## AST 2253 Despondent Divine Mountain, Training to the Extreme

“I’ll return this debt to you on your behalf then. You gifted this sword to me, so let’s just use this.” The sword in Tantai Lingyan’s hands pierced through her own shoulder. Her eyes remained fixated on Qing Shui.

Qing Shui wanted to stop her, but he was too late. He felt a stab of pain shooting through his chest, his face paled and his body was trembling.

“Why did you have to do that?” Qing Shui struggled to get the words out.

Tantai Lingyan was startled. She had inflicted an injury on herself, but the man opposite her was just as wounded. He coughed out a mouthful of blood. She could vaguely feel that what they had said had been the truth. Could it be that the part she was missing in her memories was really him?

“Take care. We may just battle when we meet again next.” Tantai Lingyan looked at Qing Shui one last time before leaving.

Qing Shui didn’t say a word and watched as her beautiful silhouette grew smaller until it was gone.

At a distance, Beihuang Liefeng and the others didn’t breathe a word either as they approached. They sighed inwardly; relationships between youths were truly complicated.

Regardless, this incident had concluded. For the Taiyi Immortal Palace, they had escaped a crisis; they might just have been destroyed otherwise. The Demon Gate really had the ability to do so.

“As a man, you’ll need to learn to let go. Sometimes, it’s useless to feel hurt. You might as well worry about how to get her back instead.” Beihuang Liefeng patted Qing Shui’s shoulder.

Qing Shui heart skipped at Beihuang Liefeng’s words. He had been so entangled in the fact that she had forgotten about their memories, that they’d have to fight to their deaths if she couldn’t recall them. Why not start afresh and change her?

He had once been so weak when they were together, but he didn’t retreat even after knowing that she was the Demon King, even the Demon Lord. Yet, even though he had grown stronger, he didn’t have the same dedication when he found out that she had the Demon Saint Blood.

“Thank you, I understand now,” Qing Shui replied seriously.

“Haha, that’s good. Let’s go, let us have a drink.”

……

Just like that, the incident at the Taiyi Immortal Palace concluded and the Demon Gate calmed down as well without further expansions. However, the strength within the Demon Gate continued to increase. He didn’t know the reason why, but many Demon Kings began to approach the Demon Gate. Perhaps it was the might of the Demon Saint Blood which made them willing to serve under her.

Compared to the Demon Gate, the Divine Palace’s expansion was much slower but with great improvements.

Under Qing Shui’s guidance, the Beast King Battle God’s abilities received a significant boost. The Eight-Headed Golden Lion grew a ninth head which had the horns of a dragon. The Beast King Battle God was exhilarated by the progress.

The Golden Lion had the blood of a Suanni Lion, one of the strongest existences according to rumors. It had true dragon blood, a purebred demonic beast.

The Nine-Headed Golden Lion’s value and abilities increased in multiples. The Beast King Battle God was elated; perhaps he could rely on the Nine-Headed Golden Lion to admonish for justice in the future.

The Iguana King’s abilities increased by much also, as did the three Moonwolf Kings. They had each grown a head and entered the later stages of their evolution, with abilities increased by a lot compared to the past.

The Buddha Battle God’s power also improved after studying the Buddha’s True Eyes Battle Technique. Under its effects, many aspects of his combat increased substantially.

Qing Shui helped to unleash 20% of the Mighty Strength Battle God’s potential. The former didn’t find it tedious at the start, but the latter suffered much to attain this. He practiced to the limits every day. Not everyone would be able to tolerate it.

The Mighty Strength Battle God was young but resilient. He wasn’t afraid of suffering. Compared to the first time they had met, his abilities had now doubled. There couldn’t be a happier news for a warrior, and any suffering was well worth it.

The other battle gods received much help in improving from Qing Shui as well. At the very least, Qing Shui had placed several Spirit Gathering Formations on the mountain, allowing people in the Divine Palace to train faster.

Apart from that, he also planted Spirit Grass, increasing the Spiritual Qi around the mountain.

When Qing Shui headed to the rear mountain, the Sky-Obstructing Crow nodded at him in acknowledgement and said, “Not bad. If only your caves could turn to gold.”

“These caves can also change?” Qing Shui asked curiously.

“There were rumors that they could, but it was unclear as to how. In any case, It’s time for you to train your physical body and open new caves until you reach the Nine Caves Realm,” the Sky-Obstructing Crow said.

“I seek your advice then.” Qing Shui replied sincerely.

“There’s a mountain stream, a hundred miles North from here, with an enormous waterfall. Don’t use any Origin Qi when you’re there and make use of only your physical body to withstand those powerful currents. There may be boulders as big as hills which will roll down with the current. That’s the only place to achieve the desired effect. It’d be even better if you could walk up the stream while carrying the giant rock but remember you can’t use your Origin Qi,” the Sky-Obstructing Crow emphasized.

Qing Shui nodded and thanked him. He left after checking the skies. It was still early in the day, so he could experience it now.

The mountain was huge, as was the waterfall. Qing Shui took in the view and realized just how majestic the scenery was. The mountain reached for the skies, and there were rumors that it was still rising. Watching the world from atop the mountain, he realized just how tiny humans were.

The giant water screen gushed down from various streams. It was just a waterfall that hung from above; there were several power currents among them.

The powerful currents were multiple times scarier than the biggest river he had seen in his previous life. Many stones were wedged among the rolls of currents, with each the size of a small hill. They rumbled as the currents rolled, with debris chipping off into smaller pieces. The huge rocks gradually became smaller in this manner.

Qing Shui stripped himself of his powers as he walked into the current, drenched by it in an instant. Thereafter, he felt the huge boulders and smaller rocks smashing down relentlessly. It was terrifying enough when it was rolling down a normal mountain, but with the help of the currents, he could feel pain all over his body.

Qing Shui’s body was strong, and he felt fine at first. However, he soon realized that this wasn’t the case. There was seemingly a layer of restrictions around the area. The moment he stepped into it, half of his abilities seemed to have been confined.

Qing Shui understood it quickly and realized why the Sky-Obstructing Crow had told him to go there. It seemed as if the reason it suited him was precisely because of this.

Gritting his teeth, Qing Shui slowly walked up the currents as he carried the boulder.

Qing Shui intended to carry one that was as big as a small hill at first, but it seemed he had overestimated his abilities. Carrying this up was already tough, but he could still manage it.

Bruises must have filled his body by now. This was a difficult feat considering Qing Shui’s constitution.

Thump!

Qing Shui felt as though a mountain just collided into him, which was true. It caused him to retreat by a hundred meters from its impact and caused the raging of his Qi and blood. However, he was calm. The impact from before should have been the strongest he could anticipate from this place.