Chapter 238
Chapter 238
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 238
Chapter Title: Cultivator's Mountain (12)
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Anton clenched his fist.
It was progressing too fast. Way too fast.
Both of them had already passed the 20th and 30th floors, reaching the 40th.
They were matching each other's pace as if by prior agreement.
No, it wasn't about matching speeds.
They were simply crushing the cadavers the moment they appeared.
Had there ever been anyone who climbed the tower at such a blistering speed?
Anton shook his head inwardly.
No.
No matter how fast, there was always a momentary hesitation.
Each floor's cadavers had slightly different traits.
It was only natural to take time to analyze and counter them.
Yet those two were scaling the tower at insane speeds, as if even that time was too precious to spare.
But so far, so good.
Anton hadn't completely lost his composure.
'From the 41st floor onward, it won't be easy...!'
He'd designed the difficulty to spike sharply from the 41st floor, one level at a time.
Floors overflowing with cadavers crafted solely to kill.
Breaking through that devilish stretch to set a new record wouldn't be simple.
Gulp!
Anton swallowed hard as he stared at the tower.
Before long, both had reached the 41st floor.
The faint smile vanished from Chiwu's relaxed lips.
The atmosphere had shifted upon reaching the 41st floor.
Supreme. Cadavers surpassing most masters had appeared.
'...Not your average cadaver.'
Serene, perfectly contained inner energy.
His stance was impeccable.
Truly.
'A perfect killing doll.'
Born solely for battle.
No fear of death, unbound by physical limits, moving only to slay foes—a killing doll through and through.
Shk—
Tat-tak!
The cadaver, recognizing Chiwu as an enemy, moved with blinding speed.
In the blink of an eye, it closed in, thrusting a fist at his vital acupoint.
Srash!
Fists collided, slicing Chiwu's skin despite his protective energy.
It had forcibly pierced through.
'Disruptive poison?'
Definitely disruptive poison that scattered inner energy.
Simultaneously, the severed skin blackened and began necrotizing.
'Poison arts!'
Chiwu's brow twitched.
It was potent enough to poison his body, impervious to most toxins.
An extreme venom, absolutely forbidden against living humans, coated his entire frame.
As the saying went, only possible because it was a lifeless cadaver.
Undoubtedly crafted with meticulous calculation to counter masters.
And that wasn't all.
"Hah...!"
Chiwu hurriedly retreated.
Purple smoke billowed from the cadaver's body.
A toxic mist lethal to any living thing it touched.
"Vicious indeed."
He wondered about the mental state of the cadaver's creator.
Why was such a heinous cadaver in the Cultivator's Mountain?
The arhats he remembered all shunned poison, treating it as taboo.
Especially instant-kill venoms—they were outright prohibited.
Disruptive poison was the same.
This crammed every forbidden element into a single cadaver.
Behavior contrary to the All-Gods Hall's spirit.
This place was no longer the mountain that pursued pure martial might.
'They'll cross any line for power...'
The corruption had gone too far.
It was lamentable.
But what worried him more was something else.
'I wonder if Successor is alright.'
Park Chan-woo.
He was climbing the tower too.
He doubted the successor would fail to reach beyond the 41st.
But facing the same cadaver could lead to the worst-case scenario.
Shk—
Tat-tat-tak!
The cadaver gave no time for further thought.
Fast.
Strong.
Chiwu's expression hardened.
Time to get serious.
Park Chan-woo let out a smirk.
He still hadn't escaped the negative level zone.
The cadavers' stats remained fixed at 1.
But the name had changed.
From peak to supreme.
'The movements are awkward.'
Even the stance was off.
Unbefitting a perfected body, likely due to the mismatched stats.
All stats at 1 were worse than a terminal patient on their last breath.
Like a newborn, barely able to move.
He'd experienced it once before.
'Right after regression, all my stats were 1.'
Breathing was a chore.
A short walk felt like it would burst his heart; his whole body dragged like it was weighted with iron.
This cadaver was in the same state as he had been then.
'A bit better than the previous ones, at least.'
The supreme cadaver approached at a snail's pace, unworthy of its title.
Still better than the peak ones, which could barely move. This one at least shuffled slowly forward.
Thud.
The supreme cadaver threw a punch.
Ding!
There were differences elsewhere.
A minuscule amount of poison had been detected.
Probably scaled down with the level adjustment.
'Originally, it'd be lethal enough to drop an elephant in one hit.'
He shook his head.
He'd taken the hit on purpose to observe the cadaver.
Though level and stats were nerfed, the body remained intact, allowing detailed scrutiny.
'Not an ordinary cadaver. It incorporates golem and chimera crafting secrets.'
A jiangshi with a "mana core."
Assembled from multiple bodies like a chimera.
A culmination of every technique.
It sparked his magical curiosity.
But observation didn't last.
Fsssh!
The cadaver's body began crumbling.
Skin peeled away, stitched flesh tore open.
'Poison claimed its own maker.'
With stats so low, it had lost even basic poison resistance.
In the end, it self-destructed.
Absurd—he couldn't help but chuckle.
Ding!
"Not your average challengers, huh?"
"They're from the mundane world."
"Even for mundane worlders, though... hah."
"Blasting through the 'Mystery Tower' at breakneck speed?"
Arhats began gathering.
Even those midway up the mountain descended to the base upon hearing the news.
Their focus was singular.
The mundane world arhats currently climbing the Mystery Tower.
Most here had attempted the tower themselves and knew its brutality all too well.
"Already at 42?"
"They passed it!"
"One's pulling ahead!"
A truly astonishing pace.
Moreover, a gap was emerging between the two who'd climbed simultaneously.
The tower floors glowed upon clearing.
At that moment, light poured from the 43rd floor.
Then, moments later, the 43rd glowed again.
The other had cleared it faster.
"How high will they go?"
"Wasn't the record 59?"
"Arisa's. The monster from mid-mountain."
"Arisa was mundane-born too."
"...Are all mundane worlders monsters?"
The arhats gaped at the tower, its floors lighting up continuously.
No pauses, like there were no obstacles.
A super-high-speed march.
Arhats were rapidly crowding the tower's base.
A mountain already dull with boredom.
For them, speculating how far the challengers would reach was thrilling.
"50th floor?"
"55."
"Maybe 60?"
"Impossible. Anything past 51 is a no-go."
"Even Arisa quit at 59 for a reason."
Yet all shook their heads at the prospect of a new record.
Arisa, the mid-mountain monster.
Even she hadn't surpassed the devilish 59th.
Upon emerging from the 59th, she'd spat:
—What the hell were they thinking, putting that in the tower?
Her body covered in wounds.
Grinding her teeth in disgust.
A good number of arhats had gathered then too.
Even watched by higher clans.
That made it legendary.
Arisa's record stood unbroken since.
"48th...!"
"One's at 45 now?"
"...Both are freakishly fast."
It wasn't about who was faster or slower.
Both were unprecedented.
However, the one reaching the 45th began slowing slightly.
No doubt struggling against the supreme cadavers, weapons in corpse form.
Meanwhile, the other kept climbing at absurd speeds.
"The devilish 49th!"
"Will they pass 49 too?"
All arhats watched with bated breath.
Anton was drenched in cold sweat.
The 49th was a boundary line.
An uncrossable "devilish zone."
But if they passed it, things got dangerous.
Reaching 50 meant 59 was feasible.
Arisa had stayed silent, but the 59th held the "worst" cadaver!
If details leaked, Anton would be exiled from the mountain.
As he bit his lip—
"They passed...!"
"Insane! They hit 50 for real!"
"A new legendary challenger?"
One challenger reached the 50th.
Rumors spread like wildfire.
Mid-mountain veterans descended; even clans sent observers.
But the surprise didn't end there.
The clearing speed didn't slacken.
If anything, they surged ahead mockingly.
"57th!"
"58...!"
"Crazy!"
"59th!"
The record was now just a step away.