A faint voice echoed in my mind.
Huo Yusen was startled. "Qiqi? Is that you?"
"It's Qiqi, but Qiqi is so sleepy, I want to sleep." The voice was broken. "Brother Xiao Jiu, where are you?"
Hearing Qiqi's voice again calmed Huo Yusen's restless emotions, as if they had been soothed.
His eyes welled up with tears, and his voice trembled. "We're heading to Kunlun now. Sister Qingyin said that Kunlun hides a mysterious cave, and inside there is..."
"Is there a way to bring Qiqi back inside?"
"Yes, we are looking for you." Huo Yusen gripped the jade pendant tightly. "Qiqi, just hang in there a little longer, we'll be able to get you out soon."
"Yes, Qiqi will persevere." Qiqi's voice gradually weakened. "Little Nine Brother, you must be careful, Kunlun is very dangerous..."
"Don't worry, Qiqi, your brother Xiao Jiu will be careful. Wait for me, even if it costs me my life, I will definitely save you."
Unfortunately, Qiqi's voice disappeared again.
Huo Yusen lowered his head dejectedly, his fingers clenched into fists at his sides.
Yun Songzi appeared behind him at some point. "Little Fellow Daoist Qiqi can still transmit her thoughts, which means that her soul has not yet fully merged with the seal. However, I wonder how long she can hold on."
“Therefore, we must find the cave dwelling as soon as possible.” Huo Yusen turned around. “Grandpa Yun Songzi, Qiqi said that Kunlun is very dangerous. What exactly is dangerous about Kunlun?”
Yun Songzi gazed at the starry sky and said slowly, "Kunlun is known as the 'Ancestor of Ten Thousand Mountains' not only because of its height, but also because of its mystery. In ancient times, this place was the abode of immortals and the lair of demons. Although time has passed, some things still remain there."
"What is that?"
“Formations, restrictions, guardian beasts, and… lingering obsessions,” Ling Xuzi said. “Deep in Kunlun, time seems to have frozen. Some ancient cultivators, after their deaths, lingered on their obsessions, transforming into various spirits and monsters. In some places, there are even complete inheritance trials. Those who pass the trials obtain treasures, while those who fail perish and their cultivation dissipates.”
Huo Yusen was silent for a moment, then asked, "Grandpa Yun Songzi knows so much about this place, has he been to Kunlun before?"
Yun Songzi smiled and didn't hide anything. "Yes, I went there. I went to find a kind of spiritual medicine called 'Seven Star Grass' to save someone very important. Unfortunately, I found the medicine, but I couldn't save the person."
There was an indescribable bitterness in his smile.
Huo Yusen did not ask any further questions.
Everyone has past events they don't want to talk about, just like him, who doesn't want to recall the scene of his parents' death.
The team continued their journey the next morning.
The initial path was relatively easy to walk, following the trails trodden by herders, crossing meadows and streams.
But the deeper you go, the harder the road becomes.
Above 4,000 meters above sea level, the oxygen in the air becomes thin, and the cold wind is like a knife, stinging your face.
"Put on your oxygen masks," Lin Wei ordered. "Maintain a steady pace and avoid strenuous exercise."
As Huo Yusen walked, he operated the portable detector. "The surrounding magnetic field is very chaotic, the compass is malfunctioning, and there are weak energy fluctuations that are not naturally occurring."
Yun Songzi nodded, "We have entered the outer area of Kunlun. The magnetic field here is indeed disordered due to the influence of underground spiritual veins."
Around noon, they rested in a sheltered mountain hollow.
Wang Lei set up a portable stove to boil water, while Zhao Xue checked on everyone's health.
"Young Master Huo, your heart rate is a little fast." Zhao Xue looked at the monitor. "Do you want to rest for a bit?"
Huo Yuwei shook his head, "I'm fine, I can keep going."
He did feel some chest tightness, but it was bearable.
He was a special forces soldier who had undergone extremely rigorous training, and his physical fitness far exceeded that of ordinary people, so the effects of altitude sickness were relatively minor.
After a 20-minute rest, the group continued their journey.
At 3 p.m., a cliff appeared ahead.
The cliff was bottomless, with clouds and mist swirling below. The opposite cliff was at least fifty meters away.
“This cliff isn’t marked on the map,” Huo Yusen frowned. “Neither on satellite images.”
Yun Songzi walked to the edge of the cliff, squatted down, and observed carefully.
There are some blurry carvings on the rocks at the edge of the cliff, like some kind of writing, but they have been eroded by the wind and are no longer legible.
“This is not a naturally formed cliff.” Yun Songzi stood up. “It’s part of an array. Or rather, this is the first test.”
"A test?" Chen Feng asked, puzzled. "What kind of test? How do we fly there?"
“Flying over is out of the question.” Yun Songzi took a copper coin out of his cloth bag and tossed it into the air above the cliff.
The coin flew halfway when it suddenly seemed to hit something, making a "ding" sound, and then fell straight into the deep valley.
“There is a no-fly zone,” Ling Xuzi said. “You can’t fly, you can only walk.”
"Leave? How do we leave?" Wang Lei looked at the empty cliff. "There isn't even a rope here."
Huo Yuwei carefully observed the cliff and suddenly noticed some faint shadows in the clouds.
The shadows were faint, like an illusion created by the refraction of light, but upon closer inspection, one could discern the shape of steps.
“There’s something there,” he said, pointing to the middle of the cliff.
Everyone looked in the direction he pointed, but at first they couldn't see anything.
But upon closer inspection, one could indeed see some transparent steps faintly visible in the mist, extending from one side to the other.
“Illusory steps,” Ling Xuzi realized. “Only those with strong will and exceptional eyesight can see them. Moreover, these steps may not actually exist; some are illusions, and you will fall if you step on the wrong one.”
He looked at Huo Yusen, "How many steps can Ninth Young Master Huo see?"
Huo Yusen counted, "Starting from here, one, two, three... to the other side, there are forty-nine levels in total. But some levels in the middle look particularly faint, like they might disappear at any moment."
“That’s right,” Ling Xuzi said. “The forty-nine steps correspond to the number of the Great Derivation. Seven of them are virtual, corresponding to the Big Dipper. We must find and avoid those seven virtual steps to pass safely.”
He looked at the others, "What level can you see?"
Lin Wei frowned, "I can only see around level 30; I can't see anything beyond that."
Huo Yuwei frowned. "I see level forty-two."
There were even fewer team members, with Chen Feng seeing only level 28 at most.
“Eyesight is related to cultivation level and temperament,” Ling Xuzi explained. “The more steps one can see, the higher the compatibility with the formation. Young Master Huo can see all forty-nine steps, making him the best guide.”
Huo Yusen didn't hesitate and took the lead, saying, "I'll go first, and you all follow in my footsteps. Don't make a single mistake."
He took a deep breath and stepped onto the first step.
When my feet landed on the steps, I felt like I was stepping on solid ground, but the steps wobbled slightly, as if they were floating on water.
Huo Yusen steadied himself and carefully examined the authenticity of the next step.
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