Chapter 73: Nine Hundred Thousand Foundation Establishment Stage

Chen Ping stood at the back of the queue.

The people ahead of him challenged the trial one by one, some succeeding and others failing.

Those who succeeded were overjoyed and stepped onto the Heavenly Stairway.

Those who failed were dejected, sent flying by the puppets.

Finally, it was Chen Ping’s turn.

“Next!”

The cultivator responsible for maintaining order called out without even looking up.

Chen Ping stepped forward.

The cultivator looked up at him and froze.

“Qi Refining Stage?”

He rubbed his eyes, making sure he wasn’t seeing things.

“What are you doing here?”

“Challenging the trial,” Chen Ping said calmly.

The cultivator opened his mouth as if to say something, but ultimately just shook his head.

“Fine. Go on in.”

Chen Ping walked into the challenge area.

He stood in place, looking around.

“Why hasn’t the puppet come out yet?”

He waited for a moment.

Finally, the puppets appeared.

Nine of them.

Dao Severing Realm puppets.

Nine Dao Severing Realm puppets stood in a neat row before him, deep blue flames flickering in their eye sockets as they stared coldly at him.

Chen Ping was dumbfounded.

Completely dumbfounded.

“U-Uh… brother…”

He swallowed hard.

“Are you kidding me? I’m only in the Qi Refining Stage! Weren’t they supposed to be just one major realm higher? What the hell are these nine Dao Severing Realms?!”

*

In the distance, gasps erupted from the crowd.

“Look! Nine Dao Severing Realm puppets appeared in front of that kid!”

“Nine?! That’s the maximum difficulty!”

“How could someone in the Qi Refining Stage trigger the maximum difficulty?”

Someone pondered for a moment, then came to a sudden realization.

“He must be hiding his strength! The senior looks like he’s in the Qi Refining Stage, but he’s definitely a Dao Severing Realm old monster!”

“Right, right, right! That must be it! Even though he hid his realm, he still couldn’t fool the puppets!”

Thus, the way people addressed Chen Ping instantly changed from “kid” to “senior.”

“This senior is truly hiding his depth!”

“To trigger nine Dao Severing Realm puppets, he must be at least in the late Dao Severing Realm!”

The crowd bustled with discussion, their gazes toward Chen Ping filled with awe.

This was the world of cultivation.

The weak were prey to the strong, and power commanded respect.

*

Listening to their chatter, Chen Ping cursed inwardly.

A Dao Severing Realm senior?

I’m fucking really in the Qi Refining Stage!

Are these puppets out of their minds?

*

But right now, he had no time to pay attention to their chatter.

Nine Dao Severing Realm puppets stood right before him, their pressure as heavy as mountains and vast as seas, making it almost impossible for him to breathe.

How was he supposed to fight this?

Even against the Grotto-Heaven Realm, he could only run.

The Dao Severing Realm… they were existences that could turn him to ash in a single exchange.

*

Chen Ping took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.

He stared at the puppets, not moving.

Strangely, the puppets did not move either.

They just stood there quietly, as if… sizing him up?

Chen Ping’s heart stirred.

Is there a chance?

*

Time ticked by.

The crowd below was growing a bit impatient.

“Why hasn’t the senior make a move yet?”

“Yeah, they’ve been standing there for so long…”

“Could he be scared?” “Scared of what? That’s a senior who triggered nine Dao Severing Realm puppets! He must be preparing some ultimate move!”

*

Chen Ping cursed inwardly.

Make a move?

How?

He was just in the Qi Refining Stage, and they wanted him to fight nine Dao Severing Realms?

Wasn’t that just seeking death?

But staying in this deadlock wasn’t a solution either.

Chen Ping grit his teeth and braced himself to speak.

“Um… Brother Puppets…”

He said tentatively.

“I’m only in the Qi Refining Stage. Did you guys make a mistake? Why did you send out such a powerful lineup?”

*

To his surprise, the puppets seemed to actually understand him.

The flame in the eye sockets of the middle puppet flickered.

It was sizing Chen Ping up.

Chen Ping rejoiced inwardly.

As long as we can communicate!

“Brother Puppet, take a good look. I’m really just in the Qi Refining Stage! With such a massive lineup, how am I supposed to survive?”

*

The puppet fell silent for a moment.

Then, it moved.

Not to attack.

Instead, it turned around and exchanged looks with the other eight puppets.

It was as if they were communicating.

*

The crowd below was completely baffled.

“What is the senior doing?”

“He seems to be… talking to the puppets?”

“Puppets can talk?”

“Who knows? Maybe it’s some kind of secret technique?”

*

A moment later.

The nine puppets moved simultaneously.

Their figures began to blur, turning into streaks of light that intertwined, split, and recombined in the air.

The nine Dao Severing Realm puppets split into nine hundred thousand peak Foundation Establishment puppets.

The densely packed puppets filled the entire challenge area, stretching as far as the eye could see.

*

Chen Ping froze.

Nine hundred thousand?

Peak Foundation Establishment?

Looking at the dense, dark mass of puppets before him, he suddenly smiled.

Although the number was a bit high… as long as they weren’t in the Dao Severing Realm, it was manageable.

Even though they had split from nine Dao Severing puppets and their total energy should be about the same, the difference in individual strength was night and day.

It could be said to be the difference between heaven and earth.

*

The crowd below was also dumbfounded.

“W-What kind of move is this?”

“Nine hundred thousand peak Foundation Establishment puppets?!”

“What on earth did the senior do?”

No one could answer.

Only Chen Ping tightened his grip on the Qingfeng Sword.

Nine hundred thousand peak Foundation Establishments?

Bring it on.

Chen Ping moved.

The Qingfeng Sword unsheathed, and a purple-gold sword light swept out!

The front row of Foundation Establishment puppets was instantly sliced in half, turning into ashes and dispersing.

Dozens of puppets fell to a single strike.

But even more puppets surged forward.

Chen Ping no longer held back.

He circulated the Grand Dao Divine Scripture to its limits, and the purple-gold Great Dao Primordial Power surged like a raging river.

Activating the Grand Dao Evasion Technique to its utmost, his figure flashed through the horde of puppets like lightning.

With every swing of his sword, swaths of puppets fell.

But as fast as he killed them, the puppets swarmed even faster.

Nine hundred thousand.

Just hearing that number was enough to make one’s scalp go numb.

*

An hour later.

Chen Ping stopped in a clearing, panting heavily.

He was covered in the ashes left by the puppets, and the glow of the Qingfeng Sword had dimmed.

In that hour, he had slain nearly ten thousand puppets.

Yet as he looked out, the puppets were still packed densely, stretching past the horizon.

“Too slow…”

Chen Ping gritted his teeth.

Although his power level was high and his strikes were devastating, his range was too limited.

A single swing could only kill a few dozen at most.

At this rate, how long would it take to kill nine hundred thousand puppets?

Moreover, his spiritual energy was limited.

If he kept wearing himself down like this, he would eventually run dry and die.

*

Chen Ping took a deep breath.

He closed his eyes.

When he opened them again, a purple-gold light flared in his eyes!

Grand Dao Divine Eyes – open!

Right after –

Great Dao Divine Punishment!

Boom!!!

In the sky, thunderclouds gathered.

Purple lightning poured down like a waterfall, covering an area of a thousand zhang!

With every bolt of lightning that struck, hundreds or thousands of puppets turned to ash.

Thunder roared, and lightning danced wildly.

That entire area was completely transformed into a purgatory of lightning.

*

An hour later.

The lightning dissipated.

Chen Ping leaned on his longsword, panting heavily.

His eyes stung with unbearable pain, and his vision repeatedly went dark.

The drain of the Grand Dao Divine Eyes was too immense.

Unleashing it on such a massive scale had nearly killed him.

But when he looked up –

Half of the puppets were gone.

At least four hundred thousand puppets had turned to ash.

The corner of Chen Ping’s mouth twitched. He wanted to smile, but he couldn’t manage it.

His eyes hurt too much.

He couldn’t use them again.

*

He stood up, gripping the Qingfeng Sword tightly.

Inside his body, the Grand Dao Divine Scripture circulated at full power.

The remaining four hundred thousand plus puppets were still swarming toward him.

Chen Ping took a deep breath.

Then, he moved.

Not to charge into the fray.

Instead, he formed hand seals with both hands.

Purple-gold light gathered in his palms, growing brighter and more intense.

Great Dao Spirit-Burying Hand –

Chen Ping struck with his palm!

That strike seemed to tear the heavens and earth apart.

The purple-gold light transformed into a giant hand, pressing down from the sky!

Boom!!!

As the palm fell, tens of thousands of puppets turned to ash.

Chen Ping did not stop.

The second strike.

The third strike.

The fourth strike.

…

With every strike that fell, tens of thousands of puppets were obliterated.

His face grew paler and paler, his spiritual energy draining rapidly.

But he did not stop.

He couldn’t stop.

*

Four hours later.

The final strike fell.

The last puppet turned to ash and vanished.

Chen Ping dropped to one knee, panting heavily.

His face was as pale as paper, and his body was drenched in sweat.

The Qingfeng Sword was stabbed into the ground beside him, its blade covered in fine cracks.

All around him was nothingness.

All nine hundred thousand puppets had turned to ash.

*

Chen Ping looked around, then suddenly smiled.

“Finally… they’re all dead…”

He collapsed onto his back, panting heavily.

Exhausted.

Too exhausted.

From his physical body to his soul, he was exhausted to the absolute limit.