by <unknown>
The last step was extremely complicated, it was much more difficult than the previous hundred and seven. Thus, much more time would be needed for them to completely solve this step. Other than that, even with the combined intellect of King Teng, Yu Xuanji and the others, it was only after four days when they started to make headway into understanding the transformations of the totem carvings. More time would be needed if they wanted to figure out how to manipulate the changes of the totem carvings of this step.
They could not help but feel happy as success was very near to them after having spent so much time and brainpower to decipher these steps.
“Huh? There are still Qi Practitioners who survived the black forest at this time?” said a surprised Qi Practitioner.
Hu Qimei looked back and was shocked to see a familiar figure walking towards the stairs while carrying a huge sword behind his back. It did not take him long to get close to the hundred and eight stairs. When she recognized who that person was, she exclaimed in astonishment, “Long Yue! He is still alive!”
Yu Xuanji immediately looked towards him and when he saw Zhong Yue, he shook his head and said, “It’s too late. With only him and with no one helping him, he can’t possibly solve the seals on the stairs. I must say that the Monster God Ming King’s heritage no longer has anything to do with him anymore.”
The other Qi Practitioners nodded in agreement as it would be impossible if a Rebirth Qi Practitioner wished to get past the hundred and eight stairs alone because they would lack the requisite knowledge to understand the complicated totem carvings.
“If he could walk up the stairs by himself, then we could have done it as well.”
A monster Qi Practitioner said arrogantly, “His name is Long Yue? He must be just someone mediocre if he only managed to make it here at this time. It would be good if he stopped just right there but he will die for sure if he dares to step foot on the stairs. Maybe he can’t even notice the totem carvings on the stairs!”
Suddenly, Yu Xuanji saw Zhong Yue starting to advance towards the first step and all he could do was to just shout towards Zhong Yue, “Brother Long Yue! Be careful, there are dangerous totem carvings all over the stairs!”
The monster Qi Practitioner smirked and said, “See, exactly just like what I said, he really failed to notice the totem carvings on the stairs!”
But before he could finish talking, Zhong Yue had already stepped foot on the first step and Yu Xuanji shivered as if envisioning himself seeing Zhong Yue being melted into liquid by the totem carvings. However, contrary to his expectations, Wood Qi suddenly gushed out from under Zhong Yue’s feet that transformed into different types of strange and esoteric totem carvings that restrained the totem carvings on the first step, allowing Zhong Yue to set foot on the first step safely.
Yu Xuanji and Hu Qimei let out a long breath and as they were still in the process of calming themselves down, their spines shivered again as they saw Zhong Yue immediately starting his advance towards the second step.
On the other hand, the monster Qi Practitioner’s face turned red when he saw Zhong Yue successfully getting past the first step before shouting again, “Such luck for being able to get past the first step but his luck will end at the second step! He will die for sure… What?!”
Under Zhong Yue’s left leg, Earth Qi appeared, turning into a type of earthly and amber-colored totem carvings that allowed Zhong Yue to get past the second step.
The monster Qi Practitioner then continued to received increasing amounts of shock when he saw Zhong Yue continuing to advance step after step. The totem carvings forming under his legs continued to contain the totem carvings on the stairs to prevent them from erupting.
He walked up the stairs as if he were walking in his own house. It did not take long as he walked past Kong Ban and the others while they stared at him. Zhong Yue however, didn’t spare the effort to even look at them and he showed no sign of stopping at all.
Not long later, Zhong Yue was already at the side of the monster Qi Practitioner and Zhong Yue turned and asked curiously, “I’m sorry brother, what did you say again? I can’t really hear you.”
The Qi Practitioner was incredibly embarrassed and he remained speechless for a moment before smirking and saying, “Dragon race, what are you so proud of? You merely hid in the forest and secretly observed how we deciphered the seals. If you are so good, why don’t you overcome the final step yourself!”
Again, much to his dismay, Zhong Yue casually got past the final step casually and entered the palace from the main gate. At the same time, Xin Huo said in surprise, “What is the big deal of deciphering such easy totem carvings? Brat Yue, I suggest we turn back and alter the totem carvings on the steps to increase the difficulty for them and let them to have a taste of what truly devastating totem carvings are!”
Chapter 127: The Heritage of Monster God Ming King |
Zhong Yue then walked into the Monster God Ming King’s palace and looked around. As he took a clear gander around the palace. He immediately frowned as the palace was completely empty, as if it was raided and looted by someone or as if it was a newly built and unfurnished abode.
“Seems like someone was ahead of us and that person looted this place.”
Xin Huo observed the surroundings through Zhong Yue’s vision and said, “I wonder who did this, the saint city lord or the big guy that crawled out of this realm.”
“Should be the big guy that crawled out of this realm.”
Zhong Yue gave it a thought and said, “The Saint City Lord was just a Rebirth Qi Practitioner, which means he was definitely not powerful enough at that time to destroy the seals left behind by the Monster God Ming King. But the opposite can be said to be true of that creature. It was already strong enough to kill the late Saint City Lord, that could only mean that it was already a huge figure during that time. It would surely have the capability to loot this palace. Besides, the big guy actually leveled both the Spirit Nurturing and Rebirth level great seals when it crawled out of this realm. With that horrifying power, I’m afraid that the creature’s size had already reached the peak!”
Seals were categorized as lesser and greater seals. The seals on the stairs in front of the place were the lesser seals while those seals that covered the entire realm were categorized as greater seals.
The greater seals in the realm sealed the power of every level Qi Practitioners, sealing the entrance and exit for people from both outside and inside. If someone tried to breach or exit the realm by force, that person’s existence would be completely erased regardless of their level!
And when the enormous creature escaped from the realm, he managed to destroy precisely those greater seals that enveloped the entire realm. As he crawled past the Black Mountain’s secret realm, he vaporized the entire array of Spirit Nurturing and Rebirth level seals!
That was incredibly terrifying feat as even the monster’s Saint City Lord wasn’t able to destroy the third level greater seal – the Awakening level seal of the secret realm. It was not that he did not want to destroy the seal, but that he was incapable of doing so.
However, the power of the big guy could be easily seen as he managed to destroy two greater seals!
When King Teng and the others finally got past the final step and stepped foot safely into the palace, they cast complicated looks at Zhong Yue seeing as how they took almost a months time to arduously pass the hundred and eight steps, whereas Zhong Yue did not even need to stop to think, walking up the stairs just like that.
They could only think back to when they arrogantly lampooned by Zhong Yue before he stepped on the steps.
As soon as King Teng and the others entered the palace, they immediately split up and they each distanced themselves from one another to prevent from being attacked from behind. Although they worked together to solve the problems back then, they were still competitors, and there was no longer a need for them to continue their begrudged cooperation!
“They said that the Easter
n Sea dragons are all incredibly wealthy and knowledgeable but this was my the first time witnessing it.”
King Teng looked at Zhong Yue and said. He then looked around and he too frowned as he saw the empty Monster God Ming King’s palace that had nothing in it anymore.
The other Qi Practitioners were also the same; they thought that the palace would be filled with precious treasures and they poured in great amounts of effort to get here. But things turned out to be far from what they imagined, making them reluctant to accept the fact.
“There are no more treasures in the palace, so where is the heritage of the Monster God Ming King?” murmured Yu Xuanji.
Suddenly, the palace trembled vigorously, causing everyone in the palace to lose balance and the palace started to disassemble itself, systematically from the roof to the ground, just like a programmed machine!
Before they could even react, the palace had already disappeared completely to be replaced by a huge stage. Luxurious-looking totem carvings also emerged from the ground and there were countless bronze pillars that supported the huge stage. Somewhere far away outside of the stage, there was also another stage standing with the support of the bronze pillars.
At some point even further away, there were also similar stages that emerged from the ground, which were linked together with pontoons!
“What is this?”
They stood on the first stage as a wall flew towards them before it landed in front of the stage.
Suddenly, totem carvings emerged on the surface of the wall and they started moving inside of the wall. After a few moments, a golden liquid started flowing out of the wall before turning into an eight-limbed celestial being – it was the image of the Monster God Ming King!
“Battle puppet?” exclaimed King Teng in shock as his face turned deadly serious.
Zhong Yue measured the battle puppet carefully and discovered that the totem carvings on the body of the battle puppet looked extremely similar to the totem carvings left on the wall on the Bashui Bridge by the Saint City Lord.
However, this battle puppet seemed like it had experienced a ferocious battle previously as it appeared to be worn and weathered while the third eye on its forehead was also destroyed, the golden liquid continued to flow out from there.
“The heritage of the Monster God Ming King is carved onto the battle puppet!” said the excited Qi Practitioners on the stage as they all looked at the battle puppet.
“Everyone….”
The battle puppet then flew up while a voice could be heard from its chest. For some reason, probably due to the immense length of time that the puppet was in existence, it sounded very blurry as it said, “Everyone… Ming King had orders from the … emperor to cordon the… heritage… in… this ruin… The heritage is...awaiting for...its rightful owner… Attaining the first level of Ming King Art… and proceed to… the second level… Have the… honor of seeing… the real form of Ming King…”
Although the battle puppet’s speech was very choppy, everyone on the stage was all very intelligent characters. Everyone quickly understood what the battle puppet was trying to say. The Monster God Ming King stood sentry at this place at the behest of an expert that was seemingly crowned emperor. And when he felt that the fires of his life were coming to an end, he left behind his heritage, awaiting its rightful successor. Only those who had achieved the first level of the Monster God Ming King Art were able to proceed to the second stage and learn the second level of the art.
If one could achieve and understand the entire art, then that person could have the honor to meet the Monster God Ming King to obtain an even higher level of heritage!
Suddenly, Yu Xuanji asked, “So how are we supposed to learn the Monster God Ming King’s art?”
The battle puppet turned its head to look at Yu Xuanji and it said, “Through passing the pontoons.”
“So passing the pontoons is considered as passing the level?”
However, the battle puppet remained silent this time as it was greatly worn out and had lost most of the functions given to it when it was created by the Monster God Ming King. Yu Xuanji frowned and then said, “What happens if we failed to get past the pontoons?”
The battle puppet looked towards the bottom of the stage and when Zhong Yue and the others followed its gaze, their spines shivered with great trepidation as they saw a deep abyss under the stage, filled with the corpses of the strong and competent monsters!
Those were the corpses of those who set foot onto the pontoons but failed to get past the pontoons!
The battle puppet remained silent and it suddenly stepped backward, merging back into the wall and a picture of the Monster God Ming King appeared on the wall. The totem carvings on the picture then started to change to present the beginning chapter of the【Monster God Ming King Art】.
Although everyone has seen the beginning chapter of the【Monster God Ming King Art】at the Ba Shui Bridge and received the corresponding heritage, the heritage being presented on the wall was much more complicated.
They did not dare to take it lightly and immediately focused on learning the heritage. An indeterminate amount of time later, Kong Ban and the second batch Qi Practitioners also managed entered the palace to join everyone else on the stage.
Zhong Yue also silently focused on learning the heritage. With what he had learned on the Ba Shui Bridge, things were progressing much smoother on the stage.
After half a day later, a monster Qi Practitioner stood up and his vision brushed over the others who were still learning and he shook as he said, “I am familiar with the beginning chapters and you guys took so long to understand something so easy? Seems like the complete heritage of Monster God Ming King has nothing to do with you guys anymore. Now, pardon me!”
He set foot on the pontoon and headed towards the second stage. Zhong Yue and the others immediately got up and observed as he walked on the pontoon. They saw colorful totem carvings emerged on the pontoon, which surged towards the Qi Practitioner.
He let out a loud roar and he uncontrollably showed the body of Ming King with eight arms. He then continued his advancement firmly after that!
Zhe——
A piece of flesh fell from his chest but the Qi Practitioner continued walking as if he felt neither the pain nor noticed the flesh that detached from his body.
Zhe zhe zhe——
As he continued walking, pieces of meat, one after another, started falling from his body. Only a few tens of steps later, the Qi Practitioner had become a naked skeleton, the flesh that was on his body now having been completely stripped away to leave only bone!
The skeleton continued his advancement and he even laughed and said, “See? I don’t understand why you guys took so long when it is so easy to pass this pontoon….”
His skull cracked open as it was crushed by an invisible force and a hole could be seen on his cranium. Through the hole, the others could see hot air and air bubbles effervescing vigorously.
The scene made those Qi Practitioners that were on the stage shiver with goosebumps. Yu Xuanji then shouted, “My brother, do you not know that you are dead already?”
“Dead?”
The monster Qi Practitioner turned back and looked as his bones started to detach and fall into the abyss below him. He, however, failed to realize all of this and continued saying, “What are you saying? Are you jealous that I inherited the heritage of the Monster God Ming King? What is happening? I’m really dead….”
The skeleton then collapsed and fell down into the abyss while the totem carvings on the pontoon slowly calmed down before disappearing completely.
King Teng suddenly got up and said as he walked up onto the pontoon, “Seems like the totem carvings hidden in the pontoon is coincident with the patterns of the beginning chapters of the【Monster God Ming King Art】. It would appear that only by visualizing the Monster God Ming King and synchronizing our totem carvings with the ones on the bridge, will we be able to get past this pontoon.”
> As he spoke, Zhong Yue nodded because he too, had realized the same thing. Whereas for the others, some had already known of it long ago while the others suddenly felt a moment of clarity after hearing what King Teng said.
Yu Xuanji smiled and said, “Trying to get past the bridge would mean doom or those who have yet to understand the pattern and everything about the beginning chapter of the Monster God Ming King’s Art. I suggest that it would be better for those idiotic ones to forego attempting to cross the pontoon at all.”
All of the Qi Practitioners then gazed at him angrily as their patience was truly beginning to run thin with this person. But Yu Xuanji murmured unflinchingly, “I did not say anything wrong. You will die for sure if you try to walk on the bridge without understanding everything about the beginning chapters of the【Monster God Ming King Art】. I was trying to be nice to you guys….”
Zhong Yue also stood up and set foot on the pontoon while King Teng and two more Qi Practitioners were already standing on the pontoon. The others did not attempt to cross the pontoon as they were still trying to understand the beginning chapter of the【Monster God Ming King Art】.
At the same time Zhong Yue got up the pontoon, King Teng suddenly stopped and said seriously, “Brother Long Yue managed to understand the beginning chapter of the Monster God Ming King’s Art that fast as well? I wonder if you have the interest of competing with me on the pontoon as I really want to know who is better between us.”
Zhong Yue continued walking as he carried the big sword on his back, “Are you sure you want to compete on the pontoon, King Teng?”
At the same time, Yu Xuanji, Hu Qimei, Kong Ban and two other Qi Practitioners got up the pontoon as well. King Teng continued his walk and said calmly, “Not now, we will fight with when there’s only you and me left on the pontoon. But until then … I hope you will be able to last to compete with me!”
Chapter 128: The Divine Third Eye |
“If Brother Long Yue manages to defeat me, then you will be acknowledged as the best among the monster Rebirth Qi practitioner.” said King Teng as he walked towards the second stage while turning back and smiling towards Zhong Yue.