Chapter 421 - 402: Ascending the Staircase

Chapter 421: Chapter 402: Ascending the Staircase

The moment they set foot on the summit platform, everyone froze.

A celestial ladder paved with flawless white jade crashed into their vision.

It was a staircase fashioned from whole blocks of flawless white jade, exuding an aura of sacred, aloof majesty.

It rose from the peak, stretching straight up until it disappeared into the depths of the vast sea of clouds, its end out of sight.

Swirling mists coiled around both sides of the staircase. The mountain winds stirred the sea of clouds, and merely standing at the foot of the steps seemed to allow one to feel its dazzling, divine might.

Standing beneath this celestial ladder, gazing at the behemoth, at this endless stairway to the heavens, an irrepressible feeling of insignificance welled up inside them.

It was as if they were nothing more than a speck of dust between heaven and earth, and the staircase before them was an impassable chasm.

The new recruits, who had just witnessed a bloody tragedy, found their already terrified hearts completely seized by this miraculous sight.

’This... What kind of masterpiece is this? Using... the entire mountain peak... as a base, with... flawless white jade for steps, leading straight... to the heavens!’

’Is... is this... a stairway to the celestial realm?’

’It’s... it’s too magnificent... I feel like even breathing while standing here is a form of blasphemy...’

’But... why am I so scared? I feel like that ladder is watching me, as if the moment I step on it, I’ll be ground into dust... And this is a demonic sect, so that might actually happen.’

The undercover disciples, however, were equally, if not more, shocked when they saw the Asking Dao Ladder.

’The Asking Dao Ladder?! This is actually the legendary Asking Dao Ladder! Rumor has it that only the most preeminent, unfathomably powerful major sects could possibly possess such a divine, sect-guarding artifact! It can help a Cultivator confront their true heart, overcome their Heart Demon, and temper their Dao heart! Such a divine object... even in our own sect’s archives, it’s only mentioned in ethereal legends. We’ve never seen the real thing!’

’Is... is this a real Asking Dao Ladder? Or just a fake replica? The Guixi Sect... the Guixi Sect actually possesses a divine artifact like this? Could it be that they’re a hidden, top-tier major sect?!’

(Lin Qingfeng: It’s all thanks to me paying to win!!!)

’No wonder! No wonder the disciples of this sect all have such bizarre strength and act so erratically! The Guixi Sect’s foundation... it’s probably several times more terrifying... than we ever imagined!’

Just as everyone’s minds were reeling, awestruck by the celestial ladder, Su Ling’er’s gaze was drawn to a figure at its entrance.

At the entrance to the Asking Dao Ladder, a familiar and desolate figure was holding a bamboo broom, repeating the motion of sweeping, again and again.

It was as if he was the only person left in the world, accompanied only by the RUSTLE RUSTLE of his sweeping.

But... the Asking Dao Ladder was made of flawless white jade. Cleansed year-round by the mountain winds and misty clouds, it was already spotless. Where would any fallen leaves come from?

Su Ling’er swept her Divine Sense over him and recognized the man—it was Mu Ling, from Anhe City.

He must be performing one of the sect’s most basic cleaning tasks.

’I remember doing this same task over five hundred times for contribution points back in the day. Can you clean the Asking Dao Ladder now? Is the reward high? Why... why did he still choose such a tedious job?’

Her Divine Sense probed deeper, and her heart sank.

Mu Ling’s back was still straight and proud, but under the perception of her Divine Sense, he exuded a deathly, stagnant aura. His eyes were empty and unfocused, as if his soul was still lingering in that Spirit Hall in Anhe City, the one draped with white funeral banners; as if it were still trapped in that bloody moment when he personally plunged a dagger into the chest of Liu Yue, the man who murdered his wife.

He swept slowly and deliberately, every movement meticulous.

It was as if he wasn’t sweeping the dust on the ground, but the dust in his heart that could never be swept clean.

Yet, it also seemed as if he wasn’t looking at the ground at all. He was simply immersed in his own world, using this endlessly repetitive labor to numb his heart, trying to sweep away indelible memories and find a fleeting moment of peace.

Su Ling’er watched his lonely figure and sighed softly in her heart.

’Sigh, the pain of losing a wife cuts to the bone. How could any external thing soothe it? There’s nothing I can do to help.’

’Still... since First Senior Brother personally named him to join the sect, he should be under First Senior Brother’s protection. He probably... won’t die a violent death as easily as the other disciples.’

’Perhaps, with time, and a sect that has been purified by First Senior Brother in the future, he’ll be able to slowly move on...’

Meanwhile, the group of new recruits behind her also noticed the strange person at the entrance.

The mortals among them were filled with confusion.

’What’s this guy doing? This floor is cleaner than the rice jar back home, why is he still sweeping?’

’Is he... being punished by the sect? Forced to do this kind of hard labor? He looks so pathetic...’

’Or maybe... what if... what if he’s one of those ’sweeper monks’ from the storybooks? Seemingly ordinary, but with a heaven-defying Cultivation! If we disturb him, we’ll probably be turned into a bloody mist with a single breath!’

The undercover disciples, however, saw more to the situation, and new worries sprouted in their hearts.

’This person... has no Spiritual Power fluctuations at all. He’s a pure mortal? Why would a mortal be assigned to clean such a critical area of the sect?’

’Could it be... that the Guixi Sect doesn’t provide new disciples with Cultivation Techniques or basic resources? Do they just make them do menial chores like this?’

’If that’s really the case... then even though we’ve entered this unfathomably deep sect, if we can’t obtain its teachings or uncover any information, won’t we end up just like him? Wasting away our years, only to be abandoned by our original sects as well, eventually turning into a pile of dirt? Isn’t our future just as bleak?’

Su Ling’er walked the few steps to the wooden desk at the entrance of the Asking Dao Ladder.

Behind the desk, Mr. Qian still had that same half-dead, venerable look, his eyelids drooping.

Su Ling’er reached into her robes and felt the bulging storage pouch.

Her fingertips brushed against the cool, sharp edges of the Spirit Stones, and her heart gave a violent twitch.

’This is my entire life’s savings, gathered over so long, and now I have to sink it all for this group of complete strangers.’

’You can’t catch a wolf without bait! What are a few Spirit Stones? As long as I can make them back down, even if only one person leaves the mountain, it’ll count as me snatching a life back from this demon’s den! I’ll just consider this their ’severance pay’ and ’settling-in fee’!’

Gritting her teeth, she put force into her wrist and SLAMMED the heavy bag of Spirit Stones onto the desk.

Mr. Qian gave a light wave of his hand, and the Spirit Stone Pouch vanished into thin air. He then raised his eyelids slightly, made a "please proceed" gesture toward the celestial staircase, and went back to his meditation.

Su Ling’er took a deep breath and turned to face the three hundred-plus apprehensive faces.

"All of you, look behind you!"

With a flick of her wide sleeve, she pointed to the long, white jade staircase that pierced the clouds.

"This is the prized treasure of my Guixi Sect—the Asking Dao Ladder!"

"This ladder was paved with ancient divine jade. It reaches to the highest heavens and suppresses the underworld below. It is the supreme holy ground for our sect’s members to overcome their Heart Demons, temper their Dao hearts, and face their true selves!"

After this initial bout of boasting, her tone suddenly shifted:

"However, the Celestial Dao is merciless!"

"This ladder does not care for your Spirit Root, nor your Cultivation. It asks only about your Dao heart!"

"Every step on this ladder is an illusion; every stair a new trial. If your mind is distracted, if your Dao heart is not firm, you will be trapped by illusions. In severe cases, a Heart Demon will invade your body! When that happens, the Asking Dao Ladder will automatically teleport you back down. You’ll only wake up after a little while."

She paused deliberately here.

"My Guixi Sect does not accept cowards who dare not even face their own hearts!"

"Now, your opportunity is right before you!"

"Either step onto this ladder right now and fight for that ethereal chance at immortality! Since you yearn so much for the path of Cultivation, then go on! Use your own two feet to prove your determination to the sect, and to the Celestial Dao!"

Su Ling’er watched them, full of anticipation.

’Go on! Hurry up and go! With such a huge temptation right in front of you, why aren’t you rushing forward like starving wolves pouncing on their prey? Then you’ll get tormented by your Heart Demons until you’re crying for your mommy and daddy, and finally, you’ll scurry down the mountain in disgrace!’

However—

The wind passed without a trace. The entire area was dead silent.

Not a single person took a step.

In fact, amidst the howling mountain wind, many of the three hundred-plus people took half a step back, the soles of their shoes scraping against the ground.

They looked at Su Ling’er’s "encouraging" smile and only felt a chill run down their spines, their scalps tingling with fear.

’Automatically teleported back down, and you’ll wake up after a bit... Can we believe that?’

’She’s a senior sister from this demonic sect! I’ll believe you when pigs fly! This is definitely a trap!’

’That’s right! This must be one of those ’gu’-raising schemes! She says teleport, but it’s probably teleporting us right into a Pill Furnace! Once we’re trapped by the Heart Demons and can’t move, they’ll harvest us like crops, bundle us up, and send us off for Alchemy to feed that giant bug!’

’That rolling head from the martial arts field... it’s still flashing before my eyes! My mom’s still waiting for me to go home and get married, I don’t wanna die...’

In their eyes, the Asking Dao Ladder was now the Naihe Bridge leading to the gates of hell—a journey from which there was no return.

Su Ling’er looked at the figures cowering like quails, their faces screaming ’I don’t believe you,’ ’Don’t kill me,’ and ’I want to go home.’

Her chest tightened, and she almost couldn’t catch her breath.

’Great... just great...’

’Looks like the fear-based education from earlier was effective. A little too effective! They’re looking at me like I’m King Yama himself!’

’Since they don’t even have the courage to step onto the Asking Dao Ladder, their chance at immortality is severed. This is perfect. I can take this opportunity to kick them all down the mountain. A happy ending for everyone.’

At this thought, she clutched her chest where the Spirit Stone Pouch had disappeared, a sharp pang of pain striking her.

’But... my Spirit Stones! They’re gone without so much as a splash?! This isn’t how you’re supposed to squander a fortune!’

She swallowed the painful loss and took a deep breath.

’Forget it. Money is just a worldly possession. As long as it gets them out of this demon’s den and saves their lives, the money was... worth it. Worth it!’

Su Ling’er cleared her throat, about to announce, "Since you’re all useless, get the hell down the mountain."

Suddenly!

TAP, TAP, TAP.

A set of footsteps broke the dead silence.

A figure slowly emerged from the crowd.

His face was calm, with a hint of laziness. It was none other than the undercover disciple from the Celestial Furnace Sect, Lu Ping, stepping forward to give it a try.