Chapter 1372: Ao Qing's Proposal

"The thirty-second level is Qingshan, and the thirty-fifth level is for us, the couple!"

Wang Changsheng was a bit surprised; he hadn't expected that he and Wang Ruyan would become obstacles for the challengers.

As time passed, people gradually left the Immortal Suppressing Pagoda. Most were within ten thousand miles, with a few tens of thousands of miles away. Generally, the higher the level challenged, the farther the teleportation distance, though this was not always absolute.

With more cultivators and demon beasts leaving the Immortal Suppressing Pagoda, the information became more comprehensive.

The thirty-sixth level was Gongsun Yang, the thirty-fifth was the Azure Lotus Immortal Couple, the thirty-fourth was True Monarch Seven Absolutes Zhou Yunxiao, the thirty-third was Master Ming Shui, the thirty-second was Azure Lotus Sword Sovereign Wang Qingshan, the thirty-first was Ao Jin, and the thirtieth level had four Core Formation Stage Level Six puppet beasts.

This information pertained to solo challenges; the difficulty would be significantly greater for a duo challenge.

Ao Jin was the second elder of the Flood Dragon clan, second only to Ao Qing in status. However, when he challenged the Immortal Suppressing Pagoda back then, he had just reached the Core Formation stage, and his cultivation was too low, stopping him at the thirty-first level.

Gongsun Yang, the Azure Lotus Immortal Couple, Zhou Yunxiao, and Azure Lotus Sword Sovereign were all Nascent Soul cultivators alive at that time, and all had established formidable reputations. Zhou Yunxiao was not very well-known in the South Sea cultivation world, while Gongsun Yang was the future island master of Myriad Beast Island. As for the Azure Lotus Immortal Couple and Wang Qingshan, their fame went without saying. Regarding Master Ming Shui, with the collapse of the Golden Sun Sect, he too vanished into the river of history. If Wang Ruyan hadn't inherited his legacy, Wang Changsheng truly wouldn't have known who Master Ming Shui was.

Lower-level cultivators had built a simple azure stone pavilion for higher-level cultivators to rest.

Wang Changsheng flipped his palm, and a Sea-Stabilizing Pearl appeared in his hand. After countless blue runes lit up on the pearl, a vast expanse of seawater surged forth, enveloping Wang Changsheng, Wang Qingshan, Ye Haitang, and Wang Qingling.

"Haitang, Qingling, how many levels are you confident you can clear?" Wang Changsheng asked earnestly.

While Wang Mengbin's strength wasn't weak, his defense was relatively poor, and he was honest and steady in his actions. Wang Changsheng didn't expect him to reach higher levels. In terms of individual strength, Wang Changsheng had more confidence in Ye Haitang and Wang Qingling.

"I don't know much about Zhou Yunxiao. I can clear at least thirty-three levels, provided I know the combat methods of Master Ming Shui, Seventh Brother, and Ao Jin." Wang Qingling was cautious; knowing oneself and one's enemy leads to victory in every battle. She wasn't blindly arrogant just because she possessed a third-tier flood dragon.

Ye Haitang pondered for a moment and said, "Uncle, cousin Qingshan, I will do my best. It would be easier if I knew the divine abilities of these individuals."

Wang Changsheng nodded and spoke about the divine abilities of Master Ming Shui and Ao Jin, while Wang Qingshan described his own and Zhou Yunxiao's divine abilities and combat methods.

"Uncle, I want to know your and Auntie's weaknesses," Ye Haitang asked suddenly, her expression grave.

Both Wang Changsheng and Wang Qingshan were somewhat surprised by Ye Haitang's question, which clearly indicated her desire to clear the thirty-fifth level. However, she had just stated she would act within her capabilities, so Wang Changsheng believed she knew her limits.

"Finish the fight quickly; don't give us too much time. The longer it drags on, the lower your chances of winning. Your aunt is the breakthrough point," Wang Changsheng thought for a moment and transmitted.

The longer the battle, the greater the damage Wang Ruyan could inflict on the enemy.

Ye Haitang nodded thoughtfully, indicating her understanding.

"Act within your capabilities; don't push yourselves. There are many individuals stronger than you, and quite a few young talents have died in the Immortal Suppressing Pagoda!" Wang Changsheng reminded them gravely; he had said this more than ten times.

For over ten thousand years, only Gongsun Yang had successfully cleared the Immortal Suppressing Pagoda. Even the Four Seasons Sword Sovereign only reached the thirty-fifth level.

The Immortal Suppressing Pagoda tested challengers' mental fortitude more than their strength. Most cultivators or demon beasts who dared to challenge it possessed exceptional power, yet not many challengers managed to leave the pagoda alive. This wasn't because the pagoda's difficulty was immense, but because their abilities couldn't match their greed. They all wanted to reach higher levels, overestimating themselves and underestimating those who came before them.

Most challengers believed they were stronger than their predecessors and wished to surpass them, which was a good intention, but excessive arrogance was not.

"Understood, Uncle (Ninth Uncle)," Ye Haitang and Wang Qingling agreed readily. They had heard Wang Changsheng's repeated warnings so many times that their ears were practically calloused.

With a thought from Wang Changsheng, the blue water curtain suddenly dispersed, and Wang Qingling and Ye Haitang flew towards the Immortal Suppressing Pagoda.

As soon as they flew into the pagoda, the artifact spirit appeared.

They exchanged glances and each took out their treasures: seven glittering golden dart-like magical artifacts and two gleaming azure wheels, both part of a set.

The artifact spirit inspected them carefully and then collected the magical artifacts.

"What is your relationship with the Azure Lotus Immortal Couple?" the artifact spirit casually asked, scanning the azure lotuses on their magical robes.

"I am the Azure Lotus Immortal Couple's niece, and she is their external niece. Do you know Ninth Uncle and Ninth Aunt?" Wang Qingling asked curiously.

"No, I don't, but I've heard other challengers mention them. Currently, no one has cleared the thirty-fifth level. Do your best." The artifact spirit flicked its sleeve, and a ray of brilliant light shot out, engulfing Ye Haitang and Wang Qingling.

On the thirty-fourth level, Wang Qingling controlled four enormous puppet beasts, attacking Zhou Yunxiao.

There was a monkey puppet beast, a flood dragon puppet beast, a giant tiger puppet beast, and a tortoise puppet beast, along with two tall Core Formation stage talisman soldiers. Wang Qingling's face was pale; her divine sense was severely depleted, reaching her limit.

The red long saber in Zhou Yunxiao's hand glowed with countless red runes, unleashing a vast expanse of crimson flames. With a flash of red light, hundreds of crimson saber qi shot out.

Boom!

A tremendous roar echoed as the two Core Formation stage talisman treasures exploded, engulfed by surging flames. Dense crimson saber qi struck the four puppet beasts, producing muffled thuds.

An immensely thick golden dragon tail descended from above, swatting towards Zhou Yunxiao. As Zhou Yunxiao tried to evade, an irresistible gravitational force suddenly surged from beneath his feet. His legs felt as if filled with molten lead, preventing him from moving a single step.

Surging flames rushed towards him, and before they even reached him, a large swath of azure wind blades flew in.

"Thud!"

Zhou Yunxiao was struck by the golden dragon tail, spitting out a large mouthful of blood. Crimson flames and azure wind blades engulfed his body.

Two fists couldn't contend with four hands, let alone four enemies who were invulnerable puppet beasts. It was somewhat regrettable that two Core Formation stage talisman soldiers had to be destroyed to bait Zhou Yunxiao into revealing a weakness.

Outside the Immortal Suppressing Pagoda, Wang Changsheng and other Nascent Soul cultivators sat in the stone pavilion, sipping tea and chatting, while Ao Qing and other demon beasts sat nearby.

"Since we're all idle anyway, Fellow Daoist Li, Fellow Daoist Wang, Fellow Daoist Huangfu, how about we make a wager to see whether our demon race or your human race can clear the thirty-sixth level?" Ao Qing suddenly proposed, his tone sincere.