Chapter 829: The Legendary Martial Gods
The hundred meters of blank space represented the weakening of the various races after the War of the Emperors in the Savage Battlefield. Every race suffered a sharp decline, and the peak of martial cultivation never returned.
Only ten thousand years ago did the person who was later named the strongest Sovereign Martial Emperor since the Ancient Era appear. Only then did the empty space at the three-kilometer height get a name carved on it.
Compared to the people from the Ancient Era, those of the current era were still significantly weaker. That had been a golden age. The names of those legends were names that even the Azure Emperor could not approach.
However, the prestige of the Azure Emperor and the Thunder Emperor surpassed that of Sovereign Martial Emperors from over ten thousand years ago.
The hundred meters below the two names were blank as well; there were no names at all. Only another hundred meters lower were there some rare purple or golden names.
Compared to the Azure Emperor, the Thunder Emperor's golden name was clearly dimmer. The Azure Emperor's name was as bright as the stars. However, the Thunder Emperor's name was just an ordinary golden.
After seeing so many names, Xiao Chen guessed that the glow of the name had something to do with that person's strength. The Thunder Emperor had died mysteriously, soon after he advanced to Sovereign Martial Emperor. Naturally, the Thunder Emperor's strength was not comparable to the Azure Emperor's at his peak.
Seeing the two names next to each other, Xiao Chen pitied the Thunder Emperor. If not for bad luck, the Thunder Emperor might have been the second Azure Emperor today.
Densely filled rows of golden words covered about a hundred meters towards the top of the Sage Mark Monument. However, at its topmost hundred meters, no one could make out a single name.
Everyone could see only vague scars. Who left these scars and when were they left?
Where did these people go? Where were they now? This had always been a mystery of the Kunlun Realm. Several people guessed that the people who left marks on the top of the Sage Mark Monument became the legendary Martial Gods.
However, no one had ever seen a Martial God in this world. The legends concerning Martial Gods were mostly records on documents. Most of these documents were unverifiable.
To all the cultivators, Martial Gods were just an illusory legend.
The shock that the Sage Mark Monument gave the crowd lingered for a long time. After one finished viewing the stele, it was like they had experienced the entire history of the Martial Epoch.
Only much later did someone recover their wits. That person gently leaped and arrived before the stele to try to carve his name.
So long as one was sure to have a spot, naturally the higher one's name was, the better. Everyone had some vanity and competitiveness.
Many people leaped up to try. Soon, someone passed the one-kilometer point. Names appeared at increasingly higher heights.
However, no one managed to cross the threshold of two kilometers even after a long time.
A few middle-aged cultivators tried but ended up failing. They vomited blood when they landed on the ground, losing even their right to enter the Sage Mark Monument.
A figure flashed and landed below the Sage Mark Monument. When everyone saw this person's appearance, the cultivators preparing for their attempts immediately stopped what they were doing and looked at him.
"The Peacock King's grandson, Kong Yuan, is about to make a move. It looks like he will be the first to break the record of two kilometers today."
"All those who crossed two kilometers became Martial Emperors. This person soaked in the Heavenly Dew Divine Spring and will definitely become a Martial Emperor within a hundred years. Two kilometers should not be difficult for him."
"I wonder, how much higher than two kilometers can he go? Back then, the Peacock King seemed to have left his name at the height of two and a half kilometers."
"The higher one flies, the more pressure one feels. For every ten-meter advance after two kilometers, the pressure will double. Furthermore, one has to stay in midair as they carve their name. This is difficult for anyone."
"It is hard to say how high he can reach."
As the first of the younger generation to make a move, Kong Yuan received the attention of not only the cultivators around but also that of the cultivators watching from the surrounding peaks.
"Hu chi!"
Kong Yuan did not hesitate. He pushed off the ground and soared into the air. He did not feel any pressure for the first kilometer. After the first kilometer, his expression turned grave, and his speed decreased visibly.
By one and a half kilometers, Kong Yuan's eyebrows were tightly knitted together. Evidently, the pressure was already considerable.
However, this was Kong Yuan, after all. He did not disappoint the crowd but crossed the threshold of two kilometers. The many cultivators of the Fiend Race all revealed smiles.
However, Kong Yuan did not show any intention of stopping, continuing to fly higher. Now, his face looked scrunched up as he clenched his teeth tightly.
Sweat covered Kong Yuan's forehead. Every increase in ten meters became strangely difficult. The Fiend Race cultivators all could not help sweating, starting to feel nervous for him.
When Kong Yuan finally reached the height of two and a half kilometers, he saw a familiar name. That was his grandfather's name, one of the two Sovereign Martial Emperors of the Fiend Domain.
He relaxed his expression slightly, revealing a smile. He stopped in midair, and a short sword appeared in his hand. Then, he carved his name beside the Peacock King's, stroke by stroke.
Rock fragments flew out and a light shone. The Fiend Race cultivators cheered thunderously.
When Kong Yuan finished the last stroke, a beam of light pierced his body, relieving him of all the pressure he suffered.
As the Fiend Race cultivators looked on, watching Kong Yuan with eyes full of hero worship, he slowly landed on the ground.
"Unexpectedly, the moment he made his move, he managed to rank together with the Peacock King. Today's younger generation is truly unbelievable."
Kong Yuan, the first of the younger generation to make a move, managed to attain such a height. Not only did this make all the Fiend Race cultivators rejoice, but the others also became excited.
"What nonsense!"
The person who spoke was the body temperer that Xiao Chen had paid special attention to earlier, the Iron Hand Sovereign's descendant, Kui Dou.
Kong Yuan had reached such heights, and yet someone looked down on him. He could not help demanding angrily, "Kui Dou, stop boasting and running your mouth off. If you have the guts, go and surpass me now."
Kui Dou showed off the bulging muscles on his bare arms, revealing perfect curves. As he looked at the names on the Sage Mark Monument, he said, "Now is the age of geniuses. If one used the old standards to evaluate themselves, one would just be underestimating one's self."
Kong Yuan smiled and retorted, "What is the point of saying so much? Like I said, if you have the guts, then go and surpass me now."
The Iron Hand Sovereign and the Peacock King were both famous Sovereign Martial Emperors of the present age. They were very strong, and they dominated wherever they went. Hence, the clash between their descendants immediately attracted the attention of many people.
Kui Dou said calmly, "There is no need for you to mention it. I am about to go and give it a try myself."
He leaped forward and arrived before the Sage Mark Monument. Then, he stomped on the ground and shot up into the air.
Kui Dou shot up like an arrow. By relying on the explosive power of his strong physical body, he instantly passed the height of one kilometer. He kept flying until the two-kilometer height, where he slowed down.
A cold smile flashed on Kong Yuan's face. The true test began now. A body temperer's explosive strength might be strong, but in the end, this was a battle of attrition.
Once Kui Dou's explosive force ran out, the formless pressure coming from the Sage Mark Monument might press him down instantly.
However, before the smile on Kong Yuan's face could set, Kui Dou pushed off the air and soared up once again, rising another five hundred and fifty meters in one go.
Kui Dou surpassed Kong Yuan by fifty meters. He used his hand as a blade to inscribe his hand quickly. When he finished carving the last stroke, his body trembled, and then he landed firmly on the ground.
Seeing the name fifty meters above his on the Sage Mark Monument, Kong Yuan paled in disbelief.
The many older-generation Martial Sages on the surrounding mountain peaks, who had come to watch the excitement, all became excited. The phrase "the younger generation will surpass us in time" occurred to all of them.
After this, the various geniuses of the younger generation started breaking various records of the older generation. People continuously carved their names between the height of two thousand five hundred meters to two thousand nine hundred meters.
In the previous activations of the Sage Mark Monument, those who could carve their names above two kilometers were highly regarded and called absolute geniuses.
However, the current scene was an eye-opener. Several people maintained a low profile. Nevertheless, when it was time to leave their names, they shocked everyone.
Xiao Chen's eyes did not remain idle under the hood. Taking advantage of this chance, he paid attention to the hidden experts of the various races.
Leaving one's name behind was not the purpose. The real purpose was obtaining all sorts of treasures and Spirit Veins after entering the Sage Mark Monument.
After observing for a while, Xiao Chen discovered some secrets. He noticed a man with a mark on his forehead near the four people from the Corpse Race.
This person remained silent, but Wang Can seemed strangely polite and modest with him. Occasionally, Wang Can would lower his head and say something to him.
The mark on this person's forehead looked like a flower—a very strange flower. Xiao Chen thought that it resembled the legendary Departed Spirit Flower. However, he did not remember it that well and could not be sure.
There was the girl called Qing Cheng from the Ghost Race. Xiao Chen had long since been paying attention to her. After he advanced to Martial Sage, he found her even more unfathomable.
The Fiend Race's Kong Yuan might have had his name surpassed in height repeatedly. However, Xiao Chen, who had seen him make a move before, did not feel that Kong Yuan was any weaker than the others.
That day, Kong Yuan's casual palm strike had blocked a combination Martial Technique of thirteen Deity Race experts. It had made a deep impression on Xiao Chen.
However, the person who drew more attention from Xiao Chen was that handsome yet pretty man beside Kong Yuan, the descendant of the Spirit Fox King, Yuan Xu.
"The Deity Race cultivators are going to make their move!"
Just at this moment, a cry interrupted Xiao Chen's thoughts. He turned his head and saw that the thirteen white-haired Deity Race cultivators had all arrived below the Sage Mark Monument.
"Whoosh!"
Light burst out, and the thirteen people charged up together. As everyone watched, they quickly surpassed two and a half kilometers.
Cries of surprise resounded. This feat stunned the people present. Half of the people who could leave their names above two and a half kilometers became Sovereign Martial Emperors.
Did this mean that the Deity Race would have at least six Sovereign Martial Emperors in the future?
Stone fragments flew out. These thirteen people had flown to a height of two thousand and nine hundred meters before they stopped. Then, they released golden light from their fingers and started to carve their names.
"Two thousand and nine hundred meters. Since the Thunder Emperor, no one has managed to carve their names there for several thousand years already."
"I heard that these thirteen people advanced to Martial Sage together. The Supreme Deity Sovereign conferred the title 'Keepers of Light' on them. In the Thousand Deity Church, the title Keepers is second only to that of the Protector Elders. This shows that these thirteen people are definitely not ordinary."
"Given that just these thirteen are so powerful already, how strong exactly are the Divine Son, Di Wuque, and the Divine Daughter, Tian Youxi?"