Rise to God with Life Skill Professions-Chapter 360 - 349: The End of the Heavenly Staircase, the Old Man

Chapter 360: Chapter 349: The End of the Heavenly Staircase, the Old Man

The deathly silence engulfed the space like a tide, and even the sound of a pin dropping could be clearly heard.

Qin An’s voice suddenly tore through this stillness, like a flash of bright lightning splitting the night.

Everyone turned their heads in unison, their gazes fixed on him like arrows.

If it weren’t for the previous tense standoff between Lu Wufeng and Zheng Qun Mountain, these middle-tier cultivators might not have been so sensitive.

But now, with Qin An speaking and the previously tense atmosphere, many eyes were already flickering with dark undercurrents.

Wang Yue suddenly turned back: "Did Mr. Qin just say something?"

Qin An’s gaze was like frost, sweeping over the surroundings: "The array is silently reconstructing, everything around us has been altered—the second trial is coming."

Before the crowd could react, the ground suddenly trembled.

At first, it was a slight tremor, but in an instant, it turned into a turbulent upheaval that made standing difficult.

At the same time, the mountain of corpses on the ground transformed into billowing black smoke, rushing like ten thousand galloping horses towards the stairway to heaven.

Once the stairway swallowed the black smoke, the previously overwhelming evil qi was completely absorbed.

The black smoke condensed into shadowy figures like grim guards, standing on both sides.

Nearly ten thousand figures gradually became clear, all of them were the people who had died before.

Their faces were lifeless, and there was no trace of evil qi on them, as if they were just corpses.

This scene startled everyone present, causing gasps of shock.

Some even staggered back.

Qin An tapped his fingertip on the hilt of his sword, his voice like ice beads dropping: "This expert is either an array master or has enlisted the help of a top array master. The second layer of this array uses the blood energy of those who died to absorb all the evil qi from the staircase. Do not disturb those corpses, any movement will trigger an array attack, and it won’t leave a complete corpse."

Once these words were spoken, the place fell silent.

Everyone looked fearfully at the figures standing by the stairway.

Wang Yue swallowed hard: "What should we do now?"

By this time, Wang Yue had to admit he was completely convinced by Qin An’s capabilities.

Thus, in this desperate situation, he stood behind Qin An.

Whatever Qin An said, he would do.

Qin An pointed towards the stairway, speaking indifferently: "Climb up the stairway, this is the only way to live, but what lies ahead on the stairway is unknown—whether it is life or death, joy or sorrow, fortune or deadly trap, is yet to be seen."

Liu Yi suddenly chuckled lightly: "At the end must be where the treasure lies, right?"

This was just a guess, but many knew in their hearts that this might be true.

Wang Yue looked back at some members of the upper-tier forces, speaking in a deep voice: "If that’s the case, let’s follow this stairway and explore."

Duan Yun said nothing.

Elder Hu nodded slightly, signifying agreement.

The corpulent Stove King patted his belly, indicating it was feasible.

Whether feasible or not, it was the only path.

Wang Yue said no more, then led the people of the Ink Sword Sect towards the stairway.

The rest of the forces followed silently behind.

The closer they got to the stairway, the heavier the pressure became, as if hidden depths of terror awaited above.

Lu Wufeng marched on indifferently, suddenly turning, his bloodthirsty eyes sweeping over Qin An: "You little bastard, don’t die here, your life must be taken by me personally."

Qin An raised an eyebrow: "Your mistress died by my blade, your descendants perished by my hand; I’ll send you for a family reunion."

Lu Wufeng clenched his fist, his knuckles cracking: "Courting death! Your sharp tongue won’t help you after death, but will your jaws remain tough?"

Qin An tapped his blade hilt: "Whether they’re tough or not, we’ll see, but I am interested in your antlers."

Lu Wufeng wanted to reply but was held back by Elder Hu pressing on his shoulder.

Elder Hu bared sharp fangs: "Words are useless; we’ll talk after getting the treasure."

Lu Wufeng fell silent, saying no more.

Zheng Qun Mountain silently glared at Qin An with dark eyes.

He was smarter than Lu Wufeng, knowing it was impossible to act now, so he refrained from arguing with Qin An.

As Wang Yue stepped onto the stairway first, an invisible force seemed to appear around them the next moment.

The two rows of corpses turned their heads simultaneously, their cold, vacant gazes fixed on Wang Yue.

A massive weight pressed upon Wang Yue, making him tremble as if a mountain was crushing him.

This wasn’t fear but a natural reflex.

The other forces followed him onto the stairway.

But each person’s expression was different.

Elder Hu’s eyes were dazed, his arms waving as if grabbing something.

Duan Yun sat cross-legged, left hand high, right hand low, as if cradling something.

As for the Stove King of the Stove Sect, he bizarrely lay prostrate on the ground, like a pig, gnawing at the air.

Zheng Qun Mountain was the most normal among them, but even that was only in contrast to the strange behaviors around him.

He stood dumbly in place, a struggle evident in his eyes.

Lu Wufeng held his arms to his chest, as if cradling a baby.

Qin An frowned slightly.

He felt currents of array power surging towards him.

Yet, when this array power surged past, his level-thirteen array resistance talent blocked a part of it.

The remaining part didn’t affect him much.

He only felt the scene around him changing.

At this moment, a clear female voice rang out.

"It seems to be an illusion. I didn’t expect even experts at the Inner God Realm Perfection to fall for it."

Qin An turned his head to look at Liu Yi, frowned, and said, "Why are you unscathed?"

"Me?" Liu Yi chuckled, "The Secret Technique I practice includes a method of heart refinement specifically to counter illusions. It’s a unique creation after my grandmother killed countless anomalies, capable of refining inner demons."

"After all, our line has killed so many anomalies that it could affect our state of mind."

Qin An showed a look of realization, glanced up at Zheng Qun Mountain and Lu Wufeng.

Before he could continue speaking, Liu Yi rubbed her fists, moved her long legs, as if she wanted to take action.

Qin An held down Liu Yi’s shoulder, shaking his head, "Now is not the time to act."

Liu Yi frowned and said, "Why can’t we act?"

Qin An pointed to the sky-reaching stairs, "There are interconnected arrays all around here. Even I can’t see through them completely. If we act now, it will trigger the array’s backlash, and what we would face then is something even I can’t predict."

Liu Yi squinted her bright eyes, "What should we do now then?"

Qin An raised his hand, pointing above the sky-reaching stairs, "Follow these stairs upward and see what lies at the end."

Liu Yi’s clear eyes scanned over Wang Yue and the others, "What about them?"

"They’re all cultivators." Qin An shook his head, "Though this illusion is strong, it won’t take their lives. Since we’ve come this far, naturally we should see what the ultimate treasure is."

Liu Yi’s eyes flickered with interest, "Alright, alright, I’ll go with you. If we encounter any treasures, we’ll take them all, splitting them evenly."

Qin An smiled and shook his head, having long been accustomed to Liu Yi’s nature, he paid her no mind and stepped towards the stairs.

The two had only walked for a short while before realizing that these sky-reaching stairs were not as simple as they seemed.

The higher they climbed, the stronger the illusion powers formed by the array became.

In front of Qin An, abnormal light and shadows appeared periodically.

There were anomalies he had killed, humans he had slain on the spot, and many powerful illusions that seemed to want to crush him to ruins.

But fortunately, Qin An had a thirteenth-level array, with extremely strong resistance against arrays. Even if it could only resist a part, it was enough to prevent Qin An from being misled by illusions.

Liu Yi’s forehead was sweating, but Five-Colored True Essence, like a bright lamp, protected her spiritual platform.

Faint light was already appearing ahead.

The two continued forward until stepping onto this light, whereupon their view changed.

The sky was blue, filled with white clouds.

Standing high and looking down, one could feel a sense of refreshment and openness.

But besides this blue sky and white clouds, Qin An noticed a giant throne ahead.

The throne was carved from white clouds, grand despite no adornments, deterring those who dared look directly at it.

An elderly man dressed in white sat on the throne.

Though clad in white, the elder’s eyes couldn’t conceal their fatigue.

When Qin An and Liu Yi arrived, the elder immediately noticed them, sweeping away his fatigue.

"So, two young friends have passed my final test. Truly, heroes emerge among the young."

Qin An and Liu Yi exchanged glances, without speaking.

The elder coughed violently, a hint of pain flashing in his eyes, "I don’t have long, but today I see you two passing the test, my legacy finally finds an heir." 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

Qin An raised his brow, asking, "Who might Senior be?"

To speak of legacy right upon encounter was rather direct.

The identities of neither even known to the other.

The more familiar the talk, the greater the intrigue.

The elder sighed gently, "You may call me Array Elder. I specialize in the path of arrays."

Liu Yi raised her eyebrows, "Then why are you trapped here?"

"My lifespan is near its end." Array Elder smiled bitterly, "So I hid all my treasures here, using a natural array to prolong my life, hoping to find someone to inherit my legacy before peacefully passing away."

"Then why kill so many people?" Liu Yi asked again.

Array Elder shook his head, "It wouldn’t have killed so many. When I set up the array, it was merely to assess the talents of those coming. But I was tricked by a Pseudo-God."

Upon hearing this, Qin An’s action of tapping the scabbard paused slightly.

"What Pseudo-God?"

Array Elder explained, "It was a Pseudo-God not from Xunyang Prefecture, from outside. He wanted to devour my blood and soul, to use the Divine Soul Refining Body Skill, but I arranged the array first, he couldn’t enter, so he altered the natural array with what he knew."

"Those who followed me to protect me were killed by him and made into Pseudo-Gods."

At this point, a hint of sorrow appeared in Array Elder’s eyes.

Upon hearing about the Divine Soul Refining Body Skill, Qin An and Liu Yi showed surprise.

Qin An pondered, "We all came for the treasures. Is it possible to give us some of Senior’s treasures? If not, we will leave now."

Liu Yi didn’t speak, but her eyes momentarily flashed with doubt.

So much information has been shared now, even involving an outsider Pseudo-God.

Yet she didn’t know why Qin An did not voice them and instead discussed the treasure.

But Liu Yi knew well that Qin An wouldn’t act without reason, thus she suppressed her curiosity.

Array Elder’s smile suddenly froze, he opened his right hand, revealing a round Treasure Bead floating on his palm, "This is the key to the treasure, the treasure lies here."

As soon as he finished speaking, a pitch-black gate appeared behind him.

Array Elder continued, "But compared to these treasures, my legacy is more important. Why not take my legacy and then collect the treasures?"

Liu Yi squinted, feeling something was off.

Qin An shook his head, "No need, we’ll just take some treasures and leave. Many others await the trial below; eventually, someone will become Senior’s disciple."

Array Elder frowned, "They won’t do; they’re too slow, lacking your talents. Rest assured, gaining my legacy, you’ll have a foothold in Xunyang Prefecture. Even the Profound Celestial Array Gate’s arrays aren’t as profound as mine."

Qin An shook his head once more, "If the treasures aren’t given, we’ll take our leave now."

Array Elder’s brows furrowed tighter, a hint of agitation flickering in his eyes.