Sword Qi to the Sky

Chapter 395 Breaking into the formation
"You are quite the devoted one." The young man smiled as he looked ahead, but paused when his gaze fell on a distant spot. He then whispered, "A distinguished guest has arrived."

Liu Qingwu followed his gaze and saw a handsome young man standing in mid-air, followed by a powerful cultivator.

"Ye Yunke," Liu Qingwu thought to herself.

"I never expected that the Seventh Prince would also come to Yujing City."

Ye Yunke seemed to sense something, glanced in her direction, and nodded with a smile to Liu Qingwu, displaying his elegant demeanor.

Liu Qingwu was taken aback before she realized what was happening. She smiled and bowed slightly, but when Ye Yunke looked away, she was still somewhat moved.

As rumored, the Seventh Prince is courteous to everyone and treats those of talent with respect; he is an extraordinary person. However, he desires to ascend to the throne…

Liu Qingwu thought to herself, "Ye Yunke, no way."

The middle-aged man beside Ye Yunke was the Prince of Puyang, a non-royal king of the Great Li Dynasty. The two had appeared in Chuzhou City years ago. He asked, "Does Your Highness know him?"

“The cultivators of the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion admire my imperial brother,” Ye Yunke said with a smile. This was normal, though. A cultivator as talented as my imperial brother, with such a noble status, would naturally have countless admirers.

However, his elder brother had absolutely no interest in women.

"Sir, is there anyone who can match the time it took my elder brother back then?" Ye Yunke asked.

"No," the Prince of Puyang replied.

"It seems that you also believe that my elder brother is difficult to surpass," Ye Yunke said with a smile. "However, I heard that three years ago, someone also only used half an incense stick's worth of time, but the way he ascended was a bit strange?"

“Yes.” Prince Puyang nodded: “That person is still at Baiyujing Academy. It is said that he did not come to ask questions, and it seems that he ‘walked up’.”

"Walk up?" Ye Yunke glanced at Prince Puyang.

“Yes, let’s go up.” Prince Puyang nodded. “We went up step by step without encountering any obstacles, but someone said that the formation was open.”

"Interesting," Ye Yunke said with a smile. "Let's go up later and meet that extraordinary person."

"Does Your Highness also wish to inquire about Baiyujing?" Prince Puyang asked curiously.

"No..." Ye Yunke shook his head and smiled, "Of course I'm paying a visit. If I can't get to Baiyujing, how embarrassing would that be? What do you think, sir?"

The Prince of Puyang was taken aback, then shook his head and said, "How could Your Highness not be able to get up there?"

Ye Yunke smiled without saying a word, his gaze continuing to look towards the stairs.

At this moment, the prodigies from all sides had stepped onto the steps one after another. A powerful force emanated from the steps and seemed to spread to the surrounding area.

But the people at the front did not stop at all. Yue Yunxiao and Shen Jing walked in front, like two sharp swords, their figures moving upwards as if they were swords. If they could maintain this speed, they would reach the nine hundred and ninety-nine steps in an instant.

"So fast!" Many people exclaimed in amazement.

Chu Jiankuang, also a sword cultivator, was much slower, but the sword he transformed into seemed to be heavier, with sword energy surrounding him as he moved steadily forward. When he looked up, his eyes seemed to hold a sword.

Below the steps, Li Fan looked up and saw outside the Heavenly Gate, the cultivators of Baiyujing Academy entered the formation and lined up in different positions.

A moment later, the sword light within the tiered formation shone brightly, and Yue Yunxiao and Shen Jing, who were at the forefront, came to an abrupt halt. Brilliant sword light erupted from their bodies, and an endless stream of sword intent surged toward them.

"The beginning of seeking the truth." Everyone looked at the scene before them with serious expressions; only now could they truly seek the truth.

Although the sword intent made the two stop for a moment, it did not stop them from continuing to move forward. They continued upward, transforming into swords and forming a sword curtain around their bodies.

Below the steps, Li Fan also looked up. The sword intent that appeared out of thin air was released by the students of Baiyujing Academy using an array.

"Half an incense stick?"

Li Fan muttered to himself. He heard the discussions of the people around him. Nine hundred and ninety-nine steps. Even if you walk up step by step, it will take a long time unless you fly directly on a sword. Under the condition of resistance, how strong is that prince of Dali who can step into the Heavenly Gate in half an incense stick's time?
"Want to give it a try?" Li Fan asked the two people beside him.

“Okay.” Lu Yuan nodded.

"Then, let's go up." Li Fan said softly. Based on what he had heard, the three of them should have no problem getting into Baiyujing Academy.

Entering the Heavenly Gate only qualified him to enter the Jade Capital Academy. Li Fan stepped onto the stairs. Unlike Shen Jing, he did not transform into a sword and walk. Instead, he walked upwards step by step, feeling the pressure brought by the formation. As Li Fan went up, the pressure gradually increased, but it still did not hinder him. His steps were fast. His seemingly slow walking action quickly covered three hundred steps.

"Hmm?" Someone noticed Li Fan's presence and looked surprised. The three hundred steps were a hurdle. Many sword cultivators from Lingxiao Pavilion had entered the formation earlier than him, but none of them had reached this point. However, Li Fan walked over with ease.

"Who is that person?" someone asked curiously.

"I don't know, but once we get here, it's about time," someone said.

"It's him?" Liu Qingwu of Tianji Pavilion also noticed Li Fan's presence. Did he also want to go to Baiyujing Academy?

However, wanting to do something doesn't mean you can.

Li Fan didn't care about what others thought and continued to walk forward. But just then, a violent pressure surged from the formation, as if a figure was rushing towards him.

Li Fan's expression darkened. He looked up and saw a huge figure approaching him with violent power. This figure seemed to be the manifestation of a martial arts cultivator's martial intent, or perhaps a martial spirit. It was several meters tall, and with each step it took, a force pressed down on it.

Li Fan looked at the illusory figure and seemed to see the person behind it, a student of Baiyu Academy.

"This formation is quite wondrous. The students of Baiyu Academy can use it to attain enlightenment and suppress the cultivators who come to seek the Dao," Li Fan thought to himself.

Moreover, the abilities displayed by the other party seemed to be based on the abilities of the one seeking the Dao.

Asking about Baiyujing, I understand now.

"Go down."

A loud shout exploded in Li Fan's mind, but Li Fan remained unmoved, his body radiating golden light, his dragon roar echoing, and his blood and qi soaring to the sky.

"You want to stop me?" Li Fan finished speaking and continued to walk forward. The steps shook violently, affecting those around him, but this was also part of asking the question.

"His qi and blood are like a dragon, who is this senior?" A cultivator below looked at Li Fan and saw that his golden body was shining brightly and extremely beautiful. He did not slow down his pace at all and continued to move forward calmly as before.

"We can't stop him..."

The further Li Fan went, the stronger the sense of oppression became. The giant that the opponent had transformed into seemed to be right in front of him, making Li Fan extremely uncomfortable.

"Make way!" Li Fan shouted, taking a step forward. The steps trembled, and he raised his hand and punched forward. Thump... The array barrier seemed to be pierced by a supreme force. The punch pierced through the array and struck the huge phantom, causing the phantom to gradually dissipate and turn into nothingness.

"So domineering."

More and more cultivators noticed Li Fan's presence. He was just as powerful as the holy sons of the great sects, advancing at an equally rapid pace.

"interesting."

Among the crowd, Yang Tai, the owner of Chaotian Pavilion, smiled at Li Fan. This young man looked very young, but he had already reached the Dao Body Realm. He had blocked Shen Jing's sword with his bare hands before, and now he was rising strongly. Besides Qitian Pavilion, which other major sect or family could cultivate such a talented martial arts cultivator?

It was clearly impossible for the imperial court to do so, and it seemed that the scions of prominent families in the capital of Dali had not come.

As Li Fan continued forward, he soon arrived at the middle of the steps. The oppressive feeling from the formation continued to grow stronger, and there were not many cultivators left who could continue to ascend from here.

Not far ahead of Li Fan was a figure, Qi Zhanyun of Qitian Pavilion. He seemed to notice Li Fan's presence, turned around and glanced at him, then laughed and said, "You've come so fast. Since you're also a martial arts cultivator, let's have a competition to see who can step onto the Heavenly Gate faster, shall we?"

“Okay.” Li Fan readily agreed and continued upwards. The crowd noticed that he not only did not slow down, but was even faster than before, which made them look strange.

He had actually left himself some leeway before?
Li Fan quickly caught up with them.

Qi Zhanyun was also taken aback, then laughed heartily and strode forward. The sound of the Great Dao resounded from his body, and his bones cracked. He was aroused by the desire to win.

"Bang." Qi Zhanyun took a step forward, his speed also increasing as he rushed upward. The two of them had extremely violent auras, and they went up side by side, actually chasing after the first group.

A figure was walking ahead, the new generation of the Holy Son of Tiandu Palace. At this moment, an invisible force came from behind him. He frowned and glanced behind him.

The former Holy Son was killed by Wen Ruyu. As his successor, he came to Baiyujing to seek fame. How could he allow others to surpass him?

(End of this chapter)