Chapter 8 Ascending the Heavenly Ladder (Part Two): The Protective Immortal Huaiwei...

With a buzzing in his ears and complete darkness before his eyes, Yin Lisheng felt as if his consciousness was sinking into quicksand, and the more he struggled, the more he sank.

Just as he was about to lose consciousness, a cool sensation touched his lips. Immediately afterward, a warm current flowed from his abdomen to his limbs and bones. Yin Lisheng felt his consciousness gradually clearing, and he slowly regained control of his body.

When he opened his eyes, he realized that he was half-lying in Su Yun's arms. Because of this position, Yin Lisheng could see those beautiful eyes more clearly.

The boy's eyebrows were slightly lowered, his long eyelashes as distinct as raven feathers, fluttering occasionally like butterflies about to take flight. His image was reflected in the boy's dark eyes, and Yin Lisheng could clearly sense an indescribable emotion welling up within him.

He thought about it carefully and felt that it was a kind of frustration like seeing a beautiful flower stuck in cow dung, or a beautiful woman marrying a butcher, but it was not quite the same feeling he had when he saw Su Yun's hands. It seemed that there was something else mixed in.

Before Yin Lisheng could figure it out, Fu Yunshu interrupted his thoughts.

"How long do you intend to lie on the ground?" Fu Yunshu said calmly.

Yin Lisheng seemed to only then realize what was happening. She immediately climbed out of his arms, her usually tense face now flushed with a barely perceptible blush, and she unconsciously turned her head away.

"Thank you," Yin Lisheng said somewhat shyly.

He knew his physical condition; before he lost consciousness, he didn't even have the strength to open his eyes. He was like a walking corpse, climbing the mountain solely by willpower.

But now, Yin Lisheng could clearly feel that his fatigue had been swept away, and his whole body seemed to be filled with inexhaustible strength, even giving him the illusion that he could climb the mountain again. He knew who was responsible for this.

"Leave the sound!"

The excited shouts interrupted Yin Lisheng's thoughts. He turned around and saw Qiu Nan standing three steps below him, his hands on his knees, his body half-bent over, panting heavily. Behind him was Yan Shuangwan, who also looked exhausted.

"How are you?"

Yin Lisheng looked over in surprise, only to find that the question had actually come from Yan Shuangwan, who was usually taciturn.

He nodded and said, "It's fine."

Out of the corner of my eye, I glanced at Su Yun, who still maintained his calm and composed demeanor.

"Are you really alright?" Qiu Nan asked worriedly.

“It’s alright,” Yin Lisheng waved his hand, looked up at the sky, and his tone became more urgent: “Let’s go, it’s getting late.”

Seeing that he was in good spirits, Qiu Nan and Yan Shuangwan didn't ask any more questions.

"Young Master Su, is there anything else you need?" Qiu Nan asked.

Fu Yunshu raised an eyebrow and changed his address from "Brother Su" to "Young Master Su". Although Qiu Nan seemed carefree and easygoing, he was actually quite thoughtful.

"I'm fine too."

After chatting for a while, they all recovered.

It was now noon, the sun blazing down, its rays melting the stones and turning the stone steps beneath our feet into scorching embers, each step an ordeal.

So when they saw Yin Simiao leisurely reclining in a rocking chair under the big tree, munching on a fruit that looked cool and delicious but was unknown in her left hand, taking sips of wine from time to time in her right hand, and a magical fan blowing automatically beside her, looking as carefree as an immortal, they couldn't hold back anymore. Even Fu Yunshu's expression cracked slightly.

Qiu Nan let out a wail, covering his face and crying out in pain, "Can someone come and drag him away?!"

“No way,” Yin Simiao said with a grin, without even looking up. “I’m the chief examiner for this assessment.”

Yin Lisheng said with a serious expression, "Senior Brother Yin, don't you think this is really likely to cause psychological harm to everyone?"

Upon hearing this, Yin Simiao straightened up, walked to Yin Lisheng, and squatted down. Her expression became serious: "Then what should we do? Anyway, you can't change the proctor. Why don't you go to the Enforcement Hall and report me?"

The other Qingyuan Sect disciples silently stepped back three steps, pretending they didn't recognize the person.

Main peak.

“Senior Brother Song,” Wen Xun said with a complicated expression, “your second disciple must have been beaten quite a bit when he was a child, right?”

Song Wenzhuo said solemnly, "I never hit my disciples."

Wen Xun and the others clearly didn't believe it. How could this kid, who was so deserving of a beating, have never been beaten?

"It was all done by his senior brother."

"..."

Yu Jiangheng, who was on a mission outside, suddenly sneezed.

The disciple beside him gossiped, "Senior Brother, is someone hoping you'll go back?"

Yu Jiangheng glanced at him and said in a deep voice, "Focus."

The disciple turned back dejectedly, but Yu Jiangheng's thoughts drifted somewhat because of his words.

I've been away for a while now, and I have no idea what my unreliable junior brother is up to.

Thinking of Yin Simiao, Yu Jiangheng felt a little irritated. This heartless guy probably wished he wouldn't return to the sect, so that no one would be watching him.

"Achoo—"

Yin Simiao rubbed his nose and looked around warily, feeling like someone was talking about him behind his back.

Seeing that there was nothing unusual around her, Yin Simiao straightened up and said, "Alright, you're here early, so stop wasting time chatting with me. The next level is just ahead."

Yin Lisheng looked in the direction he pointed—

Between the two mountains, shrouded in mist, lies a stone staircase paved with bluestone. Astoundingly, every single stone on this staircase seems to float in mid-air.

"Does this mean we have to walk there?" Qiu Nan swallowed hard, his voice a little dry.

"Yes," Yin Simiao smiled, "Keep it up, I have high hopes for you guys."

Yin Lisheng and the other two stood frozen in place, none of them taking a step.

Yin Simiao: Aren't you leaving yet? The others are almost catching up.

They looked back and saw the disciples who had been left behind by the group appearing one after another. At the front was Pan Tianlei, who was being carried up in a sedan chair by several attendants.

Upon meeting his gaze, Pan Tianlei seemed to suddenly become excited. No one knew what he said, but the attendants carrying his sedan chair immediately quickened their pace.

Yin Lisheng was the first to walk up the suspended stone steps, simply because he didn't want to face Pan Tianlei's ugly face.

Fu Yunshu followed closely behind. He really wanted to pretend to be scared, but unfortunately, he didn't have much talent for acting. This height was nothing to someone like him who had been flying a sword for many years. So Fu Yunshu simply stopped pretending and walked on it calmly, as if it were flat ground.

Qiu Nan and Yan Shuangwan also carefully stepped onto the stones, walking with extreme caution.

It wasn't until the moment Yin Lisheng stepped onto the stone that he belatedly realized he had acted impulsively.

He was the least favored illegitimate son in the Yin family. He had lived in that small courtyard since he could remember and had never been exposed to the outside world.

Now, suddenly faced with this situation, with the mountain wind howling in his ears and a bottomless abyss beneath his feet, and the floating rocks trembling from time to time, if he took a wrong step, he might be smashed to pieces.

Yin Lisheng admitted that he was afraid. He carried the weight of thousands of lives lost by the Yin family on his shoulders. The blood feud was not yet avenged, and the bodies were not yet cold. He could not die here.

Clenching his fist, the pain of his nails digging into his flesh brought Yin Lisheng's slightly muddled mind to a degree of clarity. He took a deep breath, bit his lip, and continued walking forward.

Fu Yunshu kept a close eye on Yin Lisheng's condition. Seeing that he had calmed down on his own, he did not make a move.

He thought he seemed to be experiencing some of the joys of raising children.

Unfortunately, this harmonious atmosphere was soon broken—Pan Tianlei caught up with them.

The suspended stone bridge was not narrow; it could accommodate five or six people walking forward at the same time. Pan Tianlei's entourage, carrying the sedan chair, hurried along, and it was only a matter of time before they caught up.

Yin Lisheng was feeling exhausted. Just being able to walk forward on this suspended stone bridge had already taken all his energy. If Pan Tianlei were to cause trouble as well, Yin Lisheng didn't think he could handle it.

Qiu Nan and Yan Shuangwan were also somewhat anxious. They wanted to help, but they were too busy taking care of themselves to do so.

Pan Tianlei's entourage moved with surprising speed, arriving beside Yin Lisheng in just a few breaths.

"Oh, isn't this the arrogant Young Master Yin from just now? Why do you look so disheveled now?" Pan Tianlei mocked maliciously.

Yin Lisheng ignored him and continued walking forward. Seeing this, a sinister glint flashed in Pan Tianlei's eyes.

He didn't know what he did, but the sedan chair beneath him suddenly transformed, growing larger, with a row of sharp swords emerging from both sides, piercing straight towards Yin Lisheng.

Yin Lisheng's pupils shrank. He hadn't expected the change to happen so suddenly. Now, he was on a suspended stone staircase where it was hard to walk. He had nowhere to avoid it. His body instinctively tried to shrink back, but his foot went weak and he accidentally stepped into the air.

His biggest thought at that moment was resentment. He was resentful that he hadn't joined the Qingyuan Sect and become a powerful figure; he was resentful that he hadn't uncovered the truth behind the Yin family's massacre before dying; and he was even more resentful that he hadn't personally killed his enemies.

"Don't be afraid."

At the crucial moment, Fu Yunshu stretched out his long arm, grabbed Yin Lisheng by the back of his collar and pulled him into his arms. With a light touch of his toes, he leaped up and flew to a few steps in front of the sedan chair.

I hadn't noticed before, but I didn't expect Pan Tianlei's sedan chair to be a magical artifact. Come to think of it, when the oppressive aura appeared, Pan Tianlei was completely unaffected while sitting in the sedan chair, full of energy. He only felt the oppressive aura after he fell out of the sedan chair.

Seeing how easily the two had dodged, Pan Tianlei's eyes became even more vicious, and he said sternly, "Move forward!"

A long sword approached the two people from beside the sedan chair. Fu Yunshu's eyes narrowed. This person actually intended to kill them!

Too lazy to deal with this person, he used his finger as a blade, gathering spiritual power at his fingertips. With a light stroke, the sedan chair that Pan Tianlei was sitting on was shattered into pieces.

This time, it was Pan Tianlei who was terrified. Before he could say anything, his body began to fall straight down.

"Ahhh—"

A pig-like scream echoed through the sky. Yin Simiao, who had just arrived, rushed down to rescue the person before she could even ask anything.

After a while, Yin Simiao lifted Pan Tianlei up by his belt, her face full of disgust.

The man's eyes were still filled with fear, and his face was covered in snot and tears that he hadn't had time to wipe away, making him look utterly disheveled.

A faint sound of laughter came from behind, and Pan Tianlei glared at it fiercely.

Remembering who had caused him this tragedy, Pan Tianlei was filled with rage. He pointed at Fu Yunshu and said, "It was him! This man tried to kill me! Kill him!"

A note from the author:

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I had an upset stomach and diarrhea all day yesterday, and my period started today, with severe menstrual cramps. I'll take a closer look at this chapter tomorrow when I feel a bit better and see if there are any parts that need revision.

Sorry to keep you all waiting. There will be random red envelopes in the comments section of this chapter.