Mahayana 129
BGM: [MV]Vernal Days Dreamed by the Stars - Mika Kobayashi
===
Chapter 129: Above the Heavenly Stairway of Samsara: The Death of the Old Demon King
TL : Cnine
ED/PF :
Part 1
Xiao Yifeng produced two Samsara Stone Tablets, the inscriptions clearly reading “Wraithwood Village” and “Golden Rooster Mountain.” He laughed and said, “Everyone, do you want the Book of Destiny?”
Everyone was stunned. No one had expected Xiao Yifeng to still possess two Samsara Stone Tablets. The shock lasted only a moment before it turned into wild joy.
As time ran short, Xiao Yifeng bit his finger and infused his blood into the two Samsara Stele, imprinting them with his divine soul. He then hurled the two tablets with all his strength.
As if drawn by an unseen force, the two Samsara Steles flew left and right toward the remaining Heavenly Stairways. In an instant, two pillars of golden light shot straight into the sky.
The ten pillars of light resonated with one another, and a massive vortex formed in the heavens. Amid a thunderous roar, lightning flashed and thunder cracked as an enormous beam of golden light slammed down into the divine hall.
The circular divine hall was suddenly dyed gold. The evil spirits carved upon it threw back their heads and howled toward the sky as the hall began to rotate. As it turned, it grew taller and ever more majestic, and even the energy sphere atop the hall was flooded with golden radiance.
The divine hall continued to rise into the sky, dragging its chains along with it, the clattering echoing endlessly.
That ancient, overwhelming voice thundered through the immortal abode, pressing against every soul present: “The ten Samsara Steles are complete. The Trial of Samsara begins. The Path of Samsara opens. The Gate of Samsara opens. Enter, and claim the Book of Destiny.”
Everyone was overwhelmed with wild joy, their eyes blazing with desire. None of them had expected that they would still have a chance to obtain the legendary Book of Destiny.
What was more, the artefact truly remained within this immortal palace. The Book of Destiny was a treasure so coveted that even the Mahayana realm cultivators would fight to the death over it.
Even the Strange Man could not contain his joy. If the Book of Destiny fell into his hands, this eternal prison would finally loosen its grip.
The divine hall trembled violently, as though something ancient had stirred from its slumber. Beneath Xiao Yifeng’s feet, the heavenly staircase began to rotate, stone grinding against stone with a deep, ominous groan.
In the blink of an eye, his stair slammed together with the one beside it, the Strange Man’s path forcibly stitched onto his own, before dragging itself onward toward Mo Shuiyao’s ladder as well.
Xiao Yifeng’s heart nearly leapt out of his chest. He had never expected that gathering all ten Samsara steles would cause the heavenly ladders themselves to collapse into a single, unified ascent.
He stood at the very first step. The Strange Man was on the third. Yet once merged, the steps swelled monstrously, broad and towering, as if carved for titans. Though separated by only two steps, they now stood more than twenty metres apart.
Seeing this, the Strange Man attempted to turn back and fly towards Xiao Yifeng, only to discover that retreat was impossible. It turned out that even upon the heavenly staircase, the rule of the Road to the Yellow Spring still applied: never turn back. One could only move forward. There was no way back.
Mo Shuiyao’s stone ladder soon merged with the other two. However, since she had started much earlier, she had already reached the seventh step ahead, so there was no chance of her encountering the Strange Man.
Seeing this, the others immediately understood the rules governing the heavenly staircase. One by one, they behaved themselves and did not dare advance any further, fearing they might collide with the Strange Man.
Only Old Demon King was different. Driven by impatience, he had already stepped onto the third heavenly staircase. He focused his mind, remaining extremely alert and cautious.
Before long, all ten heavenly staircase had merged into a single path. The ladder grew broader and broader. The divine hall loomed high in the heavens, the stairs piercing straight into the clouds, truly living up to the name of a heavenly staircase.
At the same time, the ten palace gates fused into one dazzling golden gate, the inscription upon it transforming into three words: Gate of Samsara
Standing on the third step, Old Demon King fixed the Strange Man with a wary glare. “Enough with the ghost-act, you freak.”
Xiao Yifeng might have been the Strange Man’s greatest hatred, but this old bastard dared to eye the woman he wanted and then insult him to his face. That alone put Old Demon King firmly on his kill list.
The Strange Man sneered, his expression twisted and cruel. “Trash like you doesn’t even qualify to polish my servant’s boots.” He tried to teleport away, only to realise that the stone ladder allowed neither teleportation nor flight.
Old Demon King was so furious that he laughed instead. “Then let this old man see what kind of tricks a half-man, half-ghost monster like you really has.” Hook in hand, he lunged forward.
The Strange Man abandoned teleportation entirely. His figure blurred, moving like a phantom as he turned into an afterimage and appeared before Old Demon King in an instant, clawing toward his chest with a single strike.
Old Demon King’s heart skipped a beat. He had never imagined the monster could move this fast.
Golden light smashed into him, obliterating one of his arms. Forced back, he raised his single hook defensively across his chest. A metallic clang rang out as the blow sent him hurtling backwards.
Spinning in mid-air, Old Demon King lashed out desperately, the hook in his hand carving countless shadowy arcs that tore toward the Strange Man.
The Strange Man barrelled forward like a battering ram, completely ignoring the attacks. The hooks struck him again and again, yet he showed no reaction at all, as though they were nothing more than a mild breeze.
Then he spat out a thick plume of green mist. From within it, a small, sinister figure wriggled free and shot straight at Old Demon King.
“Nascent Soul Detached!” The hook in Old Demon King’s hand shattered instantly. He was so terrified that his soul seemed to flee his body—this man truly was at the Nascent Soul Realm.
He dared not linger, rolling clumsily onto the staircase ahead, only to freeze again in an instant. Xiao Yifeng knew he had fallen into one of the staircase’s illusory trials.
The Strange Man let out a cold laugh, retracting his Nascent Soul, and stepped forward. The two stood side by side upon the fourth step. Now it was a question of who would awaken first.
From the seventh step, Mo Shuiyao saw the Strange Man chasing her. She dared not hesitate and pressed onward. If she fell into his hands, she would be caught between life and death.
On the first step, Xiao Yifeng and the others exchanged glances. Everyone found themselves trapped in a dilemma.
The Strange Man loomed ahead, blocking the path. No one dared to advance; if he did not move, the staircase itself became an impassable wall.
Only Mo Shuiyao on the seventh step possessed the qualifications to proceed.
Everyone watched Old Demon King and the Strange Man anxiously. Suddenly, the Strange Man’s entire body shuddered, and he woke up first.
A savage grin spread across his face. He moved behind Old Demon King, thrust a claw through the back of his chest, and clutched Old Demon King’s Golden Core.
Old Demon King awoke as if from a nightmare, coughing up blood in violent spurts. Struggling to turn and face the Strange Man, his expression was filled with unwillingness, fury, and bitter disbelief.
Old Demon King tried to intervene, but it was too late— The Golden Core was already in the Strange Man’s hand, who even stuffed it into his mouth and chewed it casually, as though playing with a toy.
Helpless, Old Demon King collapsed onto the step. The Strange Man glanced at him with contempt. “With your pitiful strength, you dare compete with me for a woman? Foolish beyond measure.”
Swiftly, he retrieved the storage ring from Old Demon King’s body and kicked him down the stair. The old man’s corpse tumbled through the air, plunging into the abyss where countless evil spirits descended and tore him apart instantly.
Xiao Yifeng felt no pity for the old fool, who had dared covet Su Miaoqing, though he regretted not being able to personally reduce him to ashes.
Turning to Xiao Yifeng and the others, the Strange Man’s face twisted into a feral grin. For a moment, he hesitated—should he pursue Mo Shuiyao, or wait here and ambush Xiao Yifeng and the rest?
Lin Xiao, Luo Yun, and the others all looked grim, especially Luo Yun, whose face went pale. They hadn’t expected the Strange Man to be a Nascent Soul realm expert. If they fell into his hands, there would be no escape.
Xiao Yifeng’s thoughts were consumed with worry for Su Miaoqing. What force had pulled her into the Divine Hall? What could its motives be? And what about Su Miaoqing made her so sought-after?
He was utterly puzzled, desperate to rescue her, yet the Strange Man blocked the path ahead. He forced himself to stay calm.
Could it be that the thing valued on Su Miaoqing was the Immortal Bird Source Blood?
No—Su Miaoqing’s strangeness had been evident from the very beginning; she was the one who had been repeatedly discovering the steles.
Suddenly, a chilling possibility flashed through Xiao Yifeng’s mind: Grandmaster Qingxu!