BOOM!

The Dragon-Tiger Ghoul's fist, carrying the power of Nirvana, appeared before Shen Mo.

HUM!

CLANG!

The Sword Light of the Demon Slaying Sword whirled, like a sharp blade cutting through metal, emitting a teeth-grating, harsh sound.

In the next instant, the Sword Light surged!

CRACK! CRACK!

The Dragon-Tiger Ghoul's tempered fist was instantly crushed to powder by the Demon Slaying Sword, scattering in all directions.

But it wasn't over. A ray of light, carrying terrifying sword intent, then swiftly cleaved into the Ghoul's skull.

CRACK!

The Ghoul, in which Xun Tian had placed high hopes, had its head roll off.

"Damn it! Damn it! I won't rest until you're dead!"

Xun Tian's face grew maniacal as he swallowed a Madness Pill. His destinied magic artifact, the Soul-binding Pearl, Grade III Killing Wind Talismans, and other destructive abilities were constantly unleashed.

"If you had taken the Madness Heart-devouring Pill, I might have been cautious. But now..."

Shen Mo's expression remained impassive; he simply executed the Supreme Clarity Sword Technique with the Demon Slaying Sword.

The majestic Sword Light destroyed Xun Tian's offensive in an instant, sending him flying.

Without a backward glance, Shen Mo once again flew towards the stone steps of Tianshan Mountain.

Due to Xun Tian's delay, he had slipped to ninth place. If he delayed any longer, he feared he wouldn't be the reliable counterpart Lu Ming needed.

As for Xun Tian, with his Ghoul, magic artifact, talismans, and numerous other assets destroyed, and having endured Shen Mo's attacks, he would likely only rank among the last few.

At this moment, Shen Mo felt a touch of wistfulness.

Half a year ago, his strength was comparable to Xun Tian's, and he had been extremely wary of the Ghoul under Xun Tian's command. Now, without even resorting to his trump cards, he could grievously injure him with his sword skills alone!

The path of cultivation is truly like rowing a boat upstream: not advancing means falling back. There is absolutely no room for complacency!

On the floating stone platform, the expressions of the Spirit Sea Realm experts from the Ghost Corpse School turned quite unsightly.

Xun Tian's Master, Yanshi Master, had an incredibly gloomy expression, so dark it seemed like water could drip from it.

He had repeatedly instructed Xun Tian not to get caught up in disputes of pride and that assisting Li Chen in securing a ranking advantage was paramount.

Who could have predicted that Xun Tian, right at the start, would pick a fight to the death with a Riverside Sect disciple? And to top it off, he lost! Losing face and his fighting strength, he was likely powerless to help Li Chen now.

"Fellow Daoist Zhou, this disciple of yours has some skill. It seems he might be able to contend with Meng Sanchi, Li Chen, and the others for the top position in the Tianshan Grand Ceremony," quipped the leader of the Profound Moon School, covering her mouth with a chuckle.

She knew her own sect's situation well; with Xiao Ling'er's abilities, she likely couldn't compete with the others. If Xiao Ling'er could secure second or third place in this Grand Ceremony, she would be content. At this point, she was naturally happy to watch the drama unfold and fan the flames between the Riverside Sect and other sects.

Shen Mo's performance also surprised Zhou Shili!

In his view, his Direct Disciple, Lu Ming, was the one who would ensure the Riverside Sect achieved good results. This disciple, Shen Mo, was merely a pacer, meant to share Lu Ming's burden and offer support. Most of the peak's resources were allocated to Lu Ming; very little flowed to Shen Mo. Yet, this disciple had defeated Xun Tian of the Ghost Corpse School with such ease. Perhaps he truly could vie with Meng Sanchi and the others!

"Fellow Daoist Mei is joking. This disciple's victory over Xun Tian was merely a stroke of luck."

Though he said this, everyone could see the smile on Zhou Shili's face.

Shen Mo, unaware of the scheming and maneuvering on the floating stone platform, had already arrived before the Tianshan stone steps.

"A pity, still a step too slow!" Shen Mo sighed, looking at the figures of disciples continually climbing upwards ahead of him.

He felt no particular regret in his heart; he already had an old grudge with Xun Tian. It was quite normal for Xun Tian to target him first. Even if he hadn't fought back then and had started climbing the steps, Xun Tian wouldn't have been able to resist coming to cause trouble for him. It was just a matter of sooner or later.

Now, however, he had no choice but to start from ninth place and overtake the others one by one.

Tianshan Mountain has nine hundred and ninety-nine stone steps. Each step is narrow, wide enough for only one person. However, they are quite high and carved to be extremely steep.

Shen Mo strode forward and stepped onto the first stone step.

CREAK!

Suddenly, an immense force, like an iron anvil, slammed down on him.

Shen Mo roughly estimated that this single step alone exerted a pressure of over two hundred and fifty kilograms on him. He presumed that the higher he climbed, the stronger this force would become.

The sheer weight alone was not all. As he approached the sword Qi, its overwhelming pressure became even more terrifying.

Even Spirit Sea Realm experts would find it hard to endure the oppressive sword Qi to ascend the final few steps.

[You attempt to ascend Tianshan Mountain and face the oppressive sword Qi left by a Divine Bridge Realm Heavenly Monarch. You operate your cultivation method to resist this pressure, and your cultivation improves in the process.]

[You attempt to ascend Tianshan Mountain and face the oppressive sword Qi left by a Divine Bridge Realm Heavenly Monarch. You resist this pressure with your physical body. In this process, you have comprehended the finer points of the Three-Heads Six-Arms True Immortal Technique, and your Three-Heads Six-Arms True Immortal Technique experience +55.]

[You attempt to ascend Tianshan Mountain and face the oppressive sword Qi left by a Divine Bridge Realm Heavenly Monarch. You resist this pressure with your "Carefree" sword intent. In this process, your understanding of the Supreme Clarity Sword Technique has deepened, and your Supreme Clarity Sword Technique experience +40.]

[You begin to operate the Three-Heads Six-Arms True Immortal Technique...]

Noticing the feedback from the Destiny Panel, Shen Mo's face lit up with joy.

He hadn't expected that climbing the Tianshan Mountain steps would bring him such considerable benefits! His cultivation, vitality, and Sword Path all received varying degrees of tempering and enhancement. And this was merely what he gained from the first step! There were nearly a thousand stone steps on Tianshan Mountain. If he could climb to the nine hundred and ninety-ninth step and closely experience the profundity of the sword Qi left by the Heavenly Monarch, his gains from this trip would be unimaginably immense!

At this moment, thoughts of striving for a good result for the Riverside Sect, obtaining generous rewards from the Peak Master, displaying his prowess to Senior Sister Lingyin, and so on, were all pushed to the back of his mind. The idea of strengthening his own power was now his top priority!

CREAK!

He stepped onto the second stone step.

Strange sounds emitted from his body, but Shen Mo seemed oblivious, continuing his ascent.

Compared to Meng Sanchi, Li Chen, Lu Ming, Yang Chi, Xiao Ling'er, and the others, Shen Mo's climbing speed was not fast; it could even be described as slow.

But in his heart, he did not rush. He carefully sensed the omnipresent pressure from all directions, absorbing the tempering and benefits it brought him.

One step.

Two steps.

Three steps.

Shen Mo walked slowly, yet he gave off a feeling of steady and sure progress.

At the foot of Tianshan Mountain, the experts on the suspended stone platform and the numerous disciples on the flat ground below all had their eyes on the performance of the competing disciples.

The confrontation where Shen Mo powerfully defeated Xun Tian was indeed eye-catching. However, compared to the other Proud Disciples, he didn't seem as spectacular.

Especially when the others first set foot on the stone steps, the conflicts that erupted among them were brilliant and intense, a thrilling spectacle for the onlookers.

Only Zhao Lingyin's beautiful eyes remained fixed on Shen Mo.

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