Chapter 794: Stone Stele Competition

Feng Wanxi spoke at length with passionate fervor.

Yet still, no one was willing to step forward to merge souls.

The key issue was that no one had expected He Pingsheng to be so ferocious—slaying peers of equal cultivation like chopping melons and vegetables—so what if this man possessed the ability to slay those far above him?

No one wanted to take the risk.

Moreover, once you merge, both your body and your avatar go together—if you die, you truly die.

"Holy Maiden!" A Feng clan man bowed and said, "Why not skip the second step entirely and proceed straight to the third?"

"Seven of us merge at once; after merging, we can immediately surround and kill He Pingsheng before he has time to recover!"

"Wouldn't that be better?"

"Why waste a step?"

Many shared the same thought, and all eyes turned to Feng Wanxi.

"You don't understand!" Feng Wanxi said. "Everyone here wants to try their luck on the Stone Platform Stairway. Climbing the Stairway isn't determined by cultivation base—sometimes, those who seem weak climb higher than others!"

"To ensure more people can attempt the Stairway climb, we cannot expend so many lives on merging at once!"

"Unless the second step fails!"

"Everyone knows that the higher your cultivation, the greater the gap between realms. Once you enter Body Integration, you can summon the Divine Form of Heaven and Earth—something no Void Refinement cultivator can possibly resist!"

"Body Integration crushing Void Refinement? It's absolute domination!"

"He Pingsheng is certainly no concern!"

"Even if, by some remote chance, we can't defeat him, we can still escape using Body Integration power—no problem!"

"What do you all say?"

Feng Wanxi took a deep breath, full of anticipation.

Yet still, no one was willing.

"Fine!" Feng Wanxi gritted her teeth and said, "Whoever volunteers, whether or not they kill He Pingsheng, as long as they return alive, I shall petition the Ancestor to grant them the title of Feng Clan Holy Son!"

At these words, someone's eyes instantly brightened.

A Feng clan prodigy clad in green Daoist robes said, "Very well… If the Holy Maiden truly promises this, I, Feng Wu, am willing to merge souls!"

Feng Wanxi rejoiced and personally arranged the merging ritual for Feng Wu.

Feng Wu waved his hand and produced his own avatar.

Since all had reached the peak of Void Refinement, the timing for merging body and avatar had long since arrived.

Boom… boom… boom…

Not long after, the sky above grew dark with storm clouds, lightning flickering wildly.

…

On the other side!

At nearly the very center of the Grand World lay a vast mountain range.

Its highest peak pierced the heavens like a colossal sword.

The summit had been flattened, spanning a thousand zhang, with five massive black stone steles standing in the center.

These five black stone steles were the legendary Prodigy Steles.

At this moment, each of the five steles was occupied.

On the first stele sat a Feng clan man, clad in a white Daoist robe embroidered with dark red patterns. He was tall and impossibly handsome.

On the second stele sat none other than the Golden Crow Clan's Crown Prince, Zhu Xuanlun.

On the third stele sat a monk dressed in a crimson kasaya, so strikingly handsome he seemed unreal—clearly the Mingyue Venerable of the Fomen.

On the fourth stele sat the Tianhu Clan's Holy Maiden, Bai Zhiting, clad in a pink Daoist robe.

On the fifth stele sat another Feng clan member!

Of the five steles, two were occupied by Feng clan prodigies.

Around these five steles, over a hundred prodigies gathered.

Their gazes flickered constantly.

Some sought to replace the occupants; others knew their strength was insufficient and merely watched.

Some had already left to fight for the jade tablets.

"Venerable Master!"

"Greetings…"

A Feng clan cultivator in white robes rose from the ground and attacked the third stele where Mingyue sat.

Because, at a glance, Mingyue was the only human—and the only one who seemed easy to bully.

The Feng clan woman was also a female cultivator, and quite beautiful.

Yet Mingyue merely smiled coldly, then instantly expanded into a five-hundred-zhang form. With one downward sweep of his hand, countless beams of Buddhist light, accompanied by sacred chants, rained down.

Roar…

Roar roar…

A golden aura emerged from Mingyue's body, hovering above his head like a divine Buddha descending.

Simultaneously, eight golden dragon shadows spiraled toward the Feng clan woman and struck.

This technique, He Pingsheng had seen before.

It was Mingyue's supreme skill: Eightfold Heavenly Dragons.

Though the Feng clan woman was a prodigy herself, after one clash, she was blasted a hundred zhang away and crashed heavily to the ground.

"Amitabha…" The five-hundred-zhang golden form intoned, "The Fomen upholds compassion. I used only six-tenths of my strength just now."

His words were meant to deter others from challenging him.

The woman retreated.

But then, a hollow, arrogant voice rang out: "Mingyue… unleash your full strength—I've arrived!"

At the sound, all turned toward the horizon, where a brilliant light streaked across the sky.

In an instant, the light landed atop the peak, resolving into a dark-skinned human man.

Wang Dun!

Whoosh…

Seeing Wang Dun, the prodigies around him instantly recoiled, leaving a wide empty space.

No one knew Wang Dun's combat strength, but everyone remembered how he had taken Zhao Xiangdu's strike head-on—and survived.

Not only survived—he wasn't even injured!

Moreover, during the first Prodigy Gathering, he had taken a blow from Kongkong Crown Prince as well.

Just from these two incidents, it was clear this man was no ordinary cultivator.

"Amitabha…" Mingyue's face darkened as Wang Dun approached.

Why?

Because he bore a grudge against Wang Dun.

He had once stomped on Wang Dun's face.

And now that Wang Dun had grown stronger, he would never let it go.

Though Mingyue had never fought him, in Mingyue's eyes, Wang Dun was far more troublesome than He Pingsheng.

Why?

Because this man was brazen, utterly without principles, and completely indifferent to his own dignity.

Such a person was hard to deal with.

"Amitabha!" Mingyue took a deep breath and bowed one hand toward Wang Dun. "If Master Wang desires my seat, I shall yield the stele to you."

"The Buddha is compassionate. I do not contend for petty gains."

With that, Mingyue stepped down from the stele—truly stepped down.

He didn't want to leave—he knew he had no chance of winning against Wang Dun.

He might even be killed by this man.

Others didn't know Wang Dun's strength, but Mingyue had seen it firsthand.

Back then, when he had the advantage in cultivation, he still couldn't kill him—now that their realms were equal, the outcome was obvious.