Chapter 791: Chapter 343: Talent Number One! (Part 2)

This pressure is several times more terrifying than the pressure of all previous stone giants combined.

Xu Ran slowly opened his eyes, a smile reappearing at the corner of his mouth.

"As expected, there’s a trap, although not much of one!"

The white stream of light he just obtained was used by Xu Ran for searching. It contained a trace of his Divine Sense, which could relay everything it perceived back to him, though pain wasn’t among them.

When it reached a distance of five meters from the peak, a pressure identical to the earth’s breath annihilated the stream of light directly.

At the same time, he heard an intense noise within five meters of the mountain.

"Was that sound just now a heartbeat?" Xu Ran’s eyes had a hint of doubt.

The reason he didn’t dare make a judgment was that the sound contained a rich life aura, much like a human heart.

However, the sound was vastly different from a heartbeat; it was like someone hammering rocks.

Xu Ran had been to Cast Iron Village, where the blacksmiths, besides forging, also hammered stones. That sound left a deep impression on him.

He didn’t know what kind of creature it was.

After pondering for a moment, a determined look appeared in Xu Ran’s eyes, and he took a step forward within five meters of the mountain.

Just as he entered the five-meter range, a pressure akin to the earth instantly weighed on him, a pressure like a Great Mountain pressing down.

For others, they would find it hard to breathe, and might even be crushed into meat paste in an instant.

But such pressure was of no significance to Xu Ran.

With just the Great Success of the Innate Saint’s Sacred Body, he could withstand the pressure of several Great Mountains. He dared to enter after assessing the pressure’s strength, or else, with his cautious nature, he wouldn’t venture in so easily.

This pressure posed no threat to Xu Ran, so he began to look around, observing the surrounding environment.

Here, it was no different from the valley outside, also gray in appearance, exactly like it appeared from the outside.

However, the only difference was, looking up at the mountainside, there were a pair of gigantic eyes staring intently at Xu Ran.

Besides these eyes, there were also a nose, lips, and ears around.

These organs weren’t made of stone but were like the dynamic facial features on a human face.

It was only then that Xu Ran realized that this peak was not a mountain, but a gigantic human head.

"Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!"

Just as Xu Ran felt astonished, a buzzing sound suddenly erupted from right beneath him.

He looked down, only to see gray light flickering below him, with a mysterious aura surrounding it, making it hard to see what’s inside.

"What is this?" Xu Ran wondered, continuously thinking in his mind.

Moments later, a glint of brilliance flashed through his eyes, and he exclaimed, "It’s a Rune!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the gray mist surrounding the mysterious aura dispersed, and the runes within were revealed before Xu Ran.

They were runes made of stone fragments, each one exuding an esoteric aura, even Xu Ran found it hard to fully comprehend.

"This is... an Illusion Rune!!"

After observing for a moment, Xu Ran sensed a familiar aura within and made a judgment.

Immediately, he turned to look behind him, and his eyes widened in shock.

The valley, which earlier showed cracks, now appeared unharmed, just as it did when he first entered the trial, though the stones destroyed by the Power of Annihilation were indeed gone.

Xu Ran had seen many runes, but it was his first time seeing an Illusion Rune.

He waved his hand, generating a white barrier around him for protection, crouching down to observe the Illusion Rune closely.

After just a moment, Xu Ran withdrew his gaze and gently rubbed his eyes.

"These runes are so esoteric. With my current skill in runes, even a brief look is somewhat unbearable!"

Controlling Rune Power is not easy. Forcing an understanding when one isn’t skilled enough can cause indelible physical damage or even irreversible mental harm, so he decided to let it go for now.

Moreover, a formidable enemy was right in front of him, and the white barrier rising around his body just now was to prevent it from attacking suddenly.

"Roar!"

Just as Xu Ran was ready to face the enormous single-headed mountain, a tremendous rumbling noise exploded in his ears.

As the sound echoed through the valley, it began to quake violently, the earth heaving, with numerous cracks forming on the ground.

This time, it was no illusion, but reality.

Xu Ran gathered all his Spirit, rising into the air.

In that moment he rose, the ground seemed to flip, soil erupting continuously, even exposing some ore veins on the earth’s surface.

"Bang!"

At the same time, a fierce sound erupted, and Xu Ran followed the sound, seeing snow-white limbs emerging from the upturned soil.

Yes, they were human limbs.

Soon, the scene beneath the gigantic mountain was completely revealed before Xu Ran.

Looking up, those limbs were as pristine as the purest snow in winter, untouched by filth. Even upon overturning from the soil, they remained flawlessly white, with smooth and graceful lines, subtly raised muscles seemingly storing boundless power, each inch exuding a chilly luster.

Looking further up, the head was sculpted from hard stone, its rough texture carrying an ancient feel, patterns crisscrossing from the weathering of time. The stone’s dark color contrasted sharply with the snow-white limbs, adding to the mystery and weight.

And the human-like facial features, glaring fiercely at Xu Ran like an ant, made everything feel so bizarre!

Being stared at by this peculiar creature made Xu Ran uneasy, no matter how much he had experienced, he never thought he would encounter such a creature one day.

The human limbs, carved stone head, along with human features, combined to make this already eerie valley even more terrifying!

"A baby not even two years old managed to find my true form. It’s been so long since someone capable of this appeared!"

As Xu Ran pondered, a thunderous rumbling suddenly erupted in his ears, the sound akin to a Thunder Tribulation descending from the heavens, carrying the intent of the Heavenly Dao.

"Oh?" Xu Ran looked up at this bizarre creature with interest, "Someone else has been here before?"

This Nine-Layered Giant Tower, Xu Ran was unsure of what it was, but according to the odd person above the Dao Field, no one had entered this trial before.

It must be remembered that for an entire age, no one had entered, or else Xu Ran’s anomaly would have been noticed.

He knew he was exceptionally gifted, but he wasn’t the first in ages, only curious if previous challengers were like him.

Especially hearing the bizarre creature’s words made him even more eager to know who managed to see it like him.

Speaking of which, the bizarre creature fell into reminiscence.

"That person, a genius with the fortune of the Extreme Ice Body, broke through the ancient predicament alone, becoming the first of the Nine-Layered Giant Tower!"

Its tone contained unabashed admiration, that person’s emergence was indeed stunning, and being called the first in talent wasn’t an exaggeration, however...

It gazed at Xu Ran’s small figure.

"Now, the title of the most talented seems it might belong to someone else..."

This it murmured only internally, not expressing it aloud, aware that person outside was observing the trial’s entirety.

Though certain that person wasn’t petty, it was still best to remain cautious.