111: Chapter 111 Standing Still at Ninety-Eight

Above the Dao-Asking Cloud Ladder, Qingxuan stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze falling upon the figure currently climbing.

He watched for a moment, a faint smile appearing on his face, before he spoke indifferently: "Dragon Clan of the Eastern Sea."

Elder Ling Xu's gaze flickered slightly. "That old fellow must be his Dao Protector. To be guarded by a Tribulation Transcender, this youth's status within the Dragon Clan must be quite high."

"Regardless of why he has come, as long as his Heart-Nature and Dao affinity are sufficient to reach the summit of the Dao-Asking Cloud Ladder, the gates of Kunlun shall be open to him."

Qingxuan nodded slightly and said no more.

The five of them turned their gazes back to the Dao-Asking Cloud Ladder, continuing to watch the figures climbing.

At the foot of the mountain, the discussions among the crowd continued.

And in various corners of the crowd, several figures were also silently watching Ao Qin's ascent.

A grey-robed youth stood at the edge of the crowd with his hands behind his back, his aura restrained. Not far behind him stood an emaciated old man with no aura whatsoever.

On the other side of this person, a woman in white stood quietly in the midst of the crowd.

Her face was elegant and her temperament ethereal. A short sword hung at her waist, and no spiritual power fluctuations emanated from her body, yet people couldn't help but keep their distance from her.

There was also a black-robed youth standing alone at the very edge of the crowd. His aura was deep and restrained, and others could not perceive his depth at all.

Their gazes met in mid-air for an instant before each looked away.

They all knew clearly that among those present, Ao Qin was not the only one who had come with a mission.

Kunlun had appeared out of nowhere, suppressing a Half-Step Immortal in a single battle, shaking the Five Domains.

Among the powers standing at the pinnacle of this realm, who didn't want to come and probe the background of this mysterious Sect that had suddenly emerged?

And Kunlun's recruitment of disciples, without asking about background or origin, happened to give them a legitimate opportunity.

If they could take this opportunity to infiltrate Kunlun and spy on its heritage and secrets, that would naturally be best.

Even if they couldn't get in, they could still see for themselves what mysteries this Kunlun held.

Ao Qin's footsteps remained steady. Although his speed had slowed down compared to before, he was still climbing steadily.

The sixtieth step, the seventieth step, the eightieth step!

The discussions at the foot of the mountain gradually quieted down. Everyone held their breath, their gazes following that figure.

They knew they were witnessing the birth of a miracle.

When Ao Qin stepped onto the ninetieth step, someone at the foot of the mountain finally couldn't help but exclaim in a low voice.

"It's the ninetieth step! Only nine more to go!"

"Can he reach the summit?"

"I don't know, but even if he can't reach the summit, being able to reach the ninetieth step is enough to look down upon the masses."

On the Cloud Ladder, Ao Qin's footsteps finally slowed down.

After the eighty-fifth step, that invisible force grew stronger and stronger.

The Heart Demon interrogation was no longer just images flashing through his mind, but had transformed into real voices and real illusions, whispering in his ears and appearing before his eyes.

Those voices included the stern rebukes of his royal father, the sarcasm and mockery of his older brothers, the disappointed sighs of the Dragon Clan Elders, and the confusion and struggle deep within his heart regarding his own identity.

But Ao Qin just took a deep breath and continued upward.

He was the Third Prince of the Eastern Sea Dragon Clan, having grown up under countless gazes since childhood.

Those voices, those illusions—he had heard them countless times and seen them countless times; they had long since been unable to shake his Dao Heart in the slightest.

The ninetieth step, the ninety-fourth step, the ninety-seventh step!

The Cultivators at the foot of the mountain had forgotten to discuss; they just stared blankly at that figure, climbing upward step by step, unswervingly.

At the ninety-eighth step, Ao Qin's footsteps came to a halt.

At the foot of the mountain, countless gazes were fixed intently on that figure. Only one final step remained to reach the summit.

Yet it was this very step that made Ao Qin pause for a long time.

He stood on the ninety-eighth step, his expression constantly changing. His body leaned slightly forward, as if enduring some kind of indescribable pressure.

In that instant, his foot lifted slightly and then fell back down. Ao Qin's figure froze there like a statue.

The discussions at the foot of the mountain gradually quieted down. Everyone was waiting, waiting for that figure to take another step, or to fall.

Several hours passed, and he still stood there, motionless.

The sky gradually darkened. The night wind of the Ten Thousand Mountains, carrying an aura of desolation, whistled through the mountains.

On the Dao-Asking Cloud Ladder, some of the Cultivators still climbing had already exhausted their strength and fallen, while others gritted their teeth and persisted. More people were trapped between the fiftieth and seventieth steps, caught in a dilemma.

But Ao Qin stood on the ninety-eighth step, never moving.

"Is he unable to continue?"

"The ninety-eighth step—that is already a height unreachable by ordinary people. Even if he can't reach the summit, it's enough to be proud of."

"What a pity, one step short."

Amidst the discussions, other people on the Cloud Ladder began to stir one after another.

In the crowd, the grey-robed youth stepped out and set foot on the Dao-Asking Cloud Ladder. His pace was not fast, but it was extremely steady.

The first ten steps were like walking on level ground; at the twentieth step, he remained composed. At the thirtieth, fortieth, and fiftieth steps, his speed was so fast that it didn't lose to Ao Qin's in the slightest.

"Another one has come!"

"Who is this person? Why haven't I seen him before?"

The grey-robed youth ignored the discussions at the foot of the mountain. His gaze remained fixed on the summit of the Cloud Ladder, as if something there was attracting him.

The sixtieth step, the seventieth step, the eightieth step—his speed finally slowed down, but he was still climbing steadily.

At the same time, the woman in white also moved.

Her figure was light. When she stepped onto the Cloud Ladder, it was as if she were stepping on clouds; every step carried an indescribable elegance.

Her speed was a bit slower than the grey-robed youth's, but equally steady. In just over an hour, she had already broken through the sixtieth step.

The black-robed youth was the last to move. He stepped onto the Cloud Ladder alone with heavy footsteps, as if each step was treading in a quagmire. His speed was not fast, but it was extremely determined.

The Cultivators at the foot of the mountain watched in astonishment.

"What on earth is the background of these people?"

"Each one is fiercer than the last; is this even letting people live?"

"Look quickly, the one in grey has reached the eighty-fifth step!"

Discussions rose and fell, and everyone's gaze shifted back and forth between those few figures.

The night deepened, and the radiance on the Dao-Asking Cloud Ladder appeared exceptionally striking in the darkness.

Above the eightieth step, there were already four figures.

Ao Qin stood on the ninety-eighth step, still motionless.

The grey-robed youth stopped at the ninety-second step, as if struggling against some invisible force.

The woman in white stopped at the eighty-ninth step, closing her eyes and focusing her mind, with spiritual light faintly circulating around her body.

The black-robed youth paused at the eighty-seventh step. His body trembled slightly, but he gritted his teeth, refusing to retreat even half a step.

And between the fiftieth and eightieth steps, there were still over a dozen figures persisting.

As for those Cultivators who had been eliminated, some left in dejection, while others remained at the foot of the mountain to continue watching.

A night passed.

When the first ray of dawn pierced through the clouds and shone upon the Dao-Asking Cloud Ladder, everyone saw a shocking sight.

Above the eightieth step, there were seven figures.

In addition to the four from last night, there were three more Cultivators who had climbed up at some unknown time.

They were stopped at the eighty-first, eighty-third, and eighty-fifth steps respectively, with different expressions, but all were struggling to hold on.

And Ao Qin was still standing on the ninety-eighth step.

For an entire night, he had not taken a single step forward, nor had he retreated half a step back.