Chapter 338: Dao Establishment Stele
" Well well, we are finally out of the Azure Mount Forest." Long Ming looked at the plains before him. " We should be entering the Palace Ruins by now."
" The treasury of ancestors should be around here."
" Senior Brother, we have been traveling straight for days. Shouldn't we take some rest?" Some of the junior disciples whined.
" Hmm, our journey has been smooth so far. But don't be complacent." Long Ming shook his head. " This is Great Sky Ruin. Anything can happen at any time-"
Before he could finish his sentence, a beam of light erupted from far. Long Ming's eyes narrowed when he saw that.
' Crap, isn't that the place near the treasury? Don't tell me…'
" What is that?"
" Look! The flow of energy is shifting!"
" Could it be… Some extraordinary treasure has appeared?"
Everyone couldn't help but mumble with excitement when they saw the scene. Mu Qinglian nodded, " Indeed, it must be some sort of treasure."
" Brother Long, what do you say?" Ming Yuexin glanced at Long Ming. " I am pretty sure there would be others rushing there."
" We must move as well." Long Ming's face was mildly annoyed. " I hope it's not what I think."
Like moths attracted to flame, all cultivators who saw the light pillar rushed towards it.
" Huh? What's that?"
" It's…It's a stele?"
" Such a big stele! What kind of treasure is it?"
" Let's go and check."
A gigantic stele somehow appeared from the ground, standing tall like a mountain. It didn't take long before the cultivator gathered around it.
" Let me see!"
The moment a cultivator took a step forward, his body trembled.
" ARRRGHH!"
He clutched his head, his body turning crimson as if he was getting boiled. A dense killing intent appeared around him, making him collapse.
It didn't take much time before his body started to bleed. Suddenly, with a mild sound, his body exploded.
" Nooo!"
" What just happened?"
Everyone became cautious when they saw the sudden death of the cultivator. However, the glowing allure of the stele was alluring than the death itself.
One cultivator slowly stretched his arm forward. Suddenly, his arm was covered in wounds, as if something sharp had sliced off chunks of meat.
" Argh! What the hell is this?!"
Alarmed, he quickly pulled back his hand and popped a few healing pills in his mouth.
" Move aside! The Flame Palace is here!"
Suddenly, a group of disciples appeared, their uniforms were liek blazing tongues of flames.
" Look! It's the Flame Palace of Western Province!"
The disciples slowly walked forward when they saw the stele.
" Hmph! Everyone, back down. The Flame Palace will handle it." A disciple of Flame Palace shouted. His words instantly made everyone irked.
" These bastards!"
" Hmph! Do you guys think this is your property?"
" How bold, Flame Palace! You think your words can stop us?"
It barely took any time before another group arrived. The Flame Palace disciples' expressions changed slightly when they saw them.
" Hmph! Dark Star Pavilion, don't you think we fear any of you?" The chief disciple of Flame Palace, Huo Zihao snorted.
" Haha, Just because you are an ancient sect doesn't mean you can do whatever you want." Fei Daishu of Dark Star Pavilion snorted.
" Looks like a lot of bastards have gathered here."
Huo Zihao and Fei Daishu both grimaced when they saw Qian Shu of Mist Garden arriving with his fellow disciples.
" What? Not pleased to see me? Looks like you are still scared of me, Fei Daishu." Qiao Shen sneered. " You can never defeat my Thousand Tides Ocean Sword Art."
" Hmph! Don't be too cocky, Qiao Shen." Fei Daishu gritted his teeth when he heard that. " Just because I lost last time doesn't mean I will lose this time."
" Qiao Shen, what are you getting proud of?" Huo Zihao snickered. " This time, Fu Hongxu is leading the Mist Pavilion, not you."
" Huo Zihao, why don't you say that on my face? Let me see how powerful the flames of your Flame Palace is."
*BOOM! BOOM!*
" Look! Someone is entering the vicinity of the stele."
The exclamation of the crowd diverted everyone's attention. They all saw a group of disciples standing with pale white daoist clothes, each carrying a sword on their back.
" It's Six Sword Pavilion!"
Ling Yuan cracked his knuckles as he looked at the stele. He took a deep breath as he stepped forward,
" Hmph! This kind of pressure is nothing!" Ling Yuan snorted as he slowly walked forward.
" What? What's happening?"
" He isn't getting injured at all!"
" Hmph, you all are incompetent fools." Qiao Shen snorted. " This isn't some kind of trap mechanism. It's called the Dao Establishment Stele."
" Dao Enlightenment Stele?"
" I heard that name." A person from the crowd suddenly spoke up. " It's unknown who placed it here. However, it's a kind of great treasure. It automatically detects the techniques practiced by a cultivator and gives him equal pressure."
" As long as one can endure the pressure and get acknowledgement by the stele, they will receive great rewards."
Its function was simple, it was to test the dao heart and comprehension of a cultivator. For example, a cultivator proficient in flame techniques will face powerful infernal pressure, while earth cultivators will have to fight against the heavy earthen energy.
But of course, if one fails, the consequences are dire. Normal cultivators couldn't withstand the pressure of the Dao Establishment Stele.
Not long after Ling Yuan, the other disciples of Six Sword Pavilion also moved forward.
" Hmph! All disciples, walk forward!"
" Flame Palace, move on!"
While rogue cultivators were debating among themselves, the other sect and powerhouses slowly walked towards the stele.
The moment everyone arrived at the two hundred steps of the stele, they already started to feel the pressure.
" Move forward! The closer you get, the better the reward!"
" Don't fall back! Move forward and pick a suitable place to comprehend!"
It turned into a race as everyone walked towards the stele. Each step increased the pressure, making the weaker ones falter behind.
" Young Master, please stay around me. I will protect you while you cultivate." Ling Yuan smiled as he looked at the young man before him.
" But brother Ling, what about you?" Xu Jian spoke in worry. Despite him being the son of the Six Sword Pavilion's sect master, he always held Ling Yuan in high regard.
" Don't worry about me. I am fine. I can always have another chance. This time, you must use the Dao Establishment Stele." Ling Yuan spoke with a smile.
" Not to mention, it's not like I am giving up my chance entirely."
" Brother Ling, I will do my best."
After two hundred steps, only a third of them managed to get past the range of a hundred steps of the stele. The pressure has already increased by three times.
Xu Jian stopped at the thirtieth step and sat down in lotus position. Ling Yuan stood right behind him, his sword in his hand.
*BOOM! BOOM!*
Almost half a day passed, and not one could go beyond the twentieth step.
However, with a loud booming sound, Xu Jian's body started to float.
" Look! He is moving!"
" No! More likely, the stele is attracting him!"
His body floated and easily went past the twentieth step, and stopped at the thirteenth step.
Suddenly, a giant bamboo scroll manifested above him, with gushing waves of true qi around it. Xu Jiang pulled out a brush as he stretched his arm. With a single stroke, a phantom sword appeared, slashing on the scroll.
[ My heart as paper, let my sword prove my dao]
*ZZZTT*
" Look there!"
" Sword intent! To think that young looking kid already comprehended sword intent! And he is only at the Primordial Spirit Unification Realm!"
The stele suddenly appeared to tremble a bit, with a beam of light shooting towards Xu Jian. One could see a book within the light, blooming with sword intent
" Finally! There is a treasure!"
" That should be at least a Royal grade battle technique!"
Barely a second later, several figures lept in the air, trying to claim the scroll for themselves.
After all, rather than spending time fighting against the stele's pressure, wouldn't it be wise to steal the treasures of others?
" Hmph! You dare?!"
Ling Yuan's eyes narrowed as he drew his sword. An overwhelming aura of sword qi appeared as he swung his broadsword.
*BOOM! BOOOM!*
Blood splashed as Ling Yuan killed all of them in a single attack. However, one of the attacks was aimed straight at him.
A sword broke through the air with a loud humming sound, aiming straight at Ling Yuan's head.
Ling Yuan swung his broadsword, forming a whirlwind of sword qi around his body in an instant.
*BOOOOM!*
With a loud crash, he was thrown away quite a distance. The aura of the stele disoriented him a bit, but gritting his teeth, he got up.
" Hmph! Trash of Six Sword Pavilion, you dare to kill our disciples?"
Ling Yuan's eyes narrowed as he saw a young man with sharp eyes, with a luxurious white robe with a golden sword pattern on it.
" Calling our Six Sword Pavilion trash, huh?" Ling Yuan mocked. " Guess Heavenly Sword Sect couldn't handle this small trash in these hundred years."
" Bastard! I will make sure you will never be able to touch a sword ever again. Face me, Jin Xiao, the core disciple of Heavenly Sword Sect!"
As Jin Xiao stepped forward, four swords revolved around him in a circle.
" Young master, cultivate well." Ling Yuan assured Xu Jian.
" I will handle that bastard."!