One Step Away

On Ruby Mountain, the final fifty meters of the mountain path leading to the summit were blanketed in a strawberry-colored shimmer. But a closer look revealed this blood-colored glow trembling unstably, countless fleeting black specks flickering across it. Though clearly just a layer of light, it gave the distinct impression of being alive. Like a swarm of flies buzzing beneath a sea of blood. Yet Mercury Trojan did not hesitate. She plunged her hand into the blood-colored shimmer. The light writhed and crawled across her palm like flies, as if it would devour her soul in the very next second, but it ultimately stopped at her wrist. She climbed slowly through the blood-colored glow, shortening this fifty-meter chasm inch by inch. This was the greatest trial in the god's legacy: the bloodfly wish light. The curse of Bloodflies Boiling had fused with the light of wishes. Any sorcerer wishing to claim the Thousand Wishes legacy had to traverse these fifty meters of bloodfly wish light. A Sanctuary was utterly meaningless here; whoever dared expand one would have their sorcery power drained in an instant by the bloodfly shimmer. Flying was out of the question as well. The gravity of Ruby Mountain itself was like an abyss and a prison; for every meter a sorcerer rose off the ground, the gravitational pull doubled, as if something above were bearing down on them. Of course, if it were the true Bloodflies Boiling, no Legendary Sorcerer could have passed. After all, this was a curse that had leaked from the Thousand Wishes Kingdom of Heaven, a cataclysm of ruin that not even a god could eradicate completely and could only barely suppress. How could any Legendary Sorcerer withstand it? However, once Bloodflies Boiling combined with the light of wishes, the curse's potency was weakened, offering ordinary sorcerers a lifeline amid danger. After the long climb through the wish light earlier, sorcerers had basically initiated themselves into the destiny faction and could barely influence the shimmer. As long as they could control the wish light and contain the bloodfly curse within, they could remain unharmed by it. Most remarkably, the wish light and the curse wore down each other, serving as two sides of the same coin. For instance, because the curse suppressed the wish light, the difficulty of controlling the wish light plummeted; but if sorcerers helped the wish light suppress the curse, they would be safe, yet their expenditure of mental power and thoughts would skyrocket. Thus, they had to strike a balance, expending the fewest thoughts while maintaining the safest state. However, should a sorcerer make a critical blunder in controlling the wish light and let even a speck of the curse slip through, their soul would be instantly devoured by the bloodflies, obliterated completely. Over the past few days, countless Legendary Sorcerers had been severely injured and brought to the brink of death because of this. Still, none had likely lost their lives; after all, they were Legendary Sorcerers, possessing one or two life-saving miracles at least. Very few currently dared to challenge the final fifty meters. The top-tier Legendary Sorcerers were testing and practicing with utmost caution, as every failed probe meant severe injury, or perhaps even death. Mercury Trojan had no such worries, not only because she possessed life-saving miracles, but even more so because she could transfer soul damage away through the Trojan Tower. Her learning ability was on par with Legendary Sorcerers at best. Her current progress far outstripped everyone else naturally because she had far more opportunities to practice. Legendary Sorcerers had only one life to spend and had to be exceptionally prudent, but she had the lives of millions of cultists to practice with. Even if this life were truly lost, the only one who died would be Extinction Pope Oreva. The vast amount of practice accumulated through piling up lives, combined with the luxury of having a retreat—this was Mercury Trojan's absolute advantage. Although every Legendary Sorcerer was stronger than her, within this god's legacy, the others were destitute paupers with no way out, while she was a pampered heir backed by a safety net and endless trial and error. Her success was practically inevitable. Forty meters. Mercury Trojan raised her head. She could already clearly see the Heart of Wishes suspended above the mountain peak. Just gazing at it from this proximity made her feel her comprehension of the destiny faction swelling rapidly. Thoughts woven from the desires of countless souls stretched outward into paths leading toward the future. *Oh no!* She hastily reined in her thoughts, barely preserving the shimmer's stability. Had Mercury Trojan looked for just one second longer, the curse would have completely overpowered the wish light, and in a single breath, everything below her neck would have been devoured by the bloodflies—just as she had been grievously injured yesterday. Thirty meters. This was the furthest Mercury Trojan had reached last night, the second demarcation line. Ahead, the bloodfly wish light grew even more unpredictable. Not only did she need to maintain the balance between the curse and the wish light, but she was also subjected to the emotions contained within the light. It was like walking a tightrope on a razor's edge, an inescapable abyss below and beasts chasing from behind, where the slightest misstep would mean doom beyond redemption. Yet Mercury Trojan calmly handled the wish light and continued climbing Ruby Mountain. As the cost, tens of thousands of Four Pillar Cultists across the wasteland fell into erratic emotions at this very moment, weeping and laughing, leaping and raving. Twenty meters. She was so close to the finish line—so close it felt as though she could seize that shining Heart of Wishes simply by reaching out, inheriting the Thousand Wishes Kingdom of Heaven. Yet the closer she got, the less Mercury Trojan dared to look up, terrified that her thoughts would be invaded and overwhelmed by the knowledge within the Heart of Wishes! Fifteen meters! Smooth, with no surprises at all; everything was going according to plan. Mercury Trojan could hardly believe she was truly this close to a god's legacy. Ten meters! Countless thoughts clashed and surged within her mind. She needed only one second to cross those ten meters of mountain path and seize the Heart of Wishes! Just rushing across would let her inherit the legacy of the Thousand Wishes Mirage Lord! Demigod, god, immortality, ruling the world—none of it would remain an unattainable dream! Nine meters! Slay All Crows, Black Crow, Yaxiu, Silver Lantern, the Four Pillar Gods, the Harp Sun Alliance, Senluo Azure Lord... As long as she obtained the Kingdom of Heaven, none of these troubles would matter anymore! Eight meters! *I've had enough of Slay All Crows, enough of the wasteland, and enough of the Four Pillar Gods. I'm not naive enough to think I can do whatever I want; I just want the right to choose my own life.* *I don't ever want to face a moment of utter helplessness again.* Seven meters! Mercury Trojan suddenly straightened her back, intent on charging through in a single burst! Yet right at that moment, points of starlight suddenly rose from Ruby Mountain. Mercury Trojan watched helplessly as they swept past her body, condensed into beams, and pierced right through her soul! Mercury Trojan sprinted forward with all her might. The starlight piercing her soul shattered the balance between the wish light and the curse, and the Sanctuary she instantly erected held for a mere 0.34 seconds! Three meters! The bloodfly curse had already spread across her soul, but she pushed onward. At the same time, across the wasteland, countless Four Pillar Cultists collapsed in swathes like stalks of grain, dying silently and in excruciating agony. Two meters! She practically dove forward, arm outstretched, every inch of her soul and even her fingertips screaming. Engulfed in bloodflies, she lunged toward the shining Heart of Wishes like a demon desperately craving salvation! She was only one step away from the Heart of Wishes! *Hiss.* A sticky, resilient spiderweb had emerged from the ground at some point, binding Mercury Trojan so tightly she could not advance another inch. *Whoosh!* With the sound of retracting spider silk, Mercury Trojan was dragged straight down to the foot of the mountain. She tumbled several times across the gem ground, and when she looked up, she saw that the summit area of Ruby Mountain was nearly empty. It wasn't just her. Every sorcerer partaking in the god's legacy had suffered an indiscriminate strike. First a rain of starlight, then ensnaring spider silk—all of them dragged clear out of the legacy area. The absolute gravity of Ruby Mountain didn't only act upon sorcerers' souls; any miracle they cast was affected as well. On Ruby Mountain, a Legendary Sorcerer's attack range wouldn't exceed ten meters. Therefore, an attack like this that affected every sorcerer on Ruby Mountain could only be... *Smack!* Mercury Trojan slammed a fist onto the gem ground. Collapsing to her knees, she clutched her head, her shoulders shaking. In the end, unable to hold it in any longer, she burst into hysterical sobs, crying until she hiccuped, crying until her vision blurred, crying her heart out. She could never stop herself from crying. Tamaxi was always urging her not to cry, since crying solved nothing. Of course she knew it solved nothing, but she just felt so wronged. Why was she always so powerless? Why was it always so hard for her? Tears streaming down her face, Mercury Trojan looked up at the sky and spat out a single word through gritted teeth: "God!"