Divine Emperor of Death

"…"

Fairy Thunderblaze only stared and didn't respond. Her silence suggested that she accepted his accusations as true, but it could also indicate that she was too angry to respond.

But in truth, Fairy Thunderblaze felt like climbing up the stairs was a bit hasty on her part. She already felt that it was a pity she couldn't compare fortitude with Evelynn and the others. Now, she felt some regret from being unable to deliver the killing blow to this retarded toad who thought he could have his way with her.

"No… no… I can't take this anymore…"

At this moment, Yi Feng's voice resounded.

He turned to look back and saw numerous people watching him and the fear overwhelming made him feel like they were casting mocking gazes. He looked like he was going to cry before he turned around and ran to the sides, entering the left wing of the staircase that no one dared to step towards.

He ran to the end of the left wing on the fifth step and and stopped to take a deep breath, his figure covered in beads of perspiration. However, he soon calmed and finally recovered even while being exposed to the gaze of the crowd.

He blinked, not understanding why he was in the spotlight before his cheeks reddened, recollecting what he did just now before he flicked his sleeves like an embarrassed prince and turned around, looking above because there was no way down on the left wing.

He proceeded to go up, climbing to the sixth step and the seventh step, shocking all.

However, he didn't stop there and even climbed to the eighth step, making many jaws drop.

How can a cowardly little man make it to the eighth step at the left wing!?

Many doubted it until they saw him make it to the ninth step and, finally, the platform itself, causing a few brains to shut down.

"I see! So the left wing and right wings no longer imbue a sense of danger in the inheritors, allowing us to climb-"

Some inheritor with an uncontrollable mouth blurted out without thinking and closed their mouth, but it was too late.

"Wahhh!"

Abruptly, Yi Feng cried out in shock, causing the others to tremble.

Did something happen?

They looked closely at him and saw that tears were clouding his eyes. He looked as though he was going to bawl anytime now as he clenched his stomach, looking like he had lost something, and the more seconds passed, the more it became clearer what was going on.

They could clearly sense that Yi Feng's cultivation had receded to the Level Two Immortal King Stage.

"No way…"

The inheritors uttered, finally understanding what was going on.

When they looked at the number of steps Yi Feng climbed until he entered the left wing and his original cultivation, which was Level Seven Immortal King Stage, they subtracted five levels from it because of the five steps and ended up with Level Two Immortal King Stage as the answer.

Even Fairy Thunderblaze arrived at the same answer, and her brows couldn't help but rise as she looked down at the step she was standing.

It was the seventh step!

This meant her cultivation was going to recede by seven levels— making her blink.

"It truly is the higher you climb, the harder you fall. Well said, Fairy Thunderblaze."

Davis clapped his hands twice, "You have my undying respect."

His face looked as though it was moved but anyone could see the schadenfreude on his face. He was sarcastically mocking her.

"I'm honored."

Fairy Thunderblaze's voice resounded out, still melodious, as though she wasn't pissed off at all.

"Shit!"

At this moment, one of the inheritors on the sixth step uttered with rage before he turned around and jumped down, going from the sixth step to the fifth step.

However, before he could reach the fifth step, an invisible force manifested and shot towards him.

"Pui!~"

He spat a mouthful of blood and crashed to the sixth step, spurting out blood in copious amounts.

"…"

Everyone was shocked as they saw he was critically injured from trying to go down, especially the ones who also tried to go down after confirming the number of steps they climbed equate to the number of cultivation levels that get taken away from them or sealed, although they didn't know which one it was.

Now, it seems like they couldn't do anything about it after climbing all the way to the sixth step. Their expressions were not good, somewhat unsightly.

The ones who remained at the first step displayed golden smiles like they were innocent children.

They could still chose to go up or go to the sides and climb all the way to the platform. In the case of the latter, only one level of their cultivation base would be sealed.

But from the second step and above, their minds spun at top speed, wondering what to do.

"…!"

At this moment, they saw the purple-robed woman on the seventh step shiver. Her gaze trembled, beads of perspiration formed on her forehead, and her body shuddered ever so lightly as she took a step toward the eighth step.

She seemed to be under great pressure but everyone who experienced the third step and beyond knew that it was just pressure but also repulsion where their mind disallowed them from going towards despite them trying to will it.

It was just like their mind wouldn't allow them to touch something they were allergic to or fearful of. There was no way they could take a step forward without Willing to do so with immense fortitude.

Just as everyone was frozen in place, thinking what to do while staring at the purple-robed fairy, their jaws dropped.

"…"

Fairy Thunderblaze doubled down and actually made it to the eighth step.

Her eyes were wide as though she looked spooked, her robes drenched in perspiration while her body still shuddered ever so lightly. She took deep breaths, trying to calm down.

"The higher you climb, the harder you fall is true, but in the cultivation world, it is also true that the higher you climb, the better riches you find~"

Her voice echoed out with some tension, and the stress she was going through from fear was audible. It was unknown if she was convincing herself or truly thought of it that way but the entire populace was marveled, astonished by her bravery.

The inheritors narrowed their eyes, wondering if they should take a few steps forward instead of settling for the first step. After all, the more they advanced, the greater the disadvantage they would be in, yet Fairy Thunderblaze made it all the way to the eighth step.

They couldn't tell whether she was bold, wise, or plainly stupid.

"…" Even Davis was confused.

He never saw Fairy Thunderblaze as the type to take such risks as he imagined she would've walked towards the wings at the seventh step and be done with it, losing seven levels of cultivation base instead of more.

"Oh, the name of the first trial is up…"

Someone suddenly said, causing everyone to turn to look at the Immortal Dreams Palace, but nothing was there. However, some pointed towards the arch placed before the staircase. There, they saw a name appear on both sides of the arch.

[Stairway of Regression]

"Release it first, dammit!"

A harrowing cry of despair and rage echoed from the platform.

It was none other than Yi Feng.

If he had known that his cultivation would regress, he would've never taken the stairs if it was possible. If he had to, only the first step would've been enough!