C30 The Price of One Hundred Million!
Qin Buyi ascended the platform, flanked by two towering stone pillars.
Carved into each pillar were golden dragons, spiraling up to a plaque at the summit.
The plaque, weathered by combat and the ravages of time, bore the faint inscription "South Heaven Gate."
"This truly was the Ancient Heavenly Court," Qin Buyi marveled inwardly, deeply moved.
The remnants of ancient images had led him to suspect this place belonged to the Heavenly Court, but now, with confirmation, the revelation left him speechless with awe.
Gazing down from the South Heaven Gate, he could see the endpoint of the 108 steps inscribed with the words: Ascension Stairway.
Also known as the Immortal Stairway, legend held that any mortal who climbed these 108 steps would be instantly transformed into an immortal, joining the celestial ranks.
As Qin Buyi had ascended, the pressure increased with each step, a challenge insurmountable to any mortal lacking a cultivator's foundation.
To fully traverse the stairway required, at a minimum, the cultivation of the Deification Stage.
Reflecting on it, during the primitive times, the least of those born were Human Immortals, while those accompanied by divine treasures often reached the Golden Immortal stature.
It was only after Nuwa created humans that the cultivation levels below Human Immortal were meticulously refined.
"Perhaps in that era, only those who failed to achieve immortality were deemed mortals," Qin Buyi mused, somewhat uncertain.
Standing atop the South Heaven Gate, he surveyed the remnants of what were once resplendent palaces, now reduced to rubble and broken walls—many utterly devastated by war.
The steps of the Ascension Stairway themselves bore the dense scars of countless weapon clashes.
Several steps were sheared in half, the other portions obliterated in the throes of battle.
In that moment, a surge of supremely pure spiritual energy coalesced above Qin Buyi's head and, without resistance, flowed into his body.
The quality of this spiritual energy was so superior that, by comparison, even Top Grade Spirit Stones would be deemed worthless refuse on the streets.
As the spiritual energy flowed into Qin Buyi's body, he was enveloped in a sensation of comfort akin to taking a cool bath on a hot summer day.
Ding! External spiritual energy is entering the host's body...
Roughly fifteen minutes later, the first surge of spiritual energy vanished, and a second, purer surge began to coalesce above Qin Buyi's head. However, as it was halfway through forming, it suddenly lost its momentum.
Despite the continuous accumulation of spiritual energy at the South Heaven Gate, it failed to integrate into the second surge.
This cycle repeated several times until the spiritual energy at the South Heaven Gate completely scattered, and the partially formed second surge flooded into Qin Buyi's body.
Ding! Detecting an external source of spiritual energy...
Ding! System intervention in progress...
The dispersed spiritual energy from the South Heaven Gate swiftly converged above Qin Buyi's head, as if manipulated by an unseen giant hand.
A whirlwind of spiritual energy whipped up around Qin Buyi's crown, tinged with streaks of blood-red amidst its hue. This blood-red was saturated with a chilling intent to kill, madness, and a thirst for blood.
In no time, a blood-colored storm of spiritual energy engulfed the sky above the South Heaven Gate, with the crimson hue now dominating the tempest.
The entire maelstrom radiated an intense, murderous frenzy from its core, and as time ticked by, the spiritual energy began to liquefy.
Qin Buyi extended his hand to capture the slowly liquefying spiritual energy, and a droplet, resembling fresh blood, materialized in the center of his palm.
Amidst the system's forceful intervention, the Heaven Ascension Stairway groaned ominously.
"Boom!" The sound of an explosion echoed as the already compromised Heaven Ascension Stairway buckled under the strain. Each step, from the first to the hundred and eighth, shattered into fragments.
The explosion of the Heaven Ascension Stairway sent a tremor through the connected South Heaven Gate.
Once the blood-colored spiritual energy had fully liquefied, it surged into Qin Buyi's body in an instant.
The infusion of the blood-colored spiritual energy brought no comfort. Qin Buyi felt as though he was immersed in a pool of blood, the scent of iron filling his nostrils.
His body felt as though it had rusted from the inside out, his joints becoming exceedingly sluggish.
A wild urge to kill surged within his heart, as if a voice whispered incessantly in his ear, urging him to obliterate everything before him.
Qin Buyi closed his eyes, struggling against the murderous impulse, but the influx of blood-colored spiritual energy into his body was relentless.
The urge to kill grew more intense by the moment, teetering on the edge of control. If he succumbed, Qin Buyi would be reduced to a mere instrument of slaughter.
After a quarter of an hour, the blood-red spiritual energy had fully entered Qin Buyi's body. He slowly opened his eyes, now a deep, murderous red, as he continued to fight the deadly desire within.
Ding! The host's spiritual energy is now being converted into attribute points. Conversion in progress...
Ding! Conversion complete: a total of two hundred attribute points.
Warning! Warning! Warning! Excessive residual killing intent detected in the host's body. Risk of losing control imminent. Suppress now? Yes/No?
"Suppress!" Qin Buyi didn't hesitate or inquire about the terms of suppression, his mind besieged by the relentless killing intent.
Given his familiarity with the system, he trusted that whatever the cost, it would be within his means.
Ding! Consuming attribute points for suppression...
Half an hour later, the blood-red hue faded from Qin Buyi's eyes, returning to their natural clarity, and he exhaled a deep breath of relief.
"Phew, without the system's aid, I would've been in real danger."
Ding! Suppression has consumed a total of one hundred and seventy attribute points. Points have been deducted.
The system's voice echoed, leaving Qin Buyi momentarily dazed. "One hundred... seventy attribute points!"
"At Fourth Rank, ten points are exchanged for one attribute point. One hundred and seventy attribute points equate to seventeen million Low Grade Spirit Stones."
A pang of loss struck Qin Buyi, and it took some time for him to regain his composure, reassuring himself:
"It's okay, it's all right. Without the system's assistance, I never would've amassed so many attribute points."
Despite racking his brain, Qin Buyi couldn't find peace within. The system had infused his body with blood-colored spiritual energy and even assisted in temporarily quelling his murderous urges. Yet, this exchange had brought no benefits, only leaving behind a ticking time bomb of danger within him.
Reflecting on this, and the system's typical antics, Qin Buyi couldn't help but express his frustration tinged with a hint of sorrow, "System, you've duped me once again!"
In light of Qin Buyi's current emotional state, the system opted to forgo the usual punishment for his insolence, deducting ten attribute points instead.
The system's voice, devoid of any emotion, echoed in Qin Buyi's ears.
The loss stung even deeper as he thought of the million Low Grade Spirit Stones that had just slipped through his fingers. In a mix of resignation and hope, Qin Buyi attempted to negotiate, "You might as well strike me with lightning and give me back my attribute points."
The system remained silent, offering no response to Qin Buyi.
Turning to his personal information panel, Qin Buyi allocated the remaining twenty attribute points to himself.
Name: Qin Buyi
Desolate Body - Primary
All attributes increased by 5%.
Cultivation: Fourth Rank, Deification Middle Period (154/200)
Strength: 154
Speed: 154
Physical Strength: 154
Attack Power: 154
Defense: 154
Fortune: 154
...
Killing Saber - Fourth Rank (154/200)
Attack Power: 154
Killing Saber Technique - Third Rank (100/100, unable to break through due to missing subsequent levels)
Attack Power: 100
Azure Dragon - Fourth Rank (154/200)
The boost in his physical strength significantly improved Qin Buyi's mood.
Qin Buyi had always been puzzled by his cultivation system. Despite being at the Deification Middle Period, his body lacked even a whisper of spiritual energy. Each breakthrough augmented his strength, physical stamina, and other attributes, but spiritual energy was conspicuously absent.
He had once inquired about this with the system, which replied that answering such a question would cost 100 million Merchant Points. Disregarding the steep price—which Qin Buyi couldn't afford anyway—he wouldn't waste such resources on a question that offered no practical benefit.
As he pondered the spiritual energy that had recently filled him, Qin Buyi began to grasp why, according to legend, mere mortals could ascend the Sky Stairway and instantly transform into immortals.
Based on the first and second surges of pure spiritual energy, if the Sky Stairway were intact and the energy kept flowing, becoming an immortal in a single day seemed highly plausible.
Qin Buyi then considered that if the Stairway to Heaven were undamaged, the gravitational pull might be much stronger, making the ascent to the top considerably more challenging.
He didn't linger at the South Heaven Gate. Although the system had temporarily quelled the murderous impulse within him, it hadn't specified the duration of this suppression.
At present, his sole focus was to swiftly complete the awakening mission, which was inherently fraught with peril.
Should the suppressed killing intent resurface, the difficulty would escalate to an almost insurmountable level.
A foreboding sense of dread crept into Qin Buyi's mind. Surely the suppression wouldn't give out at the worst possible moment. Given his experience with the system, such an eventuality seemed all too likely.
"The system wouldn't betray me like that, would it? Maybe... possibly... it probably won't," Qin Buyi mused, though he felt far from reassured.
Beyond the South Heaven Gate lay a vast corridor, once flanked by Heavenly Soldiers.
Now, apart from remnants hinting at their past presence, the corridor stood deserted.
Qin Buyi pressed on until, about a third of the way through, he stumbled upon a dismembered corpse, its head lying a short distance away.
This was the first body he had encountered since entering the Heavenly Court, clad in the garb of the Heavenly Soldiers he had glimpsed on the remnants of the Sky Stairway.
He halted, eyeing the corpse warily.
The body shakily rose to its feet, emitting a grating, unpleasant creak.
Once upright, the corpse groped for its missing head.
Failing to find it, Qin Buyi sensed a palpable wave of rage emanating from the figure.
The corpse stooped, searching the ground until it found the head nearby.
Lifting the head, it placed it atop its neck, and the severed parts fused seamlessly, leaving no sign of injury.
The reanimated Heavenly Soldier's corpse snapped its eyes open and fixed its gaze on Qin Buyi.
Before Qin Buyi's eyes unfolded a bizarre spectacle, yet not a trace of fear stirred in his heart. Drawing his Killing Saber, he readied himself for combat.
He then employed his Probing Eye to assess the Heavenly Soldier, whose cultivation level was merely at the Golden Core Perfection.
Suddenly, a surge of power materialized within the corridor, infiltrating Qin Buyi's body. His cultivation began to plummet from the Deification Middle Period, forcibly suppressed until it matched the Golden Core Perfection of his adversary.
With an inscrutable smile, the Heavenly Soldier brandished its long saber and charged at Qin Buyi. Its voice, rough with disuse, grated out a challenge as it bellowed:
"Killing Swordsmanship: Slaughter!"
