Having enough strength wasn't enough — you also needed enough courage. What's more, if someone launched an attack from the mountaintop, even a powerhouse at the sixty or seventieth rank might not make it up. This place was practically an impassable natural barrier.
The other two gray-robed figures also leaped upward. Unlike their leader, who was bold enough to launch himself off every twenty meters, they maintained a standard ten-meter interval between pushes, quickly bounding upward in pursuit.
Tang San kept up his act, staying behind the two gray-robed figures and following the same ten-meter rhythm as he climbed with ease.
Before long, the lead gray-robed figure reached the summit. He turned to look down the mountain, and when he saw Tang San following behind, a hint of approval flickered in his eyes. Only once all three had made it to the top did he set off again. Throughout the entire process, he hadn't said a single word to Tang San.
At the summit, the view ahead opened up dramatically. On the other side of the stone mountain, the landscape was no longer so barren. Stretching out before him, several peaks were covered in thick green vegetation.
The four of them traveled in single file — one ahead, three behind — heading deeper into the mountain range.
Through careful observation, Tang San realized that this mountain range was quite extraordinary. Most of the peaks were extremely steep, and between them lay deep gorges. To enter the mountains by climbing up and down each one would be enormously draining. And if defenses were set up on every peak, an attacker would have to break through one natural fortress after another. Even with ten times the numbers, an assault force might not succeed. The terrain was just that treacherous.
After a short while, they reached the edge of the current peak. At five hundred meters above the base, clouds and mist swirled around them. To Tang San's surprise, the lead gray-robed figure launched himself straight off the edge of the cliff into the gorge ahead, vanishing instantly into the fog.
One of the two gray-robed figures walking in front of Tang San turned back, flashing him a smile, and pointed down toward the edge of the cliff before jumping off into the gorge himself.
Tang San focused his gaze and couldn't help but laugh. At the end of the peak, there was an iron chain as thick as an arm, stretching all the way across to a distant mountain. Without a doubt, it connected to another peak. The drifting mist concealed it perfectly — without looking carefully, it would be nearly impossible to spot.
Though the chain would sway in the air, anyone with sufficient strength to steady their body could cross it without trouble. Even a Soul Master at the thirtieth rank could manage it with ease.
Tang San immediately understood the purpose of this arrangement. If enemies attacked, the defenders could retreat across the chain to the second mountain when the first position became untenable, then sever the chain behind them. That way, they would buy valuable time and still have the second mountain as a defensive barrier. It was a remarkably clever design.
Tang San had braved the trials of the Hell Road — a simple iron chain was nothing by comparison. He launched himself into the air, touched down lightly, and landed on the chain. It extended diagonally upward, indicating that the next peak was higher than the current one. Drawing on his Soul Power, Tang San glided forward along the chain as if fused to its surface.
The distance between the two peaks was considerable — nearly a thousand meters. As he progressed and reached the midpoint of the chain, the swaying beneath his feet grew increasingly violent under the influence of the two peaks, constantly swinging side to side with an amplitude of nearly ten meters.
The lead gray-robed figure paused and looked back at Tang San. Seeing that he was keeping up without difficulty, he continued forward. Clearly, he wasn't as cold and aloof as he appeared — at the very least, he was keeping tabs on Tang San's condition.
Seeing this, a faint smile appeared on Tang San's face. They were, after all, members of the same clan. Even if he was an outsider, blood ties still existed. Perhaps the leader's hostility was because of his father.
The journey ahead was a constant repetition, except the gorges between peaks grew ever deeper. By the time they crossed the fourth peak via chain, conditions on the iron link had changed. Cold and moisture had coated the chain between the fourth and fifth peaks with a layer of ice, making it slick as glass. The difficulty of crossing increased dramatically.
This time, the lead gray-robed figure didn't rush forward. Instead, he stopped, pulled a rope tether from inside his coat, and fastened one end around his waist while clipping the other to the chain ahead. The other two gray-robed figures did the same.
"Here." The lead gray-robed figure tossed an identical rope tether to Tang San.
With his abilities and his Blue Silver Grass, Tang San certainly didn't need such equipment for protection — he could even fly at this point. But he clipped himself to the chain just as the three gray-robed figures had done, maintaining the low profile he'd kept throughout.
Once the tethers were secured, a trace of tension appeared in the eyes of all three gray-robed figures. This section of the path was clearly no easy matter. The lead figure let out a sharp whistle and launched himself forward. This time, he carefully controlled both the height of his leap and the distance he covered, tapping the chain lightly with his toes before continuing onward, each jump spanning roughly ten meters.
Only after he had traveled fifty meters did the second gray-robed figure set off, mimicking his technique as he pushed off from the chain.
Their tethers simply slid along the iron link, never interfering with their movement while providing adequate protection.