Chapter 2549 Heaven's Chosen Path

Her voice was calm, as though stating a fact, but the contempt in it was shown in its entirety: ‘What makes you, Lin Xun, think that you’re worthy of taking part in our bet?’

Zhongli Xiao, Mu Yi, and Chi Pojun burst out laughing.

Qi Lingyun’s attitude was exactly what they were most familiar with and understood. People like them sneered at the idea of betting with someone who they deemed unworthy.

Lin Xun wasn’t angered. He just smiled and said nothing more.

Because no matter what he said, they had already disqualified him and would not change their minds. Words were the most pale and useless in this kind of situation.

Since that was the case, there was no longer need to spout nonsense!

What Eighth Heaven Domain, what immortal giants? The day he towered over them, he would ask them what their definition of qualified was, and best believe that their answer then would be completely different than now.

At this moment, a distant, heavenly sound suddenly echoed. Immediately following that, from the mountain peak where the Central Immortal Court was located, a golden road unfurled onto the mountainside cliff where the crowd was.

Immortal haze steamed with golden radiance, decorating the avenue that led straight to the Central Immortal Court at the mountain top!

This was the road to Challenge the Throne, also known as Heaven's Chosen Path.

Only the strongest experts could step onto it, thus walking to the Central Immortal Court!

The three hundred or so cultivators on the cliff all became restless, their eyes glowing with the eagerness to try.

In the last epoch, the competition of Challenge the Throne was to walk the Heaven's Chosen Path, and every participant only had one chance.

Failure to finish the walk and reach the Central Immortal Court at the end of it meant elimination!

According to the rumors, the strongest participant in every competition left a mark of battle on the Heaven's Chosen Path. Walking it, one would face all these marks belonging to the strongest cultivators!

Of note, the Heaven’s Chosen Battle in the last epoch occurred once every one hundred thousand years. Every time, only the strongest expert could ultimately stand out and become the Chosen One, so the terrifying power of their battle mark could be imagined.

“I'll be the first one!”

A supreme character abruptly rushed out. The second he stepped onto the Heaven’s Chosen Path, his suppressed cultivation was immediately restored, revealing the might of a supreme eighth realm Great Emperor.

However, he had only advanced several thousand feet when it suddenly looked like he was hit by a flood. With a heavy crash, he was sent flying and fell to the edge of the cliff.

On his face was intense unwillingness and fear, as though he had experienced something horrible during that several thousand feet of distance.

Someone whispered, “The Heaven’s Chosen Path is filled with the energy of spacetime. Walking it is like being placed inside the river of time of the last epoch, and the traveler will encounter supreme opponents back-to-back.

“While it looks to us that he has only rushed several thousand feet, I’m afraid that to him, he has gone through a whole incarnation. When people say ‘a thousand autumns pass in a blink,’ it’s nothing more than this.”

The expressions of many people became grave.

The strength of a supreme eighth realm Great Emperor who had killed their way through the heavy screening of Defending the Ring and Big Hunt certainly could not be doubted.

Yet, he had gotten eliminated after advancing merely several thousand feet, while the path to the Central Immortal Court at the mountain top was roughly thirty thousand feet long!

“There can be only one Chosen One each time, so don’t overestimate yourselves, everyone,” Zhongli Xiao chuckled.

“I’ll give it a try.” An Emperor Ancestor stepped out. Once his foot was on the Heaven's Chosen Path, he erupted with an unrivaled might that took everyone’s attention.

In the end, however, he only made it as far as ten thousand feet before he stumbled and also got sent flying back to the edge of the cliff. Not only so, he was also coughing up blood nonstop with a bleak look in his eyes.

He was actually injured!

A number of cultivators in the area tensed up. Even the conceited ones couldn't help but feel pressured.

Even an Emperor Ancestor could only move forward ten thousand feet! This Heaven’s Chosen Path from the previous epoch was beyond perverse!

In the following time, one cultivator after another set out, but without exception, they all stopped within the first ten thousand feet of the Heaven's Chosen Path and were eliminated.

It was as if the ten-thousand-foot mark was a hurdle, and it was extremely difficult to overcome.

The atmosphere in the field also became increasingly more oppressive. The minds of some cultivators had even been rattled.

Admittedly, the Challenge the Throne level was not too dangerous; there was almost no worry about dying to it.

However, the cruel elimination rate was already frightening enough, capable of casting a traumatic shadow upon domineering experts who had managed to reach this point through countless killings.

Keep in mind that characters like them virtually represented the very peak of the Emperor Stage, but despite that, they were unable to overcome the battle marks left on the Heaven’s Chosen Path!

Lin Xun had been watching from the sidelines with a calm demeanor.

However, even he was secretly startled by the savagery of the selection on the Heaven's Chosen Path, which had exceeded his expectations.

Time passed until finally, someone broke through the ten-thousand-foot hurdle. It was Yun Luohong from the Yun Clan, an extremely powerful Emperor Ancestor.

This lifted many people’s spirits as there was finally a glimpse of hope.

However, Yun Luohong also met with failure shortly afterward at the sixteen-thousandth feet, where a golden light brutally swept through him. Falling heavily on the ground, his face was white as a sheet and unsightly, and his eyes were full of shock and bewilderment.

No one knew what kind of fight he had gone through, but seeing an Emperor Ancestor like him defeated halfway like that, their hearts tumbled with emotions.

Meanwhile, after the long observation, Lin Xun decided not to wait any longer. Whether success or failure awaited, he still had to try anyway.

In fact, more than a few people held similar ideas. At least until now, no one had chosen to give up.

Just as Lin Xun took a step, a figure rushed past him. Official attire, a handsome face, and eyes that flickered with enchanting 乂 symbols, it was none other than Mu Yi.

“You’re not qualified to make a bet anyway, so why in such a hurry to prove your worthlessness?” After casting an amused glance at Lin Xun, he stepped right onto the Heaven’s Chosen Path.

Lin Xun raised a brow and stopped at once. He would like to see how far Mu Yi could go.

The others also directed their gazes at Mu Yi, wanting to see if this noble from the Eighth Heaven Domain could actually reach the top in one fell swoop.

Mu Yi was indeed extraordinary, outperforming everyone going before him. In a few blinks of an eye, he crossed the ten-thousand-foot mark, causing many to exclaim out loud.

However, it was from this point on that his speed slowed down. Still, he maintained a calm comportment. Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, he arrived at the twenty-thousand-foot mark step by step, now starting to walk the final ten thousand feet of distance!

Many in the audience were shaken and feeling complicated. They had to admit that Mu Yi, coming from the Eighth Heaven Domain, was convincingly powerful.

Zhongli Xiao couldn’t help but raise a question, “Qi Lingyun, if I, Mu Yi, and Chi Pojun all reach the top, will the Immortal Essence Metal you have be enough to split between the three of us?”

Qi Lingyun said flatly, “Rest easy. Even if you all reach the top, only one person can become the Chosen One at the end. We will decide the winner based on who reaches the top in the shortest time.”

Zhongli Xiao pondered briefly and laughed, “Looks like becoming the Chosen One is the only way to win this bet.”

Qi Lingyun said, “Or else? Do you think Immortal Essence Metal is so easy to get?”

However, the expected ascent to the top didn't happen. When Mu Yi, clearly having a hard time, reached twenty-nine thousand feet, he suddenly shuddered. The next instant, he was sent flying in a parabolic arc before crashing down on the cliff.

Bang!

He staggered upon landing and barely managed to balance on his feet, but his hair was disheveled and his face was livid. The anger and unwillingness written all over his eyes showed how out of sorts he was.

Seeing this, the entire field fell dead silent.

Even a supreme Emperor Ancestor of Mu Yi’s caliber has been eliminated?!

Even the ever-lighthearted expression on Zhongli Xiao’s face turned somber. He was well aware of how strong Mu Yi was, yet the latter had been mercilessly knocked back in the last thousand feet. At this point, even he could feel the pressure.

Qi Lingyun and Chi Pojun were feeling the same way as him.

Mu Yi's defeat let them, who had been absolutely confident, feel the horror of this Challenge the Throne level!

“You already qualified yourself to make the bet anyway, so why in such a hurry to prove your worthlessness?” Lin Xun suddenly broke the silence, laughing out loud as he returned Mu Yi’s words. He made no attempt to hide his derision at all.

Mu Yi's handsome face instantly clouded over with furious killing intent, “Say that again if you have the balls.”

The hearts of the crowd trembled as they found it hard to comprehend. Mu Yi was already enraged by his defeat, but Lin Xun deliberately chose this time to mock and ridicule him. This was simply rubbing salt into existing wounds, adding insult to injury!

Facing the raging Mu Yi, Lin Xun obediently and seriously repeated each word, “You already qualified yourself to make the bet anyway, so why in such a hurry to prove your worthlessness?”

“You...” Mu Yi was so furious that his mouth kept twitching. However, since his cultivation was being limited again off the Heaven’s Chosen Path, he could not start a fight, which he would have done at the first opportunity otherwise.

Lin Xun smiled humorously, “Save it. You have already lost in your so-called bet, while I, Lin Xun, don't need to hear any explanations from a loser like you, because you...are unworthy.”

The whole area fell so quiet one could hear a pin drop.

The crowd gawked, eyes and jaws agape, utterly stunned by Lin Xun's words.

This guy...has the guts to push the situation to this point? Is he really not scared of death, or is he risking everything to press his luck?

Mu Yi was so furious that he coughed up blood again. His finger trembled as he pointed at Lin Xun, "Lin Xun, I shall remember this! Just you wait!"

The latter laughed and didn’t bother to pay him any more attention. As he was about to take the challenge, he saw Zhongli Xiao move.

“Aren’t you impatient? You also want to repeat his mistake and prove how worthless you are?” Lin Xun raised a brow at the guy.

Zhongli Xiao froze, then turned his head and glared at Lin Xun, “Lin Xun, don’t turn my favorable impression of you into hate.”

“Meh.” Lin Xun said, "You call making me a stake in your bet having a favorable impression of me? I'm sorry, I don’t deserve it, so please show mercy and take it back."

“You!” Zhongli Xiao was exasperated. Sharp killing intent surged in his eyes, “If you really have a death wish, I’ll help you realize if after we leave the Ruins of the Gods!”