Hei Lou Lan managed to easily refine Authority Gu, though she had no idea of its use.
"From the aura, I'm getting this appears to be a Human Path Gu," Hei Lou Lan kept the Gu into her Aperture and proceeded on her path.
She had already spent quite some time on this floor, and she was not willing to see Fang Yuan win once again.
"Just you wait," Hei Lou Lan held her fist as she looked upward.
At the same time, her rapid ascent had caused deep problems for the people stuck on the first floor.
"Dammit, there are too many people advancing causing the Ordinary Abyss to rise." One of the 10 Great Ancient Sect Leaders said.
"*Sigh* What are we supposed to do about it, in this great era old-timers like us will just quietly fade into the background, the new replaces the old." Chen Ji responded.
In his time maybe he would have been one of those youngsters climbing and fighting for a spot in history, but now, times have changed the ebbing and rising of the young is an inevitability.
Chen Ji's heart was filled with melancholy.
While the Anti-Great Love Alliance members were reminiscing, Fairy Zi Wei was deep in thought.
"All of us here are from the previous or even older generation and thus, have not enough Potential remaining to climb the path of Ascension, while the other side has old-timers like Fang Gong and Shen Shang, they also have a lot of young people. But rather than lacking Potential, they seem to be lacking the heart and determination to succeed."
Just then a cloud of smoke could be seen traveling towards the Anti-Great Love Alliance.
Naturally, it was the Great Love Alliance!
Or more accurately it was just Shen Shang, Shen Cong Sheng, and Fang Gong.
Seeing their appearance, the entire Anti-Great Love Alliance sprang up prepared for battle, but seeing just the 3 leaders come, Fairy Zi Wei halted their attack.
"They've come to talk,"
As if to back what she said Shen Cong Sheng used his sound path methods to relay his voice over: "We've come to talk!"
Hearing this the Anti-Great Love Alliance were still not fully trusting, after all, Shen Shang was an old demon at the Pseudo-Venerable level, if he caught them off guard, he could easily decimate them.
Of course, even Shen Shang couldn't deal with nearly 20 Rank 8 Gu Immortals.
He was not like Fang Yuan who was a Quasi-Venerable when he was a Rank 8!
Fairy Zi Wei decided to cut to the chase: "Speak! What do you want?"
"Hehe, so direct as expected of a Wisdom Path cultivator, this is indeed not the place to try and use deception after all there's not even a foundation of trust."
Fairy Zi Wei nodded.
Usually, Wisdom Path Cultivators loved to play mind games with one another, testing each other's wits and abilities while also forcing into mental corners or deceit, but here with everyone being at the apex of strength, there was little need to do so especially when neither party had something to gain.
"I come here with a proposition; let's all move down to the 4th Floor!" Shen Shang's words sparked fury amongst the Anti-Great Love Members.
"Are you out of your mind!"
"Why would we want to be closer to death?!"
"If you want to fight, just say so we aren't scared of you,"
But these Gu Immortals soon obtained the second shock of their lives.
"I accept,"
Everyone's eyes were bursting out.
"What! Zi Wei, have you gone insane!"
"I knew it! She is still under Spectral Soul's control so of course, she is willing to off all of us!"
The Anti-Great Love Alliance began to become more rambunctious and prepared for a fight,
"Enough!" Chen Ji shouted: "Look at you all! Aren't you supposed to be the respectable old generations? Aren't you all leaders of tribes or sects? Have some dignity and listen to what Fairy Zi Wei has to say."
The crowd quieted down ashamed of what Chen Ji had said.
It was true. Outside every person here was a renowned leader of some kind but to think that under the threat of death they had cast the dignity and bearing of one away.
On the stage of Venerables, even Super tribe Leaders and Sect Leaders are nothing but pawns.
Fairy Zi Wei then began to speak: "Moving down is our only option, the Ordinary Abyss rises at the speed of those who Ascend, right not there more than 10 people who are rapidly climbing but there are also 30 of us who are on the first floor. If my guess is right if we move to the lower floors of Descension we can slow the Ordinary Abyss down, and every time it rises, we rise in accordance, thus minimizing its speed!"
The Gu Immortals present were stunned.
"It could work!" Everyone thought.
But it would only work if both sides went down, after all, who would want to work for the sake of others?
Thus, it made sense why Shen Shang and the Great Love Alliance proposed this deal, their side had quite a bit to gain as well since they mostly had Rank 7s.
But at the same time, they also had leverage as their member size were nearly equal since the Path didn't look at cultivation and measured how many people were on each floor.
With a handshake, Shen Shang and Fairy Zi Wei reached an agreement.
1. Before arriving back on the first floor there will be no fighting.
2. Anyone who starts a fight will be thrown into the Ordinary Abyss
For the sake of mutual benefits, even enemies could become friends.
With that both the Great Love and Anti-Great Love Alliance headed to the 4th Floor of Deception.
"Tch, to think they figured out the trick," The Heavenly Spirit who was watching remarked to itself: "Though if they noticed earlier instead of fighting, they would have even more time hehe!
Upon their descend to the 4th Floor they noticed that the Ordinary Abyss who had been making progress, at a speed visible to the naked eye, had slowed down to less than 10% of its initial speed.
"Good, it seems to work." Fairy Zi Wei remarked.
She calculated that at the rate it was going it would take about an hour for it to reach the 4th floor but as they went up it would be progressively faster, but still, they managed to buy at least a few hours to hopefully get through this trial.
But just as they were settling in; the Ordinary Abyss began to pick up speed!
It wasn't by too much, but it was now 5% faster.
This caused the people to look up and see that the Path of Ascension was getting heated.
Now even the normal Rank 8s like Chu Du, He Chun Qiu, Wu Shuai, and Wu Yong had made it to the 3rd Floor.
Lu Wei Yin, Light Emperor, and Ying Guang Xin were still in the middle of the Fog maze.
While Zhen Bu Du was closing in the lead, closing in on the 4th floor, with strangely enough the Hooded Figure closest to him!
Hei Lou Lan was in the 3rd position, despite being able to just walk through the 3rd floor she had stopped to refine Authority Gu, even though it was fast it still left time for the Hooded Figure to get through.
Next, Was Ying Guang Xin who had just exited the maze of Fog.
"Hmm? Hei Lou Lan is in front of me? When did that happen?" Ying Guang Xin could not see inside the Fog, so she had no idea that Hei Lou Lan had walked straight through.
In fact, no one but the Venerables knew that.
Currently, Zhan Bu Du was 80% of the way to the 4th Floor.
The Hooded Figure was at 50%
Hei Lou Lan at 25% and Ying Guang Xin was at 0%
After Ying Guang Xin made it to the 10% mark did Light Emperor emerge.
"Oh? Hei Lou Lan is now ahead of me! Hmph, as expected of someone father is so proud of. I mustn't disappoint him." He began his steady ascension as well.
The dark clouds covering the Myriad Beast Fusion Color Heaven began to have black lighting streaking across it.
Everyone noticed this.
"It seems the Chaotic Tribulation is about to descend; I wonder what arrangement Reckless prepared for this." Light Emperor couldn't help but be a little fearful.
After all, when Giant Sun was alive Light Emperor had seen the effects of a Chaotic Tribulation firsthand.
He had never before seen his mighty father be reduced to such a state, he was so injured that he even stopped doing it with his many mistresses for nearly a year!
The other Venerables were also curious to see what Reckless had installed to resist this tribulation.
The only person who was happily smiling was the Heavenly Spirit who, instead of worried, looked expectantly at the Chaotic tribulation.
"It's time," Just as the Heavenly Spirit said that the lightning descended with furious might!
The lightning was aiming straight for the Heavenly Spirit!
Everyone watched with bated breath as they imagine the outcome if the Lightning struck them.
The only word that rang in everyone's head.
"Death!"
Even The Hooded Figure shivered slightly at the sight of the Black Lightning.
As everyone stopped to witness the event, one figure was still climbing.
It was Zhan Bu Du!
He paid no mind to the Chaotic Tribulation that was ongoing, instead, his mind was ever focused on the path before him.
"There is no need to be distracted by the path of other's only the path ahead of me is important!"
Zhan Bu Du continued one step at a time until he reached the 4th floor!
On this floor, a solitary figure sat at a table with its arm held out in an arm-wrestling position.
It was the corpse of Reckless Savage Demon Venerable!
The corpse was not a zombie, it had no thoughts, emotions, or will.
It said there unmoving for over a Million years waiting for this day.
Zhan Bu Du walked over to the corpse and placed his hands opposite the corpses.
He positioned himself and began challenging against it in a game of arm-wrestling!
To Zhan Bu Du's surprise the corpse did not try to win but every time he exerted his strength the Corpse will exert a resistance that he seemingly could not get past.
"Interesting," Zhan Bu Du began to exert more strength and the Corpse returned in kind.
The 2 were stuck in a deadlock.
Meanwhile, everyone was still focusing on the Black Lighting heading toward the Heavenly Spirit.
"Hehe, come!" The Heavenly Spirit waved its arm.
The Path of Ascension and Descension began to emit a pulling force that attracted the Lighting to it.