Ethan withdrew his gaze from overlooking the bottomless abyss below the ninety-nine thousandth step of the Ladder to the Sky. Peering down, there was nothing but vast emptiness with no sign of anything.
Swish!
Ethan strode alone into the mountain path beside the ninety-nine thousandth step of the Ladder to the Sky.
This scene was witnessed by no one other than the red-robed old man and the three young men behind him. From the towering sacrificial altar, the purple sun seemed unchanged and gave no sign of anything unusual. Strangely enough, at noon, the surface temperature in the Beyond Heaven space should have exceeded 50 degrees Celsius. However, the green vine piercing the purple sun showed no abnormality, as if it were a blood vessel connecting the purple sun and the sacrificial altar.
In an instant, Ethan felt his soul return and regain control of his body. At the same time, he heard the summons of the red-robed elder. What does this mean? What should I do? Why did this red-robed elder suddenly call me?Thousands of thoughts flashed through Ethan's mind in an instant.
Upon entering the second floor of the Azure Brick Tower, there were obviously many fewer people. Although Ethan's eyes remained empty and he seemed dull, he keenly noticed that every young man and woman on this floor had a heavy and oppressive aura. In the hundreds of new faces he saw on the way, not one could he see through. Ethan also discovered that the young men and women hurrying about with indifferent expressions in this Azure Brick Tower could be roughly divided into four categories: gray-clothed, black-clothed, blue-clothed, and purple-clothed. <
According to the Black Ledger, Beyond Heaven is the most covert assassin organization in the world. It has branches throughout the continent. Each domain, state, and even some of the larger counties have branch contact points.How large is a domain? A cultivator at the Strong Blood Realm level would probably spend his whole life without being able to get through just one. A normal domain has at least ten or so states, and a single st
The Yan State was located in the northwestern part of the Western Realms. Among the dozens of states in the vast Western Realms, Yan State was medium in population and territory. Hampshire County was a large county in Yan State. Compared with Mistwood County in Xia State, Hampshire County was at least ten times larger in area. This county was vast in area, populous in population, and had a strong martial spirit. In the year 1011 of the Chaos Calendar, early spring. The midday sun was not too intense yet, the sunlight was warm and there was a slight breeze. The main street of Hampshire County was bustling with people coming and going, lively and lively. Occasionally, teams of young men riding black-horned horses could be seen galloping neatly through the long streets. The young men on the backs of the black-horned horses were full of spirits, casting cold glances at the crowds and galloping away in a hurry. These were the garrisons stationed in Hampshire County, responsible for
A month later, the Inn of Homecoming on South Street in Hampshire County.At noon, the air was somewhat sultry. The lobby of the inn was evidently very busy, with an occupancy rate of over 70%. The innkeeper had a smile on his face as he greeted customers incessantly. The waiters were rushing around the lobby, sweating profusely.The lobby was bustling with noise as people were eating, drinking and chatting enthusiastically. There was a steady stream of people coming and going from the inn's lobby.At this moment, a slender figure strode into the lobby. Judging from his build, he was a young man. He wore a gray robe and held a pitch-black long knife in his right hand. Although it was broad daylight, he wore a conical rain hat on his head. The black gauze on the edge of the rain hat hung down to his jaw, and his head was slightly lowered so his full appearance could not be seen clearly.The innkeeper had sharp eyes and hurriedly came forward with a smile, saying, "Sir, are you staying
The slender man's palm struck Ethan's chest, but Ethan's fierce attack towards the slender man's throat was dodged at the last moment with a tilt of the head. "Hmph!" The slender man only felt a chill on his scalp, and a few strands of hair on the side of his head were cut off. Ethan's avatar was hit in the chest by a palm, and retreated seven or eight feet in a row. His figure began to
At dawn three days later.Ethan hurried to the Inn of No Worries as the tavern opened early as always.Compared to three days ago, the atmosphere in Hampshire County seemed strangely tense. Occasionally on the main street, Ethan saw garrison troops marching by, and even saw many young men wielding large sabers or green blades wandering the streets with cold and severe expressions, glancing around from time to time, as if looking for something.Ethan casually threw the Daniel Martin's head wrapped in white cloth. The one-armed man in blue silently accepted it and threw Ethan a bag containing the Spiritual Stone in exchange, without any communication. In fact, for more than two months, Ethan did not even know the name of this one-armed man in blue."Strange." Ethan was slightly startled when he suddenly found that the young waiter behind the one-armed man kept peering at him with a peculiar expression. "Accept the task." Ethan said to the one-armed man in blue who had taken the he
Juan Baker flipped his right hand and a pitch-black spear appeared.Ethan's gaze had been fixed on Juan Baker and his son the entire time. The instant Juan moved, Ethan realized his intent."You despicable old codger! Don't you dare!" Ethan was so shocked he nearly jumped out of his skin. If Juan Baker had targeted Ethan himself, he wouldn't have batted an eyelid no matter how powerful his opponent was. After all, Ethan's mental resilience was beyond ordinary and with the ancient Azure Dragon's restorative abilities, conventional attacks posed no threat.But for Juan Baker to make a move against Lily was going too far! And it just so happened to be Ethan's Achilles heel!Juan Baker gave a cold smile. Without hesitation, he whipped his right hand down to hurl the spear!At the same time, Ethan sped towards Lily as swiftly as he could.Originally two hundred yards separated Ethan and Lily, but in this life-or-death moment, he seemed even faster than usual. Incredibly, he managed to rus
"Ethan, do you really think you can bully the Baker family so easily?" Juan Baker's face was ashen, utterly humiliated in front of all the major families of Mistwood County. Having his future son-in-law killed and his guest official beheaded right in front of everyone, how could the Baker family continue to hold their standing in Mistwood County if they did not regain some face?Ethan's expression was impassive as his gaze swept over the core members of the Baker family present in the grand hall. Of them all, only four gave him slight pause.Including Juan Baker and his third son Ralph Baker, there were just five Bone Sacrifice practitioners. And now, only four remained after Ethan's handiwork. Such a force was inferior even compared to the Martin family of Hampshire County. Ethan had no patience for idle chatter. He immediately unleashed the Eight Mystical Metamorphoses, his original form and his clone charging at Juan Baker in unison.Speed was paramount. Ethan was currently only a
In the hall, all the "dignitaries" like Anna Patterson and Allan Long watched Ethan and Maxwell with odd expressions, clearly sensing their malicious intent. Yet no one had expected someone to actually crash the Baker family's joyous occasion.For rivals like Anna Patterson, nothing would be better than ruining the Baker family's big day, or even causing their total downfall. So for the moment, all was silent as they waited to see what would unfold.An eerie quiet. Joseph closed his eyes regretfully. He knew of the feelings between his daughter and Ethan, and rather approved of the boy. But his arrival was just too late, and the timing was wrong...After over seven years, Ethan's appearance had changed somewhat, but Charles still recognized him and kept signaling urgently for Ethan to leave quickly.Ethan ignored him completely, back ramrod straight, eyes empty of emotion as he scanned the Baker crowd.Beside him, Maxwell loomed tall and bulky, standing out in the crowd like a crane
"You...you..." Joseph was nearing eighty. Such provocation was too much for him and his face flushed crimson as he gasped for breath."Father!" Charles hurriedly supported Joseph, gently patting his back to help him calm down. "Grandfather!" Lily's hair was disheveled, tears instantly filling her eyes....The eighth day of the twelfth lunar month was an auspicious date, at least for the millions of ordinary folk in Mistwood County.Everyone knew this was the joyous wedding day of the Baker family's third young master. Though he already had two wives and concubines, how eminent was the Baker family? The undisputed overlord of Mistwood County, even lording over nearby counties--their might was undisputed.The Baker family was worthy of being called the overlords of Mistwood County. Their extravagant welcoming convoy stretched over fifteen miles, handing out large festive cash gifts to all they met--not just any gifts either, but ten taels of silver per person!Many eyed the money cove
"Two celestial beings..." Lily's lovely face paled and she instinctively drew closer to the ice sculpture.The loud commotion also woke the just-risen Charles, Joseph and the rest. Soon--The main hall doors opened and the Joseph family streamed out, from Charles and Joseph down to the servants, staring curiously at the Baker entourage and the glittering array of treasures before them.Many had never seen such wealth in their lives! Just the gold ingots alone filled three huge chests. That was not even counting the obviously expensive jewelry and other gifts.Filling chests with gold ingots--how rich did one have to be?Likely enough...to buy half the streets in Stone Town!Joseph's brows twitched slightly. "Young Master Baker, what is the meaning of this?"It was normal to offer betrothal gifts, but gifts of such extravagance were no ordinary matter. Despite his advanced years, Joseph's eyesight remained sharp. He knew well the sheer quantity of gold, silver and jewels laid out befor
Lily gazed at the ice sculpture, lost in thought, barely registering her father's words.Charles stepped forward and sat down cross-legged beside his daughter. "Speaking of that Ethan boy, he really is pitiable. Losing his parents early, and his only grandfather murdered too. Seven years ago he finally avenged his grandfather by killing Caleb, but then got taken away by some mysterious youth. No word since--such a shame."He sighed regretfully. The image of that teenager chopping wood behind their hill seven or eight years ago was still vivid in his mind. Charles had liked Ethan quite a bit. At the time, many talented local youths had been vying for Lily's affection, yet he had favored Ethan, even hoping to match him with his daughter. But unexpectedly..."Father, enough." Lily turned her head slightly, revealing a face that could bring kingdoms to ruin. But looking closely, her beautiful eyes held a deep weariness.Seven years--how many such spans are granted in a mortal lifetime? Se
An hour later. The rain grew heavier, coming down in sheets. The dark sky heralded an early nightfall in this gloomy downpour. The Inn of No Worries had long since closed, and the main street was now sparsely populated, with only a few swaying lanterns barely clinging to their poles in the wind and rain.Under the torrential rain's dilution, the traces of the Fountain of Time's poison had completely faded away. As Ethan strode through the ankle-deep water on the street, it splashed out around his steps.A hundred or so yards across from the Inn of No Worries, a bulky figure stood under the eaves of a dilapidated house, hands hanging loosely at his sides. Drenched by the raging storm, he seemed unfazed, standing motionless as the rainwater streamed down his face through gaps in the broken roof tiles."Maxwell? Your hands...they're healed?" From afar, Ethan immediately recognized Maxwell and grinned, hurriedly splashing through the standing water toward him.Maxwell's lips trembled and
The assassin in purple robes stepped forward to flip over Ethan's "corpse", intending to seize Ethan's Azure Myst.But at that moment--Suddenly! Ethan's eyes shot open as the Azure Dragon shard materialized in his hand, stabbing into the assassin's left and right thighs in rapid succession!"Pfft!""Pfft!"Blood gushed wildly as holes appeared in both of the assassin's legs. His expression changed dramatically as he was jolted awake. Ethan pounced forward, gripping the assassin's thighs tightly, stabbing the Azure Dragon shard again and again into his legs! Ethan knew clearly that a Beyond Heaven core assassin of this caliber likely had some kind of spiritual armor for protection. A direct stab to the heart might not take him down in one blow. In an instant, the assassin's legs were pierced four or five times. The extreme sharpness of the Azure Dragon shard rendered his legs basically useless. The assassin's face was sinisterly dark. He did indeed have spiritual armor--a mid-gra
"I must make him come down," Ethan's icy gaze swept over the water pooling on the ground. The rainwater mixed with a drop of Fountain of Time. Although constantly being washed and diluted by the rain, it had not yet fully dispersed and was still extremely toxic!Because of the Fountain of Time, Ethan's movable space was very limited right now. While the purple-robe could float freely in the void, under such circumstances this battle was unwinnable!Ethan flung an initial stage spear towards the purple-robe in the void. He still had tens of thousands of such spears in reserve in his Azure Myst. For offensive means, as a peak Meridian Training expert Ethan could only do this much against Bone Sacrifice Realm and above enemies.Weakened over thousands of yards of space, the spear's power had greatly diminished. The purple-robe casually waved his hand, deflecting the spear aside. It could not harm him whatsoever.Ethan flipped his hand, taking out a night pot emanating a faint azure glow