Crossing the Cultivation Realm: Two Souls Coexist

Having fallen from steep mountain peaks countless times, Hu Qing and Gu Yang are now very familiar with the process.

Each time they crashed heavily to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust, the two of them would often just lie there for a few breaths.

After catching their breath, they struggled to their feet, exchanged a glance, and tacitly activated their spiritual power again, transforming into two stubborn streams of light that shot against gravity back towards the misty mountainside.

The distant sun seemed like the most indifferent bystander, rising, setting, and rising again...

The cycle repeated itself, day and night alternated, but the two seemed to have completely forgotten the concept of rest, their eyes only on the ever-approaching mountaintop and the next step they had to conquer.

The boundary between day and night becomes blurred during this almost self-destructive climb.

After two days of continuous work without sleep, and repeated hammering and tempering, the results were obvious.

Their exposed skin had a texture that was almost bronze yet had a warm, jade-like luster, and under the sunlight, it subtly shimmered with a layer of resilient, precious light.

Those pale yellow "Golden Fiend Tempering Winds" that once left them in a sorry state and even required them to work together to withstand them.

Now, when it scratches their bodies, besides bringing a heavy impact, it can no longer tear their skin open, and it's even difficult to leave a white mark.

The strange medicinal power contained within the gale seemed to have been completely absorbed and saturated by their bodies, and could no longer provide any further tempering effect.

At this moment, they stood just ten steps away from the cloud-shrouded mountaintop.

The air here is thin and frigid, and the immense pressure, like solid liquid metal, squeezes every inch of their bodies from all directions, hundreds of times stronger than at the foot of the mountain!

If it weren't for the countless gusts of wind that had relentlessly tempered their muscles and bones and strengthened their bodies day and night, they would never have been able to survive until they reached this point.

Clumps of moist, white clouds drifted slowly past them, bringing a cool touch that briefly dispelled the intense heat generated by the immense workload.

Hu Qing slowly raised his heavy, iron-like arm, spread his five fingers, and let a wisp of mist slip away from his fingertips, savoring that moment of refreshing coolness.

He slightly turned his neck and shoulder joints, immediately producing a series of teeth-grinding "clicking" sounds, as if a rusty machine was being forced to run.

Gu Yang stood to his side and took a deep breath, but the breath felt like it was carrying blades.

His eyes were fixed sharply on the remaining ten stone steps above, and he decided to take the first step, launching the first assault on the final summit.

Hu Qing tacitly adjusted his posture, ready to deal with any possible changes at any time, and to provide support to Gu Yang.

Just as Gu Yang's mind was highly focused on the next step, and his toes were about to leave the current stone slab—

A sudden change occurred!

A gale, almost transparent in color but moving at an eerie speed, suddenly appeared out of nowhere from a very tricky blind spot behind Gu Yang, where Hu Qing's view was completely blocked.

Like a venomous snake flicking its tongue, it silently and ruthlessly attacked Gu Yang's unsuspecting back!

Hu Qing's perception had already been raised to its limit, but when he discovered this gale, it was less than a meter away from Gu Yang!

In this field of pressure hundreds of times greater than usual, any movement is a hundred times slower than normal!

Hu Qing's internal alarm bells rang loudly, but he didn't even have time to warn them, and could only watch helplessly.

Gu Yang instantly sensed the deadly danger behind him!

His muscles were bulging and his bones were cracking, emitting a loud popping sound as if he was about to collapse under the strain.

In that critical moment, he forcefully withstood the mountain-like pressure above his head, twisting his waist sharply to turn around, his face showing a hint of anger and disdain at being ambushed—

This level of gale force was no match for him!

With his right fist clenched tightly, he unleashed a muffled sonic boom that tore through the air, and slammed it into the transparent gale!

"Boom!"

With a soft sound, the attacking gale shattered and vanished without a trace.

Gu Yang felt slightly relieved, but was even more puzzled: This gale no longer had the effect of tempering the body, and its power was also average. What was the point of the old tortoise releasing it at this time?

Is it possible that they're trying to stop him from reaching the summit with this pointless harassment?

In the blink of an eye, his right foot had already stepped onto a higher stone step!

"boom--!"

It felt like stepping into another world!

An immense pressure, several times more terrifying than any previous step, descended with a deafening roar, as if the sky were collapsing!

Gu Yang felt his head suddenly sink downwards, his cervical spine emitted a heart-palpitating groan, and his entire skeleton seemed to be instantly compressed. He even saw stars briefly before his eyes!

He immediately suppressed his discomfort and frantically circulated his internal energy to try to stabilize himself and fight against the sudden, almost devastating pressure.

at this time--

“Buzz buzz—!”

A deep, strange humming sound, seemingly emanating from the deepest part of the mountain, came from the far distance below.

The sound was initially faint, but it carried a disturbing, trembling quality, and it was growing louder and sharper at an alarming speed!

Hu Qing, who was on the step below, was also disturbed by the sudden buzzing.

He endured the pressure that threatened to crush his internal organs and strained to look down.

However, below was a thick, cotton-like sea of ​​clouds that rolled endlessly, completely obscuring the view.

Under such immense pressure, even projecting one's divine sense becomes extremely difficult, let alone using spiritual power to investigate.

The buzzing sound grew louder and closer, as if some enormous creature was rushing down from the bottom of the mountain at high speed!

A sense of foreboding surged through Hu Qing's mind!

In desperation, he disregarded the backlash and forcibly activated his precognitive abilities!

The scene before his eyes suddenly blurred and flickered. He only had time to "see" a blinding and chaotic golden light, as well as a destructive energy fluctuation!

"Watch out! It's an attack!!" Hu Qing roared with all his might, trying to warn Gu Yang.

The moment the sound burst from his throat, he felt a sweet taste in his throat, and a strong, metallic taste of blood instantly filled his mouth, with blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.

Forcing oneself to speak under such high pressure has already damaged one's internal organs!

Gu Yang's face turned bright red, and veins bulged on his forehead.

He also heard the deadly buzzing sound and felt the terrifying aura rapidly approaching from below.

He tried to retreat to the lower level where Hu Qing was, where the pressure was slightly less, and seek a joint defense.

However, the buzzing sound was already very close, deafening!

Just as he took half a step, the dense clouds below, which were lowered by the heavy pressure, were suddenly torn apart by an extremely intense golden light!

He couldn't even see what it was; he only felt an incredibly dazzling golden light, like a miniature sun.

It shot out from the torn cloud hole, skimming the edge of the narrow stone slab where he stood, and flashed past at a speed beyond the reach of sight!

The golden ball did not directly hit Gu Yang, but instead, when it passed about three feet away from him, it exploded without warning and silently!

There was no deafening roar, no violent energy shockwaves.

However, Gu Yang felt the space around him suddenly freeze, and a terrifying energy that was pure to the extreme, condensed to the extreme, and carried an unparalleled sharpness and destructive aura suddenly appeared.

It seemed to erupt and vanish out of thin air within the narrow space of the "first step" where he was!

"puff--!"

The protective aura around him shattered instantly, and his tough, iron-like skin felt excruciating pain as if it were being pierced by countless fine golden needles. His internal organs felt as if they had been smashed by an invisible giant hammer!

His vision went black, and the energy he had gathered to resist the pressure instantly dissipated. The feeling of exhaustion overwhelmed his entire body like a tidal wave.

Before he could even utter a cry of pain, he completely lost control of his body and fell backward like a kite with a broken string.

He plummeted from the high, suspended stone steps, instantly swallowed by the churning, thick white clouds below, disappearing from Hu Qing's bloodshot eyes.

"Gu Yang!!!"

Hu Qing was horrified. When the golden ball exploded, he was just one step below it, a mere inches away.

Strangely, he did not feel any energy spillover, as if the devastating explosion was perfectly contained within the "space grid" of the step where Gu Yang was!

This method is simply unbelievable!

Seeing Gu Yang fall, Hu Qing was heartbroken and could no longer care about summit training or the pressure at the top of the mountain.

He turned around abruptly and, without hesitation, leaped off the edge of the stone slab where he was standing, rushing towards the clouds where Gu Yang had disappeared, trying to catch him in mid-air.

The wind whistled past his ears, the pressure suddenly decreased, and his body plummeted downwards. Hu Qing anxiously scanned the area below, searching for Gu Yang's whereabouts.

However, when he landed heavily on the hard ground with a "thud," his legs going numb, he saw that Gu Yang was being held up in mid-air by the back of his collar by the old tortoise with one of its front claws.

Although Gu Yang was pale, with blood at the corner of his mouth and his clothes torn in many places revealing his reddened skin, he was struggling with his hands and feet, cursing under his breath:

"...You stinky turtle! You're playing dirty tricks! What the hell is that thing?! It almost killed me..."

Seeing that Gu Yang, though disheveled, was still lively and full of energy, Hu Qing's heart, which had been in her throat, finally settled down.

He let out a long sigh of relief, as if half of his strength had been drained away, and began to pant heavily, leaning on his knees.