Chapter 458: Sunborne Sacred Mountain

As Mei Gongzi grew older, she reached an age where her feelings were awakening, and she wasn't entirely clueless. She could sense the way Asura looked at her. However, he still refused to remove his mask. Perhaps through this competition, she could uncover something more about him.

At the White Tiger Grand Hotel, Tang San's emotions remained unsettled for a long time. He was very grateful that he had gone to register with the Lion-Tiger Sword Saint. Otherwise, how could he have met Mei Gongzi? It was a stroke of luck.

As he gradually calmed down, he realized why the Peacock Great Demon King had brought Mei Gongzi to participate in the Ancestral Court Elite Competition. The purpose was somewhat similar to his own purpose for having the Lion-Tiger Sword Saint participate. It was clearly to prepare for Mei Gongzi's future accession to the throne.

Suppose Mei Gongzi could show outstanding performance in this competition and even achieve a high ranking. In that case, the Peacock Great Demon King could naturally and easily declare her his successor and even pass the throne to her sooner rather than later. Therefore, he had to help her defeat their opponents this time. The individual competition wasn't easy to control, but the doubles competition would be much easier with him teaming up with her.

Today, he had defeated a god-level powerhouse and was confident about the Elite Competition. Of course, it was possible they would encounter descendants of powerful races with the strength to challenge god-level opponents. Still, he firmly believed that as long as he cooperated with Mei Gongzi, they could overcome any enemy. This was also an excellent opportunity to see the strength of the top entities below godhood on the Daemon Continent.

Of course, certain things he had used in his previous battle with Huang Bingbing, such as the Temporal Beacon, couldn't be used in the competition, at least not for the time being. But when Tang San returned from the Ancestral Court, he planned to go through an initial refinement of the Temporal Beacon, making it so that he could use it to an extent. Although his cultivation wouldn’t remotely allow him to unleash the full power of the Temporal Beacon, even a tiny portion of its power would be comparable to that of a divine item.

A faint smile appeared on Tang San's face, his expression showing a slight divine glow. At this moment, he was genuinely filled with confidence!

This is the power of love!

Tang San informed Zhang Haoxuan that he would also participate and assured him he would be cautious. With more than two days before the competition started, he didn't plan to spend that time idly in the hotel. He wanted to visit two places he had always intended to go to. This was so that once the Elite Competition was over, he could leave the Ancestral Court immediately and return to Kali City.

Since Mei Gongzi was here to participate in the competition, it seemed she wouldn't continue her seclusion after returning. In other words, the power transition in Kali City was likely to begin, and she would definitely need him during such a critical time. So, he had to make the most of every moment.

After lunch, Tang San hired a carriage and quietly left the White Tiger Grand Hotel. The hotel was bustling, with many strong participants arriving for the competition, making it much busier than usual.

Sitting in the carriage, Tang San mentioned his destination. The carriage smoothly traveled through the streets of the Ancestral Court. Tang San closed his eyes, quietly adjusting his state to be at his best.

Half an hour later, the carriage slowly came to a stop. The driver respectfully said, "Sir, we've arrived."

"Alright, wait here for me," Tang San said as he exited the carriage, looking up at his destination.

The majestic mountain was strikingly red, not due to the color of the rock but because of countless red flowers. These flowers varied in size and species, but they all displayed a similar red hue. It looked like a mountain perpetually ablaze from a distance, a magnificent sight.

This Sacred Mountain belonged to the Sun-Nurtured Sunborne Nymph Emperor, the top nymph powerhouse in the Solstice Empire.

At the peak of the towering mountain was a crimson palace, which appeared to be burning even hotter than the flame-colored flowers.

From this Nymph Emperor's title, Tang San knew that although he was ultimately a plant, his attributes leaned toward the most extreme yang.

His bloodline resulted from extensive hybridization; after countless efforts, it had ultimately mutated into a powerful bloodline that couldn't be replicated or passed down. The Sunborne Flower petal sold at the Ancestral Court auction was likely from the Sunborne Emperor himself. So, what were the flowers on this Sacred Mountain? Some kind of offshoots of the Sunborne Flower? Or were they just normal flowers influenced by his aura?

As he pondered, Tang San had already reached the foot of the mountain.

A straight staircase extended from the foot of the mountain. There weren't many climbers on this staircase, although more than there were at the Crystal Demon Emperor's place. Tang San could see about a dozen people, far fewer than the thousands often seen at the Sword Saint Mountain.

The emperors with such sparsely climbed Sacred Mountains probably did not lack wealth or mind the lack of visitors. However, Tang San couldn’t help but wonder if they felt poor compared to people like the Sword Saint Demon Emperor or the Celestial Fox Demon Emperor.

After paying ten naturae coins, Tang San arrived at the foot of Sunborne Mountain.

The temperature in the air seemed to rise slightly, becoming somewhat warm but not as scorching as he had imagined.

A faint floral fragrance lingered in the air, and the fiery red color invisibly lifted one's spirits.

Is it just warmth?

Tang San remained skeptical. Adjusting his state, he stepped forward, setting foot on the steps leading up along the Sunborne Sacred Mountain.

Everything around him suddenly changed as soon as he stepped onto the stairs.

The flowers and plants in his vision disappeared, replaced by a thunderous roar in his ears, and the temperature suddenly became scorching. In front of him, a stream of molten lava flowed down, rushing toward his feet.

The steps still existed, but the entire Sacred Mountain seemed to have transformed into an active volcano erupting. No volcanic ash was in the air, but the mountainside was covered in flowing lava. The intense heat felt as if it would evaporate him instantly.

Using Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, Tang San dodged the flowing lava at his feet, attempting to continue his climb. But as he stepped onto the second step, the lava in front of him increased dramatically, covering more than two-thirds of the step's area. Additionally, random splashes of lava flew toward him.

Tang San didn't dodge anymore; he wanted to test how this scorching lava would affect him. He activated his Lion-Tiger Golden Astral, which burst forth, transforming into a platinum-colored flame that covered him entirely, blocking the lava's assault.

The lava fell onto the Lion-Tiger Golden Astral, producing a series of sizzling sounds. Despite its strength, the Lion-Tiger Golden Astral was rapidly dissolving. Tang San immediately stopped attempting to utilize its devouring property; although it could devour the energy around him, the intense heat was almost too much for his body to handle. The temperature was too high, and if he kept absorbing it, he might end up burning himself.

What could he do next since he could not absorb the heat directly?

The Lion-Tiger Golden Astral was being consumed rapidly, and Tang San frowned. His Lion-Tiger Golden Astral, bolstered by his own compressed bloodline power, was strong enough to rival the abilities of a ninth-order powerhouse with a first-tier bloodline. Could it be that even a ninth-order powerhouse with a first-tier bloodline couldn't climb the first few steps of Sunborne Sacred Mountain? That would make the challenge too difficult. But from what he had observed at the foot of the mountain, some climbers had managed to reach the halfway point. It shouldn't be this hard.