Amidst the layered mountains, a mountain peak composed of countless stone steps pierces the sky, standing out like a crane among chickens on the earth.
This mountain is majestic, its body composed of ancient rocks, the surface of which shimmers with an unusual luster under the sunlight.
The winding stone steps were enormous, each step measuring several meters in length and width, covered with the mottled marks left by time.
At the foot of the mountain, people were bustling about, clearly indicating that there were more exits to the mountain than the one Qin Luo had taken.
In an instant, countless people eagerly stepped onto the stone steps of this mountain.
However, most people felt as if they were carrying a heavy burden as soon as they stepped on it. Their legs felt as heavy as lead, their faces turned pale instantly, and their spiritual energy seemed to be imprisoned, unable to circulate normally. They could only stop helplessly, their eyes filled with resentment and despair.
Those who were able to persist in climbing the steps were all at the late stage of the Soul Contract Realm.
Even for them, the pressure of the stone steps made their ascent extremely slow. Each step required them to mobilize all their spiritual energy to resist the overwhelming pressure.
Looking up, halfway up the mountain, three figures were far ahead, climbing at a steady pace—Wan Shuhua, Duan Yu, and Hong Hao. Their figures appeared and disappeared in the swirling clouds, as if they were making their way to the heavens.
Wan Shuhua moved with graceful ease, dressed in white that was as pure as snow, protected by the gleam emanating from the wooden sword behind him. His expression was calm and composed, each step he took was incredibly light, as if the stone steps beneath his feet posed little burden to him.
Duan Yu's body was surrounded by faintly fluctuating spiritual seals, which transformed into a layer of light and black aura protecting him. His steps were steady and powerful, each step seemingly calculated to perfectly offset the pressure from the stone steps.
Hong Hao was a burly man, as large as a small mountain. His strong muscles bulged beneath his clothes, exuding explosive power.
With each powerful stride, his robust physique emitted a faint golden glow, dispelling the surrounding pressure and clearing a path for him to advance.
This was the scene that greeted Qin Luo and his companions.
"It seems we wasted too much time on that Gale Crab, which has caused us to fall so far behind."
Qin Luo looked at the three figures at the top and spoke calmly, but he was not in a hurry at all. Instead, the corners of his mouth turned up slightly, revealing a confident smile.
But just as Qin Luo and his companions were about to step onto the stone steps leading to the mountaintop, two men appeared like ghosts, blocking their path.
One of them was a man dressed in magnificent brocade robes, the fabric of which was of high quality and exuded luxury under the sunlight.
This person held a jade-shaped fan with broken bones, and as he gently shook it, wisps of spiritual energy emanated from it.
His gaze toward Dan Bingli was like that of a hungry wolf eyeing a plump lamb, his undisguised lust was palpable, as if it were already his.
The other was a man with a tall and straight posture like an ancient pine tree. He had a resolute face and exuded a cold and aloof aura.
The way he glanced at Murong Liyue from time to time was extremely complicated. It contained uncontrollable admiration, resentment at not being able to have her, and hatred for Murong Liyue's closeness with Qin Luo.
These two people were Song Tian and Yao Feiguang.
Qin Luo was taken aback when he saw the two people who suddenly blocked his way. He didn't seem to have any prior contact with them, but seeing their undisguised expressions, he quickly understood their purpose.
"She truly is a femme fatale."
Qin Luo smiled bitterly to himself. Although he felt somewhat helpless about this inexplicable entanglement, there was nothing he could do about it.
"What, are you two planning to block our way?"
The words came out slowly from Qin Luo's mouth in an indifferent tone, but they were mixed with a hint of disdain.
Indeed, he really didn't take these two people with the strength of a half-step Spirit Control Realm seriously.
"Hehe, we've long heard of your great name, Qin Luo. We've been itching to see what you're capable of, so we've come to test you. Surely, with your strength, you won't mind if the two of us team up, right?"
Song Tian waved his jade-bone folding fan, a seemingly gentle but actually provocative smile on his face, a hint of sinister intent flashing in his eyes.
"Taking a test? You guys really think you're something special, don't you?"
"Don't waste too much time. After all, the main focus should still be on Wan Shuhua and the others."
Clearly, the last sentence was addressed to Dan Bingli and Murong Liyue.
In his view, the strength of a half-step Spirit Control Realm cultivator was nothing special and not worth his time or effort.
Upon hearing this, Song Tian's smile froze instantly, his face turned extremely gloomy, and the sinister aura in his eyes almost materialized.
Before he could react, Dan Bingli had already made her move. With a wave of her jade-like hand, the surrounding temperature plummeted, and the moisture in the air instantly condensed into countless crystal-clear ice crystals. Under her control, these ice crystals swept towards Song Tian like a surging tide.
On the other side, Murong Liyue also unleashed her spiritual energy, and several streams of spiritual energy surged towards Yao Feiguang like dragons emerging from the sea.
Seeing that they were entangled, Qin Luo did not linger and walked straight past the two of them towards the stone steps.
Damn it!
Song Tian was left in a sorry state by the ice crystals and couldn't help but curse under his breath.
He hurriedly waved his jade-bone folding fan, and powerful spiritual energy surged from the fan surface, forming a spiritual energy shield.
The ice crystals struck the shield, making crackling sounds and causing cracks to appear on the shield.
Song Tian was shocked, clearly not expecting Dan Bingli's attack to be so fierce. He tried his best to maintain his shield while looking for an opportunity to counterattack.
Bang!
On the other side, after struggling to block the several streams of spiritual energy, Yao Feiguang looked at Murong Liyue not far away with a complicated expression and said bitterly:
"Miss Murong, I don't want to lay a hand on you. I just want to know what Qin Luo has that makes him worthy of your standing alongside him?"
But the only response he received was Murong Liyue's finger pointing into the air, which then fell to the ground.
In the blink of an eye, several spirit arrays were set up. These arrays intertwined and formed a huge magnetic field of spiritual energy, enveloping Yao Feiguang within it.
Within the spirit array, spiritual energy surged, and countless pairs of spiritual energy hands bound Yao Feiguang.
Meanwhile, Song Tian was also locked in a fierce battle. He had barely managed to withstand Dan Bingli's ice crystal attacks and was just about to catch his breath when...
Dan Bingli glanced into the distance and saw that Qin Luo was about to reach the stone steps. She then stopped hiding her strength and instantly revealed her cultivation level of the late stage of the Spirit Control Realm.
Then, with a casual wave of her hand, countless tiny ice needles appeared in the surrounding air, so densely packed that they almost blotted out the sky. The ice needles shimmered with a cold, icy light under the sunlight, and rained down on Song Tian.
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