Killing intent flashed across Li Shang's eyes when he thought of his son's bloody figure. He clenched his fist while walking down the hallway, feeling helpless.
Had it not been for the fact that the enemy they were facing was far stronger than them, he would have rushed in and killed everyone responsible for his son's miserable state.
However, he was only a Peak-Stage Meridian Opening Realm Martial Artist while his enemy, Li Wei Yi was half-step to Grandmaster Realm. The difference between their strength being ten times at least.
The Half-step Grandmaster Realm was not an actual realm but a term used for the quantitative measurement of ones strength in the Meridian Opening Realm. It was also a term for representing invincibility among the Meridian Opening Realm Martial Artist.
A Half-Step Grandmaster can even hold his grounds against a Grandmaster. However, despite such strength, they can never breakthrough to the Grandmaster Realm because Inner qi was accumulated inside Meridians over a long passage of time, meaning the older one gets, the more Inner qi they have.
However, if a person fails to break through to the Grandmaster Realm at a young age, they would be unable to do so at the older age, for they wouldn't have much vitality to withstand the impact of opening the dantian and the sudden surge of energy followed by it without losing their life.
This was the only thing that kept Li Wei Yi from rebelling completely and also the source of his hatred.
Li Shang was determined to call his father back this time and end this malignant tumor once for all.
Even though this might be detrimental for the Northern Border, he didn't care, for his love for his son was as endless as the sky.
...
Li Jing, unaware of the scenes happening, opened his eyes.
"Where am I? Did I really die?"
He muttered as he presumed, looking the at the dark, empty void in front of him.
However, before he could even comprehend the situation, he felt a strong gale sweeping him along, tearing through the very fabric of spacetime with an otherworldly howl.
"AH!!!", Caught of guard, he screamed. His voice echoing throughout the empty void. Only heaven and earth knew how long it was before he stopped screaming and realizing that the wind...had stopped.
In fact, it was like the wind didn't even exist. However, he didn't care. Slowly opening his eyes, once again he found himself in the void. But this time it wasn't empty, contrarily, their was something there in that vast emptiness.
Li Jing narrowed his eyes to focus on that incorporeal thing that seemed to flicker in the void, becoming one with the darkness from time to time.
Soon, he was able to identify it due the silvery outlines of the object. It was a throne.
Curiosity gleamed in his eyes, for his heart desired to explore that mysterious throne that lingered alone within this lonely space.
Seemed like the heaven and earth were responding to his desires as a Ninety-nine steps stairway appeared before him, bridging the gap between him and the throne.
The stairway, too, only had a silvery outline like the throne that distinguished their existence from the void.
Li Jing looked at the stairs and knew what to do. He lifted his leg and stepped forward, the footfall caused an unprecedented pressure to descend upon him, forcing him to bent his knees.
"Whoa!"
He was caught off guard when he felt the sudden pressure upon him and barely balanced himself from falling.
"This must be some kind of test that I need to pass before reincarnating again."
He had already speculated that he must have died and must pass this trial to reincarnate again. After living in the world of Martial Arts and getting a taste of the otherworldly power, he was drunk on this feeling of exploring the unknown and mysterious. One that was fascinating and thrilling.
This was also his hope to live forever. Thus, he didn't want to fail this trial, his only hope to life again. Determination was on him as he withstood the pressure and started climbing the stairs.
Time lost it meaning to this dark and quiet place while Li Jing climbed the stairs with hope. Hope that gave him strength to barely hold onto his sanity and maybe one day see light again.
The final nine steps.
He lifted his head and looked up, the throne which was once incorporeal and illusory had become more tangible and real. He didn't know how much time had passed, for all he cared was that his ground length hair had turned white and his white beard was like a waterfall.
Much time had passed.
Taking a deep breathe, he stepped on the 90th step.
"Boom!"
A muffled explosive sound rang throughout the void followed by an archaic pressure descending on him. The strength behind it was not something he had ever felt, not even on the previous eighty nine steps. It was like the difference between a school test and the college entrance exam.
He was directly forced on his knees. "Fuck, that hurts!", he exclaimed as he bore the pain.
"I didn't expect the pressure to be so powerful. Seems like the last nine steps won't be easy.", he stuttered while speaking. It was difficult to even open his mouth under such force.
However, when he tried to stand up, he couldn't, not even barely moving as if frozen on the spot. His heart trembled for a moment before he, once again, poured strength in his arms and legs but it was all futile.
"Arr! Argh! ..."
He struggled with all his might to over come this pressure but was unable to do so. The premonition of his had come true. But he continued to struggle.
It was only when a time unknown had passed did he stop and went quiet. But this quietness contained the rage and madness of a primordial beast.
This madness wasn't caused by the fear of failing the trial and ceasing to exist but by the fear of failing all the effort had put into climbing those stairs and all the pain he had suffered.
He didn't want his hard work to go waste.
"AH!!!", he shouted in madness before starting to laugh crazily, "HAHAHAHA...."
This laugh was the most sinister laugh, it came from within his very soul. If someone was here to hear it, they would pee and faint in fear.
Li Jing struggled to lift his head before looking at the majestic seat which stood proudly at the end. Looking down at the myriad existence. His eyes were blood red, welled up in madness.
The determination in his eyes was slowly fading and before he knew it, he seemed to have calmed down.
"Seems like this is it.", he signed and was about to descend back the stairs when, suddenly, a golden brilliance illuminated the void, the pressure restricting him also vanished without a trace.
Li Jing looked above his head in shock and saw the source of the golden light. "Grand Heaven's Reincarnation Sutra!?"
That's right, it was the golden page, the Grand Heaven's Reincarnation Sutra. He stared at the golden page and seemed to have understood its intention.
He smiled and took a step forward, climbing all the way to the ninety-ninth step. Along the way no pressure appeared.
"Hu~", he took a deep breathe and looked at the throne right in front of him.
The Throne was only distinguishable from the void because of the silvery outlines. However, now that he looked at it closely, there were distinctive patterns spread all over throne that were mysterious enough to cause him a headache when he looked at them for long.
Thus, he ignored it all and directly sat on the throne.
BOOM!
An explosive sound sent shockwaves throughout the void followed by a magnificently blinding brilliance and dao rhythms to resound in every direction.
Shwoosh!
However, he was unable to witness such a fascinating phenomenon because as soon as he sat on the throne, he vanished.
...
Within the capital of the Maple Sky Kingdom, in the territory of the Li Family.
Li Jing opened his eyes with a flutter and looked at the familiar yet unfamiliar room.
It seemed like a millennia had passed before memories of the past came flooding into his mind.
"So, I didn't die and it seems like not much time has passed here.", he speculated looking around the room while a hint of nostalgia hit him. He really missed this place.
He sighed in relief when he found out not much time had passed here, in this world, even though he had become an old man in that void.
However, unbeknownst to him, a strange and mysterious golden symbol had materialized on his glabella which meant 'Chosen' before disappearing.
Click! Click!
Sounds of footsteps sounded from across the hall. They seemed to be approaching his direction.
Curious, he looked over, towards the gate.
Shkkkh!
The door to his room slide open and Su Xiaoyue with a tub of water walked in.
Thud! Splash!
However, it quickly fell down when she saw her son, who had woken up. "Xiao Jing!", she smiled and rushed towards him while tears started to fall off her eyes.
"Mother!", he called out softly and both of them hugged each other.
"Ah! I miss this feeling."
He thought and swore in his heart to get stronger, so strong that even that throne would plea to him for sitting on it.