"My heavens, the forty-ninth mural? This is a threshold. Those who can cross it are truly exceptional, and this Zhang Xian is no ordinary individual!"

"Heh, naturally. If he didn't have some real skill, how could he become that revered figure's favored general?"

At the mention of that revered figure, the air suddenly fell quiet, as if even the heavens and earth were in awe, not daring to speak aloud. Thinking of the relationship between Zhang Xian and that person, countless prodigies fell silent. They could only sigh. It's no wonder!

「...」

Wang Xiu had stayed on the outskirts for quite some time, both to hunt Void Beasts and to meet up with the people from Sanqing. This had delayed his progress.

Actually, this was an unforeseen situation.

Normally, the main process for prodigies on the Taixu Ancient Path was to battle Void Beasts, obtain Crystal Cores, and collect various treasures. They would continue this cycle until their power had been sufficiently elevated or they had gathered enough people to venture deeper, where they would hunt even more powerful Void Beasts.

But unexpectedly, the God and Demon Murals had emerged. The timing of this treasure trove's appearance was never certain, disrupting many people's plans.

In a sense, if one could comprehend something from the God and Demon Murals, the benefits would definitely not be inferior to what could be gained from Void Beasts. After all, Void Beasts were exceedingly difficult to kill, and dividing the spoils after a group takedown was always a problem. Although, the treasures obtained from slaying those powerful Void Beasts were indeed very tempting!

The God and Demon Murals were different. In theory, anyone could obtain their own opportunity here, as long as they had the capability.

There was another point... No one knew how long the God and Demon Murals would remain this time. They could vanish at any moment, becoming concealed within the void once more. To miss this... would be the regret of a lifetime.

「...」

The two continued moving forward.

「Several days later.」

They finally arrived at an ancient Stone Forest. The area was shrouded in a chaotic mist that billowed and roiled, radiating an ancient divine power that seemed to conceal something. Only faintly visible were enormous, peculiar boulders standing upon the ground. They exuded a primeval aura, as if they had been passed down from a distant era, having witnessed countless ages. The very existence of this Stone Forest seemed to imbue this part of the world with an ancient, profound aura.

The closer they got, the quieter it became, until you could hear a pin drop. It seemed that every whisper here was an act of desecration.

From a high vantage point, one could see figures sitting cross-legged before the stone walls, meditating in earnest.

Every so often, a faint light would glimmer on one of the stone walls, releasing a multitude of runes. A prodigy would then stand, bow to the wall, and continue deeper into the corridors.

"There are a total of one hundred and eight stone walls here, connected together like two long corridors. People usually call them the Front and Rear Corridors."

Standing beside Wang Xiu, Li Xuanqi said softly, "The Front Corridor has seventy-two murals and the Rear Corridor has thirty-six, for a total of one hundred and eight. The further in you go, the deeper the mysteries and the more difficult they are to comprehend, but the more terrifying the Creation they contain! There's a special rule here: you can only see the later murals after you've comprehended the ones before them."

Wang Xiu nodded. Standing in the distance, he gazed ahead with his remarkable eyesight. He confirmed that he could only see the very first stone walls clearly. The murals further back were shrouded in a chaotic mist, making them impossible to discern. A strange set of rules was interfering with his vision.

"Forty-eight, the forty-eighth mural just lit up!" a voice suddenly exclaimed.

Nearby, a large number of prodigies had gathered, staring at the distant Stone Forest. Following their gazes, one could see two brilliant streams of light suddenly erupt from the forty-eighth stone wall in the Front Corridor. Runes filled the sky, golden flowers rained down, and countless indescribably wondrous phenomena unfolded. In front of the wall sat two figures, bathed in mystical light, their auras powerful.

"Hmm?" Wang Xiu raised an eyebrow. He recognized one of them: Sima Yulong from the Artic Cave Heaven. The two had met in the Ancient Forest, and he had even treated Sima Yulong to a meal.

"The Artic Cave Heaven and the Dayan Cave Heaven have always been fierce rivals. Now, the successors of these two ancient powers are competing before the God and Demon Murals, perfectly matched. This will make for a great story!"

"It's the sixth day! They've both comprehended the forty-eighth God and Demon Mural and are now moving toward the forty-ninth!"

"The forty-ninth mural is a major hurdle. Even Zhang Xian failed there," someone sighed.

"Alas, and not just him! Many prodigies who had smooth sailing up to this point were forced to stop there. After sitting for days without comprehending a single thing, they had no choice but to leave!"

"So far, fewer than three people have successfully comprehended the forty-ninth mural, right?" someone asked, counting on their fingers.

"Besides Ye Guhong, the only other person seems to be the Saint Heir of Longhu Cave Heaven!"

"That Saint Heir of Longhu is also a top-tier prodigy. Comprehending up to the seventy-second mural in just nine days is incredibly rare!" the crowd exclaimed in admiration.

"He's been stuck at the seventy-second God and Demon Mural for three days. If he succeeds, he'll be only the second peerless prodigy to date to enter the Rear Corridor..."

"It's too difficult. I don't think the chances are good!"

"..."

"He's here too?" Wang Xiu stared into the depths, pleasantly surprised. It was always nice to run into an acquaintance.

"It seems we really are behind," Li Xuanqi said, her beautiful eyes flashing with fighting spirit. The scene before her made her blood boil with excitement. She, too, wanted to test her abilities and see just how far she could go.

"Saintess Li!" a voice suddenly called from behind.

"Saint Heir Bei Tangfeng?" Li Xuanqi turned with a look of slight surprise. The newcomer was exceptionally handsome and carried himself with a refined, scholarly grace, like a peerless gentleman. It was indeed the Xuanji Saint Heir, Bei Tangfeng.

Bei Tangfeng approached leisurely, his bearing graceful. He nodded and said, "I thought I was arriving quite late. I didn't expect to see you here as well, Saintess."

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