Tang San focused his eyes to see. As it turned out, this smooth as a mirror rock wall had depressions every ten meters or so that could be used for bracing.
His face revealed a smile. It seemed that this seal of the Clear Sky School really was thorough. This precipitous rock wall in front of him wasn’t something Spirit Masters below the fortieth rank were able to climb.
Part 3 (TL by Bagelson)
Even with sufficient strength, one would still need the courage to act. Even more, if someone launched attacks from the top of the mountain, even sixty or seventieth ranked powers might not be able to ascend. This was absolutely a defense on the level of a heavenly moat.
The other two grey clothed men equally soared up. They weren’t as aggressive as the leader who leapt twenty meters with each purchase, and ascended the standard ten meters each time, swiftly soaring up to chase after.
Tang San also didn’t make himself conspicuous. All along following behind these two grey clothed men, he also exerted himself every ten meters, swiftly climbing up.
Very soon, the leading grey clothed man had already reached the mountaintop. Turning his head to look down the mountain and seeing Tang San following in the rear, there was some praise in his eyes. After waiting for the three to all reach the top, he set off once again. Through the entire process, he didn’t say one word to Tang San.
On top of the mountain, the view ahead suddenly opened up to a wide panorama. On the other side of the rock mountain the view was no longer so monotonous, as far as the eye could see were instead several mountains covered in large amounts of green vegetation.
Four people, one in front and three behind, moved into the mountains.
Tang San discovered through observation that this mountain range was very unusual. The majority of the peaks were all extremely precipitous, and moreover the valleys between the mountains were filled with mountain streams. In order to enter the mountain, if one had to go climbing up and down, it would not doubt be extremely exhausting. If defenses were installed on each peak, then it would be like passing through one heavenly moat after another. Even if the attackers outnumbered the defenders ten to one, they still might not be able to force their way inside. This terrain was really too vicious.
Without continuing on very long, they had reached the end of the mountain top they stood on. At five hundred meters high, there was already curls of cloud and mist. Shocking Tang San was that the grey clothed man furthest ahead actually leapt up, leaping directly towards the deep mountain stream ahead, instantly disappearing unseen into the clouds.
Of the two grey clothed men walking in front of Tang San, one turned his head and gave Tang San a smile, reaching out and pointing ahead below his feet, then leapt towards the mountain stream.
Tang San looked carefully, and couldn’t help laughing in spite of himself. Originally, at the end of the peak there was actually an iron cable as thick as an arm, extending in a straight line into the distance. Undoubtedly, it should be connected to another mountain. Floating in the clouds and mist, it was very well concealed. Without watching carefully, it would be very difficult to discover.
Even though the iron cable swayed in the air, as long as one had a certain level of strength and could keep one’s balance, one could naturally walk it. This part could also be easily accomplished by thirtieth ranked Spirit Masters.
Tang San immediately understood the purpose of this installation. If enemies invaded, when they couldn’t be completely held off at the first pass one could retreat to the second mountain via the iron cable, then afterwards cutting the cable behind oneself. Like this, not only would one gain a buffer of time, one could also continue resisting the enemy from the cover of the second mountain. This kind of plan could be called ingenious.
Tang San hadn’t even feared the circumstances of the Hell Road, to say nothing of this little iron cable in front of him. Leaping up, his feet moved lightly, and he landed on the iron cable. The cable inclined upwards as it went, clearly the mountain it connected to was higher than the previous one. Tang San relied on his spirit power to slide forward as if stuck to the iron cable.
The two peaks were very far apart, close to kilometer. As they advanced and gradually entered the middle section of the iron cable, under the influence of the mountains, the iron cable beneath their feet also began to move more and more violently, swinging back and forth almost ten meters from side to side.
The grey clothed man furthest ahead paused a moment, turning his head to look at Tang San. seeing him smoothly keeping up, he continued forward. Clearly, he wasn’t as unreasonable as he made himself out to be. At least he was still concerned about Tang San’s circumstances.
Seeing this scene, Tang San couldn’t keep from revealing a smiling expression. They were after all people from the same sect, and even if he was an outsider, they were still related by blood. Perhaps the hostility should be because of his father.
The next part of the road was like an endless repetition, only the chasms between the mountains became deeper and deeper. As they successively passed four mountain peaks connected by iron cables, the condition of the cable had already begun to change. Along with the cold and humidity, the iron cable spanning from the fourth to the fifth mountain was covered by a layer of ice, slippery and gripless, making the difficulty of advancing increase substantially.
This time, the dark clothed man in the lead didn’t hurry to rush ahead, but rather halted, pulling out a harness from his chest, connecting one side to his waist and the other to the iron cable. The other two grey clothed men also did the same.
“For you.”
The grey clothed man in the lead threw over the same kind of harness to Tang San.
With Tang San’s strength and his Blue Silver Grass, he naturally didn’t need such things to protect himself, and even less now that he could fly. But he still tied himself to the iron cable like the three grey clothed men, continuing to keep a low profile.
With the harness tied properly, the three grey clothed men’s gazes were somewhat nervous. Clearly, this part of the road wasn’t so easy to travel. The leading grey clothed man gave a long whistle and leapt up. This time he clearly restrained the height he leapt to and the distance he advanced. Toes touching the iron cable, he leapt up once again, each leap bringing him roughly ten meters.
Only when he had moved fifty meters did the second grey clothed man move out, copying his manner to find purchase on the iron cable.
Their harnesses slid along the iron cable without influencing their movements, while still providing a measure of safety.
Tang San was still last. He of course wouldn’t be nervous, and also didn’t copy the skipping of the three people ahead. He understood that the three grey clothed men chose to do so to reduce the contact with the iron cable as much as possible. After all, it was impossible for the icey areas to all be the same, and any change could cause them to lose balance.
The height of the fourth peak already surpassed two kilometers. If falling from here, as long as one couldn’t fly, even Title Douluo would find it difficult to survive.
The final stretch also seemed especially long. Very soon, the four had all disappeared in the clouds.
As Tang San leisurely continued forward, suddenly, an indescribably sense of crisis attacked his mind.
The sense of crisis appearing, he first of all thought it was the leading grey clothed man furthest ahead. Purple Demon Eye launching in a flash, he looked ahead. But he saw that the grey clothed man had already climbed up the other side, and just like before, was waiting quietly for them there.
However, the sense of crisis suddenly grew more intense. At this moment, Tang San naturally wouldn’t begrudge using his spiritual force, intense spiritual fluctuations unleashing, then did he discover the true source of the danger.
An enormous monstrous bird was flying through the mist on one side, and its route forward would pass directly through the iron cable.
A bird capable of flying at an altitude of
two kilometers was naturally frightfully strong, and the iron cables had also become very brittle after being frozen. If they collided, the result would be obvious.
It really wasn’t that Tang San’s senses weren’t sharp, but rather that the influence at this altitude was too great, the temperature, clouds, wind, movement of the iron cable, as well as observing the three grey clothed men, while focusing on all these tasks, discovering that monstrous bird with spiritual force wasn’t very easy.
At the critical moment, Purple God Light instantly activated, two deep blue lights shooting from Tang San’s eyes. At the same time he shouted loudly,
“Careful.”
Tang San’s reaction couldn’t be called slow, but in the end he was still one step too late. At the same time as that Purple God Light bombarded the monstrous bird, completely destroying its head, that monstrous bird’s giant body also heavily collided with the iron cable.
Faced with the enormous force, the close to a kilometer long iron cable snapped with an ear-piercing rupturing sound.
Despite Tang San’s previous warning, those two grey clothed men still on the iron cable reacted too slowly. Suddenly in free fall, they could only grab the harnesses at their waists. It was already too late to grab the iron cable.
The grey clothed man already on the other side was immediately anxious, but right now he also didn’t have any way to help.
Stepping in emptiness, Tang San felt far from reassured. Strong blue light shot from his right leg, and he instantly stabilized himself. Without pause, a strand of Blue Silver Emperor quietly swung out, directly twisting around the iron cable on the opposite bank, another two strands also instantly shooting out to accurately twist around the waists of the two falling grey clothed men.
At this moment he formed a bridge in between.
Those two grey clothed men were also both of the elite of the Clear Sky School’s young generation. Their waists tightening, they knew someone had saved them. Without time to look, the two hastily held their qi to lighten themselves, lessening the strain on Tang San as far as possible.
Under the impetus of the iron cable, the three were simultaneously flung towards the mountain wall. Seeing the mountain wall approaching, Tang San bent his right leg, kicking up a gale, retarding his momentum. at the same time the Blue Silver Grass twisted onto the iron cable above swiftly tightened.
If someone now could see where the Blue Silver Emperor and iron cable were connected right now, they would be shocked to discover that the sparkling and translucent Blue Silver Emperor had grown fine blue thorns, piercing deeply into the iron cable, completely averting the risk of slipping from the icey iron cable.
The Blue Silver Grass on both sides tightened, pulling close the distance between Tang San and the iron cable and the two grey clothed men below. And now that grey clothed man on the edge also reacted. Exulting, he gripped the iron cable with both hands, swiftly pulling in the trio.
[1] Er Ming (二明) “Second Bright”
[2] Da Ming (大明) “Eldest Bright”
[3] Jie (姐) - Fragment denoting an older sister type person, equivalent to ge (哥).
Chapter 147: Howling Sky Douluo
Part 1 (TL by Bagelson)
The arm strength of this grey clothed man already on solid ground was extremely frightening. Even just half of a kilometer long iron cable was still astonishingly heavy, and there were still three people on top of that. But in his hands it was all like nothing, and the iron cable swiftly brought the trio up.
At last reaching the mountaintop, Tang San didn’t feel anything, but those two grey clothed men he saved both had pale faces.
Returning from struggling at the edge of life and death, nobody would feel any better than them.
That leading grey clothed man also loosed a large breath, his gaze fixed on the still gracefully calm Tang San, and suddenly struck at his shoulder with a fist.
Tang San’s shoulders shifted slightly, then stopped. He didn’t block, because he clearly sensed that the grey clothed man’s fist didn’t hold any malice.
The fist landed on Tang San’s shoulder with a thump, and the leading grey clothed man laughed out loud,
“Good brother, many thanks.”
Tang San smiled wryly:
“Big brother, go a bit easier next time, your fist is really heavy!”
The grey clothed man forcefully clapped Tang San’s shoulder,
“Give me a break, it’s clearly your bones that hurt my hand. I really don’t know how you’ve trained. I’m Tang Long[1]. It’s fine if you call me big brother. In our generation, I’m the oldest. These two are Tang Tian[2] and Tang Yu[3], they’re also our directly related brothers. This time you saved their lives.”
Tang Tian and Tang Yu’s faces were long since filled with gratitude, and the two nodded to Tang San. Tang Tian said:
“Brother, your favor can’t be repaid in words.”
Tang San valiantly said:
“We’re all brothers, don’t mention it. If you were in my place, you’d also have saved me just the same, no?”
Tang Yu had a bitter expression:
“We would if we had that ability! I heard you had twin spirits. Was that just now your main spirit Blue Silver Grass?”
Tang San nodded.
Tang Long smiled:
“Second aunt’s boasted about you like a deluge of heavenly flowers, I didn’t believe it before, but I do now. Being able to have your present cultivation at your age, really isn’t easy. You seem to have broken through the fiftieth rank. Not any less than these two.”
Tang Tian and Tang Yu looked face to face. Even though they didn’t say anything, in their hearts they thought, ‘How is it just ‘no less’, previously he could even spare spirit power to help us speed up.’
Without speaking of anything else, as three people fell simultaneously, he could react to save others and himself, this reaction speed wasn’t something average people could compare to.
Tang Long looked over the broken iron cable, and said unhappily:
“This worn out thing should have been changed. Today really was unlucky, we actually ran into a bird. We can only blame my carelessness, if I paid a bit of attention and discovered it a bit ahead of time, there wouldn’t have been such a careless mistake. I’ll definitely be scolded back at the sect.”
Seeing him dispiritedly hanging his head, Tang San couldn’t help smiling a bit. This seemingly somewhat forthright sect brother really was straightforward.
Tang Tian said:
“Big brother, let’s go back quickly. Don’t keep the sect master waiting. This cable breaking also can’t be blamed at you. We were just unlucky. If the sect master punishes anyone, we’ll bear it together.”
Tang Long grinned, saying:
“Good kids. The next time there’s good wine, I’ll invite you to drink. Let’s go.”
This fifth peak was also the final one to enter the Clear Sky School. The secluded sect was located on this mountain.
Even though there were no pavilions and kiosks, there was still a castle-like building. It was entirely grey, appearing as if part of the mountain. It occupied practically the entire mountaintop.
Somewhat more familiar with the three people, Tang San also no longer kept his distance from them like before, and couldn’t keep from asking:
“Big brother Tang Long, with our Clear Sky School in this kind of rugged terrain, how are the necessary supplies brought in? Is it also via these iron cables?”
Tang Long nodded, saying:
“This is a special training method of the sect. Every sect disciple over sixteen will participate in moving supplies. Of course, ordinarily the safeguards used aren’t just like what we use today. Then there’s a kind of safety rope, so even if the iron cable breaks, it can at least guarantee your safety. Who could have thought that we’d be so unlucky today. I remember the first time Tang Tian was going to cross the iron cable. He was so scared he was crying and his nose leaking. Haha.”
&n
bsp; Tang Tian embarrassed looked at Tang Long, unhappily saying:
“That was so many years ago. Why are you still bringing up my embarrassing past in front of brother Tang San? Let’s return to the sect quickly, don’t keep the sect master waiting.”
Tang San understood that them bringing him via the iron chain without giving him that safety was perhaps in order to test his strength. He smiled wryly at the same time, ‘Aunt, what did you tell people to cause such hostility?’ But now it seemed that these blood related brothers were very straightforward.
As the four set out once again, their relationship had clearly became a lot more harmonious, especially the leader Tang Long who clearly had a very direct character. His original assumed arrogance was now completely obliterated, and affectionately pulled Tang San towards the sect by the shoulder.
The enormous stone building was just like a fort. The main gate was five meters tall, and even though it couldn’t compare to Spirit City, this stony edifice was extremely stocky. Above the gate, three words were boldly carved into the rock, with a grandness that could oppose the surrounding mountains —— Clear Sky School.
Before the gate, two equally grey clothed youths hastily bowed in salute as they saw the four approaching, but one of them still blocked Tang San’s path,
“Please display your sect credentials.”
“Credentials?”
Tang San stared blankly a moment. He of course didn’t know what these so-called credentials were, and couldn’t help somewhat puzzled looking to Tang long.
Tang long smiled:
“It’s the Clear Sky Hammer! Don’t tell me there’s anything that could better prove that we’re directly related sect disciples than the Clear Sky Hammer? They’re not familiar with you, so just show them. Those are the rules. Let them have a look. Only us directly related sect disciples can enter here. The sect’s subordinates and outer sect disciples are all in that village outside.”
Douluo Dalu - Volume 01-48 Page 260