Nine Nether Dragon Emperor-Chapter 257: Young Master, save me, this guy has gone mad!

However, Nanling Bully was disappointed, as he couldn’t read anything from Ning Xuan’s face. Yet, the more inscrutable Ning Xuan appeared, the more Nanling Bully became convinced of the speculation in his heart.

Ning Xuan didn’t just activate the Tianladder; he constructed a new one! Otherwise, it would be impossible for me not to have sensed anything. Most importantly, the Tianladder Ning Xuan constructed was recognized by the Heavenly Dao the moment it appeared! What does this mean?! There’s only one possibility! The new Tianladder Ning Xuan built is stronger than the one from a thousand years ago!

This is so damn terrifying! To think, I only demonstrated it for him a short while ago. Then, not long after, Ning Xuan made his move. Calculating the time... at most, it hasn’t even been fifteen minutes! To construct an entirely new, hundred-step Tianladder in such a short time... Good heavens! What kind of monster is he?! If the situation were different and I didn’t have to worry about disrupting the assessment, I would have definitely dropped to my knees in worship. This is an absolute miracle! Even a reincarnated deity from ancient times could not have done better!

Suppressing the shock in his heart, Nanling Bully forced himself to focus his gaze on the three people on the Tianladder. At this moment, they had begun to put some distance between them. Jiang Boya was the highest, followed by Ye Yi in second, with Mo Wu in third. However, the gaps between them were not large.

Below, Chu Tian frowned. Something’s not right. Logically, this is still the easiest part of climbing the Tianladder. Their speed should be at its peak right now. Why are they only on the twentieth-something Stage?

You Ruo was just as puzzled. As the host of this grand competition, she was naturally very familiar with the Tianladder. The trio’s progress was obviously too slow. And they were only on the twentieth Stage, so why did they all look so strained? Are they feigning weakness to ambush the others? This is the Tianladder; there’s absolutely no need for that.

"Uncle Buliang, I think there is something wrong with this Tianladder!" she immediately sent a transmission to Nanling Bully, while stealthily glancing at Ning Xuan. That guy couldn’t have built a fake one just to trick everyone, could he?! If so, he’s going to die a horrible death! For a moment, You Ruo felt conflicted, wondering if she should warn Ning Xuan to run for it.

Just then, Nanling Bully’s reply came, his eyes fixated on the three climbers as he suddenly became a chatterbox. "Something wrong? No! This Tianladder couldn’t be more perfect! This is definitely the most flawless Tianladder I have ever seen! Their slow pace just means they’re not good enough! Sigh, if only we’d had such a perfect Tianladder sooner!" Every sentence he spoke was about the Tianladder.

You Ruo blinked, confused. But almost immediately, her beautiful eyes widened in shock. Impossible! If that’s true, then this is... She felt her heart race, and it even became difficult to breathe. Instantly, she understood Nanling Bully’s earlier actions. If that were me, I’d be even more frantic! Even a Venerable One couldn’t get over his pride. All he knew how to do was kneel and cling to a powerful figure! If it were me, I would have grown a tail to wag and knelt as a true sycophant!

As she was lost in thought, PUFFT! Mo Wu, who was already in last place on the Tianladder, suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood. At that moment, he was only on the Thirty-eighth Stage of the Tianladder. This was quite astonishing. Although there were few contestants in this competition, their quality was extremely high. Mo Wu’s strength was unquestionable, as he had stood out amongst the rest. Yet, he faltered on the Thirty-eighth Stage. It was too unbelievable.

Indeed! My guess was correct! The Young Master didn’t just open the Tianladder; he constructed an entirely new one! With this guy’s strength, on the old Tianladder, he could have reached at least the Seventieth Stage! The intensity of the Young Master’s newly constructed Tianladder is nearly double that of the prodigy from a millennium ago! This is simply... Nanling Bully was at a loss for words. This was madness!

「On the Tianladder」

"Thirty-eighth Stage... Impossible! How can I possibly fall here!" Mo Wu muttered, stubbornly preparing to continue.

Inside him, the remnant soul was petrified. "Stop! Don’t move! This Tianladder isn’t right! It’s different from the previous one! There’s danger ahead!"

"Are you looking down on me?!" Mo Wu grew even angrier.

"No! Absolutely not! I just have a premonition! It’s extremely dangerous up ahead. If you rush forward, we might both be doomed!"

"Then think of a damn way, and quickly!" Mo Wu had completely lost his patience. He had already distinguished himself in the grand competition. If word got out that he could only climb to the Thirty-eighth Stage of the Tianladder, he would become the laughingstock of the entire Cloud Summit Heavenly Palace.

The remnant soul was so furious it wanted to possess Mo Wu right then and there. This fool only knows how to rage impotently! Why the hell was I so blind to have chosen this idiot?! If only I had met Ning Xuan... Suddenly, the remnant soul also considered a terrifying possibility. Could it be... that Ning Xuan built this Tianladder?!! The more it thought, the more certain it became. Damn it! This is just heaven-defying!

As if on cue, it heard Ning Xuan’s voice.

"Give up. You will die if you take another step," Ning Xuan advised from below. He wasn’t being merciful; he simply wanted to study the remnant soul within Mo Wu a bit longer.

Before Mo Wu could even respond, Ning Xuan heard the remnant soul’s weeping voice in his ear. "Young Master, save me! This guy is insane! I don’t want to die yet!"

The remnant soul made a decisive choice: it had to abandon Mo Wu! It had to follow Ning Xuan! As long as it could follow him, it would pay any price! As for its previous thoughts... Uh, it definitely hadn’t thought anything before! It had always held Ning Xuan in the highest regard!

Ning Xuan had yet to reply when Mo Wu roared from the Tianladder, "You all look down on me, don’t you? Today, I’ll prove you all wrong!"

The next moment, RUMBLE— His body began to thunder as his qi and blood surged like a tsunami. He was sacrificing his own lifespan!

Blood Ignition!

Soul Fusion!

The remnant soul inside him let out a final, terrified scream. "Save—" It only managed that single word before it was completely fused by Mo Wu.

Mo Wu’s full head of black hair turned snow-white, and his face became as pale as paper. However, his strength had reached an unprecedented peak.

"I knew something was off! So he had the remnant soul of a Venerable One inside him!" Nanling Bully murmured. "But why does that voice seem so familiar? I feel like I’ve heard it somewhere before!"

Atop the Tianladder, Mo Wu took a step.

Thirty-ninth Stage!

Fortieth Stage!

Forty-first Stage!

But as he stepped onto the Forty-second Stage, catching up to Ye Yi, his body trembled, and blood gushed from his nostrils.

"Mo Wu, stop now, or you’ll..." Ye Yi could sense Mo Wu’s newfound power, but he could also feel his life force rapidly draining away.

Before he could finish his well-intentioned warning, Mo Wu had already taken another step.

The Forty-third Stage!

PUFFT! Mo Wu collapsed, blood spraying from his mouth like a geyser. "Why?" he gasped, unable to rise, completely unable to accept this result. "I used Blood Ignition and Soul Fusion... I was stronger than ever before... Why could I only climb six more Stages?"

Both Ye Yi on the Stage below and Jiang Boya on the Forty-sixth Stage remained silent.