Chapter 046: Reaching the Summit

Inside the room, the dense essence of heaven and earth vibrated continuously, converging into Yang Tian's body like dozens of streams. The long river of blood and qi floating on his qi sea rolled incessantly, on the verge of bursting, but Yang Tian forcibly suppressed it, compressing and solidifying the energy within the blood river.

When a ray of dawn light filtered through the window into the room, the slightly dim space gradually brightened with the spreading sunlight, until a wisp of light fell upon Yang Tian's face.

"Hoo." Slowly opening his tightly shut eyes, sensing that the blood and qi within him had solidified a bit more, Yang Tian exhaled a breath, stood up slowly, and patted his somewhat stiff arm.

"Xiao Bai, time to get up." Seeing Xiao Bai still lost in dreams, with a trace of drool at the corner of his mouth, Yang Tian patted Xiao Bai's head and said with a slight smile.

"Woof woof." Lifting his eyelids, his big black eyes rolled, and he pounced toward Yang Tian.

"Today is the day the Martial Dao Mountain opens. Let me see how miraculous this place is, where countless forces spare no expense to enter." After tidying up a bit in the room, Yang Tian walked out the door.

Martial Dao Mountain is an ancient battlefield, a burial ground for the strong, with countless inheritances. But it also depends on one's ability; few gain the recognition of these ancient, powerful figures. Some inheritances have been preserved from ancient times to the present, even including sect legacies.

Martial Dao Mountain opens once every thirty years, jointly controlled by some superpowers of the Eastern Continent. Occasionally, an invitation that leaks out is auctioned at a sky-high price, triggering a frenzy among major forces.

Ten li ahead of Martial Dao City, a peak soaring into the clouds stood like a sharp sword. Figures moved on the mountainside, strange beasts cried out, and the vast aura made passersby involuntarily turn their heads.

At the foot of the mountain, people were already climbing up one after another, but their progress was extremely slow. Some even had pale faces, with sweat beads the size of beans streaming down, as if enduring great pain.

At the mountain's summit, a massive stone stood as if overlooking all beings, engraved with "Martial Dao Mountain." In the belly of the stone, a white light gate shimmered. The tightly shut gate remained unchanged through the ages, ancient and weathered, as if it had endured countless tribulations.

At the foot of the mountain, Yang Tian hurried over, his pace noticeably slower than usual. Looking at the dense crowd of heads on the mountainside, he murmured to himself: "It seems having an invitation doesn't guarantee entry. This martial pressure isn't easy to pass, especially for those whose strength is built on pills."

Pausing, Yang Tian walked toward several white-robed men standing at the foot of the mountain. These were the people checking invitations. Although this place was controlled by the top powers of the Eastern Continent, there were always some audacious ones trying to fish in troubled waters.

"Stop!" One of them, a handsome young man, saw Yang Tian shrouded in a black robe, a shadow of gloom flashing in his eyes, and immediately shouted.

Hearing this, Yang Tian frowned slightly and walked straight past him, ignoring him, heading toward the man behind the white-robed youth.

"How dare you! I told you to stop, didn't you hear? Have you done something shameful? Take off that hood!" The cold gaze fixed on Yang Tian. As a collateral disciple of an ancient aristocratic family, there were some people he could afford to offend.

The handsome man's angry shout drew the attention of many around. He was a collateral disciple of the ancient Li family, usually arrogant and often bullying disciples of minor families, yet no one dared to stop him.

"Why is this guy wearing a black robe? Is he trying to force his way in?" Strange looks swept over the black-robed man. Dressed like Yang Tian, he was indeed rare at Martial Dao Mountain.

"Is there something?" Yang Tian glanced back at him and said indifferently, then turned and handed the invitation to a slightly stunned young man beside him.

"You..." A surge of anger rose in his heart. When he saw Yang Tian produce the invitation, his fists clenched with a crackling sound, and he coldly shouted: "Don't think that just because you have an invitation, you can be arrogant here. Believe me, I can kill you right now."

"This is... the five-claw invitation of the Qingyang Empire." The man beside him took the invitation from Yang Tian, glanced at it, and his expression instantly froze. The five-claw mark was the exclusive invitation of the Great Prince. He would never believe that the black-robed man before him could have stolen it from the Great Prince.

"Li Jidong, shut up!" The man holding the invitation quickly roared, startling Li Jidong into silence. Then, with a fawning look at Yang Tian, he said ingratiatingly: "Young master, please don't be angry. He failed to recognize a true mountain. Young master, please come in."

"Mm." Nodding, Yang Tian walked forward. Before he had taken two steps, he suddenly turned back and said with a faint smile to the dazed handsome man: "So your name is Li Jidong. I'll remember you."

With that, Yang Tian turned and headed up the mountain.

"What does he mean..." Li Jidong was momentarily stunned, but quickly recovered, his face turning ugly. He hurried over to the man who had just shouted at him and asked with a slightly trembling voice: "Brother Huang, he... he... who is he?"

"Heh, who is he?" The man laughed: "The five-claw invitation of the Qingyang Empire—who do you think he is? It seems I heard a couple of days ago that Li Xuan, a direct disciple of your family, was punched ten thousand li away by Qing Rufeng, becoming a hot topic after meals."

"The Great Prince's man." Li Jidong's eyes bulged wide, a look of terror spreading across his face. But before the terror could settle, a hint of doubt appeared on his face.

"No, Qing Rufeng's invitation, and wearing a black robe—he must be Yang Tian!" Li Jidong suddenly remembered Li Hongtao's instructions today. He then took out a jade slip, his lips moving continuously. After speaking, he crushed the jade slip directly.

"Yang Tian, you dare to toy with me, just wait to die!" Li Jidong, the black-robed man walking toward the mountain peak, grinned ferociously. If not for the Martial Dao Mountain forbidding them from going up, he would have charged up already.

At the upper position, a youth in a magnificent purple robe, his complexion somewhat pale, possessed terrifying vitality within him. Wind howled and exploded repeatedly—an unusual phenomenon, but not yet fully formed.

At that moment, his foot, about to step forward, abruptly halted. A jade slip appeared directly above his head. He waved his hand, and the jade slip fell into his palm.

After a few breaths, the jade slip in his hand was crushed by the purple-robed youth. His handsome face suddenly twisted with ferocity, and a cold voice exploded in his heart: "Yang Tian, you really did come. I'll deal with you inside."

While he was distracted, several youths around his age had already overtaken him by some distance. Li Hongtao's heart sank, and he hurriedly pursued them.

"It seems the higher you climb, the stronger the pressure." Yang Tian ascended step by step, neither fast nor slow. The waves of martial will descended upon his head, making his mind feel somewhat heavy.

A black-robed man had just arrived, drawing the attention of many. On either side of him, tens of thousands of dispirited youths climbed upward, some even staggering, occasionally sitting down to recover their spirits.

On the entire Martial Dao Mountain, a single stone staircase led straight to the peak. About tens of thousands of youths were on the stairs, with an endless stream of people surging in. Most were outstanding figures of the younger generation.

Many with surging vitality climbed upward. The Martial Dao Mountain was a great opportunity. Saint-level figures had all suppressed their cultivation, not breaking through to the martial realm, waiting for this day.

At noon, a cold wind howled, and the peak was bitterly cold. The bone-chilling wind wailed like a ferocious beast roaring. On the stone steps, many people's lips turned white. They had to withstand not only the pressure of martial will but also the assault of the cold wind.

A very few swayed unsteadily, and some with insufficient martial willpower had their heads swell, unable to condense their blood and qi, failing to resist the ravages of the cold wind, and fell off the mountain.

At the center of the mountain, Yang Tian slowly lifted his foot, vastly different from those around him. His pores were tightly closed, mist rose within his body, his five organs vibrated, vast vitality rolled continuously, and his muscles contracted, tearing the surrounding vacuum, producing faint explosive sounds.

"Which family's disciple is this? His vitality is so strong, only a notch below the reserve saints of some ancient families."

"Yeah, look, his steps never pause. His martial will far surpasses ours by two levels." Two youths from the same family spoke in low voices, watching the black-robed man's relaxed demeanor, secretly annoyed that they hadn't trained hard, and that the great opportunity was slipping away from them.

Yang Tian climbed step by step, his body becoming more crystalline under the cold air. He couldn't help but marvel at the wonder of the War Heaven Art. The higher he went, the colder it became, and most youths had to expend considerable effort to resist the waves of cold.

"This little fellow is truly extraordinary. He's actually sound asleep. Does this martial pressure pose no threat to him at all?" Detecting a faint snore, Yang Tian was slightly startled, then couldn't help but exclaim inwardly.

Ordinary exotic beasts are extremely afraid of martial pressure, especially the will emanating from Martial Dao Mountain, which carries a hint of ancient flavor. This innate fear comes from deep within their bloodline.

In ancient times, humans and the hundred races fought great wars, and the demon beast race suffered no small losses. Therefore, deep in their bloodline, they harbor a fear of martial will, let alone Martial Dao Mountain. Of course, this also depends on cultivation level.

After climbing toward the peak for another two hours, they were almost at the top. Faintly, several dozen figures could be seen sitting cross-legged on the peak. The number of people near Yang Tian had also decreased considerably; most were stopping and starting.

A black-robed man attracted many people's attention. Yang Tian's steps never paused; he had caught up to many along the way, and even some with strong vitality had been left behind.

Just as Yang Tian overtook a white-robed youth holding a folding fan, a vicious gaze instantly shifted to Yang Tian, an arrogant face filled with murderous intent.

At that moment, Yang Tian sensed the gaze and frowned slightly. He glanced at the white-robed youth behind him, then curled his lips into a cold smile and walked straight ahead.

"Xiao Hai, he's the black-robed man from that day." Beside the white-robed youth, a youth with a cold expression glanced at the black-robed man and then said in a low voice.

"Big brother, it's him, that black-robed man." Huang Hai's face was filled with anger. That day, after offending the black-robed man, he had been confined at home for three days, missing even the auction. If not for the opening of Martial Dao Mountain, he wouldn't have been let out today.

"This man is not simple." Sensing the vast vitality within the black-robed man, Huang Bo's eyes flickered with caution, and he secretly speculated about Yang Tian's identity.

"No matter how strong he is, he can't withstand the two of us联手." Huang Hai clenched his fist and grinned ferociously.

"Right, he must die!" Huang Bo nodded in agreement. Offending someone with such limitless potential must be nipped in the bud.

"Jumping clowns." Yang Tian shook his head slightly and quickened his pace. When he saw two figures ahead, a trace of surprise crossed his face: "Those two are also going to Martial Dao Mountain."

Ahead were Xing Hao and Yun'er. Especially Yun'er, with her jade-like countenance, drew many sidelong glances. The green-dressed girl, with a flawless face and her long black hair casually coiled with a jade hairpin, stood proudly like a green lotus, indifferent to the admiring gazes around her.