At the base of the Heaven-Reaching Staircase, the battle raged fiercely.

“Miss Ye, why go to such lengths for that good-for-nothing?”

Shen Li wielded his Heart-Eroding Blade, slashing out an ethereal green arc that forced Ye Qingxian back three steps.

A smug smirk played on his lips as he cast a covetous glance at the peerless beauty before him. “By now, my third brother has likely had his bones corroded to dust by the poisonous moss.”

Ye Qingxian’s white robes fluttered gracefully, the phoenix mark between her brows flickering with faint light.

Six Void Guiding Chains had sealed off the space around her, yet the golden flames in her palm burned unceasingly.

Several Foundation Establishment cultivators surged forward once more, their momentum overwhelming.

“Silence!” she snapped. Her jade-like fingers lightly brushed the air, and a wisp of Divine Phoenix True Fire pierced through the gaps in the chains, driving back one of the sneak-attacking cultivators.

Shen Li remained unfazed. The Void Guiding Jade Pendant rotated slowly in his palm. “Do you really think he could make it through the Poison Stage with only his paltry cultivation?”

He deliberately dragged out his words. “Shen Quan is being backed by five mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators—perhaps right now they are enjoying the gruesome sight of him succumbing to the poison!”

Before he could finish speaking, the poisonous miasma far above on the Heaven-Reaching Staircase suddenly surged violently.

“What calmness are you pretending to have!” Shen Li suddenly erupted. His Heart-Eroding Blade transformed into nine venomous spiritual serpents that lunged forward. “Once I capture you, you’ll get to witness firsthand the corpse of that trash!”

Yet Ye Qingxian showed no sign of disturbance.

For this Empress, the greatest taboo during battle was distraction.

If it was a fight, she would focus solely on winning. Nothing else could sway her.

She once again calmly countered her opponent’s attack.

“Your last-ditch effort!” Shen Li’s face darkened. He bit his tongue, spitting a mouthful of essence blood onto his Heart-Eroding Blade.

The short blade instantly transformed into a monstrous serpent thirty feet long, its gaping maw snapping toward Ye Qingxian.

Just as Ye Qingxian was about to form a seal, the poisonous miasma atop the Heaven-Reaching Staircase surged violently once more.

A pillar of crimson-gold light pierced through the mist, revealing a figure rapidly ascending within it.

Shen Li noticed the anomaly but immediately sneered. “It seems Shen Quan and the others are having quite a lively time—making such a commotion!”

He turned to look at Ye Qingxian, whose aura was already showing signs of instability, and said triumphantly, “After I deal with you, I’ll go up there and collect that good-for-nothing’s corpse.”

A trace of blood trickled from Ye Qingxian’s lips, yet her gaze remained as cold as frost.

She raised her delicate hand. Her chest glowed with golden light as a token slowly emerged.

It was the treasure Nangong Wan had given her earlier.

Upon seeing that crimson-gold token, Shen Li’s anger flared.

Why had Mother given it to her?

Boom!

The crimson-gold token erupted with terrifying power, shaking the surroundings. One careless Foundation Establishment cultivator had his tendons and bones shattered by the shockwave, sustaining grievous injuries.

Ye Qingxian bathed in the golden light, striking out once more. The token shot forth countless threads, sharp as blades, piercing toward enemies all around.

“Kill her!” Shen Li’s true fury had caused him to lose control.

He hurled his Heart-Eroding Blade with all his might while simultaneously activating the Void Guiding Jade Pendant. Two deadly attacks converged upon Ye Qingxian.

The other cultivators also unleashed their strongest trump cards.

In an instant, spiritual lights intertwined, and terrifying power swept across the area.

Ye Qingxian wore an indifferent expression, her beautiful eyes serene. She stepped forward fearlessly to engage in battle once more.

On the Heaven-Reaching Staircase.

Shen Xian stood before the Staircase of Lightning, looking upward. The entire flight of steps was enveloped in raging purple thunder. Electric sparks writhed like dragons and snakes between the stones, each strike accompanied by deafening roars.

The air was thick with the scent of ozone and burning. Even the surrounding mist was torn apart by the violent thunder.

He glanced down at the Profound Heaven Golden Silk Armor he wore. This top-tier magical garment now glowed with a faint purplish-gold radiance, its surface subtly adorned with intricate thunder rune patterns.

“It seems this armor is perfectly suited to withstand this tribulation,” Shen Xian murmured softly. His fingertip lightly traced the collar as he poured his spiritual energy into the artifact.

Instantly, the Golden Silk Armor moved without wind. Its sleeves billowed as a layer of purplish-gold light quietly emerged, enveloping him completely.

With his cultivation effectively halfway to the Golden Core stage, though he couldn’t unleash the full power of this top-tier magical artifact, it was more than enough to handle this lightning.

He stepped onto the first step of the thunder staircase. Instantly, three bolts of thunder as thick as bowls crashed down!

Boom!

The thunder struck the protective shield. The runes on the Golden Silk Armor lit up, moving as if alive. They dispersed and guided the violent energy, preventing it from concentrating in one spot, instead breaking it into fine currents that dissipated harmlessly.

Shen Xian felt only a slight tingling sensation throughout his body. He was unharmed.

This gave him great confidence. He acted without hesitation, his figure blurring as he leaped over three steps at once.

Five strands of thunder intertwined into a net, descending from above.

The purplish-gold ribbons of the Golden Silk Armor suddenly extended, coiling around the thunder like living serpents, tearing the net apart and shattering it.

Shen Xian seized the momentum, moving like lightning, instantly breaking through to the tenth step.

The thunder on the staircase grew even more ferocious, as if enraged, lashing out wildly.

Yet Shen Xian moved even faster. The protective shield of the Golden Silk Armor was impenetrable, deflecting every bolt.

His figure darted through the lightning. Wherever he passed, sparks exploded, yet not a single one touched his skin.

When the final bolt of golden thunder, as thick as a bucket, descended, Shen Xian had already reached the end of the staircase.

Without looking back, he waved his sleeve. The purplish-gold glow of the Golden Silk Armor erupted, forcefully shattering the golden thunder!

As the electric sparks dissipated, Shen Xian stood before the Ancestral Hall gate.

He straightened his robes, the thunder runes on the Golden Silk Armor gradually fading and returning to dormancy.

“Now, it is time to enter.”

Boom!

The entire Heaven-Reaching Staircase began to tremble violently. The bluestone steps crumbled inch by inch, turning into countless flecks of light that vanished into the void.

In the distance below, Shen Li, locked in fierce combat, suddenly looked up. His pupils contracted sharply.

“How is this possible?!”

The disappearance of the staircase meant the trial path to the Ancestral Hall was completely sealed off.

He stared fixedly into the invisible void, his face instantly turning pale. “That good-for-nothing… actually made it to the summit?!”

Though he didn’t know exactly what had happened, Shen Quan and his group would never have reached the summit on their own.

That meant it was Shen Xian—that waste—who had succeeded.

But how could this be possible?

Ye Qingxian halted, her white robes gently billowing in the spiritual wind.

She raised her gaze to the heights, a barely perceptible smile playing on her lips.

At this moment, only she and Shen Li remained in the arena; the other cultivators had all been slain by her hand.

The third trial was over. They too would be eliminated and leave.

And since Shen Xian had successfully reached the summit, he would surely walk the path ahead well.

Shen Li staggered backward two steps. His carefully groomed hair fell loose, clinging damp with sweat to his pale cheeks. He felt as if he had been struck by lightning, unable to recover for a long time.

He gazed at the vanishing staircase, then at Ye Qingxian’s calm demeanor, and suddenly let out a beast-like roar.

“No!—”

This cry of despair echoed in the void, yet it could no longer change anything.

With a dazzling flash of white light, the figures of Shen Li and Ye Qingxian were simultaneously teleported out of the Ancestral Grounds, bringing the struggle to a close.