Su Zimo turned around and saw four people.

He had met the two children previously. Apart from them, there were two middle aged cultivators with exceptional auras, looking at him weirdly.

Su Zimo guessed that the two of them must be seniors of Ethereal Peak.

Placing little fatty down, Su Zimo noticed that there were eight gigantic flags around half as high as them being planted around each of them. The flags had mysterious patterns drawn on them as they flapped in the wind.

“What’s that?”

Su Zimo frowned. Without thinking more about it, he stabilized his breathing and arranged his attire before greeting the two middle aged cultivators. “Greetings, seniors. I’m Su Zimo of Yan Country. I’ve managed to ascend the peak by luck…”

“Activate!”

Before Su Zimo could even finish, he was interrupted by a loud holler.

The eight flags surrounding Su Zimo and little fatty illuminated brightly as the patterns shone with a bedazzling glow.

In the blink of an eye, Su Zimo felt an ominous sense of danger. The last thing he saw was one of the middle aged cultivators sweeping his robes from a distance away as an unblockable energy blasted at them!

The energy was tremendous and Su Zimo could not resist it at all.

He was swept off the peak and fell over, watching the top of the peak turn smaller by the second. His body was not his to control at all as fear started growing within him.

Bam!

Su Zimo fell into the abyss and his entire body was crushed.

Even though his physical body was clearly destroyed, Su Zimo was still entirely conscious. Endless waves of pain shot through him, biting at him tirelessly as his tendons tore and his flesh was shredded.

What was happening?

Su Zimo could not understand at all.

In fact, he did not have the time to think about it as he was tormented by the endless pain.

He had never understood the sort of pain that one would experience in the face of death.

An intense fear existed between the edge of life and death.

It was a fear that could cause one to breakdown.

For humans, it was almost instinct for them to fear death. If they could even shit their pants by having a sword pointed at their throat, how terrifying would it be to be faced with death itself?

At the top of the peak, Su Zimo and little fatty stood motionlessly with their eyes shut and bodies shivering – neither of them had fallen into the abyss.

The both of them were now within the illusion of the activated Eight Distresses Formation.

“This Eight Distresses Formation is even stronger than the one in the abyss since you’re the one who created it personally. Would the two of them be able to endure it?” Wen Xuan asked worriedly.

Xuan Yi replied, “Let’s wait and see. As long as they can get through one tribulation, they’ll be considered to have passed the test.”

Right then, three figures appeared on the top of the peak.

The three of them had passed the test of the Eight Distresses Formation from within the abyss. After crossing the life and death tribulations, they were teleported to the top of the peak.

All three of them looked pale as a sheet, sweating from head to toe as they sat where they were feebly, looking lost and dazed.

The two Dao children rushed up and fed all three of them an elixir each.

Once they consumed it, the three people looked more relaxed as their faces started to fill with life once more.

“The two fellas with the variant spirit roots are not bad. They’ve already passed through three tribulations,” Xuan Yi suddenly mentioned.

Wen Xuan sighed. “Of the eight distresses, life, death, illness and age are easier to get through. However, the later four tribulations are one tougher than the other. Even for myself who has already attained a core, I may not be able to get through all the tribulations.”

The moment he said that, one of the eight flags swayed gently before shooting into the skies with a blinding light.

Xuan Yi heaved out a sigh of relief and nodded. “Not bad. The lad has already crossed the tribulation of death.”

A moment later, the haughty man and white bloused woman were sent to the top of the peak.

Wen Xuan looked at the both of them and smiled. “Well done, you guys have passed through four tribulations. Take a rest at the side.”

Swoosh!

Yet another huge flag swayed before bursting into the skies.

“Hmms, that’s fast? He’s already endured through the distress of life?” Xuan Yi was surprised.

The distress of life was something that everyone had to go through but have forgotten.

Within the womb, a fetus would be coiled into a ball with its arms and feet unable to stretch and neither could it breathe. It was akin to being sealed in a tight cage and the pain of it was excruciating.

That was also the reason why babies would cry the moment they are born.

Before long, another streak of light broke through the clouds.

Right after, a fourth beam of light!

“This…”

Wen Xuan and Xuan Yi exchanged glances – both could read the shock in the other’s eyes.

From Elixir Peak, a brown haired youth soared into the skies and looked at the lights from afar, frowning to himself. “That light’s from a flag for the Eight Distresses Formation. There’s actually someone who could have Xuan Yi create the formation personally?”

With a slight pause, he muttered to himself, “No, I’ve got to go check it out.”

At the same time, a shadow streaked out towards the front peak from Talisman and Weapon Peak respectively.

Bam!

A fifth beam of light appeared!

Before long, a brown haired youth, cold faced middle aged lady and a disheveled old man appeared on the top of the peak as well.

All five peak masters were gathered!

Swoosh!

A huge flag wavered.

A sixth beam of light!

“He’s already passed through six of the eight distresses! What a mental fortitude! Where is this lad from?” The brown haired youth asked with a deep voice.

“He’s from Yan Country. I don’t know anything other than that,” Wen Xuan shook his head.

The cold faced lady swept her gaze across Su Zimo’s body and frowned, asking, “Fire spirit root?”

“That… seemed to be the case. However, for some reason, the spirit testing gate refused to let him through. We can test him with a spirit stone again later,” Wen Xuan replied.

Right after he replied…

Bam!

The seventh beam of light shot through.

Su Zimo had passed through the seventh tribulation!

Little fatty was already sprawled on the ground bawling in tears after enduring through the tribulations of life and death – he had yet to pull himself out of the pain received from the tribulations of the eight distresses.

During the time, the two Dao children explained to everyone present about the entirety of the Life and Death Stage.

From the initial 500 odd applicants, there were only six remaining on the peak who had passed the third stage.

Other than the haughty man, white bloused woman and little fatty, the remaining three were mortals without spirit qi.

Everyone looked at Su Zimo with a complicated gaze.

They had just gone through the tribulations of the eight distresses personally and could still remember the excruciating pain they had gone through.

None of them could imagine the sort of torment it would be to endure through seven different distresses.

Xuan Yi spoke with a grim tone, “The eighth distress is of the five skandhas. That is akin to all of the previous seven distresses combined and isn’t something any human could endure. Let me dispel the formation lest the lad is hurt.”

He was just about to move when an eighth beam of light shone!

It was extremely bedazzling on the peak and illuminated half the skies above them.

At the same time, Su Zimo suddenly opened both eyes and with a burning killing intent, he reverse gripped his Cold Moon Saber and slashed forward!

It was a breathtaking slash!

That single slash was even brighter than the eighth beam that had covered the entire peak!

It was directed right at Xuan Yi with an intent so chilling that the air on the peak seemed to have frozen and gone stale!

All five peak masters were stunned right away.

After all, the slash happened way too suddenly.

Xuan Yi’s expression was unchanged. Extending his finger, a light exuded from the tip of it as he tapped gently at the Cold Moon Saber.

Clang!

The Cold Moon Saber was sent flying.

Su Zimo’s body jolted as he stumbled back a couple of steps and nearly slipped off the top of the peak.

When he saw the abyss beneath the layer of clouds below him, Su Zimo slowly woke up and realized that everything he had experienced was merely an illusion.

The gazes of the five peak masters looking at Su Zimo changed slowly…