Mo Qi could feel the mountain-like pressure on his body, but he could still ascend using his movement techniques and willpower.
Some strength was merely a matter of finesse; as long as it was sufficiently skillful, one could break through numerous constraints and forge ahead.
Mo Qi glanced back at Qin Xiao. "You can go back, or you can wait for me here."
"Ridiculous," Qin Xiao said disdainfully. "If you can persist, so can I, and I will definitely climb higher than you."
As she spoke, Qin Xiao gritted her teeth and leaped upwards. Halfway up one step, she froze, stuck between not being able to go up or down, as if struck by a petrification spell, unable to move.
She tried every method she knew but could not break through.
The immense pressure on her was like undergoing a metamorphosis every moment she tried to push forward.
Qin Xiao finally retreated to her original level, looking up at Mo Qi with frustration as he leaped another step.
"Let's go back. Why do you need to keep going? No matter how much you persist, you won't be able to climb many more steps. In the end, you'll be like me, unable to reach six hundred levels. No one can reach six hundred levels," Qin Xiao said, looking at Mo Qi's blurry figure above.
At this moment, Mo Qi gritted his teeth and leaped up another step, each one a jump across life and death.
At this moment, two sources supported his persistence. One was the Heavenly Emperor's trust. The Heavenly Emperor had traveled a great distance personally to involve him, which was absolute trust. If he couldn't reach six hundred floors by then, let alone the Heavenly Emperor, he would lose face. The second was his determination to find his mother. If he were to barge into the Light World alone, the difficulties were self-evident, and he would be disoriented, unable to find anyone.
If he followed the negotiation team, everything would be much smoother.
However, the higher he climbed, the more he felt that this goal was too difficult. Perhaps no one could achieve it?
Six hundred levels?
He was only at over three hundred levels, and he was already compressed to being shorter. How could he persist to six hundred levels?
Many people fell off one after another.
The number of people still persisting grew smaller and smaller, and it became increasingly difficult.
Previously, each level was a jump. Later, it became like swimming against a current, slowly moving forward.
The wind was strong and the waves were rough, and they could only advance with great difficulty in the wind and waves.
After painstakingly breaking through to four hundred levels, Mo Qi felt he had reached his limit and could not move further. He decided to stop and rest.
The assessment time was two hours, so it should be enough!
Just as he was about to sit down, a voice called out, "Don't stop!"
Mo Qi looked for the source of the sound and saw a graceful figure on his side, looking at him!
It was a young woman wearing a water-green dress. Her skin was fair, and beneath her clothes, her skin had a tender green hue like grass.
While Mo Qi was mesmerized by her, she continued, "If you stop, this Cloud Ladder will continuously absorb your spiritual energy, and you will feel increasingly tired and weak. If you don't have the strength to climb now, you'll have even less strength after resting."
Mo Qi immediately darted forward and continued to speed ahead. The young woman was also by his side, keeping pace with him.
"My name is Min Xiaorong. What's yours?" the woman asked generously.
"My name is Mo Qi," Mo Qi replied.
This girl, dressed in water-green, seemed to have grown among the grass, possessing an ethereal aura.
The more Mo Qi looked at her, the more entranced he became, making Min Xiaorong feel a little shy. Mo Qi, realizing his lapse in composure, quickly averted his gaze.
"You seem very relaxed. What is your cultivation level?" Mo Qi asked.
Min Xiaorong's figure faltered, almost falling off the cloud. "How am I relaxed? I'm also struggling to move. I almost fell several times."
"How many levels do you think you can reach?"
"It's hard to say. Perhaps five hundred levels, perhaps six hundred," Min Xiaorong said with a smile.
"It seems you still have hope of succeeding. I don't. I estimate I can hold it in until four hundred and fifty."
Min Xiaorong chuckled, then frowned. "That's too crude."
"Since you know you can't reach the goal, why do you continue? It's better to give up early!"
"Knowing is knowing. Some unknown situations are forged through trying," Mo Qi said calmly.
As they spoke, the two of them ascended another level.
Mo Qi almost rolled and crawled his way up, while Min Xiaorong appeared very relaxed. Mo Qi always felt she was deliberately suppressing her strength, but he had no proof.
By then, fewer and fewer people were coming up. However, the fight between two individuals caught their attention. One was clad in armor, wielding a water-based spell with incredible skill, shaking the heavens and earth.
The other was dressed in robes, his attacks broad and powerful, exuding an aura of conquering the world!
Their fight seemed to be happening nearby, but in reality, they were separated by hundreds of thousands of miles.
Mo Qi did not know who they were. He only heard Min Xiaorong say, "These two are Gonggong and Qin Di. I heard they have been fighting for over a year and still cannot determine a winner."
Gonggong? It was truly a case of enemies meeting with burning hatred.
However, he also knew that the opponent was still far away, and it was not yet time for revenge.
So, he could only sigh and continue to move upwards.
He dragged his heavy body and managed to ascend a few more levels!
There was almost no one around!
A few people were still persisting.
At this moment, Mo Qi saw a familiar figure. Upon closer inspection, it was indeed her!
His joy was naturally beyond words. It was Shui Han!
At this moment, she might also be Shui Bing, but that didn't matter.
How could she have the strength to reach such a high place?
This was illogical.
In fact, the reason the Heavenly Emperor sent Shui Han and Shui Bing to the mortal realm was not just punishment, but more importantly, to temper them and complete the Soul Creation Great Law. After tens of thousands of years of self-repair and improvement, they underwent a qualitative leap in their physique. Upon returning to the Galactic Heavenly Realm, the Heavenly Emperor completed the final procedures of the Soul Creation Great Law for them, causing their cultivation to advance by leaps and bounds. At this moment, they were both at the first level of the Saint Emperor realm.
Throughout the world, very few people were their match.
Shui Han, upon seeing Mo Qi, was not surprised at all. She simply said faintly, "We meet again!"
Hearing her cold tone, Mo Qi knew it was indeed Shui Han.
"Did you miss me?" Mo Qi, panting heavily, couldn't resist teasing.
"Catch up to me, and I'll tell you," Shui Han said, and with a whoosh, she ascended another level, disappearing from sight.
So arrogant?
Mo Qi forced himself to gather his spirit to pursue her, but after taking a deep breath, he lacked the strength to move his body. He could only sigh in disappointment.
Min Xiaorong smiled. "Why aren't you chasing? If you don't exert yourself now, you won't be able to catch up."
Mo Qi looked dejected. "Let alone chasing her, I can barely hold on. I want to go down."
"You can't give up! My strength is similar to yours. If you give up, I probably won't be able to persist either. If you are here, I have a reference, and perhaps I can go a few more steps," Min Xiaorong said.
I don't believe you!
Mo Qi grumbled inwardly, but with Min Xiaorong's encouragement, he moved forward a few more steps.
At this point, his entire body felt significantly shorter, and his internal organs felt like they were being twisted into a knot.
Yet, some unknown power was continuously pushing him forward.
Just then, another familiar face appeared. Upon seeing his face, Mo Qi felt a surge of anger. That's right, this person was none other than Xiao Ling.
He held a Heavenly Book, tearing off a page and letting it float in the air to cushion his feet, making his movements seem effortless and graceful.
Min Xiaorong exclaimed, "Is anyone going to uphold justice? He's cheating!"
"Who cares?" Mo Qi said dismissively. "We just need to take care of ourselves."
"Actually, if you think about it, this isn't cheating. They didn't say we couldn't use magical artifacts?"
"You do have a point," Min Xiaorong suddenly said, her eyes lighting up.
At this moment, in the distant parallel space, two more people were fighting. Their figures darted back and forth, their energies dazzling and overwhelming.
The sounds of clashing weapons and exploding divine abilities echoed between heaven and earth.
Those two individuals both had gray beards and an immortal demeanor.
Mo Qi looked closely and recognized these two as Hongjun and the Turtle Immortal!
The Turtle Immortal had challenged Hongjun to a duel, seeking revenge!
However, with his strength, he could contend with Hongjun, but killing him would be difficult.
Therefore, the two of them were locked in a fierce battle, unable to determine a victor for the time being.
The River God and the Great Emperor of the Galaxy, located at the center of the Milky Way, looked up at these two battles with thoughtful expressions.
The Great Emperor said, "Do you think the Turtle Immortal can defeat Hongjun? Do we need to help?"
The River God shook his head. "Don't worry, neither of them can do anything to the other. If we go to help, Hongjun will find more helpers. I think it's best not to."
"Gonggong and Qin Di, who do you think will win?" the Great Emperor asked again.
"Gonggong, I sense that Qin Di's luck is running out."
"Then shouldn't we help him?"
"When he seized the Saint Emperor's world, we didn't help the Saint Emperor. If we help him now, the Saint Emperor will have something to say."
"Yes, I wonder how the Saint Emperor is doing."
"He has disappeared into the vast sea of people," the River God said with a sigh. "They are all power-hungry individuals. Who wins or loses is not important to us."
"Yes, what we should care about is the rise and fall of the world," the Great Emperor said, as if enlightened.
"Among the younger generation, who do you favor?" the Great Emperor asked after a moment.
"Mo Qi, perhaps," the River God said.
"I favor Xiao Ling," the Great Emperor said.
"Xiao Ling's character is not good. He will eventually go down the wrong path."
"Let's hope he doesn't stray."
At this moment, Mo Qi had dragged himself up several dozen levels, reaching four hundred. He felt this was his limit and decided to stop. Min Xiaorong said, "Hurry up! You can definitely persist. If you don't persist, you'll never know where your limit lies."
"My limit is right here," Mo Qi said, panting heavily.