The sun had set in the west.
The moon now hung high in the sky.
From the morning when everyone had entered the Profound Heaven Tower until now, when someone had finally reached the eighth floor, a full day had passed.
Yet the crowds gathered outside the tower showed no signs of dispersing. Instead, the atmosphere had reached a fever pitch.
Ling Qingxue and Ling’er were the exceptions. One had lost all her cultivation for the time being, while the other had only just begun her path of cultivation. Neither had the boundless energy of the others, and now they were starting to feel a bit drowsy.
“Ling’er, if you’re tired, why don’t we head back and rest? We can’t see what’s happening inside anyway,” Ling Qingxue suggested, watching as Ling’er’s eyelids drooped in a fight against sleep.
Ling’er shook her head. “No, no, I want to stay here with Young Master. What if he breaks through to the ninth floor tonight and creates a miracle?”
Ling Qingxue could only smile wryly and nod, saying no more. She turned her gaze back toward the Profound Heaven Tower.
By now, most of the people inside the tower had come out. Even Liu Qingchan had returned to Mo Wenlin’s side, where she sat in meditation, reflecting on the gains from her journey through the tower.
She hadn’t made it to the eighth floor. During her battle with the Shadow, she had been narrowly defeated and expelled from the tower.
At this moment, only three people remained inside the Profound Heaven Tower.
Su Chen, the Third Prince, and Luo Yin!
…
Boom!
Inside the Profound Heaven Tower, a peak-stage Divine Palace Realm demonic beast was sent flying by Luo Yin’s fist. It crashed to the ground in a mangled heap of blood and flesh.
Luo Yin searched its nest but found no key to the ninth floor.
With a helpless shake of his head, he drew the Meteor Jade Sword and pressed onward, heading toward the central area.
Along the way, he slew nearly twenty demonic beasts and scoured a vast expanse, but he found no trace of the ninth-floor key.
That said, he did harvest quite a few immortal herbs and divine medicines that could temper his body and stabilize the third layer of the Indestructible Golden Body Art.
It was a bountiful haul.
On the other side, Su Chen was in much the same situation.
He had slain several demonic beasts but hadn’t found the key.
However, he could faintly sense something in the central area drawing in his aura.
Normally, he wouldn’t investigate some unknown pull like this.
But remembering that he could simply crush his token and teleport out if danger arose, he felt reassured. He gripped the token tightly and headed for the center.
When the two of them arrived in the central area, they immediately spotted the Third Prince standing atop a large stone.
The Third Prince noticed them as well.
“You’ve finally arrived,” he said.
At those words, Luo Yin and Su Chen halted in unison.
The two exchanged a glance before turning their eyes to the Third Prince.
Luo Yin frowned and asked, “Have you been waiting for us long?”
The Third Prince smiled. “For me, this much time is nothing.”
Luo Yin was puzzled. “Why wait for us? Why not just go look for the key yourself?”
He was growing more and more curious about what had happened to the Third Prince. Could it be that some old monster from outside the tower, barred from entry due to age restrictions but coveting the opportunities within, had taken control of him?
But that didn’t make sense either!
Why control someone so prominent? It would be far too easy to expose themselves.
Su Chen watched thoughtfully as well.
Seeing their confusion, the Third Prince took out the Profound Heaven Jade Marrow and held it in his palm.
“That’s…” Luo Yin leaned in for a closer look.
The Third Prince smiled faintly. “Profound Heaven Jade Marrow. This is the key to the ninth floor. Return it to its place in the Profound Heaven Tower, and the path to the ninth floor will open.”
“Where did you get it?!” Before Luo Yin could speak, Su Chen asked in astonishment. “And how do you know it’s the key?”
He had assumed the key would be an actual key, not this crystalline lump.
“As a prince of the Dayan Dynasty, I know more than you two. As for where I got it… well, I don’t think that’s any of your business,” the Third Prince explained airily.
Luo Yin eyed him warily. “If you have the key, why wait here for us? Why not just head to the ninth floor on your own?”
“Go to the ninth floor alone? You think I’m an idiot? No one’s ever reached it before. I have no idea what’s up there. What if there’s some great demon waiting? I might not even get a chance to run.”
“Didn’t you say earlier that you knew what was on the ninth floor?”
“That was bullshit.”
Luo Yin: “…”
Su Chen: “…”
Seeing them fall silent, the Third Prince waved a hand. “Alright, now that you’re here, I’ll open the passage. We’ll go up together.”
Luo Yin said nothing, lost in thought. Should he follow this guy up or not?
Everything about the Third Prince felt off. Who knew if his words were true? Luo Yin didn’t buy that he was being so generous, inviting others to share in the ninth floor’s opportunities.
Heaven knows what he was really planning!
Luo Yin had come to the Profound Heaven Tower specifically for the ninth floor, guided by the Divination Turtle Shell to find a way to deal with the Heavenly Demon Sect.
But he had no intention of letting someone else lead him around by the nose—especially not a puppet like this.
Now that the key was right here, why tag along with some shady character?
As these thoughts raced through his mind, a cold glint flashed in Luo Yin’s eyes.
But at that moment, the Profound Heaven Jade Marrow clicked into place. The passage to the ninth floor opened, and the Third Prince stepped inside without giving Luo Yin a chance to act.
Luo Yin could only rein in his killing intent and turn to Su Chen. “Let’s go. We’ll check it out ourselves.”
Su Chen nodded. “Senior Brother, keep your token ready. If things go south, we retreat immediately.”
Only then did Luo Yin remember the token, and he hurriedly gripped it in his hand.
Without further hesitation, the two stepped forward and entered the ninth floor…
