A palace appeared before their eyes.

The palace was huge and grand. Even with their strengths at the Exalt Realm, they were still unable to discern exactly how large it was while they stood before it.

Before them was an expanse of stone steps which were around 10km in both length and breadth. The stone steps continued all the way up continuously into the distance, and a large door which was over 300m tall and wide stood at the end of the stone steps. There were 3 words inscribed above the door — Liu Yun Palace.

“Charge!” All of their eyes instantly turned red with greed when they saw those 3 words, and their figures flashed up into the air above the stone steps. However, a faint fluctuation suddenly flashed through space when they’d just arrived in the air above the stone steps, and then shrill cries resounded from them as they were directly obliterated in midair!

The expressions of everyone here changed!

Yang Ye’s heart shook as well because the fluctuation from before was something that even he was probably unable to resist. He glanced towards the surroundings, and then his expression gradually turned solemn. This entire place was suffused with an aura of strangeness, and he felt that he really might perish here from even the slightest mistake.

Right at this moment, an old man who wore a blue colored Daoist’s robe appeared above the stone steps.

The expressions on the faces of everyone here changed once more when they saw the blue robed old man. There’s someone alive here?

Yang Ye’s eyelids twitched as well. Could this old man be Saint Liu Yun? If he really is, then isn’t this a little too terrifying? After all, Saint Liu Yun was an existence who was far more ancient than the Sword Sect’s Founding Ancestor, so it made Yang Ye wonder exactly how long Saint Liu Yun had lived if it really was him!

Everyone here revealed reverence in their eyes when they saw the old man. Even everyone within Luo Jun’s group had fear covering their faces. Because their Exalted Han Empire had personally experienced how terrifying Saint Realm experts were. If a Saint Realm expert had ill intent towards them, then even he would probably die! Because the Exalted Han Empire didn’t possess a Saint Realm expert as well.

The old man glanced at the crowd below and said, “You can only walk if you want to enter Liu Yun Palace.” The old man turned around and entered the palace once he finished speaking.

Walk? Yang Ye’s brows knit together slightly. Could these stone steps be hiding some sort of secret?

After that group of Exalt Realm experts had been annihilated just now, all the profounders here including the members of the Divine Gold Dragon Clan and devil race didn’t dare act rashly. Even though the old man said that they would walk into the palace, even an idiot knew that it was absolutely not so simple. So, all of them were waiting for someone to test the waters.

Right at this moment, An Nanjing walked slowly towards the stone steps, and the gazes of everyone descended onto her.

An Nanjing was just about to step foot on the first level when Yang Ye appeared by her side, and he grinned as he said, “Let’s go together, alright?”

An Nanjing glanced at Yang Ye, and then she nodded.

Both of them stepped foot onto the first level.

Nothing happened.

Only An Nanjing and Yang Ye frowned slightly because they felt their bodies grow slightly heavy when they stepped on that level. It was gravity, the stone steps were covered in the force of gravity.

“This should be a test!” An Nanjing said, “It’s a test for all the profounders here. Those who have comparatively low cultivations or attained their cultivations by relying on external sources of strength will definitely be eliminated by the stone steps. Looks like the rumor about Saint Liu Yun’s inheritance might not be a groundless rumor.”

“Did you come for the inheritance?” asked Yang Ye.

An Nanjing shook her head and didn’t speak.

Yang Ye rubbed his nose and said, “Do you think that old man from before was Saint Liu Yun?”

An Nanjing said, “He probably wasn’t. If Saint Liu Yun was still alive, then he would have no reason to be holed up here. Even the heavens would have to fear an expert at his level.”

Yang Ye said, “Then who’s that old man?”

An Nanjing glanced at him and said, “Do you think I know?”

Yang Ye was speechless.

An Nanjing and Yang Ye strode up, step by step. Their speed wasn’t very quick yet wasn’t slow as well. In any case, they didn’t show any signs of stopping. Moreover, a group of profounders were following behind them. However, that group of profounders was slowly shrinking because a profounder would be unable to endure the force of gravity and roll down the stone steps at practically every single level they advanced to.

At this moment, it was obvious which one of them had utilized external forces to attain their current cultivations.

The group right behind An Nanjing and Yang Ye was Luo Jun’s group which consisted of himself, Shadow, and Elder Yun. Further behind their group of 3 was the devil race’s Mo Xuan and Mo Ke, and that robust man with thick brows from the Divine Gold Dragon Clan. The other profounders of the 3 races were all behind these groups.

“An Nanjing, can I ask you a question? What do you intend to do once you’ve become a peerless expert and attained a level that you’re satisfied with?” asked Yang Ye. He was very curious about what else An Nanjing cared about besides the Martial Dao.

An Nanjing fell silent for a short while before she said, “I don’t know!”

Yang Ye suddenly said, “Could it be that you’ve never thought about marrying someone?”

The force of gravity they experienced was growing stronger and stronger, and it was to the point that cold sweat had appeared on his face. However, they were only halfway to the top. So, he raised a topic which he felt could lighten the atmosphere.

An Nanjing turned her head to gaze at him, and she stared at him until he felt quite uncomfortable before she said, “Marry who?”

Yang Ye laughed bitterly and said, “How would I know? But don’t all women have to marry someone?”

An Nanjing remained silent for a while before she suddenly said, “Why did you help me block off those arrows outside Ancient Domain City that day?”

Yang Ye was stunned, and then he replied with a question. “If I didn’t have the strength to protect myself at that time yet you did, then would you just watch as I died?” An Nanjing had followed him to attack the Flower Palace in the southern territory, and just that made it impossible for him to do nothing to save her. Moreover, he’d really taken her to be a friend.

“Because we’re friends?” asked An Nanjing.

Yang Ye said, “I treat others the same way they treat me. You didn’t abandon me at that time. Err, I mean you didn’t choose to leave me during that dangerous situation in the Flower Palace. So, how could I possibly just abandon you and flee myself which we were outside Ancient Domain City that day? Truthfully speaking, it felt very bad for me when I found out that your an Clan had sided with Luo Jun. because I felt that we might really become enemies in the future. An Nanjing, do you think that we’ll become enemies?”

In terms of strength, An Nanjing was the only profounder in the same realm of cultivation who he wasn’t confident in being able to defeat. In terms of relationship, he’d taken her to be his friend, so he naturally didn’t want to fight a battle of life and death with someone he once considered a friend.

An Nanjing suddenly said, “If we became enemies one day and you had the ability to kill me, then would you do it?”

Yang Ye replied with a question. “What about you? Would you kill me?”

An Nanjing raised her head and looked up ahead while she slowly ascended them with Yang Ye, and she said, “The future is unknown. But I’m sure of one thing. I won’t betray you if you don’t betray me, alright?”

Betray…. The corners of Yang Ye’s mouth twitched. Her words are really easy to be misunderstood. But he’d confirmed a single thing, and that was her attitude towards him. He was able to discern that she’d taken him to be her friend.

Looks like I should go contact the An Clan soon! Yang Ye had decided that he would head to the An Clan and speak to An Nanjing’s clansmen once he obtained the World Portrait. Because he refused to allow An Nanjing to be used by Luo Jun.

The old man in Daoist robes suddenly appeared once more at the end of the stone steps.

The old man revealed excitement in his eyes as he gazed at Yang Ye and An Nanjing who were still climbing the stone steps at the same speed, and he said in a low voice, “What a strong foundation. Even though they’ve only just entered the Exalt Realm, such a solid foundation is something that even ordinary ninth rank Exalt Realm experts aren’t able to compare to. Interesting. I never expected that such geniuses would have appeared in the continent after more than 10,000 years. Hehe! It seems to be too easy for the two of you, so I’ll be a little hard on you.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the old man stretched out his right hand and then suddenly pressed it downwards.

“AHH!!! AHH!!!” Shrill cries resounded from countless profounders on the stone steps below, and then they rolled down the stone steps.

The countenance from everyone within Luo Jun’s group, the Divine Gold Dragon Clan, and the devil race turned pale. Moreover, there was even a Divine Gold Dragons and a member of the devil race who rolled down from the stone steps as well.

An Nanjing and Yang Ye’s expressions changed as well because the current gravity they experienced was 20 times the norm! Both of them glanced at the old man, and the latter revealed a teasing expression.

Bang!

7th level Sword Intent surged out from within Yang Ye, and then the gravity instantly vanished into nothingness. Since the gold man was doing it on purpose, then he felt that there was no need for him to continue concealing his strength.

At the same time, a strand of Fist Intent surged out from within An Nanjing as well. The Sword Intent and Fist Intent were very close together, but the two intents didn’t come into conflict with each other while under Yang Ye and An Nanjing’s control. Moreover, their Intents even worked together to resist the gravity.

A strand of pure white King Energy surged out from within Luo Jun. As soon as the King Energy appeared, a huge amount of the gravity Luo Jun’s group experienced had instantly vanished.

A cold smile appeared on the corners of Luo Jun’s mouth as he gazed at Yang Ye and An Nanjing, and then he quickened his pace as if he wanted to surpass Yang Ye and An Nanjing.

“Eh? The Sword Emperor? The Martial God? Hmm? Even the Mortal Emperor? Tsk tsk, how interesting. The Sword Emperor, Martial God, and Mortal Emperor have actually been born in the same age. How truly interesting! Hahaha!” The old man carefully sized up Yang Ye, An Nanjing, and Luo Jun, and then the smile on the corners of his mouth grew wider. After that, he raised his right hand again and pressed it downwards.

“Ah!” A few thousand profounders on the stone steps immediately rolled down from it, and the number of figures rolling down the stone steps was increasing incessantly. Only a few breaths of time had passed when only a few hundred profounders were left on the stone steps.

Luo Jun, Mo Xuan, Mo Ke, and the members of the Divine God Dragon Clan had all stopped on the spot. Such gravitational force was something that almost made even them kneel on the spot. If they weren’t afraid that the old man might be Saint Liu Yun, all of them would have started cursing by now. Aren’t you clearly playing tricks on us all?

Yang Ye and An Nanjing stopped on the spot as well because the current gravitational force was at least 40 times the norm! They were still in comparatively better states because while 40 times the normal amount of gravity was strenuous to them, it was only strenuous.

“That geezer is acting against us. We must get to the end in one go, otherwise, it might become 50 times or even 100 times the normal gravity!” said Yang Ye.

An Nanjing nodded.

Yang Ye asked. “Let’s work together? Otherwise, I’m afraid that he would suddenly make it even more difficult while we’re halfway there.”

An Nanjing didn’t refuse and nodded again.

When he saw her nod, Yang Ye stopped hesitating and grabbed An Nanjing’s hand.