281: Chapter 281 Jiang Zhu's Betrayal, Arrogance Descends

At the end of the stone steps, the light grew brighter and brighter.

Chu Sheng reached out, his fingertips touching that ball of warm light.

His body felt a little lighter, and his exhaustion receded like the tide.

Just as he was about to take the final step, a sudden, sharp pain came from his back.

It was not the erosion of Devilish Qi, but the sensation of a Sharp Weapon piercing into flesh.

A cold short blade, carrying the power of corrosion, stabbed into his back, piercing through his Dao robe and his protective spiritual energy, pinning precisely into the edge of his Dao Palace.

Chu Sheng's body stiffened.

He lowered his head and saw the tip of the blade protruding from his chest, black blood dripping down the blade.

Ancient runes were engraved on the blade; it was a Heaven Rank top grade Magic Treasure, bearing the aura of the Lord of the River of the Duanhun River.

Chu Sheng did not turn around; his voice was as hoarse as sandpaper rubbing together.

"Why?"

The Lord of the River's voice came from behind him, carrying a hint of trembling, a hint of guilt, and a hint of despair.

"There is no way... I have no other choice..."

His voice grew lower and lower, until it was like he was talking to himself.

Chu Sheng slowly turned around.

He saw the Lord of the River standing behind him, his face pale and his hands trembling.

The short blade was still embedded in Chu Sheng's back; the Lord of the River's hand had not let go of the hilt, but he did not push it in any further.

The two stared at each other for a breath.

The Lord of the River's eyes reddened, and his lips were quivering.

"He is here... I did not want to, but I had no choice..."

Chu Sheng's pupils constricted.

He did not ask "Who is here," because he had already sensed it.

That terrifying aura came from behind Tianmo Mountain, pressing down like a mountain, even scattering the mist on the mountainside.

Pride.

He was here.

From the direction he had come, a figure slowly walked over.

He was three zhang tall, his entire body shrouded in golden Devilish Qi, like a demon god walking from ancient times.

In his hand, he held something round, still dripping with blood.

Chu Sheng saw clearly what that thing was.

The head of the Old Ancestor of the Snow Plains.

White-haired, face twisted, eyes wide open, dying with a grievance.

The ice-blue pupils had already dilated, losing all their luster.

Chu Sheng's heart sank to the bottom of the valley.

The Old Ancestor of the Snow Plains, at the Peak of the Dao Completion, an old monster who had lived for over ten thousand years, had been killed by Pride.

Like killing a chicken, his head had been twisted off and carried in hand.

Pride walked up the stone steps; his pace was not fast, but every step landed on Chu Sheng's heartbeat.

His gaze passed over the Lord of the River and landed on Chu Sheng, the corners of his mouth slowly curling up.

That smile was not triumph, but a kind of condescending contempt, as if looking at an ant.

"Chu Sheng. I have been waiting for you for a long time."

Chu Sheng did not speak.

His hand pressed against the hilt of his sword; the four zhu xian swords in his Dantian vibrated, like four enraged beasts.

Pride's aura was too strong, so strong that his body was instinctively trembling.

The Lord of the River suddenly knelt down.

His knees slammed onto the stone steps, making a dull thud.

His body was shaking, and his voice was also shaking.

"Lord Demon Venerable... I... This Junior has already followed your instructions... and stabbed him... You promised me... to spare me and my daughter..."

Pride glanced at him, his gaze like looking at an ant.

"What I have said, I will naturally fulfill. You may withdraw."

The Lord of the River, as if granted amnesty, scrambled back to the side.

He did not dare to look at Chu Sheng, keeping his head down and cowering in the corner of the stone steps like a stray dog.

Chu Sheng looked at him; there was no Wrath in his heart, only an indescribable sorrow.

He remembered what the Lord of the River had said at the bottom of the Duanhun River — "That is exactly what I am betting on."

He had lost the bet.

It was not a loss of judgment, but a loss to fear.

Pride was too strong, so strong that it made an old monster of the Daocheng Realm who had lived for thousands of years not even dare to have the thought of resisting.

Pride walked to Chu Sheng and stopped.

He looked down at Chu Sheng, Chu Sheng's pale face reflected in his golden vertical pupils.

"I have been to Tianmo Mountain. Many years ago, I came here. I climbed to the summit, but so what? The Legacy of the Heavenly Demon Ancestor cannot be obtained just by climbing the mountain. It requires a Heavenly Demon Body, it requires Opportunity, and it requires... Destiny."

He paused, the smile at the corners of his mouth deepening.

"I possess the Heavenly Demon Body, a pure-blooded inheritance, far purer than you, a mongrel with an Acquired Awakening. Yet I did not obtain the Legacy. What makes you think you can?"

Chu Sheng did not speak.

His fingers were trembling, not out of fear, but out of Wrath.

But he suppressed that Wrath.

Wrath would make him lose his reason, and losing his reason meant death.

Pride reached out his hand to grab Chu Sheng.

That hand was huge, like a small mountain, covered in golden scales.

Chu Sheng did not hesitate; the four zhu xian swords unsheathed simultaneously, the sword array unfurling around him as dark golden Sword Qi surged out like a tide, slashing toward Pride's hand.

The Sword Qi struck Pride's palm, emitting a harsh metallic screeching sound.

Pride's hand paused, but only for a moment.

A shallow white mark appeared on his palm; there was no bleeding, no broken skin.

He frowned and increased his strength.

The Zhu Xian Sword Formation let out an overwhelmed humming sound under the immense pressure, the dark red patterns on the blades flickering violently.

Chu Sheng gritted his teeth, pushing his spiritual energy to the limit.

But the gap was too great.

Pride was at the Divine Ability Realm, the Tongxuan Realm, possessing the complete power of Greed and partial power of Gluttony.

Chu Sheng was at the Early Stage of the Dao Completion, having just achieved the Breakthrough, not even having had time to stabilize his Realm.

Three moves.

Chu Sheng only lasted three moves.

The first move, the Zhu Xian Sword Formation was shattered.

The second move, the four zhu xian swords were knocked away, embedding themselves into the distant stone wall, the blades humming.

The third move, Pride's fist smashed into Chu Sheng's chest, causing him to spew a mouthful of blood, his body flying toward the summit like a kite with a broken string.

Chu Sheng fell onto the stone steps, rolling down over a dozen steps before coming to a stop.

His Dao robe was torn, his body covered in blood, but his hands still propped him up on the stone steps; he had not fallen.

He raised his head, looking toward the summit.

There, the mist had dispersed somewhat, and the outline of a palace could be vaguely seen.

The Legacy of the Heavenly Demon Ancestor was right there.

Chu Sheng struggled to stand up, not looking back at Pride.

He strode forward, walking toward the summit.

One step, two steps, three steps.

His legs were trembling, and with every step, blood welled from his wounds.

But he did not stop.

Pride stood on the stone steps, watching Chu Sheng's back, not pursuing.

It was not that he couldn't catch up, but that he did not want to.

The higher one went on Tianmo Mountain, the greater the pressure; even he was unwilling to endure that kind of pressure.

He had been here once, climbed to the summit, and then returned empty-handed.

Extreme Pride made him believe that if even he could not obtain something, no one in this world could.

Chu Sheng? A mongrel with an Acquired Awakening, by what right?

He did not need to pursue.

He only needed to wait.

Wait for Chu Sheng to hit a wall at the summit, wait for Chu Sheng to tumble down in a wretched state, and then he would crush him like an ant.

Pride sat cross-legged on the stone steps and closed his eyes.

Golden Devilish Qi churned around him, shrouding his figure within it.

The Lord of the River cowered in the corner, shivering, not daring to move or speak.

His gaze fell in the direction where Chu Sheng had disappeared, his lips moving as if to say something, but nothing came out.

Chu Sheng continued to walk upward.

His consciousness was blurring, his body was collapsing, but his footsteps did not stop.

He thought to himself: In his current state, if he encountered Pride, it would be a three-seven split at best.

3 minutes to be killed 7 times by Pride.

It was not a metaphor; it was the truth.

He could not even take one of Pride's punches.

But he could not stop.

To stop was to die.

Walking upward, there was at least a glimmer of survival.

He gritted his teeth, climbing up step by step.

The stone steps grew steeper, the Devilish Qi grew thicker, and the pressure grew greater.

His knees were bleeding, his palms were bleeding, and the corners of his mouth were bleeding.

But he did not stop.

He could not stop.

He only had one thought in his mind — go up.

Must go up.

Chu Sheng did not know how long he had been climbing; his consciousness had completely blurred.

He just mechanically moved his legs, one step, two steps, three steps.

Ahead, the outline of that palace was becoming clearer and clearer.

He reached out his hand, grabbing toward the direction of the palace.

Then everything went black before his eyes, and he lost consciousness.

His body rolled down from the stone steps, tumbling toward the bottom of the mountain.

He gritted his teeth, pulled himself back up, and continued to climb.

Pride closed his eyes, a cold sneer at the corners of his mouth.

He was not in a hurry.

He had plenty of time.

The wind at the summit was strong, blowing Chu Sheng's Dao robe until it snapped.

He raised his head, looking at that palace.

The palace doors were open, and a warm light shone from within.

Chu Sheng took a deep breath and stepped inside.