Chapter 242: The Stimulated Top Ten, the Troublesome Fourth Level

Third level of the Tower to Heaven.

Wang Ping held the Heaven-Overturning Seal, the gravity field fully unfurled, and a golden sun hovered behind his head.

The feeling these five Diamond Violent Apes gave him put great pressure on Wang Ping, so he directly unleashed the gravity field and the true sun fire.

Diamond Violent Apes are by nature violent and brutal; as soon as they appear, their originally black pupils turn scarlet.

A ruthless killing intent quickly spread; even with Wang Ping's powerful divine sense and tenacious will, a momentary dazedness appeared.

When he instantly came to, the five violent apes had already come from thirty zhang away to within five zhang before him. This distance was already within the attack range of the Diamond Violent Apes.

Because of the influence of the gravity field, the five Diamond Violent Apes all had bulging muscles all over, with every hair standing on end.

Five black iron staffs were swept from five directions by the five Diamond Violent Apes.

The air around him was directly split into several parts, even producing white fan-shaped shockwaves.

An immense, terrifying force pressed upon Wang Ping's mind and spirit; at this moment he clearly understood what is meant by 'one force subdues ten'.

In the scarlet eyes of the five Diamond Violent Apes, a ruthless excitement showed; they liked to smash everything with their iron staffs.

The exhilarating feeling of being able to blast anything captivated them.

Boom!

The hard arena floor was smashed down by the five black gloomy iron staffs, instantly splitting into pieces, with chaotic cracks spreading in all directions.

Stone fragments flew; under the strong impact, each flying fragment emitted a sharp tearing-through-air sound.

The Diamond Violent Apes lowered their staffs, satisfied with their handiwork; that blast must have blasted that human to bits, right!

Screech!

A bird cry filled with imperial majesty suddenly rang out; before the five Diamond Violent Apes realized what was happening, each of their heads had already appeared a large fireball.

Relying on Spark Fire Light to evade to a spot, Wang Ping unhesitatingly unleashed the Golden Yang Scorching Heaven Art.

The scorching true fire of the sun exuded a domineering aura that could burn all things.

The fur of the Diamond Violent Apes had begun to burn.

Roar! Roar! Roar! …

The five Diamond Violent Apes angrily howled; the domineering high temperature of the sun's true fire was unbearable even for them.

But the violent and brutal nature in their bones made them grow even more enraged when they felt the pain from the burning.

The black gloomy iron staffs in their hands were tightly gripped; from their bodies emerged wisps of black-gold energy, quickly forming a suit of black-gold armor that completely encased them.

The black-gold armor blocked part of the heat, giving the Diamond Violent Apes a sense of safety; immediately afterward, they exerted all their strength to blast out the iron staffs in their hands.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Five violent blast sounds, like heavenly thunder exploding, shook Wang Ping's eardrums painfully.

Gazing at the frenzied violent apes, Wang Ping felt a hint of admiration, but it was quickly suppressed.

Changing the seal in his hand, the golden crow silhouette behind him indeed spread its wings and flew out, turning into a great sun.

Once again unleashing the Golden Yang Scorching Heaven, a red great sun larger than before hung in the air.

The Diamond Violent Apes that had just blasted the five fireballs were astonished to see scattered red fireballs appearing above them, many times larger than the previous ones.

The intense heat actually transmitted through the black-gold armor onto their bodies.

The iron staffs in their hands were astonishingly scorching.

As the red fireballs fell, a three-legged divine bird could be vaguely seen circling within them.

Roar! ………

The five Diamond Violent Apes again swung the iron staffs in their hands; at that moment, a yellow light flashed behind Wang Ping, and the gravity around the Diamond Violent Apes suddenly increased.

The iron staffs they had just swung were affected, causing a momentary pause; just then, the descending red great sun exploded violently.

A flame even hotter than before burst forth; Wang Ping, in the distance, used the gravity field to tightly bind the exploding fireballs within a radius of thirty zhang.

Preventing the heat and shockwave from the exploding fireballs from leaking out in a short time, the Diamond Violent Apes were mercilessly roasted by the flames, and the iron staffs in their hands turned completely red.

Their iron-hard palms could no longer grip the iron staffs in their hands.

Roar!

Finally, one Diamond Violent Ape charged out of the blast zone, but what greeted it was the Heaven-Overturning Seal that Wang Ping had sacrificed.

A yellow light tore across the sky; the ten-zhang-sized Heaven-Overturning Seal, bolstered by gravity technique and the gravity field, was not only as heavy as a mountain but also possessed extreme speed.

The injured Diamond Violent Ape, having lost its iron staff, managed only to throw a punch before being smashed to the ground by the Heaven-Overturning Seal.

Its muscles were shattered throughout, its tendons and bones broken within; it was clear it could no longer live.

Next, the remaining Diamond Violent Apes fled the blast area one after another, but what awaited them was a fate similar to that of the first violent ape.

They were all smashed to the ground by Wang Ping's Heaven-Overturning Seal; Wang Ping felt a hint of surprise, for the attack unleashed with the mountain-heavy Heaven-Overturning Seal could be called utterly ferocious.

In the previous level, those five spirit tigers were directly blasted apart in midair, yet these five Diamond Violent Apes actually managed to withstand this attack, not only retaining most of their bodies intact but also not dying immediately.

Their tendons and bones were astonishingly strong; no wonder they are called Diamond Violent Apes—this physique truly lives up to the name 'diamond'.

If it weren't for having severely wounded them with the Golden Yang Scorching Heaven and destroyed their iron staffs, even if Wang Ping possessed the Heaven-Overturning Seal to smash, he might not be able to kill them in just one or two blows.

Even under continuous collisions, the Heaven-Overturning Seal might sustain damage as well.

Wang Ping decided that, after becoming a yellow-robed disciple this time, he must reforge the Heaven-Overturning Seal anew; his current artifact-forging technique is utterly incomparable to what it was in the lower realm.

He is confident that, after forging the Heaven-Overturning Seal to the Golden Core stage, no one will be able to smash it.

Besides these, Wang Ping's greatest gain lies in the gravity field; he discovered that the gravity field produced by the gravity technique can be combined with many methods.

Whether it is the Heaven-Overturning Seal or the Golden Yang Scorching Heaven, under the influence of the gravity field they become extraordinarily terrifying.

Thinking back to how, when the Golden Yang Scorching Heaven exploded while he had confined it to a certain space, it produced violent force and intense heat, Wang Ping felt a chill.

The Diamond Violent Apes are proof that, with their diamond physiques, even in that state they also suffer severe injuries.

At that moment just now, Wang Ping barely managed to contain that force; if his understanding of gravity technique and control of the gravity field were a bit weaker, he likely could not have contained the explosive force of the Golden Yang Scorching Heaven.

"After the Five-Colored Divine Light fuses successfully, upon re-entering the Enlightenment Valley, one must first comprehend gravity technique and the gravity field."

Wang Ping secretly thought, the Dao Intent Tower was still off‑limits; he now needed to maintain the faint balance of the Dao Intent of the Five Elements Dao Arts.

After passing the third gate, the silver light gate appeared once more, and Wang Ping stepped into the fourth gate.

Outside, seeing that Wang Ping had cleared the third gate in just half an incense stick's time caused an uproar.

"I didn't see wrong! The third gate was actually passed that quickly!"

"Half an incense stick's time! This gate‑clearing speed definitely counts as being among the top,"

"If I recall correctly, Ji Changkong's time when he first cleared the third gate was also close to one incense stick, right?"

"In that case, isn't Wang Ping's current strength surpassing that of Ji Changkong back then? Judging by that, he is very likely to clear the fourth gate of the Tower of Heaven and become the second disciple among their batch to be promoted to yellow‑robed disciples."

"Not necessarily; if he can't pass the fourth layer of the Sea of Will, he still won't become a yellow‑robed disciple."

"This remark drew everyone's agreement; indeed, the Sea of Will tests one's will, which, although related to strength, is not strongly linked."

"At that moment, a disciple sighed and said, 'Don't forget, Wang Ping comes from the lower realm!'"

The white‑robed disciples: ……

He Peng and Dongfang Hong exchanged a glance, each showing a hint of helplessness.

Yeah! The other party comes from the lower realm, a person who has been fighting since the Qi Refining stage—how could his will be weak?

All the disciples felt a thought arise: This Wang Ping, though not as stunning as Ji Changkong, has already surpassed the rest of their batch of disciples.

He can be called the second among this batch of disciples.

Some gossip‑mongers rolled their eyes and spread the news to the top ten of this batch.

Since the first‑ranked Ji Changkong has already been promoted to yellow‑robed disciple, the current top ten are simply the original rankings shifted forward by one.

Each time the gray‑robed disciples' promotion exam is held, those ranked in the top ten will be promoted to yellow‑robed disciples within half a year.

Now, the gray‑robed disciples' promotion just passed three months ago; others have not yet acted, but Wang Ping is very likely to join the ranks of those promoted to yellow‑robed disciples.

Before this, both instructors and disciples were speculating who, aside from Ji Changkong, would be the first white‑robed disciple to be promoted to yellow robes.

Luo Hao, Feng Ying, Zhao Xue, Murong Changfeng, Liu Yicheng—these foremost disciples were all the subjects of everyone's speculation.

And these disciples all received the same message at the same time:

"Wang Ping cleared the third gate of the Tower of Heaven in half an incense stick's time."

"Those top‑ten heaven‑chosen ones all narrowed their eyes, and then a fighting spirit appeared in their gaze."

"I had wanted to cultivate a bit more, but it seems time waits for no one! Yellow‑robed disciple, here I come!"

"This generation's second‑ranked, now first‑ranked genius Luo Hao flew out of his cave dwelling."

"One Ji Changkong is already enough; I won't allow anyone else to surpass me."

"Feng Ying sat cross‑legged in his cave dwelling, staring at the jade slip in his hand and let out a cold snort."

"Having said that, he rode a beam of escape light, flew out of his cave dwelling, and headed toward the Tower of Heaven."

"The other top‑ten disciples, upon receiving the news, all emerged from seclusion."

"Soon, the white‑robed disciples discovered that Luo Hao, Feng Ying, Zhao Xue and other top‑ten disciples had arrived before the Tower of Heaven."

"Hehe! Now there's a good show to watch—this generation, Ji Changkong overwhelms all geniuses, and now a disciple ranked outside the top hundred has appeared, aiming to surpass them and become the second to be promoted to yellow‑robed disciple; who wouldn't be unwilling? Look, they've all come to challenge the Tower of Heaven!"

"Some white‑robed disciples transmitted sound to each other, saying:"

"When Luo Hao and the others entered the Tower of Heaven, Wang Ping was already locked in a bitter battle in the fourth gate."

"It had long been said that the Tower of Heaven's three gates present a single hurdle, with the difficulty of the third and fourth gates differing enormously."

"Wang Ping now genuinely felt this difference."

"One head is the Ghost‑Loather, one head is the Bloodthirsty Titan possessing a mighty bloodline, and one head commands ice, lightning, and wind—the three great Dao of the Battle Spirit Clan."

"These three are outstanding in soul, flesh, and Dao."

"They can also combine into a formation; although each is at the peak of early Golden Core cultivation, due to their special traits, once they form the formation their power increases geometrically."

"Their combat power fully reaches the peak of mid‑Golden Core combat power."

"This is not an ordinary mid‑Golden Core, but a genius‑level mid‑Golden Core that could originally fight above its level; furthermore, the three complement each other in soul, flesh, and Dao, leaving no weakness in combat power."

"Upon entering the fourth gate, Wang Ping fell into an attack as fierce as a sudden storm."

"He activated his Wood‑God Thunder, Solar True Fire, and Gravity Field all at once, yet even so he was at a disadvantage."

"His Wood‑God Thunder, which naturally counters evil entities like Ghost‑Loather, was completely blocked by the Bloodthirsty Titan and the Battle Spirit Clan after they formed their formation."

"The Gravity Field was also weakened to the minimum by Ghost‑Loather's ethereal state."

The Solar True Fire was blocked by the Battle Spirit Tribe's Ice Realm Technique; even if it couldn't be fully blocked, it could still neutralize most of its power, and then it was directly scattered by the Bloodthirsty Titan.

The Bloodthirsty Titan may be inferior in cultivation to the Diamond Violent Ape, but its physical body is still superior to theirs.

The Solar True Fire weakened by the Ice Realm remained scorching, yet it was directly blown apart by its carriage-sized fist.

Their coordination was seamless; even though Wang Ping had many methods, for a time he was suppressed and forced onto the defensive.

The Overturn Heaven Seal continually clashed with the Bloodthirsty Titan in the gravity field, the Solar True Fire and the Battle Spirit Tribe fought without cease, and Gui Yan occasionally launched soul ambushes.

Actually, in such a battle Wang Ping is at a relative disadvantage; outside, he hardly fears soul attacks, and even without the silver magic cube, he possesses the Soul-Slaying Butterfly.

After entering the Spirit Realm, it has been continually growing; the Soul-Slaying Butterfly, as a top-ten existence on the Strange Insect List, is virtually invincible in the field of souls!

Gui Yan's soul ambush not only causes him no harm at all, but is also reflected back by the Soul-Slaying Butterfly.

It's a pity that upon entering the Heaven-Reaching Tower, if he uses the Soul-Slaying Butterfly, the tower will become aware of it, possibly leading to the Dao Academy's high echelons finding out.

Thus Wang Ping is unwilling to do so; he needs to keep some trump cards for himself.

Alone in the Spirit Realm, without trump cards one is easily targeted—as is the case with Wang Ping now.

Gravity Technique, Yin Wood Divine Thunder, and Solar True Fire combined, plus the Overturn Heaven Seal, Wang Ping felt he was not only invincible at early Golden Core, but even at mid Golden Core.

But the fourth level's assessment dealt him a harsh blow; the threefold combination he prided himself on is now being suppressed, while the opponent is merely at the same realm as him.

Therefore, this time, when challenging the Heaven-Reaching Tower, Wang Ping will not only refrain from using the Soul-Slaying Butterfly as his greatest trump card, he will also not use the Diamond Polish.

At most, Wang Ping will employ the Five-Colored Divine Light.

Just like now, the three have formed an inseparable formation, making it hard for Wang Ping to gain the upper hand; if he exceeds the assessment time limit, he will fail to pass.

Thinking of this, Wang Ping no longer hesitates; five-colored light suddenly shoots up from behind him, sweeping over the three.

His goal this time is to sweep away Ghost Aversion and break the opponent's ethereal state; then the Bloodthirsty Titan and War Spirit Clan will be affected by the gravity field, allowing his Heaven-Overturning Seal and Golden Yang Burning Heaven to be fully exerted.