A gentle breeze brushed against his face, tossing his hair about, while Qin Yu’s gaze seemed distant and unfocused.

"In the Ni Yang Realm, I obtained the treasure left by Uncle Lan and thereafter secluded myself to perceive and create the ’Star Transformation’ cultivation technique, striving for an early ascension!" Qin Yu silently told himself, "My father, my big brother, my second brother—they all have loved ones to care for them, and I am at ease. The only concerns are Li’er and my other two brothers!"

Although Qin Yu was still in the Ni Yang Realm, his heart was no longer there.

"Brother Qin Yu, don’t be too saddened. Your two brothers have ascended, which is a mandate of heaven’s laws that cannot be obstructed. Besides, you’ve reached the Great Success Stage as well, so it won’t be long before you can ascend too," Man Qian came over and comforted him.

Qin Yu’s expression was somewhat desolate. Upon hearing Man Qian’s words, Qin Yu merely managed to squeeze out a faint smile: "Right, it won’t be long before I can ascend too."

This was said to Man Qian, but also to himself.

Yet... how could he enter the next realm if he couldn’t create the next level of cultivation technique?

Qin Yu’s fists clenched involuntarily.

Seeing Qin Yu’s expression, Man Qian chose not to disturb him further, letting Qin Yu be alone in his quietude.

...

Currently, nine people remained alive in the area—Hua Yan, Xue Yuyang, Du Zhongjun, Ao Feng, Fang Tian, Ao Xu, Zong Jue, Man Qian, and Qin Yu. Except for Qin Yu, the other eight were waiting to see the result of Yu Liang tackling the Qingyun Road.

Death?

Life?

Nobody could be certain for the moment.

"Brother Du, Yu Liang is the strongest among those who entered Qingyun Road. How long do you think he can hold on? Does he compare to the Dragon Clan Elder Yan Shan?" Hua Yan asked with a smile.

After pondering for a moment, Du Zhongjun replied, "How long he can persist should be able to match Elder Yan Shan of the Dragon Clan. Speaking of which, Elder Yan Shan persisted for nearly four hours. Even if Yu Liang fails, he should at least last more than four hours, right?"

"Yu Liang has only been in for an hour; it’s still too early to discuss this," Man Qian said with a laugh, then suddenly his brow furrowed, "Hmm?"

Man Qian took out a Communication Order, and a broad smile suddenly spread across his face.

"He’s made it!" Man Qian burst out laughing, "Haha, Yu Liang has successfully reached the other side; he’s succeeded."

"What!"

Hua Yan, Du Zhongjun, Ao Feng, Fang Tian, Zong Jue, and the other great masters were all shocked, even Qin Yu, who had been quite despondent in a corner of White Jade Square, was startled awake and looked involuntarily towards the group.

Man Qian had a self-satisfied smile on his face: "Listen well, I said Yu Liang has successfully passed Qingyun Road and has reached the Nine-layered Heaven."

"Impossible, just an hour? How could it be so quick?" Hua Yan was the first to object, "Just now, Elder Yan Shan of the Dragon Clan, and your own men like Kong Cao, they all lasted more than three hours, but they all failed in the end."

"Brother Hua Yan, don’t be too hasty," Zong Jue intervened.

Everyone looked at Zong Jue, who then asked: "May I ask everyone, have you forgotten Yu Liang’s reaction when he first stepped onto Qingyun Road?"

Almost everyone remembered that moment.

When Yu Liang first stepped onto Qingyun Road, his whole person vanished in an instant, clearly rushing to the other side at an extremely fast speed. Despite the numerous obstacles on Qingyun Road, Yu Liang managed to get through in just an hour.

"Speed!" Zong Jue nodded, "Compared to other people who entered Qingyun Road with caution, Yu Liang used his speed to break through. So, it’s not strange that he succeeded in just an hour."

At this moment, the only two surviving Pathfinding Stones—Xue Yuyang and the Dragon Clan Elder Ao Xu, both had a glint in their eyes.

Saying these two were pathfinders was not wrong.

In the eyes of Man Qian and the others, perhaps only Man Qian, Hua Yan, Du Zhongjun, Fang Tian, Zong Jue, and Ao Feng were qualified to compete for the treasure. Everyone else was merely cannon fodder, akin to pathfinders.

Man Qian looked at Ao Feng and smiled, "Brother Ao Feng, my men have already gone through, now it should be your Dragon Clan’s turn."

Ao Feng nodded, according to the rules agreed upon initially, the next person should be Ao Xu.

"Hold on!" Hua Yan suddenly frowned and exclaimed.

"Brother Hua Yan, do you have any concerns?" everyone looked at Hua Yan.

Meanwhile, sitting calmly at a corner of White Jade Square, Qin Yu was quietly observing the group in the center of the square arguing. Qin Yu knew that those people didn’t take a Great Success Stage Cultivator seriously, yet Qin Yu was quite satisfied seeing this happen.

Qin Yu, hearing their conversation, silently disagreed, "Speed? Passing through Qingyun Road is not merely about speed. Hearing that beast’s roar, it’s clear there is an expert blocking the way. Yu Liang could pass because first, he was fast, and second, he had formidable strength. Moreover, if it only required speed to pass, how could it possibly take an hour?"

The thoughts in Qin Yu’s mind, of course, everyone else, including Man Qian, understood.

At this moment, everyone in the center of the square looked at Hua Yan, asking why he was preventing Ao Xu from entering Qingyun Road.

Hua Yan smiled lightly and said, "Just now, Brother Man Qian mentioned ’Yu Liang’ entered Qingyun Road, but that’s just your unilateral claim, who knows if it’s true? If Yu Liang is still struggling on Qingyun Road, having someone else go in would be sending them to their death, wouldn’t it?"

People like Du Zhongjun and Ao Feng felt a chill in their hearts.

At this time, they also remembered the rule of Qingyun Road — only one person may enter at a time; if two people were on Qingyun Road, both would undoubtedly die.

"Hmph, Yu Liang’s Soul Jade Scroll hasn’t shattered, and he has already communicated with me. Are you still afraid I’m deceiving you?" Man Qian scoffed.

"The jade scroll indeed hasn’t shattered, but this doesn’t prove that he has successfully passed Qingyun Road; it only shows that Yu Liang is not dead yet. You say Yu Liang passed successfully, must we trust you solely on that basis?" Hua Yan retorted.

Man Qian was somewhat annoyed.

He hadn’t lied, but Hua Yan and the others still didn’t trust him.

"A bunch of fools, hmph, if you’re afraid to go, then I’ll go," Man Qian, irritated, turned around and moved towards Qingyun Road.

"Brother Man Qian, no need to be upset," Ao Feng immediately stopped Man Qian, as under no circumstances could they allow Man Qian to enter first, for if Man Qian went in first, the scroll could very likely end up in his hands.

Man Qian coldly looked at Ao Feng, "Didn’t you see? They are all afraid to go."

Ao Feng smiled and said, "Brother Hua Yan, you all are confused too. If Man Qian were to set a trap, it would likely be aimed at us. Would he really abandon Yu Liang just to set a trap for Elder Ao Xu?"

Though this statement seemed somewhat disrespectful to Ao Xu, the underlying meaning was clear to everyone present.

Elder Ao Xu, having cultivated for over ten thousand years, was by no means a novice, and he certainly wouldn’t get angry over this comment. Moreover, Elder Ao Xu had deduced that Yu Liang indeed had successfully passed.

It seems... speed really does matter.

Elder Ao Xu had already formulated a method to pass through Qingyun Road.

"Envoy sir, your subordinate is going in," Elder Ao Xu bowed and then resolutely stepped onto Qingyun Road. As soon as Elder Ao Xu set foot on Qingyun Road, his figure flashed and disappeared.

Clearly... Elder Ao Xu also intended to rely on extreme speed to pass through.

At this moment, if anyone was listening most intently to the sound of Elder Ao Xu crossing Qingyun Road, it was Xue Yuyang... the next person to step onto Qingyun Road.

Everyone was waiting.

If Elder Ao Xu could pass through using speed, then speeding through was indeed feasible.

"Roar~~"

The roar was furiously intense, distinctly heard across White Jade Square, followed immediately by a dragon’s roar.

"Ao Xu has transformed into his true form," Fang Tian stated confidently, "I hope Elder Ao Xu successfully overcomes this trial."

Fang Tian felt slightly uneasy in his heart.

Of the three Great Elders of the Dragon Clan, having entered the Ni Yang Realm, already two had perished, leaving only Elder Ao Xu. If even Elder Ao Xu were to die, then the Dragon Clan’s topmost experts would all have been wiped out.

Indeed, it wasn’t just the Dragon Clan; the Independent Demons, Independent Immortals, including the topmost experts from the Primordial Wilderness Demon Clan, many had died.

It could be said that during the battle in the Ni Yang Realm, nearly half of the Mortal World’s super experts perished.

Time passed, second by second.

An hour... no response.

Two hours... still no response.

...

After two hours had passed, the Soul Jade Scroll was still intact, but still, there was no news of Ao Xu’s successful passage.

Just as everyone was quietly waiting—

"Crack!" A crisp sound rang out, the Soul Jade Scroll belonging to Ao Xu shattered into pieces.

Fang Tian’s expression darkened.

The last of the Dragon Clan Elders had also died.

Xue Yuyang’s expression also turned grim, initially, he also had planned to rely on his speed to quickly pass Qingyun Road, but seeing the result of Elder Ao Xu... clearly speed was not viable.

"Xue Yuyang, do your best," Hua Yan instructed.

At this moment, Hua Yan didn’t hold much confidence in Xue Yuyang, even though Xue Yuyang was quite unique and extremely strong. Yet, compared to the strongest Elder of the Dragon Clan—Yan Shan, there was still a gap.

Yan Shan had died, could Xue Yuyang hold on?

Xue Yuyang bowed to Hua Yan and then stepped onto the Qingyun Road. The moment he set foot on Qingyun Road, Xue Yuyang hesitated momentarily.

To rush through at high speed or to carefully advance with caution?

Upon stepping onto Qingyun Road, Xue Yuyang hesitated but then quickly transformed into a streak of afterimage, charging swiftly forward. He had made his choice—to follow Yu Liang’s approach.

...

Just two hours later.

The sound of the Soul Jade Scroll shattering resonated once again.

This sound also signified that, except Yu Liang, all those expendable pathfinders had perished. Now it was the turn of the Six Great Leaders—Man Qian, Hua Yan, Du Zhongjun, Zong Jue, Fang Tian, Ao Feng—to enter Qingyun Road.

As for Qin Yu... although the weakest, because of an earlier promise by Ao Feng and others, he had to be the last to step onto Qingyun Road.

"Six Great Leaders, four Upper Realm Envoys, each of these Upper Realm Envoys has formidable cards up their sleeves, they must all be able to pass... however, Immortal Emperor Ni Yang once said, the envoys of the Immortal Realm facing great difficulty in passing. I guess Hua Yan will have a hard time," Qin Yu suddenly judged.

According to the initial setup, Sword Immortal Hua Yan was the first to step onto Qingyun Road.

"Hua Yan, if you pass through Qingyun Road, you must immediately notify us with a Communication Order. Don’t you dare get through Qingyun Road and then not inform us, leaving us bitterly waiting," Man Qian said coldly.

Hua Yan laughed, "Of course not, I am not that kind of despicable person."

If Hua Yan passed through but did not notify everyone, allowing everyone to wait in vain while he alone gained the treasures, wouldn’t Man Qian and others be unjustly doomed?

Ao Feng shook his head, "It’s hard for us to trust you, so before stepping onto Qingyun Road, all six of us must swear... anyone who successfully passes Qingyun Road must wait for the others, and all six must proceed only after completing Qingyun Road together. Otherwise, they shall receive divine punishment and suffer soul dispersal!

"Yes, all six must swear," Man Qian added.

The others, Zong Jue, Fang Tian, and the rest also looked at Hua Yan.

Hua Yan’s face changed slightly, being first to enter naturally had its advantages, but seeing that the other five insisted, Hua Yan could only feign a smile, "Of course, that’s only fair."

Immediately, the Six Great Leaders all swore an oath.

Qin Yu, observing from a distance, thought, "The six swore an oath? Yet they completely excluded me, clearly not considering me a competitor." Qin Yu wore a light smile, simply watching the Six Great Leaders.

Then, Hua Yan took the lead in stepping onto Qingyun Road.

Man Qian laughed, "The difficulty for the Immortal Realm Envoys to get through Qingyun Road is much greater than for others. I’m really curious whether Hua Yan can survive it."

"This... is really hard to say," Du Zhongjun and the others also laughed.

Time elapsed—

Ever since Hua Yan entered Qingyun Road, the explosive sounds of attacks were unceasingly fierce, obviously much more intense than when the others had entered. This made Man Qian and the others revel in schadenfreude with laughter.

After an hour.

"Boom~~"

Like thunderclaps ringing next to the ear, even Qin Yu was startled.

The terrifying shockwave came from within Qingyun Road; these explosions even caused the surrounding Qingyun to scatter, but just for a moment before the Qingyun gathered around Qingyun Road again.

"Such a powerful explosion, likely to be from a Ninth-level Golden Immortal," Man Qian and the others looked at each other in shock.

"Hua Yan probably used up all his trump cards," Ao Feng laughed, Man Qian and others laughed too.

Just moments later—

"Alright, I’ve passed," Hua Yan’s Communication Order came through, and almost at the same time, Man Qian also nodded, "Yu Liang sent a message, he saw the ash-covered Hua Yan successfully reach the Nine-layered Heaven."

"Ash-covered?" Ao Feng laughed, "After using his final trump cards, Hua Yan’s complexion must not look good either."

Instantly, the five of them burst into laughter.

In the corner, Qin Yu stood up, "Oh, he succeeded, I didn’t expect Hua Yan to survive such adversity..."

Suddenly, Qin Yu froze, looking in a direction with varied expressions in his eyes—confusion, surprise, disbelief, and excitement! But almost instantaneously, Qin Yu regained his usual demeanor.

Fortunately, Man Qian and the group in the center did not notice Qin Yu in the corner and thus missed the sudden change in his expression.

(To be continued, for further developments please log onto WWW.CMFU.COM, more Chapters available, support the author, support authorized reading!)