Chapter 42
Let’s See How Many Can You Execute
After this, the people who were watching the Heavenly Stairs suddenly remembered that the record of the Heavenly Stairs belonged to Green Jade Immortal Island’s Shi Shan Shan for climbing sixty three steps. Now, an unknown female disciple from the Pure Yang Palace had surprisingly climbed sixty two steps, chasing directly behind the Shi Shan Shan of back then. Although it was slightly worse, when compared to Shi Fairy, it was still a surprising record that made people astonished.
This was definitely the best record in this year’s assembly to climb the Heavenly Stairs, and the people standing there and watching had, from the beginning to the end witnessed this valiant new record being born. And comparing this record of the sixty second step of the Heavenly Stairs, the previous record of thirty five steps of the Heavenly Stairs by that female disciple of the Green Jade Immortal Island was just a joke.
At this time the people had stopped spouting nonsense like calling her Spell Formation Expert and other ridiculous talks, even if she were a Formation Expert, Gongsun Ling had climbed up to the sixty second step of the Heavenly Stairs under the eyes of numerous people. Even if someone could still not accept this, but facing these kinds of circumstances, apart from being shocked he could not help but feel admiration. As for the other people who were spreading false words, like ‘she cheated’, they were absolutely speechless.
Especially those JieDan stage experts in charge of the Heavenly Stairs this year. Apart from Xu Cheng Xin, each and everyone knew what was going on. At the time when Gongsun Ling was climbing the Heavenly Stairs, they had a silent agreement and exerted a lot of pressure on Gongsun Ling. One has to know that these few JieDan experts had joined together to bully a disciple at the qi layer, but even under these kinds of circumstances, Gongsun Ling unexpectedly still climbed to the sixty second step of Heavenly Stair, which, when compared to Shi Shan Shan, was not a large difference.
Xun Cheng Xin almost exploded with happiness, in this year’s Floating Mountain Assembly the Pure Yang Palace was simply in a league of its own, which no other sect could compare to.
Leaving aside Yang Chen, who had chopped off the head of Tian Quan Sect’s Han Jinade, only Gongsun Ling climbing to the sixty second step of the Heavenly Stairs was sufficient to make people acknowledge that Pure Yang Palace had a talent comparable to Shi Fairy of the Green Jade Immortal Island. The faint ridicule by these Fellow Daoists of other sects, due to the sect’s disciples’ lame performances in the past would also disappear. Once he thought of this point, Xu Cheng Xin felt pleasure, as if he had gotten a watermelon in the midst of summer.
In the future who would dare to talk arrogantly in front of him? Aside from the Green Jade Immortal Island, even the insufferably arrogant disciples of the Greatest Sky Sect wouldn’t dare to say half a word in the face of such an achievement by Gongsun Ling. Just one disciple, Gongsun Ling, was sufficient to allow Pure Yang Palace to blow off all of the steam.
Remembering what happened so far, when Xu Cheng Xin looked in the other directions where the nine other JieDan stage experts were sitting, although he did not yet dare to boast, he was also no longer lowering his head.
Because the shock brought by Gongsun Ling was too great, the other JieDan stage experts stayed their hand. When Xu Cheng Xin saw the other nine, the pride on his face was hardly concealed. Facing Gongsun Ling’s record, the other nine JieDan experts had to silently tolerate this kind of proudness shown by Xu Cheng Xin. Despite not feeling well about it within their hearts, they had no way of doing anything about it, as they had no such outstanding disciples in their own sects!
After being pushed down by the Heavenly Stairs, Gongsun Ling appeared at the foot of the mountain, but due to the enormous effort spent at the Heavenly Stairs, she could barely take a step. Surprisingly feeling a softness in her foot, she couldn’t help but fall down.
From the beginning, Yang Chen had seen everything, so he swiftly moved forward and reached out his hand to support Gongsun Ling’s delicate body. At the time his hand had touched Gongsun Ling’s waist, her skin was so smooth that Yang Chen couldn’t help but feel a shiver within his heart.
When Gongsun Ling came in contact with Yang Chen’s hand, trying to help her, the colour of her face turned red and she was just about to push it away, however, she sensed that in the region where Yang Chen had caught her, there was a portion of earth attributed spirit power. Just a moment later, this spirit power forced itself into more than half of Gongsun Ling’s body, which replenished her exhausted spirit power a little.
By means of this portion of spirit power, Gongsun Ling was able to stabilize herself. She showed a smile to Yang Chen and said:
“Many thanks, Younger Brother Yang!”
Other people thought Gongsun Ling was thanking Yang Chen for supporting her when falling down, but Gongsun Ling was very clearly thanking him for the advice Yang Chen had given her, before she walked up the Heavenly Stairs. If it were not for those words, perhaps she would have been unable to support herself after the fiftieth step. Reaching the sixty second step was only because of the Yang Chen’s warning.
Everything that happened on the Heavenly Stairs was still fresh in her memory, especially those last few steps simply exhausted all the energy in her body. However, it also allowed Gongsun Ling to gain some deeper benefits. The later attacks of the illusionary land were completely based on those weaknesses in her temperament, which are impossible to defend against. If it were not for Yang Chen’s warning, she would not have known how to deal with it.
Of the people who climbed the Heavenly Stairs, almost all of them would immediately sit and meditate to comprehend the insights they have gained. Gongsun Ling, however, didn’t sit down at once, rather she rested a little and sat down after that on the side, where she calmly started meditating. She very much wanted to know how many steps Yang Chen, who had given her direction, would be able to climb.
After the brief shock and discussion, the ten JieDan stage experts again entered the state of mind to power the stairs. The Heavenly Stairs started issuing a faint radiance again, declaring publicly that the next person could set foot on the Heavenly Stairs.
Next, after Gongsun Ling was precisely Yang Chen. Yang Chen looked at the faint radiance emitted by the Heavenly Stairs as if he was not facing the Heavenly Stairs, but rather some common lane. He casually lifted his foot and without making any decent preparatory actions, he immediately stepped to go up.
Just a moment ago they had seen an exceptional talent both carefully and cautiously ascend the Heavenly Stairs, but now suddenly in front of them was a guy who was so sloppy, that even Pure Yang Palace’s Xu Cheng Xin felt some dissatisfaction. Even if he did not care about this, shouldn’t he still make a proper appearance? Acting so casual, compared to a genius disciple such as Gongsun Ling, he was simply losing face for Pure Yang Palace.
The other Nine JieDan stage experts were even more dissatisfied. And at exactly this time, from within the other people who were watching, someone said, aiming at Yang Chen:
“Oh dear, an executioner always remains an executioner, it is impossible for him to show any elegance!”
In short, this resonated with the feelings within everyone’s hearts. The bystanders didn’t need to say anything, the Nine JieDan stage experts had once again formed a silent agreement since Yang Chen did not value this experience much, they had to teach him an unforgettable lesson. His background was that of an executioner, that alone already made him a hot topic for discussion.
“Humph, an executioner who kills without any regards!”
Tian Quan Sect’s Foreign Affair Hall felt a lot of resentment at him in his heart. Han Jiande had died under Yang Chen’s hands, even if what Han Jiande did was not correct, he was still Tian Quan Sect’s disciple. For him to be killed by Yang Chen, that had made the Tian Quan Sect lose face. Thinking this, the Hall Master made the resolve:
‘Let’s see how many you can kill!’
The ten JieDan experts managing the Heavenly Stairs, every one of them can add their own imaginations to the illusions of the Heavenly Stairs, this was the unique feature of the illusionary land of the Heavenly Stairs and was also the most difficult part of the Heart Finding Path. The most serious trouble was that the ten JieDan Stage experts responsible for the spell formation could even communicate with each other freely, using their spirit power, and harmonize their coordination.
When Gongsun Ling was climbing the Heavenly Stairs, apart from Xu Cheng Xin, the other nine trifled with her by using this skill, cooperating with each other to create obstructions for Gongsun Ling. Now when Yang Chen had stepped on the Heavenly Stairs, everyone still used this same trick. Only this time it was due to the initiation by Tian Quan Sect’s Hall Master, that’s all.
As soon as he stepped on the first step of the Heavenly Stairs, Yang Chen felt as if he had been transported to the execution grounds, in front of him were ten prisoner properly bound and ready to be executed, while he was already wearing his red silk girdle, and his upper body exposed, carrying within his hand the executioner’s blade, dressed as an executioner. It was just that the executioner’s blade had the appearance of the fearful blade which he had at the XianTai stage, which was also similar to the sword box which Yang Chen had kept within the Achievement Ring.
Illusions are born in the mind, everything could still only use the knowledge within Yang Chen’s mind as the foundation, only then it was able to draw support from spell formation’s power and form the illusionary land. Seeing this, Yang Chen just smiled in contempt. Wanting to embarrass Yang Chen? Was this not just walking right into their own trap?
He waved the fearful blade within his hand and within a moment, all of the ten prisoners lost their heads. The scene before his eyes had a slight change and the ten people changed into a hundred. The hundred then again changed into one thousand.
No matter the number of people, generally speaking, the only issue for Yang Chen was the number of times he had to slash his blade, not to spend time pondering. Every time he waved his blade, there would be no hesitation, one blade, one person. Only one slash of the blade was required to remove a head, there would never be a second slash.
After finishing with chopping down a thousand heads, the prisoners present before he finally changed. Originally, the prisoners consisted of some strong men, but this time they consisted of female convicts. The group consisted of many varieties of females, some were very charming, some frail, elegant and soft, some had a haughty appearance, some however had an extremely gentle appearance. Every one of them had different characteristics.
Ten women, some were shouting of false accusations, some were weeping endlessly, some were full of tender feelings and some of them were glaring at him. But Yang Chen did not hesitate in the least bit, as before, one slash, one head, and he killed these women.
Following which were one hundred women, then one thousand women, pleading, enticing, bawling out, respectful, various sorts of women appeared here, and the figures of them became more and more wonderful and elegant, their faces also became increasingly beautiful, appearing as if, so long as Yang Chen was willing, they were ready to warm the bed for him, if only Yang Chen did not swing the blade.
No matter what sort of woman he was facing, Yang Chen slashed his blade without feeling any tenderness. After the women, the prisoners turned into old and grey-haired elderly men, ten, a hundred, a thousand.
Yang Chen spent a very long time within the illusionary land, cutting so many heads, but in reality, everyone only saw Yang Chen climbing step by step, up to the ninth step.
“Does he really have a heart of stone?”
Tian Quan Sect’s Foreign Affair Hall’s Hall Master felt gloomy within his heart, who could behead several thousand people without hesitating in the least. He however not given up at this point, instead, it aroused his aroused his fighting spirit.
“I don’t believe, you can behead any person with your hands!”
Before Yang Chen’s appeared ten young children, including both girls and boys. However, Yang Chen basically did not care about them, and like a machine, he slashed his blade and in a flash one hundred young children, then one thousand young children were all beheaded by Yang Chen.
‘Wa! Wa! Wa!’
This sound came from the ten infants crying piteously for food, their small bodies wrapped within swaddling clothes, who had appeared on the execution grounds.
“This Heart Finding Path, since I have decided to walk the road of an executioner, I don’t care about the identity of the convict!”
Yang Chen resolutely replied to himself and within his hand the fearful blade appeared, not at all hesitating to behead the ten infants still wrapped within their swaddling clothes. Soon afterwards there were once again a hundred and then a thousand infants.
After the infants, there were ferocious animals, evil spirits, fierce devils and other mythical monsters. Facing these, Yang Chen hesitated even less, no matter how great the enticement, the threats by devils and monsters, the pitiful pleas to confuse him or even the magical attacks used by demons and ghouls, they had absolutely no effect on him. It was as if Yang Chen had turned a blind eye in response to those, merely beheading them one by one, using his blade.
After he finished beheading those monsters and demons, in front of Yang Chen appeared the people he knew.
Sun Hai Jing, beheaded!
Chu Heng, beheaded!
Han Jiande beheaded!
His four servants, Shen Da, Ho Lin, Gu Qin and Yuan Ting, respectfully saluting Yang Chen, as before were still greeted with a beheading in response. After these four servants, Shangguan Feng and Wang Yuan appeared in succession, and Yang Chen beheaded them without hesitation.
Xu Cheng Xin, beheaded!
Sun Qing Xue, beheaded!
Shi Shan Shan, beheaded!
Du Qian, beheaded!
Zhu Chen Tao, beheaded!
Gongsun Ling, beheaded!
Father and mother, beheaded!
Master, beheaded!
The people appearing had more and more importance in Yang Chen’s heart, but Yang Chen just did not care who the person appearing before him was, as if his only intention was to temper himself in this illusionary land, hardly hesitating before beheading these individuals one by one. It didn’t even raise any great waves within his heart. All of them were entirely within this illusionary land, so it didn’t put any mental burden on Yang Chen.
“Disciple, you have finally reached the end of the Heavenly Stairs!”
Yang Chen stopped waving the blade like a machine and suddenly the whole scenario changed. He had already been transported to the foot of Floating Mountain. On the side, the exhausted Gongsun Ling had already recovered by much, cheerfully talking while looking at Yang Chen, pride and arrogance on her face.
His ears were suddenly filled with a burst of noise: shock, questions, frantic, various sorts of yelling noises flooded Yang Chen’s ears. A second disciple of the qi layer had unexpectedly ascended all the steps of the Heavenly Stairs, this was simply an impossible matter.
Xu Chen Xin’s voice came through distantly and within his voice was a hearty laugh, as if flaunting to all people:
“Ha ha ha ha, my Pure Yang Palace’s disciple Yang Chen has climbed all the steps of Heavenly Stairs, which has not happened from the time immemorial and will never happen again, who still dares not to acknowledge him?”
The feeling of pride was exhibited in his speech, his words shook the heavens itself.
After the initial doubt and shock, all of the spectators no longer had that sort of disdain in their eyes, rather it changed to adoration, envy and unacceptance, all mixed. The more it played out like this, the more Yang Chen questioned the coherence of what was happening, as he seemed to convince the enemy even more thoroughly than the people on his own side.
“Fellow Daoist Yang, at the beginning I had assumed that you were a seventh qi layer expert pretending to be at the second qi layer and it seems that I was wrong. I apologize to Fellow Daoist Yang and ask Fellow Daoist Yang to forgive me!”
That guy, who had called Yang Chen’s big mouth into question earlier, appeared and admitted defeat in front of Yang Chen:
“Fellow Daoist Yang’s determination is very firm, myself admires him!”
“It is a pity that these pleasant words are also only an illusion and nothing more!”
Yang Chen’s eyes suddenly shone clearly and the fearful blade appeared within his hands suddenly and slashed directly towards the person who was speaking after which he suddenly turned and directly slashed towards Gongsun Ling’s neck.
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