Chapter 724: Willpower

Huh...

As soon as he stepped onto the stairs, Xiao Bailong felt a pressure surge toward him.

However, this pressure was not strong, and it did not affect him much.

But as Xiao Bailong kept climbing higher, the pressure from each step grew stronger. Later, his face was covered in sweat, and each step became extremely difficult.

While Xiao Bailong strove to climb the trial stairs, Ye Qin quietly watched his struggling figure from within the Holy Court hall.

This trial staircase was meticulously crafted by Ye Qin.

Its function is simple: it applies pressure and creates illusions for climbers to temper their willpower.

The higher the stairs climbed, the stronger the pressure and the harder the illusions are to see through.

Only those who can break their own limits and possess extraordinarily firm willpower can pass this trial staircase.

Ye Qin set up this trial because he values willpower above all.

In Ye Qin's view, even a mere mortal, if his willpower is strong enough, can surpass immortals and gods and become an ultimate powerhouse.

But if one's willpower is weak, no matter how mighty their bloodline, they will ultimately struggle to achieve greatness.

Of course, the most important thing is that Ye Qin can effortlessly use Shock Points to help Holy Court members raise their cultivation level.

Thus, the importance of willpower becomes even more pronounced.

While watching Xiao Bailong climb the stairs, Ye Qin secretly thought: 'The dragon clan of the Journey to the West world is truly pitiful!'

'From the fall of Zu Long to now, it was hard enough for someone who awakened a trace of Zu Long's bloodline, had a chance to inherit his legacy, and could lead the dragon clan to rise, to appear—only to be schemed against by the Buddhist Sect!'

'However, the Buddhist Sect's scheming against Xiao Bailong is not merely to suppress the dragon clan; they also hope to reap more human fortune thereby.'

After Ye Qin arrived in the Journey to the West world, he came to know many secrets unknown to others.

For example, the reason humans are called descendants of dragons is that when Nüwa created humans, to better endow them with spirituality, besides using her own blood, she also added Zu Long's utmost yang essence blood.

Because humans possess traces of dragon blood within them, they are thus called descendants of dragons.

Precisely for this reason, there is a karmic connection between Zu Long and humanity.

If Xiao Bailong, who has awakened a trace of Zu Long's bloodline, could join the Journey to the West pilgrimage team and become a member of the Buddhist Sect, it would undoubtedly bring the Sect even more human fortune.

It must be said, the Buddhist Sect's clever scheme works exceedingly well.

But Ye Qin, being human, how could he let the Buddhist Sect's plot succeed?

To give the Buddhist Sect a lesson, Ye Qin chose the second mighty being to resurrect: none other than Zu Long, the ancestor dragon who once dominated the Honghuang before the Witch and Demon tribes!

Of course, a figure as great as Zu Long needs to appear a bit later.

Ye Qin plans to stage an opening act before Zu Long makes his appearance.

And this opening act will star Xiao Bailong.

As long as Xiao Bailong can successfully pass the trial staircase, Ye Qin will bestow upon him a great fortune.

As for whether Xiao Bailong will fail, Ye Qin has always been an excellent judge of character.

Although in the original Journey to the West plot, Xiao Bailong seems to have little presence.

But in reality, he is an ambitious person with formidable willpower.

Ye Qin believes that Xiao Bailong, who has just experienced a low point in life, will surely seize this opportunity and pass the willpower trial he set for him.

Huh... huh huh...

Under Ye Qin's gaze, Xiao Bailong gritted his teeth and climbed the trial stairs step by step, slowly but resolutely.

With each trial stair he stepped over, his willpower grew a little stronger under the stairs' tempering.

Step after step, Xiao Bailong's spirit had already reached its limit, yet he gritted his teeth, clung on desperately, and refused to give up!

Having experienced the Jade Emperor's decree of death, he deeply knew he must seize this opportunity. Otherwise, even if Zu Long returned, if he himself were not strong, he would ultimately still become a target for others to bully.

In Xiao Bailong's desperate perseverance,

Huh

He finally stepped over the last stair and successfully entered the Holy Court world!

Seeing that he had successfully passed the trial staircase, Xiao Bailong's face broke into a smile and his heart felt relieved of a great burden.

His tensed spirit completely relaxed at this moment.

The relaxation of his spirit left Xiao Bailong's body unable to support itself any longer.

Just as he was about to collapse to the ground, Zu Long's apparition appeared beside him, reaching out to steady him.

Then Zu Long poured strength into Xiao Bailong's body, restoring his spirit somewhat so he could stand on his own.

After helping Xiao Bailong, Zu Long praised: 'Ao Lie, you're excellent, you haven't disappointed this venerable one!'

Xiao Bailong smiled modestly and said: 'Ancestor, you overpraise me; if the trial staircase had a few more steps, I fear I wouldn't have made it through…'

While Xiao Bailong and Zu Long were speaking, Wu Meiniang's figure appeared before them.

Upon seeing Wu Meiniang, Zu Long immediately gave a courteous salute, saying: 'I pay my respects, Holy Maiden.'

Seeing Zu Long treat Wu Meiniang so respectfully, Xiao Bailong hurriedly followed suit, saying: 'Ao Lie, I pay my respects, Holy Maiden.'

Wu Meiniang nodded and said to Xiao Bailong: 'Ao Lie, congratulations on passing the Holy Court trial and becoming a distinguished outer member of the Holy Court!'

As they spoke, Wu Meiniang lightly waved her hand.

Hum...

In an instant, Wu Meiniang imprinted the Holy Court mark onto Xiao Bailong.

The Holy Court mark signified that Xiao Bailong had truly become a member of the Holy Court.

After imprinting the mark, Wu Meiniang said to Xiao Bailong: 'Ao Lie, as a reward for passing the trial, this palace grants you a supreme bloodline optimization pill to help you fully awaken your Zu Long bloodline.'

Fully awaken the Zu Long bloodline?!

Hearing this, Xiao Bailong's heart filled with surprise and joy.

You must know, he had previously only awakened a trace of Zu Long's bloodline, yet he already stood out among the dragon clans, being quite exceptional.

If he could fully awaken the ancestral dragon bloodline, just how terrifying would his strength be?

At that moment, the little white dragon excitedly bowed and thanked Empress Wu: "Thank you, Holy Maiden!"

Empress Wu smiled slightly and handed the bloodline-optimizing elixir to the little white dragon.

The little white dragon took the elixir and swallowed it in one gulp without hesitation.

"Boom—"

Upon entering the body, the bloodline-optimizing elixir instantly turned into a pure and mighty magical force that swiftly spread throughout the little white dragon's entire body.

Under the effect of this magical force, the ordinary dragon blood in the little white dragon's body began to undergo layer-by-layer transformation, gradually turning into ancestral dragon blood.

When all the blood in his body had been transformed into ancestral dragon blood,

"Roar—"

The little white dragon automatically manifested his true form.

At this moment, his dragon body underwent an earth-shaking change compared to before.

On his ancestral dragon body, which stretched a thousand zhang long, lay golden ancestral dragon scales forged like divine metal; faintly, one could see mysterious dragon patterns on the scales, exuding a mysterious aura.

A dragon aura hundreds of times stronger than before emanated from the little white dragon's dragon body.

After taking the supreme bloodline-optimizing elixir, the little white dragon had already undergone a complete metamorphosis!

Although his current strength still falls short of the ancestral dragon, his potential is in no way inferior to that of the ancestral dragon.

Without exaggeration, given time, the little white dragon will surely grow into another ancestral dragon!

Regarding the changes to his own body, the little white dragon was utterly shocked, as if he were in a dream.

Just a single elixir!

He not only possessed a pure and complete ancestral dragon bloodline, but his strength also leapt from Golden Immortal to the early stage of the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm!

Such an astonishing transformation is simply beyond belief!

Not only did the little white dragon Ao Lie feel shocked, but the ancestral dragon was equally astonished: "Ao Lie's original bloodline, compared to my true self, differs vastly!"

"With such a feeble bloodline, merely taking one elixir, in just a moment it becomes no inferior to my true self?"

"This... is truly inconceivable!"

After the little white dragon's transformation was complete, Empress Wu first handed him the Holy Court's phone, then pointed to the residence area of the Holy Court's preparatory members and said to the ancestral dragon and the little white dragon: "That place is the residence of the Holy Court's preparatory members."

"Ancestral dragon, you rushed to see the little white dragon earlier and haven't gone to the residence yet; now go there together with the little white dragon."

"The allocation of residences depends entirely on your personal strength!"

"If you two take a liking to an occupied house, you only need to spar with its current owner in the martial arena to decide its ownership!"

After hearing Empress Wu's words, the ancestral dragon and the little white dragon thanked her and then proceeded to the residence area of the Holy Court's preparatory members.

Upon arrival, the ancestral dragon discovered that the thirteen houses ahead were already occupied.

Seeing this, the ancestral dragon couldn't help but furrow his brow.

Thinking of himself, the ancestral dragon, the supreme overlord of the Honghuang Continent, how could he submit to others?

Beneath the saints, he fears no one at all.

If he is to reside, he must reside in the best!

Thus, the ancestral dragon brought the little white dragon to the front of Heaven Equal House No. 1 and shouted loudly: "Emperor Jun, come out and fight me!"

Is the ancestral dragon here to seize the house?

Regarding the ancestral dragon's shout, Emperor Jun did not feel surprised.

He knew that someone like the ancestral dragon, the former overlord of the Honghuang Continent, would certainly not be willing to reside in the rear.

As soon as the ancestral dragon's words fell, Emperor Jun stepped out of Heaven Equal House No. 1 and said to the ancestral dragon: "Ancestral dragon, in the ancient Honghuang era, I was born too late and never got to fight you; it is truly regrettable."

"As for today's match, I am very much looking forward to it!"

Seeing that the two great figures, the ancestral dragon and Emperor Jun, were about to duel, the Ten Golden Crow Brothers, Sun Wukong, the Six-Eared Macaque, and the little white dragon all came to the martial arena, eagerly awaiting.

In the Holy Court hall, Ye Qin prepared fruit snacks and, together with Li Lizi and Empress Wu, waited for the start of the ancestral dragon and Emperor Jun's duel.

During the wait, Li Lizi asked: "Master, between the ancestral dragon and Emperor Jun, these two overlords of different eras, who is stronger?"

Empress Wu also looked toward Ye Qin, awaiting his answer.

Seeing Li Lizi and Empress Wu full of curiosity, Ye Qin smiled and said to them: "If the outcome of the duel were known in advance, it would lose much of its fun!"

"The ancestral dragon and Emperor Jun are both top-tier powerhouses of the Honghuang era; exactly who is stronger will become clear to you after watching this duel…"

Seeing Ye Qin not answer her question, Li Lizi couldn't help but frown slightly; however, she also had to admit that Ye Qin's words made perfect sense.

A duel whose outcome is unknown is all the more exciting!

Under the gaze of the three of them, in the Holy Court's martial arena, the ancestral dragon and Emperor Jun, these two former overlords, stood opposite each other.

The ancestral dragon spoke first to Emperor Jun: "Emperor Jun, you are my junior; you should make the first move."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Jun shook his head and said: "Ancestral dragon, you are my senior; you ought to make the first move."

It turned out that both the ancestral dragon and Emperor Jun were unyielding sorts, feeling that making the first move would make them seem weaker than the opponent.

Thus, they both spoke up, yielding to each other and letting the other strike first.

Seeing that neither wished to strike first, the ancestral dragon and Emperor Jun exchanged a glance and reached a consensus: "Then let us attack together!"

Immediately, with a "Boom," the ancestral dragon and Emperor Jun simultaneously manifested their true forms.

The ancestral dragon's true form is a colossal dragon that blocks the sky and stretches ten thousand li.

Emperor Jun's true form is a three-legged golden crow whose entire body burns with golden flames, blazing like a sun star.

When the ancestral dragon and Emperor Jun manifested their true forms, the powerful aura they emitted, like an abyss or a prison, caused the surrounding space to distort and tremble.

"Crackle—"

On the ancestral dragon's mountain-sized dragon claw, golden lightning coiled, and he fiercely grabbed toward Emperor Jun.

"Crack—"

This claw was astonishingly mighty; the space along its path was as easily torn apart as thin paper.

At the moment Zulong made a move, a 'Cry—' rang out as Dijun let out a long whistle and flapped his wings.

Instantly, raging golden flames, like a flaming star, surged toward Zulong's claw.

Boom—

Zulong's claw and the flaming star collided, erupting into an extremely terrifying energy storm.

In an instant, huge swaths of space shattered, the scene was terrifying.

Zulong and Dijun were indeed hegemon-level powerhouses who once dominated an era of Honghuang.

Their clash could only be described as terrifying.

The storm stirred up by their clash alone was enough to slay a Great Luo Golden Immortal!

The earth-shaking collision left everyone present feeling shocked.

Dijun, astonished, realized that Zulong's scale armor defense was incredibly formidable!

Although Zulong lacked a powerful defensive treasure on his person, his dragon scales were comparable to a top-grade innate spiritual treasure!

Even Dijun's Golden Crow Divine Fire could not do anything to Zulong's hard dragon scales!

Seeing that he could not break Zulong's defense, Dijun frowned slightly and produced the River Chart and Luo Book.

Thereafter, with the aid of the River Chart and Luo Book, Dijun exercised his Divine Ability, drawing upon the ultimate yang power.

Boom—

The drawn ultimate yang power transformed into blazing, scorching swords of true solar fire, which attacked Zulong's hard scales.

Upon seeing these swords of true solar fire, even Zulong could not help but feel wary.

Crackle—

Zulong exercised his Great Divine Ability, producing terrifying thunder to meet the surging swords of true solar fire.

This battle's light-and-shadow effects grew ever more magnificent, leaving the watching crowd in continual awe.

The battle continued for a while.

Finally, Dijun openly admitted defeat, saying: 'Indeed worthy of being Ancestral Dragon, senior!'

'Ancestral Dragon senior, your strength is indeed superior; I have lost……'

'However, this victory or defeat is only temporary!'

'In the future, I will personally take back the Heavenly Rank One Room from Ancestral Dragon senior!'

Hearing Dijun's words, Zulong smiled and said: 'Dijun, your idea of someday defeating me is not bad!'

'Since I can defeat you now, I will also be able to defeat you in the future!'

After saying those two lines, Zulong glanced at the little white dragon in the audience stands and continued: 'From today onward, I am the master of the Heavenly Rank One Room!'

'My junior Ao Lie will take up residence in the Heavenly Rank Two Room!'

'Dijun, do you have any objections?' (End of chapter)