Chapter 5501: Trial on the High Pedestal
“That girl is obedient!” Eggy burst into laughter upon seeing Long Shanshan giving up right away.
Long Chengyu and the others looked at Chu Feng in confusion.
Noticing the confused gazes, Chu Feng explained, “Based on what I have observed, the wind, water, fire, lightning, and earth trials we have gone through earlier were some sort of tempering…”
He patiently told the crowd about his earlier observations and his rationale behind telling Long Shanshan to forfeit. However, other than the Totem Dragon Clansmen, most people didn’t believe what he had said. In fact, there were some amongst the Totem Dragon Clansmen who held a skeptical att.i.tude too.
“Where did this n.o.body come from? How dare you spew such falsehoods? There are only benefits in the Demon Crane! I have never heard of such underlying threats in the Demon Crane! You’re just working with the Totem Dragon Clan to convince us to give up so that you can monopolize the benefits here!” the Totem Phoenix Clan’s Feng Tiansheng scoffed.
Feng Jiuyue, Feng Tiansheng’s older sister, harrumphed in disdain.
“Have you forgotten that I have already taken away your right to be here?” Long Chengyu interjected.
The faces of those from the Totem Phoenix Clan turned awful.
“Long Chengyu, you better not go too far! This isn’t your Totem Dragon Clan’s territory!” Feng Tiansheng roared.
“What are you going to do about it?” Long Chengyu scoffed as he raised his hand.
“Brother Chengyu, let them stay here if they want to,” Chu Feng interjected.
Long Chengyu understood what Chu Feng was getting at, so he didn’t forcefully evict the Totem Phoenix Clansmen from the pedestal.
“I have already said my piece. You are free to make your own choices,” Chu Feng said before stepping away from the pedestal too.
“Chu Feng, you’re giving up too?” Eggy exclaimed in shock.
She couldn’t believe that he was surrendering despite having been through so much.
“Eggy, I noticed that the inscription on the pedestal is resonating in an extremely powerful and disturbing formation. I don’t think that it’s wise to get involved with it,” Chu Feng said.
“All right.” Eggy nodded.
She knew that Chu Feng was the type who wouldn’t hesitate to dive into danger if he knew that there was a way out. The fact that he had chosen to back down here showed that this place was indeed dangerous.
“Miss Muxi, you…” the Totem Dragon Clan’s juniors suddenly exclaimed.
Long Muxi had jumped off the pedestal too following Chu Feng’s forfeiture. She was showing how much she trusted him.
“Miss Muxi? Is she that Long Muxi?”
“She actually gave up too?”
A huge commotion broke out. Even the Totem Phoenix Clan’s Feng Tiansheng and Feng Jiuyue began earnestly a.s.sessing Long Muxi too. They had long heard of her despite having never seen her in person. She used to be the Totem Dragon Clan’s most talented prodigy, after all.
Yet, she actually chose to forfeit this trial?
It didn’t seem just to be an act anymore.
“Fellow Totem Dragon Clansmen, you should have heard Chu Feng’s words. You should be more than aware of his capabilities too. You should give up right now if you want to, or else be prepared to face the consequences of your action. As for me, it’s not that I don’t trust Brother Chu Feng but I still want to give it a try anyway,” Long Chengyu said.
Many Totem Dragon Clansmen stepped away from the pedestal, to the point less than half remained there. There were a few outsiders who chose to give up too. However, there was a group of people who remained rooted on the pedestal—the Totem Phoenix Clansmen.
Shoos.h.!.+
Chu Feng waved his sleeves, and countless specks of light flew toward the Totem Dragon Clansmen on the pedestal. At the same time, he sent a voice transmission to them.
“This is the cultivation skill I have grasped from this place. I don’t know what its use is, but I suggest channeling it should the trial prove too difficult for you to bear to see if it can alleviate your pain.”
Long Chengyu and the others quickly tried to practice the cultivation skill, but it was clear from their expressions that only a small minority was able to grasp his simplified version. Of course, it didn’t pose a problem to Long Chengyu at all.
The pedestal continued to change while Chu Feng and the others chatted. It didn’t take long for the image to completely cover it.
Grar!
A blood-red light shone from the pedestal as a terrifying shriek echoed. A black aura seeped out of the pedestal and dove into the bodies of those who had refused to forfeit the trial.
Gah!
Cries of agony ensued. Those who were still on the pedestal felt like their souls were going to be torn apart by the black aura. Even Long Chengyu and the others revealed strained looks. Only then did the crowd finally realize that Chu Feng hadn’t been lying.
Many of them tried to flee from the pedestal, only to realize that an invisible barrier had formed around it, keeping them from escaping. They could only watch helplessly as more black aura dived into their bodies, furthering their pain.
The mixture of the blood-red light and the black aura made the pedestal look like the manifestation of h.e.l.l.
“d.a.m.n it!”
Long Chengyu was still able to endure it at first, but he soon found himself approaching his limit. He wanted to escape too, but it was too late. The barrier was too resilient for him to break even with his martial power.
Relief filled the hearts of those standing beneath the pedestal. Those who were eliminated were glad that they had been eliminated, and those who left on their initiative were glad that they had listened to Chu Feng.
It was clear to them how dangerous the situation on the pedestal was. If even a prodigy of Long Chengyu’s caliber was struggling so much, the rest of them didn’t stand much of a chance.
Shoos.h.!.+
A person suddenly rose into the air. It was Long Muxi.
Despite her usual cold att.i.tude, she was still the first one to make a move when she saw that Long Chengyu was in danger. She headed toward the pedestal and threw a chain toward him, but sparks flew as soon as the chain came close to the pedestal before it was rebound.
The chain was unable to overcome the invisible barrier.
Without any hesitation, Long Muxi tried to get closer to the pedestal to see if she could get in, but all of a sudden, her movement hastened and she was pulled inside the pedestal.
“Was she sucked inside?” Eggy asked.
She noticed that Long Muxi didn’t enter the pedestal on her own accord.
“Yes, there’s a suction force around the pedestal that pulls in outsiders who dares to approach,” Chu Feng said.
“Chu Feng, please think of a way to save young master Chengyu and young miss Muxi!” the Totem Dragon Clansmen anxiously begged Chu Feng.
They figured that he was the only one who could save them.
“Eggy, will you blame me if I head in?” Chu Feng asked.
“What are you saying? Do I look like someone who’s afraid of death? Head in if you want to,” Eggy said.
Without any hesitation, Chu Feng rose into the sky and stepped onto the pedestal on his own accord. He knew that he couldn’t help them from the outside, so he would have to enter it first. As for how he could save the others, the solution was simply to resolve the black aura.
As soon as Chu Feng stepped into the pedestal, he immediately understood why even Long Chengyu was in so much pain. In fact, his face was more scrunched up than Feng Tiansheng and Feng Jiuyue.
“Stop channeling the cultivation skill I imparted to you. It’s not right,” Chu Feng instructed.
Long Chengyu had immediately started channeling the cultivation skill as soon as he noticed the terrifying black aura. He was the only one present who was able to grasp it so quickly. However, the cultivation skill only worsened his pain. He thought that it was the result of the black aura intensifying, so he didn’t doubt the cultivation skill.
It was only after hearing Chu Feng’s reminder that he stopped channeling the cultivation skill. Indeed, the pain did lessen significantly.
The other Totem Dragon Clansmen hurriedly stopped as well.
“What’s happening, Chu Feng? Did we channel the cultivation skill wrongly?” Long Chengyu asked.
“That’s not it. The cultivation skill serves not to alleviate the pain from the black aura but to absorb it,” Chu Feng replied.
“Ah? Is that the use of the cultivation skill?” Long Chengyu finally understood why channeling the cultivation skill only worsened his pain.
“You’re lying!” an infuriated voice suddenly echoed.