“Hey, you in front, if you’re not moving, then get out of the way! Don’t block the path!” someone shouted from behind.
Because Xu Zimo stood on the narrow path, which could only hold one person, everyone behind him was stuck.
Xu Zimo glanced back at the speaker, then quickened his pace toward the bottom of the Sky-Trap Island. As he reached it, he stomped heavily with his right foot.
The narrow path beneath them instantly shattered.
“You brat, you’re courting death!” someone roared in fury behind him.
Xu Zimo just chuckled lightly and ignored them.
But clearly, the others had their own methods. Though flight was forbidden here, other approaches were not.
One man’s longsword expanded to tens of thousands of meters, forming a bridge between the broken path and the Sky-Trap Island. He stepped across the giant sword with ease.
A woman unfastened her silk ribbon, which extended for miles, and gracefully crossed it like a descending celestial maiden.
Many others used their own means to cross. After arriving, they gave Xu Zimo a glance but quickly looked away.
After all, the struggle for Heaven's Will hadn’t officially begun. To fight now would only let others reap the benefits.
But not everyone was so rational.
Three men suddenly surrounded Xu Zimo, staring at him with predatory eyes.
“Boy, so eager to die?” the one on the left sneered.
“It’s the Three Sons of Green Citadel,” someone whispered after recognizing them.
“The Three Sons of Green Citadel?” another scoffed with disdain. “Those scum dare to compete for Heaven's Will?”
“Rumor has it they’re demonic cultivators. They love slaughter and plunder. Bullying the weak is one thing, but to enter the struggle for Heaven's Will?”
People around them murmured, watching closely.
Xu Zimo simply raised his head and gave the three a single glance.
“Noisy.” His voice was calm and dismissive.
His right hand suddenly reached out, gathering the winds and clouds of the world in his palm. The force shocked the three, far beyond what they had expected.
“A tough one,” the eldest of the three muttered nervously.
But before they could react, they were horrified to discover their bodies completely immobilized under Xu Zimo’s suppression.
“H-how is this possible?” the eldest cried out in disbelief.
The next moment, the three of them were blasted away, crashing into the Dead Sea below.
In an instant, their bodies dissolved, bones and all, vanishing without a trace.
The surrounding crowd looked at each other in shock.
The Three Sons of Green Citadel weren’t the strongest, but they weren’t weak enough to be crushed so easily either.
“Who is that?” someone asked.
“You don’t even recognize the Holy Son of the True Martial Sacred Ground? And you dare enter the struggle for Heaven's Will?” another mocked.
Ever since Xu Zimo had caused great uproars, his name had spread far and wide. Every sect had warned their disciples about him.
“No wonder,” someone muttered in realization.
That was why many who knew his identity chose not to act.
“So you’re Xu Zimo,” the black-robed youth from earlier grinned.
“Want to team up with me?”
Seeing Xu Zimo remain silent, he introduced himself: “I am Jian Yushang from Morning Star Tower. Surely you’ve heard my name.”
“No,” Xu Zimo shook his head slightly.
“Then at least Morning Star Tower?” the youth pressed.
Xu Zimo shook his head again.
He looked up and saw that many others had already formed alliances.
These were clearly prearranged.
Even rogue cultivators gathered together for strength in numbers.
“Care to reconsider?” the black-robed youth asked again, unwilling to give up.
But Xu Zimo ignored him, observing his surroundings instead.
Everyone had gathered beneath the Sky-Trap Island.
Until the struggle for Heaven's Will began, no one could ascend.
Some sat cross-legged to meditate. Others chatted quietly in small groups.
The scene was strangely peaceful.
It was the struggle for Heaven's Will, the most brutal of contests, yet for now, it looked almost harmonious.
Time ticked away. A few minor clashes broke out, but nothing more.
When dawn of the tenth day arrived, the heavens finally stirred.
The once-empty void lit up with dazzling golden light.
The Heaven's Will itself appeared like a vast galaxy, draping across the sky.
It shimmered with countless daos, radiant and dazzling.
As the Heaven's Will appeared, the Sky-Trap Island, once rotating slowly like a top, suddenly spun rapidly, with such speed it shook the heart.
Without a firm grip, one would be flung away and fall into the Dead Sea, never to be seen again.
“Brothers, let us climb the Sky-Trap Island together!” someone laughed loudly, leaping forward.
Though the island’s rotation was intense, everyone present adapted.
Even at a slower pace, as long as they reached the summit, it was enough.
Xu Zimo stepped into the void, locked onto a protruding boulder, and leapt up to grab it.
At once, his whole body was caught in the rotation, spinning along with the island.
“Die!” a furious shout rang out beside him. Several figures suddenly attacked from all directions.
Xu Zimo didn’t recognize them, but only chuckled.
“So it was premeditated.”
With Shadow Tyrant circling his body, he clung to the boulder with one hand, wielding the weapon with the other as he fought back.
“Everyone, let’s drive this one out first! If he stays, none of us will have peace!” someone shouted.
Many nodded. Xu Zimo’s presence clearly stirred unease.
“You can all come at once,” Xu Zimo said calmly. He made no move to climb further, choosing instead to stand on the mountainside, gazing down coldly at the crowd.
He seized one attacker by the neck and snapped it instantly, blood dripping from his hands as he stared at the others.
In the struggle for Heaven's Will, he would not retreat, not a single step.
From the very beginning, his plan was to ascend by stepping over everyone else.
“Use numbers against him!” someone cried.
In moments, thirty to forty cultivators surrounded Xu Zimo.
They showed no arrogance, each treated him as the gravest threat.
True Fates manifested one after another, painting the island in a storm of colors, strange visions erupting all at once.
The outside world watched the spectacle with rapt attention.
“The Holy Son of True Martial is truly terrifying.”
“But surrounded like this, he’s in real danger.”
“He doesn’t know how to hide his strength. Before the struggle begins in earnest, most keep a low profile, to avoid becoming a target too soon.”
As they argued, Xu Zimo was already fighting dozens at once.
He held nothing back. His speed was such that even his shadow was hard to follow.
Though all of them were so-called prodigies, the gap was staggering.
He seized two by the throats and smashed their skulls into the island’s side.
Their heads embedded into the rocky mountainside as their bodies spun with the island’s violent rotation.