Chapter 519 - 517: The Stone’s Pride

Xian Fan ascended the peak, where a single stone sat upon the summit. It was about the size of a washbasin, a dull, shallow gray. It looked utterly unremarkable; one might even say such stones were everywhere. Placed anywhere else, it was the kind of rock no one would spare a second glance.

The stone before them was simply too ordinary. Without knowing its origins, no one would ever think it was precious in any way.

’Is this stone really that miraculous? Is it as incredible as the legends say?’ In truth, more than one person had this thought. Many felt the stone didn’t live up to its reputation.

"It is." A member of the older generation spoke up. "Forget everything else. Of all the people who have come recently, countless have tried to take it away, and all have failed. Not to mention Tian Lunhui and Emperor’s Throne—just two days ago, an Elder Ancestor from the Ten Thousand Ancient Country came. He even tried to take it by force, but he couldn’t budge it in the slightest."

"Even an Elder Ancestor from the Ten Thousand Ancient Country couldn’t budge it?" Hearing this, many gasped in shock. The Ten Thousand Ancient Country was a lineage of Twin Emperors. One could only imagine how Defying Heaven an Elder Ancestor from such a place must be. Such an existence was far beyond what the elder ancestors of ordinary Great Teaching Territories could compare to.

Yet, even an Elder Ancestor of this caliber couldn’t move the stone at all. The thought was terrifying. This was a Great Sage Level character, perhaps even a being on par with a Worthy Ruler. Still, he was unable to take away this seemingly ordinary stone. It just went to show how frighteningly powerful this unremarkable rock truly was.

"Is this stone really that heaven-defying?" Lan Yunzhu stared at it. Even with her twin saint aptitude, she couldn’t sense anything different about it. Her aptitude made her extremely sensitive, yet she couldn’t detect even the faintest trace of a special aura from the stone.

Li Qiye looked at the stone on the summit and smiled. "If you can obtain it, any price would be worth paying. This stone is different from the rest; it’s just that special. It would be difficult for a stone like this to be born even in the most prosperous eras, past or present. Back then, even Mingdu Immortal Emperor tried to take this stone by force and failed."

"Even Mingdu Immortal Emperor couldn’t take it by force?" Lan Yunzhu’s heart skipped a beat. "But aren’t Immortal Emperors the only beings who can forcibly take a Heavenly Destiny True Stone? Is that legend not true?"

"It is true," Li Qiye nodded. "But it’s not a good thing to do. If an Immortal Emperor does it too often, they will suffer a backlash. This stone, however, is one of a kind. If an Immortal Emperor was truly willing to risk his life—to stake everything he had on taking it—it wouldn’t be impossible. But the price would be far too heavy."

At that moment, Xian Fan was seated on the peak, his palm resting upon the stone. Blood Qi swirled around his hand, at times forming a dragon, at others a phoenix. Although the Blood Qi around his palm was faint, the roaring sound it made was enough to make one’s heart pound in terror. It was like a monstrous wave crashing against the sky, like the roar of a dragon and the cry of a tiger. His Blood Qi was simply too powerful.

Just a few wisps of his Blood Qi were already this mighty. It was enough to make anyone’s expression change. No wonder he could fight Emperor’s Throne to a draw; he was truly heaven-defying.

With his Blood Qi swirling, Xian Fan slowly pressed it toward the stone, intending to merge with it. However, the stone unceremoniously repelled his Blood Qi.

How could a heaven-defying genius like Xian Fan give up so easily? His Blood Qi suddenly flared. In an instant, it was as if a True Dragon flew from his hand and an Immortal Phoenix coiled around his wrist. The draconic might and phoenix-like grace were incomparably domineering. The surging Blood Qi seemed capable of shattering the heavens. As it soared, it felt like a slap against the sky Above the Nine Heavens, powerful enough to knock stars from their perch.

This tyrannical and powerful display made the expressions of the onlookers on Divine Dragon Mountain change. Xian Fan was truly terrifying. Such strength absolutely put him above the rest of the younger generation. Indeed, only a chosen one like Emperor’s Throne could compete with him!

A RUMBLE echoed as if the entire Divine Dragon Mountain was trembling. The Blood Qi danced on Xian Fan’s palm, incredibly tyrannical, capable of overturning rivers and seas. He brought his palm down, pressing his Blood Qi against the stone, trying to force it to fuse with him.

BOOM! With a deafening explosion, it was as if the world had been blown apart and the stars shot down from the sky. Xian Fan’s Blood Qi was domineering and powerful, but the stone’s retaliation was even more heaven-defying. He was instantly thrown back. THUD, THUD, THUD! He stumbled back several steps.

Although his entire body was encased in the Five Elements Immortal Armor, obscuring his expression, one could easily imagine his shocked look after being repelled.

"Incredible. This stone is truly incredible. For a chosen one like Xian Fan, even a Heavenly Destiny True Stone with Nine Dao Celestial Essence would likely be willing to accept him as its master. But this stone rejected him." Everyone was moved when they saw its retaliation.

A Ghost Race cultivator nodded and said, "Emperor’s Throne’s Lifebound True Artifact was created through the Refinement of a Nine Dao Celestial Essence Heavenly Destiny True Stone. I heard that he once gained the recognition of two such Nine Dao Celestial Essence Heavenly Destiny Stones, and he chose one of them. Emperor’s Throne also wanted to obtain this stone, but alas, he was rejected."

"What a pity." Seeing that even Xian Fan couldn’t make the stone acknowledge him, the Human Race cultivators on Divine Dragon Mountain couldn’t help but feel disappointed.

As for the Ghost Race cultivators present, they heaved a sigh of relief. Emperor’s Throne and Tian Lunhui had both tried and failed, to say nothing of Saint Child Ji Que and the others.

If Xian Fan had obtained this stone, it would have been a slap in the face to the Ghost Race. It would have meant that even their most amazing genius was inferior to the humans.

Now that even Xian Fan had failed, the Ghost Race felt it was only natural. At least the Human Race wasn’t stronger than them.

Having failed to gain the stone’s recognition, Xian Fan accepted his defeat. However, he didn’t linger. Without even sparing a glance at the other Heavenly Destiny True Stones with Nine Dao Celestial Essence, he turned and left.

"Our turn, old man," Lan Yunzhu said to Li Qiye with a bright smile.

Li Qiye chuckled. "What, you want to get this stone too? I don’t think you have a chance, though. I don’t mean to look down on you, but this stone is indeed very proud."

Lan Yunzhu laughed softly, her charm captivating. She winked at Li Qiye and said, "Forget this stone, old man. I may be confident, but I don’t think I’m more outstanding than an Immortal Emperor. Why don’t you just tell me about that other stone you mentioned? I’m actually interested in giving that one a try."

At this, Lan Yunzhu tilted her head, looking at Li Qiye with a mischievous smile. "So, old man, how about another bet? Do you dare to bet on this stone? Aren’t you Mr. Confident? Let’s see if you’re really more amazing than Emperor’s Throne, Tian Lunhui, and Xian Fan by making this stone acknowledge you as its master."

"And what if I do make this stone acknowledge me?" Li Qiye’s interest was piqued. He narrowed his eyes and asked.

"Oh, listen to the old man talking big again." Lan Yunzhu, with her graceful figure, pursed her lips into a smile. "We should be talking about what happens when you lose."

"If I lose, I’ll give you something incredible, something you absolutely deserve to have," Li Qiye said with a grin. "And if you lose... will you strip naked tonight and let me appreciate that beautiful body of yours?"

Lan Yunzhu’s face instantly flushed crimson. She spat lightly. "Don’t be so thirsty, old man. Win first, then we’ll talk." With that, she turned and started walking toward the peak. After a few steps, she glanced back with a cunning smile. "So, old man, do you dare to bet!"

"A bet’s a bet. You think I’m afraid of you?" Li Qiye laughed and caught up to Lan Yunzhu. The two of them walked up the mountain side-by-side.

When Li Qiye and Lan Yunzhu headed up the mountain, they immediately drew everyone’s attention. They had been waiting at the foot of the mountain for a long time, so their sudden move was quite conspicuous.

"Could it be that Li Qiye and the Blue Fairy also want to try for the stone on the summit?" someone guessed as they watched the pair ascend.

In fact, such speculation was only normal. Everyone who came to Divine Dragon Mountain wanted to try their luck with the stone on the peak. Needless to say, Lan Yunzhu was the successor of the Qianli River, and her twin saint aptitude had long been a popular topic of conversation.

As for Li Qiye, his fierce reputation had recently soared, his momentum catching up to the likes of Emperor’s Throne. As a genius among geniuses, a monstrous talent, it wasn’t strange for him to want to try the stone.

"Hmph, there’s no way that Li brat will succeed. Could he be more powerful than Emperor’s Throne and the others? Even if he could stand shoulder to shoulder with Emperor’s Throne, he could never surpass him! Now Emperor’s Throne and Tian Lunhui have both tried and failed. Even your Human Race’s Xian Fan couldn’t succeed, so that Li fellow definitely won’t either," a Ghost Race cultivator sneered.

This wasn’t just the Ghost Race being arrogant. Their most stunning and peerless geniuses had tried and failed. Now that even Xian Fan had failed, they refused to believe Li Qiye could succeed. In their eyes, no matter how strong Li Qiye was, he was merely on par with Emperor’s Throne—and even that was an overestimation!

Although the Human Race cultivators hoped Li Qiye would succeed, they didn’t hold out much hope either. Emperor’s Throne had failed, Tian Lunhui had failed, and now even Xian Fan had failed. It could be said that all the most dazzling geniuses of the Ghost Sacred Realm—save for Chan Yang—had tried. None had succeeded. Therefore, the human cultivators also felt it would be very difficult for Li Qiye to surpass Emperor’s Throne and the others.

Li Qiye and Lan Yunzhu reached the halfway point of the mountain. From here on, the Heavenly Destiny True Stones on the ground were all Spirit Level or higher. The further up they went, the better the Life True Stones became, with some even possessing Nine Dao Celestial Essence.

Standing at the boundary, Lan Yunzhu smiled sweetly at Li Qiye. "Well, old man, are you ready? Let’s see which of us is more popular."

Striving for the sixth update today! Let’s work hard together!!!!