Chapter 138: The Perilous Path to Godhood

After reading Li Shang’s final words, Gu Xiaoyao was flooded with a whirlwind of emotions. He couldn’t help but wonder, if the Divine Path was truly this arduous, what kinds of setbacks had Murong Qingxue and Murong Jianbai endured back then? What trials did they overcome to cross that first insurmountable step and become gods revered by all?

Gu Xiaoyao suddenly jerked his head up, fists clenched, a flicker of determination flaring in his eyes. He drew the Skydome Sword and broke into a sudden laugh.

“No matter what dangers or schemes lie ahead, I’ll cut them all down with this sword in my hand!”

“Anyone who dares block my path to becoming a god, I’ll trample them beneath my feet. I’ll prove my way through slaughter! With my sword, I’ll carve a bloody road forward!”

Step by step, sword in hand, Gu Xiaoyao pressed forward. Even as the pressure on the Divine Path spiraled higher, nothing could break his spirit or shake the burning dream in his heart.

The road to godhood is fraught with hardship, yet those who drift between heaven and earth will eventually see the sky clear. As raindrops wear away stone, everyone’s day to shine will come—so it is for all.

Before he realized it, half a stick of incense had burned away.

By now, Gu Xiaoyao had already reached the fiftieth floor. Blood streaked every inch of him—the traces left by the extradimensional insects infesting each level. With every new floor, the number and power of the bugs doubled, and without a solid foundation, most would meet their end here, becoming nothing more than a feast for the insects.

Gu Xiaoyao paused, raised his sword to the sky, and let out a wild laugh.

“If I can’t reach the Kunlun summit, I’ll follow the path of my heart instead! If I die, so be it, at least I’ll be true to myself and the heavens.”

“Come at me, you damned bugs! Let’s see who really wins today!”

Gu Xiaoyao stepped forward as a raging tide of massive, clawed extradimensional insects surged from both sides of the Divine Path, swarming toward him.

Unfazed, Gu Xiaoyao shot into the air. The Skydome Sword danced as if alive, spinning so quickly it obliterated every bug that lunged his way in the blink of an eye.

Not stopping for breath, Gu Xiaoyao pushed forward, riding the momentum. He blazed through the fiftieth floor… the hundredth… the hundred-fiftieth.

By then, the Divine Path behind him was littered with piles of insect corpses, their dark green blood giving off a bizarre, foul odor that filled the air.

Winded, Gu Xiaoyao stopped at the one-hundred-fiftieth floor, found a clean spot amidst the carnage, and sat down to rest for a moment.

A teapot’s time later, he’d caught his breath and steeled himself once more, ready to keep climbing. This time, he vowed to make it all the way to the one-thousandth floor in a single charge.

Gripping the Skydome Sword tight, he swept past the endless waves of insects, cutting them down like grass as he surged through the five-hundredth level.

Suddenly, the pressure spiked. Gu Xiaoyao grit his teeth and let out a low growl, leaping upward as he crossed five floors in a single bound—bracing himself for the crushing force and the monstrous swarm that awaited him.

He didn’t flinch. Covered from head to toe in insect blood, pain already numbed, his eyes saw only endless carnage.

Within half a teacup’s time, every insect conjured by those five levels fell before him. Without a pause, he vaulted through five more floors as the pressure doubled yet again.

Heat surged in Gu Xiaoyao’s throat—he spat out a mouthful of blood, wiped his arm over his mouth, then threw himself through another five levels.

But this time, it wasn’t insects that stood in his way. Instead, a horde of bizarre extradimensional beings appeared—each able to speak human words, their forms towering five times larger than any man, so black they were nearly featureless, almost like shadows given shape.

One of the shadowy beings screeched, wild and rabid, desperate to devour the man standing before him.

“Human, you’ll go no further! This is where your journey ends. Take one more step, and you die!”

Gu Xiaoyao’s gaze hardened, sword leveled unwaveringly at them. “If the road ahead is closed, then I’ll cut it open myself. Every obstacle in my way will fall by my sword!”

Without hesitation, Gu Xiaoyao bounded skyward. The Skydome Sword danced like a dragon, splitting the shadow before him clean in half.

But before he could savor victory the black slice stitched itself back together, and more shadow beings emerged one after another. These extradimensional horrors were known as Shadowfiends.

The healed Shadowfiend cackled with cruel glee. “Give it up, human. Here, I’m invincible—I’m immortal. Until you kill me, you’ll never pass this level!”

Refusing to admit defeat, Gu Xiaoyao unleashed a flurry of strikes, but every shattered body was instantly reborn.

Just as the Shadowfiend said—in this domain, they were unbeatable, endlessly regenerating, wearing down any foe until nothing remained.

There was no time for shock. Gu Xiaoyao knew how little time he had left. He was the last hope of the Human Race—and there was no way he could fall here.

He hadn’t even faced the Demon God of the Demon Race yet. If the Demon God made a move while his strength was unknown, it could spark catastrophe for all humanity.

If he didn’t play every card he had left now, his fate would truly be sealed. Gritting his teeth, Gu Xiaoyao raised his arm.

A deep crimson sword—the Extinction Sword—materialized in his left hand. With a furious roar, he shouted:

“Extinction Sword: Ultimate Truth Purification!”

“Divine Edict: Solar Flare Impact!”

He swung both swords. Two divine powers, awe-inspiring as miracles, flashed past and obliterated the Shadowfiend before him.

The Shadowfiend howled in despair. “Damn you! How do you wield such overwhelming light energy?!”

Bathed in the flare’s overwhelming force, the Shadowfiend’s regeneration failed instantly. Its very particles and cells were torn apart, vanishing completely.

Gu Xiaoyao didn’t stop. Riding his momentum, he surged forward—hundred more floors in a single breath. The six-hundredth… seven-hundredth… eight-hundredth… nine-hundredth… all the way to the thousandth layer.

He turned back, now standing like a god above the world. The Divine Path soared a hundred thousand meters beneath him. His expression was cold, unreadable as ever. Without a word, he faced forward once again.

Wielding two swords, he unleashed total devastation on every extradimensional threat that dared block his path—breaking through to the two-thousandth level.

By now, the height was like standing right at the edge of the Void itself. Just as he prepared to relax—

A vast thundercloud erupted ahead, blazing with terrifying red lightning.

Countless twisted human-like faces zoomed toward him, shrieking with a chilling intensity. These monsters were the dreaded Facefiends.

He gritted his teeth, ignoring whatever monsters these might be, unleashed a primal roar, and his twin swords exploded with raw power.

Fueled by the Skydome Sword, Gu Xiaoyao’s cultivation briefly soared to the Demi-God Realm. With that surge of strength, not a single Facefiend could withstand his onslaught—they were wiped out in seconds.

But Gu Xiaoyao didn’t know: the Facefiends he’d just destroyed were merely doppelgangers.

The true body was lurking behind the roiling scarlet lightning, staring hungrily at him, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

Just as he was about to move on, Gu Xiaoyao felt his feet rooted to the spot like they’d been nailed down—no matter how he tried, he couldn’t take a step.

A cold dread climbed up his spine as a terrifying realization hit him: the Facefiend wasn’t dead yet.

He whirled around to see the storm cloud still boiling behind him—if anything, it looked even more menacing.

The thunder shook the entire Divine Path, as if the Facefiend itself was roaring out a challenge.

Gu Xiaoyao could tell he was beginning to panic. Even his sword started to tremble in his grip.

He fought to stay calm, but the screaming only grew louder—echoing from every direction so wildly he couldn’t even tell where it came from.

His heart pounded, breath coming faster every second.

It was like he’d stumbled into a nightmarish dream, trapped no matter how hard he tried to wake up.

Suddenly, a black shadow shot out from the storm cloud, lunging straight for him.

Eyes wide, Gu Xiaoyao swung his sword up by instinct, just in time to block the attack.

But the shadow didn’t stop—its form dissolved into a dark mist, swirling tightly around his sword.

Gu Xiaoyao felt an overwhelming force surge through the blade, his hands shaking so badly he almost dropped it.

He tried to fight back, but the black mist only squeezed tighter, as if it meant to drag his sword—and maybe his hand—straight into oblivion.