Along the path lay hundreds of giant reptile corpses. Li Xian said, "Be extremely careful, do not step on the blood of the giant reptiles." The women became highly alert, carefully avoiding the corpses, and moved slowly.

The following night, the reptiles emerged from their lairs again. Although there were occasional skirmishes, the cliff walls soon resolved the issues without sparking a large-scale battle. Li Xian protected his heart and spirit, maintaining composure in response to various unusual situations.

At midday, the number of reptile lairs along the way gradually decreased. After walking for another half-hour, they slowly left the danger zone. The women embraced each other and wept tears of joy. Li Xian also wiped off his cold sweat. To ensure safety, they continued for several more miles before resting.

There was no snow accumulation here. It seemed they had crossed the "Path of a Thousand Reptiles" and entered into the heart chamber of the Nine Orifice Dragon Heart Acupoint. Li Xian exhaled clear air, expelling all the foul odors.

The women gathered around Li Xian, feeling a strong sense of reliance, and awaited his decision. Li Xian pondered, "Let’s rest for one day and then continue forward! More dangers surely lie ahead, but we have overcome many hardships and are no longer the same. Such paltry challenges can’t harm us now."

Tang Menglu expressed her heartfelt admiration, "Brother Li, your tenacity and wisdom surpass others. If the disciples of my Sword Sect could learn even a little from you, it would be a great blessing."

The women said, "It might be difficult. Brother Li’s strategic mindset is not something others can imitate." "Although I’m a Sword Sect disciple, to be unbiased, my senior brothers have decent talent, but when it comes to charisma and character, they pale in comparison." "I once thought my senior brother was a paragon of talent, but now... perhaps he still is, but Brother Li is..."

...

...

The women chatted noisily. Li Xian, being humble by nature, quickly stopped them. Afraid of his displeasure, they said no more about it, though their minds were already made up. They thought, "Feasts and banquets may foster friendships, but a person’s elegance and demeanor are truly revealed in perilous circumstances. A man may not need to be exceptionally graceful, but being dependable and calm in adversity is what matters most."

At this moment, appearances were overlooked, and all were captivated by this presence. Here, there was no distinction between day and night. Resting for half an hour, Li Xian faintly heard the sound of a bell resonating. With no path forward, he followed the sound of the bell.

The path was straight and direct, with no other routes to take. After walking for about half an hour, the way ahead was abruptly blocked by a jade wall fifteen yards high. In front of the jade wall was a stone tablet inscribed with the words "Thinking Cliff."

Lin Aoshan asked in wonder, "This jade wall is about fifteen yards high, a bit shorter compared to other cliff walls. With lightweight skill, one could easily climb over it, so why is it called Thinking Cliff?"

Li Xian said, "Could there be a secret?" Upon careful observation, no issues were seen. Lin Aoshan said, "Xiaolizi, I’ll try using lightweight skill to go up. You’re smart and agile, just keep watch here."

Li Xian said, "Alright!" Lin Aoshan used her lightweight skill to leap up, easily ascending several yards. As her foot touched the jade wall, preparing to use it for another leap, she suddenly felt the wall was extremely smooth and couldn’t find footing.

Lin Aoshan turned in mid-air and thought, "It’s only about ten yards high. Even if there’s no place to leverage, I can cross it purely with lightweight skill." Rising several more yards in the air, she handled it effortlessly.

Suddenly, her face changed drastically; her light force dissipated completely, and she plummeted from a height. Li Xian used "Xunfeng Breath," combined with the Iron Lung trait of "Iron Copper Body," to expel a strong gust of wind.

He steadied her body, preventing the fall. Lin Aoshan stood up barely, exhaled a deep breath, and said, "Xiaolizi, did you hear any sound?"

Li Xian said, "The sound of a bell? Ever since a while ago, I’ve faintly heard the sound of a bell. Every dozen or so breaths, it faintly resonates. I find it strange." Lin Aoshan replied, "It’s the bell sound. I heard it too. But after reaching seven or eight yards high, the bell sound suddenly got loud, and my heart seemed to stop. Immediately, my inner qi was gone, and my martial arts seemed ineffective. No... not quite ineffective; it existed in form but couldn’t manifest uniquely."

Li Xian said in a serious tone, "Is that so? Let me try!" Using Seven Stars Step, he attempted to leap over Thinking Cliff. Upon reaching seven or eight yards high, he indeed heard the bell sound resonate from afar. The evolution of his martial arts ceased, and his inner qi vanished. He began to fall straight down.

The women quickly moved to help, but Li Xian was prepared. Employing "Light Character Technique," he floated down like a feather, landing with a full-body shake, unharmed.

After the bell sound resonated, the anomaly immediately ceased, utterly bizarre.

Li Xian drew the Cyan Sword and tried to carve the jade wall. He couldn’t leave a single scratch, and said, "So it is. This wall seems easy to cross but is actually a formidable natural barrier. The jade wall is smooth and sturdy, offering no leverage. Without martial prowess, who could easily leap over a wall more than ten yards high? This design is meant to cause frustration and regret, truly treacherous."

The women asked urgently, "Brother Li, then what should we do? Should we return the way we came?"

Li Xian laughed, "Why return? They forgot, we have many people here!" He swung his sleeve and produced a pole, saying, "Those of you with better lightweight skill, stand on my pole. More can climb onto the shoulders of others, forming a tower of seven or eight people. Red Silk Sister, you stand at the top, then use lightweight skill to leap over the jade wall in one go."

Upon hearing this, the women’s eyes brightened, marveling at Li Xian’s ingenious plan. The skilled lightweight practitioners immediately stood on the pole and each other’s shoulders, forming a tall structure. With Li Xian’s great strength and the women’s lightness, there was no problem.

However, it was challenging for the woman standing on the pole to maintain balance, so only seven or eight people stood, reaching five yards high. With a powerful flick, Li Xian sent the women flying, prompting exclamations of surprise.

Standing at the top, Mu Hongchou leveraged her position, utilizing lightweight skill to soar lightly. Despite the bell sound resonating, dissolving martial arts evolution and disrupting inner qi, the momentum carried her forward, floating towards the cliff top.

Her eyes sparkled, as momentum faded and speed slowed, getting closer to the top edge. She reached for the cliff’s edge, but the jade was slippery, causing her to lose grip and fall.

Li Xian repeated his earlier action, saving Mu Hongchou, and said, "Let’s try again. This time I’ll use more force." Repeating the maneuver, there was no mistake. Mu Hongchou leaped onto the cliff top.

She threw down a "Snake Skin Rope," obtained from shedding snakes several days before. Throwing it down to the cliff base, Li Xian, Zhao Chunxia, Lin Aoshan... all climbed up one after another, passing through another southern gate.

The bell sound resonated eerily. At each sound’s impact, those who heard it felt transported back to mortal clay embryos. Li Xian followed the bell sound and vaguely saw a towering hall.

Li Xian said, "Since we’re here, we might as well keep going to the end!" Leading the women forward.

Little did he know, the hall was bustling with activity. Young heroes and elders of the Five Great Sword Sects, He Wentian, Wen Caishang... were all present!