Lin Xiao and Wang Laoxie clashed instantly, their figures blurring into a chaotic melee. However, the gap in their cultivation was evident; Lin Xiao was forced onto the defensive. Yet, his folding fan seemed to conceal a potent, corrosive poison, forcing Wang Laoxie to fight with a degree of caution.
"I don't need your rescue, and I certainly don't need to owe you a favor!" Su Miaoqing shouted at Lin Xiao. Without looking back, she transformed into a streak of light, shooting toward a distant Celestial Ladder.
"Hear that, boy? She doesn't want your charity!" Wang Laoxie sneered.
With a burst of spiritual power, Wang Laoxie forced Lin Xiao back. Ignoring his opponent, he turned and surged toward the fleeing Su Miaoqing with terrifying speed.
Lin Xiao gave chase immediately, but the disparity in their realms was too great to bridge in a sprint. He could only watch helplessly as the distance between Wang Laoxie and Su Miaoqing shrank.
Trapped on his ladder, Xiao Yifeng broke into a cold sweat. He slammed his fist against the barrier and roared, "Wang Laoxie! If you dare touch a single hair on my Junior Sister's head, I will grind your bones to dust and scatter your ashes!"
"Hahaha! I won't just touch her; I'll take her right in front of you!" Wang Laoxie laughed maniacally, his eyes gleaming with depravity. "When she's moaning and writhing beneath me, I expect you to scream along! It’ll add some flavor to the old man's fun!"
"You old monster!" The eccentric trapped on the other ladder bellowed, seemingly even more furious than Xiao Yifeng. "If you touch my woman, I'll rip you apart!"
"Shut up!" Xiao Yifeng snapped, his face darkening. "Dare to disrespect my Junior Sister? Add that to the debt of my Immortal Sword, and I’ll burn your soul for a hundred cycles!"
Despite their threats, both men were imprisoned by the formation. Xiao Yifeng could only grip his sword hilt until his knuckles turned white, praying that the Coiling Dragon Jade Pendant would trigger and kill the bastard.
Wang Laoxie closed in. He reached out, his clawed hand inches from Su Miaoqing’s shoulder.
Whoosh!
At that critical instant, a beam of blinding red light shot out from the depths of the palace. It struck Wang Laoxie’s outstretched hand with the force of a meteor.
There was no sound of impact, only the hiss of vaporization.
Wang Laoxie let out a blood-curdling scream as he was blasted backward. His hand was gone—melted instantly. The red flames did not extinguish; they clung to the stump of his wrist, eagerly eating their way up his arm.
Gritting his teeth in agony, he swung his hook and severed his own arm at the elbow, preventing the mystical fire from consuming his entire body.
The sudden turn of events stunned everyone into silence. The attack hadn't come from a cultivator; it had come from the Abode itself—specifically, from the gate atop a pristine, untouched Celestial Ladder.
Clutching his stump, Wang Laoxie stared at Su Miaoqing in shock and terror, mirroring Liu Yue’s one-armed state.
The red beam did not dissipate. Instead, it gently enveloped Su Miaoqing, creating a protective sphere that pulled her toward the palace gate.
"Why? On what grounds?!" Wang Laoxie roared, his mental state collapsing. "We all have stone tablets! Why does she get the Abode's protection? Why?!"
It was absurd. They had fought through hell, bled, and sacrificed limbs to get here. Yet Su Miaoqing was being escorted like a VIP. If the trial was this biased, what was the point of struggling?
The red light ignored his rage. It deposited Su Miaoqing gently onto the Celestial Ladder.
Buzz!
The Bridge of Helplessness stone tablet on her person levitated, transforming into a pillar of light that pierced the sky. The ladder lit up instantly.
Unlike the others who were forced into illusions or tests, Su Miaoqing didn't pause. The red light guided her straight up the steps and into the open gate of the palace, where she vanished from sight.
Xiao Yifeng stared, dumbfounded. What the hell? A guaranteed pass?
The contrast was maddening. They were playing a survival horror game; she was on a guided tour.
Wang Laoxie, panting heavily, turned his vicious glare back to where Lin Xiao had been, desperate for a punching bag to vent his fury.
But the spot was empty.
Realizing Su Miaoqing was safe, Lin Xiao had wasted no time. He was already standing before one of the remaining Celestial Ladders. He snapped his folding fan open with a flourish, waved mockingly at Wang Laoxie, and stepped onto the stairs.
Another pillar of light erupted.
Seven of the ten Celestial Ladders were now active.
Wang Laoxie scanned the area. There was no one left. Mo Shuiyao was already halfway up her ladder, ignoring the drama. The eccentric was stuck on the third ladder.
Hesitating no longer, Wang Laoxie flew toward one of the three remaining ladders and landed on the first step.
The formation activated. A stone tablet flew out from his robes, inscribed with three ominous characters: Gate of Hell.
Xiao Yifeng’s eyes narrowed. So that's it. The first person to wake up at the Gate of Hell wasn't Mo Shuiyao—it was this old snake, Wang Laoxie. He had silently collected the tablet and hidden his progress, letting the others clear the path for him.
Suddenly, a vast, archaic voice echoed from the heavens, vibrating through the souls of everyone present.
"The Ten Kings of Hell take their seats. When the Ten Halls are open, the Path of Reincarnation shall be revealed. Enter the Gate of Reincarnation to obtain the Book of Destiny."
The voice paused, then intoned:
"Two paths are missing. Do you wish to abandon the summoning?"
The revelation struck them like lightning.
The Book of Destiny.
According to the voice, if all ten ladders were lit, the legendary Path of Reincarnation would open, granting access to a supreme treasure capable of altering fate itself.
But there were only eight people here.
Counting the tablets:
Wang Laoxie: Gate of Hell (Gui Men Guan)
Liu Yue: Yellow Springs Road
Luo Yun: Higanbana Sea
Xiao Yifeng: River of Forgetfulness
Su Miaoqing: Bridge of Helplessness
Mo Shuiyao: Yellow Springs Crossing
Lin Xiao: Wild Dog Village
The Eccentric: Fengdu City
Two tablets were missing: Golden Rooster Ridge and The Wilderness. And no one knew where they were.
"Hateful!" the eccentric muttered, his face twisted in regret. "So lighting the ten ladders summons the Gate of Reincarnation... Why did the Abode never mention this in the last two centuries?"
"Can't we go back and find them?" Wang Laoxie asked, his eyes burning with greed. The Book of Destiny was within reach; he could practically taste it.
"Go back? Idiot!" the eccentric sneered. "This is the Yellow Springs Road! There is no turning back on the road to the underworld! Once you cross the Flower Sea, the path behind is sealed!"
The realization hit them cold. They had marched forward blindly, never realizing that the path was a one-way trip. Even if they had known the significance of the tablets, they couldn't have returned to search for the missing ones.
"Next time... in fifty years, I will bring the tablets here!" Wang Laoxie vowed.
"Dream on," the eccentric scoffed. "Every time the Reincarnation Immortal Abode closes, the tablets return to their original locations. You can't take them out."
Mo Shuiyao woke from her trance, hearing the conversation. A heavy sigh escaped her lips. To miss such a supreme fated chance because of two missing stones... it was tragic.
While everyone else wallowed in regret, Xiao Yifeng remained silent.
He knew exactly why the Abode had issued the reminder this time. It wasn't random.
It was because all ten Reincarnation Stone Tablets were, in fact, present.