Chapter 353: Heaven-Ascending Stairs

Chapter 353: Chapter 165: Heaven-Ascending Stairs

「The next day, 7:00 AM.」

At the peak of the Main Peak, the Cloud Mist churned.

An ancient Stone Hall materialized out of thin air, suspended in the sky.

The Stone Hall was a mottled, slate-gray color, ancient and weathered as if it had endured ten thousand years of wind and rain.

In front of the Stone Hall, a wide stone staircase extended downward. It was paved entirely with Lapis Lazuli, which gleamed with a faint, cold light.

Wenda Hall.

One of the Penglai Sect’s ultimate treasures.

Yun Zhonghe stood before the hall, his gaze sweeping over the twenty disciples below.

“Before Wenda Hall, every tier is a step toward heaven.”

“There are ten tiers, one for each of the top ten spots. Before sunset, anyone who has secured a position on a tier will be considered among the top ten and can enter the Inquiry Cliff for three months of Enlightenment.”

“A Disciple may ascend and claim a tier. Afterward, they must accept challenges and may also challenge others. The loser is cast down, and the winner takes their place. When the sun sets, those who remain on the tiers will be the top ten.”

He paused, his voice ancient and distant.

“Now, begin.”

The moment his voice fell, twenty figures moved at once!

At this moment, no one hesitated. No one retreated.

Who among them, having come this far, was not at the True Core Formation realm?

Who among them was not a prodigy of their respective peak?

They had waited for this day for thirty years, sixty years, some even for a century.

Now, the only way was forward!

Li Jianfeng stepped forward, his body like a drawn sword, and flashed onto the Tier Three platform in an instant!

Yu Xiuqi’s Fist Intent was like a mountain. With every step he took, the stone tiers trembled slightly as he advanced steadily upward!

Liu Qingli’s movements were light and graceful, a path of sword light clearing the way as she went straight for the fourth tier!

Shen Du remained as composed as ever, neither hurried nor slow. Every step was firm, carrying him steadily forward!

Liang Cheng moved as well.

He didn’t rush to the front, instead ascending with the crowd.

His gaze swept around, taking in the strength and speed of all twenty participants.

Tier Ten.

Tier Nine.

Tier Eight.

…

Tier Six.

Liang Cheng stopped and stood still.

In the blink of an eye, with everyone moving at different speeds, ten people had already claimed their respective tiers.

Just then, something unexpected happened!

A figure suddenly attacked!

BOOM—!!!

Fist Force erupted. A Disciple who had just secured his footing on Tier Ten was caught completely off guard and sent flying off the stairs with a single punch!

“You—”

“If you’ve lost, then get down.”

The attacker sneered and took his place on Tier Ten.

The atmosphere instantly tensed!

Claiming a tier was just the beginning. The real contest was only now starting!

No one made any rash moves. Everyone was sizing each other up. Those on the tiers were wary of others, while those without a tier were itching for a fight.

Liang Cheng remained expressionless, as immovable as a mountain.

Just then, a sharp glint of sword light shot toward him from the side!

Liang Cheng sidestepped, letting the sword pass, and his gaze fell upon the attacker.

It was a young man with a cold and stern face, a Disciple from the Third Peak. He was at the Core Formation Middle Stage and had just begun to grasp Sword Intent.

He stared at Liang Cheng, his eyes filled with battle lust.

“Liang Cheng, I saw your supreme Blade Intent and impressive Fist Intent yesterday. My Middle Stage Cultivation should be a suitable match for you. We didn’t get to face each other yesterday, so today I’d like to test your true capabilities.”

Liang Cheng had no time for pointless talk. Before the Heaven-Ascending Stairs, there was only battle. There was no need for pleasantries or social graces.

Too many words would only seem hypocritical.

The next moment, the Zhenxian Saber at his waist was suddenly unsheathed!

The saber’s light flared!

As his Blade Intent appeared, the entire Tier Six platform seemed to be enveloped by an invisible force, and the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi instantly froze!

Ying Wuheng’s pupils constricted.

He felt the absolute pressure of a Martial Dao True Intent, but he was, after all, a True Inheritor of the Third Peak, and his reaction was lightning-fast.

With a flicker, his figure vanished!

It was the “Shadow Escape,” a technique only usable when one’s Body Technique was cultivated to the extreme and combined with Sword Intent!

The next instant, a gleam of sword light stabbed out from behind Liang Cheng!

The sword light was as ethereal as smoke, seemingly there and not there, yet it carried an incomparably sharp Sword Intent!

Liang Cheng didn’t turn around.

He simply raised his hand and slashed backward with the Zhenxian Saber.

Blade Intent like a mountain!

The moment the sword light touched the Blade Intent, it instantly dissipated.

Ying Wuheng’s strike missed, and he vanished again. His figure flickered unpredictably across the stone tier, each reappearance accompanied by a sharp flash of sword light!

The third move.

The fourth move.

The fifth move.

His Sword Intent grew stronger, the flashes of his blade denser. The entire Tier Six platform seemed to be enveloped by countless rays of sword light, weaving an impenetrable Sword Net!

He used his Sword Intent as the core and his Body Technique as the guide, establishing a Sword Domain in the small space. Anyone trapped within would find it impossible to dodge and impossible to block!

But Liang Cheng remained standing in place.

He hadn’t moved an inch.

He let the countless rays of sword light slash toward him.

And then—

His Blade Intent erupted!

An endless, flowing Blade Intent!

He took the offensive, meeting attack with attack, breaking intent with intent!

For every ray of sword light that fell, a ray of saber light rose to meet it!

When saber and sword collided, it was not with the clang of metal on metal, but with the clash of Martial Dao wills!

BOOM—!!!

A dull roar erupted from the empty air!

It was the sound of two Martial Dao True Intents clashing, annihilating each other!

The sixth move.

Ying Wuheng thrust his sword toward Liang Cheng’s throat!

This strike pushed the power of his Sword Intent to its absolute limit. The sword light was so condensed, so pure, it was as if this single sword strike was all that existed between heaven and earth!

Yet, Liang Cheng still didn’t dodge.

He simply slashed out with his Zhenxian Saber!

The Blade Intent was like a mountain. Ying Wuheng retreated hastily, barely dodging the blow, sweat already beading on his forehead.

He was utterly horrified.

‘My Sword Intent was actually torn apart by his Blade Intent?’

‘His Blade Intent is even stronger than I imagined!’

The seventh move.

Ying Wuheng took a deep breath, and his Sword Intent erupted with its full power!

This time, he no longer pursued a continuous Sword Momentum, but instead condensed his entire Sword Intent into a single strike!

The sword light flared!

Brilliant and pure!

He slashed toward Liang Cheng, determined to break Blade Intent with Sword Intent!

Watching this strike, Liang Cheng finally showed a hint of being impressed.

‘Now this is a prodigy of the Penglai Sect.’

“Not bad.”

His eyes grew brighter and brighter as he took a step forward.

The Zhenxian Saber slashed out.

The saber’s light flared!

The two intents collided!