Hum!
A wave of commotion immediately swept through the crowd.
Everyone was gazing at Mr. Qi with complex expressions on their faces. This included those that Mr. Qi had previously imparted knowledge to. They also couldn't help but cast envious gazes upon Mr. Qi.
Someone couldn't help but murmur, "Good deeds bring good rewards... I never believed in this statement before, but now, I believe!"
"Good and evil always come to repose, not without recompense, just awaiting the right time. I believe now too."
"Mr. Qi spent his life doing good and has finally received his blessings. He was recognized by a distinguished figure... Yet we committed these vile deeds for the so-called top-class heritage... Elder, I was wrong, I seek punishment!"
"Elder, junior seeks punishment too!"
Bang bang bang...!
A series of explosions erupted in a hazy mist of blood as the arms of these individuals burst apart.
Some individuals on the spot could not help but let out cries of unbearable pain.
Not all of them felt they were in the wrong and sincerely sought punishment. There were some who harbored a certain frivolous mentality deep in their hearts, believing that this mysterious figure renowned for his remarkable capabilities held a clear differentiation between gratitude and grudges. They felt that if they sincerely admitted their faults, that he might overlook their transgressions.
Yet they discovered they were gravely mistaken. This mysterious figure did not waver in the face of their varying degrees of repentance. It caused some still hesitating people amidst the observers to feel like crying but having no tears, stuck between a rock and a hard place.
Mr. Qi sat on the giant rock, remaining dazed for quite a while as if contemplating something. After a moment, an irrepressible joy filled his face. He then knelt on the rock and kowtowed three times toward the sky, "I, Qi Ping, will forever remember the favor of enlightenment bestowed upon me by elder."
Having said that, Mr. Qi got up and glanced at the individuals whose arms were severed. He let out a light sigh and shook his head. Then, with a leap, demonstrated his Golden Stone Realm's strength. With several leaps and bounds, he vanished from everyone's sight.
Demerits earned their just treatment: these individuals were deserving of their predicament. Although Mr. Qi had the intentions to plead for leniency on their behalf, he understood in his heart that doing so would not only prove futile but might even invoke dissatisfaction from that esteemed figure.
Since that was the case, it would be better out of sight, out of mind, and to find a place to cultivate instead.
When the time comes that he has cultivated to the Understanding Heart Realm, he would then go find Chu Mo, serving as his protector. Although he may not achieve legendary status himself, being able to witness the rise of a legend firsthand... was indeed a certain form of happiness in life.
Those whose arms had exploded, after applying medicine, all staggered and limped away.
In the end, fewer than 300 people remained here.
The majority of these people were men belonging to various sects from both the Azure Dragon Continent and the Vermilion Bird Continent.
People from both the Azure Dragon Hall and the Vermilion Bird Association were either dead or crippled, with hardly any survivors.
"Darn it!" A middle-aged man, who hailed from Vermilion Bird Continent, gritted his teeth and cursed, before continuing. "You have all witnessed it, with circumstances as they are now, we no longer have any route of retreat! Losing an arm, the strength forever sealed... is more unbearable to me compared to death! Thus, now we are left with only one path!"
Upon saying that, he eyed the direction in which Mr. Hua Shuanniu had left and gritted his teeth, "If Mr. Hua could choose to ascend the mountain from a different direction, why can't we? No matter what, we must obtain the heritage. At that time, at the very least, we could provide unimaginable resources and wealth to our families in exchange!"
"Right, let's go all out! I absolutely do not want to have my arms severed. Nor do I want to be a warrior of the Iron Bone Realm for life!"
"We scatter, each of us should climb the mountain from different directions! If that kid could climb up the mountain, why can't we? Can his bones be more resilient than ours, being of the same Iron Bone Realm?"
"Exactly, we're not scared of him, wealth and honors are to be found in danger!"
The remaining individuals encouraged each other. They began to scatter about, heading towards several other directions of the Lonely Peak.
As for the front, absolutely no one dared to attempt climbing up from there anymore.
The huge rocks that came raining down would pulverize one under impact… It was still better than a severed arm and forever sealed realm.
...
Chu Mo sat cross-legged inside the stone cave, his face pale, without a hint of color.
Those people below viewed him as some kind of monster. However, in reality, Chu Mo was already running on fumes.
If those people saw his current condition, they would certainly regain their confidence. Probably less than half of that group who sought punishment would remain…
The clothes drenched in blood were still on Chu Mo's body. Although the wounds had stopped bleeding, his elixir field's primordial force had been completely depleted from the constant slashing of rock.
At this moment, Chu Mo appeared like he was at the end of his tether. Although still in the Yellow Rank 4th-layer Iron Bone Realm, even a 3rd-layer Primordial Pass warrior could easily defeat him.
Heaven Slaying was placed before Chu Mo as he constantly executed Heaven's Will, My Will.
With the continuous absorption of the blood energy, the runes on Heaven's Will, My Will had significantly increased in number compared to the past.
Chu Mo was diligently cultivating and bore no grudges against his master for solving Hua Shuanniu's seal and potentially causing him immense danger.
It was precisely because it was... true tempering! It was indeed a real test!
So-called trials are supposed to be accompanied by all kinds of unexpected events. If not, it would be called regular training, not life-threatening tempering.
What Chu Mo didn't expect was, after completely depleting the primordial force in his elixir field, absorbing primordial energy this time in addition to some changes in Heaven's Will, My Will, had made the speed even more swift.
On the Lonely Peak, the air was thin, yet the primordial energy was strikingly abundant.
So much so that, as soon as Chu Mo's execution of Heaven's Will, My Will began, an enormous amount of primordial energy, like numerous streams, began to pour into the meridians of his body.
In an instant, it had replenished Chu Mo's dried-up elixir field with a great amount of primordial force.
Whoosh!
After a big circle, Chu Mo exhaled, slowly opening his eyes.
The strong feelings of exhaustion and weakness were completely wiped out.
Although his body still bore severe injuries, Chu Mo, however, distinctly felt that his realm had leveled up once again, advancing from the mid Iron Bone Realm stage to the late Iron Bone Realm stage!
It hadn't been long at all!
Even Chu Mo himself was somewhat frightened by this rapid pace of progression.
Ding dong.
The sound of trickling water came from behind him.
Chu Mo turned his head to look, the stone pit he had dug with Heaven Slaying was already full of water.
The water was extremely cold and tasted slightly sweet when he drank it.
Chu Mo's location had already been more than a hundred feet deep into the cliff, it was a cave that he had painstakingly carved out by slashing rocks.
After reaching this point, water started to seep out from somewhere. Chu Mo tasted it and found it quite palatable. Consequently, he dug a stone pit to collect the water.
He was unaware of the situation outside, but was entirely prepared to live here long-term.
The cave entrance was also sealed with large rocks by Chu Mo. If anyone appeared there, Chu Mo would certainly sense it at the first instant.
Thump!
Thump!
Just when Chu Mo was about to go over for a drink, he suddenly heard a few light knocking sounds coming from where the water was dripping.
Chu Mo instantly looked towards that direction with alert in his eyes, simultaneously narrowing them.
His hand had already reached for the hilt of Heaven Slaying.
At the first sign of trouble, he could immediately deploy the strongest slash in an instant. (To be continued. If you like this work, please come to Qidian to vote for a recommendation, monthly ticket. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users can read on m.qidian.com)
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