Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
"Success or failure hinges on this one move; I cannot fail!" Ren Pingsheng stepped directly onto the final step of the Stone Steps, which was the one hundredth step.
"What’s going on? Why is there no reaction?" After standing quietly for a few breaths, he felt a bit confused. Unlike what he had anticipated, he did not enter a mirage to continue comprehending the Sword Technique. But it shouldn't be completely unresponsive! He lifted his foot to try stepping onto the platform, but he couldn't manage to get up at all.
This indicated that this step of the Stone Steps had a trial; it was just unclear why it hadn't appeared yet. Just as he was puzzled, he suddenly felt a blur in front of him, and when it cleared, he found himself in another mirage.
To be precise, this place could not be called a mirage. Because he saw a continent, a vast continent that seemed boundless. The shock was beyond what words could describe. If one had to find a term to express it, perhaps only "divine phenomenon" could convey even a fraction of it.
Towering peaks, endless forests, mountains that stretched as far as the eye could see. Flowers bloomed everywhere, and countless birds returned to their nests. A gentle breeze blew, giving one an ethereal feeling.
"What exactly is this place? It feels both familiar and unfamiliar. Could it be the Tianlan Continent? But it doesn't feel like it!" Ren Pingsheng hovered in the air, quietly gazing down at the entire continent. His senses were still intact; he just couldn't move an inch.
"Now I can't move either; what is this trial?" Just as he thought this, a thunderous sound suddenly erupted from afar, echoing endlessly, each roar louder than the last. The forest began to collapse in patches, flowers started to wither, and countless birds were left as mere corpses.
Countless Demon Beasts appeared; some stood a thousand feet tall, roaring towards the sky. Some soared through the air, blocking out the sun. Numerous strange creatures that resembled neither demons nor ghosts roared with claws bared amidst dark winds. Countless human powerhouses stepped into the void, each exuding deep and profound energy as they stood silently.
The great battle began without warning, chaos erupted all around. With a wave of their hands, mountains and rivers shattered, the sun and moon reversed, and blood flowed like rivers. Countless powerhouses fell while even more joined the fray. The battle raged on; slaughter continued unabated.
Ren Pingsheng watched with reddened eyes and heavy breaths from the side. This was true mastery; this power—were these all Divine-Level Experts? His heart surged with tumultuous waves as he stared unblinkingly. It seemed no one around noticed him.
He didn't know how many years passed when suddenly a sword light that resembled heavenly might swept through like a hurricane, tearing apart heaven and earth and obliterating everything in its path—no powerhouse could withstand it. The entire continent trembled and shattered; the battle vanished. Everything seemed to calm down as if it were just a dream.
Yet that sword light left Ren Pingsheng entranced; he was both shocked and bewildered. His eyes appeared hollow, completely devoid of focus. He didn’t know what he was thinking or what he was comprehending.
Time flowed like water under a bridge; who knew how many years had passed?
The battle has begun again, but it seems that there are far fewer strong individuals than before. Countless lives are being lost, and the slaughter continues endlessly.
"Indeed, it has appeared again." Ren Pingsheng had been focused when suddenly a sword light, as imposing as heavenly might, reappeared. Everything returned to calm once more.
Ren Pingsheng entered a state of comprehension again, but this sword light was at least emitted by a Divine-Level Expert, far too profound. He felt it was mysterious and filled with countless subtleties he could not grasp.
Finally, after an unknown number of years, the sword light appeared for the third time. This time, the sword light was still incredibly powerful, but Ren Pingsheng felt it was significantly weaker than the previous two instances.
He did not know the reason; he could only continuously simulate and deconstruct the sword light in his mind, trying to comprehend its various mysteries. Although he only grasped the most superficial aspects, even that was enough for him to benefit immensely from the sword techniques of a Divine-Level Expert.
He did not know how much time passed during this comprehension. It was not until the illusion faded that he finally awakened. When he opened his eyes, his heart skipped a beat; he wondered if three months had passed. Initially, there were only ten days left, and exceeding that deadline would have serious consequences.
"Tester, congratulations on passing the trial. From now on, you are the new inheritor of the Ancient Lan Divine Art. To obtain this inheritance, you must protect our human lineage during the Cataclysm of the Four Clans."
"Protecting the human lineage? The three appearances of the sword light all occurred during great battles; it seems that the inheritor of the Ancient Lan Divine Art must have been saving humanity at that time." Upon hearing this, Ren Pingsheng couldn't help but recall everything he had seen in the illusion.
"This matter is still too distant; I can't make sense of it now. I should first secure my gains and inheritance!"
Ren Pingsheng stepped onto the platform and was no longer obstructed. He easily walked up to the stone table and looked at the three brocade boxes on it, breathing a bit heavily. After all he had experienced, he finally arrived here and reached the end.
His hands trembled slightly as he picked up the first brocade box and gently opened it. Inside lay a jade slip; this was not his first encounter with such an item. Previously in the Azure Wind Secret Realm, that mysterious Bone Elder had also given him a jade slip to help find Yin Yang Fruit and Life and Death Grass.
He placed the jade slip against his forehead, allowing his spiritual consciousness to probe inside. A vast amount of information surged into his mind, causing a slight stinging sensation. After about a quarter of an hour, Ren Pingsheng finally removed the jade slip from his forehead with a pale face, his expression filled with shock.
Although he had only skimmed through this information hastily, many aspects still astonished him; one could say it was shocking. The Ancient Lan Divine Art had an incredible origin; it was actually created by an unparalleled ancient human expert.
In ancient times, nearly three million years ago, it was said to be a chaotic period, an era where powerful beings emerged in droves, and Divine-Level Experts were countless. The founder of the Ancient Lan Divine Art belonged to that era, and it is recorded that his divine might overshadowed the world, dominating an age for a hundred thousand years. In the end, for reasons unknown, he created this particular cultivation method.
The jade slip recorded the cultivation techniques from Sword Master to Sword Emperor of the Ancient Lan Divine Art. Practitioners of the Ancient Lan Divine Art followed the path of Swordsmanship, all being sword cultivators with astonishing attack power. As for the classification of cultivation levels, it was similar to that of martial artists on the martial path, though the terminology differed slightly.
What surprised Ren Pingsheng even more was that besides the cultivation techniques of the Ancient Lan Divine Art, there was also a coveted Soul cultivation secret technique, the Soul Refinement Technique. This technique had a total of nine levels, and reaching the ninth level of perfection could even assist in breaking through to the divine level.
"Soul Refinement Technique, helpful for breaking through to divine level. This... is too incredible!" When Ren Pingsheng saw this, he was also shocked; after all, it pertained to the legendary Divine-Level Expert.
"This box must contain something extraordinary!" After calming his emotions, he picked up the second jade box with anticipation.
"This is... a Spatial Ring! Truly extravagant!" Upon seeing what was inside the box, Ren Pingsheng couldn't help but burst into laughter.
A Spatial Ring was undoubtedly a rare treasure. It was incomparable to a Spatial Bracelet. Even the lowest-grade Spatial Ring was ten times larger than the finest Spatial Bracelet.
"Wow, this must be at least ten thousand cubic units! There are so many items inside. This is Spirit Stone, this is Elixir, this is Sword Technique Manual... I've struck it rich." After recognizing ownership of the Spatial Ring, Ren Pingsheng checked inside and found a vast space filled with numerous valuable items.
In total, he carefully counted thousands of low-grade Spirit Stones, hundreds of mid-grade Spirit Stones, and dozens of high-grade Spirit Stones. This was undoubtedly an astonishing fortune, not to mention some Elixir manuals and various unknown Elixirs and ores inside.
Opening the third jade box revealed a piece of white fur; Ren Pingsheng's eyes lit up. He flipped it over and took out another piece of identical white fur—this was what he had obtained from Canglan Mountain's Back Mountain initially and from which he had acquired the Ancient Lan Divine Art's Qi Refinement techniques.
"It seems that what’s on this should be a map of the cultivation techniques following Sword Emperor in the Ancient Lan Divine Art; I just don’t know where it leads. But there's no rush; I’ll think about it once I reach Sword Emperor level!" he thought to himself. For him, becoming an emperor-level expert first before considering these matters was the most reliable approach.
"Ah... this is my harvest this time. Initially aiming only for the Ancient Lan Divine Art, I didn't expect to gain so much; it's truly a pleasant surprise."
"Huh? What is this?" Suddenly, Ren Pingsheng found a small piece of black stone among the white fur. Before he could react, the stone shattered on its own. Startled, he immediately took half a step back.
A vague figure suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Although the face was unclear, there was an alluring aura that emanated from it.
"You must be the new inheritor! Since you have come here, it seems that the great calamity is approaching again. After countless years, it has been five hundred thousand years." The figure glanced at Ren Pingsheng a few times before sighing softly.
"Uh... Senior, what is this great calamity?" Ren Pingsheng asked cautiously.
"The great calamity is what you have seen before; you will soon understand. The task of the inheritor of the Ancient Lan Divine Art is to protect humanity from extinction."
"Isn't that a bit much? There are so many powerful experts among humanity; do they really need me?" he asked with some doubt.
"During the great calamity, humanity has always been the weaker side. The burden on the inheritor of the Ancient Lan Divine Art is heavy. This path is incredibly difficult, filled with slaughter and betrayal, and one misstep could cost you your life. Therefore, as the new inheritor, you must quickly increase your strength; the great calamity is not far off!"
The figure spoke in a calm tone, as if stating a simple fact.
"Can I refuse this responsibility? I just want to become strong; can I really protect humanity?" Ren Pingsheng's expression became conflicted; such a heavy responsibility was beyond his capacity.
"You have no choice. Once the great calamity begins, as a member of humanity, you will share in both glory and loss. Most importantly, once you cultivate the Ancient Lan Divine Art, it will be impossible for you to remain uninvolved. At that time, many will come to hunt you down."
"Damn, this is clearly a trap!" Ren Pingsheng cursed inwardly. Although he felt some anger, he was still determined to obtain the Ancient Lan Divine Art and that Soul secret technique.
"Forget it; I'll take whatever benefits I can get for now. As for the great calamity, I'll deal with it when the time comes!" In the end, he couldn't bear to give up this inheritance that was within reach.
Comment 0 Comment Count