After running all the way, I finally stepped onto solid ground again and reached the second floor.

Bai Yuanshi released Xun Hua's arm, and Lu Zhaozhao, seeing that he had let go, knew that there was no longer any danger here, so she also let go.

Xun Hua was carried by the two at high speed all the way, and his head was still a little dizzy. He swayed and squatted down to rest.

Bai Yuanshi stretched his arms, his joints cracking. He looked at Lu Zhaozhao with a questioning look in his eyes.

"Where did Junior Sister learn her footwork? It couldn't possibly be from the Tianyin Sect, could it?"

Looking at his ambiguous smile, Lu Zhaozhao suddenly felt a headache coming on. They'd only just stopped, and now he was testing her again.

She rolled her eyes, not intending to answer.

Bai Yuanshi didn't press the matter, and continued, "Just now I used Wen Yuan's Sky-Stepping Step. The Sky-Stepping Step is one of the top footwork techniques in the cultivation world, and ordinary cultivators can hardly keep up with it. The only ones that are on par with it are the Falling Goose of the Eagle Pool Sect, which is famous for its speed, and the footwork included in the Eighteen Sword Styles, a unique technique of the Qinghui Sect, one of the three sects. Although there is no specific name for it, the Eighteen Sword Styles require extremely high speed. Which one do you belong to, Junior Sister?"

He stared intently at Lu Zhaozhao, seemingly waiting for her answer.

Lu Zhaozhao knew that he had basically confirmed her identity, but he hadn't found any concrete evidence, which was why she could continue to make excuses.

No wonder, his speed was frightening just now, and I could barely keep up. It seems that not only she had the intention to test him, but Bai Yuanshi had the same idea.

Lu Zhaozhao took a deep breath, scratched her hair in frustration, ripped off her veil, and faced Bai Yuanshi, saying, "Senior Brother Bai, is there anything else you want to ask?"

Bai Yuanshi's pupils dilated. He was certain he had never seen the face that came into view before, and it was completely different from Lu Zhaozhao of Emperor Huizong of Qing. However... he still had doubts.

He tentatively reached out, stopping just before touching his cheek.

His fingertips trembled slightly. Bai Yuanshi knew he had already done far too many outrageous things, but right now, he wanted to find out if the woman in front of him had used a face-changing spell.

His hand was so close to his face that he could even feel his breath, but he couldn't bring himself to touch it.

"That's enough," Bai Yuanshi thought. He had already violated principles and made a mistake by testing the waters with the bamboo tube. He couldn't make the same mistake again.

Just as I was about to pull my hand back, I felt warmth in my palm.

Lu Zhaozhao took a step forward and placed her face in his palm.

The delicate and smooth touch amplified the sensation in his palm, causing Bai Yuanshi to freeze on the spot. The moment he came to his senses, he immediately withdrew his hand as if he had been burned.

His heart was pounding, and he felt his breathing become erratic and difficult to calm.

Lu Zhaozhao was unaware of his inner turmoil, assuming he had finished his investigation before withdrawing his hand. She then met his gaze and asked, "Senior brother, is there anything else you wish to ask?"

Bai Yuanshi was speechless at this moment, and could only shake his head.

Lu Zhaozhao understood, glanced at Xun Hua beside her, and seeing that he had almost recovered, suggested that they continue on their way.

Bai Yuanshi lowered his head, closed his eyes, took a few breaths to calm himself, and when he looked up again, his eyes were clear again.

The layout of the second floor is basically the same as the first floor. If there is any difference, it may be that there is no smell of decay in the air, nor the scent of red spider lilies that is masked by the smell of decay.

A faint sandalwood scent filled the entire space, suggesting that the owner had carefully arranged it.

Ahead, there are stairs leading to the third floor. What obstacles will this floor present?

Lu Zhaozhao pulled a book from the bookshelf and threw it forward with force.

Nothing else happened until the scroll fell to the ground.

No traps? That seems highly unlikely.

Lu Zhaozhao turned her head to Bai Yuanshi, wondering if he had heard anything.

Bai Yuanshi frowned and shook his head slightly; he hadn't heard anything unusual.

Is there really nothing there? Lu Zhaozhao could hardly believe it.

The other two were also incredulous.

The first layer is a combination of masking the smell, hallucinogenic effects, and traps; no one would believe that there were no further tricks up their sleeves.

Lu Zhaozhao tentatively took a few steps forward, and the journey continued uninterrupted until she was halfway through.

"Does this dragon think the layout of the first level is enough...? Why isn't it making any noise at all?"

Xun Hua looked around, feeling somewhat uncertain. After all, the first level had left a deep impression on him, and he was constantly on guard, fearing that he might fall into another trap.

"We'll meet force with force and water with earth. It's undefended, and we appreciate this good intention, so let's climb up quickly."

Although Lu Zhaozhao had doubts, that was all she could say.

"Yes, yes, let's hurry up and find the people who came up ahead. This place looks eerie, it's better to have more people around."

Xun Hua immediately agreed.

Hearing his words, Lu Zhaozhao smiled, thinking that sometimes having too many people around is not good. If you accidentally bump into or touch any trap, it could be fatal. Plus, with so many people, the space is narrow, making it difficult to dodge.

But seeing Xun Hua's pale face, she swallowed her words. "It's better not to say anything and scare him," Lu Zhaozhao thought.

They climbed the steps to the third floor, but nothing happened.

The third floor, the fourth floor... they passed through them without any obstacles, and reached the seventh floor without any hindrance.

As she stepped onto the last step leading to the seventh floor, Lu Zhaozhao immediately stopped, refusing to take another step.

She sensed a dangerous aura.

Bai Yuanshi also stopped. Unlike Lu Zhaozhao's intuition, he lowered his eyes and said in a low voice, "There is movement on the eighth floor."

Xun Hua was startled by his words and immediately stood still, craning his neck and straining his ears to listen, but he heard nothing.

He turned to ask Bai Yuanshi, but Bai Yuanshi gestured for him to be quiet.

He then turned to look at Lu Zhaozhao, whose face was also full of wariness.

Seeing this, Xun Hua shrank back and tried to take a few steps back behind them.

He had barely moved a little distance when a deafening explosion rang out from above.

The smell of gunpowder reached the seventh floor, and the pungent odor assaulted the nostrils.

Lu Zhaozhao covered her mouth and nose, barely managing to open her eyes through the thick smoke as she looked out the window.

A sharp sword intent pierced through the smoke and collided with another attack from within the thick fog, creating another plume of smoke.

It was a very domineering offensive. Whether it was the sword intent or the attack hidden in the thick fog, although she tried her best to restrain it, the power contained within was far beyond her current ability to control.

"Besides Master Yunxian, are there any other highly skilled individuals on this trip?"

She almost blurted out "Master," but Lu Zhaozhao was so startled that she immediately swallowed the syllable back. Fortunately, everyone else was focused on the battle outside the window and didn't notice her slip of the tongue.

"It seems there's also an elder from the Sword Tomb, who should be at the late Nascent Soul stage... Hmm, there should also be a senior who just entered the Divine Transformation stage, but I can't remember which sect he's from."

Xun Hua scratched his head sheepishly. Lu Zhaozhao smiled and thanked him, then turned back to look out the window, her smile gradually fading.

Such an offensive, though fiercely restrained, could not possibly be unleashed by someone below the Nascent Soul stage. That leaves only a Nascent Soul senior and Yun Xian, who has reached the Void Return stage. If it were truly a battle between them, the situation wouldn't be so deadlocked. Therefore, another person must have appeared, and this person's strength must be no less than Yun Xian's, otherwise, they wouldn't have been entangled for so long.

Who could it be?