Chapter 102: Entering the Tower

The ice and snow covering the small world gradually melted away, and the shivering Qiu Leshao felt a sense of having survived a disaster.

Miss Wen was truly amazing. Yun Heng had shown signs of demonic possession, yet Miss Wen pulled her back from the edge with just a couple of kisses.

Although their sneaky posture had been blocked from view, Qiu Leshao was no stranger to such things. She could guess what had happened over there.

How wonderful…

Wait!

Qiu Leshao’s curved eyebrows suddenly stiffened, and her eyes gradually widened. Had she just discovered something monumental?! That Yun girl, the Yun Immortal Venerable, and her junior sister…

This was a huge secret! Unlike herself, an insignificant nobody, if Yun Heng’s secret got out, there would be endless trouble in the future.

Qiu Leshao reached out and covered A’chan’s eyes. This matter was fine for someone tight-lipped like her to know, but her silly little one didn’t need to understand.

Wen Qiwu helped her senior sister stand steady. She frowned slightly and placed her hand over her senior sister’s heart.

“Senior Sister, has the heart demon been behaving lately?”

Behaving was naturally impossible. Whenever Yun Heng’s emotions fluctuated greatly, it provided nourishment for the heart demon, which would then emerge to tempt her with a few words.

But lately, the heart demon seemed to realize its existence was weakening, so its temper had grown more volatile. It cursed more often than it tempted.

Yun Heng answered honestly, “It cursed me the whole way.”

“It… cursed you?” Wen Qiwu was stunned for a moment.

Unfortunately, she had never learned to curse from childhood to now, so she couldn’t help her senior sister curse back.

“When we get back, I’ll get A Fu to curse it for you. A Fu knows how to curse—with dirty words or without. Though she can’t do much to the heart demon, at least it would vent your anger!” The heart demon was a collection of all negative emotions and obsessions, so its temper was even more explosive. Wen Qiwu secretly hoped A Fu could infuriate it to death!

Yun Heng’s expression changed at the mention of A Fu. She moved her lips slightly and said in an extremely soft voice, “No need to trouble Miss Gao. I… already cursed it back.”

“Oh?” Wen Qiwu was very surprised. When had her senior sister learned to curse behind her back?

Yun Heng naturally hadn’t learned, but she simply didn’t want to involve Gao Fu.

Wen Qiwu found it somewhat hard to believe, but then she realized where the issue lay.

Her senior sister… was like she had been pickled in a vat of vinegar.

“Don’t trouble her.” Yun Heng softened her voice. “Alright?”

“Alright, alright, alright. We won’t get her.” What else could Wen Qiwu do? She naturally went along with it.

Yun Heng visibly brightened, and Wen Qiwu also lifted the corners of her mouth. But when she shifted her gaze to the Ten Thousand Bones Tower nearby, the faintly emanating evil aura from it made her expression turn grave.

“Senior Sister, is there no other way for us to leave?” Wen Qiwu always felt an ominous aura radiating from the tower, like a heavy weight pressing on her heart.

“There are laws constraining this place. Comparatively speaking, it’s easier to follow its rules.” The laws Yun Heng mentioned were backed by the Heavenly Dao. In other words, the original owner of this place had used some method to place the inheritance ritual under the Heavenly Dao’s protection. Violating the rules would mean contending with Heavenly Punishment.

Wen Qiwu sighed. It seemed they had no choice but to enter the tower. As she looked up, she saw two figures walking toward them, so she quickly reminded her senior sister, “Senior Sister, look! Aren’t those your old friends?”

Yun Heng diverted a thread of attention to them. Though many years had passed, she recognized them at a glance.

“Yun… Miss Yun, long time no see. Are you well?” Qiu Leshao dragged A’chan over to greet her.

A’chan had always been a bit afraid of Yun Heng, so she dawdled unwillingly. Even after being dragged over, she kept a considerable distance.

Yun Heng’s slightly reddened eyes glanced at them somewhat reluctantly. The negative emotions surging in her heart hadn’t fully dissipated, so the current Yun Heng preferred to be alone with her junior sister.

“I’m fine, thank you for your concern.” Her tone was polite but somewhat distant.

“Senior Sister, when I first arrived here, I accidentally inhaled some Red Baleful Niter. If not for them, I probably would have fallen into the hands of those demon cultivators by now.” Wen Qiwu told her senior sister about what had happened earlier.

Yun Heng’s expression shifted slightly. Only then did she look at Qiu Leshao and A’chan seriously and thank them, “Thank you. If you ever need anything, you can come to the Ask God Sect to find me anytime.”

She took out a token from the Ask God Sect. The pattern on this token was different from ordinary ones—it represented the sect master of the Ask God Sect.

“No need to be so polite. Without you, A’chan and I would have died here long ago.” Qiu Leshao said this, but she accepted the token without delay.

This was Yun Heng’s favor! She couldn’t say others definitely needed it, but her and A’chan’s situation wasn’t great. It might save their lives someday!

“Um… I just overheard. Miss Yun, does that mean we must enter the Ten Thousand Bones Tower and pass its trials to leave?” Qiu Leshao wasn’t deliberately interrupting them; this matter was too important, and she needed to have a clear picture.

Yun Heng gestured for her to look at the Ten Thousand Bones Tower. Just before they spoke, there had been another disturbance from it.

The massive gate made of countless white bones slowly opened, the bones grinding against the ground and producing a hair-raising noise. Behind the giant gate was not a normal passage but a thick fog that seemed capable of sucking people into an abyss.

Black-red light emanated from the fog, and the decaying evil aura within made the other three—everyone except A’chan—feel faintly nauseous. The Bone Tower, silent for tens of thousands of years, unleashed its long-brewed aura upon opening, instinctively repelled by both immortal and spiritual energies.

Qiu Leshao was the first to succumb. She hurried to the side and retched. A’chan quickly followed, weaving a barrier with her own demonic qi. Immortals and demons were naturally opposed, so she usually carefully restrained her power to avoid affecting Qiu Leshao. But now, compared to the evil aura from the Bone Tower, her power actually had a soothing effect!

Yun Heng raised her hand and unleashed a cold wind. The invisible evil aura turned into ice mist and shattered into pieces in an instant.

“Still feeling unwell?” After doing this, Yun Heng gently patted her junior sister’s back.

“I’m alright. It doesn’t affect me much.” Phoenix Fire lurked within Wen Qiwu’s body, devouring such evil forces on contact, so her reaction wasn’t severe.

She checked her senior sister’s condition. Fortunately, her senior sister had calmed down, and the evil and demonic qi couldn’t affect her for now.

“Is Miss Mei alright? I have some pills here that can help expel the evil aura.” Wen Qiwu took out several pills.

Before Qiu Leshao could answer, A’chan hurriedly accepted them. She thanked her profusely, then placed the pills into Qiu Leshao’s mouth.

These pills were refined by Wen Qiwu in her spare time. Though not particularly rare, they were top-tier among their kind.

After swallowing the pills, Qiu Leshao felt much better. She was about to give thanks when a voice that pierced the soul exploded in her mind.

Wen Qiwu frowned. She heard it too.

【Congratulations, trial challengers, on obtaining the qualification to enter. Please enter the Ten Thousand Bones Tower within ten breaths. After ten breaths, the space outside the tower will be destroyed by Heavenly Punishment.】

The voice made her sea of consciousness ache faintly—a clear show of force.

“Does it know who it’s talking to?” Qiu Leshao glanced at Yun Heng and voiced Wen Qiwu’s exact thoughts.

The voice might belong to the Tower Spirit or the remnant soul of this place’s owner. Whatever it was, it had intelligence, but did it not check who stood at its doorstep—a True Immortal Realm immortal? Was it not afraid of having the place dismantled?

Qiu Leshao, for one, would love to see that.

They had only ten breaths. For mortals, that might not be enough, but for immortals, it was more than sufficient. Yun Heng even had time to rub her junior sister’s slightly aching head and use immortal power to ease the pain.

Yun Heng’s eyes were filled with heartache and pity, along with a trace of barely perceptible gloom.

The thing that spoke probably never imagined that merely making the little phoenix outside frown in discomfort would spell its end.

In the final three breaths, the three outside—one demon included—vanished from the spot.

Yun Heng transferred everyone inside in less than half a breath. Qiu Leshao suddenly remembered something and said in panic, “Miss Yun! Behind that gate, there’s…”

A pair of blood-red vertical pupils, larger than a human head, lit up in the darkness behind the gate. This thing had once been the Bone Demon’s mount, possessing Qilin Clan bloodline, with strength around the early True Immortal Realm. It was a very tricky gatekeeper “dog,” but before Qiu Leshao finished, the massive creature emanating a rotten stench collapsed with a boom.

The thing that pierced it was a highly distinctive sword intent.

So powerful…

Qiu Leshao silently swallowed her unfinished words.

Wen Qiwu noticed Qiu Leshao’s ability to warn of the crisis behind the gate ahead of time. She wanted to ask what else Qiu Leshao knew, but recalling her extreme aversion to the Ten Thousand Bones Tower earlier, Wen Qiwu hesitated.

She ignited a ball of flame. Darkness didn’t hinder immortals’ vision—or rather, divine sense was more reliable than eyes. But the air here seemed filled with “mist,” obscuring their eyes and divine sense.

Wen Qiwu tossed out Phoenix Fire. Evil entities scattered in fright, and soon their area was cleared. With divine sense unrestricted, they saw their surroundings.

They stood on a massive iron net covering the first floor’s ground. Below the net bubbled black-red liquid, the bones within no longer struggling.

Pipes lined the inner walls, inserted into the blood pool, constantly drawing liquid to other parts of the tower. Higher up, the pipes branched like human blood vessels.

Qiu Leshao’s face was deathly pale. She preferred staring at her toes rather than the surroundings.

It was too similar—the Bone-Eroding Demon Lord’s tower was almost identical to this one.

“Miss Mei, are you really alright? Do you need to rest?” Wen Qiwu turned back in concern upon hearing her rapid, irregular breathing.

“I’m fine. Let’s go. The longer we stay here, the less safe it is.” Qiu Leshao thought for a moment, stole a glance at Yun Heng. The Immortal Venerable had probably guessed her identity long ago. There was no point hiding it, so she gritted her teeth. “I’ll lead the way. I know a shortcut to the inheritance at the top.”

Yun Heng wasn’t surprised. As Qiu Leshao thought, their identities weren’t secrets to an Immortal Venerable.

She stepped aside, gesturing for Qiu Leshao to lead. “Don’t worry. I’ll protect your safety.”