Alchemy Emperor of the Divine Dao

Chapter 2185: Rolling rocks

After walking for a day, the mountain path began to slant. Slightly further ahead, two mountain paths had joined, and become one.

If they continued upwards, the mountain paths would continue to join, and ultimately become a single mountain path that would lead right up to the Dragon’s Gate.

After another day’s journey, the mountain paths joined once more, and this time, it was four joined into one.

Everyone could feel the difficulties of their journey. It was as if they had become mortals, but the object they had to conquer was a mountain that ascended to the heavens. How could they possibly succeed in such a feat?

Thus, it was not strength, cultivation level, or natural talent that was required to ascend the Dragon’s Gate Mountain, but rather only a determined will and the courage to conquer all.

Ling Han included, the pressure that everyone had to sustain was actually different. Even if Ling Han had cultivated the Dividing Nine Souls, and had nine Source Powers of heaven and earth, he did not have any advantage in this place at all, either.

Everyone was soaked in sweat, and felt extremely weary. They wanted nothing more than to stop for a rest, or even turn right around and descend the mountain.

“True elites would have to have willpower as strong and firm as iron.”

“We must all forge on!”

Another day passed, and it was no longer the barren mountain path ahead of them. Instead, a group of people had appeared, and they were presently seated on rocks for a rest.

These people had also heard the noise created by Ling Han and his group as they climbed, and turned their eyes towards them, a vigilant expression immediately appearing on their faces.

In this place, a high cultivation level was not of much use. Even an Ascending Origin Tier could possibly be killed by a Severing Mundane Tier.

There were a total of nine people in this group, and a purple-robed middle-aged man stood up from the group, and shouted at Ling Han, “Friend, don’t go any further.”

“Why?” Ling Han asked smilingly.

“If you continue onwards, we will consider you an enemy and kill you!” this purple-robed large man declared, a powerful killing intent appearing in his expression.

This group of people were all members of the Battle Dragon Palace, and the purple-robed large man, their leader, was an Ascending Origin Tier elite. However, what was important here was merely willpower, and not cultivation level, and these people all belonged to the category of weaker willpower. Thus, they continuously stopped to rest, and had already split off from the rest of the majority.

At present, everyone had practically been weakened to mortal level. So what if he was an Ascending Origin Tier?

Thus, they all feared that Ling Han and his group would use force, and naturally hoped that they would not come nearer, but would instead mind their own business.

Ling Han thought of the storm of darkness. Suppressing his anger, he said, “Don’t worry. There is no previous grudge between us, and conflict will not rise between us. Thus, you guys just have to quietly sit there, and we will only pass you by on our way up the mountain.”

“Ha, you actually plan to take advantage of the chance to launch an ambush on us, right?” someone from the Battle Dragon Palace called out.

Ling Han couldn’t help but shake his head. These people themselves were vile, mean characters, and thought everyone else were the same as them.

He had initially been unwilling to further weaken the strength of the Celestial Realm on the basis of his considerations of the storm of darkness, but upon further thought, what were these vile characters useful for? To be blunt, they might probably be the first batch of traitors when the storm of darkness invaded.

There was no need to be polite, nor was there anything to be polite about.

Ling Han strode forwards. “Since you are unwilling to listen to nice words, I can only resort to force.”

“Ha, brat, you’ve shown your true colors now, haven’t you!” The members of the Battle Dragon Palace all pointed at Ling Han, ‘I’ve seen through your paltry tricks now’ written all over their proud expressions.

Ling Han didn’t even bother to give them any regard. He strode forwards, his hands balling into fists, which he shot forwards.

Peng! Peng! Peng!

Not one of them was a match for him, and they were all sent flying with a single punch.

Even if their cultivation levels were all at Mountain River Tier, the advantage of Ling Han having cultivated to the Fifth Severance and having Nine Divided Souls would not be erased. It would only be weakened, but he would still be incredibly powerful.

The heaven and earth were just, pulling everyone’s cultivation level to the same level, but because the heaven and earth were just, the heaven and earth also would not ignore the amount of effort that you had placed, cultivating to the Fifth Severance, forming Nine Divided Souls, and so on.

“Let’s go.”

They continued climbing. Another three days later, the women were finally worn out, and had to stop for a rest. They ingested some alchemical pills at the same time to replenish their greatly expended Origin Power.

Meanwhile, Ling Han and Hu Niu feasted. Their Body Arts were extremely brilliant, and could be extraordinarily useful here because stamina could be recovered by simply eating, unlike Origin Power, which required absorbing Spiritual Qi.

In this manner, they stopped and climbed, climbed and stopped, and about a month later, 18 branch paths had joined into one, and there appeared multiple massive rolling rocks ahead of them.

A great many people were pushing these rocks up the mountain, and they were all covered in sweat, veins popping on their foreheads in their exertion. Some could not persist, and the moment they let go, their rolling rocks would instantly press towards them, pushing them down onto the ground, and heavily rolling over them.

Peng!

The strange thing was the rolling rocks did not roll all the way downhill, but rather stopped bizarrely in a spot that was about 30 meters uphill of Ling Han, as if there was an invisible wall that had stopped their progress.

It was naturally impossible that these people would be pushing these rocks for no reason. It had surely been a necessary choice.

“Let’s give it a try.” Ling Han walked further up the mountain, but immediately discovered that not only the rocks were blocked by an invisible wall, but he himself was too.

He tried to push a rolling rock, yet discovered that this rock was actually capable of passing through that “wall”, allowing him to continue his progress onwards. However, this rock was too heavy, and he was immediately sweating profusely.

Ling Han stopped after trying for a short while, and returned the rolling rock to its position. Then, he tried to directly tear a hole through that invisible wall, but no matter what he did, it was all fruitless.

“Pu!” Someone immediately spluttered out in laughter. “Idiot!”

Wasn’t it obvious? Everyone was pushing rocks here. Did you think that they were all fools?

Ling Han glanced at him, but did not speak.

If they were to do the same as everyone else, how were they supposed to stand out from the rest?

Of course, perhaps the only method was really to push the rock up the mountain, but choosing to go with the flow without even making his own attempts, how could this kind of person possibly have any future?

In this place, Ling Han’s nine Source Powers of heaven and earth seemed to have entered into a deep slumber, and his divided souls naturally could not be released, either. He was not the only one; Hu Niu and the Empress were the same as well, causing their battle prowess to be weakened to an unprecedented level.

Thus, Ling Han was even less capable of breaking through this invisible wall.

“Hey, what are you glaring at me for?” The person that had previously scoffed at Ling Han actually didn’t give it up, and shouted at Ling Han, “What is it? Are you asking for a fight?”

Ling Han ignored him. It looked like the only way really was to push the rock up the mountain.

The reason he wanted to find out if there were other ways was naturally out of consideration for the women. He feared that some among them would not be able to hold on. Then, not only would they be unable to advance into Severing Mundane Tier, even their lives would possibly be at risk.

Previously, he had seen some people being crushed by the rolling rocks, and they had directly died from the impact.

Seeing how Ling Han was unwilling to even respond, that person naturally was mad with fury. With great strides, he rushed towards Ling Han.

Peng!

He had not reached him when he was sent flying with a punch from a green-robed young man.

“Brother Ling!” The green-robed young man greeted with a grin.

Ling Han turned around, and couldn’t help but feel shocked as he replied, “Brother Yan!”

This person was actually Yan Xianlu!

…After entering this place, Ling Han had naturally regained his original appearance.

“Haha, long time no see!” Yan Xianlu clapped a hand on Ling Han’s shoulder, then leaned towards him, and whispered, “I have already joined the alliance, so please take care of me in the future, Brother Ling.”

Ling Han faltered. He had not thought that Yi would have been so fast, and had already managed to gather a group of people to him.

He smiled widely, and answered, “Of course.”

“That’s right, Brother Ling, just what level has your strength reached by now that you can make Yi submit willingly to you, and be so utterly impressed with you?” Yan Xianlu was extremely curious. He knew just how strong Yi was, but Yi’s expression was filled with reverence when he mentioned Ling Han. This kind of expression appearing on the face of a monarch tier was an absolutely inconceivable matter.

“Merely Dividing Soul Tier,” Ling Han said.

“Oh.” Yan Xianlu nodded, but was not overly surprised.