Chapter 296: To Rise
“Ants” flew into the sword intent, like moths to a flame.
Seeing the young man press forward without hesitation, even Zuo Yunshan, who held no good feelings for Chen An, was moved.
In fact, when he was young, Zuo Yunshan had also emulated past disciples and attempted to ascend Tianshan Mountain.
At that time, he had just entered the Golden Core stage, full of spirit, believing there was nowhere in the world he couldn’t go.
So, like many of Tai Xuan Sect’s outstanding disciples, he set his sights on this Tianshan Mountain that had stood for a thousand years.
However, despite considering himself blessed with both natural talent and exceptional temperament, he stopped in his tracks when faced with that sword intent.
Fortunately, no one noticed his sheepish retreat that night.
Therefore, seeing the young man’s reckless figure, Zuo Yunshan fell silent.
Perhaps it sounds simple, but how many people can face a mountain of knives ahead without flinching?
Lu Ning, standing beside him, was also silent.
He himself had never climbed Tianshan Mountain, nor had he personally experienced the terrifying power of that sword intent.
He merely watched as the plain white robe on the young man’s body was gradually dyed red, and couldn’t help but ask, “Doesn’t it hurt?”
Pain!
Damn it, it really hurt!
It felt as if every inch of his skin was being sliced by the sword intent every moment.
Chen An had prepared himself mentally, but the pain still made him grit his teeth.
Even his sword-riding form began to sway, as if he might fall at any moment.
He quickly took a deep breath, steadied his mind, adjusted his breathing rhythm, and stabilized his body.
As soon as they entered Shanyue Yao, the snowflakes drifting down from the sky seemed to gain immense power. They not only became incredibly fast but also exceptionally sharp.
When those snowflakes landed on his shoulders, for Chen An, there was no profound meaning or artistic conception to be found.
Imagine what it would feel like if the sharpest knives in the world were landing on your shoulders – that was Chen An’s current experience.
This was a pain the body had to endure, with no possibility of escape.
Enduring the relentless snowfall, the young man’s climbing speed finally began to slow down.
However, this slowness was not in the conventional sense.
It was simply slower compared to his previous speed.
Thus, in the eyes of the observing Lu Ning, he couldn’t help but voice another question.
“That’s not right!”
“Logically speaking, his spiritual energy should have been depleted long ago. Why does he still appear as if he hasn’t exerted his full strength?”
This was a question that not only he found perplexing.
Zuo Yunshan frowned, remained silent, and only kept his eyes fixed on the young man, who swayed precariously but continued to ascend.
He felt a strange, inexplicable irritation.
This was not the first time he had experienced this feeling.
In previous years, he often had this restless illusion, making him intensely want to find an open space and vent his frustrations.
At the same time, a tiny black shadow quietly appeared on the back of Zuo Yunshan’s neck.
It was a small, dark green insect.
It flashed for a moment, then quickly disappeared without a trace.
“Doesn’t it hurt?”
On Tianshan Mountain, the old woman, witnessing this scene alongside the young woman, couldn’t help but sigh.
Mu Sanniang did not reply. She seemed to recall something and hurriedly stood up, walking to the edge of the mountain peak.
The young woman leaned forward, peering down.
But at this distance, in this snowy weather, what could be seen besides a vast expanse of white?
She gritted her teeth, trying to see more, but was quickly repelled by the formation, unable to advance further.
“Younger brother…”
The girl stared blankly down the mountain, her lips parting wordlessly, issuing a silent call.
Just then, in her Sea of Consciousness, the old woman’s eyes suddenly widened.
Because on the light screen, the young man’s figure had not paused for a moment. In the final instant before his plain robe was completely dyed red.
His expression was stern, like the hardest sword in the world, he broke through the wind and snow.
He had also passed through Shanyue Yao.
No one knew Chen An’s true condition. They could only tell from his increasingly swaying sword projection that he was indeed a bit tired.
And his journey had only just passed halfway.
After breaking through the Ancestor’s sword intent, the falling snowflakes were no longer like knives.
This seemed like good news.
But feeling the dwindling spiritual energy within him, Chen An knew the situation was still not optimistic.
Fortunately, with the Great Heaven and Earth Yin-Yang Union Cultivation Technique running, his speed of spiritual energy recovery far exceeded normal expectations.
This was the greatest support that allowed him to ride his sword this far.
Otherwise, he might not have been able to reach even halfway up Shanyue Yao.
Let alone breaking through the sword intent obstacles and continuing forward like this.
However, Chen An soon realized another fact.
As he ascended, the temperature in the air visibly dropped drastically.
Why visibly?
Because Chen An could now see thick layers of ice already forming on the mountain walls.
The coldness within the air seeped into every bone, every blood vessel, making it feel as if even breathing would freeze.
In such an extremely harsh environment, the circulation of spiritual energy began to stagnate.
Fortunately, Chen An had anticipated this and was not flustered.
He simply used the last trace of spiritual energy in his body, took out the pickaxe he had custom-made from his storage bag, put away his flying sword, and leaped.
The powerful body of a Foundation Establishment cultivator allowed him to easily embed the iron pickaxe into the ice, anchoring himself.
Without daring to delay, the young man began to swing the iron pickaxe in his hand, like a mortal.
Continuing to climb the mountain.
He didn’t know how high he had flown, how far he was from the summit, nor did he have the time to think about it.
A cultivator’s body was indeed powerful, but without the protection of spiritual energy, even the strongest body was merely flesh and blood.
The young man’s eyes, his slender fingers, were quickly covered in a layer of frost.
This forced his movements to become slow.
But just as misfortune struck, a fierce gust of wind suddenly blew, causing the young man to sway violently.
This also clenched the heart of the young woman who had been watching her younger brother.
Her eyes had, at some unknown point, become red.
Fortunately, the young man tightly gripped the pickaxe, not letting his efforts go to waste.
His knuckles were already blue with frost, with many small nicks on them – the wounds from Shanyue Yao, looking somewhat ferocious and terrifying.
After a short while, once he had stabilized himself slightly, the young man continued to swing the pickaxe.
His expression was stern; even after experiencing such a perilous moment, there was no fluctuation.
In his ears, he heard the mournful wail of the wind and snow.
But in Chen An’s eyes at this moment, there was only the pickaxe in his hand, striking into the ice again and again.
The sound of the ice cracking each time was his progress.
His face was no longer as refined and handsome as before.
Only his gaze remained the same.
Finally, after who knows how long he had been climbing in this manner, he suddenly heard a hoarse voice from above.
The voice trembled, laced with tears.
“Get up.”
She said.
His consciousness was somewhat hazy, making it difficult for Chen An to discern. He only instinctively reached out his hand.
The young man’s movements were slow, but very steady.
He firmly grasped his older sister’s hand.
As if finally relieved, he tilted his head back, displaying a somewhat strained smile.
“I’m sorry, older sister. I’m late.”
He said slowly.
There was no verbal response from above, only crystal-clear tears rolling down, gently hitting the young man’s face.
Just then, a strong gust of wind blew again, and the blue cloth wrapped around his wrist could no longer withstand the onslaught. It fluttered away with the wind.
The young man suddenly jolted awake and hurriedly tried to grab it.
His fingertips and the blue cloth, in the end, brushed past each other.
(End of this chapter)
