Chapter 810: Disqualification

Duan Feihong, clad in a bright red Daoist robe, landed on the stone terrace's staircase plaza.

He sat cross-legged in midair, eyes closed.

His face was pale, yet he remained silent, speaking to no one.

Only a sacred sword hovered behind him, slowly rotating, waves of heavenly sword intent rippling from it, enveloping a hundred-zhang radius of space around Duan Feihong.

"Is this the human Emperor?"

"Duan Feihong!"

"Rank eleven in combat power!"

"Since Zhu Que, the Phoenix Emperor, ascended, his rank has risen to tenth!"

"Is he strong?"

"Very strong!"

"Why did he come?"

"What else? He's here to support the human race—humanity has finally produced two geniuses, and Duan Feihong has come to break the wall!"

"But I feel something's off with him—he looks injured!"

"His face is terrifyingly pale!"

The crowd buzzed with discussion.

At that moment, the Phoenix Clan's Seventh Elder, Kongkong Emperor, and Zhu Zhengyan, the Golden Crow Emperor, all flew out from the grand hall and arrived on the plaza.

"Duan Feihong, you actually came?"

The Seventh Elder frowned.

They had planned to stop Duan Feihong from coming here.

Now he had come.

Humanity now had a wall-breaker!

How could they possibly stop He Pingsheng now?

"Y-you… your cultivation… has it broken through?" The Seventh Elder's spiritual sense swept over Duan Feihong, and his voice trembled with shock.

He discovered Duan Feihong's cultivation had reached the twelfth layer of Mahayana Emperor Realm.

The peak.

That meant this bastard had shattered his bottleneck?

Then… with humanity's combat power growth bonus, this guy's current combat power must no longer be tenth or eleventh?

"Not bad," Duan Feihong said calmly, slowly: "I must thank the Phoenix Clan."

"To prevent me from coming to this stone terrace staircase, you sent two Phoenix Emperor-level cultivators to intercept me—and fought me a life-or-death battle!"

"Hahaha…" Duan Feihong suddenly burst into laughter: "It was precisely this fierce, exhilarating battle that allowed this Emperor to break through and enter the twelfth layer of Mahayana Emperor Realm!"

"You…" The Seventh Elder's face turned pale: "Don't make false claims… the Phoenix Clan is a divine race—when did we ever intercept you?"

"Those were merely the personal actions of a few Phoenix Emperors, and their purpose in seeking you may not have been to stop you from coming here!"

"The Stone Terrace Staircase is an open competition—anyone may enter!"

"The actions of a few Phoenix Emperors do not represent the entire Phoenix Clan!"

The Phoenix Clan must clarify immediately.

After all, so many are watching—the Phoenix Clan is a divine race, and divine races must preserve their dignity; their public image must remain upright.

"Humanity's rise begins today!" Duan Feihong's red robe flared violently, the sword intent behind him reaching its zenith.

A sword cry pierced the four directions.

"If anyone dares block humanity's prodigies, Duan Feihong will die on this staircase plaza without hesitation!"

"I beg Heaven to take pity on humanity!"

He rose from midair, waved his hand, and the divine sword landed in his grasp.

The Seventh Elder smiled: "Naturally… we welcome all races to challenge the Stone Terrace Staircase. But if anyone violates the rules, they lose all right to ascend the staircase!"

"Thirteenth Elder, announce it."

The Seventh Elder's gaze turned to a woman in green robes behind him.

She was also Mahayana Emperor Realm, though her cultivation was low—only first layer.

She stepped forward into midair, looked down at the countless prodigies, and said: "I announce two pieces of news!"

"One good, one bad."

"The good news: if anyone ascends the staircase and claims first place, the Phoenix Clan will award them a 【Nirvana Divine Stone】!"

"This is a last-minute decision!"

"Of course, for you, this is undoubtedly good news."

Hearing this, the prodigies erupted in uproar.

Nirvana Divine Stone?

That was the Phoenix Clan's exclusive treasure.

It could not be used for cultivation or to boost one's cultivation base, but if used as a material in forging, the resulting magic treasure would inherently possess fire-based attacks.

Moreover, its rank was directly eighth-grade!

Eighth-grade was also called Emperor-grade!

Of course, after the initial excitement, everyone grew calm again.

Damn, only for first place?

First place…

Could we even get first?

Seems it has nothing to do with me.

This matter was destined to be unrelated to most of us.

"Alright, I announce the second matter!"

The Thirteenth Elder, without warning, immediately raised a jade slip!

She sent magic power into it, and several names appeared.

"Feng Wu, Feng Tong… Huo Ming, Kongkong Crown Prince, Yun Yi, Feng Yu, He Pingsheng…" The Thirteenth Elder read the names aloud:

"After investigation, these prodigies illegally used magic treasures during the Fourth Trial's World of Ten Thousand Realms. Their qualifications to ascend the staircase are hereby revoked!"

"Personal points revoked!"

"But team points remain intact!"

Hua …

The crowd erupted again.

Disqualified?

And his name was on the list—He Pingsheng?

He Pingsheng was stunned.

Had he broken the rules?

Of course he had… when he faced the siege of Body Integration prodigies, and when crushed by the Phoenix Clan's Twelve Nirvana Eternal Life Array, he had used magic treasures!

Without them, he would have died.

But no one had seen it.

What evidence do you have?

He Pingsheng immediately rose to protest—but before he could move, the Thirteenth Elder spoke again: "Ladies and gentlemen, this list is only a partial record we hold. If anyone witnessed other rule-breakers, now is the time to report them!"

"Moreover, we offer these suspected violators a chance to clear their names!"

"If anyone believes they did not illegally use magic treasures, stand up and swear an oath before the Heavenly Dao—we will then deem you innocent!"

"He Pingsheng!" The Thirteenth Elder directly called his name: "I know you are a highly watched figure!"

"Your name appearing here will surely cause many to object!"

"But if someone reports, we must investigate!"

"Now… this opportunity is yours."

"If you dare swear the Heavenly Dao Oath proving your innocence, we will restore your qualification to ascend the staircase!"

He Pingsheng felt like vomiting.

The Phoenix Clan's move was brilliant.

First, list the names. Then force you to swear.

Will you swear—or not?

If not, your qualification is gone.

And under the eyes of all, they give you no chance to explain why you used magic treasures.

Even if you tried, a few sentences wouldn't suffice—and who has patience to listen?

So cruel!