Chapter 2057: Fighting the Great One Shortly after his appearance, the Great One unleashed his cultivation, which was at the first level of God Ascension realm. "I’m at a point where the trials won’t be much of a challenge, huh?" Yuan repeated what Tian’er had said in a low voice and a stiff smile. Although the Great One was only at the first level of God Ascension, he might be the toughest opponent Yuan has encountered up until now. The Great One was not just a Divine Beast—he was a Dragon of Origin, one of the most ancient dragons to ever exist. His existence traced back to the Primordial Era, and in terms of experience, he rivaled Yuan, perhaps even surpassed him. Yuan didn’t bother responding to the Great One and immediately prepared for combat. Seeing this, the Great One charged at Yuan, his body enveloped in a golden aura. Yuan didn’t dare to underestimate the Great One and fought seriously from the get-go. Seconds later, the two clashed, unleashing a powerful shockwave that swept across the area, sending violent ripples surging across the waters surrounding Dragon Spiral Mountain. For the first several days, the two fought using only their physical bodies. Despite possessing the Golden Immortal Physique, Yuan found himself merely on par with the Great One. While the Golden Immortal Physique was considered the best physique in the Nine Heavens, that was only in human standards. That said, matching the Great One in physical combat—one of the mightiest beings in the Nine Heavens—was an achievement worthy of pride. "You’re an eyesore!" the Great One suddenly roared. "If not for you, Yeyou would already be mine!" His aura surged violently, growing stronger with each passing moment, shaking the very air around him. Hearing this, Yuan responded with a calm smile, "Is that really the case? From what I’ve heard, you’re nothing more than an obsessive stalker in her eyes. Even if I never existed, you never had a chance." "Shut up! What do you know about our relationship?! You’re just an outsider! A mere human!" "If I am just a mere human, then why are you so upset? So scared of my presence? Aren’t we like ants in your eyes?" "Scared? You think I’m scared of you?!" the Great One bellowed with laughter, as though he’d just heard the most absurd joke in the world. "Allow me to show the insurmountable difference between us! Golden Scale Armor!" A semi-transparent armor shimmering with a golden glow materialized around the Great One, exuding a majestic and overwhelming pressure. In an instant, the Great One’s power surged to new heights. When they clashed again moments later, he effortlessly overwhelmed Yuan. Like an unstoppable force, the Great One drove Yuan back hundreds of meters with every clash. In response, Yuan activated the God of War’s Astral Arts, cloaking himself in its celestial avatar as though donning a suit of divine armor. Though it helped him close the gap between their strength, it was still not enough. "Do you understand it now? The difference between me and your inferior existence?!" The Great One laughed out loud as he continued his relentless assault. Yuan smiled at the Great One’s provocation and said, "You put on this act of strength, but deep down, it’s just a mask to hide how fragile you really are. You hoard treasures not out of desire, but to fill the void left by the one treasure you’ll never obtain." The moment the Great One heard those words, his movements faltered. Then, his aura erupted with renewed fury, surging to even greater heights as his expression twisted with rage. "How dare you mock me?!" he roared. From that moment on, the Great One ceased speaking, focusing entirely on the battle, and Yuan did the same. With each passing exchange, their strength and intensity steadily escalated, shaking the heavens with their clash. Time passed in the blink of an eye, and it’s been a whole year since Yuan started fighting the Great One in the Stairway to Heaven. The Sword Emperor Qualifications were still ongoing, and all of the participants—at least the ones that still remained—had passed the second trial and had begun their third trial. The Holy Sword Maiden and the Holy Sword King also finished their third trial and had begun their fourth trial. As for the Heavenly Son, he was still climbing the Endless Pagoda, now on the 145th floor. After another year, the Heavenly Son reached the 170th floor. "Do you think the Heavenly Son will be able to clear the Endless Pagoda?" The audience asked each other. "Most likely. While he wasn’t able to clear it as fast as the Freak Sword Emperor, he has the capabilities to clear it." The audience has already begun calling Yuan the Freak Sword Emperor. The Holy Sword Maiden and the Holy Sword King also started climbing the Endless Pagoda a few months ago, as the fourth trial was the quickest to clear. It wasn’t until they entered the final trial that these two realized Yuan had actually already completed the Sword Emperor Qualifications and had become a Sword Emperor, which left him utterly dumbfounded. "He became a Sword Emperor even before I completed the second trial...?" The Holy Sword Maiden muttered in a daze. "I know he’s talented, but this is just too much..." The Holy Sword King could only stare at the Endless Pagoda with a blank expression on his face, his thoughts unknown. However, the audience could tell that he was devastated, looking like someone experiencing an existential crisis. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶 Seeing this, the audience wondered if the Holy Sword King would give up there. Many believed that even if he continued, he was not in the right state of mind and might fail because of it. Eventually, the Holy Sword King entered the Endless Pagoda and began his climb. Then, after another two years, the Heavenly Son finally arrived at the 200th floor and began his final challenge with the Faceless Sword Emperor. As for Yuan, his battle with the Great One raged on with seemingly no end in sight.