Martial Saint Mountain is located within the capital city of Saint Petersburg. From a distance, it resembles a blooming lotus flower. It consists of eleven peaks, with ten relatively low, isolated peaks distributed around a towering sword-shaped Sword Peak. The area is not large, covering a radius of less than ten miles.
These eleven peaks seem to have grown out of the ground, standing out abruptly in the capital. There are no mountains connecting them, and even the nine surrounding petal peaks are extremely steep, made entirely of white Rock, and even slightly tilted outwards, surrounding the central Sword Peak like stars around the moon.
A famous bard once made a metaphor, saying that Martial Saint Mountain of the Zenit Empire was like a pair of giant hands carefully holding a sharp Sharp Sword from the depths of the earth.
This metaphor aptly expresses the intuitive impression that the people of the capital have of Martial Saint Mountain.
Led by the Royal Imperial Guard, Sun Fei and the others were taken to the South Third Peak, one of the outer petal peaks of Martial Saint Mountain. The South Third Peak are about 500 to 600 meters high, and the mountain slopes are still slightly outward. Standing at the foot of the peak, one has a terrifying feeling of the mountain collapsing and pressing down on you. However, compared to the other nine petal peaks, it is the most gentle.
Because the mountain covers the area at the foot of South Third Peak, it is dark and damp year-round, where mosses and dark gray vines grow in abundance. There are also many venomous snakes and insects. Normally, the area is fenced off by the imperial family, and no one is allowed to approach it, which makes it even more secluded and desolate.
However, at the very bottom of the South Third Peak, there is a dark and deep passageway, said to be naturally formed and later carved and opened up by man, which leads all the way to the summit of the South Third Peak. Those lucky enough to witness this Martial Saint Battle will enter through this passageway and climb directly to the summit of the South Third Peak.
When Sun Fei and his group arrived, seven groups of people had already entered the passageway.
The order of these rankings reflects the differences. After all, Sun Fei and the others were just some experts from vassal states. In terms of true status and position, they were far inferior to the delegations of the other major empires, the Church, and the nobles of the capital. It was already a great fortune that they were able to get the opportunity to observe, so they naturally could not worry about these things.
At the foot of the South Third Peak, Sun Fei and his group underwent another rigorous inspection by a defense team composed of experts from the Royal Palace Guard and palace mages. Their identities were repeatedly confirmed, and all weapons, including spatial devices such as magical storage rings, were removed before they were finally allowed to pass.
This inspection process is extremely rigorous.
At the entrance to the passageway, Sun Fei noticed a skilled Imperial Guard holding a purple, round object that emitted beams of purple light that swept over everyone. His expression was extremely solemn. One expert, whose origins were unknown, suddenly emitted a burst of purple light when scanned, and was immediately shackled and subdued by a group of ferocious Imperial Guards amidst cries of alarm.
The twenty-five experts from vassal states were already missing one before they even reached Martial Saint Mountain.
The passageway was much drier than the environment at the bottom of the mountain. Every five meters or so on the stone walls on both sides, there was a magical voice-activated ever-burning lamp that emitted a faint orange glow. It would suddenly light up when the group's footsteps approached, illuminating the originally dark passageway in every detail. After the group had passed, it would slowly go out again.
The passageway is deep and winding; after ten minutes or so, one will lose one's sense of direction and only vaguely know that the passageway leads to the mountain peak, because the road underfoot is always sloping, and in some places it is even a little steep, going straight up and down, and the only way to get up is by flying up on the iron chains hanging on the cliff.
Fortunately, the group consisted of top players in the ranking competition, with the lowest skill level being at least Four-Star Class Initial Stage, so this path was naturally not difficult for them.
Led by three expressionless, middle-aged elite guards, it took about thirty minutes before a sliver of light appeared ahead, accompanied by the faint sound of wind whistling. After walking a few more minutes, a bright and open space suddenly opened up before them, revealing a small platform plaza with a diameter of about a hundred meters.
At this moment, ten middle-aged men dressed in linen robes, carrying long swords and wooden shields, were already waiting in the square.
Three expressionless Royal Imperial Guard experts whispered a few words to the eldest of the ten men carrying swords and shields, then turned and returned to the passageway to descend the mountain. Clearly, their task of guiding the way was complete.
Sun Fei could clearly sense the importance the Empire attached to this Martial Saint Battle.
The three Imperial Guards who led the way earlier were all at the Peak Four-Star Class, while the ten middle-aged men who appeared on the small stone square were all at the Five-Star Class. They walked steadily and moved as if they were moving mountains, clearly all of them were masters of Earth-Element Dou Qi. Judging from their clothing, they were neither from the royal court nor from the military. If Sun Fei was not mistaken, these people should all be masters from Martial Saint Mountain.
Ding ding ding ding!!
A series of fine, dense sounds, like the clanging of metal and stone, suddenly came. When everyone looked up, they found that they were now at the very top of the South Third Peak. On all four sides of the square stood towering statues of the God of War, the God of War worshipped by the Zenit Empire, holding up his sword and shield. Behind the statues were cliffs over 600 meters high, shrouded in mist and with the mountain winds howling.
The metallic clanging sound came from the suspended iron chains made of black wrought iron along the side of the square.
Countless black iron chains were fixed on one side to the base of the God of War statue at the edge of the small square, and on the other side extended into the misty clouds in the distance. As the mountain wind howled, the iron chains swung and collided with each other, producing a series of fine, dense, clanging sounds of metal clashing.
"Gentlemen, please follow us." The middle-aged man with a short beard, who was at the head of the group, nodded to Sun Fei and the others, turned around and went to the edge of the square. He leaped onto the clanging and rattling iron chains, his movements extremely skillful, and headed into the clouds.
The group erupted in an uproar.
Such a high mountain peak, with howling winds like gales, a single misstep would mean certain death. Must everyone cross this chain? What lies at the other end of the chain?
For a moment, most people hesitated.
After a moment's hesitation, the [ Silver-Armored Berserker ], true to his arrogant nature, put his hands on his hips and laughed heartily. He glanced at the crowd behind him and said, "A bunch of cowards, watch me show you!" With that, he flashed like a white lightning bolt, leaping onto the iron chain and quickly disappearing into the vast white mist.
With one person taking the lead, more than twenty others followed suit, leaping onto the iron chains.
At this moment, Magic Princess Xindi became the envy of everyone. She softly chanted a spell, and a pair of huge, transparent blue magical wings extended from her back, disappearing into the clouds in a few flashes. In such an environment, magicians seemed to have an advantage over warriors.
Soon, only a few of the weakest people remained on the plaza platform. They looked at each other, hesitated for a moment, but still could not resist the temptation to watch the battle of the martial Martial Saint. They gritted their teeth and risked their lives to step onto the iron chains.
Sun Fei was the last one. Only after everyone had disappeared into the clouds did he slip onto the iron chains.
He had been deep in thought. When he first saw the middle-aged man carrying a long sword and a wooden shield, for some reason, Sun Fei had a very strange feeling in his heart. It was both unfamiliar and familiar, as if something was about to happen. From the moment he opened his eyes in the morning, Sun Fei had a bad feeling, and now it was even more obvious.
With swift footsteps, his figure moved like lightning.
Such a single-span iron chain bridge was naturally no challenge for him.
Just then, a cry of surprise came from ahead.
At the other end of the iron chain was a small stone square, slightly larger than the summit of the South Third Peak. Although it appeared to be surrounded by clouds and mist, it was actually less than a kilometer away from the summit of the South Third Peak. Most people reached the other side in just a few minutes, and soon only three or four people remained.
However, one of the people who haven't arrived yet is King of Chambord, so something's not right here.
Just as everyone was filled with doubt, the sound of clothes fluttering came, and figures flashed by. It turned out that King of Chambord was leading two people and flew over, landing in front of them.
"Thank you so much, Your Majesty, for saving my life!!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Upon reaching the plaza on the other side, the two men immediately bowed deeply in gratitude, their faces filled with extreme fear. It turned out that on the iron chains earlier, they had nearly lost their footing and fallen off a precipice amidst the mountain winds. They were saved at the last second by King of Chambord, who arrived shortly afterward, and the two men were naturally extremely grateful.
However, the rest of the journey was still a path of iron chains, and the two dared not go any further. They stayed on the summit of East First Peak for the time being, and a master would escort them down the mountain later. They could no longer watch the battle of the Martial Saint.
After traversing the Cloud Chain Road six times, the group finally reached the mountainside of the Central Sword Peak.
The terrain of Martial Saint Mountain is extremely treacherous. Even Four-Star Class Initial Stage warrior would find it incredibly difficult to climb it. For ordinary mortals or armies, conquering Martial Saint Mountain would be an absolute nightmare.
Fortunately, going up from the middle of Sword Peak Mountain, there is another passageway inside the mountain, which is much safer.
For the next hour or so, they walked through the winding tunnel, and just when everyone was getting impatient, light appeared ahead again. They quickened their pace and finally emerged from the tunnel.
Upon seeing what they were looking at, everyone was stunned.
Rolling hills stretched out before them, covered in lush green grass, vibrant wildflowers, ancient trees, a gentle breeze, babbling brooks, flitting birds, and chirping animals... This was supposed to be the harshest winter in the empire, but here it was a scene of vibrant spring and the revival of all things.
The place where everyone stood was like a paradise, far away from the hustle and bustle and strife of the mundane world. Just breathing in the fresh air here made one feel a sense of ethereal detachment from the world, forgetting all worries and sorrows.
First update.
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