Chapter 353: Unrivaled at the Time

The Primordial Pillar of Separation and Desolation, located in the northern ice plains, was immense. With a thickness of a thousand zhang and an endless height that disappeared into the clouds, it seemed to be supporting the heavens and the earth.

The pillar was also covered with countless protruding runes and totems, some as large as dozens of zhang, others over a zhang tall. All of this made cultivators appear incredibly tiny when climbing.

At this moment, Xu Qing was approximately two hundred zhang up the Primordial Pillar of Separation and Desolation. His right hand gripped the edge of a protruding totem, and he leaped, landing directly on it.

The totem depicted a fanged, demonic face, brimming with ferocity and malevolent energy.

Xu Qing glanced at it, a look of realization dawning on his face. The figure that had just appeared in his sea of consciousness bore some resemblance to this demonic face. However, even he hadn't anticipated that the soul formed by countless resentments in his sea of consciousness would be directly suppressed and annihilated by the Ghost Emperor Mountain the moment it manifested.

This annihilation differed somewhat from the rules of climbing the Primordial Pillar of Separation and Desolation that Xu Qing understood.

Normally, cultivators ascending the pillar would endure the onslaught of resentments. Once a soul of resentment formed in their sea of consciousness, they would simply need to dispel it from their sea of consciousness, as it was difficult to destroy or suppress.

After dispelling it, they could continue their ascent until the next accumulation of resentments formed an even stronger soul of resentment in their sea of consciousness, and so on.

Thus, the higher one climbed, the greater the difficulty.

Successfully dispelling the resentment also offered a certain chance of receiving a reward. This reward was not given immediately but was distributed after the participant left the Primordial Pillar of Separation and Desolation. Li Ziliang, for instance, had experienced this previously, and others had as well during this period.

However, the chances were extremely low. At a height of around two hundred zhang, the probability of receiving a reward after a successful dispel was roughly one in ten thousand. This probability would increase proportionally at higher altitudes.

Failure, however, would result in being repelled from the Primordial Pillar of Separation and Desolation and falling back to the ground. Yet, there was no risk of possession, as the vengeful spirits on the Primordial Pillar of Separation and Desolation were fused with the pillar, suppressed by its battle intent, and thus unable to depart. Likewise, they could be said to be indestructible.

But just now, Xu Qing clearly felt the soul of resentment in his sea of consciousness dissipate. It had truly vanished. Or, to be precise, it was devoured by his Ghost Emperor Mountain. Because the moment the soul of resentment let out a mournful cry and its body disintegrated, Xu Qing distinctly felt his Ghost Emperor Mountain become somewhat more tangible.

As for the demonic face totem, it now carried a subtle sense of decay and decline. This effect was very faint, imperceptible from the outside; only by touching it and actively focusing could one discern the subtle signs.

This discovery caused a peculiar gleam to appear in Xu Qing's eyes. He paused his ascent, unsure if he had violated any taboo.

So, he waited for a while.

During this wait, he vaguely sensed a faint divine consciousness emanating from within the Primordial Pillar of Separation and Desolation. This divine consciousness showed no emotional fluctuations, filled only with numbness. After sensing it, Xu Qing understood the meaning of a reward from within, but it was not concrete, very vague.

At the same time, his pause caught the attention of the crowd below.

After his battle with Li Ziliang, Xu Qing was already the focus of much attention, and now, his first ascent of the Primordial Pillar of Separation and Desolation naturally drew an extremely high level of interest. On the ground, both rogue cultivators and sect disciples watched him intently.

"He stopped? He’s only at two hundred zhang!""He must be adapting to the soul of resentment, but this pause does seem a bit long.""Could it be that despite his powerful physique and astonishing techniques, his soul is weak—his Achilles’ heel?""Impossible! I’ve heard about Xu Qing. He has an older brother named Chen Erniu, extraordinarily handsome and magnanimous, known as the Eight Sect Alliance’s foremost benevolent person. He treats Xu Qing incredibly well. Under Chen Erniu’s care, Xu Qing shouldn’t have any weaknesses!"

As the crowd below speculated and gazed, Xu Qing waited for the time it took for half an incense stick to burn. Seeing no further developments and no one stopping him, he pondered for a moment, then leaped upwards again.

The Pillar of Separation and Desolation emitted increasingly dense resentment.

Resentment, so-called, differs from death qi. Death qi typically exudes a chilling sensation, making living beings feel cold throughout their bodies, like the pervasive chill found within forbidden zones, which is often composed of death qi. Resentment, however, is a chilling aura imbued with emotions, primarily hatred, and can affect a cultivator's mind and spirit. This influence manifested as an impact.

Countless shrill roars echoed in Xu Qing's ears—the curses and madness of innumerable lives before their demise. Even blocking his hearing was futile, as these wails resonated directly within his soul. Moreover, the higher he ascended, the denser the resentment became, accumulating and compounding within his mind and spirit.

It gradually permeated his soul and filled his sea of consciousness, growing in intensity until Xu Qing reached a height of four hundred zhang, where the resentful energy in his sea of consciousness suddenly converged. The second soul of resentment was rapidly forming.

A flicker of anticipation rose in Xu Qing's heart. He wanted to see if the previous occurrence was an accident or a coincidence, so he refrained from interfering, allowing the second soul of resentment to fully converge. He could vaguely discern that this second soul of resentment differed in appearance from the first. It possessed two curved horns, a more massive body, a huge tail behind it, and emanated powerful fluctuations and an ancient aura from its entire being. It seemed to have emerged from the long river of time, stirring up waves of tumultuous fluctuations. A hoarse laugh also echoed, revealing ferocity, greed, and an extremely malevolent aura.

Xu Qing's expression remained calm as he continued to observe. Three breaths later, the second soul of resentment became even clearer, revealing eyes clouded with madness. It let out a roar to the sky, spreading its arms as if to unleash malevolent energy.

But at that very moment, the Ghost Emperor Mountain in Xu Qing's sea of consciousness shone once more, and a vibration spread out again. Instantly, the second soul of resentment trembled violently. The cloudiness vanished from its eyes, and its madness transformed into stunned bewilderment, then into horror and disbelief.

"Ghost Emperor?!!"

In the blink of an eye, a shrill scream erupted from the soul of resentment. As the Ghost Emperor Mountain shone and vibrated, the soul of resentment's body collapsed with a crash, tearing into pieces and transforming into strands of black qi that were directly absorbed by the Ghost Emperor Mountain, merging into its form.

The entire process took less than ten breaths. Everything concluded.

Xu Qing remained silent, gazing at the increasingly clear Ghost Emperor Mountain and the face on it that was growing more and more like his own. His confusion deepened. Regardless, it appeared that this was beneficial to him. He once again sensed the divine consciousness of a reward from the Primordial Pillar of Separation and Desolation. So, Xu Qing waited a while longer, then continued to rush upwards, quickly reaching five hundred zhang, then six hundred zhang.

During this time, he discovered that runes and totems imbued with the sense of decay occasionally appeared on the pillar. This indicated that others before him had annihilated souls of resentment using methods similar to his own.

As he pondered, the third soul of resentment appeared in his sea of consciousness.

"Suppress!" This time, before it could fully form, Xu Qing willed it. The Ghost Emperor Mountain instantly trembled, and the soul of resentment screamed as it was extinguished.

Xu Qing continued.

Seven hundred zhang, eight hundred zhang, nine hundred zhang—one thousand zhang!

During this process, as the resentment grew denser, more and more souls of resentment appeared in Xu Qing's sea of consciousness, with one manifesting almost every thirty to fifty zhang. After reaching a height of nine hundred zhang, a vengeful spirit would form every twenty or thirty zhang. Such a high frequency made the ascent extremely difficult for cultivators. But for Xu Qing, it was different.

"Suppress!!""Suppress!!""Suppress!!"

Xu Qing surged forward, and as he did, the Ghost Emperor Mountain within him continuously erupted with light and vibrations, suppressing one soul after another. The mournful cries of these resentful souls before their annihilation were the only sounds in Xu Qing's sea of consciousness.

His Ghost Emperor Mountain, meanwhile, grew increasingly clear with each continuous absorption. Its light became pitch-black, and the manifested face of Xu Qing gradually turned somber, filled with a grim, murderous aura. This somberness created an oppressive aura around the Ghost Emperor Mountain, and its divine charm also grew. At the same time, its connection with Xu Qing became increasingly intimate, even giving him the sensation that if this continued, he might one day be able to manifest the Ghost Emperor Mountain outside his body.

What shocked Xu Qing even more was his discovery that a vague, ethereal staff seemed to be gradually forming in the Ghost Emperor Mountain's hands! Currently, it was only an indistinct outline, but it didn't prevent Xu Qing from recognizing that this staff... was remarkably similar to the Primordial Pillar of Separation and Desolation.

These discoveries caused a great stir in Xu Qing's mind. Simultaneously, he noticed faint cracks appearing on the Ghost Emperor Mountain's body, as if its growth was too rapid, and it hadn't fully integrated, reaching a certain limit.

At this moment, his height of one thousand zhang also elicited a strong uproar from the observing crowd below. Before this, the highest climb had been achieved by Li Ziliang, whom Xu Qing had slain, reaching over eight hundred zhang. Although some prodigies from various sects had not participated for different reasons, it must be said that Li Ziliang's height was already quite astonishing at this stage. But now, Xu Qing had effortlessly surpassed it.

"A thousand zhang high! That’s a height I’ve only dreamed of reaching.""Hmph, if the Eight Sect Alliance granted me the Dao Child treatment, I could also reach a thousand zhang. This Xu Qing just has better luck than us. Maybe he has an elder in the Seven Blood Eyes Sect. Unlike us, from humble backgrounds, every gain we make is fought for.""I heard this Xu Qing comes from a common background…""You believe such talk? This person kills at the slightest provocation; such a demeanor surely belongs to a profligate young master.""You’re mistaken. Actually, according to my intelligence, Xu Qing is no profligate. He’s someone who knows how to repay kindness and holds his senior brother Chen Erniu in great respect, even once vowing to share life and death with him.""I’m not concerned with any of that. What I’m interested in is what reward Xu Qing will receive after this ascent!"

As the crowd below discussed with a mix of complexity, shock, bitterness, and longing, Xu Qing stood at the thousand-zhang mark of the Primordial Pillar of Separation and Desolation. With his back to the fierce winds, he looked up at the even greater heights above. His current position seemed very high, but it was still far from the clouds, and beyond the clouds, an even longer section of the Primordial Pillar of Separation and Desolation extended.

"I can’t climb any further for now," Xu Qing murmured to himself. He sensed his Ghost Emperor Mountain, and through their intimate connection, he perceived signs of it reaching a saturation point, as it had absorbed too many vengeful souls. For example, the cracks had formed because of this, indicating that further refinement was needed before it could continue. With this thought, Xu Qing made his decision. Just as he was about to release his grip and leave the Primordial Pillar of Separation and Desolation, his gaze suddenly narrowed as he looked into the distance.

In the distant sky, a massive black mist was rapidly approaching, howling as it came. From his vantage point, he could clearly see a giant within the mist. The giant was entirely blue, approximately three thousand zhang tall, and while incredibly colossal, it also radiated terrifying divine fluctuations. This was clearly a divine creature. It arrived, riding on clouds and mist, with hundreds of figures clad in black Daoist robes standing on its body. Each figure’s expression was utterly indifferent, as if devoid of any emotion.

And atop the giant’s head, a figure in red stood against the wind. A massive ghastly scythe was slung over the red-clad figure’s shoulder, exuding boundless heroism. The moment he saw that figure, Xu Qing’s eyes subtly narrowed.