Chapter 444: The Unceasing Steps

Chi You's control over power has become transcendent, guaranteeing every attack makes Mu Yi feel pressure, constantly ensuring absolute advantage, yet without crushing him.

It's like dangling a carrot before a donkey to make it hurry.

In this high‑pressure environment, Mu Yi's growth is extremely rapid, completely different from when he first arrived.

Feeling the increasingly fierce gale and storm ahead, Mu Yi's body begins to feel overloaded.

Even though Chi You controls the power, his body becomes scarred.

"Almost there!" Chi You's voice pierces the fierce battle, clearly reaching Mu Yi's ears.

"Your Totem Method is a mess, but the General's Method has some seasoning; let me see your other skills!"

Chi You swings a blade down, sending Mu Yi flying.

Mu Yi inhales deeply; it's too strong—though their strength is only a step apart, this power is beyond words.

"Great Fog!"

A massive fog erupts from Mu Yi's body, swallowing both his and Chi You's silhouettes.

"Heh, you use Great Fog against me?"

Chi You chuckles, opening his mouth to spew white mist across the sky, the white‑hazy weapons overlapping each other.

Mu Yi feels as if he has just learned the Great Fog divine skill; within the fog his vision is black, the Thousand‑mile Eye and perception cannot pierce the mist, forcing him to move cautiously inside it.

Yet Chi You's voice cuts through the fog, reaching his ears directly.

"Great Fog, though a divine product, still needs wind and rain to aid it; your strength is insufficient, you must borrow a treasure and use the Wind‑and‑Rain divine skill!"

Mu Yi ponders, immediately opens a barrier and summons Ao Mo, using True Dragon Bloodline to overturn clouds and rain; the Great Fog instantly thickens.

"Not bad, but this little mud loach is too weak!"

Chi You's voice returns; Ao Mo, who was manipulating wind and rain, is struck as if by lightning, falling like a kite with a broken string beside Mu Yi.

Mu Yi puts Ao Mo away; within the Great Fog, the five senses and spirit are also blocked—he used this move before to bully others.

Now it's on him, and he finally understands how troublesome it is, why even the greatest divine‑skill users are helpless.

"Back then the Great Fog divine skill was broken because I relied on the power of the Wind Master and Rain Lord, not my own, and it was shattered by the South‑pointing Chariot."

Chi You's voice sounds nostalgic, as if recalling the past.

"I no longer have a chance to go out; if you have the destined method, paint a totem with Ying Long's blood, master wind and rain yourself, then the Great Fog can truly mature!"

Hearing Chi You's words, Mu Yi gives a wry smile.

Ying Long, an ancient renowned war god.

Compared with other vague beings, records about this one are abundant; as a figure whose deeds grow with the length of the text, this ancient war god has long mingled with the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors.

Even the so‑called General Chi You before him is one of his battle records.

In the ancient era where strong men roamed, Ying Long is also among the strongest.

To draw blood from him, even the great sea‑meeting deity Nezha is insufficient; at least a headless Xing Tian capable of wounding the Yellow Emperor would barely qualify.

While Mu Yi is thinking this, he suddenly notices Chi You's silhouette emerging from the mist, his fierce face flashing with a ferocious light.

Correspondingly, a raging Frenzy aura rises on his body, making Mu Yi's skin feel like pricks of needles!

The terrifying aura of endless slaughter condenses into a horrific concept, directly targeting Mu Yi's divine will.

In a daze, Mu Yi seems to see a surging sea of blood rushing toward him!

A voice like a mountain‑calling tsunami "splits" overhead.

"Boundless!"

Mu Yi still tries to struggle; the Reincarnation Barrier and Divine Realm strike together, but against that terrifying attack it's meaningless, all resistance collapses in an instant.

When Mu Yi regains consciousness, he is already back in the main world.

Leaning on a chair, Mu Yi furrows his brows, eyes closed.

After a long while, feeling the dizziness in his head fade, he opens his eyes and slowly exhales.

Although aided by Zongwang's power, both his body and true spirit have returned to the pre‑Trial state, with no wounds.

Yet the experience was truly real; even though his body healed, pain still pulses throughout him.

Especially the final blow—just recalling it makes him feel despair.

After half a day of calming his mind, Mu Yi finally opens his eyes and turns his attention to the Zongwang Prompt.

"Zongwang Prompt: Trial—Battle with Chi You has ended"

"Evaluating Trial… Based on your performance, your rating is Good, no extra bonuses"

"Trial settlement reward… You have obtained three Ancient Trial—Chi You opportunities!"

ps: If you don't get stronger, don't come back—Chi You

Mu Yi looks at the Zongwang Prompt, scratches his head, thinking this guy really believes in him, feeling he's been drawn into a great cause again.

But there's no choice, this guy gives way too much.

Last time he gave three divine skills, this time another three.

【Three‑Headed Six‑Armed】【Law of Heaven and Earth】【Forging Metallurgy】.

Mu Yi has already seen and is familiar with Three‑Headed Six‑Armed and Law of Heaven and Earth.

Only Forging Metallurgy he does not understand.

Yet in legend, Chi You indeed possessed forging ability.

Smelting copper and iron, forging five weapons, forging tiger soul… many legends stem from Forging Metallurgy.

This divine skill is also the best supplement to Three‑Headed Six‑Armed, after all ordinary people can't wield artifacts like Nezha.

Mu Yi rummaged through his inventory, pulling out a pile of high‑grade mineral materials; before they were useless to him, just stored in a warehouse, now they finally come in handy.

He ignites Hell Path fire, tosses the materials in to start refining; the Forging Metallurgy divine skill is like a divine weapon, just as a General, all materials and weapons in hand automatically generate appropriate processing methods in his mind.

It looks like Mu Yi is wasting materials, but each material's handling is optimal; only in timing and technique does Mu Yi appear a bit inexperienced.

Soon, the first weapon took shape within the flames, a axe.

He swung the axe in his hand, and Mu Yi fell into contemplation.

Because it was his first forging, many imperfections remained, yet even so, the weapon barely reached the edge of a divine artifact.

It possessed no special abilities, just simple sturdiness and sharpness, with substantial weight; even Mu Yi found it somewhat hard to wield now.

For commemorative reasons, Mu Yi kept it, after all it was his first self‑made weapon, its sentimental value far exceeding its practical worth.

Mu Yi named it the Demon‑Chasing Axe and tossed it into the storage.

He then resumed weapon forging; as his divine skill grew more adept, Mu Yi produced a few passable weapons. Lacking any divine techniques, his sole aim was durability, the attribute he prized most.

Mu Yi began to understand why Duobao Daoist was so keen on replicating treasures—watching creations emerge from his own hands gave him great satisfaction.

No wonder the legends say those forging masters would even sacrifice their bodies for practice; that feeling is truly intoxicating.

Unfortunately, Mu Yi's ambition lies elsewhere; otherwise becoming a forger now would be a wonderful experience.

"The main act starts now!"

Mu Yi retrieved the Geng Metal Essence that Great White Star had given him, placed it into the Hell Path's great fire, and continuously refined it for three days and three nights until it melted.

Reading the original text!

Then Mu Yi threw the Great Summer Dragon Sparrow into it, guiding the melted Geng Metal Essence toward the Great Hero Dragon Sparrow.

When the refinement ended, the Great Summer Dragon Sparrow's blade was exceedingly sharp, its blade body grew heavier, and its strength jumped a tier.

He swung the brand‑new Great Hero Dragon Sparrow, and a smile of joy appeared on Mu Yi's face; initially he had intended to ask Duobao Daoist to melt it for him.

He hadn't expected that he could achieve this step himself now.

"The weapon is forged; we should find a place to test its blood…"

Mu Yi felt perhaps his bloodline divine skill had influenced him; his foot had just been battered to the brink of death by Chi You, and after a few days of calm he was restless again, eager for battle.

Nevertheless, that wasn't a bad thing; ordinary daily life lacked excitement for him, and waging war across the Multiverse was indeed more entertaining.

Soon, Mu Yi found, amid the dense Zongwang world, a seemingly suitable one:

【Ascension War】

Type: Challenge Dungeon / Space‑Time Fragment

Dungeon Recommended Challenge Level: 30‑40+

Dungeon Difficulty Hint: Extremely Hard

Dungeon Scale: 20‑50 participants

Remaining Registrable Slots: 13

ps: This dungeon will feature deity units; do not register if you are not prepared to slay gods.

Dungeon Description (modified by the opener):

No need to read those messy background notes; I know they're useless to everyone!

In short, assist the Indigenous Hero Squad in killing the Demon King and keep the squad immortal.

The pressure comes from the near‑endless hordes of Demon King Army (Challenge Level 15+); the more they appear, the harsher the battlefield and the stronger the Demon King, so one must clear the army while aiding the hero squad against the Demon King.

Those who can endure large‑scale protracted battles, stamina‑focused classes, are welcome; burst‑type classes, not.

"Interesting!" Mu Yi stroked his chin; he liked worlds of this grand scale and clear purpose.

Though it isn't a real world but a projection of a past timeline, the involvement of deities makes it worth visiting.

"Zongwang Prompt: Teleportation successful, you have entered the dungeon world: Ascension War."

New prompt information refreshed on Mu Yi's retina.

Not long after the dungeon application was approved, the 50‑person team was assembled.

At this moment, before his eyes stretched endless black clouds and a land glowing with a faint light.

"So that's it!"

Mu Yi stared at the luminous ground, crouched, scooped a handful of soil, and sensed that its essence resembled that of the Asura Path.

"Those Demon King Armies keep resurrecting; is this the endless truth of their source?" Mu Yi's hand ignited, and after the sudden incineration he became even more convinced.

From the start, the land they set foot on was the Demon King's divine realm.

Mu Yi's gaze swept toward the so‑called Indigenous Hero Squad.

Sensing Mu Yi's stare, the leading Blue‑haired Hero smiled and nodded at him.

"Melee classes of demigod caliber, bearing numerous divine blessings…"

Mu Yi looked at the others; they were all demigod‑level.

It was the classic hero squad lineup: knight, mage, priest, assassin, archer, barbarian, plus the hero—seven in total.

"Everyone!" A Zongwang Player dressed as a Holy Knight clapped, drawing everyone's attention.

"I am the initiator of this dungeon, none of you are rookies, I'll spare the rest!"

"The Demon King is empowered by the dungeon; only the hero squad blessed by the Goddess can slay it, otherwise it will resurrect endlessly."

"Those skilled in healing stay beside the hero squad; the rest may act freely, but beware the Dark Four Heavenly Kings among the Demon King Army, all elite at Challenge Level 35!"

"If you have special requests, state them now; later I may not have time!"

Seeing no one had requests, the Holy Knight immediately gave the order.

"Let's go!"

The Demon King Castle was not far from their position, and from the moment they set foot on the land, the Demon King knew of their presence.

Masses of Demon King Army surged toward them in a dense formation.

"Those confident in their strength, go with me to strike the Demon King; those lacking confidence, stay and clear the Demon King Army!" the Holy Knight roared, his great sword flashing holy light as he slashed.

He cleared a hundred‑meter void within the Demon King Army, while the hero squad held back, seemingly conserving energy.

Mu Yi thought for a moment; he wasn't in a hurry to head to the Demon King Castle.

He focused his attention on the Demon King army, spread his wings and rose into the sky, looking down on the Demon King army.

As far as the eye could see were only snarling, ferocious monsters; even the Goblin were of the type with raging demonic flames covering their bodies.

Among them was a lizard man, whose body was far stronger than the others, with threads of lightning flickering over its skin, exuding a blood‑thirsty frenzy, and in its hand a strange curved blade shaped like a ring.

The power of a high‑grade Legend would be enough to serve as a Demon King in some worlds, but in this world it can only be a cannon‑fodder elite.

Mu Yi had roughly ten thousand members of the Demon King army beneath his feet, among which there were several elite monsters like that lizard man, all burning with demonic flames and appearing equally ferocious.