Tang Bai Li

Chapter 170 Ascend a Higher Level

Xu Mu and Nangong Huaitian stepped onto the eighty-first sacred platform together, finding it already deserted.

Zuo Mingqiu had already reached the eighty-fourth step.

Following him were Chen Changkong, Zhou Jie, Li Guang, Ji Xuansu, and Xuanyuan Shennian, their distances from each other small, pursuing closely.

Xu Mu silently calculated the time, realizing more than half had passed. He clicked his tongue, then turned to Nangong Huaitian and asked, "Continue?"

Nangong Huaitian heard him and slowly turned her head, gazing at the stream of talented figures relentlessly chasing after them. A hint of weariness flickered across her beautiful face.

Though she was the saintess of the Nangong clan, possessing immense talent and strength, it didn't manifest in trials like this. True combat, or fighting against others, was her forte.

Climbing ladders and ascending steps, she was truly not good at it.

"Let's forget it," Nangong Huaitian shook her head, not dwelling on the matter. She sighed and said with a slight smile, "I don't cultivate the physical body or the divine soul. Reaching this point is already a great feat. There's no need to expend more energy to compete, as this is not my stage."

"That's fine too," Xu Mu nodded in agreement. While he didn't fully understand Nangong Huaitian, judging by the fluctuations of her abilities, she was indeed unsuited for this round of trial. Continuing further would be meaningless. It was better to rest where she was.

"What about you?" Nangong Huaitian turned her head, her exquisitely beautiful face looking up at Xu Mu. Her eyes were as captivating as two black pearls, and her voice was sweet and elegant. "If it weren't for me, you should be right behind Zuo Mingqiu now, or even ahead of him."

Xu Mu looked at Nangong's face. Her breath was like orchids, and the scent of medicinal herbs emanating from her made his heart inexplicably quicken. His mind went blank, and for a moment, he didn't clearly hear what Nangong Huaitian had said.

"What are you looking at?" Nangong Huaitian, seeing Xu Mu speechless and staring at her blankly, feigned dissatisfaction and asked playfully. This jolted Xu Mu back to his senses.

"Ah... it doesn't matter if I go or not, it's not that important anyway," Xu Mu said with feigned composure, smiling. But he didn't realize his face had already turned as red as a hawthorn, even his neck blushing uncontrollably.

Seeing this, Nangong Huaitian let out a giggle, unable to contain her amusement. She covered her face with her hand, momentarily stunning countless people, including Xu Mu.

"All the way here, you didn't even blush or falter under the pressure of the sacred ladder, not even a sigh. And now you're blushing."

Hearing Nangong's teasing, Xu Mu instinctively touched his face. He then understood what had happened and immediately wished he could find a hole to crawl into.

"An accident, an accident," Xu Mu said, scratching his head, feeling rather embarrassed.

Nangong Huaitian looked at him, her dimples deepening as she smiled sweetly. "Alright, I won't tease you anymore. Hurry up and climb the ladder."

"Your physical body is very strong, your divine soul is also not weak, and you have many skills. At least in this round, you have a great chance to contend for first place. Don't let me affect your ranking."

"Mm, I know," Xu Mu took a few deep breaths and slowly calmed down.

He looked at Nangong Huaitian, his eyes full of confidence, and said with a loud laugh, "Then I'm going. Take care of yourself."

Nangong Huaitian nodded and raised her delicate fist, encouraging him, "Go for it!"

"Okay."

As Xu Mu finished speaking, a surge of powerful blood qi erupted from him, instantly stretching his clothes.

*Bang!*

Nangong Huaitian's expression changed in surprise. She instinctively raised her ability to defend herself, then watched Xu Mu's imposing figure as he took a step upwards, her eyes filled with admiration.

His physical body was too powerful.

"Look quickly, that kid is finally moving!"

At this moment, Xu Mu's upward stride also caused a stir outside. Countless gazes immediately focused on him, including those of the Taoist nun and the elder from Tianshi Mountain.

"He wasted too much time. Will it be too late if he only starts chasing now?" the Taoist nun named Muqing asked with some curiosity. Her inner thoughts were quite complex. Since she had already confirmed Xu Mu was a disciple of that person from Baiyun Daoist Temple, she both hoped Xu Mu could catch up to the leading group and bring glory to the Taoist sect, and yet she also didn't want him to be too strong and overshadow Zuo Mingqiu.

The old Taoist shook his head and sighed, "It won't matter. That kid took only a few dozen breaths to go from the fortieth step to the sixtieth. He's now six steps behind Little Zuo, and he'll likely catch up before the sacred radiance anointment arrives."

The Taoist nun's face suddenly paled with surprise. "This is the sacred ladder beyond the eightieth step. Are you sure this kid can still move as freely as before, as if walking on flat ground?"

The old Taoist narrowed his eyes and said calmly, "You'll see."

The Taoist nun, Muqing, immediately shifted her gaze back to Xu Mu. Then her expression stiffened, and her eyes showed extreme shock.

In the image, Xu Mu seemed to be ignoring the pressure of the sacred ladder. Blood qi surged from him, boundless and wild, even pushing back against the sacred ladder's pressure. He took a step every few breaths, and each step covered one level.

On the sacred ladder, he moved as if on flat ground, quickly reaching the eighty-fourth step. Here, he encountered Li Guang, who was skilled in formations and possessed the heart of a formation master.

Li Guang's face was somewhat pale, and his consumption was immense. His formations were also greatly restricted in this stage, as the sacred ladder was not afraid of the backlash from his formations, allowing other geniuses to pull ahead.

Xu Mu lingered on this level for five seconds, then easily surpassed him with a stride, reaching the eighty-fifth sacred step.

Here, he met a familiar face, Ji Xuansu. The latter held a sutra, his vast righteousness clashing with the thunderbolts filling the sky. His power was immense, but his efficiency was too low. Clearly, Ji Xuansu was also not very suited for this round.

"It's you," Ji Xuansu looked at Xu Mu, his eyes filled with confusion. Then, he watched as Xu Mu surpassed him and ascended to the eighty-sixth sacred step.

On this level, there was no one. Because the moment Xu Mu arrived, Xuanyuan Shennian, who was slightly slower, reached the eighty-seventh step along with Zhou Jie. Chen Changkong was also attempting to ascend to the eighty-eighth step, on the verge of success.

As for Zuo Mingqiu, he was already attempting to step onto the eighty-ninth step, about to enter the sacred platform.

"He actually managed to do it!"

With little time left, the observers outside exclaimed in amazement, their expressions filled with complex emotions, as they watched Zuo Mingqiu push forward relentlessly.

They hadn't expected Zuo Mingqiu to reach the ninetieth sacred platform from the eighty-first in such a short time. It seemed almost impossible, but now, it was clearly about to happen.

Zuo Mingqiu was at most two steps away from the ninetieth sacred platform. Based on his current performance, reaching it within the remaining two hundred breaths would be no problem.

"Among the others, except for Chen Changkong who has some chance, the rest are likely in trouble."

The crowd looked at the other five people following Zuo Mingqiu, and their hearts began to grow anxious. Only less than two hundred breaths remained. If they couldn't ascend to the ninetieth sacred platform within these breaths, they wouldn't be able to receive the sacred radiance anointment.

Without the replenishment of the sacred radiance anointment, it would almost mean they would lose to Zuo Mingqiu in this round, completely and utterly.

After that, they might never have another chance to defeat Zuo Mingqiu. Because once he alone enjoyed the sacred radiance anointment of the ninetieth level, his cultivation breaking through to the third stage would be almost a certainty.

How strong would a genius, already hailed as the foremost lord of the Nine Heavens in the second stage, capable of easily defeating opponents of higher realms, become in the third stage of the Splendor Realm?

They didn't know, but they knew he would at least be stronger than Ye Gong, who had already been eliminated, nearly killed by a single punch from Xu Mu, and only managed to survive by crushing his jade slip.

Hmm? It seems something was missed.

"There's also Mu Xu!" A young cultivator slapped his thigh, his face a mask of shocked excitement. "It's not decided yet! There's also Mu Xu, who fought Zhou Jie to a draw, eliminated Ye Gong, and defeated Qi Sheng! He's moving so fast, he's about to overtake Chen Changkong!"

"What!"

With this shout of surprise, almost all eyes turned to Xu Mu.

They saw him now standing on the eighty-sixth step, about to ascend to the eighty-seventh, standing alongside Xuanyuan Shennian and Zhou Jie.

Chen Changkong had already reached the eighty-eighth step.

Xu Mu looked at Zhou Jie and threw a punch, shattering the ghostly mist in the air. Caught off guard, Zhou Jie was sent reeling back several steps, his shoulder bone broken, nearly falling off the sacred ladder.

After the punch, Xu Mu didn't linger. He turned and rushed to the eighty-eighth step, leaving behind a stunned Xuanyuan Shennian and an enraged Zhou Jie.

"Mu Xu, this is not over between us!"

"He's caught up to Chen Changkong!" Outside, someone exclaimed while staring at Xu Mu's figure.

"Less than seventy breaths remaining. Zuo Mingqiu successfully ascended to the ninetieth sacred platform. He did it!"

"Look quickly, Chen Changkong has also exploded. He unleashed a sword strike into the sky ahead. Where the sword passed, even the thunderous explosions were shattered. He has also reached the eighty-ninth sacred step!"

"Less than sixty breaths left. That Mu Xu has also reached the eighty-ninth step. He's barely rested, moving one step at a time!"

Among the white clouds above the sacred city, countless members of families and sects participating in the Myriad Races Assembly widened their eyes, unwilling to miss a single detail. Their nerves were highly taut, wanting to know the final outcome. Could Xu Mu and Chen Changkong reach the ninetieth sacred platform, or would Zuo Mingqiu be the only one to enjoy the sacred radiance anointment?

Their state of anticipation for this question was even more intense than that of the final battle for the supreme position. So much so that everyone had forgotten this was only the third round of the Myriad Races Assembly. In fact, this third round hadn't even reached its conclusion. After this round's sacred radiance anointment, there would be another half hour, which would be the final battle.

Less than thirty breaths remaining.

Chen Changkong unleashed his full power, sword intent surging around him. A vast and heavy sword phantom roamed the sky, indiscriminately cutting down everything it touched.

"He's going up! Chen Changkong is going up! He has one foot on the sacred platform, and it looks like he has complete control. But that Mu Xu has temporarily retreated due to his sword energy. Will the final result be that he stops at the eighty-ninth sacred step!"

A cultivator shouted with immense passion. Less than fifteen breaths remained until the sacred radiance anointment. Chen Changkong's body swayed momentarily under the pressure of the aura, then he stood firm, reaching the ninetieth sacred platform.

As for Xu Mu, to avoid being affected by his sword energy, he chose to wait on the steps. Only after Chen Changkong ascended did he begin to move.

But by then, less than ten breaths remained.

Everyone held their breath. The Jiang family members' eyes were filled with anticipation, the Ye and Qi families cursed inwardly, and the Wine Immortal's palms were sweating.

Could Xu Mu ascend?

The next second, the judge from Baiyun Daoist Temple raised an eyebrow.

*Boom!*

With a deafening roar, Xu Mu took a step, reaching the ninetieth sacred platform in a single breath, standing alongside Chen Changkong and Zuo Mingqiu.

"Congratulations..." Chen Changkong subconsciously began to speak, but before the word "congratulations" could leave his lips, Xu Mu had already brushed past him. Then, under the gaze of all, under the focus of the world, he took another step upwards.

*CRACKLE!!!*

Heavenly might descended, thunder roared, and the world was shocked. Everyone on and around the sacred ladder, both inside and out, stood frozen as if struck by lightning.

This was because Xu Mu, in the moment before the sacred radiance anointment arrived, had taken another step forward, aiming to stand on the ninety-first sacred step!

Zuo Mingqiu looked up and saw Xu Mu's robes fluttering, his back to the world, radiating unmatched dominance. It gave him an inexplicable sense of inferiority.

Why did he feel this way?

Because the position Xu Mu stood on was the ninety-first sacred step.

It was exactly one level higher than his own.