Beyond the labyrinth lay an endless void.

Within this emptiness, a Heaven-Reaching Staircase drifted in and out of sight, shrouded in mist, its true form obscured.

Evidently, the next stage of the trial would not begin for another day.

Shen Xian gazed deeply at the phantom-like staircase before him.

At its summit lay the true Ancestral Hall, where the inheritance left by the First Patriarch was preserved.

Only those blessed by the Patriarch were qualified to become the head of the Shen family!

At this thought, he couldn’t help but think of his second brother, who was determined to seize the position of patriarch at any cost. A glint of ambition flickered in Shen Xian’s eyes.

Who says that seat is yours to claim?

A day passed in a flash.

In the end, only thirty cultivators arrived.

Two-thirds of them were Shen Li’s loyal followers.

Shen Li had been planning for this ancestral ceremony for a long time, carefully selecting only those with exceptional strength to be his confidants.

As everyone gathered, the Heaven-Reaching Staircase finally revealed itself fully, standing like a vast chasm before them.

The steps, paved with azure-gray stone, wound upward, piercing the clouds. Each step gleamed with the polish of countless eons.

A hazy mist drifted between the levels, sometimes condensing into clouds, sometimes dispersing into sheer veils, enveloping the entire structure in an atmosphere of profound mystery.

Upon closer inspection, this Heaven-Reaching Staircase concealed deadly secrets.

The bottom thirty-three steps were riddled with intricate hairline fractures. These cracks were not random; they formed a mysterious, hazardous array.

Whenever the mountain wind blew, sharp keening sounds emerged from the gaps, as if countless invisible blades were slicing through the stone.

Occasionally, a translucent wind blade would slash past, leaving fresh, deep gouges on the hard azure stone.

About a hundred steps higher, the color of the staircase shifted from azure to a deep, angry red.

The stone surface there took on an eerie crimson hue, as if it had been scorched by flames for millions of years. Up close, one could see patterns resembling molten lava flowing within the rock, occasionally emitting a faint, menacing glow.

The air there was filled with scorching heat, causing even the surrounding mist to twist and distort.

One-third of the way up, the surface was coated in a layer of dark green, moss-like substance.

This substance seemed alive, slowly pulsating and emitting a sickening, fishy stench. Bubbles occasionally rose from beneath the moss, bursting to release wisps of dark green mist that instantly corroded the stone steps into honeycomb-like pits.

Near the very summit, the staircase was completely enveloped in violet lightning.

The steps there had lost all trace of their original color, entirely submerged beneath flickering electric arcs.

From time to time, bolts of thunder as thick as bowls would strike down from the clouds, exploding into dazzling sparks upon impact.

Even from a distance, the cultivators could feel a tingling numbness crawling across their skin.

The entire staircase radiated an oppressive aura that made one’s heart tremble.

Boom!

The next moment, a deafening roar erupted. Golden light flooded the void, outlining six massive characters in the sky:

“Ascend the Summit, Enter the Ancestral Hall!”

Everyone looked up, awestruck by the imposing majesty of the decree.

But just then, violence erupted.

Pfft!

A sharp blade pierced a cultivator’s chest from behind.

The instant blood splashed onto the azure-gray steps, the scene fell into a deathly silence.

Shen Li slowly withdrew his bloodstained Heart-Eroding Blade. The short dagger, black as ink, absorbed the fluids instantly, leaving not a single drop of blood on its surface.

He cast a cold glance over the group, his voice unnervingly calm. “Anyone who is not my loyal dog is a potential threat.”

Ever since arriving here, Shen Li had prepared himself to ascend alone to receive the blessing of the First Patriarch.

Thus, he had to eliminate all unforeseen obstacles.

These neutral members of the Shen family were precisely such threats.

After all, he was certain to attack Ye Qingxian and Shen Xian. If these neutrals took advantage of the chaos to strike, it would be a grave error.

Therefore, Shen Li decided to clean house before the main event.

No sooner had he finished speaking than his twenty-plus loyal followers launched a sudden, coordinated assault.

In the blink of an eye, seven or eight of the neutral cultivators lay dead in pools of their own blood, too stunned to even react.

“Shen Li! How dare you—”

A collateral branch disciple at the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment roared in fury, only to have his dantian pierced simultaneously by three flying swords.

He stared down in disbelief at the blades protruding from his abdomen, blood frothing at his lips as he collapsed.

Ye Qingxian’s eyes turned icy cold. With a gentle wave of her delicate hand, she conjured a curtain of water before her.

The splashing blood instantly froze into ice upon contact with the water barrier, falling to the ground in harmless, crystalline fragments.

Shen Xian reacted even faster. As soon as the first cultivator fell, he darted to Ye Qingxian’s side.

He narrowed his eyes at the massacre, a cold smirk playing on his lips. “Second Brother, you’ve truly gone to great lengths.”

Shen Li lightly flicked his Heart-Eroding Blade, the dark purple patterns on the metal writhing as if alive. “Third Brother, don’t mock me. I merely think…”

He stepped forward slowly, the short blade spinning in his palm. “When it comes to something as significant as the Ancestral Hall’s inheritance, one’s own people are far more reliable.”

With each step he took, the surviving loyal followers dispersed in perfect coordination, forming a tight encirclement.

In moments, the group of thirty was reduced to fewer than twenty. The air before the sacred staircase was thick with the copper stench of blood.

“One’s own people?” Shen Xian suddenly burst into laughter, pointing at the lifeless corpses littering the ground. “Aren’t they also surnamed Shen?”

“Dead people aren’t family,” Shen Li dismissed with a wave of his hand, leveling the Heart-Eroding Blade directly at Shen Xian. “Third Brother, now it’s your turn.”

A look of assured victory spread across his face.

Now, no one stood in his way.

Shen Xian turned his gaze toward Ye Qingxian.

In this critical moment, what choice would the Empress make?

I’ll hold them off; you go up, Ye Qingxian’s voice echoed in his mind.

After the second trial, she had realized that due to her bloodline, she would never receive the blessing of the Shen family’s First Patriarch.

If that was the case, she might as well do a favor for this little fellow who was always giving her gifts.

Shen Xian wasn’t surprised by this, but he still asked via transmission, Do you need my help?

No need. Ye Qingxian slightly raised her chin. Her expression remained as calm as ever, devoid of emotion—save for her serene eyes, which brimmed with pride.

Though her current cultivation base couldn’t completely overwhelm these people, holding them back would pose no problem.

Alright.

Shen Xian turned and charged without hesitation toward the Heaven-Reaching Staircase.

He trusted that the Empress possessed the strength to confront these Foundation Establishment cultivators. If so, he could climb with peace of mind.

“Stop him!” Shen Li commanded instantly.

More than twenty Foundation Establishment cultivators surged forward, rushing toward Ye Qingxian to bypass her.

Ye Qingxian’s eyes suddenly blazed with crimson-gold divine flames, a radiant phoenix pattern emerging between her brows.

In an instant, the temperature of the entire dimension soared. Even the fierce winds on the lower steps of the staircase were swept away by the scorching thermal currents.

Cry—!

A clear, piercing phoenix cry echoed through the heavens. Behind her, a pair of ethereal, crimson-gold wings unfolded majestically.

Each feather flowed with liquid divine fire, leaving scorching tracers in the void with every gentle flap.

The first three Foundation Establishment cultivators who charged forward hadn’t even gotten close when their protective spiritual energy was incinerated by the divine flames.

They watched in terror as their magical artifacts melted into slag in the intense heat, turning into ashes before they could even let out a scream.

“Divine Phoenix True Fire?!” Shen Li’s face contorted in shock.