Divine Emperor of Death

Evelynn, Isabella, and Shirley blinked at each other.

The eight steps took their cultivation away and regressed them to Level One Immortal King Stage and the ninth step sealed their prowess. There were nine seals in their dantian, each one corresponding to lowering their cultivation base by one but the ninth one sealed their prowess.

This meant that they were no different than average immortal cultivators now who could no more than battle one or two levels higher counting on the ability of their laws and techniques.

"I'm at Level Eight Immortal King Stage, so even the eighth step would've caused my prowess to be sealed if I'm right…"

Evelynn shared her doubts through soul transmission.

They didn't want anyone to hear what the ninth step entailed, or it would become a great disadvantage for them, but most importantly, they didn't want to let Davis know about this grave matter, or he would be worried sick and invade the Stairway of Regression.

"Let's not look at him. Our gaze would give it away." Isabella said.

"Yes." Shirley nodded.

Evelynn giggled, still looking confident, "We're screwed, but looking at another perspective, we have nothing more to lose. Let's go."

Shirley patted her robe and gestured, "Let's go~"

She didn't relay anything of concern about her health, leaving the both of them a bit suspicious before they followed her. They made it to the altar quickly and couldn't help but look back.

From there, they could no longer see Davis, but they knew he was watching them from the projection. Therefore, they waved at him before turning around and entering the spatial vortex.

"…"

Davis saw them leave.

He didn't know what was happening on the other side but knew that he would soon after the second trial started. Around three hundred inheritors were still deciding which step to take, weighing all their pros and cons.

He didn't see it ending anytime soon.

There were some dark horses like that white-robed man from the Dark Blood-Eyed Tiger Clan, some probably still hidden. Their prowess may not be much but their Willpower and their tenacity to overcome adversity was something he could not measure and their actions may influence the course of the Candidacy very well.

He remained watching them, his watchful gaze surveying every one of the inheritors who caught his eye.

Mingzhi was working overtime as well, collecting details on them through Black Claymore.

Only five and half hours later, Stairway of Regression ended.

That was because there was a time limit imposed on the last hour, causing a stampede to occur, although there was still enough space for all of them to cross smoothly. However, whether they could make it above or not was another thing altogether.

Because they had rushed, two men and five women had pissed themselves on the eighth step. It had become apparent with everyone laughing, and some people who were close by were leaking due to witnessing the others' release.

However, many fainted at the seventh step and the eighth step. There was one more person who made it to the ninth step, making it a total of five inheritors who earned nine points in the Stairway of Regression. As for the eighth step, there were as many people as a few dozen, around thirty-eight while the seventh step had as many as ninety people. The lower steps had much more people but at the same time, the points they received were also less.

"A pity those who reached the ninth step didn't reveal what happened to them." Mingzhi sighed.

She took notes of the Candidacy in order to derive some conclusion from the clues.

"Perhaps they would receive a boon. We can only see after it starts." Davis sighed.

Looking at his concerned silhouette, Natalya couldn't help but giggle.

"Dear, we know how powerful those three are, so there's no need to worry. If the three of them worked together, even Zenova Artoria wouldn't be a match."

"If they worked together, huh…" Davis's lips curled wryly.

He couldn't shake the feeling that the ninth step held something more cruel, even if it offered a great boon. There was no gain without risks, and he could see that being implemented in the Stairway of Regression, where people were punished for being capable and talented.

'Does this have anything to do with World Master being a cripple once…?'

Davis wondered if she was teaching them a lesson or needed an inheritor who could display outstanding results when forced to be in the same situation as her. However, if she needed such an inheritor, wouldn't crippling all of them or creating an illusion formation that makes them cripple be better?

'Well, I guess that would just make them mortals and not geniuses who spent years and fortune researching a whole new cultivation method…'

Davis inwardly laughed at himself.

All he could do was wait and watch right now, but he still hadn't forgotten his duties.

After the Stairway of Regression, the first trial ended, he was allowed to leave along with everyone else. He could enter the Immortal Dreams Palace as well.

"Not for you~"

He checked it out but was personally kicked out by the World Master, making him inwardly cry. He should've known it coming since the World Master told him to stay put and not really train.

He was just being allowed to spend time with his family in the First Haven World, not to pull some stunts and attract calamities.

Still, he wasn't going to sit still. He brought back his main body and began cultivating while his soul avatar kept an eye on things and could allow him to react with full force at a moment's notice.

On the other side of the spatial vortex, nine hundred and sixteen candidates floated in a dark space. There was ample distance between each of them, about a hundred meters per body. They all seemed to be asleep, seemingly digesting their gains from the Stairway of Regression.

Evelynn, Isabella and Shirley were also here. They didn't appear to be conscious and neither did Zenova Artoria or anyone for that matter.

At the same time, their spatial rings and other rings and any foreign object except their clothes disappeared. If they had armor, it also got taken away, leaving them draped in white cloth.

Finally, three motes of light entered their bodies, and after some time, their bodies all glowed before disappearing somewhere.