Chapter 1003 - Opening the Stairway to Heaven
"Over 300,000 people have gathered here today just to kill you, Yuan. Don't you feel honored?" Lord Ji said with a cold smirk on his face.
"Yes, I'm a little flattered that you would go out of your way to send an entire army just for me. However, I will have to disappoint you. Your efforts will be in vain, and I will ascend the Stairway to Heaven just as planned." Yuan remained calm despite his seemingly hopeless situation.
"Nobody here can stop me from ascending today— not even the Heavens itself."
"Hahahaha! You're truly one crazy bastard, Yuan!" Lord Ji suddenly burst out laughing, his voice so powerful that it created ripples in the air.
"I know that you're a talented guy, but there are situations in this world that cannot be solved with talent alone, and this is one of them!"
"You're currently surrounded by the Seven Legacy Families and my Ji Family! Furthermore, your only way of escape— the Stairway to Heaven— is blocked! You have no chance of escaping today!"
"The Stairway to Heaven is blocked?" Yuan suddenly scoffed.
"Who decided that? The Stairway to Heaven isn't owned by you. If I want to open these doors, there is nothing you can do to stop me."
"While it is technically true that I do not own the Stairway to Heaven, as the Lord of this realm, I have the authority to choose who can open the door and who cannot! If you don't believe me, you may go ahead and try it!" Lord Ji said.
"I was going to do that even without needing your permission. However, let's also have some fun while we're at it. If I can successfully open the Stairway to Heaven, why don't you let us go?"
"Are you thinking about forcing your way inside the Stairway to Heaven? Not even Immortals who are near the peak of the cultivation world can force their way into the Stairway to Heaven, much less a Spirit Lord like you!"
"Who said anything about forcing my way inside? I am going to place my badge and open the Stairway to Heaven the normal way. If I can achieve that, promise me that you'll give up on trying to kill me."
Lord Ji narrowed his sharp eyes at Yuan, seemingly trying to figure out his true purpose.
Although he was confident that Yuan would not be able to open the Stairway to Heaven without his permission, he had an uneasy feeling in his guts.
"Why are you staying silent, Lord Ji? You don't seem very confident in your own words now." Yuan showed him a mocking smile on his face.
"There's no need to play your games because you'll be dead soon," Lord Ji sneered.
"Anyways, do you have any last words before we kill you?"
He nodded and asked, "What about my friends? Since I am your target, it wouldn't make sense to harm them. Why not let them go?"
"Unfortunately, those who are associated with a criminal like you also deserve the death penalty. Therefore, they are all going to die here with you."
"That's not very reasonable. It's a pity. I thought you would be a little different from the rest of the villains." Yuan shook his head.
"Did you just call me a villain?" Lord Ji's face suddenly turned ice cold, almost as though he'd swallowed a live fly by accident.
"How dare you compare me with a villain! I am Heaven's servant, and Heaven is just! You, who dared to offend the Heavens, is the villain here!" Lord Ji roared with a twisted look on his face.
Clearly, Yuan had accidentally poked his reverse scale.
Yuan sighed, "Forget it."
And without even looking, Yuan inserted the badge into the main slot of the doors to the Stairway to Heaven.
However, the Stairway to Heaven had no reactions whatsoever.
The leaders of the Seven Legacy Families started to laugh out loud after seeing this.
"Look at this damn fool! It's like he's deaf or something! Lord Ji clearly told him that he would not be able to open the door!"
Yuan ignored them and knocked on the door.
"Umm… Tian'er, can you hear me? If you don't mind, I'd like to enter." He said out loud.
"Hahahaha!" Even the 300,000 people there started laughing out loud.
"What the hell does he think he is doing? Who the hell is Tian'er? Has he gone crazy?!"
However, in the midst of their laughter, the Stairway to Heaven suddenly started shaking.
The 300,000 people there, as well as Lord Ji and the leaders, stopped laughing and watched with wide eyes as the massive doors for the Stairway to Heaven started opening.
"Meixiu, Lulu, Jinxi, I want you to go inside and wait for me." Yuan suddenly said to them with a serious expression on his face.
"What about you? Why aren't you coming with us?" Meixiu asked with a worried frown.
"Don't worry, I will follow you guys once I speak with them some more."
"What if the door closes on you?" Chu Liuxiang asked.
"It won't happen. Trust me." He smiled.
"Alright, we'll wait for you inside. Don't take too long." Meixiu nodded.
They entered the Stairway to Heaven the next moment.
'What the hell is going on?! Why did the Stairway to Heaven open for him?! I specifically ordered it not to open for anyone today!' Lord Ji cried inwardly as he watched Meixiu and the others enter the Stairway to Heaven.
'Oh no! He's going to get away at this rate!'
"Stop him from entering the Stairway to Heaven at all cost!" Lord Ji suddenly shouted.
The leaders of the Seven Legacy Families immediately rushed at Yuan, who suddenly raised his hands and said, "Calm down, I don't intend on leaving just yet."
The Stairway to Heaven closed its doors the following moment.
Lord Ji sighed in relief after seeing that Yuan had remained, but he still couldn't understand why the Stairway to Heaven had opened just now.