Soul Land V: Rebirth of Tang San

Holy Mountain, the Blue Gold Holy Mountain, or rather, the prototype of the Blue Gold Holy Mountain.

Tang San and Pretty Girl were currently standing at the foot of the mountain, gazing up at this peak.

At present, there were only two Holy Mountains situated beside the Ancestral Hall Mountain. One belonged to the Crystal Great Demon Emperor, once the undisputed ruler of the Ancestral Court and universally acknowledged as its strongest. The other was constructed with the Destiny Stone and served as the Ancestral Court's anchor of Luck, belonging to the Great Demon Emperor Heavenly Fox.

Their Holy Mountains stood beside the Ancestral Hall Mountain, one a representation of status, the other of great utility.

The Blue Gold Holy Mountain of the Blue Golden Tree Clan was ultimately decided to be situated on the other side of the Ancestral Hall Mountain, forming a triangular stance with the original two Holy Mountains. This positioning immediately signified the importance of the Blue Golden Tree Clan and hinted at its future contributions to the Ancestral Court. For the Blue Golden Tree Clan, this was an unparalleled honor. Even Pretty Girl, a Quasi Emperor herself, would not be permitted to establish a Holy Mountain until she completed her Tribulation.

Tang San brought Pretty Girl here today to begin enhancing his Holy Mountain, and even more crucially, to start constructing the Tower of Life.

This Tower of Life, nestled within the Ancestral Court, was vital to its very existence and the fundamental reason Tang San was granted the privilege to establish a Holy Mountain during his Quasi Emperor stage. All the Emperors of the Ancestral Court eagerly anticipated him gathering life force for the court, thereby extending their lifespans. Nothing held greater importance than this.

Currently, the Blue Gold Holy Mountain was already built to a towering height of 800 meters. This was stipulated by Tang San, slightly shorter than the Crystal Sacred Mountain and the Heavenly Fox Holy Mountain, symbolizing respect for the two. The Blue Gold Holy Mountain rose majestically from the earth, but it was certainly not crafted from mere soil and stone. No Emperor would construct their Holy Mountain primarily from such materials.

Tang San requested that the mountain be built using top-grade Five Element Ore. The reasoning was simple: the mutual generation and counteraction of the Five Elements made them the optimal choice for nurturing life force, particularly as the foundation of the Tower of Life.

The Ancestral Court responded generously, mobilizing large quantities of Five Element Ore. Liuli Heavenly Spirit Emperor personally lent her assistance during construction, leveraging her mastery of the Five Elements to calibrate the mountain's elemental energies to perfect equilibrium.

The construction of the Holy Mountain was not only costly but also demanded significant expertise and effort from the Liuli Heavenly Spirit Emperor.

At this moment, the Heavenly Spirit Emperor accompanied Tang San and Pretty Girl as they observed the Holy Mountain.

On its surface, the Blue Gold Holy Mountain was entirely cloaked in a profound blue hue, faintly shimmering with golden metallic luster. This was a deliberate addition by Liuli Heavenly Spirit Emperor during the construction process; she refined the Five Element energies while incorporating this visual feature to ensure the mountain lived up to its name, a gesture of goodwill towards the Blue Golden Tree Clan.

As a mineral-based race, the Blue Golden Tree Clan was immensely drawn to life force. Regarding this, Liuli Heavenly Spirit Emperor said little, pouring all her focus into the construction of the Holy Mountain. Consequently, when Tang San laid eyes on this mountain, he was deeply astonished.

He had initially believed that the Ancestral Court providing enough high-grade Five Element Ore would already be exceedingly generous, yet the Holy Mountain exceeded his expectations in perfection.

The Blue Gold Holy Mountain stood 800 meters tall, seamlessly cohesive. Its exterior radiated a shimmering blue-gold glow, while internally, the Five Element energies operated in perfect balance, complementing and enhancing one another. At its summit, faint halos of the Five Elements visibly converged—pure elemental energy naturally drawing in the dense elemental attributes permeating the Ancestral Court air, harmonizing them and consolidating their Five Elements within the Blue Gold Holy Mountain.

Tang San bowed lightly to the Liuli Heavenly Spirit Emperor beside him, saying, "Your Majesty, truly thoughtful of you."

Liuli Heavenly Spirit Emperor smiled faintly. "Since you requested a mountain founded on the Five Elements, it happens to be my area of expertise. It wasn't much effort. Back when I built my own Holy Mountain, I used the same approach. With my accumulated experience and years of deepened understanding of the Five Elements, I consider this Holy Mountain a masterpiece of mine. I am quite satisfied. The cyclic rotation of the Five Elements, subtly revealing the Two Qi of yin and Yang, is an effect that even my own Holy Mountain didn't achieve so early in its construction. It should be highly suitable for nurturing life."

Tang San nodded slightly and said, "Far more perfect than I had envisioned. Once the Blue Gold Palace is complete, I must invite Your Majesty for frequent visits in the future."

The eyes of the Liuli Heavenly Spirit Emperor lit up; she knew her intentions had successfully resonated. At her cultivation level, idle words were uncommon, particularly given her previously tenuous connection with Tang San. Since her efforts were recognized and appreciated, that was enough. At least their relationship henceforth would be a friendly one.

"Then, please ascend the mountain, Quasi Emperor, and inspect it. If anything feels out of place, you'll need to make adjustments yourself," Liuli Heavenly Spirit Emperor said with a smile.

"Alright. Thank you, Your Majesty." Tang San saluted her once again.

Liuli Heavenly Spirit Emperor turned and departed. For an Emperor constructing their palace, secrecy was critical; no outsiders were ever permitted to interfere, lest it risk prying into personal matters. Liuli Heavenly Spirit Emperor tread this line delicately, managing to offer assistance without encroaching on boundaries.

"She certainly put in considerable effort here!" Pretty Girl said softly. She, too, sensed the harmonious energy of Five Elements infused into the Blue Gold Holy Mountain, flowing with extraordinary grace.

Tang San smiled lightly and said, "Even had I done this myself, it wouldn't be more flawless than this. Liuli Heavenly Spirit Emperor truly devoted much thought and energy. Come, let's ascend and take a closer look."

With these words, he grasped Pretty Girl's hand and headed up toward the Blue Gold Holy Mountain.

Though the mountain was fully constructed, no pathway to its summit existed. This was not an oversight by Liuli Heavenly Spirit Emperor, but rather the peculiar preferences of each Emperor. Such design choices were best left to be personally instituted.

With one step forward, Tang San trod upon the mountain's surface, where soft energy rippled outward from his foot. Instantly, the surface of the mountain slightly compressed, forming a horizontal stairway. Tang San and Pretty Girl stood on the staircase, its surface smooth and radiant, veiled subtly by a peculiar layer of energy emanating from Tang San's feet, spreading across the entire staircase.

In years past, Tang San had climbed the stairways of other Emperors and experienced varying degrees of pressure that tested him. These trials bestowed unique benefits upon climbers. Now, as he began constructing his own Holy Mountain, he inevitably wished to imbue its stairway with similar qualities.

Scenes from his past life surfaced in his mind. In his previous life, he attained the Sea God's legacy on an island called Sea God's Island. Upon entering the island, he faced the arduous Sea God's Nine Quests. The first trial was ascending a staircase.

That stairway left an indelible impression: its varied levels exerted escalating pressure. Each step upward demanded immense perseverance, resolve, and a sufficiently strong cultivation base. Most crucial was the test of willpower. Enduring the challenges of ascending the staircase had been thoroughly grueling for him. After conquering it, he advanced through the remaining Sea God's trials and ultimately wielded the Sea God's Trident, becoming a god and ascending to the Divine Realm.

Now, as he designed the staircase for his Holy Mountain, it seemed nothing would be more fitting than emulating the one from his origin.

Holding Pretty Girl's hand, he ascended step by step. With each step, a new stairway emerged, imbued with Tang San's power, bearing the same essence as that formative trial from his past. Each staircase bore a distinct energy. By channeling his bloodline power, recreating the Sea God's first trial was no challenge.