Chapter 664: Stepping onto the Pinnacle
Chapter 664: Stepping onto the Pinnacle
....Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
At this moment, both the Demon Sovereigns and Soul Formation Heavenly Lords from the Eastern End and Central Plain had a slightly sinister look in their eyes.
However, Jiang Chengxuan seemed completely oblivious to all this, continuing his ascent with a calm demeanor.
BOOM!
Suddenly, Elder Black Tortoise on the Staircase of Inner Inquiry furiously wielded his staff.
The staff grew rapidly in size, transforming into a mountainous figure, crashing down towards Jiang Chengxuan.
THUD! thud! thud!
At the same time.
Wu Xin rang a giant bell, generating visible sound waves that rapidly enveloped Jiang Chengxuan.
Buzz!
But just then, a series of light screens appeared on the stair Jiang Chengxuan was on, instantly reflecting the attacks from Elder Black Tortoise and Wu Xin back at them.
“What?”
The man and the demon were both slightly shocked.
But soon, their eyes turned sharp.
“Even if we can’t harm you, we must disrupt you,” they declared.
With that, the pair, along with others including Xiao Shencong, Xiao Shenji, and Ink Dragon, launched continuous attacks at Jiang Chengxuan, aiming to distract him.
However, hours passed, and Jiang Chengxuan seemed entirely unaffected by their interference, steadily and continuously climbing upwards.
“Damn it!
Is he really not affected by us at all?”
Elder Black Tortoise and the others looked visibly upset upon witnessing this.
Shen Ruyan and her group scoffed at their futile attempts.
The idea of distracting Jiang Chengxuan in such a manner was ludicrous.
At this point, Xiao Shencong, Elder Black Tortoise, and the others realized that disrupting Jiang Chengxuan in this way was likely impossible.
Perhaps the only option left was to siege Jiang Chengxuan afterwards.
However, Heavenly Lord Everlasting Mountain and the others weren’t stupid.
When they felt they could no longer confidently ascend, they sat down on the steps, neither advancing nor retreating.
In this way, even if Xiao Shencong, Elder Black Tortoise, and the others wanted to catch up to Jiang Chengxuan, they would not have a chance.
Buzz!
At the moment when Jiang Chengxuan stepped onto the seventieth stair of the Staircase of Inner Inquiry, an object suddenly descended from above, landing in his hand.
It was a spirit treasure emitting a strong aura of spirituality.
A Level 7 Spirit Treasure!
This scene left everyone present in utter shock.
They could never have imagined that Jiang Chengxuan would obtain such a treasure upon reaching the seventieth stair.
That was a Spirit Treasure, possessed mostly by Void Returning Divine Lords.
With such a treasure, even if Jiang Chengxuan could only unleash a fraction of its power, he could instantly take down everyone present.
Unknowingly, Elder Black Tortoise, Xiao Shencong, and the others present could not help but become terrified while feeling envious and jealous.
If Jiang Chengxuan could really refine this treasure…
Even if he managed to refine a small portion of it, the people present would truly be in danger.
Buzz!
However, at that moment, the Spirit Treasure in Jiang Chengxuan’s hand suddenly disintegrated into specks of light and vanished.
This turn of events left everyone slightly baffled.
What was going on?
Why did the Spirit Treasure disappear?
Could it be that the one just now was fake?
But that wasn’t right.
Just now, they had clearly sensed that the aura emitted by the Spirit Treasure was absolutely the aura of a genuine Spirit Treasure.
Even Soul Formation Heavenly Lords felt pressured by it. It was definitely a Spirit Treasure.
Unknowingly, Elder Black Tortoise, Xiao Shencong, and the others could not help but feel suspicious.
If the Spirit Treasure that Jiang Chengxuan had obtained just now was really fake,
Did that mean that the scene just now was actually a test for Jiang Chengxuan?
If he could overcome even the temptation of a Lingbao, what else could possibly stop him?
Indeed.
In the following period of time, Jiang Chengxuan continued upward. Eighty steps, nine steps, one hundred and twenty steps, two hundred steps…
For days, everyone watched as he climbed from the seventieth to the two hundredth step.
BOOM!
Then, at that crucial moment, a column of light descended upon him, causing his aura to surge dramatically.
His cultivation level rose rapidly: the third level of Soul Formation, the fourth, the sixth, the eighth, and finally peaking at the ninth level, the pinnacle of Soul Formation.
And still, it continued to rise.
This shouldn’t be true, right?
This should be fake, right?
This should also be a test for Jiang Chengxuan, right?
Despite everyone knowing that what they were witnessing could just be an illusion, they couldn’t help feeling tense, uneasy, and anxious.
‘What if?’
What if Jiang Chengxuan’s current state was real?
Then what should they do?
Whoosh—
At this moment, several Demon Sovereigns and Soul Formation cultivators from the Central Plain on the Staircase of Inner Inquiry could not withstand the pressure and actually retreated.
With this retreat, they had completely lost the qualifications to climb the staircase.
However, not many people paid attention to their withdrawal.
Everyone’s gaze was still fixed on Jiang Chengxuan.
BOOM!
Finally, after a while, Jiang Chengxuan’s cultivation suddenly seemed to have crossed a certain limit.
It instantly became incomparably majestic and unfathomable.
The expressions of the people who were staring at him immediately changed drastically.
“That’s impossible!”
Demon Sovereign Ink Dragon was the first to exclaim.
Daoist Shang Tong was also covered in cold sweat. His mouth was a little dry as he said,
“It’s fake, it must be fake!”
At that moment, they dared not even imagine the terrifying outcome if this scene were indeed real.
Fortunately, it was indeed an illusion.
As Jiang Chengxuan continued to ascend, the overwhelming presence enveloping him gradually dissipated, bringing relief to the onlookers.
Everyone heaved a long sigh of relief.
Many realized only then that they had been sweating profusely in anxiety.
On the other hand, Heavenly Lord Everlasting Mountain, Heavenly Lord Infinite Ocean, Heavenly Lord Xuan Yang, and the others looked disappointed.
To be honest, just now, they really hoped that it was all true.
If it was true, then perhaps all the predicaments that the human race encountered would be instantly resolved.
Shen Ruyan was the only one who was not disappointed by what had happened.
Instead, she revealed a happy smile.
She recognized that the experiences her husband had just undergone, though illusory, provided genuine enlightenment and a state of mind that was very real and profound.
In other words, he had experienced the entire process from Soul Formation to Void Returning in advance.
Is this fake?
Certainly not.
On the contrary, all of these personal experiences, feelings, and insights were precisely the greatest gains he obtained when he embarked on the Staircase this time.
She believes that from now on, her husband, Jiang Chengxuan, will definitely experience a significant breakthrough in his cultivation.
As Jiang Chengxuan’s wife and Dao companion, she naturally could not fall behind.
At this moment.
She let go of all external influences and wholeheartedly focused all her attention and spirit on the Staircase of Inner Inquiry in front of her.
Just like her husband, she too wanted to truly reach the pinnacle of the staircase.
As for whether any unexpected events would occur to her husband during this process or if he would be pushed off the staircase halfway, Shen Ruyan was not worried about any of that.
She believed in her husband and Dao companion, just as she believed in herself.
They would definitely reach the pinnacle of the Staircase of Inner Inquiry together.
Buzz!
At this moment, Shen Ruyan’s footsteps continued to ascend.
In the blink of an eye, she had crossed over a dozen steps.
This scene once again caught the attention of the onlookers.
Especially Xiao Shencong, Elder Black Tortoise, and the others. They could not hide the malice in their eyes.
Could it be that after Jiang Chengxuan, his Dao partner Shen Ruyan would also ascend all the way up?
The thought of this possibility made them all feel a sense of urgency.
At that moment, Xiao Shencong, Elder Black Tortoise, and the others did not continue to divert their attention. They also placed all their attention on the staircase in front of them.
Just like that.
Everyone began to climb the Staircase of Inner Inquiry with all their might.
Time passed bit by bit.
In the blink of an eye, it was already several days later.
This time, Jiang Chengxuan’s steps had already reached the four hundred and ninety-ninth step.
Heavenly Lord Qian Yun and the others, who were at the bottom, couldn’t stay calm anymore.
If Jiang Chengxuan were to take one more step, he would truly complete the Staircase of Inner Inquiry test.
As the first person to complete the test, what he would receive at that time, none of them knew.
But it would definitely not be something ordinary.
Even Xiao Shencong and others who were originally focused and fully absorbed in climbing the staircase seemed to have sensed something.
Their expressions all changed drastically.
“How could he…?”
At the same time.
Jiang Chengxuan, who was on the four hundred and ninety-ninth step, suddenly opened his eyes.
He turned around and gave a faint smile to the people behind him.
Without any hesitation, he then took a step and stepped onto the five hundredth step..