There are still about three thousand steps ahead. Once Gu Chen surpasses them, given Gu Chen's speed, Gu Mingheng will have no chance to overtake him!
Although this speed contest with the Heaven and Earth Palace doesn't prove anything, it will at least leave a mark in everyone's minds: Gu Chen truly has the qualifications and the strength to challenge him!
Gu Mingheng was furious. He didn't know how Gu Chen suddenly possessed such great strength, but he was the hope of the entire Gu Family family and a symbol of the completion of the "Gu Clan Demon-Slaying Art". If he was used as a stepping stone by Gu Chen, then his challenge to the Dragon Ranking would become a joke in the entire Land of Heaven and Earth!
Gu Mingheng felt threatened by Gu Chen, this outcast of the family, and he would never allow such a thing to happen!
This is his promotion ceremony, a grand event to announce his success to the world; how can it become someone else's wedding dress!
"Gu Chen, do you think that just because you've surpassed me, you'll gain the approval of the Gu Clan family?"
When Gu Chen was less than ten levels ahead of Gu Mingheng, the latter's voice came, causing Gu Chen to stop in his tracks and turn around to look at Gu Mingheng.
"You came to the Heaven and Earth Palace just to confront me and reveal your identity to everyone, right?" Gu Mingheng sneered. "But do you know that even if you ascend to the Heaven and Earth Palace faster than me, you still have no right to return to the Gu Family? You and your father have already been expelled from the Gu Family! Now, my father is the head of the Shangjing Gu Family, and I am the only hope for this year!"
"Is that so?" Gu Chen's expression remained unchanged.
This made Gu Mingheng's pupils shrink. Could it be that he guessed wrong, Gu Chen's purpose wasn't this?
Little did he know what was happening at the Shangjing Gu Family. Gu Chen had originally entered the Land of Heaven and Earth to cause trouble for the Gu Family, but he was tricked by Gu Huan, and the Gu Family actually wanted to hold such a high-profile ceremony to announce it to the world, so he changed his mind at the last minute!
At this moment, Gu Chen's goal had become very simple: to suppress Gu Mingheng and, after ascending to the Dragon Ranking, to let the Gu Clan Gu Family know what kind of existence the father and son who had been driven out of the family were now!
He wasn't trying to prove how great he was; he just wanted to prove himself!
"I actually know some of the inside stories about how you were kicked out of the family back then. There's a secret I've kept in my heart for a long time, and I want to tell you." Seeing Gu Chen stop, Gu Mingheng Mingheng's mind raced, and he walked step by step to his side.
"What?" Gu Chen asked involuntarily upon hearing this.
Now!
Gu Mingheng was overjoyed and instantly unleashed a palm strike at Gu Chen!
"Let me tell you, a scapegoat is always a scapegoat! There's no way they can turn things around!"
This palm strike, accompanied by a whistling wind and surging with scalding internal energy, arrived like a burning flame. Only then did Gu Chen regain his senses, his face filled with shock and anger! He hadn't expected that Gu Mingheng would dare to use trickery in front of everyone, right at the entrance of the Heaven and Earth Palace!
The immense power of the palm strike was like a series of giant, continuous waves, which deformed the skin on Gu Chen's cheeks. As the palm strike approached, Gu Chen's body was subjected to tremendous pressure. The compression from the space caused his robes to rip apart layer by layer, and Gu Chen's upper body was exposed to everyone's eyes!
Meanwhile, Gu Mingheng, suspended in mid-air, had a cold look in his eyes, showing no intention of stopping, nor any pity or reluctance. This palm strike was the culmination of his accumulated power, instantly drawing in his energy, and using more than 80% of his strength! He was determined to kill, and no matter the cost or the consequences, he would make Gu Chen die!
Even if this palm strike doesn't kill Gu Chen, it will still injure him unexpectedly, causing him to fall from here. Anyone with a mortal body would surely die!
"Die!"
Gu Mingheng's palm struck right in front of Gu Chen!
Although Gu Chen reacted quickly and even made a defensive move, he was still unable to withstand the power because he was unprepared. His protective barrier was shattered by the palm strike, and the palm force, carrying intense heat, surged and penetrated into Gu Chen's body, rushing into his meridians!
His limbs and bones were wracked with excruciating pain, and his meridians were in disarray due to the invasion of Inner Breath. At this moment, Gu Chen could only retreat! But as he retreated, he lost his footing, and he spat out a mouthful of blood, his body flying backward and plummeting towards the bottomless cliff outside the steps!
This scene stunned everyone. Not only did Gu Chen not expect it, but none of them expected that Gu Mingheng would actually resort to such a deadly attack, especially by sneak!
Seeing Gu Chen fall from the sky, Gu Muyu maintained an indifferent expression.
"Despicable!" Chen Shumeng cursed.
Although Cao Miao also felt that Gu Mingheng's actions were somewhat despicable, since his opponent was Gu Chen, he felt that Gu Mingheng had gone too far. He sneered at Chen Shumeng and said, "What do you know? Even a hundred slaps wouldn't quell the anger of the crowd, given that Gu Chen disregards the law!"
"Young Master Cao, do you mean a sneak attack like Gu Mingheng?" In Chen Shumeng's mind, Gu Mingheng's status had suddenly plummeted, and she answered coldly.
Cao Miao raised an eyebrow and said, "What, you're not convinced? Are you even from the Land of Heaven and Earth? Are you still siding with this culprit who ruined our Aristocratic Family Assembly and prevented us from getting any resources? He deserves to die ten thousand times over!"
Chen Shumeng glanced at him, her expression cold, and said nothing more. There were still quite a few righteous young martial artists present, and although Cao Miao tried to divert attention, most of them scoffed at his attempt.
As everyone watched, Gu Chen's body plummeted rapidly through the air, 20,000 steps, 10,000 steps, before finally crashing heavily onto several thousand steps.
After rolling and bouncing a few times, Gu Chen grabbed the edge of a step to maintain his balance, then took a deep breath and finally landed steadily on the step. Gu Chen was panting heavily, clutching his chest, where he was injured.
Taking out a Departure Fall Pill, Gu Chen swallowed it and began to quickly digest its medicinal effects. His True Qi, like a flood surging at the mouth of a dam, surged forth again and again, waiting to finally erupt.
Then, Gu Chen raised his head and stared intently at the moving figure above him.
The crowd below was utterly astonished. They hadn't expected Gu Chen to be unharmed, and even still on the Road to Heaven. Gu Muyu, seeing the aura swirling around Gu Chen's body, knew he was recovering, and a look of surprise flashed in her eyes.
"Very good!" A murderous glint flashed in Gu Chen's eyes. He didn't want to experience being ambushed like this again!
A powerful aura of True Qi erupted from Gu Chen's body. He pushed off with his back foot and charged forward like a shadow!
Eight thousand, ten thousand, fifteen thousand, twenty thousand...
Gu Chen's speed was unbelievable, more than twice as fast as before! The pressure from the surroundings had no effect on him; he seemed to be walking on flat ground, even faster than on flat ground!