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Chapter 486: The Sixth Floor

“Ha ha! This fellow is not likely to come out in the ten breaths of time still left. Elder Shi, I believe you can announce the results of this Trial of the Ancient Desolate Tower already. There is no need to wait any longer,” Li Xiuzhu said to Shi Hailong, smiling.

Glancing coldly at Li Xiuzhu, Shi Hailong said, “Li Xiuzhu, you seem to be very biased against Xiao Chen. I heard that when he used an engraved card to enter the selection, you did everything you could to stop him, made things difficult for him.

“The Trial of the Ancient Desolate Tower represents the Luck of the Heavenly Extermination Union. The higher the Ancient Desolate Tower is climbed, the more Luck the Heavenly Extermination Union will have. There are five seniors watching from above. You yourself know what you did. The seniors can see it clearly.”

Li Xiuzhu was stunned. However, his expression did not waver and he gave a carefree laugh. “Ha ha! Elder Shi, if you have no proof, you had best not say it. Furthermore, this is only a person who cannot clear the fifth floor; there is nothing worth anticipating in this.”

An elder pointed at the fifth floor of the Ancient Desolate Tower and quavered in excitement, “Elder Shi, that spot of light seems to be coming out!”

Ignoring Li Xiuzhu, Shi Hailong quickly looked over. He saw a dim flickering spot of light in the fifth floor. That could be no one else but Xiao Chen.

“Ha ha ha! He cleared the fifth floor and is entering the sixth floor. Regardless of the result after this, the Heavenly Extermination Union’s hundred years of Luck will be maintained!”

Shi Hailong was stunned for a while before he laughed heartily.

The Ancient Desolate Tower had existed since the Ancient Era. In this age, no one knew who built it, how was it built, or for what purpose.

All they knew was that the Ancient Desolate Tower was similar to the Great Jin Nation’s Wind Cloud Arena—a miraculous building of the Tianwu Continent that could affect the ethereal Luck.

The higher one climbed in the Ancient Desolate Tower, the more Luck that person would obtain. The Heavenly Extermination Union organized the Trial of the Ancient Desolate Tower so that they could obtain more Luck.

The higher the Ancient Desolate Tower was climbed, the more Luck the Heavenly Extermination Union would get.

Naturally, as the person in charge of the trial, Shi Hailong would obtain more benefits than the others.

“No one has managed to clear the fifth floor for almost a thousand years already. The world of cultivators has been in decline since the batch of the Thunder Emperor.

“However, when there is a rise, there will be a fall; and when there is a fall, there will be a rise. This is the rule of the great Dao. Now, someone has cleared the fifth floor; this signifies that a great age of cultivation is being ushered in.”

The elders all discussed excitedly with one another, unable to conceal their happiness at all.

Only Li Xiuzhu turned pale. His hands trembled and his lips quivered. His eyes filled with disbelief.

Li Xiuzhu clenched his fists. How could this brat clear the fifth floor?

Li Xiuzhu remembered how he had done his best back then to humiliate Xiao Chen, mocking him for overestimating himself. However, this now happened right before him.

An Inferior Grade Martial King that Li Xiuzhu obstructed with all his might had managed to tear his way through the obstacles, obtaining a hundred consecutive victories. Then, he had managed to defeat other experts to secure one of the twenty spots.

Now, Xiao Chen even reached a height that no one else had achieved in a millennium. If he was lucky, he might even ascend a few more floors.

It was possible that Xiao Chen would reach the same heights that the Thunder Emperor had.

When Li Xiuzhu thought of this, he felt his scalp go numb. He could not maintain his previous carefree attitude and said in a quivering voice, “Elder Shi, I am not feeling that well all of a sudden. I shall take my leave first.”

Shi Hailong revealed a playful smile as he turned around and asked, “Elder Li, do you not intend to continue watching? Xiao Chen might even clear a few more floors.”

The other people at the sides also smiled and added, “Indeed, you were fine just a while ago. Why are you suddenly feeling unwell? Are you feeling guilty?!”

Li Xiuzhu blushed and insisted sternly, “Nonsense! This old man has a magnanimous heart; this has been proven over long years. There is no point in our discussing this anymore. I shall take my leave first!”

Shi Hailong’s expression turned cold. As he watched Li Xiuzhu leave, he said in a frosty voice, “Keep a close eye on him. If Xiao Chen really climbs to the seventh or eighth floor, restrain him immediately. We will charge him with the crime of wrecking the Heavenly Extermination Union’s Luck and harboring selfish intents.”

A few people trembled in their hearts. The factions within the Heavenly Extermination Union were very complex. Elder Shi probably wanted to use this opportunity to deal with Li Xiuzhu.

The moment Shi Hailong spoke, the elders of his faction immediately and quietly trailed after Li Xiuzhu.

Under the platform, Ding Fengchou smiled bitterly to himself as he looked at the spot of light on the fifth floor. He sighed softly, “It is hard to surpass desire. I did not even dare to try and Chu Chaoyun was defeated miserably. I did not expect Xiao Chen to be able to clear it. I’m afraid that the gap between us will only increase from here on.”

Zuo Mo’s expression was very complicated as well. He smiled, “Twenty people took part in the Trial of the Ancient Desolate Tower but in the end, it became a one-man show of him alone. After this, his status as the strongest youth in the four nations will probably be set in stone.”

The people who had gained a spot all had different expressions as they looked at the flickering spot of light in the Ancient Desolate Tower. There were many reactions to this: some were envious and others jealous.

There were also those who felt conflicted and filled with hesitation. The Holy Fire Manor’s Leng Yun was one of them.

Back then, he already knew that I was the one who attacked him. Given his personality, he will definitely not be benevolent about it.

I still have not settled accounts with him for taking my Origin Flame. I cannot afford to wait for him to mature to deal with him.

Leng Yun’s eyes were clouded with doubt. When he looked at the Ancient Desolate Tower, a cold look flashed in his eyes. He quietly left the crowd and headed for the Desolate City branch of the Holy Fire Manor.

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Within the Ancient Desolate Tower, Xiao Chen stood absent-mindedly before the gate of desire. He closed his eyes and thought back to his somewhat hazy experience. He stayed before the date of desire for a long time without moving.

Is this the desire of my heart?

Would I be unscrupulous and coldhearted in order to bet everything on this?

It’s not worth it!

Xiao Chen opened his eyes and muttered, “It’s not worth it. The way of the great Dao is hard to seek; the peak of cultivation is hard to achieve. All I should seek is to not have any regrets. In this life, be it now or the future, I should not leave any regrets.”

Regardless of the situation, I will not become like that. Xiao Chen’s expression turned grave and he drew his Lunar Shadow Saber.

“Chi! Chi! Chi!”

Xiao Chen sent out several strands of saber Qi to carve four words on the walls of the fifth floor—Leave No Regrets Behind.

Xiao Chen sheathed his saber and revealed a faint smile. He did not receive any physical benefits.

All he received were these four words. However, these four words were more important than any Cultivation Technique, Martial Technique, or natural treasure.

After Xiao Chen overcame his desires, his state of mind would reach Consummation. In the future, he will definitely not end up taking the wrong road on the path of cultivation; he had dealt with his heart demon in advance.

Xiao Chen calmed himself and gently leaped up. He pierced the light barrier of the fifth floor and entered the sixth floor.

“Hu! Hu!”

The moment Xiao Chen landed, he discovered himself in a snowy plain. An arctic wind howled, cutting at him like a knife.

How cold! Xiao Chen shivered slightly before he quickly circulated his Essence, forcing out the cold Qi that entered him.

Wind and snow covered Xiao Chen’s front; all he saw was white. He could vaguely make out a tightly shut door in this boundless snowstorm.

A voice appeared in his heart: Quickly, go and open that door. The voice came from deep within him, so he did not doubt it at all.

Xiao Chen frowned slightly and muttered, “This cold Qi does not seem harmful. However, it will wear one down over time. It would be a problem to endure this for a long time.”

The test in this floor was probably a test of the cultivator’s willpower. It tested the cultivator to see if he could last all the way to opening the door.

Xiao Chen did not think about anything else. He looked at the door’s location and slowly made his way over.

It was as Xiao Chen had expected. At the start, he moved very fast. He managed to travel five kilometers in one breath.

However, his pace soon slowed, his feet growing heavy. The cold Qi penetrated into his bones and his lips paled. The shielding effect of his Essence became less effective, and every step extremely arduous.

Xiao Chen remained silent as he walked alone without a word of complaint.

There was only one thought in Xiao Chen’s mind: I cannot stop moving. No matter how slow I go, even the road to heaven will eventually come to an end.

It was unknown how long Xiao Chen walked. He started to feel his eyes close and his body stiffen. He was so cold that he could not think anymore.

Suddenly, the door appeared before him.

“Pa!”

Xiao Chen did not hesitate to push the door open. At first, he relaxed; however, when he saw the scene awaiting him, he smiled bitterly. “After clearing a snowfield, it is now a sea of fire?”

“Hu chi!”

The instant the door opened, a heatwave surged over. The alternating cold and heat made Xiao Chen feel like his bones would shatter.

Even though Xiao Chen’s physical body was extremely strong, he still felt that way. One can easily imagine what would happen if an ordinary cultivator appeared here.

They would probably crush their jade pendant immediately and give up on this test.

A bright red land filled Xiao Chen’s vision. The ground cracked, each fissure an arm’s length wide.

As the heat surged, lava flowed out of the countless fissures. When Xiao Chen looked forward, he could faintly see pillars of flames.

Xiao Chen did not hesitate. Raising his leg and stepping forward, he kept advancing.

Before long, the Blood Flame Shoes became as hot as a lit stove. Xiao Chen’s feet started to blister.

He endured the agony, frowning heavily in obvious pain.

Xiao Chen immediately felt like tossing away his shoes and continuing unshod. However, his rationality overcame the impulse.

The Blood Flame Shoes were a Medial Grade Secret Treasure. It could resist heat to a certain extent. If Xiao Chen threw them away, he would suffer even more damage by walking barefoot.