Eight-Story Tower Part 1

Ao Mian, dressed in a red cloak, stood out remarkably amidst the battle-weary troops. Wherever he went, enemy soldiers fell in droves. After gazing at his heroic figure for a long time, Wu Zuyao reluctantly withdrew his gaze and said, "Baicang... I never thought that in my lifetime, I would actually see the legendary ancient powerhouse Ao Mian."

Zhang Jingmo said calmly, "Indeed."

Wu Zuyao then asked, "What does he mean by giving you one year's time?"

Zhang Jingmo said, "Do you know about the Battle of the Burning Furnace back then?"

Wu Zuyao replied, "Who doesn't know about the Battle of the Burning Furnace?"

Back then, the continent was not divided, cultivators had just emerged, and spiritual energy was abundant. The heaven and earth gave birth to powerful cultivators who could summon clouds with a flip of their hands and bring rain with a turn of their palms.

These cultivators could shatter the void and destroy the world with a mere gesture.

Because of this, the battles between these cultivators almost always caused tremendous damage to the continent. As this happened more frequently, the laws of the Dao of Heaven began to take action against this group of ancient powerhouses.

The Dao of Heaven is impartial and follows the principle of balance. These powerhouses had already disrupted the equilibrium of this world, so the Dao of Heaven began to intervene.

The Battle of the Burning Furnace was a typical example of the Dao of Heaven's intervention.

Back then, an ancient powerhouse named Ao Mian wanted to contend with the Dao of Heaven. The Dao of Heaven cast his clan into a secret realm where they could not use spiritual power and set up layers of obstacles within this realm.

However, no one expected that although Ao Mian could not use spiritual energy, he relied on his powerful physique and his army of millions to directly break through this secret realm and turn the tables on the Dao of Heaven's forces.

The most important battle in this conflict was known as the Battle of the Burning Furnace.

After this battle, Ao Mian's name spread throughout the continent. The fact that he confronted the Dao of Heaven and emerged victorious was praised by all cultivators.

But not long after, Ao Mian ascended and left this continent. However, his prestige has been passed down to this day, known to almost every cultivator.

The battlefield that appeared before Zhang Jingmo and Wu Zuyao was none other than the battlefield of the Battle of the Burning Furnace.

Zhang Jingmo said, "This is the battlefield of the Battle of the Burning Furnace."

Wu Zuyao showed a look of surprise.

Zhang Jingmo looked at the figure fighting not far away and said, "That person is the phantom left behind by Ao Mian." -- It was just a phantom, inheriting a negligible amount of Ao Mian's power, yet it still made Zhang Jingmo and Wu Zuyao feel fear. One could imagine how terrifying Ao Mian himself must have been.

Wu Zuyao also thought of this. He couldn't help but swallow and said, "This... his power is too terrifying."

Zhang Jingmo said, "Indeed, the minuscule power he left behind has lasted for who knows how many tens of thousands of years, yet it is still so powerful." After saying this, he paused for a moment and then said, "Do you know how this continent was split into three pieces?"

Wu Zuyao asked in puzzlement, "Wasn't it just ordinary geological changes?"

Zhang Jingmo laughed, "After Ao Mian left this continent back then, the Dao of Heaven took action against the remaining powerhouses. After these powerhouses fought with the Dao of Heaven, the continent was split into three pieces by their power."

Actually, not many people knew about this part of history. It just so happened that Zhang Jingmo had obtained the relics of an ancient powerhouse, which contained written records of this history.

After that battle, the living beings on the continent suffered heavy casualties. Who knows how long it took for vitality to be restored afterwards. But now, no matter what happens, it's impossible for the prosperity of those days to reappear.

Because the spiritual energy in this world is diminishing day by day. Not only that, it will also face a huge catastrophe.

Wu Zuyao stared blankly at Ao Mian's figure not far away and said in a daze, "He's actually just a shadow."

Zhang Jingmo thought of what Ao Mian had just said to him and secretly thought that perhaps the current shadow already had its own thoughts and was no longer just a shadow.

Zhang Jingmo said, "Let's go, time is running out."

Wu Zuyao said, "Oh right... you still haven't explained what he meant by giving you time."

Zhang Jingmo laughed, "If I can't break through the secret realm within three hundred and sixty-five days, I won't need to come out anymore."

Wu Zuyao's face turned pale and he let out a dazed "ah" sound.

Seeing this, Zhang Jingmo laughed again and said, "When the time comes, I'll put in a good word for you. Maybe if he's in a good mood, he'll let you out."

Wu Zuyao said with a bitter smile, "At a time like this, don't joke around -- but since you have a way to get in, you must have some confidence, right?"

Zhang Jingmo's eyes were calm, "Who knows."

Wu Zuyao: "... Brother, I truly admire you."

Zhang Jingmo laughed, "Alright, let's stop joking around."

Wu Zuyao said, "... Then, what do we do next?"

Zhang Jingmo said, "Look ahead of you."

Wu Zuyao turned his head to look and discovered that at some point, an eight-story pagoda had been erected in front of him. A red pearl was suspended at the top of the pagoda.

Zhang Jingmo said, "In three hundred and sixty-five days, take down this pearl and you can leave."

Wu Zuyao: "..."

Zhang Jingmo said, "Why aren't you saying anything?"

Wu Zuyao said with a bitter face, "What else is there to say... Let's hurry over. You've really put me in a terrible spot."

Actually, Zhang Jingmo had always admired Wu Zuyao's magnanimity. If it were him who had been tricked like this, he might have already turned against the person. But Wu Zuyao actually still believed what Zhang Jingmo said.

This was probably also the reason why Zhang Jingmo considered Wu Zuyao his best friend.

The pagoda didn't look very tall and its exterior was quite ordinary. Zhang Jingmo walked to the front of the pagoda first. Wu Zuyao followed behind Zhang Jingmo and asked in puzzlement, "Where's the door? How do we get in?"

Zhang Jingmo didn't answer. He just took out the bronze key that Ao Mian had given him earlier from his sleeve, and then knocked three times on the pagoda's wall.

After three knocks, a small wooden door appeared between the stone walls that originally had no gaps at all. That wooden door was very dilapidated, as if it could be pushed open with one hand. Wu Zuyao saw that Zhang Jingmo wasn't moving, so he reached out and pushed the wooden door, saying, "Why aren't you going in?" However, he pushed several times before realizing that the wooden door wouldn't budge at all.

Wu Zuyao asked in confusion, "This door...?"

Zhang Jingmo revealed a faint smile and said, "Let me try."

Wu Zuyao stepped aside, and to his surprise, Zhang Jingmo easily pushed open the wooden door.

Wu Zuyao was stunned for a moment, but still followed behind Zhang Jingmo, entering the tower through the wooden door.

Inside the tower, it was pitch black. The faint light shining through the wooden door only allowed the two to barely see the winding stairs in front of them. Zhang Jingmo stood in front of the stairs and asked, "Do you want to go up with me?"

Wu Zuyao thought for a moment and said, "No."

Zhang Jingmo asked, "Don't you want to see what's up there?"

Wu Zuyao shook his head. "Ao Mian's key was given to you. What's the point of me going to join in the excitement?"

Zhang Jingmo said, "There might be treasures up there."

Wu Zuyao laughed. "There are countless treasures in this world. If you try to obtain every single one, wouldn't you be living a very tiring life?"

Zhang Jingmo nodded and didn't try to persuade him further. He stepped onto the wooden stairs.

Wu Zuyao watched as Zhang Jingmo's figure gradually disappeared at the end of the corridor. The originally calm look in his eyes was replaced by a hint of doubt. He sat down on the ground, tapped the stone bricks below, and muttered in confusion, "Chen Baicang... Just who are you?"

Ao Mian had returned the bronze key to Zhang Jingmo. Without this key, Zhang Jingmo would not only have to find a way to create a door in the wall, but also spend a lot of effort on the first seven floors.

But now with this key, Zhang Jingmo was able to directly reach the seventh floor.

Within these seven floors, many beast illusions unique to the secret realm were locked up. Just like Ao Mian, although these beasts were illusions, Zhang Jingmo still needed to put in some effort to deal with them.

Ao Mian was considered the gatekeeper of this tower. He could directly give the pass to reach the eighth floor to those who entered the realm - this was the experience Zhang Jingmo gained after countless trials in this secret realm.

Zhang Jingmo didn't have extraordinary talent or heaven-defying luck. The only thing he possessed was this endless cycle, whether it was a punishment or a reward.

His footsteps on the wooden stairs made a faint sound that echoed softly in the empty tower.

Zhang Jingmo heard the restrained roars of beasts, the hissing of snakes flicking their tongues, the flapping of birds' wings. Those sounds surrounded Zhang Jingmo's ears, as if at any moment, a beast would pounce out from the darkness.

Zhang Jingmo's expression remained unchanged, his breath not fluctuating in the slightest.

These beasts all existed. If he showed the slightest fear, in a moment, he would see them truly standing before him.

Zhang Jingmo remembered all of this. He could even remember the color of every inch of fur on those beasts, the foul stench on their bodies.

His pace was neither hurried nor slow as he walked through the darkness, passing all seven floors and reaching the entrance to the eighth floor.

When ascending the stairs to the eighth floor, the howls of those beasts all disappeared. The silence made one feel a strange unease. Zhang Jingmo's footsteps paused for a moment, but quickly resumed their original pace.

He walked up slowly and soon saw the entrance to the eighth floor - in fact, it wasn't a door, but a narrow crevice that one could only pass through sideways with difficulty. One wouldn't know if the other side of the crevice was still silent darkness, wouldn't know what was waiting for them.

Zhang Jingmo didn't know either.

The first seven floors of the tower tested one's courage, while the eighth floor tested one's heart.

Zhang Jingmo had entered many times before, and the situation he encountered was different each time - but almost every time, there was the existence of one person, and that person's name was Lu Guijiu.

Zhang Jingmo reached out and ran his fingers along the edge of the crevice, gently closing his eyes.

A moment later, his eyes opened again, and all that remained in his gaze was determination.

Zhang Jingmo turned sideways and slowly squeezed into the crevice. The cold stone walls pressed against his skin, making him feel a bit cold. He struggled through the crevice, taking one step at a time towards the front.

After an unknown amount of time, when Zhang Jingmo's skin was left with only a chill, he finally emerged from the crevice. However, the first thing he saw made his face turn a few shades paler.

Zhang Jingmo saw a woman. He could no longer clearly remember her appearance, but he remembered her name. His mouth opened slightly, calling out a name. He said, "Gu Chenshan."

Zhang Jingmo saw Gu Chenshan.

Gu Chenshan stood on the ground, with blooming peach blossoms behind her. Her appearance felt both unfamiliar and familiar to Zhang Jingmo, but as long as he saw her, he could recall her name.