Origin Paradise!

Elder Du Nan, the Sword-wielding Elder, the Treasure Pavilion Master, the Red-Robed Eunuch, Granny Jiu Du, and other masters also had burning eyes.

As a de facto host, Hong Zhou arrived at the scene surrounded by the members of the Daming Sect.

Everyone has the right to climb the mountain. The stronger one is, the greater the pressure exerted by the Heavenly Spirit and the Soul Dao Array. This is a fair competition.

Dao Chi looked up and saw that the mountaintop was still shrouded in mist. The mountain path was getting narrower and narrower, and at the end was a pitch-black wall. Beside the wall, a road stopped climbing and led to a persimmon grove. On nine lush persimmon trees, one hundred and eight southern persimmons hung from the branches. Just by looking at them, one could almost hear the longing in one's heart.

"A single persimmon is enough to introduce one to a high-level martial art."

"Master the secret technique, and the efficacy of the southern persimmon will be unparalleled among all rare treasures in the world."

"Just one, I only need one."

"Haha, you all go and fight for the Southern Persimmon. Apart from Tianjiao, who dares to say they can definitely reach that flat land? The ginseng will be mine."

The chatter among the travelers was incredibly noisy; everyone was excited, and some of them weren't even climbing mountains for the first time.

Suddenly, ethereal figures appeared on both sides of the road, and ginseng roots sprouted from the ground, spreading out on the 999 steps. The higher one climbed, the more difficult it became, and therefore the greater the medicinal power of the ginseng. Several ancient ginseng roots emitted a faint white light.

The mist dissipated in front of the pavilion and tower.

"The Ginseng Road is now open!"

Someone shouted wildly; it was the old madman with the cultivation of a grandmaster.

Dao Chi took a step, and Yizhou was rich in ginseng, most of which came from the Jianchi Mountains, so the mountain road was also called the Ginseng Road.

As he stepped onto the steps, an immense pressure descended upon him.

"Terrifying. I thought I had overestimated it enough."

Dao Chi's expression changed. He felt as if he had returned to the time when he was young and stuck in the mud, almost unable to move. He quickly put his hands flat on his thighs, which was an experience from the Dao Palace.

"Well!"

As he took the second step, Dao Chi clearly heard his leg bones groaning. A needle-like pain struck him, as if someone was squeezing him with a needle board. He couldn't help but let out a low cry.

"This is a special kind of pain recorded in the Dao Palace, and it will continue to increase, fundamentally... coming from the evil thoughts of these ghosts and demons."

Dao Chi looked around and saw a series of ethereal figures casting their gazes at him. These were ghosts and demons, but also the guardians of the mountain.

The reason why Grandmaster Soul Daoist is regarded as a great hero and respected by all experts of the same level is because he has developed an array to strip away evil thoughts and imprisoned all the ghosts and demons in Yizhou.

These stripped-out evil thoughts become nourishment for ginseng and persimmon, while the deeply rooted parts become tests, which are borne by the climbers of the Ginseng Road.

"This guy is quite handsome."

"He took the lead right from the start, probably from the same holy land as those others."

“He hasn’t killed many people, so there’s no need to target him.”

The ghosts were talking amongst themselves, their minds fully formed.

As he took a step, Dao Chi's forehead was covered in sweat, but he secretly breathed a sigh of relief. These prisoners who had struggled out of evil thoughts hated evil thoughts the most. They were burdened with karmic obstacles from killing living beings, and climbing the mountain would inevitably lead to being targeted by ghosts and demons.

Suddenly, a blurry, slender hand offered an umbrella with blurred light and shadow.

"Hehe, don't be shy, I have high hopes for you."

The young woman's giggles faded into the distance.

Dao Chi responded with a smile, gripped the Soul Umbrella in his hand, and continued to walk slowly and firmly. The increasingly intense stinging pain actually calmed him down.

"I am determined to become the young leader."

"Without my master, I would still be that orphan begging for food on the roadside."

"If my mentor believes I can do it, then I must succeed!"

Dao Chi was covered in sweat, but his expression remained resolute.

The moment he grasped the Soul Umbrella, a gasp came from behind him.

The masters exchanged bewildered glances. They were not surprised that Dao Chi had gained the initial favor of the ghosts, but it was far too fast.

"What!?"

"The Yin Saint Child also obtained the Soul Umbrella!"

"Damn it, isn't he a member of the Demonic Cult!?"

On the path of ginseng, Yin Shengzi's face was also tense, sweat dripping down. He forcibly suppressed the intense pain and slowly turned his head to look at Dao Chi, who was almost on the same step.

"I want to become the young leader."

"I want to be one of the top ten people in the world."

"I want to become the second Dragon City!"

"I want the martial world to bow down beneath my feet!!"

A strong will compelled Yin Shengzi to continue taking steps after his first step. The intense pain that touched his mind surged forth, but after several attempts, he clearly pulled ahead of Dao Chi by a body length.

In just a quarter of an hour, the young prince, the princess of Anbei, and others successively obtained the Soul Umbrella. These young prodigies walked ahead of the crowd, leaving only their backs.

Along the Ginseng Road, more and more wandering martial arts practitioners are flocking in.

Ginseng that would normally cost tens of taels of silver to buy is now readily available everywhere.

"Haha, with the power of this century-old medicine, my child's illness can be cured."

A middle-aged man in tattered clothes bent down to pick up a ginseng. Because of the bending over, the heavy pressure caused him to climb directly onto the steps. An invisible wave washed him down, but before being eliminated by the Ginseng Road, he held the ginseng tightly in his hand.

Hundreds of wandering travelers who were collecting ginseng slipped and fell down the mountain road.

Inside the pavilion, the group of experts were used to this, and most of their eyes were fixed on the front.

"Yin Shengzi has been overtaken by Dao Chi again; he's almost three hundred steps ahead now," said the red-robed eunuch.

"Hmph, your prince is hanging behind you." Elder Du Nan said coldly.

"Miss, please don't be discouraged." Granny Nine Poisons prayed silently. Although she hadn't spent much time with her young lady, she sincerely hoped that she could win.

"Look! Hong Zhou has gone up there too!"

The Supreme Elder of the Dao Palace was stunned. Hong Zhou was a grandmaster of the same generation as them. It was fair competition on the path of ginseng cultivation. If they were to lose to the juniors and ordinary martial artists, they would lose all face. The reputation of the martial arts world not only concerns oneself but also involves the forces behind one's back. It is not a trivial matter that can be ignored. Otherwise, these grandmasters would not mind trying to obtain the Southern Persimmon.

"Perhaps he wants to restore his cultivation level," Elder Du Nan said uncertainly. "Legend has it that there is a pool on the mountaintop, which is also the origin of the name Jianchi (Mirror Pool), which can transform a person."

The Grandmasters were aware that Hong Zhou had been crippled by Long Cheng, since their strength differences were not significant before.

"Stop dreaming about the mountaintop. Even Longcheng was stopped at that difficult wall last time." The red-robed eunuch sneered. Crossing the difficult wall was a complete pipe dream. He knew the secrets of the palace. Even the Daoist Master had failed when he was young. When he reached the wall, he couldn't even lift his hand.

"Someone has encountered Mad Feather!" Granny Nine Poisons suddenly shouted.

Chapter 159 Ginseng Road

Jianchi Mountain, on the Ginseng Road.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, a hazy feather drifted down with the snowflakes and flew towards Hongzhou.

"It's Crazy Feather, it's Crazy Feather!"

In the crowd, the old madman suddenly went berserk, frantically scratching his cheeks with both hands, constantly making moves to force back the people around him, and finally lying on the ground with his head in his hands, looking at the mountain road in a distorted way.

An elder of the Daming Sect, who had been injured, was filled with rage and rushed over to punch and kick the old madman. But after regaining his senses, he was immediately filled with fear, for this was a Grandmaster.

"He doesn't seem to intend to fight back."

"What grandmaster? He's just a dead dog! Beat him up!"

Seeing this, the elders of the Daming Sect gained courage and called on their disciples to attack together. The old madman made the first move, and their counterattack was perfectly justified.

Some grandmasters looked regretful. When he was young, the old madman was no less than a prodigy, but because he killed too many people, he did not receive the Soul Umbrella from the ghosts. Without the Soul Umbrella, he could not defend against the randomly falling mad feathers. This product of the ghosts' evil thoughts could arouse a person's deepest desires. From then on, the old madman was trapped in a vortex of bloodlust and reason, unable to extricate himself.

The unavoidable mad feather struck Hongzhou.

The former seventh-ranked player immediately turned ferocious.

In an instant, Hong Zhou froze, his mind racing with thoughts.

In just a few days, he fell from the peak to the bottom. Being defeated by Longcheng was due to inferior skills, but the arrogance of Daming Sect was truly chilling.

The once respectful disciple forced himself to climb the mountain.

The usually respectful elders threatened that failure would bring misfortune upon their families.

Even after he was crippled, the Daming Sect still wanted to squeeze out his last remaining value, just like when they encouraged him to block Longcheng for the sake of their reputation.

"This time, I'm going to live for myself."

"I will become a Grandmaster again!"

"This is my desire, I must move forward!!"

After a full quarter of an hour, Hong Zhou opened his eyes, his ferocity vanished, and he took a firm step forward.

Countless onlookers were stunned and bewildered. Historically, being hit by the Soul Umbrella by the Mad Feather often meant elimination, and very few people could withstand it.

"Though old, he still possesses the spirit of a fierce tiger!"

Inside the pavilion, Elder Du Nan could not hide his admiration.

Beside him, the most perceptive of the Dao Palace's Supreme Elder turned his head, his eyes showing surprise.

In sight, two figures approached Jianchi Mountain rapidly, one after the other.

"That must be the recently famous Duke who quelled the rebellion."

"The Lord of Misty Rain Pavilion?" the red-robed eunuch asked in confusion, "Why is he acting like he's gone mad!"

"Jiang Wuyang, I will kill you!"

The Lord of Misty Rain roared in fury, his longsword continuously unleashing slender, sharp strands of sword energy. Whether it was a large tree or a boulder blocking his path, they were all sliced ​​in two, leaving smooth, clean cuts, their sword energy chilling.

Jiang He remained calm, constantly dodging with his Zhenbu steps. With the entire Yizhou on the verge of falling, the canyon leading to Dangguan City required a detour, and even he could not arrive within half a day.

But that doesn't mean there's no way out.

"Once we cross this mountain, we can reach Dangguan City at top speed."

Jiang He looked up at the misty main peak, her steps never stopping as she weaved through the crowd until she stepped onto the steps of the Ginseng Path.

"Get out of my way!"

The Lord of Misty Rain Pavilion was filled with hatred. He thrust out his sword from afar, raindrops forming threads, which wove into a sword, slicing through more than a dozen martial artists in front of him. The sword light pierced straight at the figure who had stopped in his tracks.

But when the sword light entered the range of Ginseng Road, it immediately felt as if it had been subjected to a million-pound burden. Under the combined effect of the Sinking Spirit Heaven and the Soul Dao Array, it instantly crumbled into dust.

As the sword dust swept past, Jiang He stepped onto the second step with his hands behind his back. The intense pain and immense pressure on his soul as he lifted his leg caused his body to tremble instinctively.

"As expected, it lives up to its reputation. It seems that the closer one gets to the Heavenly Realm of Darkness, the greater the pressure becomes. But what are these ghostly things around us?"

Jiang He remained expressionless, walking at a steady pace, pondering the situation around him. His three eye abilities allowed him to gradually see the faces of the figures clearly. One of them was similar to the possessing ghost in front of the Yue Mansion, except that it lacked the malevolent ferocity.

"This guy is a butcher!"

"How many people did he kill?!"

"This person is covered in the wails of the dead!"

The ghosts whispered among themselves, their deaths in life making them exceptionally sensitive to and averse to killing.

The Lord of Misty Rain stared intently at the person who had taken several more steps in a short time. He immediately snorted coldly and stepped onto the Ginseng Path steps as well. If the other party paused for even a moment, he would risk breaking his arms to drag this guy down the mountain and settle the score.

The two climbed up one after the other.

At the very front of the climbing team, the four prodigies—Dao Chi, Yin Shengzi, the young prince, and the princess of Anbei—were all close to the nine hundredth step. At this point, failure would no longer cause them to slide down the mountain, and there was a flat area with persimmon trees growing right next to them.

Inside the pavilion, countless masters were watching.

"They're about to face their qualification test."

"The Holy Son of Yin is destined to go the furthest in the final ninety-nine steps; he has the ambition to unify the martial world!"

"Dao Chi is clearly walking more steadily; the path of ginseng is by no means solely reliant on courageous and diligent progress!"

The masters held differing opinions, with Elder Du Nan and the Supreme Elder of the Dao Palace arguing fiercely. The final ninety-nine steps suddenly became more difficult, but the benefits were also very obvious. Every ten steps was a threshold, and the more negative thoughts one bore, the more favor one would receive from Nan Shi.

Time passed by minute by minute.

Both Dao Chi and Yin Shengzi were covered in sweat, scrambling to walk along the ginseng path, struggling to take fifty steps.

In the end, it was the young prince behind him who couldn't hold on any longer and slid down the road onto the ground.

He wiped away his sweat, his expression calm and composed.