A torrential wave of black Tempest Winds swept across the heavens and earth, the ground below carved open by countless deep scars from the black Spatial Blades hidden within the storm.
Within the raging tempest, a five-colored spiritual shield shimmered faintly. Though it trembled violently under the assault of the Tempest Winds, it still managed to endure in the end.
"The Five Elemental Divine Light's defense truly is extraordinary. Among cultivators of the same realm, there are not many who could injure me under this protection."
The mysteries of the Five Elemental Divine Light were endless, both offensive and defensive in nature. The more Liu Bai understood it, the more he marveled at its power.
However, not everyone could withstand the might of the Tempest Winds. Just as Liu Bai was sighing at the strength of his defense, a miserable scream suddenly echoed from the distance.
He turned his gaze and saw that the spiritual barriers conjured by more than a dozen cultivators had been torn apart by the Spatial Tempest Winds. Before they could even react, countless black Spatial Blades swept across mercilessly, slicing their bodies into a rain of blood and flesh that scattered across the sky.
Seeing this gruesome scene, Liu Bai felt not a shred of pity. Those people had been part of the group who previously plotted against him alongside the youth he had slain earlier. Although they had retreated afterward instead of attacking him directly, seeing them meet such a fate stirred no emotion in Liu Bai's heart.
Anyone who dared to enter the Divine Spiritual Mountain had to be prepared for death.
Still, these Tempest Winds reminded Liu Bai of something. In the original chronicle, the Heavenly Sovereign Bone was said to appear within the most violent Tempest Wind Storm.
Recalling how every treasure he had found so far was guarded by Tempest Winds and that the stronger the wind, the greater the treasure it was likely that within the fiercest Tempest Storms of the Divine Spiritual Mountain's space lay the Heavenly Sovereign Bone itself.
The thought made Liu Bai's eyes light up.
There was a high possibility this was true. It seemed he would have to verify it himself.
His gaze swept across the sky as he looked toward the horizon where countless tempests raged.
Suddenly, his eyes narrowed. In his sight, an enormous tornado was rampaging violently.
The sky was filled with howling Spatial Blades, tearing apart everything in their path.
Liu Bai stared intently at the tornado, his eyes slightly squinting. Within the storm, he seemed to glimpse a faintly glowing light.
Whoosh!
Just as Liu Bai focused on that light, it suddenly erupted with dazzling brilliance. The radiance illuminated the dim heavens for a brief instant, and within that flash, Liu Bai clearly saw a piece of pure white material inside the glow—it looked very much like a bone.
This discovery filled him with joy. He was nearly certain that the item within that light was the Heavenly Sovereign Bone he had been searching for.
However, Liu Bai did not act rashly. He knew full well that the Heavenly Sovereign Bone's existence even now meant that obtaining it would be extremely difficult.
If he approached unprepared, the storm could easily sweep him into the sky and cast him into the Spatial Turbulence. With his current cultivation, if he were to fall into that, there would be no chance of survival. No one could save him then.
"It seems I'll have to test the waters first."
Though confident in his defensive power, Liu Bai remained cautious.
More importantly, he possessed the Innate Five Spirit Disk's strongest defensive ability. This would be a perfect chance to see just how much power that painstakingly cultivated defense could unleash.
Having made up his mind, Liu Bai did not wait for the Tempest Winds to subside. His figure shot directly toward the distant storm.
The Five Elemental Divine Light shrank, clinging tightly to his body within a one-foot radius. As Liu Bai advanced, the raging Tempest Winds slid harmlessly along the oval-shaped barrier formed by the Divine Light.
His movement was silent, yet within the howling storm, there was not another figure in sight. Everyone else was hiding in valleys and crevices, using spiritual energy to defend themselves from the Tempest Winds. When they suddenly saw someone flying freely through the storm, it immediately drew countless astonished gazes.
"Who is that? Has he gone mad?" someone exclaimed.
"In this situation, he dares to fly? He must have a death wish."
Of course, there were also some sharp-eyed individuals who immediately noticed Liu Bai's destination and saw the glowing light at the center of the storm.
Realizing his intent, they sneered in disdain. To them, he was clearly blinded by greed and had lost his reason. Only when death loomed over him would he finally come to his senses.
Liu Bai ignored all of them and instead accelerated, streaking even faster toward the raging tornado.
This scene fell under the gaze of the spectators outside. Among them, Zhu Tian and Mo You both turned pale upon witnessing it.
"This brat! I warned him to be cautious, and it looks like he didn't listen at all!" Mo You's face darkened. If he could enter the mountain at this moment, he would have dragged the disobedient brat out by force.
Elder Zhu Tian, though also worried, spoke calmly. "Do not be anxious. That boy Liu Bai always acts with reason. Since he dares to do this, he must have something to rely on."
Besides, worrying was useless now. They could not enter the Divine Spiritual Mountain, and Liu Bai could not hear them. It was better to wait and see.
While they were filled with concern, another figure—Yellow Dragon Sovereign—was already smirking coldly.
In their observation, Mo Xingtian and several other top young elites from the Northern Heaven Continent had already entered deep into the Divine Spiritual Mountain, drawing near the Baptism Grounds. Only Liu Bai was still wandering about, searching for spiritual treasures.
Everyone knew that the most precious treasure of the Divine Spiritual Mountain was the Divine Spiritual Baptism itself. To ignore that and chase after side treasures was something even an ordinary fool would not do.
How utterly foolish.
"Hehe, Elder Zhu Tian, it seems your Northern Heaven Spiritual Academy has chosen another 'fine student' this time. It appears you have not yet learned your lesson from the last incident," Yellow Dragon Sovereign mocked, his voice echoing across the sky.
Everyone from the various sects and powers present heard his words. Thinking back to how the Northern Heaven Spiritual Academy had repeatedly withdrawn from the Divine Spiritual Mountain in previous years, and now seeing Liu Bai's current behavior, many secretly sneered in their hearts.
Of course, none of them dared to openly provoke the mighty Northern Heaven Spiritual Academy as the Demonic Dargon Palace did, so they all maintained solemn expressions, pretending not to hear Yellow Dragon's taunts.
Mo You, already fuming, erupted in anger upon hearing Yellow Dragon Sovereign's provocation.
As the overseer of the Punishment Hall, he was a man who preferred direct action, and since he and Yellow Dragon were old rivals, he was ready to strike at any moment.
However, Elder Zhu Tian, who often assisted Dean Tai in managing the academy, still maintained his composure.
He simply gave Yellow Dragon a faint glance and said, "If Yellow Dragon Sovereign has so much free time, perhaps you should focus on managing your Demonic Dargon Palace's so-called geniuses. Otherwise, if all of them end up like Yu Yuan—slaughtered by others—your Demonic Dargon Palace may soon have no successors left."
"You…"
The lightly spoken words struck Yellow Dragon Sovereign like a heavy blow, leaving him momentarily speechless.
The Demonic Dargon Palace had cultivated three seed prodigies in this generation, a fact well known across the Northern Heaven Continent. Yet not long ago, one of them—the infamous Blood Demon Dragon Yu Yuan—had been slain.
Although no one knew exactly who had done it, rumor had it that before Yu Yuan's death, he had attacked a Northern Heaven Spiritual Academy expedition team. Soon after, news of his death spread. The identity of the killer was therefore not hard to guess.
The two mighty factions had been locked in enmity for years, their younger generations constantly clashing. Though both sides restrained their upper echelons from intervening directly, the hatred between them had long since grown irreconcilable.
Neither side was one they could afford to offend. To recklessly meddle in a feud of this level would bring the danger of annihilation, even for a top-tier faction. Thus, almost the entire continent chose to stay neutral, watching from the sidelines.
While the outside world was locked in confrontation, Liu Bai, under the protection of the Five Elemental Divine Light Barrier, had already passed safely through the violent Tempest Winds and leaped onto a high ridge.
From this vantage point, he could see the raging tornado not far ahead. The storm was pitch black, and the countless Spatial Blades sweeping forth from it tore the land below into countless ravines.
Deep within the storm, the light he had seen before had grown even brighter, allowing Liu Bai to clearly discern the object within it.
Of course, there were countless cultivators who had entered the Divine Spiritual Mountain, and many of them were just as bold. Hence, many pairs of eyes were already fixed upon this place.
Within his spiritual perception, Liu Bai sensed several powerful presences hidden in the shadows nearby. Most of them were at the mid-phase of the Heaven Completion Realm, and a few even gave off an aura stronger than his own, likely having reached the Late-phase of the Heaven Completion Realm.
It must be known that among all the young elites who had entered the Divine Spiritual Mountain this time, aside from Ding Xuan, those at the Late-phase of the Heaven Completion Realm already stood among the top ranks.
These people were qualified to contend for the Divine Spiritual Baptism, so after entering the mountain, their first goal had naturally been the Baptism Grounds. Very few, like Liu Bai, chose to explore the outer regions in search of treasures.
Now that so many had gathered here, it was clear that whatever was hidden within that raging storm was truly tempting.
"Judging by the situation, they're all waiting for the storm to weaken before making their move."
Since these people had all chosen to lie in ambush rather than rush in, it was obvious they intended to use others as cannon fodder to test the storm's strength first.
At least they had some sense.
But Liu Bai was not about to wait.
As he observed, it was clear that everyone here shared the same plan. Once the storm weakened, they would all attack simultaneously. When that happened, the situation would descend into chaos, and the difficulty of seizing the treasure would multiply.
Taking advantage of chaos was only beneficial when one lacked strength. Now that Liu Bai was the strongest person present, why would he give others such an opportunity?
With a single thought, the Innate Five Spirit Disk within his Qi Sea flew above his head. Radiant beams of divine light cascaded down, forming a five-colored curtain that enveloped his entire body.
After making his preparations, Liu Bai's figure shot forth, charging directly toward the storm above.
His sudden action instantly drew everyone's attention.
When many saw someone attempting to force their way into the storm, most revealed mocking sneers.
"Damn, someone's trying to force their way through the Tempest Winds!"
"A Mid-Phase Heaven Completion Realm cultivator? What kind of idiot is that? With that level of strength, he's just courting death."
"How ignorant. One must have the fortune to bear a treasure's blessing. No matter how precious a treasure is, you need the fate to claim it."
Of course, while many waited to see Liu Bai suffer, some, upon seeing him charge forward, became afraid that he might actually succeed in taking the treasure first. They immediately followed, rushing in after him.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
As Liu Bai neared the tornado, the sound of roaring gales erupted around him. Countless black Spatial Blades shot out in every direction like a rainstorm.
Ah! Ah!
Miserable screams filled the air. Yet, they did not come from Liu Bai—but from those who had rushed in behind him.
The boundless spiritual power surrounding their bodies was instantly shredded apart by the Spatial Blades. Without their protection, their bodies were sliced into countless pieces, blood raining down across the sky.
Only a few who possessed defensive Spiritual artifacts managed to survive the first strike. The artifacts blocked the Spatial Blades for a brief instant, giving them the chance to retreat in panic. But even they paid a terrible price.
By the time they crashed back to the ground in horror, they were covered in blood, their bodies carved with ghastly wounds.
The sight immediately woke up those who had still been tempted to act. Their backs were already soaked in cold sweat.
If they had followed their impulse just now, their fate would likely have been the same as those miserable fools.
"It's all that guy's fault! He threw his life away and dragged so many others down with him!" many cursed inwardly, blaming Liu Bai for their own greed, refusing to admit it had been their avarice that led to such disaster.
Of course, everyone who had charged in was now either dead or severely wounded. Those few who barely escaped were pale with terror.
Yet when everyone turned their gaze back toward Liu Bai, their eyes widened in disbelief.
The so-called "culprit" had not been forced back or torn apart by the Spatial Blades. On the contrary, he was still advancing and was already on the verge of entering the very heart of the storm.
....
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