Chapter 71 - The 3rd Trial

After Yaan was transported into the 3rd trial, his mind remained blurred for some time. Thankfully, the pressure from the stairway as well as the extreme medicinal effect from the unknown pill had both vanished at this point, so he was able to rapidly regain his mental and physical faculties. As he dazedly picked himself up and looked around, he realised that he was not alone here.

When he saw that he was surrounded by the other participants, he stopped lamenting the fact that he had failed to obtain the prize from the 600th stair, and forced himself to move on.

He was still injured, so the current situation was dangerous. He swallowed a Rank 3 Vital Recovery Pill as his eyes darted about rapidly, quickly assessing the situation.

Everyone was gathered together within a vast palace hall. The floor was made from an unknown white stone, whilst off-white pillars ten feet in width connected the ground to the ceiling a hundred feet up. The ceiling itself was identical to the floor below, making people feel slightly disoriented when they looked up.

Yaan relaxed his nerves when he saw a couple of familiar faces. After another few seconds, his vision and sense of hearing recovered properly, allowing him to hear Nadda calling out.

“Yaan, are you alright….?”

Yaan blinked and looked at Nadda’s gloomy pale face, giving him a nod before looking away. He then glanced across at the other Ghu Clansmen, and after some thought, he turned towards Ghu Lin and clasped his hands.

“Thanks for watching over me.”

Although it was only for a few seconds, he had been in an extremely vulnerable state after arriving in this place. Thankfully, his injuries were now healing rapidly, but just moments ago, he was in serious danger. If anyone had malicious thoughts in that moment of weakness, Yaan could very well have lost his life. The thought made him shudder slightly, causing him to realise that perhaps, he shouldn’t have gone all out in the 2nd trial. Not only did he waste his energy and leave himself vulnerable to attack afterwards, but he didn’t even manage to gain the reward from the 600th step…

In this life, nothing was guaranteed. More often than not, you would encounter failure, your plans and hopes crumbling to dust.

After Ghu Lin gave Yaan a light nod, Yaan turned away. He was able to quickly deduce that this was both the 3rd trial and not. It should be the case that the 3rd trial would start here, but only after everyone had left the misty stairway.

Whoosh!

Just seconds after Yaan jumped to his feet, the red skinned devilish spirit appeared before them once again! The fact that the spirit appeared immediately after his own arrival in this place, suggested that Yaan was actually the last challenger remaining on the misty stairway. This was not surprising given that he possessed extreme physical stamina compared to Qi refiners.

The devil’s presence was as overbearing as ever, silencing the crowd and drawing their apprehensive stares.

“2,912 challengers have made it to the 3rd trial. The 3rd trial will last for 24 hours, then after 12 hours, the entrance to the 4th trial will appear. After 24 hours, all remaining participants will be sent out from the inheritance. The 3rd trial is simple; you may do nothing, or you may kill. Every kill within this trial will be rewarded, but inaction is also acceptable. The 3rd trial is the last chance to leave the inheritance prior to reaching the end…”

After saying this and pausing momentarily, the devil’s booming voice roared out the final word, signifying the start off the 3rd trial:

“Begin!”

With that, the devil vanished, leaving the palace hall in eery silence. Everyone had experienced the ruthlessness of the trials and of their competition in this inheritance, so they naturally looked around warily, uncertain about how events would unfold from here.

When they thought about it, they realised the truth…wouldn’t this just be another repeat of the 1st trial, yet another chaotic bloodbath?!

The only difference between the 1st trial and the 3rd trial was that fighting was entirely optional in the 3rd trial, but choosing to kill would result in rewards!

It was possible to enter the 4th trial just by waiting! They could even leave this demonic inheritance if they held out for one more day! That said…would it be possible to survive until then?

“Everyone, there’s no need for us to fight amongst ourselves! I believe that we should simply sit and wait during this 3rd trial. Those who wish to leave can leave, those who wish to continue onwards can enter the 4th trial!”

A Qi Temple Realm man flew a few dozen feet into the air, then used a treasure to amplify his voice such that everyone could hear him. His aura spread out, drawing much attention as he was identified as a 5th Layer Qi Temple Realm cultivator, a true elite in this inheritance!

A few individuals nodded in agreement, others sneered, whilst most of the Ghu Clansmen glanced at one another, not showing much emotion on their faces.

“I agree!” A younger man hurried across to that elite’s side. He clasped his hands whilst looking up at the elite, before turning towards the crowd and saying:

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“Everyone, this inheritance has been far more terrible than any of us imagined! There’s no reason for any further blood shed, we should…”

At first, Yaan listened to these people as they engaged in discussion, but his attention was diverted as he heard someone calling out to him quietly from behind him.

“Yaan.”

Yaan felt tense as that voice entered his ears, because he hadn’t noticed anyone approaching him. Even so, he showed no change in his expression. He turned back, pausing only briefly in surprise as Ghu Lin’s handsome face came into his view.

“In trials like this, body temperers always receive superior rewards. If you kill, I will protect you, as will the other Ghu Clansmen. We can split the rewards you receive half and half between us.”

Seeing that Ghu Lin had taken the initiative to approach Yaan, Nadda’s gaze flashed with uncertainty. He moved and quickly arrived beside the pair. He didn’t say anything, but he kept a close eye on Ghu Lin.

Yaan remained silent as he examined Ghu Lin for a moment. He didn’t know much about this person, but Nadda had mentioned that Ghu Lin was well known, even within the Ghu Clan. He wasn’t a shocking genius when it came to cultivation and he didn’t possess amazing cultivation talent, but…

Ghu Lin had climbed his way up, both through politics and cultivation realms, by making use of his sharp wits and his deep intelligence. Yaan felt that Ghu Lin was unfathomable, it was extremely difficult to guess exactly what he was thinking. Just based on his facial expression alone, he came across as well mannered and honest, but what sort of scheming demon could possibly be described as ‘honest’?

Turning back towards the crowd, Yaan mulled over the proposition whilst watching the actions of the others. People had already started forming groups, with the largest of the groups centring around the righteous middle aged man, who was still trying to persuade people that there was no need to fight.

Yaan briefly hesitated, unsure if he really wanted to go through with this. It was one thing to kill those who were also trying to seek rewards, but these people no longer wanted to continue with this death game. Most importantly, there were so many people…did he really have it in him to slaughter so many people so mercilessly…? Killing one or two people was one thing, but if he teamed up with Ghu Lin, he would be killing hundreds, possibly even thousands!

Ghu Lin’s eyes flashed indiscernibly.

“What is there to hesitate over? Everyone to enter the inheritance knew what they were getting into. They are only backing out now due to their fear. If they had the ability to massacre this entire group, do you really think they would not do so?”

Ghu Lin’s words cut directly into the crux of Yaan’s hesitance, sweeping away his doubts and clearing up his mind.

Yaan knew that what he said was correct. He had seen just how far a seemingly good person could fall given the right circumstances.

‘Right…I decided that I wouldn’t care about the lives of others for the duration of this inheritance…if they wanted to live, then they shouldn’t have entered!’ In the first place, Yaan was no saint, he had killed his fair share of people. Really, his hesitation was towards the sheer numbers involved this time, but he quickly resolved himself, reminding himself of why he was here.

Besides this motivation, there was another point pressuring Yaan to agree with Ghu Lin’s plan; threat. Whilst Ghu Lin didn’t directly threaten him, it was obvious that declining his offer would not be taken well.

Honestly, Yaan really didn’t want to get on the Ghu Clan’s bad side. He had to remind himself that whilst he was a guest of the Ghu Clan, this was a demonic clan, and most of these clansmen had no relationship with him. Aside from Ghu Nadda, Yaan didn’t really know these people…

He didn’t want to annoy Ghu Lin, nor did he wish to show weakness in front of him.

As his thoughts progressed along this path, the darkness in Yaan’s eyes grew deeper. Both Ghu Lin and Ghu Nadda were surprised by this darkness as it slipped out into his aura, feeling like the Yaan before them had changed ever so slightly. Or perhaps, this was not a change, but a certain part of his nature surfacing once again…

“Fine, I accept.” Yaan turned towards Ghu Lin calmly and nodded. “How many will we kill?”

“Everyone aside from the Ghu Clan and our guests!” Ghu Lin spoke quietly, but the coldness in his tone made Yaan’s eyes widen for a brief moment. After considering it briefly, a certain someone flashed through Yaan’s mind and he frowned.

“There’s one person I’d rather not kill…”

“Oh? A friend?”

“Not exactly…but her grandfather is at the Origin Soul Realm.”

Ghu Lin furrowed his brows. This was indeed problematic. If they killed the direct descendent of an Origin Soul Realm powerhouse, it was very likely that they would be discovered by that powerhouse. The methods of those at the Origin Soul Realm were vast and impossible to predict for lower realm cultivators.

“Is she from one of the Northern clans?”

“Mm. Her name is Zue Yin.”

“What, Zue Yin is here? This…” Ghu Lin frowned.

It was indeed a bit dangerous to target Zue Yin, but he guessed that Yaan’s hesitancy to kill her was not only limited to this risk. When he thought back to the information that he had been told about Yaan before coming here, his gaze flashed momentarily before he nodded.

“Fine, she can live. If there’s anyone else you wish to spare, then just let me know.”

Yaan was surprised that Ghu Lin was so understanding. He focussed his eyes, looking at the man who appeared to be in his early thirties, but was certainly older than just this. Even now, he couldn’t read him at all…

‘Perhaps the North Ghu City Lord told Ghu Lin to maintain a good relationship with me…?’ Yaan was uncertain, but he relaxed after remembering the poison oath sworn by the city lord. In that oath, the city lord vowed not to personally harm Yaan, nor to order others to bring harm to him.

With this in mind, and given that Ghu Lin shouldn’t have any personal grudge against him, he should be able to trust Ghu Lin to a certain extent.

That said, Yaan was well aware that once he had accumulated a mass of benefits in this trial, it was entirely possible that Ghu Lin’s attitude might change. He wasn’t too worried about this though. The Spiritual Energy density in this palace hall was too miserable, meaning that Qi refiners were much weaker here compared to in the outside world. Any of the powerful Qi refiners in this place would need to think twice before targeting him.

“I appreciate your understanding.” Yaan clasped his hands towards Ghu Lin. Ghu Lin flashed him a light smile, before turning back towards the other Ghu Clansmen and signalling to them with a barely noticeable nod. Seeing this, a few gazes lit up eerily.

Some looked towards the other challengers, whilst a select few briefly glanced at Yaan himself.

As for Nadda, he now understood the situation and decided to remain beside Yaan to assist him. After Ghu Lin gave the signal to the other Ghu Clansmen, he also made his way back to Yaan’s side, intending to protect him from any assailants. He would also injure everyone in the immediate vicinity, giving Yaan a better opportunity to accumulate kills.

The Ghu Clansmen would naturally engage in some slaughter of their own, but they all understood the benefit of having a body temperer obtain the kills. They were privy to more information regarding this mysterious inheritance than most, so they knew that if Yaan achieved the kills himself, the rewards would be much greater.

Before beginning, Yaan glanced at Ghu Lin thoughtfully. His gaze went unnoticed since he didn’t turn his head and his appearance was still distorted by the mysterious hat.

‘Splitting everything half and half…that seems a bit too generous. It’s likely that he’ll demand more afterwards, but so long as I can keep just one fifth, it’s good enough.’

Yaan was certain that Ghu Lin’s words didn’t quite match up to his thoughts. Whilst his relationship with the Ghu Clan was quite good, he was under no delusion that this demonic clan valued him so highly that they would allow him to keep all of the benefits from the inheritance for himself.

No, rather than being ‘generous’, they definitely wanted to use him to gain more rewards for themselves!

Truthfully, Yaan was aware that both the city lord and Ghu Nadda’s great grandfather wanted to use him for this very purpose. They saw him as a means of accumulating more uncommon resources and treasures within this inheritance.

Body temperers were too rare, even within the Ghu Clan, who had access to the Fiend Transformation Technique. It was known by the elite that body temperers could gain better rewards in the trials compared to Qi refiners, so the Ghu Clan would definitely try to make the most of Yaan’s presence.

As Yaan, Ghu Nadda and Ghu Lin turned to face the other cultivators, their actions began to attract some attention. Yaan was still preparing himself for what he was about to do, but it seemed that time was not a luxury that he could afford to waste right now.

“Go!” Ghu Lin suddenly roared out loud, his voice shocking everyone present. Golden ripples travelled outwards, imbedded into the sound waves in his voice. These golden rippled rapidly spread out and covered the entire crowd of thousands of people!

To those on Ghu Lin’s own side, they felt their bravery soar through the roof, they were filled with the courage to battle to the death!

As for Ghu Lin’s enemies, they were immediately overwhelmed by a sense of dread and fear, causing many individuals to freeze in terror.

Yaan’s eyes flashed. Before even engaging in combat, Ghu Lin actually used such a shocking spell which was able to influence the entire battlefield!

With this, the 3rd trial had truly begun!