Chapter 518 - 516: The Stone on the Mountaintop

Lan Yunzhu’s cheeks puffed up in anger. She glared at Li Qiye and said, "Uncle, you’re looking down on me too much. Back at the Holy Lake, I had three Heavenly Destiny True Stones acknowledge me at once, and all three of them were of the eight Dao Celestial Essence! Hmph, I’m even pretty confident about getting a nine Dao Celestial Essence Heavenly Destiny True Stone."

Li Qiye laughed and said, "Just as we’ve said before, a Heavenly Destiny True Stone isn’t necessarily stronger just because it has more Dao Essences. Some Heavenly Dao True Stones might not have nine or eight Dao Celestial Essences, but they’re still very proud. There are some special Heavenly Destiny True Stones that won’t acknowledge anyone, no matter how talented or astonishing they are."

"Hmph. How about we make a bet?" Lan Yunzhu shot him an irritated glare. "Tell me which Heavenly Destiny True Stone it is right now. Let me see for myself just how incredible it is."

"Of course," Li Qiye said, smiling at her. "I just don’t know what you want to bet. But don’t come crying to me if you lose!"

Provoked by Li Qiye, Lan Yunzhu stared at him in annoyance. However, her beautiful eyes, full of spiritual energy, darted about. She didn’t stay angry; instead, she put on a charming smile and said, "Uncle, why don’t we make the bet bigger? When we go up the mountain in a bit, let’s bet on who can get more Heavenly Destiny True Stones to acknowledge them. Whoever gets the most acknowledgements wins. What do you think, Uncle?"

"You really want to bet?" Li Qiye looked at her and couldn’t help but laugh. An amusing thought occurred to him. He asked, "Do you really think you’ll win?"

Lan Yunzhu puffed her cheeks slightly, then blinked and said with a grin, "Of course I dare to bet. If a little lady like me dares, surely you wouldn’t be afraid to, Uncle? If you lose, how about you give me a drop of Starry Universe Water?"

Li Qiye chuckled. "So, you little minx, you’ve been after my Starry Universe Water this whole time. But what if you lose? What will you give me then?"

Lan Yunzhu puffed out her ample chest and said, "Uncle, I can afford to lose. Treasure Artifacts, Immortal Objects, Elixirs... name your price. As long as it’s something I can get, I won’t hesitate."

Li Qiye stroked his chin, his eyes raking over Lan Yunzhu from top to bottom. He chuckled teasingly, "Treasure Artifacts and Immortal Objects hold no appeal for me. How about this: if you lose, you strip naked for me tonight and let me have a good long look."

"Strip my ass, you dead-head! You pervert!" Lan Yunzhu’s face instantly turned crimson. Seething with rage, she kicked out viciously at him, grinding her teeth in fury.

Li Qiye just laughed and said leisurely, "Well, little minx? Do you dare to bet or not?"

Lan Yunzhu’s lovely face was flushed red with anger as she glared at Li Qiye. Her flushed cheeks, her shy-yet-furious expression, and her glistening eyes that seemed on the verge of overflowing made her look truly beautiful and captivating.

However, before the bet between Lan Yunzhu and Li Qiye could begin, a figure suddenly descended from the sky at the foot of Divine Dragon Mountain.

"The successor of the Yu Shan Old Immortal Kingdom!" Seeing this person descend from the sky, every Cultivator—whether they had just arrived at Divine Dragon Mountain or were already on the mountain trying their luck—was visibly moved.

"Xian Fan—" Even Lan Yunzhu was surprised to see the person who had suddenly descended from the sky.

The person who descended was indeed Xian Fan, the successor of the Yu Shan Old Immortal Kingdom. He was still completely encased in the Five Elements Immortal Armor, making his face and even his build completely indiscernible. It could be said that from the very beginning, no one knew if the person within the Five Elements Immortal Armor was male or female. They only knew that he was of the Human Race, that his name was Xian Fan, and that he was the successor of the Yu Shan Old Immortal Kingdom. Beyond that, outsiders knew nothing about him.

’An existence capable of fighting the Emperor.’ Seeing Xian Fan arrive, even the proud and arrogant Ghost Race felt a chill in their hearts. Whether it was the young geniuses or the old grandees of the Ghost Race, none dared to underestimate the person before them.

"It’s a shame the First Evil Tomb opened a bit early. He and the Emperor couldn’t determine a winner and both rushed to get in here." Someone said with awe, looking at Xian Fan completely enveloped in the Five Elements Immortal Armor.

Before, the divine might of the Three Heroes of the Netherworld was unchallenged among the younger generation. Then came Li Qiye, who swept through the Ghost Race, slaughtered thousands of enemies single-handedly, and struck terror across the Ghost Sacred Realm. This let everyone know that the Human Race in the Ghost Sacred Realm had finally produced a fierce character who could challenge the authority of the Ghost Race.

Now, however, a Xian Fan had appeared, an existence who had been completely unknown before this. And unlike Li Qiye, who people only speculated could challenge the Emperor, Xian Fan had actually fought the Emperor. Furthermore, that battle was earth-shattering, and they had ended it without a clear winner before hastily entering the First Evil Tomb!

"Our Human Race’s Two Saints are in no way inferior to the Ghost Race’s Three Heroes! Heh, in this generation, our Human Race is definitely not weaker than the Ghost Race. In the future struggle for the Immortal Emperor Path, it’s still uncertain who will come out on top!" Seeing Xian Fan, a Human Race Cultivator in the crowd couldn’t help but say excitedly, "The Ghost Race has their Three Heroes, and our Human Race has our Two Saints!"

Recently, some busybodies had started calling Li Qiye and Xian Fan the Two Saints of the Human Race.

Such words were very unpleasant for the Ghost Race Cultivators to hear, but at this moment, all the Ghost Race Cultivators present chose to remain silent.

Within the Ghost Race, the Emperor’s fame was widespread, and his prestige was not to be challenged. Among the Ghosts, both the older and younger generations held the Emperor in high regard. One could say that the Emperor had the unanimous approval of the entire Ghost Race.

Yet, who would have thought that Xian Fan would fight the Emperor to a draw? Although the battle ended hastily and abruptly, everyone had to admit that Xian Fan truly possessed the strength to fight the Emperor.

Before this, the Ghost Race, especially the younger generation, had utterly looked down on the Human Race. But now, the Human Race had first produced the fierce Li Qiye, and then the mysterious Xian Fan. This made it difficult for the Ghost Race, especially the younger ones, to maintain their arrogance.

"Truly incredible," Lan Yunzhu murmured as she observed Xian Fan’s condition. "I’m afraid the Emperor didn’t get any advantage over him." Although they hadn’t witnessed the battle, Lan Yunzhu could guess how it went just by looking at Xian Fan’s state.

"It’s not surprising." Li Qiye also glanced at Xian Fan, who was completely encased in the Five Elements Immortal Armor. "Being able to obtain the Five Elements Immortal Armor is enough to prove how extraordinary he is. That thing is extremely picky about its master, and incredibly arrogant!" This situation was entirely within his expectations.

Even without knowing Xian Fan’s cultivation realm or what Emperor Techniques he practiced, Li Qiye understood a great deal just by seeing the Five Elements Immortal Armor on him. The Five Elements Immortal Armor was itself a symbol of strength. Without sufficient strength, it would be impossible to obtain it!

After arriving, Xian Fan didn’t linger at the foot of the mountain but headed straight for the summit.

"Could he also be here for that stone?" a Cultivator murmured, seeing Xian Fan head straight for the summit.

"It seems so." Everyone on Divine Dragon Mountain stopped what they were doing, their gazes fixed on Xian Fan. Meanwhile, Xian Fan didn’t pause for a moment, continuing his ascent to the summit.

"He is indeed here for that stone," an Elder Cultivator who had arrived at Divine Dragon Mountain early and knew a lot of inside information murmured. "He wants to give it a try, too."

"That’s not strange. Tian Lunhui came, the Emperor came, and later, chosen ones like Saint Child Ji Que and the Ghost Insect Demon Child all came. Anyone who is qualified enough wants to give it a try," a Sect Leader commented.

"What’s on the summit?" Lan Yunzhu, who didn’t know, asked Li Qiye beside her as she watched Xian Fan ascend.

Li Qiye narrowed his eyes, watching Xian Fan as he said, "A Heavenly Destiny True Stone. A one-of-a-kind Heavenly Destiny True Stone that no one has ever obtained since the dawn of time."

At this moment, countless pairs of eyes were fixed on the summit. A Ghost Race Cultivator couldn’t help but ask, "Tian Lunhui failed, and the Emperor failed. Can he really do it?"

"I don’t know. It wouldn’t be surprising if he fails," said a Ghost Race Clan Leader from the North Marsh. "According to the records of the Mingdu Marsh, it is said that the Mingdu Immortal Emperor once came here after he had already become an Immortal Emperor. Legend has it that even then, the Mingdu Immortal Emperor wanted to obtain this stone and have it acknowledge him as its master. Unfortunately, he ultimately failed. The stone did not acknowledge the Mingdu Immortal Emperor."

"What? It wouldn’t even acknowledge an Immortal Emperor? That’s an Immortal Emperor we’re talking about!" Hearing this, many people were shocked.

If an Immortal Emperor couldn’t gain its acknowledgment when he was young, that would be understandable. After all, until the very end, who could know who would become an Immortal Emperor?

But at that time, the Mingdu Immortal Emperor was already an Invincible Immortal Emperor, an existence who looked down upon the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands. For the stone to refuse to acknowledge even him... how could this not be shocking!

"Just what kind of stone is it that it wouldn’t even acknowledge an Immortal Emperor?" Lan Yunzhu also heard this and was moved. In this world, there is nothing stronger than an Immortal Emperor. For this stone to reject even one... it was simply too incredible to believe.

"A very proud stone," Li Qiye murmured, gazing at the summit.

At this moment, everyone was watching Xian Fan, whether they were from the Human Race or the Ghost Race. The Ghosts, in particular, hoped he would fail. Their most talented geniuses, the Emperor and Tian Lunhui, had both come and failed. If Xian Fan were to succeed now, it would be a huge blow to the pride of the Ghost Race.

In fact, ever since people found out about the stone on the summit that wouldn’t even acknowledge an Immortal Emperor, many geniuses had come to try their luck, to see if they could make it acknowledge them.

In just a few short days, an unknown number of people had tried. The Emperor, Tian Lunhui, Saint Child Ji Que, the Ghost Insect Demon Child, and other successors of Emperor Immortal Gates had all tried. As for the many other geniuses and even unknown juniors, they had all given it a shot as well.

But not a single person had succeeded. Not one had managed to earn the stone’s acknowledgment.