CHAPTER 46: CHAPTER 46: GREAT BLACK CELESTIAL DEMON GOD STATUE

At the very center of the island, there are five mountains. Ji Nanhong informed Chen Guan that locals call these five mountains the Celestial Ladder Mountain.

The ladder to heaven shows the first without showing the second, shows the second without showing the third. To see the highest Fifth Peak, one must ascend to the summit of the Fourth Peak.

If you seek the eternal heavens, you must climb the ladder to heaven. The Great Black Celestial Demon God Statue is atop the Fifth Peak of Celestial Ladder Mountain.

The previous four mountains are also inhabited by various Secret Spirits. However, they seem to have been recently cleaned out, so when Chen Guan and Ji Nanhong arrived, they did not encounter many Secret Spirits. Any wandering Secret Spirits were swiftly slain by Ji Nanhong, who was not in the mood to waste time.

When the two reached the summit of the Fourth Peak, Chen Guan could already see from afar a statue resembling a ten-meter-tall giant, waving six arms and exhibiting extraordinary prowess, forcing nearly a hundred attackers into retreat on the mountain’s edge. For the moment, no one could reach the summit.

"The Great Black Celestial Demon God Statue has entered its second stage. That Wang Lian really has some skills." Ji Nanhong stopped walking and didn’t immediately head to the Fifth Peak.

From here to the Fifth Peak requires a descent and then ascent. Without the adept Ghost-headed Mountain mount for traversing mountains, it could take more than an hour to reach.

Chen Guan carefully observed the Great Black Celestial Demon God. Seeing its body pitch black like obsidian, its face like the Asura or ghost king, with six arms, humans and various pets appeared tiny before it.

The arrows shot by cultivators made little impact on it, utterly ignored by the Great Black Celestial Demon God Statue. The damage from swords and spears was merely an itch.

Conversely, every gesture of the Great Black Celestial Demon God held mountain-splitting, stone-crushing might. A human-sized rock could be shattered with a single slap, such terrifying power vastly beyond the same level humans.

The physical advantages of Secret Spirits are vividly displayed on the Great Black Celestial Demon God Statue.

Even at level 10, the Great Black Celestial Demon God’s power is more than ten times that of humans. Differences in power, speed, intelligence, and other attributes are immense across any level of Secret Spirits.

It’s possible for a level 10 First Awakening Secret Spirit to have more power than a higher-level Second Awakening, due to innate physical advantages, unlike humans, whose physical features don’t vary much, making large differences at the same level challenging.

The humans here had no ability to confront the Great Black Celestial Demon God directly. Fortunately, its speed wasn’t particularly fast, thus giving humans a chance to maneuver against it.

The Great Black Celestial Demon God swept away everything like a deity, making it difficult for anyone to climb the mountain, except for one person who could face it directly at the summit, while others could only provide peripheral support.

That person’s body technique was akin to a crane’s cry reaching the heavens, capable of soaring by leveraging force mid-air; though the distance covered was short, it was already astonishing.

One person, one sword, weaving swiftly, even forcing the Great Black Celestial Demon God Statue to be helpless.

"Someone with the Purple and Cyan Qi Profound Skill is indeed extraordinary." Ji Nanhong frowned slightly.

She hadn’t been in too much of a hurry before, as on this island, besides her, there was no one else capable of holding off the Great Black Celestial Demon God. She herself was fundamental to the demon’s slaying.

But now, Qin Ziyu’s performance was already as competent as Ji Nanhong’s.

"Strange, Qin Ziyu’s level seems to have increased quite a bit. He must be level ten now, right? How suddenly did he advance so many levels within such a short time? It doesn’t make sense." Chen Guan spotted him as Qin Ziyu immediately and was puzzled by how quickly his level increased, plainly visible from the significant boost in hidden attributes like speed, power, and stamina.

Moreover, they had separated only about ten hours ago, and level 7 Qin Ziyu’s progression wasn’t supposed to be that easy anymore, taking potentially ten days or two weeks for each level-up. How could he level up as if cheating?

Ji Nanhong focused on Qin Ziyu battling across the peak, saying, "It’s likely he gained benefits from hunting the other three World-Defying Secret Spirits; otherwise, he couldn’t have boosted his level so rapidly. Even with the Purple and Cyan Qi Profound Skill, it wouldn’t be possible."

"Look at his body technique; it’s somewhat unique. If I’m not mistaken, it belongs to the Secret Skill of another World-Defying Secret Spirit, the Peacock King. And the Lifebound Buddha Pendant around his neck originates from another World-Defying Secret Spirit, the Dharma Protector..." Ji Nanhong, with keen eyes, already noticed many things.

"So Wang Lian’s slain World-Defying Secret Spirits’ items are almost all on Qin Ziyu. Why does she trust him so much?" Chen Guan frowned slightly.

Qin Ziyu and Wang Lian weren’t exactly fierce rivals, but their relationship couldn’t robustly support such trust from Wang Lian.

Yet now Qin Ziyu was clearly putting all effort into serving Wang Lian, almost single-handedly keeping the Great Black Celestial Demon God Statue at bay, leaving Chen Guan perplexed about what methods Wang Lian used to compel Qin Ziyu’s assistance.

"Can they defeat the Great Black Celestial Demon God Statue?" Chen Guan was unsure about the demon’s strength and turned to Ji Nanhong beside him.

He had just scoured the area but didn’t see anything documenting the "Eifang Sutra."

"Hard to say. The Great Black Celestial Demon God Statue is already in its second form, but this isn’t its ultimate form. When it opens the third eye on its forehead, that’s its final form. In such a form, the Great Black Celestial Demon God Statue is invincible among First Awakenings, no matter how many First Awakening cultivators there are."

Ji Nanhong paused and continued, "Only one way to defeat the Great Black Celestial Demon God exists: attack its semi-open third eye within the gap before entering the third form with remote power, critically injuring the eye to prevent the third form. But the timing is instantaneous, challenging to grasp. Once it fully opens and enters the third form, attacking the third eye is futile. As far as I know, no one on the island can achieve this; Qin Ziyu is powerful but lacks proficiency in these methods and likely can’t manage it."

"Trouble, let’s hurry over." Chen Guan urged the Ghost-headed Sheep mount toward the Fifth Peak.

"Do you believe they can exploit the Great Black Celestial Demon God Statue’s weakness?" Ji Nanhong joined him, urging her mount while asking.

"Wang Lian is exceptionally skilled with hidden weapons; her Flying Knife Skill is impressive. She possesses a more formidable Flying Needle Acupoint Technique, where her silent and unseen needle can pierce acupoints invisibly. I think she’s prepared; the Great Black Celestial Demon God Statue might be doomed. We must hurry there. I don’t know if there’s still time to contend with Wang Lian." Chen Guan explained while maneuvering the Ghost-headed Sheep along the mountain path.

Technically called a path, it’s just a trail created by predecessors on sheer cliffs, narrow enough only for a foot, requiring leaps where broken.

Fortunately, the Ghost-headed Sheep excels at traversing rocky cliffs, but sitting on its back, Chen Guan felt terrified, more thrilling than a thousand roller coasters.