Chapter 671: Adamant Sacred Mountain

Tang San not only found plants interesting, but also felt a deep affinity toward them. After all, in his previous life, his primary martial soul was a plant-type soul.

He activated the Blue Silver Emperor imprint, sprouting deep blue vines. After multiple mutations, the Blue Silver Emperor was completely unrecognizable as its original species—the lowly Green Jade Vine, which wasn’t even a nymph, let alone a strong one. The deep blue vines were covered in thorns, extremely tough, and emitted a strong aura. Tang San released the vines around his body, ostensibly showing off that he was a nymph.

The nymphs were known for their vast diversity, and unlike in the case of demons, bloodline mutations and combinations were quite common among them. Merging different species was entirely normal. A mutated bloodline wouldn't surprise anyone; instead, it was seen as completely ordinary. Even the foremost of the Solstice Empire, the Sunborne Nymph Emperor and the Earthshade Nymph Emperor, were the result of grafting other bloodlines to a first-tier one as a basis.

Among the demon races, mutation was rarely considered a good thing, but among the nymphs, mutation meant power. The aura he radiated was at the level of a second-tier bloodline, so even if there were people that felt like starting trouble, that was a good enough deterrent. In other words, even though nobody recognized his race, nobody felt like finding out, either.

During the Ancestral Court Elite Competition, apart from using yin-yang energy, Tang San had never activated his Blue Silver Emperor. Therefore, he didn't have to worry about being recognized. He simply swayed his vines, paid the entrance fee, and began his ascent up the Adamant Sacred Mountain.

As Tang San entered the range of the Adamant Sacred Mountain, he immediately felt something unusual. The sensation coming from the mountain was not the sharp aura he had sensed from afar, but rather a very peculiar sense of viscosity.

The surface of the Adamant Sacred Mountain was enveloped in a faint golden aura. Once inside this aura, it felt as though he was submerged in a viscous fluid. This fluid seemed to invade the body, affecting it and causing a feeling of heaviness.

𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

Therefore, the various nymphs climbing ahead of him all had a layer of golden aura surrounding them.

Some of the nymphs climbing the mountain soon found themselves unable to move from the sheer weight. Within minutes, they would turn into statues and roll straight down the mountain.

There were quite a few such cases. After falling to the foot of the mountain, no one paid them any attention. After a while, they would get up, still covered in that golden aura, and slowly take their leave, still dragging their heavy bodies along.

After a moment of observation, Tang San figured out what the Adamant Sacred Mountain provided to those who climbed it. It was a very pure earth elemental energy. When this earth energy invaded the body, it caused it to solidify, eventually turning the climbers into what basically amounted to rocks. At the same time, the earth energy would also provide a certain level of nourishment, primarily for the skin, making it more resilient under its influence. The higher one climbed, the denser the energy became, and the deeper it penetrated into the body. From a certain point up, it would likely begin to affect the internal organs as well.

Therefore, not all species were suited to this type of nourishment. After being soaked in the earth element, the body would become heavier, and flexibility would be compromised, though defense would be enhanced. Obviously, this was a double-edged sword.

Of course, for certain specific species, this environment was perfectly suitable. Those who didn't prioritize speed and had naturally strong physical defenses could benefit greatly and climb higher.

If Tang San had to choose, flexibility was definitely more important. Thus, he didn't try to absorb this energy; the earth element didn't provide much benefit to his cultivation or physique. He simply endured the invasion of the energy and continued to climb rapidly.

The golden aura around his body became increasingly dense and viscous, causing Tang San's climbing speed to drop. Even so, he was still much faster than the other climbers around him and soon passed the halfway point.

In fact, Tang San had a token from the Indestructible Adamant Nymph Emperor, but he had no intention whatsoever to meet this Emperor. He couldn't risk exposing his identity in front of someone unfamiliar like this Nymph Emperor. Tang San had no relationship with it, and neither could he provide it with any benefits like he could in the case of the White Tiger Demon Emperor or the Sword Saint Demon Emperor.

When Tang San reached two-thirds of the climb, the pressure began to increase. In addition to the heavy earth elemental energy, sharp pressure started to descend from the mountain's peak. Strong surges of energy began to pulse beneath his feet, like spikes, practically trying to shove him off the mountain.

But this was not enough to hinder Tang San. Thanks to the Blue Silver Emperor, he continued his ascent with ease.

In front of him, the Blue Silver Emperor formed a shield for defense. Beneath him, the Blue Silver Emperor's vines acted like spider legs, supporting his body and quickly shifting through the gaps in the spikes, allowing him to continue his climb steadily.

Gradually, the Adamant Palace at the peak of the Adamant Sacred Mountain came into view.

A faint smile appeared at the corner of Tang San's mouth as he suddenly circulated more of his internal energy. At the same time, he sprinted upward. The Blue Silver Emperor vines around him closed inward, and a rich aura radiated outward.

A strange scene unfolded. Among the many powerful beings climbing the Adamant Sacred Mountain, those with plant-type bloodlines actually started to leak bloodline power, which converged toward Tang San. This formed a light blue aura around him, isolating him from the invading earth energy and allowing him to ascend quickly, forcing his way to the summit.

Blue Silver Domain!

This was an ability from Tang San's previous life. Even as he pursued different directions in cultivation, he had never stopped working on the Blue Silver Emperor. And as the imprint evolved, he finally managed to recreate this domain—the core ability of the Blue Silver Emperor.

The Blue Silver Domain could connect to all the plants within its range, harmonizing with them and drawing on their energy for Tang San’s own use. In areas with abundant plant life, the power of this domain would be even greater.

Although the Adamant Sacred Mountain had no plants growing on it, the climbers were all powerful beings. While there were fewer plant-type nymphs here compared to mineral-type ones, there were still a fair number. By borrowing their strength, Tang San's final ascent became much easier, and thanks to the massive pressure they were suffering, they didn’t notice that a minute amount of their energy was leaking elsewhere.

"A domain?" a deep voice rang out.

In front of the Adamant Palace stood a tall and burly nymph that seemed to be a human male. Indeed, it looked human, although it was extremely massive for a human. It was holding a massive shield in its hand and staring intently at Tang San.

Tang San retracted the vines that had spread around him, nodded, and greeted it. "Hello."

The burly nymph said in a deep voice, "If you want to enter the Adamant Palace, you must pass through me. If you can withstand my attacks for three minutes or break through my defense, you will pass. Well, if you can really break through my defense, then you’re overqualified."

As he spoke, the burly nymph slammed its massive shield into the ground, producing a deep rumble.

The burly nymph stood over two and a half meters tall, and the massive shield in its hand was even more imposing. It was three meters tall and triangular, about one and a half meters wide at the top and narrow at the bottom. The shield was a translucent yellow and clearly extremely thick and sturdy, and radiated an aura that blocked out spiritual power. Although it didn’t seem to be a divine weapon, purely in terms of defense, it was no less formidable than most divine weapons.

"Please!" Tang San gestured for him to attack.

Tang San's purpose in coming here was precisely to challenge a powerful member of the Adamant Nymph lineage and obtain their bloodline power. He had fully expected to be offered such a challenge, given his experience with other Sacred Mountains, so he was perfectly fine with it. Given the aura emanating from this opponent, Tang San could tell that he was dealing with a Nymph King, and nothing could have made him happier.

Compared to other demons and nymphs, members of the Adamant Nymph clan found crossing tribulation fairly easy, as they excelled at defense and those races that had good defense generally had an easier time with tribulations. On the other hand, the relative ease of their tribulations also resulted in a lack of potential for further growth—a clear case of losses balancing out gains.

The burly nymph clearly had no intention of exchanging more words with Tang San. It stepped forward, raised its giant shield, and charged directly at Tang San. The shield went up into the air, then came crashing down with formidable force.

Though the Adamant Nymph King didn’t move all that fast, its momentum was like that of an unstoppable landslide coming down the slope of a mountain. The massive shield was driven by immense power and a yellow aura burst forth from it, covering a vast area and leaving no room for evasion.