205: Clifftop Nemesis
A fifteen-year voyage, a mere blink in the long journey through the starry sky.
When the void divine shuttle pierced through an invisible spatial barrier and arrived at its destination, even Liu Qingtian, with his current state of mind, couldn't help but be moved by the sight before him.
This was no ordinary starry sky, but a peculiar Void Realm located at the convergence of the Myriad Heavens and Myriad Realms' Laws. In the center, a majestic, steep, colossal cliff, entirely dark and chaotic in color, stood proudly like a backbone supporting heaven and earth. The cliff face soared for tens of millions of feet, piercing directly into the depths of nothingness, as if connecting to an unknowable other shore. This was the legendary Yun Dao Cliff!
What was truly shocking, however, were the dense, overwhelming figures and creations surrounding Yun Dao Cliff!
Ancient war chariots rumbled through the Void Realm, exuding a wild aura; magnificent flying ships floated, enveloped in celestial melodies and wondrous techniques; ferocious star beasts coiled, exhaling starlight; and countless powerful Cultivators either rode auspicious clouds, merged with Laws, or hid within dimensional rifts... Their auras were either grand, obscure, sharp, or ancient.
As far as the eye could see, it encompassed almost all the top forces and peerless powerhouses in the Myriad Heavens and Myriad Realms with names worth mentioning! Immortal, Devil, Demon, God, Buddha, and even powerhouses from the technological side... Beings rarely seen in daily life, or even only existing in legends, were now gathered here, focusing their gaze on the solitary Yun Dao Cliff as if on a pilgrimage.
The storm stirred by Luo Jiuxuan and Liu Qingtian's Thousand Moves Pact had an influence far beyond Liu Qingtian's imagination.
His arrival didn't cause much of a stir. Although the void divine shuttle was extraordinary, it was nothing compared to the numerous divine artifacts present here. Everyone's attention was almost entirely drawn to the scene on Yun Dao Cliff.
Liu Qingtian put away his shuttle and gazed intently at the cliff's Peak.
He saw that the majestic cliff face was not smooth as a mirror, but instead had countless dao platforms of varying sizes. The higher up one went, the fewer the dao platforms, the larger their area, and the richer and more ancient the Daorhyme they emitted.
And at this moment, at the very summit of Yun Dao Cliff, on the sole and most expansive dao platform, a figure sat quietly.
It was Luo Jiuxuan!
He still looked the same, but most of his flesh and blood had receded, and on his exposed star bones, the marks of Nirvana Dao were even deeper and more complex, as if bearing the ultimate mystery of the entire Universe. His eyes were closed, his aura merged with the entire Yun Dao Cliff, and even this Void Realm, as if he were the core of this place, a symbol of the return of Myriad Dao to stillness.
Below him, at about ninety percent of the cliff's height, dozens of figures sat scattered. Each of these figures exuded a heaven-shaking aura, some as scorching as the blazing sun, others as unfathomable as an abyss, or as sharp as a drawn divine sword. Without exception, they were all the most top-tier Prodigies of this epoch in the Myriad Heavens and Myriad Realms, blessed with the richest Luck! They occupied positions second only to the Peak, clearly having gone through layers of competition to Cultivate and observe here.
And on the cliff face further below, on countless dao platforms, incredibly fierce battles were currently unfolding! Tens of millions of Geniuses and powerful Cultivators from various worlds were clashing wildly to seize the limited dao platform positions, to get closer to the Peak, and for that faint Opportunity. The light of colliding Divine Abilities, the ripples of interwoven Laws, the roar of clashing weapons, and the sight of defeated individuals being knocked off the cliff and falling into the endless Void Realm below, formed a cruel yet grand picture.
Liu Qingtian's Divine Thought stirred slightly, and from the Divine Thought exchanges of the surrounding powerhouses, he learned the rules of this place.
Yun Dao Cliff is towering, with a hundred dao platforms. Only those who occupy a dao platform are qualified to remain here to observe, and even... gain the chance to challenge higher.
And to contend with Luo Jiuxuan, who had been sitting at the Peak for fifty years without moving, was as difficult as ascending to heaven. One must first fight their way out of the countless competitors below, occupy a dao platform, and then continuously challenge upwards, finally determining the top ten who would be qualified to challenge Luo Jiuxuan!
It is said that when Luo Jiuxuan first arrived here, he refused no one, accepted all challenges, and swept away all opposition. Later, due to too many challengers, he was bothered by it and set this rule. If someone is confident in their overwhelming strength and unwilling to follow this challenge sequence, they can also directly step onto the Peak dao platform, but they must simultaneously withstand the encirclement of the other ninety-nine Prodigies occupying dao platforms on the cliff, and hold out for half an hour without defeat! In doing so, they can directly obtain the qualification to fight Luo Jiuxuan.
Liu Qingtian's gaze swept over the dozens of Prodigies occupying the dao platforms, especially those closest to the Peak, and his eyes narrowed slightly.
Strong! Very strong!
Almost every one of these people gave him a sense of danger. Their Foundation, heritage, and comprehension of the Great Dao were in no way inferior to his, and some of those with particularly ancient and profound auras might even have accumulated more than him! They were all favored by the Luck of the Myriad Heavens and Myriad Realms, the true trendsetters of this epoch.
If he had to fight his way up from the very bottom, engaging in a relay battle with these dozens of Prodigies who were no weaker than him, and ultimately determine the top ten... he wasn't sure he could win. This wasn't fear, but a calm assessment. These people were all battle-hardened individuals with numerous trump cards.
And if he chose to directly break the rules, step onto the Peak, and endure the encirclement of ninety-nine Prodigies of similar or even greater strength for half an hour... Liu Qingtian silently calculated. With his current cultivation of perfected Great Dao and Myriad Phenomena Return to Void, fully defending, he might be able to hold out for a moment, but half an hour... the hope was extremely slim. That was almost equivalent to fighting ninety-nine 'himselves' simultaneously, including those few who gave him an extremely dangerous feeling.
For a moment, he found himself in a dilemma.
Directly challenging Luo Jiuxuan was his original intention. But the current reality was that if he forced it, he might not even get the chance to fight Luo Jiuxuan, and would instead suffer a crushing defeat on Yun Dao Cliff.
His gaze once again fell upon the solitary figure at the Peak, then swept over the Prodigies who were constantly climbing or falling in the fierce battles.
Suddenly, he smiled.
That smile carried a hint of relief, and even more, a surging Battle Intent.
"Luo Jiuxuan, you've certainly prepared a feast for me," he murmured to himself.
He understood. Luo Jiuxuan setting this rule was not intentionalmaking things difficult (to make things difficult), but rather to turn Yun Dao Cliff into the final and best training ground before the ultimate battle! This cliff, gathering the top Prodigies of the Myriad Heavens and Myriad Realms, its value was even comparable to the previous Chaos Secret Realm and Myriad Dao Origin Sea!
Clashing with opponents no weaker than himself, and possibly even stronger, gaining experience in life-and-death struggles, verifying his own Great Dao, and unearthing deeper potential... wasn't this his ultimate purpose in coming to fulfill the pact?
Directly challenging Luo Jiuxuan would certainly be satisfying, but if he couldn't even overcome these 'stepping stones,' what right did he have to take on Luo Jiuxuan's Thousand Moves Pact? What right did he have to glimpse that higher Realm?
The hesitation in his heart instantly vanished, replaced by an unprecedented clarity and yearning.
He wanted to fight! From the bottom of this cliff, all the way up! Using these top Prodigies of the Myriad Heavens and Myriad Realms as the final stepping stones on his path to the Peak!
He wanted to push his state, Battle Intent, and understanding of the Dao to their true limits on Yun Dao Cliff!
Liu Qingtian no longer hesitated. With a movement of his body, he transformed into a dark stream of light, like a sharp sword, shooting directly towards the bottom of Yun Dao Cliff, where fierce battles raged like a meat grinder!
His arrival was like a drop of cold water in a boiling oil pot, instantly attracting the attention of many nearby powerhouses.
A new challenger had joined this brutal race to the Peak!
And at the Peak, Luo Jiuxuan, who had been sitting with his eyes closed, his NirvanaDouble pupils (double pupils), seemed to move slightly.