The middle-aged monk was strong.

Although he was “only” in the Limit Realm, he was strong enough to threaten the lives of just about any Fortune Realm Greater God!

It was no wonder that he was chosen as one of the three strongest Mid-Rank Gods of all past epochs. Facing him was no different from facing Ren Beiyou, Wen Xiao, or other Greater Gods!

But that was exactly what Su Yi was hoping for.

Back in the Kingdom of Lasting Light, he’d encountered Greater Gods, but he wasn’t even worthy of fighting them. He certainly had no hope of actually beating one.

After breaking into the Hidden Summit Realm, he was strong enough to fight Greater Gods, but he had no hope of victory. His battle with Bo Yun in the Deification Star Sea was the best possible proof of that.

But things were different now.

Now, his fleshly body, cultivation base, and soul had all been tempered to the pinnacle of the Hidden Summit Realm. His combat strength wasn’t even remotely comparable to what it had been before. Although an opponent as powerful as the middle-aged monk made him sense danger, and not a light one either, Su Yi was confident that he could take him on.

Boom!

The middle-aged monk attacked again. He had no intention of giving Su Yi any chance to think.

Su Yi didn’t retreat. He cast aside his scattered thoughts and focused wholeheartedly on the battle at hand!

“Die!”

“Die!”

“Die!”

…In the battle that followed, Su Yi was repeatedly injured, but that only stirred him to fight with ever-greater valiance. He soon forgot himself completely, and he entered a wondrous state of enlightenment mid-battle.

Over the course of this life-or-death struggle, the middle-aged monk was repeatedly injured, too.

But he was just a manifestation of the Laws. His injuries merely weakened him slightly. It would be difficult to defeat him like this anytime soon.

A little less than ten minutes later…

Bang!!

A massive impact rang out, and the middle-aged monk exploded into a rain of light and scattered.

Su Yi broke into violent, hacking coughs. Blood gushed from the corners of his mouth. He was injured to the brink of death, his skin covered in fine cracks, like a split porcelain vase. His cultivation base, soul, and physical strength were on the verge of running dry. He might topple at any moment.

That guy was far stronger than I expected… thought Su Yi.

He had Li Fuyou’s experiences, so he could roughly determine that the middle-aged monk, as one of the strongest Mid-Rank Gods in history, was indeed stronger than some true Greater Gods!

Su Yi had faced possible lethal moments over the course of their battle. But it had all been worth it. Throughout this life-or-death struggle, he could clearly sense his cultivation base drawing closer to the type of complete, perfect fusion he was after.

Earlier, his physical body, soul, and cultivation base had each individually been tempered to perfection, but they’d yet to really fuse. Now, the fusion was well underway!

Su Yi could foresee it already. The moment he fully fused his powers of the Grand Dao, he’d be able to prove his Dao and become a god!

He quickly cast aside his scattered thoughts; he dared not let his mind wander. He still had two opponents left, and he had to recover as fast as possible.

He immediately took out a jade bottle and swallowed a pill.

Boom!

Su Yi’s depleted cultivation base and battered flesh recovered at shocking speeds, like barren trees growing new leaves in springtime. All his gaping wounds knit back together.

This was the power of a Nine Profundities Heaven-Stealing Pill!

Nine Profundities Heaven-Stealing Pills were the greatest divine medicines the Nine Profundities Yao Court had to offer. When someone beneath the Master God level took one of these pills, they could instantly return to peak condition, even from the brink of death!

When Feng Wuju left the Deification Star Sea, he gave the bottle of pills to Su Yi.

After taking one, Su Yi returned to peak condition in a flash!

It was also then that his second opponent appeared.

He was a stick-thin man in purple robes. Every inch of his skin emanated resplendent, stinging sword qi, and he had a longsword on his back.

The moment the purple-robed swordsman appeared, unstoppably sharp sword force swept outward.

Su Yi held his breath, and his pupils constricted. This opponent was even stronger than the middle-aged monk!

This swordsman was the one who’d defeated Lu Shuo, the expert Su Yi’s third incarnation had sent to take this trial.

Kcch!

The purple-robed man drew his sword. It was a simple gesture, but his sword force instantly expanded.

The entire sea of chaos clouds churned violently.

It was as if the sky had become a terrifying sword domain brimming with murderous intent that would have been shocking in any era.

The depths of Su Yi’s gaze filled with the irrepressible urge to fight. It was like a volcanic eruption; he was completely on fire.

This opponent… is really quite something!

Without the slightest hesitation, Su Yi struck first, and the battle began.

……

Time slipped by.

Outside, everyone waited patiently. People occasionally whispered amongst themselves, but all such conversations quickly died down. The atmosphere was stifled and still.

Perhaps because they’d experienced far too many shocks in a row, the crowd waiting outside the sixth divine tower had little interest in discussions and debates.

They were just waiting for the results.

That went for Yu Jiu, Bai Xiu, and the others, too.

Of everyone present, Lu Shuo felt the most conflicted.

If Su Yi broke the sixth tower’s record and overcame its secret trial, it would mean he’d lost, and that he was no longer qualified to target Su Yi.

He’d only get the chance to duel Su Yi if Su Yi lost!

“Brother Lu, do you hope he wins or loses?” Bai Xiu asked out of nowhere.

Lu Shuo froze, then sank into silence. A while passed before he sighed. “At first, I hoped he’d lose. After all, if he loses, it’ll mean he isn’t stronger than me.”

Lu Shuo paused, then added, “But now, I actually rather hope he wins.”

Bai Xiu said thoughtfully, “Why is that?”

Lu Shuo had a complicated look on his face. “It might sting to hear, but honestly, aside from Jian Xingyun, Li Mu, and Lu Kong, the rest of us are gods. In a sense, dueling Su Yi means we already lost to him.”

Bai Xiu instantly understood what Lu Shuo was getting at. He was right, too. True clashes of the Grand Dao could only exist between cultivators of the same level. All of them had become gods, yet here they were, dueling someone yet to achieve divinity. In doing so, they proved that they were inferior to him!

“Admittedly, in a life-or-death struggle, there’s no need to concern ourselves with such things… but as I’m sure you know, had those duels been to the death, you’d all be dead by now,” Lu Shuo said softly. “Fellow Daoist Su is an opponent I can’t bring myself to hate. Even though I don’t want to admit it, there’s no denying it. I hope he can win!”

Bai Xiu nodded. “I feel much the same way. I want to see just how many records he can break and how many miracles he can make.”

…

Fifteen minutes later, in the churning sea of clouds atop the sixth tower.

Bang!

Su Yi was sent flying ruthlessly backward.

He lay on the ground, breathing in ragged gasps. He couldn’t get back up. For a moment, everything went dark, and he clung to consciousness through sheer force of will.

The purple-robed swordsman, however, shattered into countless pieces and dissipated.

This had unquestionably been Su Yi’s fiercest, most difficult, most heart-palpitating battle yet! He’d faced the threat of death at every moment. Had he revealed even the slightest hint of an opening, he’d have died beyond a doubt!

Even when he gave it his all, he couldn’t avoid heavy injuries.

Too brutal!

Su Yi even felt as if his physical body were on the verge of falling apart. His soul was completely depleted, like a dried-up pool.

But… he’d won in the end!

He raised his hand and took another Nine Profundities Heaven-Stealing Pill with great difficulty. When he sensed the flood of medicinal power coursing through him, Su Yi thoroughly relaxed.

Just a little more! I can already sense the opportunity I need to break through! So long as I seize it, I’ll be able to cleave open my own unique path to divinity!

Tempering oneself through life and death was an extreme test of mental strength and willpower. Su Yi, however, thoroughly enjoyed it.

Pain was the sign of an impending transformation! Without it, it was hard to truly transform in his pursuit of the Grand Dao.

Su Yi could have given up and lived a more comfortable life had he wanted to, but… If he were the type to do that, how could he possibly have made it this far?

If he were that type of person… his past selves would have defeated him a long time ago, rendering everything he had in this lifetime meaningless!

You can avoid the world’s difficulties so long as you’re willing to give up; there is nothing easier than that. Anyone can give up, lie flat, and simply let everything wash over them. But who is really willing to give up except in the face of insurmountable difficulty or despair?

It was a question that Su Yi had never once considered. He’d spent this lifetime in battle, forging ahead with his sword in hand, cleaving through all obstacles in his path. He’d prefer to die in battle than to shrink back in terror and live on in degradation.

To him, shrinking back and giving up were far harder to accept than death.

Before long, he was back in peak condition.

Furthermore, he could clearly sense that his strength had improved. It had gained the type of unstoppable, forceful sharpness that came through repeated tempering!

His third opponent appeared moments later.

He was a man so thin, tall, and upright that he looked like a solitary mountain piercing the cloudy dome of heaven.

When he appeared, all-encompassing sword intent threw the entire sea of chaos clouds into upheaval. The clouds rumbled like thunder, and even the sky showed signs of splitting!

He was just too strong. Even just standing there casually, he was like a ruler of the Dao of the Sword looking down upon all other Daos. None could oppose him!

When Su Yi saw him, his eyebrows rose. For some reason, he felt like they’d met before.

At the same time, the thin man gazed intently at Su Yi. “When I left this portion of my power here, I never anticipated that you’d make it all the way here.”

Su Yi’s gaze focused.

This was the first opponent he’d encountered in a trial who’d initiated a conversation with him! After all, all of the supreme experts Su Yi had faced during his trials thus far were mere manifestations of the Laws.

The thin man was obviously different!

“You’re… my third incarnation?” asked Su Yi.

“That’s right.” The thin man inclined his head and said, “If you win this battle, you might well have a chance at divinity, but if you lose… it’ll mean the path to divinity you seek is a dead end!”