Chapter 1024 - Soul Strength
'No, I shouldn't use the nameless technique again— at least not now. We'll need to settle down somewhere before I try again.' Yuan thought to himself.
After all, if he tried using the nameless technique and loses consciousness due to the backlash, he wouldn't be able to protect the Huang Family and fail the Stairway to Heaven.
Fortunately for Yuan, his headache vanished half an hour later, and his pale complexion was also restored back to normal.
"You shouldn't use that technique again. I think there might be something wrong with it." Huang Xiao Li warned him.
"Alright," he nodded with a bitter smile.
As they continued their journey to Colossal Mammoth City, Yuan would protect the carriage from all sorts of magical beasts with most of them having the strength of a Spirit Emperor.
'These trials are getting too ridiculous too quickly. I am only trying to ascend to the Third Heaven and I am already forced to fight Spirit Emperors. At this rate, I will have to fight Immortals if I wish to ascend to the Fourth Heaven.' Yuan sighed inwardly.
"How are you feeling, Yuan? I'm sorry you have to endure all of this all by yourself. I would love to help, but I am simply powerless in this place." Huang Xiao Li felt a little guilty when she saw how Yuan was dealing with all of their threats all by himself.
"Don't worry about me. I am the reason we're making this unnecessary trip in the first place so it's only reasonable for me to bear the responsibility and protect all of you."
"By the way, how far are we from our destination?" He turned to ask the driver.
"At the pace we're moving, we should arrive in 20 days."
"20 days, huh?"
Yuan didn't say anything else and closed his eyes to cultivate.
For the next four days, Yuan would do nothing but protect their carriage from magical beasts.
At the end of the fourth day, the driver said to them, "There's a city up ahead. If you wish to take any breaks, now would be the time. We won't see the next city for another week after this one."
"I would like to take a bath and eat some food!" Huang Xiao Li immediately said.
"Do you mind if we stop here for a bit, Yuan?" Huang Chen asked him.
"You don't need to ask me, even if you want to stay here for a night or two." Yuan said.
"Alright, then we'll stop here for a couple of hours before we continue our journey." Huang Chen nodded.
Once they arrived at the city, the driver said to them, "I will wait for you here. Take as long as you need."
"Are you sure? You can take a break as well." Huang Xiao Li said to him.
"Thank you for your consideration, but I take my job very seriously. I won't leave this carriage until I bring all of you to Colossal Mammoth City."
"I understand."
Sometime later, the Huang Family rented a hotel room for one day, allowing everyone to enjoy a hot bath.
"Ah! That felt great!" Huang Xiao Li exclaimed in a satisfied voice after coming out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her body, her hair still dripping wet.
Huang Chen frowned when he saw her appearance, and he said, "You're not at home. Mind your appearance!"
"Oh, right…" Huang Xiao Li quickly went back into the bathroom to dry her hair and wear clothes.
After leaving the hotel, they went to a nearby restaurant and ate until all of their stomachs were bloated.
They returned to the driver waiting outside the city afterward, continuing their journey for another 7 days.
The magical beasts they encountered during these seven days were stronger than the previous encounters.
'The magical beasts are getting stronger as we get closer to the Colossal Mammoth City, but my strength isn't increasing… Unless I consume a monster core or a demon core, I won't be able to suddenly increase my strength to pass the trial like last time.'
On their fifth day to their 2nd checkpoint, the carriage came to a complete halt when a magical beast that stood on two legs with a pair of closed wings behind its back blocked their path.
"That's a Mountain Dragon!" The driver appeared to be terrified of this magical beast.
Just as the name sounds, this magical beast was like a small mountain that blocked their path.
'I will need to use the God of War's Astral Arts if I want to deal with this beast…' Yuan sighed inwardly after sensing the overwhelming aura coming from the magical beast.
"I will be right back." Yuan said to the Huang Family as he flew into the air and used God of War's Astral Arts.
"W-What in Kulas' name is that?!" The giant cried out loud when he saw the massive figure that appeared out of the blue in the sky.
Then he watched as the golden armored figure flattened the Mountain Dragon with a single strike, causing the entire world to tremble as well.
It wasn't just the driver. Even the Green Earth Dragon pulling their carriage was shocked by what it had just witnessed. It has seen many things throughout its life as a carriage puller, but it has never met a human with such prowess before.
Yuan returned to the carriage shortly after killing the Mountain Dragon with a pale complexion.
"Are you sure you're not pushing yourself? At this rate, you won't have enough strength left for the tournament…" Huang Xiao Li sighed as she positioned Yuan's head to rest on her soft legs.
"That technique uses my soul strength instead of my spiritual energy, so I will be fine as long as I get enough rest," he said.
"Soul strength, huh?" Huang Xiao Li suddenly put on a pondering face.
She turned to look at Huang Chen and asked, "Father… Don't you know any arrays that could help replenish his soul strength?"
"Actually, I do." He nodded.
"Really?" Yuan was pleasantly surprised to hear this.
"Yes. Give me a minute." Huang Chen nodded as he began creating array symbols that Yuan didn't recognize.