"I will kill Mu Xu, or eliminate him,"
"But in return, you must also take down Zuo Mingqiu, ensuring our losses are roughly equal. Otherwise, I won't do this."
Zhou Jie looked at Chen Changkong and said, word for word.
Upon hearing this, Chen Changkong's grass-like sword eyebrows subtly relaxed. He nodded and said, "Alright."
Zhou Jie nodded with satisfaction and said, "Then it's settled."
With that, the two stopped talking. Zhou Jie walked back to the other side of the Holy Platform. They were enemies after all, and being too close would be dangerous.
As for the others, they had no intention of doing anything else in the remaining half hour. Reaching the summit was almost impossible for them, and this wasn't the final round, so there was no need to go all out now.
Time ticked by.
The pressure on the Sacred Ladder grew stronger, and the heavenly lightning surged, as if intending to obliterate everything in the world. Even Domain Lords in the fourth stage might sense danger, let alone these youths who were hovering around the early third stage.
"Look, Zuo Mingqiu has been thrown off!"
Outside the arena, someone pointed at the Sacred Ladder, at the figure in tattered white robes, and shouted in shock.
That figure was Zuo Mingqiu, the successor of the Daoist ancestral land, Heavenly Master Mountain, the First Sovereign of Nine Heavens. His current position was on the ninety-sixth step of the Sacred Ladder.
Above him, there was only one person: Xu Mu, or rather, the outsider from the Jiang family who had disguised himself as Mu Xu.
His position was above Zuo Mingqiu.
If it had been like this from the beginning, everyone would have accepted it. Just like Chen Changkong and Zuo Mingqiu, they were evenly matched, with the only difference being who went first and who went second.
But clearly, the current shock on people's faces indicated that the situation between the two was not like that.
Zuo Mingqiu was at the ninety-sixth step.
Xu Mu was at the ninety-eighth.
And it wasn't just that. Unlike Zuo Mingqiu who had just reached the ninety-sixth step, Xu Mu had been at the ninety-eighth for a while and was now taking another step forward.
*Bang!*
With a step, wild lightning surged like waves.
The Sacred Ladder trembled, and the pressure swept through the entire space. Even Zuo Mingqiu below had to use his abilities to resist, his face turning somewhat pale.
As the pressure slowly subsided, he looked up and saw Xu Mu had already reached the ninety-ninth step.
At this point, there was still half an incense stick's worth of time until the official end of this third round, which was half of the half-hour.
Previously, no one would have thought this amount of time was sufficient. But after witnessing Xu Mu's performance, everyone in the Hundred Clans' territory felt that this time was more than enough.
This time was more than enough.
Because it had only taken him half an incense stick's time to go from the ninetieth step to the ninety-ninth, and he had done so with a leisurely stride and a poker face.
Could this last step stop him?
"Do you remember, that year, Prince Taiyi, the Saint Son of the Nangong clan, personally said after reaching the summit of the Sacred Ladder that this last step was more difficult than all the previous ninety-nine steps combined? Can this Mu Xu cross it?"
Someone in the crowd said nervously, but no one answered him, because no one knew the answer to this question.
"We can only pray in our hearts that this child lives up to our expectations and successfully reaches the summit."
From the direction of the Jiang family, many elders and ancestors of the Human Race stood up, their eyes fixed on the young figure at the very top of the Sacred Ladder, their gazes devout and solemn.
The Jiang family was considered only mid-tier among the Hundred Clans, or rather, mid-tier was the lower end, as the overall strength of the Hundred Clans was similar, with only the families at the forefront being exceptions.
Throughout the entirety of the Myriad Clans Alliance, no matter in which segment, the best result the Jiang family had ever achieved was only seventy-sixth place.
And now, they actually had a junior who first drew level with the strongest Earth Fiend of the Jialan clan!
Afterward, Xu Mu displayed his talent and strength, eliminating Ye Gong, driving away Qi Sheng, surpassing the Xuanyuan clan, Chen family, Ji family… and even the geniuses of Heavenly Master Mountain, reaching the ninety-ninth level of the Sacred Ladder.
Now, he was only one step away from stepping onto the hundredth Holy Platform, truly securing first place in this round with overwhelming dominance.
What was the scenery at the very top of the Sacred Ladder like?
Only two people in the entire world had seen it.
"Now, it seems there will be a third person."
On the judges' bench of the Myriad Clans Alliance, the old Daoist, who was half a step into the Human King realm, sighed with a complex expression. And it was within this sigh that Xu Mu, facing the overwhelming pressure that threatened to crush his body, stepped forward without fear.
Unexpectedly, as he chose to directly withstand those turbulent winds and lightning, the storms vanished. Xu Mu felt no resistance and stepped onto the hundredth Holy Platform.
The thunder tribulation dissipated, and the clouds parted under the sunlight.
Golden holy radiance, accompanied by sunlight, fell upon Xu Mu, as if he were being crowned. All people, above and below the heavens, had their eyes focused on him at this moment.
Xu Mu stood at the highest point, looked out at the world, scanned the figures one by one, and finally looked at Zuo Mingqiu, who was closest to him, and sincerely extended his hand and asked:
"Do you want me to give you a hand?"
Upon hearing this, Zuo Mingqiu's face instantly turned pale. His footing faltered, and he fell from the ninety-eighth step of the Sacred Ladder. With a bang, he landed on the ninetieth Holy Platform, spitting blood.
Xu Mu was stunned by this sight.
"Xiao Zuo!"
Outside the arena, countless people cried out in alarm. The Daoist nun from Heavenly Master Mountain couldn't help but fly towards the Sacred Ladder, but halfway there, she was blocked by an invisible barrier, unable to advance.
"Mu Qing, come back. Don't embarrass yourself here!" The old Daoist of Heavenly Master Mountain, who was skilled in divination, said sternly. His voice rumbled, shaking the clouds, as if he were venting his emotions.
"Heavens, Zuo Mingqiu actually fell from the Sacred Ladder! Will he also suffer a broken Dao heart and become a madman!"
Mu Qing heard the discussions and looked at the dejected Zuo Mingqiu on the Holy Platform. His eyes reddened.
"Master, I'm worried Xiao Zuo will suffer a blow and develop inner demons, just like the Nangong Saint Son in the previous session!"
The old Daoist shook his head and sighed, "Inner demons aren't so easily born. Your nephew's incident back then was purely due to Ji Chang's abilities. Don't be too sad or worried."
"Besides, you've always trained Xiao Zuo as your nephew. Don't you understand a principle?"
"Some setbacks coming early might not be a bad thing. If he were to win first place in this round and be defeated when he's most proud and overconfident, that would be truly terrifying!"
After hearing these words, Mu Qing finally snapped back to reality. The worry in his eyes vanished, replaced by a hint of relief and joy.
"Master, I understand. I won't lose composure over Xiao Zuo's situation anymore." Mu Qing took one last look at Zuo Mingqiu, then turned, his expression calm yet complex, and bowed respectfully to the old Daoist, "Disciple now understands that the one with inner demons was myself."
Mu Qing lowered his head, sighing endlessly in his heart. For so many years, to prevent Zuo Mingqiu from repeating the mistakes of Saint Son Nangong, he had constantly taught him that there was always someone better and that he should not casually challenge other major clans.
He feared that one day, someone like Ji Chang would appear again and shatter his Dao heart, turning him into a madman.
But the more he was like this, the more Zuo Mingqiu wanted to prove himself, that he was not Nangong Taiyi and would not be defeated by someone who appeared out of nowhere. That was why he insisted on accepting challenges from everyone and stubbornly earned the reputation of the First Sovereign of Nine Heavens.
And now, he was no longer first.
Xu Mu was above him.
Just like Nangong lost to Ji Chang back then, Zuo Mingqiu also felt an overwhelming sense of unwillingness and disbelief at this moment. His Dao heart trembled, pushing him off the Sacred Ladder and onto the Holy Platform, where he was severely injured.
But fortunately, Xu Mu was not Ji Chang. He didn't have the same level of hate-attracting abilities, nor did he personally defeat Zuo Mingqiu.
Therefore, the latter was not as severely injured, and his Dao heart did not shatter. It even quickly calmed down, because he was Zuo Mingqiu.
After all, he was the First Sovereign of Nine Heavens.
"Are you alright?"
Ji Xuansu, holding a book, helped Zuo Mingqiu up from the ground and asked with concern. The two had been friends since childhood. Although they practiced different Daoist arts, their personalities were similar.
"It's nothing." Zuo Mingqiu waved his hand and stood up on his own. He ignored the blood seeping into his clothes and looked at the dazzling Xu Mu at the top, saying somewhat helplessly, "The first place in this round belongs to that fellow."
"You're not bad either, just… just a bit unlucky," Ji Xuansu said comfortingly, his face tense, fearing that his friend's Dao heart might have issues.
"No, I am inferior to him." Ji Xuansu shook his head and said seriously, "I've also come to understand that my obsession was too deep. I wanted to be first in everything."
"But in reality, no one can be perfect in all aspects. You have to give up when you should."
As Zuo Mingqiu spoke, he turned to look at Chen Changkong and said earnestly, "In this regard, I am inferior to you."
Chen Changkong's grass-like sword eyebrows furrowed, and he said, "I'll take that as you praising me."
"Of course, I'm praising you, and not just you. There are many people I am inferior to." Zuo Mingqiu then sat down on the ground again, the true meaning of Dao floating around him, stirring his robes and hair.
He closed his eyes, and his mind flashed back.
When he was young, he first met Ji Xuansu. They hadn't officially embarked on the path of cultivation yet. They argued about whether the sun was closer to them at sunrise or at noon. But in the end, neither of them could convince the other, and he still held a grudge about it because he had traveled the world without finding an answer.
But Ji Xuansu had long forgotten about it.
Zuo Mingqiu was furious when he learned this, but now, recalling this incident, he understood its true meaning.
"He who strives fails; he who is attached loses."
"For he who does not contend, no one in the world can contend with him."
Zuo Mingqiu muttered two lines with his eyes closed. Ji Xuansu heard them and his expression became solemn.
But to Zhou Jie, these words were like heavenly scripture.
"What is he saying?"
Zhou Jie scratched his head and asked, but no one answered him.
Because at this moment, everyone, including Chen Changkong, had tense and shocked expressions.
They sensed that a mysterious power was stirring the spiritual energy in the world, forming a vortex and slowly descending into Zuo Mingqiu's body.
They were tense and shocked because they had all experienced this scene before.
Zuo Mingqiu was about to break through.
...