Dugu Lan stepped up during the crisis and accepted the challenge letter, earning the mass’ support in the process.
She alone shouldered the great responsibility – a testament to her decisiveness.
“She’s as brave as any man. No, even braver.” One big shot said emotionally: “Duality Academy lives up to its fame.”
“It’s tough for any peer to compare to her.” One ancestor gave her a thumbs-up.
“Solidarity during the rain and winds.” She spoke to the rest of the world: “The battle draws near, heroes of the holy ground. It’s time for us to face it together.”
Her clarion call resonated with many geniuses.
“Fairy Dugu, we will do our best to follow your command.” A genius said.
“We will stand with you shoulder to shoulder, until our last drop of blood.” Another declared.
“That’s right, we will never falter, we need to let Righteous know that Buddha Holy Ground isn’t one to be trifled with. We are ready to die for this cause!” Most felt their blood boiling and uttered heroic words.
“I will be there at Minor Sacred Mountain to aid you, Fairy Dugu.” Violet energy billowed from Divine Ghost Division as a calm voice answered the call.
Many recognized the voice. One said: “That’s Phantom Sacred Child, he’s joining this fight too.”
“The fairy will be a tiger with wings after he joins.” Others became excited.
After Phantom Sacred Child revealed his intent, golden light pulsed from Martial Hall of Vajra Dynasty. It seemed as if a golden avatar was flying up in the air to reign over the nine firmaments.
“Vajra Dynasty will not stand idly by before this impending crisis.” A fierce voice sounded: “Hu Ben hopes to inspire the troops by being the vanguard of Fairy Dugu. I will not allow Righteous Sect to look down on us. Our holy ground is filled with hidden dragons and crouching tigers, victory is ours!”
This person spoke with confidence; each word was as sharp as a blade. People couldn’t help believing him.
“Hu Ben is joining too, we have a chance!” Many knew the speaker right away.
Three of the four great geniuses have expressed their stance, fully invigorating the young generation.
They saw hope now in beating the scion and wanted to be a part of history.
Righteous Scion was simply the top dog at this moment and humiliated the holy ground, suffocating other geniuses.
Dugu Lan and the other two gave them a fighting chance. Their morale ignited once more.
“To Minor Sacred Mountain! We need to help Fairy Dugu! Never relent!” One genius traveled towards the mountain and said.
“Yes, we’ll fight to the bloody end no matter how strong he is, the reputation of the holy ground is on the line.” Another added.
The older generation couldn’t take part in this generation. Nonetheless, many ancestors traveled to the mountain in order to watch the fight.
In reality, some ancestors wanted to benefit from watching. Despite their position and age, not that many in the holy ground could actually defeat the scion. There was no way they would miss it.
Minor Sacred Mountain occupied a large area in the floating capital despite having the character, “Minor”, in its name. It was majestic with steep precipices and green forests. Lakes could be seen everywhere along with gurgling noises.
Graceful stone steps paved the way to the pinnacle. On top was a throne hall reaching the clouds.
While standing at the base, one could feel an immense pressure hitting them right in the face, nearly suffocating them. This was expected because four dao lords used to stay here.
The particular hall contained their supreme intents and marks. Few could handle this pressure long enough to make it to the top.
The four sides of the hall had one statue each depicting the dao lords. They faced the world and were ready to give commands. This incredible location was the reason why many made a pilgrimage.
The steps looked like a dragon laying on the mountain. Some have counted the steps before – a total of 999 divided into three sections.
Empty space occupied the three dividers. As one climbed higher, the pressure would intensify. There was no skipping.
Numerous geniuses were present and stared at the stone steps leading to the throne hall. The verdant hills and rivers also attracted their attention.
They suddenly felt the urge to kneel and offer their respect.
“The pressure is unreal, can we get up there?” A genius wondered.
“Getting up to the Virtue Rank is amazing enough, getting to Saint Rank is impossible.” His friend shook his head.
The three sections had 333 steps each. They were named from bottom to top: Conqueror Rank, Virtue Rank, and Saint Rank.
A conqueror should be able to handle the first section. Virtue Rank had a stricter requirement along with a ceremonial altar. The leader of the holy ground would have their ceremonies here.
For example, Archaic Sun King’s coronation took place at this altar.
As for Saint Rank, only a few managed to get there – the four dao lords along with some selected Heavenly Sovereigns.
Because of this, the gate to the hall has remained shut for a long time now.
“Where will the letter be handed off at? Virtue Rank?” Someone became curious.
“That gotta be it, right at the altar of authority. That should be the battlefield.” An ancestor nodded.
Everyone understood the implication. A fight at the altar meant that the scion was challenging the holy ground’s authority and dominion. A loss would be far more disgraceful.
That’s another reason why no one wanted to accept the challenge. Losing would mean going down in infamy.
“We absolutely cannot lose.” Someone clenched his fists.
Another ancestor smiled wryly. Those who have seen Righteous Scion before knew just how strong he was.
“What’s in the hall?” Others were curious about the building.
His friends looked up at the pinnacle and wondered.