9: Immortal Ranks Question the Heart, Mysterious Shadows Appear

The white jade steps were unimaginably wide, enough to accommodate dozens of people walking side by side. The surface of the steps was as smooth as a mirror, reflecting the swirling clouds above, yet strangely giving one a sense of solid ground. The dense immortal spiritual Qi almost materialized into mist; every breath felt as if one's cultivation was subtly increasing, but the omnipresent Soul pressure was also like shackles, growing heavier the higher one ascended.

Lin Xuan and Su Wanqing walked side by side, their auras connected. The “Concentric” bond allowed them to share the pressure when resisting this might, slightly alleviating it.

“These steps are strange.” After walking for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Su Wanqing stopped, her clear, cold eyes scanning their surroundings. They had clearly been climbing upwards, but looking back, the sea of clouds below and the light gate they came through had long disappeared into the thick fog. All around them, besides the endless steps and rolling clouds, there was nothing else. It was as if these steps existed outside of space and time, with no beginning and no end.

Lin Xuan also noticed the anomaly. He tried to extend his Divine Thought outwards, but it was twisted and devoured by an invisible force just a few feet from his body, unable to probe the surroundings at all. The System map was also completely ineffective here; only two light dots representing himself and Su Wanqing moved slowly in a chaotic void.

“It's a spatial Restriction, or possibly an illusion array,” Lin Xuan said in a deep voice. “Be careful, stay close to me.”

No sooner had he spoken than the clouds above the steps ahead suddenly surged violently, accompanied by a grating metallic screech. The next moment, four Puppets clad in tattered bronze armor and wielding rusted halberds slowly emerged from the clouds, blocking their path. Their eye sockets flickered with eerie blue Soul fire, emitting spiritual energy fluctuations equivalent to the Late Foundation Establishment Stage, their movements stiff yet imbued with an unyielding killing intent.

“Intruders into the Immortal Palace shall be executed without mercy!” A cold, mechanical voice emanated from the leading Puppet.

Without any warning, the four bronze Puppets attacked simultaneously! Their halberds tore through the air with sharp whistling sounds, striking at Lin Xuan and Su Wanqing's vital points! Their coordination was flawless, and their offensive was fierce!

“Hmph!” Lin Xuan's eyes narrowed. Instead of retreating, he advanced. The Nine Revolutions Golden Body Art circulated, his skin glowing with a faint golden luster, and he punched directly at the incoming halberd!

“Clang!”

Fist and halberd met, emitting a thunderous clang like a great bell! The halberd, capable of tearing apart ordinary Foundation Establishment Cultivators, was actually bent by Lin Xuan's punch! The violent force traveled along the halberd, shaking the Puppet backward, and even causing subtle cracks to appear on its bronze armor.

At the same time, Su Wanqing waved her jade hand lightly, and several ice crystal chains condensed from the power of moonlight, like living spirit snakes, instantly wrapped around the arms and halberds of the other three Puppets. Extreme cold spread, and the Puppets' movements visibly slowed, with thick frost crystallizing at their joints.

The two cooperated seamlessly: Lin Xuan as the main attacker, his strength overbearing and fierce; Su Wanqing as the auxiliary controller, her spell techniques exquisite and unparalleled. In just a few breaths, the four Late Foundation Establishment Stage bronze Puppets were completely dismantled and frozen, turning into a pile of scrap metal scattered on the steps, their Soul fires extinguished.

“These Puppets... seem to have no sentience, merely guarding this place according to predetermined rules,” Su Wanqing mused, looking at the wreckage on the ground.

Lin Xuan nodded, bending down to examine the Puppet fragments. Aside from their hard material, he found no other special features. “It seems this Immortal Ascension Staircase isn't just a test of strength.”

The two continued forward. As expected, along the way, they successively encountered several waves of Puppet attacks. Their strength gradually increased from Late Foundation Establishment Stage to Foundation Establishment Peak, and even a silver-armored Puppet comparable to the False Core Realm appeared. But with Lin Xuan and Su Wanqing working together, they overcame all dangers.

Besides the Puppets, the steps themselves also began to show peculiarities. Sometimes, taking a step would suddenly cause gravity to double, as if carrying a mountain; other times, the surrounding scenery would change, presenting various illusions, such as mountains of gold and silver, peerless Cultivation Techniques, or the tragic sight of loved ones in danger, attempting to bewilder their minds.

Lin Xuan, relying on his powerful Divine Soul and the System's faint warnings, could always see through the illusions. Su Wanqing, on the other hand, relied on the clear Dao Heart brought by her Supreme Yin Youying Bloodline, remaining unmoved by external influences. These trials, instead, made their Dao Heart even firmer, and their spiritual power became more condensed through the resistance.

After an unknown duration of climbing, defeating countless waves of enemies, and resisting numerous illusions, the clouds ahead suddenly thinned. A massive white jade platform, inscribed with countless profound runes, appeared at the end of the steps.

The platform was vast, with an ancient bronze giant gate standing in its center. The gate was tightly shut, carved with patterns of the sun, moon, stars, flowers, birds, insects, and fish, exuding an ancient and boundless aura. And at this moment, they were not the only two on the platform.

Two other Cultivators, guided by radiant light, also arrived at the platform almost simultaneously!

The one on the left, clad in a dark Daoist robe, had a withered face and sinister eyes, faintly wreathed in Death Qi. He was none other than the somewhat famous Loose Cultivator in the cultivation world, “Ghost Hand” Li Wuchang, whose ghost Dao Divine Abilities were mysterious and unpredictable, and whose cultivation had reached the False Core Realm.

On the right was a young girl in a goose-yellow dress, with a delicate and charming appearance, seemingly innocent and naive. However, several bulging Storage Pouches hung from her waist, and she was playing with a pair of thunder light silver rings. Lin Xuan recognized her as Gongsun Yu, a talented young girl from the Gongsun Family, one of the five great aristocratic families, known for her mastery of Talismans and lightning techniques, and also at the Foundation Establishment Peak cultivation.

Li Wuchang and Gongsun Yu both showed a hint of surprise in their eyes upon seeing Lin Xuan and Su Wanqing, evidently not expecting to encounter other competitors here, especially with Lin Xuan and Su Wanqing appearing so young.

The four stood divided into three sides of the platform, and the atmosphere instantly became subtle and tense. Their gazes met in the air, filled with scrutiny, vigilance, and a trace of imperceptible killing intent. The Immortal Palace Opportunity was behind the bronze gate, and no one knew whether they would cooperate or... fight to the death.

The platform was silent, with only the distant surging of clouds and a faint, low hum, whose origin was unknown.

Just then, the previously silent bronze giant gate suddenly vibrated slightly. The patterns of the sun, moon, and stars on the gate seemed to come alive, slowly rotating. A grand, cold, emotionless voice, as if from beyond the heavens, resounded across the entire platform:

“To enter the Immortal Palace, three inquiries must be passed.”

“First, inquire of your own heart; second, inquire of Karma; third, inquire of the Great Dao.”

“Those who answer live; those who defy perish.”

As the voice faded, a tiny crack appeared in the center of the bronze giant gate, and a hazy white light shone through from behind the door.

A sharp glint flashed in Li Wuchang's eyes, Gongsun Yu tightened her grip on the thunder light silver rings, and Su Wanqing subconsciously moved closer to Lin Xuan.

Lin Xuan furrowed his brow, looking at the crack from which white light emerged. Far from feeling relieved, a stronger sense of unease rose within him. These “three inquiries” sounded far more perilous than the previous Puppets and illusions.

Moreover, he vaguely sensed that beyond that crack, besides immortal spiritual Qi, something else seemed to be hidden... an extremely subtle malice that caused the frost silence immortal sword in his Dantian to tremble slightly.