Chapter 15

In the depths of Tiantai Mountain, in the dense forest where no one had ever set foot, Mei Xue, following the map of Tiantai Mountain that appeared in his mind, advanced step by step toward the sealed forbidden land, "Tiantai."

"Roar! Roar!" The kings of the Tiantai Mountain forest, the large monkeys that had once chased Mei Xue to flee, discovered this uninvited guest and let out furious roars.

The entire troop of large monkeys came, each pounding their chests and charging at Mei Xue with a fierce momentum.

But today's Mei Xue was not yesterday's Mei Xue, nor even the Mei Xue from the daytime. He was now in a powerful form, having awakened the bloodline power of the golden-haired, jade-faced nine-tailed fox.

Just like the little fox did two years ago, he simply opened his eyes and glanced at the troop of large monkeys, and they all froze in place.

Those eyes, like those of a deity or a demon, directly controlled the crude consciousness of the large monkeys. The innate magical ability of the golden-haired, jade-faced nine-tailed fox, "Charm," revealed its terrifying power in that single glance.

The charm ability of the golden-haired, jade-faced nine-tailed fox ignores the physical strength of the target. Even if you have the strength to lift mountains and carry tripods, if your will is not strong enough, you will have no resistance against those eyes.

In this vast world, among the myriad of beings, how many can possess the will of an ascetic monk? Therefore, even with just this one ability, the golden-haired, jade-faced nine-tailed fox is enough to charm all beings, causing disasters wherever it goes, truly a natural beauty that brings calamity.

Once a creature is charmed by the golden-haired, jade-faced nine-tailed fox, unless the fox actively lifts the charm, it is almost impossible for the creature to break free on its own.

"Bring me all the monkey liquor!" Mei Xue gave a casual command, and the troop of large monkeys scattered even faster than when they came, returning home to offer Mei Xue the monkey liquor they cherished as their lives.

Strange, what do I need this for? Mei Xue looked at the few gourds of liquor. He didn't drink much, so what use did he have for this monkey liquor?

However, Mei Xue still accepted the monkey liquor offered by the large monkeys and then let them disperse.

Carrying the monkey liquor, Mei Xue crossed the entire dense forest area and finally arrived at the most mysterious and legendary place in Tiantai Mountain, the only forbidden land, "Tiantai."

A white mist covered a cliff, and no matter how one looked, one could not see what was in the mist. The fog on the cliff had never dissipated, and neither wind, rain, nor thunder could drive it away.

There, that was "Tiantai," the origin of Tiantai Mountain, a holy land once revered by countless people.

This was not the first time Mei Xue had come here. Long before he obtained the *Classic of Mountains and Seas* and made his grand vow, he had explored this ruin many times and always returned empty-handed.

The white mist refused all entry, even though the Tiantai within the mist had long been reduced to ancient legends, the power that sealed it had not diminished with time.

Perhaps this was the last defense of the once-holy land, ensuring that the broken Tiantai would never be disturbed again.

The Tiantai, which had lost its power to bestow opportunities, was now just an ordinary ruin. People seemed to have forgotten this holy land and had completely abandoned it after multiple failed restoration attempts.

The once-sacred land of immortal arts, the Tiantai that countless cultivators aspired to, had thus exited the stage of history, quietly watching the changes of the world in this remote corner.

Today, after a thousand years, someone had come here again.

He possessed the most elite bloodline power of the golden-haired, jade-faced nine-tailed fox among all the seas and mountains. His body contained the fragments of the great way left from the shattered world, the *Classic of Mountains and Seas*, which recorded the countless wonders and oddities of the universe.

He, Mei Xue, was going to ascend the Tiantai.

He did not seek anything from the Tiantai, nor did he desire any cultivation opportunities. The young man named Mei Xue simply had the most straightforward reason for stepping onto the stairs leading to the Tiantai.

Why ascend the Tiantai? Because the Tiantai was here, because this was the origin of Tiantai Mountain.

So, he ascended the Tiantai because the Tiantai was here.

The ancient Tiantai struggled to open its eyes and looked at its last visitor.

It was a faint consciousness that had emerged from the Tiantai after millions of years. Thousands of years ago, it had a chance to become a deity. If it had succeeded, it would have completely transformed, forever breaking free from the constraints of this world and becoming a true "Immortal Platform," a symbol of the spiritual light of heaven and earth.

However, it failed. To compete for that opportunity, countless people died, and it was shattered, leaving only this last spark of consciousness struggling to survive in its broken body.

Even so, it was nearing its end. It had lost all its spiritual energy a thousand years ago, and now this last bit of primordial power was about to be extinguished.

The mist around it was not an array or a magical ability but the last fragments of itself. Its effect was merely to confuse ordinary people; cultivators with some abilities could easily enter and then leave disappointed after discovering the already shattered Tiantai.

No one knew that this mist still contained the last spark of consciousness, the last hope of the Tiantai.

It was waiting, though it did not know what it was waiting for. After the great calamity, it vaguely sensed a thread of the cosmic law, as if it had some mission left unfulfilled.

What was that mission? It did not understand, but it clung to life, waiting for its final task in this forgotten corner with the little life it had left.

Then, tonight, it waited for the person it was waiting for.

No explanation was needed. When it sensed him suddenly appearing at the foot of Tiantai Mountain, it felt the aura that attracted it, an ancient and沧桑的 aura, older and more distant than itself.

The handsome young man, who seemed not to belong to this world, walked from the distant primordial era and then approached it gently.

Golden fox ears, a soft fox tail, and a face of unearthly beauty with eyes that were hard to describe, filled with innocence and curiosity, a desire for knowledge, and a perfect blend of wisdom and simplicity.

The Tiantai, which had once bestowed opportunities to countless great cultivators, immediately recognized that this was a young man with great potential, destined for greatness whether he joined the Buddhist or immortal paths. He possessed the most elite bloodline of all the seas and mountains—the golden-haired, jade-faced nine-tailed fox.

Strange, aren't golden-haired, jade-faced nine-tailed foxes all female? The Tiantai was puzzled, wondering if it had remembered incorrectly.

However, these details were unimportant because the final trial was about to begin.

This was the last trial, the final task of the Tiantai as a failure—the Tiantai trial.

In front of Mei Xue, countless clouds began to churn and then formed a staircase of white clouds. This staircase had ninety-nine steps, leading to a Tiantai that was already in ruins.

This was the complete form of the Tiantai, the holy land that had once been revered by countless immortal cultivators ten thousand years ago.

The ninety-nine steps represented ninety-nine tribulations. Stepping on these steps meant facing one's own ninety-nine tribulations.

No one knew what tribulations they would encounter, as these steps reflected one's inner sins and anxieties. Only those who overcame these and ultimately clarified their true hearts could reach the final Tiantai and become famous throughout the world.

Even ordinary people with strong wills could walk the first three steps, but from the fourth step onward, it was the domain of cultivators. Whether from the Buddhist, immortal, or demonic paths, they would encounter their natural enemies on this staircase, and the higher they went, the more terrifying the tests became.

Since the discovery of the Tiantai holy land until the end of the great war that affected all the seas and mountains, only eight people had ever ascended the Tiantai, all of whom had overcome their inner demons and achieved astonishing cultivation.

Their names were permanently etched in the legends of the seas and mountains, becoming myths.

No one knew how far this young man would go or what tribulations he would encounter. The Tiantai, using its last strength to open the staircase, looked at the approaching young man with hopeful eyes.

First step, second step, third step, one step at a time, very good, he walked through the steps for ordinary people without hesitation, truly a genius with the bloodline of the golden-haired, jade-faced nine-tailed fox.

Fourth step, fifth step, sixth step... ninth step, he walked through the steps for immortals and mortals, indicating that his spiritual meridians were fully open, and he had embarked on the path of cultivation.

Tenth step, eleventh step... eighteenth step, he stopped? No wonder, the eighteenth step was crucial for all races, connecting to the essence of the seas and mountains. At this step, a celestial phenomenon representing the elevation of life, the "Ring," would appear.

Wait! What is that? What is that cloud? Cheating! The Tiantai's consciousness almost exploded when it saw what happened on the staircase.

"Cloud Rise!" Mei Xue effortlessly summoned his little cloud, stepped on it, and flew over the ninety-nine steps, then stood firmly on the Tiantai.

"Good, we're here!" Mei Xue looked at the broken Tiantai under his feet with satisfaction, and the last blank area on the Tiantai Mountain map in his mind was gradually being filled.

However, unlike the other areas, the final Tiantai position was being filled particularly slowly.

This, this young man is... no... impossible... how could he be...

"Boom!" Amidst the flying debris, the Tiantai shattered, and a beam of white light fell on Mei Xue, carrying him instantly across the sea and back to the Floating Mountain.

In the *Classic of Mountains and Seas*, a new Tiantai emerged, a small, newborn Tiantai, a new life born from the ruins of the ancient, dead Tiantai, the embodiment of the essence of Tiantai Mountain.

"It seems to have succeeded." The dragon that held the candle, lying on the ground, looked at the new life in the *Classic of Mountains and Seas* and nodded in satisfaction.

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