1338: Chapter 1332: CKC, Mysteries of the Path

Chapter 1332: CKC, Mysteries of the Path

"All Realmlords MUST reach the 90th Wall! All Timelords MUST reach the 95th Wall! All Starlords MUST reach the FINAL WALL! Anything less—Your status as an Ascendant ends."

The indescribably familiar voice of the Ascendant Emperor echoed in the hearts, minds, and souls of each Ascendant once again like a divine reminder. The gains from acquiring a leaf had been set aside as their focus was incomparably concentrated on the walls and this second stage. Would possessing a Merit of Ascension matter if they could not maintain their positions as Ascendants? 

"..." Yi Yun glanced at his Spatial Ring, hearing the reminder for the first time, and his heart started to pound. He was among the rare few that had decided to participate as a Dark Chosen to assist his original sect and allies, a choice he didn't regret after Qiao Shulin, Ming Yuling, Ye Zhi, and Duan Ru almost died several times without his assistance. 

While Yi Yun had to give up certain, unclear opportunities given to the Ascendants during the first stage, he didn't think it was worth the lives of his companions or loved ones. However, with this announcement, his heart began to pound fiercely, and his eyes sharply narrowed. 

As a Timelord, Yi Yun had to reach the 95th Wall? 95 out of 108?! Or be stripped of his status as an Ascendant?! Considering that no one had ever reached the end throughout history, wasn't this a little too unreasonable? However, as someone who was recruited into the Ascendants, he was deeply aware that Wei Wuyin's nurturing was invaluable. Not only were the Ascendants given generalized cultivation resources, but they also obtained seventh, eighth, and ninth-grade products with remarkable ease tailored to their specific cultivation, and Exalted, Venerable, Highlord, and Earthly Saint instructors taught them various arts, spells, and knowledge about cultivation.

The status of an Ascendant was incomparably glorious and valuable. Moreover, it allowed a remarkable degree of personal freedom! While he originally joined for other reasons, he didn't want to be removed! 

"How far did the Empress get?" Ming Yuling and Ye Zhi were conversing, seemingly getting along easily, and this question popped up. Ye Zhi was a fanatical admirer of Empress Xiaocheng, and if one looked at her clothing, one would realize this style was often used by Empress Xiaocheng herself during her younger years. 

Ye Zhi energetically answered, perking Yi Yun's slightly sharp ears, "She has one of the furthest records! She's ranked 2nd out of everyone, having reached the 71st Wall as a Starlord! This was her last attempt before she aged out of participating, but it shook the entire world!" 

Ye Zhi was a modestly dressed beauty with mid-length black hair, a lithe figure, and bright yellow eyes. Her yellow irises were tinted with the flow of pure energy, indicative that it was not her natural born color but a byproduct of an Ocular Cultivation Method. This only served to elevate her unique charm. 

While Duan Ru was dressed in flamboyant pink, body-hugging cheongsam with dark leggings, standing out noticeably among the normally dressed cultivators. Despite her sultry allure, her Yin Aura was frighteningly pure, unsullied by any man. Her enchanting eyes were black and beguiling as the night sky, while her hair was tied in a sleek low bun with a sharp pin stabbed through, giving off a strange aura of professionalism.

Ye Zhi was the sole daughter of a renowned Highlord Void Hunter, while Duan Ru was an Auctioneer for one of the few competitors of the Golden Life Pavilion; her background was equally as terrifying as she was the daughter to two Highlords, one of which owned the Merchant Association and the other was a Matriarch of a Sect. 

When Yi Yun heard that Empress Xiaocheng had only reached the 71st Wall despite being a Starlord in her mid-400s, he felt incredible pressure bearing down on his soul. If he got kicked out of the Ascendants…

"Tian Yinwu has entered already!" Comments began to spread as word got around of Tian Yinwu entering the Black Wall of Bitterness. Lin Ming's emotions instantly riled when the comments reached their group's ears. He took a step forward, about to enter the Black Wall, but Tang Xingyun grabbed his forearm anxiously. Her eyes emitted a deeply worried light as she reasoned, "We should reach our peak states before going. Why rush?" 

Her words were rife with concern and fear, thinking that Lin Ming would go and offend Tian Yinwu immediately. While she believed Lin Ming was outstanding, she would be foolish to think he could confidently fight against Tian Yinwu. 

"..." Lin Ming silently gazed at his beautiful and caring lover, and seeing her heartfelt concern, his heart softened, and he eventually nodded in agreement. In his mind, however, he didn't think he would fight immediately with Tian Yinwu, given the rules of the Everpath Voyage. "You're right." 

The group began to meditate and adjust their mental, physical, and spiritual states while recovering any expended innate energies, refining new Astral Force or Starforce, and healing any minor injuries that might affect their combat strength. This tactic was taken by the majority as a silent oppressive air permeated throughout, causing hundreds of thousands of Chosen to patiently take their time for fear of wasting this chance.

As some were patient, some weren't. Tens of thousands immediately went to challenge the Black Path of Bitterness! 

"How reckless!" The juniors instructed by their seniors to rest and regulate their condition spat and sneered as they saw these individuals rush the portal. 

"There's always those who foolishly rush ahead. They'll simply be fodder for us, so why care?" Those who were experienced and had challenged the walls once before remarked mockingly, not paying those tens of thousands of 'fools' any attention.

Among these daring few, a valiant swordswoman emitting a fragrant scent calmly strode into the Black Path of Bitterness. 

Hong Chunhua instantly felt as if she was washed by a violent waterfall, her shoulders heavy and her vision foggy with the black misty haze of the portal. She didn't execute any Ocular Spells to alleviate her vision's fogginess; she simply kept walking forward without stopping. 

For the next three minutes, that was all she felt. It was merely a mild inconvenience to her, but she felt that an ordinary Light Reflection Phase cultivator would likely be crushed into meat paste within an instant. 

"The Sea of Bitterness?" Hong Chunhua noted as she realized this was the first challenge, the pressure of the Sea of Bitterness. It wasn't World Pressure or Spiritual Pressure but a strange power that heavily pressed against the mind, body, and spirit equally. It not only exerted potentially crushing pressure but also sapped one's physical, mental, and spiritual strength by a set amount. Unless one's foundations were strong enough to resist their stay here, a cultivator would feel continuously weaker as time passed.

If her Sea of Consciousness had been too fragile, it would've shattered instantly, and if her Spirit of Cultivation had been too weak, it would've collapsed, causing her to experience Cultivation Deviation instantly.

In that case…

…BOOM!

Her interest was immediately piqued by this unique environment. Fortunately, her cultivated foundation was exceptional, and this strange power couldn't sap away her strength or provide any sense of pressure. 

1st Wall!

Suddenly, Hong Chunhua discovered a thin film of golden light a few feet away from her that reached into the sky above to limits she couldn't visibly determine. Curious, she thought about the rules of the competition. She lifted her finger and lightly tapped against the barrier. A notable feeling of feedback immediately gushed toward her, sending an electrifying sensation into her body! 

She measured the feedback's strength, feeling as if an ordinary Light Reflection Phase cultivator would've walked away with severe internal injuries. Abruptly, she felt the sensation change as if worms beneath her skin were gathering. Using her Spiritual Sense, she saw internally that golden-colored energy was slithering across her body, trying to ravage her cells and meridians while gathering to her forehead. 

She felt no discomfort, just a mild, annoying itch. The energy converged and began to wiggle until it manifested on her glabella, forming a terrifying rune that could be seen by the entire world. Above this rune, the number '1' was present. 

"The Mark of Bitterness?" Hong Chunhua inspected the mark and realized that she could, with relative ease, shatter the mark and eradicate the energy. But she didn't. Instead, she pressed her finger against the gargantuan wall before her and pressed lightly, exerting a wisp of her strength. 

CRACK!

That single finger could shatter the body of an ordinary Light Reflection Phase cultivator in an instant, causing catastrophic damage to a small area of a tiny-sized astral-grade planet. However, it wasn't enough to shatter the wall! 

"I see," Hong Chunhua realized the limits of the wall's strength, and she exerted just a tad bit more power. The cracks on the surface began to spread violently, bursting like glass, and then…

SHATTER!!

The wall, or a portion of it, shattered entirely into motes of golden light. 

"Oh?" She walked near the hole she had created, and the bits of golden light immediately began to flow into her. This golden light was considerably different than before, as it emitted a nurturing and nourishing aura. Moreover, the Mark of Bitterness dissipated quickly from her glabella. She circulated her Cultivation Method and refined the energy from the motes of light.

After thirty seconds, she took a deep breath as she felt the faint, extremely minor benefits to her cultivation base. Moreover, it had allowed her to regain a portion of her expended physical energy used to shatter the wall. 

"Marvelous," Hong Chunhua had seen many things in her life, such as a net that had an entire world in itself, capable of transporting trillions, the Neo-Dawn Defiant Star, the World of Eden, and the Void Wyrm, as well as all sorts of unique trials by fire, but this was the first time she came across such a strange power used as the foundation of a trial. It was so versatile, reminding her of Wei Wuyin's unique tests. 

She walked through the hole and entered the 2nd Level of the Sea of Bitterness. Instantly, she felt an increased pressure and sapping power here, and her eyes brightened considerably. Despite that, her foggy vision grew even more hazy, and she could barely see anything with her normal visual acuity.

This astounded her. If she was like this, she could imagine that others might be outright blind. After all, she was a Starlord with an Astral Physique! 

"Let's see," she didn't execute any Ocular Spells, merely infusing her eyes with her refined spiritual energies, greatly enhancing her sight. Instantly, everything cleared up as she looked at the world before her.

There was no haze. The ground beneath her was the marble floor from before, and the next golden wall was about a few miles away from her. It seemed slightly thicker than the previous one. When she turned back, the golden wall she damaged had already cleared up.

Moreover, she could see others far, far away from her. They, too, we're inspecting this world curiously. She recognized one of them as an Ascendant of the Third Legion. The Ascendant felt her gaze and turned her head to see Hong Chunhua. While there was a light of respect and recognition in her eyes, she made no gestures, as there were no rankings or affiliations in this competition.

All the Ascendants were independent cultivators here, and the others were their competitors! 

Hong Chunhua nodded. This was how it should be. Turning her attention back to the 2nd Wall, she kept sensing the sea of bitterness—the space between the two walls and the unique power exuding from the sky. Its strength was slightly higher than before, but to her, it wasn't much.

She soon reached the 2nd Wall. Just like before, she exerted pure physical strength, causing the wall to shatter and erupt, exposing a large, human-sized hole. When she went through, she felt the pressure increase again! 

Shortly after the Ascendants entered, a cloaked figure sat among the over a million Chosen that were all regulating their conditions cautiously. The figure looked at the sky, inspecting the Solar Star hanging there.

"It's time," the cloaked figure said as their eyes began to change, transforming from well-concealed silver to possessing seven stars in each eye! An aura of the Alchemic Dao began to diffuse into the air, startling the nearby Chosen.

Just as he did so, dozens of other figures in cloaks all looked at the sky, their eyes changing to reflect seven differently colored stars!

Alchemic Stars of Mortal Spirituality!!!

The white dwarf Solar Star that hung in the sky began to change colors rapidly! It morphed into seven different colors, perfectly matching the seven aspects of the Alchemic Dao, and then grew in brightness. The sight shocked the Chosen as their surroundings grew hazy; a seven-colored haze similar to the Paths of Bitterness' portals began to manifest before several individuals!

These cloaked figures all stood up in uniform, walking into the portals without hesitation! After they entered, vanishing from sight, the portals closed abruptly.

As soon as the last one disappeared, as if everything was an illusion of the grandest scale, the dwarf-sized Solar Star returned to its white, ordinary brilliance, and the environment regained all normalcy! Gasps and exclamations resounded, yet few could understand what had just happened!

A woman with pure black eyes and short black hair stared at the location where the cloaked figure that spoke earlier had been. She inhaled a deep breath and then looked to the Black Path of Bitterness. Exhaling out any lingering turbidity in her breath, she lightly touched the hilt of her saber as she moved toward the Black Path's portal.

She wasn't the only one. 

Several other figures moved as well!

-----

Neo-Dawn Starfield. 

Wu Yu stood in the Dark Void, glancing at his palace that housed his second wife and unborn child. His heart warmed as he let loose an incomparably joyous smile. But after a few seconds, his gaze hardened as he turned his gaze away, looking at the Supermassive Solar Star in the vast distance—the Aeternal Sky Star!1

He heard a voice ripple through the Dark Void. 

"It's time."

Taking an incomparably deep breath, Wu Yu erupted in starry light, blazing a path toward the Grand Cyclic Stellar Region!

-----

Everpath Voyage's Docking Stage.

The grey-robed, bare-footed figure sat unmovingly, muttering two words repeatedly beneath their breath: "I will." Those scarlet eyes of theirs never once left that handsome grey-eyed figure. 

-----

A blasting flare of light erupted at the black haze of a portal. When the light dimmed, dozens of figures were present. Soon, more and more flares started to erupt, and thousands of figures revealed themselves. Among them was Hong Chunhua.

After thirty minutes, Hong Chunhua had completed the 12 Walls of the Black Path of Bitterness, and she realized that the strength limit of this path was at the initial Realmlord level, not too difficult. The only reason she and the others took time was to cultivate the golden lights and cautiously inspect the strange power that exerted pressure and tried sapping her strength.

Hong Chunhua glanced at the faintly shocked expressions of the Chosen before her, and she ignored it all. With her expression neutral, she walked toward the Red Path of Bitterness! 

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