Crossing the Cultivation Realm: Two Souls Coexist

The cold wind in the mountain stream was like an invisible blade, whistling fiercely past the ears, making clothes flutter and skin sting.

Hu Qing and Gu Yang walked side by side, each step extremely difficult, on the stone steps that seemed to float outside the steep mountainside and shimmered with a faint earthy yellow light.

Their clothes, covering their chests and backs, were completely soaked with sweat, clinging tightly to their skin and outlining the taut muscle lines caused by excessive exertion.

Their bodies trembled slightly uncontrollably, not from the cold, but from the instinctive reaction of their muscles after enduring a load far exceeding their limits.

Since they successfully tore apart the chains of law that bound their arms, the quagmire that had once caused them so much suffering lost its purpose as a training ground.

With a casual gesture, the old tortoise conjured up a solitary peak that seemed to pierce the sky from the once flat wasteland!

Even more astonishing is that countless suspended stone steps appear out of thin air around the smooth, mirror-like mountain, winding upwards to the cloud-shrouded summit.

These steps are their new "purgatory".

On each stone slab, the old tortoise applied a powerful restrictive pressure, which precisely matched and slightly exceeded the limits of their current physical bodies.

With each step they took upwards, the pressure on their bodies increased dramatically, like an invisible mountain pressing down on their shoulders, spines, and every inch of their bones and muscles.

Their goal was simple yet brutal: to climb to the unreachable summit step by step, without using their hands for assistance or relying on flying tricks, using only their own two legs!

Hu Qing and Gu Yang still can't figure out the old tortoise's true strength; it's like a bottomless, icy pool.

Just when they thought they had glimpsed its full extent, it would casually reveal even more chilling methods, such as the terrifying ability to create mountains with a snap of its fingers.

At the beginning of the climb, the two were able to barely keep up with their strong physiques after the breakthrough, and although the pressure was considerable, they were still able to move forward steadily.

But once you cross that invisible boundary on the mountainside, the pressure around you suddenly surges, instantly reaching the level where you were unable to move under the old tortoise's "greeting gift" of oppression!

That's not all; the biting mountain winds have now become accomplices, making it no longer just a simple case of low temperatures.

Instead, it transformed into tangible vortexes, subtly impacting their lower bodies and disrupting their already heavy steps.

Gu Yang struggled to lift his right leg, which felt as if it were filled with lead, and tremblingly stepped onto the next higher stone step.

Several loose pebbles were dislodged under his feet, tumbling down the almost vertical mountainside. Several seconds passed without any sound of them hitting the ground.

He couldn't help but glance down, only to see a dizzying expanse of empty space below, with nothing but floating stone steps and no protection whatsoever.

Although he knew in his heart that the old tortoise would never let them really fall to their deaths, the sheer height still brought a primal, lingering sense of fear, causing his Adam's apple to bob involuntarily.

Hu Qing, standing next to him, pressed his lower back firmly with one hand, where a tearing, aching pain was emanating from.

He was breathing heavily, and with each breath he felt his lungs burning.

Looking up at the mountain peaks still hidden in the thick clouds, a sense of almost desperate helplessness welled up in my heart.

At this moment, the two had long lost the energy and leisure to communicate verbally; all communication relied on subtle changes in their eyes and the tacit understanding formed through long-term interaction.

At Gu Yang's "continue" look, the two gritted their teeth again, mobilized all the remaining strength in their bodies, and, as if in slow motion, took extremely slow steps toward the next step of the death staircase.

One step, two steps... the muscle fibers were groaning, and the bones were creaking under the strain.

When we reached about two-thirds of the way up the mountain, the treacherousness of the environment increased again!

The howling wind around us was no longer just a simple cold wind, but transformed into powerful gales that were visible to the naked eye, pale yellow in color, and with extremely sharp edges!

These gales, like invisible whips, lashed and swirled wildly in the air, emitting a sharp, piercing whistling sound!

Because the rules prohibit the use of arms to block, Hu Qing and Gu Yang could only rely on their agility to dodge.

However, bound by the terrifying pressure surrounding them, their dodging movements were pitifully slow, as if they were stuck in a quagmire.

A particularly sharp, pale yellow gust of wind, like a venomous snake, silently attacked Hu Qing's side!

Seeing that he couldn't completely avoid it, a ruthless glint flashed in Hu Qing's eyes. He forcefully twisted his waist and hips, gathered the power in his legs, and unleashed a swift whip kick towards the gale!

He planned to use offense as defense, relying on the enhanced leg strength gained after tearing the chains to defeat them!

However, the moment his leg bone came into contact with the gale, his expression changed drastically!

"clang!!"

A loud, explosive sound, like metal colliding violently, rang out!

That gale was not a pure airflow at all; it contained extremely condensed and incomparably sharp metallic elements!

The moment they made contact, an unimaginable, tearing force suddenly surged forth!

"puff--!"

Hu Qing felt his entire right leg go numb instantly, and a sharp pain shot through him. The power he had gathered was shattered like a house of cards.

He felt as if he had been struck by an invisible hammer, completely losing control of his body. He was blasted off the stone slab he was standing on and plummeted rapidly into the abyss below!

A sudden feeling of weightlessness washed over him, and the terrifying pressure that had almost crushed him vanished instantly.

Just before he was about to make intimate contact with the ground, he suddenly gathered his spiritual power, forcibly stabilizing his descent and hovering a few meters above the ground, his heart still pounding wildly.

Before he could catch his breath and calm his tense nerves, he heard a strange "waaaaa" sound coming from above!

Immediately afterwards, a muffled "boom" resounded, and dust flew everywhere!

Gu Yang landed heavily on the ground beside him in a rather disheveled manner, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Fortunately, he was physically strong and had his feet on the ground, so although the shock caused his blood and qi to churn, his internal organs were not severely impacted.

Looking at Gu Yang, who was grimacing as he crawled out of the shallow pit, Hu Qing asked in confusion, "You...you were also knocked down by that metallic gale?"

Gu Yang dusted himself off, a hint of guilt flashing across his face. His eyes darted around, avoiding Hu Qing's gaze, and he stammered:

"No...no. I...I saw you fall, and I panicked, lost my footing...and then...I slipped down..."

Upon hearing this, Hu Qing was speechless, clutching his forehead with one hand, feeling a headache coming on.

He looked up at the towering, tiered mountain peaks and sighed helplessly.

"So... now we have to start all over again from the foot of the mountain, from scratch?"

Just then, a slow, slightly mocking voice came from the side:

"Oh? It's only been half a day, how come they've all come down?"

Young people, you must cherish this opportunity and not waste this precious mountain of cultivation that I, an old man, have painstakingly built with great difficulty.

The old tortoise strolled over with its signature slow, almost frustrating steps, its tiny green eyes scanning Hu Qing and Gu Yang.

Upon hearing this, Gu Yang could no longer contain his grievances and anger. Forgetting all respect for his senior, he pointed angrily at the top of the mountain and said:

"Senior! That's really unfair of you! You didn't tell us beforehand that there were such deadly traps on this mountain!"

That wasn't an ordinary gale; it was filled with the aura of sharp metal! It was something we couldn't possibly withstand right now!

Upon hearing this, the old tortoise showed no remorse whatsoever. Instead, it reached out a claw to touch its smooth nose, revealing a thoroughly smug and wicked grin.

"Well... you didn't ask at the time, did you?"