It was no easy feat to come up with a cultivation technique of one's own. It required great willpower and willpower.
Knowing that it would take some time, Zhang Xuan wasn't in a hurry to do so.
Soon, a few days passed, and the Azure Bridge would open on this very day. Early in the morning, Zhang Xuan led the crowd toward the Heaven Anchoring Boulder.
The Heaven Anchoring Boulder was located in the Sea of Exiled Stars, not too far away from Exiled Star Island. Riding on an aerial immortal beast, four hours later, a barren rocky island came into sight.
The island towered above the sea, reminiscent of a solitary mountain or a massive pillar that held up the heavens. It was impossible to tell how tall it was, and one couldn't see the end of it.
"Legend has it that countless years ago, when the heavens collapsed and the people of the continent were plunged into misery and suffering, a super expert chopped off the four legs of a giant sea turtle from the bottom of the sea and used them as pillars to hold up the heavens. Later, as time passed, the sea turned into mulberry fields, and the legs became stone pillars, which is the Heaven Receiving Stone in front of us!"
Han Jianqiu said as he gazed at the towering island before him.
"These are all legends. This isolated island is tens of thousands of meters tall. How can there be such a huge sea turtle in the world?"
Elder Kui Xiao shook his head. "Besides, if the heavens were to collapse, how could four legs hold up the heavens?"
"You're right."
The crowd chuckled softly.
Every world had its own legends and legends, and the Forsaken Continent was no exception.
Zhang Xuan turned his gaze to the Heaven Anchoring Boulder.
While he knew that it couldn't possibly be the four legs of a sea turtle, it was still rather bizarre for a massive boulder to be able to stand between the heavens and the ocean for so many years.
Activating his Eye of Insight, Zhang Xuan swiftly noticed that something was amiss.
While the Heaven Anchoring Boulder looked like an ordinary boulder, its surface was filled with unique formation inscriptions.
It was due to these inscriptions that the boulder was able to withstand the attacks of the wind, rain, and aquatic lifeforms.
"What profound formation inscriptions …"
After taking a closer look, Zhang Xuan realized that he was unable to make sense of them at all.
"The Hall of Gods … is above this boulder?"
Zhang Xuan could not help but ask.
"Un."
Han Jianqiu nodded.
As he spoke, he flew toward the boulder.
Everyone followed closely behind.
As they flew up the Heaven Bearing Stone, Zhang Xuan felt the pressure on his body grow heavier and heavier. It was like there was a large hand above him that wanted to suppress him from above, unwilling to let him come into contact with the higher secrets.
"Everyone, do your best. Being able to climb the Heaven Receiving Stone is also a test in and of itself!"
Seeing the shock on the faces of the High Immortals following behind him, Han Jianqiu exclaimed.
To a Semi-Divinity realm cultivator, this pressure was nothing at all. However, to a High Immortal, even a top-notch expert would find it difficult to fly to the top of the Heaven Anchoring Boulder.
This was a test in itself!
There were countless experts in the six great sects, but the number of people who could pass would not be too many.
"It's a little like the world in the Temple of Confucius!"
Zhang Xuan smiled.
To him, the pressure from above was enormous. However, it was not to the point where he felt powerless.
Back in the Temple of Confucius, he had encountered such a situation. There was a unique pressure in the sky that prevented him from flying.
The Heaven Anchoring Boulder seemed to be only several dozen thousand meters tall, but it was filled with unique inscriptions that formed a kind of confinement formation. Unless one's cultivation was high enough, if one tried to force their way up, it was very likely that one's zhenqi would be thrown into disarray.
Pu!
While Zhang Xuan was deep in thought, the sound of someone spurting blood suddenly echoed behind him. Turning around, he saw an elder of the Seven Star Pavilion falling from the sky.
"He hasn't even reached the halfway mark yet … Elder Kui Xiao, it seems like the elders of your sect have regressed over the years!"
Elder Qin Yuan remarked with a chuckle.
Considering how even a High Immortal could not withstand the pressure from the Heaven Bearing Boulder even when they were still halfway to the top, wasn't that a little too weak?
Instead of replying, Elder Kui Xiao lowered his head with a deep frown.
After falling for a moment, the elder finally managed to stabilize himself. He panted heavily in midair, not daring to ascend to the top.
Given their level of cultivation, it was unlikely that they would die from the fall. However, who could have thought that they wouldn't even reach the halfway mark?
Based on past experience, the elders who were allowed to follow the Heaven Bearing Boulder were the cream of the crop in the sect. They should have been able to reach at least seventy percent of the height before they succumbed to the pressure.
Pu!
While Zhang Xuan was still pondering over the matter, another elder suddenly spurted a mouthful of blood and plummeted from the sky.
He was an elder of the Myriad Beasts Hall.
"You …"
Elder Qin Yuan's face turned livid.
He had just mocked the other party when someone from his side suddenly fell from the sky. What a slap to his face!
"The pressure is much greater than usual …"
Han Jianqiu remarked grimly.
Elder Kui Xiao and Elder Qin Yuan were stunned for a moment before their eyebrows shot up. "Just as I thought …"
As Semi-Divinity realm experts, they weren't too sensitive to the pressure from the Heaven Bearing Boulder, so they didn't think too much about it. However, after taking a closer look, they realized that the pressure from the Heaven Bearing Boulder had increased by nearly twofold compared to a hundred years ago.
Under normal circumstances, one would only be able to feel such pressure after reaching seventy percent of the height of the boulder.
"This pressure hasn't changed in the past several thousand years. Why would it suddenly increase in strength?"
Elder Qin Yuan widened his eyes in disbelief.
In order to reach the Heaven Bearing Boulder, one would have to withstand the pressure from the sky. This was a rule that hadn't changed in the past several thousand years. Under normal circumstances, the pressure shouldn't have changed at all, so why would it suddenly increase by so much?
"It probably has something to do with the premature opening of the Azure Bridge …"
Han Jianqiu said.
It was already common knowledge that the Azure Bridge would only open once every hundred years, so every sect would make preparations in advance. Based on their estimations, there should still be some time before the Azure Bridge opened. Yet, it had suddenly opened without any warning … Could this have something to do with the increase in pressure?
"Forget it, we have to focus our attention. Only by reaching the Heaven Bearing Boulder will we be qualified to enter the Azure Bridge and reach the Semi-Divinity realm. Otherwise, we'll have to wait another hundred years!"
Even High Immortals only had a lifespan of three hundred years. A hundred years was equivalent to a third of their lifespan.
"Yes!"
Realizing the severity of the situation, the crowd swiftly flew toward the Heaven Bearing Boulder with a grim look on their faces.
As they flew higher and higher, more and more people succumbed to the pressure and plummeted from the sky.
By the time they reached seventy percent of the height, there were only a dozen or so people left in the group.
The three Semi-Divinities who had challenged the Azure Bridge together with Zhang Xuan had undergone a period of intensive training, and their fighting prowess had been enhanced significantly. Had it been in the past, they wouldn't even have been able to reach the top of the Azure Bridge.
If they couldn't even reach the Heaven Bearing Boulder, there was no hope for them to reach the Azure Bridge!
"Can you still hold on?"
Seeing that the trio was drenched in sweat, Zhang Xuan asked with a frown on his face.
"We can!"
Elder Hong Wu replied with gritted teeth.
The crowd continued advancing.
By the time they reached eighty percent of the height, the only ones left were Kui Xiao, Han Jianqiu, and the other Semi-Divinity realm experts.
At this moment, Qin Yuan and the others didn't think much of it, but Elder Hong Wu and the others were already on the verge of collapsing.
Their bodies were trembling non-stop, and their limbs were going to go limp. It felt like they would plummet from the sky at any moment.
"Are we still unable to reach the Heaven Bearing Boulder?"
Zhang Xuan frowned.
There were still several thousand meters to go. If they couldn't even hold on, how were they supposed to reach the Azure Bridge?
Could it be that they had been training for the past few days for nothing?
"Wait here for a moment. I'll head up to take a look to see what's going on for the pressure to be so intense."
Zhang Xuan pondered for a moment before instructing.
Overcoming the pressure had to do with one's strength and state of mind. Since he couldn't find a better solution in the short term, it seemed like he would have to find a way to deal with the source of the pressure.
As Zhang Xuan flew along the stone wall, the pressure became even more viscous.
Zhang Xuan drove the Gods' Sword Intent in his body, and in the blink of an eye, he had morphed into a sharp sword.
Huala!
The viscous pressure was torn apart, and with a light shake, it had already landed on top of the Heaven Receiving Stone.
It was a platform around a hundred meters in diameter, and there was nothing on it at all. Above it was the pitch-black sky, such that he couldn't see the Hall of Gods at all.
Standing on the platform, Zhang Xuan controlled his body to fly upward, only to find that there seemed to be a natural barrier separating him from the rest of the world. No matter how fast he drove his zhenqi, he was unable to travel too far.
In other words, even with his current cultivation, it was impossible for him to fly up and search for the Hall of Gods.
Circling around the stone platform, Zhang Xuan noticed that there were similar runes inscribed on it as well.
Could it be that the pressure is due to these runes?
Zhang Xuan didn't understand the meaning behind the runes, but the fact that the runes were able to keep the stone pillar standing for several thousand years meant that there was some kind of unique power behind them. Perhaps, the pressure that prevented the others from coming here was due to this as well.
"Go!"
Flicking his wrist, Zhang Xuan whipped out the Tongshang Sword. He focused his attention and tapped on the runes.
A burst of sword qi gushed out from the stone platform like a massive dragon, and in the blink of an eye, it dived right into the runes.
Weng!
A brilliant light shone from the stone platform, as if something had come to life.
"As I thought …"
Sensing the change in the pressure around him, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief. With a flick of his wrist, the nine Heavenly High Immortal-tier swords appeared once more, forming a unique sword formation around him.
"Break!"
Zhang Xuan infused the Gods' Sword Intent into the swords and bellowed.
The ten swords landed around the stone platform.
Even though Zhang Xuan didn't understand the meaning behind the runes, he was still able to discern the flaws in the formation through his Eye of Insight.
These were the spots where the swords had struck.
Hong long!
A burst of light rippled through the air, and the immense pressure in the air dissipated at the same time.
Hu hu hu!
With a gust of wind, Han Jianqiu and the others made use of this opportunity to fly up and land on the stone platform.
Weng!
As soon as they landed on the stone platform, the runes in the surroundings suddenly began twisting, and the immense pressure returned.
From the moment it disappeared to the moment it returned to normal, it had only taken two breaths. If not for the others realizing what was going on, they wouldn't have been able to return to the stone platform.
"It's actually able to return to normal on its own?"
Zhang Xuan was astonished.
He thought that he had already destroyed the unique energy formed by the runes, but who could have thought that they would actually return to normal so quickly? As expected of something left behind by the Hall of Gods, it was indeed not as simple as it seemed.
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