BANG! Thɪs chapter is updatᴇd by 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩·𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖·𝘯𝘦𝘵 The Dustless Sword Qi entwining Meng Sanchi exploded. His figure tumbled with it, falling away. Meng Sanchi rolled down forty to fifty steps from the 500th step. He happened to pass Lu Ming, who was climbing up, rolling past his feet. Seeing this scene, Lu Ming looked stunned, but he didn’t hesitate to step aside and allow Meng Sanchi to continue rolling down. It wasn’t just Lu Ming. Even the many Spirit Sea Realm cultivators on the suspended stone platform were no less astonished than him. All of their expressions were priceless! Needless to say, the experts from the Heaven Sword Sect all looked extremely grim. The Profound Moon School, already fated not to achieve a good ranking, took it in stride, even showing a hint of schadenfreude. But the elites of the Ghost Corpse School and Seven Stars Altar also looked worried. They were still worried about their own disciples. Although Yang Chi of the Seven Stars Altar was defeated, he hadn’t been knocked off the stone steps. His injuries weren’t too severe, and he still had some hope of vying for a good rank. As for Li Chen of the Ghost Corpse School, he was currently trapped in the Sword Array, and it was uncertain if he could break free. Only Peak Master Zhou, Elder Huang, and others from the Riverside Sect had smiles on their faces they couldn’t hide, as if they’d tasted fine wine, beaming with delight. "Peak Master Zhou, is this disciple of yours a Direct Disciple? His swordplay skills even surpass his Spiritual Body’s. Such talent truly makes us envious." An Elder from the Profound Moon School praised, not forgetting to mock the Heaven Sword Sect a bit. "Unlike that Meng Sanchi, who claims to be the best in swordplay among the juniors. In my opinion, he’s nothing special..." The Dustless Sword Master of the Heaven Sword Sect’s face darkened even more. Although Peak Master Zhou Shili had a smile on his face, he was also wondering, This kid hides his abilities too well! If it weren’t for this ceremony, I’m afraid no one would have recognized his true measure. It seems... he must have received an inheritance from some powerful Sword Path expert. Those seven small swords... they bear some resemblance to the Cloud Sword Sect’s Big Dipper Array. Zhou Shili’s insight was indeed sharp; in just a few moments, he guessed the origin of The Big Dipper Array. However, he didn’t know that this Sword Array was just one of Shen Mo’s many powerful trump cards. At this moment, Shen Mo’s gaze also fell upon the Sword Array. The vast and brilliant sword light slashed at Li Chen, making him cry out incessantly. The blood-red broadsword in his hand continuously unleashed slashes of blade energy to resist the besieging sword light. But clearly, he wouldn’t be able to hold on much longer. Especially after Shen Mo focused his mind and concentrated on controlling The Big Dipper Array, its power surged by another 50 percent. Within a few breaths, Li Chen’s body was covered in numerous small, bleeding wounds. The surging dark aura around him also continuously weakened. His Life-Bound Ghoul fared no better! Its body was mangled by the Sword Array’s power. If not for its corpse body, as tough as refined steel from multiple sessions of refining, this Ghoul would have long since been reduced to a pile of scraps. As Li Chen shattered a ray of sword light, he suddenly noticed a tiny crack on the broadsword in his hand. His heart ached for it, and his gaze pierced through the myriad sword shadows. He only saw Shen Mo standing calmly outside the array, unhurriedly forming hand seals, showing no sign of exhaustion whatsoever. Glancing again at his tattered Ghoul, Li Chen sighed with considerable reluctance, "Brother Shen, your methods are extraordinary. I, Li Chen, concede..." Shen Mo lifted his eyelids slightly, disregarding him. He continued to channel Mana into The Big Dipper Array, and its momentum became increasingly astounding. "Sigh... I, Li Chen, swear by my sect’s name, I am willing to follow you, Brother Shen, and help you block the disciples from other sects who are chasing from behind." The Sword Array suddenly halted. Transforming into seven small starry swords, they flew joyfully back to Shen Mo’s fingertips. "I believe that with Brother Li’s abilities, you can fend off many troubles." Shen Mo nodded towards Li Chen, then continued up the steps. He didn’t think anyone else could contend with him for the top spot at this point! The main contenders from the other immortal sects had all been defeated by him. Their injuries varied, and even if they consumed Elixirs to recover, their strength wouldn’t return to its peak. Moreover, Lu Ming, who had recovered, was several tens of stone steps below. If others were to climb back up, they would likely struggle to even get past Lu Ming. The outcome is already set! But on this trip, besides securing a good rank for the Riverside Sect, he had something more important to do. That was to ascend higher up Tianshan Mountain! He would use the pressure of the Heavenly Monarch’s Sword Qi to further temper his own strength. Saving even a bit of Mana would be beneficial. As for the remaining second and third places, let them continue to compete for them! It would all come down to their own abilities. Continue climbing upward. Three shichen later, Shen Mo also stepped onto the 600th stone step. At this point, the pressure from Tianshan Mountain had become so intense that ordinary Qi Gathering cultivators would be terrified, their hearts pounding and bodies trembling! This wasn’t a mere figure of speech; it was genuine heart-pounding terror and physical trembling. Every muscle, sinew, and membrane in Shen Mo’s body quivered uncontrollably, as if caught in a violent tempest. With every step forward, an overwhelming sense of impending doom washed over him. It felt as if the Heavenly Monarch’s Sword Qi lingering at the summit was hanging right above his head, ready to strike him down at any moment! Generally speaking, for new disciples of immortal sects from previous years, reaching the 600th step was already an incredible achievement. Mostly, only the top-ranked, the strongest among the participating disciples, could ascend beyond the 600th step. Climbing further up, almost every step, every single stone step ascended, demanded an exponentially greater toll. On the 601st step, Shen Mo’s body suddenly lurched downwards. It was as if an immense weight, thousands of jun, had instantly pressed down on him. Not only that, but his mind was also gripped by immense terror, as if taking another step would mean certain death! His spiritual sense was stretched taut, constantly feeding him warnings of "extreme peril." There is great terror in the balance of life and death! Otherwise, why would cultivators tirelessly pursue immortality? Indeed, as their cultivation realm advanced and they experienced the wonders of longevity, they would grow even more fearful of death, eventually developing an obsession with life and death. A flicker of fear appeared in Shen Mo’s eyes, but it was quickly suppressed by unwavering determination. He lowered his head to look below. Thirty stone steps below, Lu Ming was enveloped in thunder light, arduously climbing upwards. He and Shen Mo were both disciples of the Riverside Sect. Now that Shen Mo had reached the foremost position, Li Chen naturally wouldn’t waste his strength to obstruct Lu Ming, who was catching up. After all, regardless of whether Lu Ming secured second place or ended up last among the remaining nine, it would no longer affect the Riverside Sect’s first-place ranking among the Five Great Sects on Tianshan Mountain. Further down, Shen Mo could no longer see Li Chen and the others. However, he could sense the roiling dark aura, the roars of Ghouls, and the fierce clashes of sharp sword Qi and Blood-Imprinted Spells. Meng Sanchi, Yang Chi, and the others had clearly recovered some of their strength. They intended to continue climbing, aiming to seize second place in the rankings for their respective sects. Shen Mo even faintly sensed that Meng Sanchi’s sword intent seemed noticeably stronger than when they had dueled earlier. As expected of a Sword Spirit Body, he has overcome another tribulation! Although I currently surpass these prodigies, if I were to stagnate now, they would catch up to me sooner or later. I cannot slack off. I must continue!