Clan of Xuanzhou City is sure to prosper from now on!"
Upon reaching the summit, Xiao Yao felt the pressure vanish from his entire body. He'd never felt so relaxed.
Just then, the Nine-tailed Celestial Fox turned into a golden-orange streak of light, slipped free of his embrace, and flew into the seven-colored clouds.
Xiao Yao hurried after it.
After all, this divine beast had swallowed ten million of his Low-grade spirit stones. He couldn't let it get away!
"Xiao Yao entered the seven-colored clouds!"
"Is he going to enter the Immortal Palace next and become an immortal?"
"They say that becoming an immortal gives you infinite lifespans and eternal youth."
"I wish I could become an immortal too! Too bad I can only dream about it."
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