Chapter 568

Boom—! A shockwave surged skyward, and dust rolled like billowing clouds!

In a flash, Zhou Ying's strike unleashed a gale that swept for several li; Long Long Yingchan and the others reacted just as swiftly!

But the instant the figure of the Thousand-Eye Dharma Master dashed up the mountain path, an invisible spiritual pressure struck them from afar, obliterating them all in a single blow. "How is this possible?" Fang Fang Sanyun's pupils contracted sharply as the strike missed its mark; the expressions of the others changed drastically. Everyone present knew how difficult it was to climb the Eight Directions Mountain path; aside from Qin Yun, even the youngest, Daoist Yuan Qing, would struggle to reach the fiftieth step without risking his life. Yet this suspected Thousand-Eye Dharma Master had covered a hundred steps in an instant!

Boom!

As everyone's faces changed, the furious Gui Gui Laoxian surged forward, wrapped in a sonic shockwave, tearing through the nearby cliffs, islands, and vegetation with a thousand and two hundred twenty-two slashes!

Yet, just like the long-range strike from Long Long Yingchan and the others, it was obliterated by the Eight Directions Mountain's spiritual pressure right on the mountain path!

"."

Gui Gui Laoxian roared as he charged the mountain path, but after climbing only a few steps, his speed plummeted from a frantic sprint to a painfully slow crawl. Fang Fang Sanyun, watching the figure already at the hundred and fifty-fifth step, stared with utter shock and horror: "Could this old ghost have entered the Eight Directions Temple?"

He turned back in shock and rage. At the foot of the eastern mountain, Long Long Yingchan and the others had also turned pale with fear; Fang Fang Sanyun and Daoist Yuan Qing had even drawn out their Daoist Tianyun Daoist Tianyun Xuanbing weapons!

"!"

Holding a Level Three Unity Pillar, Daoist Yuan Qing's expression was solemn; the others' faces were equally grim!

Up!

A new stone stele slowly rose at the foot of the mountain. 【Divine Endowment: Supreme (Incomplete). 【Spiritual Potential: Saint Class (Incomplete). Divine Body...】】

"God Realm? This... could this robe truly be the Thousand-Eye Dharma Master?" Long Long Yingchan and the others all turned pale, but the most shocked was Chi He Lian. With her spiritual sense sealed, she stumbled forward, her eyes filled with disbelief. As a graduate of the Poison Dragon Academy, how could she not know what the God Realm signified!

"!!"

"Impossible! If he were the Thousand-Eye Dharma Master, why would he have sought to cooperate with me before?"

Chi He Lian was utterly shocked, feeling even more dread. Legend held that the Thousand-Eye Dharma Master had been killed by the Poison Dragon God. "The legend that this old ghost of the Thousand Eyes came from the heavens was thought to be mere rumor, yet I never expected it to be true. Could he truly be an Outer-Heaven God?"

"*. e!.!"

"No! The incomplete divine body on the stele... it is not a true god!" The text flowed like a waterfall, and with every new line that appeared, everyone's hearts pounded violently. Aside from the prominent incomplete characters, this Thousand-Eye Dharma Master surpassed all the steles below in every aspect except his realm. 【Overall Evaluation: Born in the 71st Era of Origins, a pure-blood descendant of the Tianmu Clan of the Tian Shi Yuan Fa Jie domain!】

"At the end of his lifespan, he borrowed incense to preserve his divine body within the You Jing realm... After eons, on the eve of his corruption, he made a desperate gamble, borrowing the power of the gods to try and live a second life... Failed to become a true Zhu Shen Jing master of a divine cave heaven, not truly the second life... Can be evaluated as: Good (Lower). 【Climbed 189 steps... 191 steps... 101 steps...】" The text on the stele continued to flicker. Some parts were vague, yet it outlined most of his life in detail, far surpassing anyone present. "A true god attempting to live a second life?" Fang Fang Sanyun murmured; the others also felt a chill, sensing a terrifying aura just from these words!

"A god who has lived for an unknown age, even plotting to live a second life, even as an incomplete god, far exceeds anyone present's imagination." As Chi He Lian murmured "Thousand-Eye Dharma Master," she suddenly felt a chill in her heart; Fang Yun and the others were all looking at her! "?!?!?!"

Ignoring the interrogation of Chi He Lian, the crowd focused on Long Long Yingchan, whose tightly furrowed brows showed shock, rage, and blame. "He was quite wary of the Thousand-Eye Dharma Master and had secretly kept his guard up, yet he never expected him to truly be an Outer-Heaven God hiding among the mountains, waiting for an opportunity to climb! When that figure rushed down the mountain just now, I thought the old ghost was trying to divert the disaster eastward. Who could have guessed he actually intended to climb the mountain?"

Even Qin Yun couldn't reach a thousand steps; most people present had long accepted that no one could reach the summit of the Eight Directions Mountain!

"Could this old ghost reach the summit?"

Long Long Yingchan's face was extremely grim!

The cloaked figure on the mountain path had climbed over four hundred steps. Although his speed had slowed, compared to Gui Gui Laoxian, who was crawling like a turtle, he was already considered fast!

Let alone him; even if Qin Yun returned immediately, he would be too late to stop or pursue. Zhou Ying also felt shock and self-reproach: "If I had the Black Whale Hammer in hand, perhaps I could have stopped that strike just now, but now..." He turned his head and saw Chi He Lian, her face deathly pale, surrounded by Long Long Yingchan and the others, nearly drowned by their spittle!

"Outer-Heaven God..." Zhou Ying looked up at the mountain peak, his expression solemn. He wasn't worried about Li Yuan holding the Eight Directions Temple token; he could enter and leave the Eight Directions Temple at any time! But watching the cloaked figure climb the mountain with such ease and speed, he couldn't help but feel worried. Clouds and mist shrouded the Eight Directions Mountain!

On the mountain path, the Thousand-Eye Dharma Master's cloak fluttered without wind; the thousand magical eyes beneath the cloak were blood-red, clearly not as relaxed as outsiders might think. Even borrowing the power of the gods, sacrificing the Zhu Shen Jing master body, the Zhu Shen Jing realm, and a lifetime of cultivation, he was not truly in his second life; otherwise, why would he need to climb step by step? He still remembered the Martial Immortal Sect Master Feng Feng Qingcang of old, who reached the mountain in a single step... The Thousand-Eye Dharma Master sighed in his heart. He had intended to lie dormant for several more decades to repair this broken body, but the appearance of that divine coffin truly unsettled him. Having once seen the Origin God Clan, he knew their terrifying potential; thus, even with reluctance, he had to attempt the climb. "I hope this Eight Directions Temple can truly, as the Wind God said, help me live a second life..."

Cutting off these distracting thoughts, the Thousand-Eye Dharma Master exhaled. Bloodlight seeped from beneath his cloak, initially in thin streams, then rapidly spreading like a tide and waves, resisting the spiritual pressure from the Eight Directions Temple!

Having personally witnessed the Martial Immortal Sect Master Feng Feng Qingcang and other followers entering the temple to climb, he only realized the difficulty when he himself began to climb!

The spiritual pressure from the Eight Directions Temple was unceasing and grew stronger and stronger. Even at the eight hundredth step, he felt the strain; his movements grew slower and slower, and the crimson divine light swirling around his robe was gradually suppressed back!

"My divine body is broken; even without the burden of bone age, reaching the summit is difficult... At most, perhaps only a few thousand steps?" After a long while, under the gaze of everyone below, the Thousand-Eye Dharma Master slowly continued his steps. He looked around; the previously clear map of the Eight Directions gradually blurred!

"If I had a few more decades, it might be more stable... but that divine coffin... and Li Yuan..." The Thousand-Eye Dharma Master raised his hand to press his brow, then looked toward the peak: "Time waits for no one!"

"If I wait another few decades, my divine body might not be repaired further, but Li Yuan might cultivate a Divine Palace." As the Thousand-Eye Dharma Master slowly extended his hand, he took out a token from beneath his cloak, his expression somewhat complex.

The token was pale gold throughout, interwoven with divine patterns, bearing the character "Wind." It was the Wind God Token! "Ten thousand steps." Holding the token, the Thousand-Eye Dharma Master climbed slowly. Under the gaze of everyone below, he ascended to the ten-thousandth step!

Buzz! As he paused again and retracted the crimson divine light radiating from his body, the mist on the mountain path instantly began to churn!

"Relying on the wind's power." Gently holding the token, the Thousand-Eye Dharma Master emitted a long, hollow voice, as if chanting or reciting a prayer: "By the reward and gift of the Eight Directions, the ten thousand steps... by the Wind God Token as a guide... Wooo..." His voice was neither high nor low, yet it seemed to break through the Eight Directions Temple's spiritual lock, echoing among the mountains and radiating even further, to the foot of the Eight Directions Mountain, deep within the mountain ranges, and even beneath the Dao Soldier Tower!

"The Wind God Token..."

Outside the Dao Soldier Tower, Huang Long, understanding, stood up in shock. Under the black umbrella, Wan Wan Zhuliu also stood up!

Silver light flashed violently in his eyes, and the roar of the Cloud Demon rose in his heart: "A gathering token? So that old ghost of the Thousand Eyes actually possesses the Wind God Token!" "What is the Wind God Token?"

Wan Wan Zhuliu was shocked but not disordered; while asking the Cloud Demon, he also looked at Huang Long, whose face had changed drastically!

"The Wind God Token is a sacrificial altar bestowed by the Wind God, containing the Wind God's..." Hearing the voice that came from nowhere, Huang Long's unease climbed to its peak!

That Wind God Token arrived with the wind.

At the foot of the Eight Directions Mountain, Chi He Lian's heart...

... filled with shock and rage: "This old ghost actually hid a Wind God Token!"

Among the five great cave heavens of the Tian Shi Yuan Fa Jie, the Martial Immortal Sect had the deepest foundation. Even after years of decline, it remained the head of the five great cave heavens!

Not only because the Martial Immortal Sect Master who received the blessings of the Eight Directions Temple, but also because this ancient immortal sect had the deepest foundation. The Poison Dragon Academy worshipped the Poison Dragon God, while the Martial Immortal Sect worshipped the four great gods: Earth, Fire, Water, and Wind. On the peak of the Three Mountains of the Eight Directions, amidst silence, repairing his realm, the little female dragon suddenly awoke. Hearing the approaching prayer, she felt a bone-chilling cold: "Is this the Wind God's prayer, or is it directed at...?" The little female dragon trembled all over, but she quickly realized she was merely being affected; the prayer was directed at Li Yuan! "Stop!" She instinctively screamed, then suddenly retracted her voice. A wave of dark green true energy, like a tide and clouds, enveloped the peak. Li Yuan sat cross-legged within it, facing the sky with no thought. "It's over; that kid is entering the Dao!"

Feeling the deepening chill, the little dragon let out a mournful cry in her heart. Hesitating for a moment, she still whipped him hard: "Wake up quickly! *Smack! *"

The whip struck his head. The previously silent and calm dark green true energy boiled violently. In the next instant, in the little female dragon's horrified eyes...

That boiling true energy suddenly began to rotate, the dark green and black colors intertwining and chasing each other, transforming into a massive dark green fish that leaped from the abyss! "Ya! This..."