Chapter 1589: Let Me Guess!
"You’re right, those people are powerful beings from the Tenglong Continent who entered the Chongxiao Stairs. Some of them have been climbing the Chongxiao Stairs for decades or even hundreds of years!"
It seemed like the enigmatic old man in a white robe heard Yun Xiao’s murmurs and came over unknowingly, pointing at the scene within the Chongxiao Stairs, speaking softly as if offering Yun Xiao an explanation for his doubts.
"Decades... hundreds of years?"
Upon hearing this, Yun Xiao’s mind shivered again. Silently, he thought, dare the cultivators from Tenglong Continent cross the Chongxiao River to arrive here, they must at least be experts reaching the Heavenly Realm, right? How come none of these people qualify to pass the Chongxiao Stairs, to ascend to a higher plane like the Nine-layered Dragon Cloud?
What Yun Xiao failed to notice was the white-robed elder beside him, his eyes flickered with a frenzy when gazing at the human figures within the Chongxiao Stairs.
"How about it? Isn’t it fun? Should we give it a try?"
The white-robed elder, concealing the frenzy in his eyes, spoke with a hint of peculiarity, prompting Yun Xiao to turn and glance at him.
"Play?"
Yun Xiao caught this crucial word, silently contemplating that those guarding the plane’s entry should be exceptionally strict, right? How could they use the word ’play’ to describe this situation?
With the Power of Soul’s strength formidable, Yun Xiao suspiciously stared at the white-robed elder for a moment, then seemingly made a decision, as he smiled slightly and nodded.
"Alright, let’s play on these so-called Chongxiao Stairs!"
No one knows what Yun Xiao was thinking, his voice fell, and without waiting for the enigmatic old man to speak, Yun Xiao decisively turned, stepping onto the first step of the Chongxiao Stairs.
Whoosh!
As Yun Xiao’s right foot merely touched the Chongxiao Stairs, his whole form vanished, within the mist, appearing a nondescript figure clothed in rough garments.
"Haha, there’s another one!"
When Yun Xiao transformed into a figure within the mist of the Chongxiao Stairs, the white-robed old man suddenly reverted to his true nature, hand-dancing, foot-stamping akin to a child who saw something beloved.
Simultaneously, from the old man’s body, a peculiar aura burst forth, this aura seemingly bore some resemblance to the Chongxiao Stairs, appearing extremely bizarre.
"It seems I need to think of some way to bring more human cultivators from Tenglong Continent to play!"
The white-robed old man turned, gazing at the misty expanse that was no longer Chongxiao River, murmuring to himself, the contents of this voice seemingly revealing a certain special identity.
"Looks like I indeed guessed correctly, you certainly aren’t human!"
However, just as the old man stroked his chin, thoughts swirling, a slightly familiar voice sounded behind him, leaving him stunned, as he turned his head in surprise.
There, where he clearly saw that the rough-clothed youth entered the Chongxiao Stairs space, stood there, watching him with a faint smile, causing the old man endless confusion.
"You... how did you do it?"
The white-robed elder trembled slightly in shock. His identity is extraordinary, especially with deep understanding of the Chongxiao Stairs, but never before in countless years had he encountered such a situation.
In fact, the Chongxiao Stairs Yun Xiao saw wasn’t a real ladder, but a unique space; once stepping onto a stair of the Chongxiao Stairs, one automatically enters this space.
Previously, the white-robed elder compromised because he knew that once entering the space of the Chongxiao Stairs, one could never come out.
This so-called "cannot come out" not only meant never reappearing here but also couldn’t enter the Nine-layered Dragon Cloud; over the years, unknown changes have occurred to this sole passage leading to the Nine-layered Dragon Cloud.
But while the elder puzzled over and over, Yun Xiao, with intent calculation, did not actually enter the Chongxiao Stairs; instead, he employed a unique method of Shadow Clone.
Just now, while the old man watched for a moment, Yun Xiao used the shadow clone to enter the Chongxiao Stairs, but it was merely a clone afterimage. Yet, after reaching the Heavenly Realm, deploying this Shadow Clone Meridian Techniques has undoubtedly evolved with stronger changes.
At that moment, the fake body and the hidden true body from Yun Xiao truly deceived the white-robed elder, or maybe because of the elder’s complacency, he never imagined there existed such a miraculous pulse skill in the world.
How could Yun Xiao, with such caution, easily step onto that unknown Chongxiao Stairs, handing his life over to others for slaughter?
Besides, earlier Yun Xiao had already sensed some peculiarities about the white-robed elder, so he played along, leading the elder to believe there were no other outsiders, thereby revealing his true identity amidst his murmurs.
Although the elder’s self-talk did not disclose his real origin, if he were a human cultivator, he would never utter such words as "bring more humans here to play."
Thus, Yun Xiao had every reason to believe this fellow was not a human cultivator, but either a Vein Demon in Holy Rank disguised in human form, or something else entirely.
From the scene just now, maintaining the Holy Grade Heavenly Spirit You River, Yun Xiao preferred to believe he was a powerful Strange Spirit, and based on the somewhat similar aura compared to the Chongxiao Stairs, he was more or less certain.
"How I did it, let’s not discuss that first. Instead, let me guess how you came to be?"
With a touch of an odd smile on his face, Yun Xiao did not directly answer the elder’s question but rather posed his own question, not needing the elder to respond.
"If I’m not mistaken, you are indeed a Strange Spirit, and your true form is none other than the Chongxiao Stairs over there?"
Yun Xiao chatted away effortlessly and as these words were finally uttered, the white-robed elder who had merely been astonished at Yun Xiao’s earlier tactics drastically changed his expression.
"I don’t know how long these Chongxiao Stairs have existed; at a chance moment, you cultivated Spiritual Wisdom, unexpectedly seizing the true Guardian of the Chongxiao Stairs, which led to who you are now, am I right?"
Ignoring the shock on the elder’s face, Yun Xiao continued with increasingly confident words, because he knew that his speculation was likely very close to reality.
Whether in the previous life as the Long Xiao Battle God or in this life as Yun Xiao, though he hadn’t truly encountered the Chongxiao Stairs, his understanding of Strange Spirits was unparalleled in the Nine-layered Dragon Cloud.
As Long Xiao Battle God, Yun Xiao encountered countless bizarre Strange Spirits, whose tactics were exceedingly varied, often Body Seizing human cultivators to the point that even some Holy Rank Meridian Refining Masters couldn’t easily perceive it.
There was once an incident where a guard captain of the Emperor Canglong Palace was seized by a Strange Spirit Expert, ultimately causing a significant disturbance; if it were not for the combined efforts of the Long Xiao Battle God and Emperor Canglong, the palace might have faced annihilation.
Reaching the Holy Rank Level, the Holy Spirit Experts who could transform into human shape had Spiritual Wisdom not inferior to human cultivators; they used strategies just as effectively and spared no means.
Spies from the Strange Spirit Clan infiltrated many human sects and forces, and some large families were destroyed due to these insidious influences.
Considering the previous defensive stance of the white-robed elder concerning the Holy Grade Heavenly Spirit You River, Yun Xiao almost entirely deduced the elder’s origins and history.
Yet, such precise deduction did not leave the elder as unsettled as before. He stared at Yun Xiao for a while and ultimately revealed an odd smile.
"I must say, among human cultivators I’ve seen, you are the most intelligent!"
After a long pause, the elder finally spoke, his voice devoid of anger despite Yun Xiao exposing his true nature, effectively admitting Yun Xiao’s speculation.
"Now you indeed have two paths: one is to truly enter the Chongxiao Stairs, and the second, which is death!"
It seems the elder still hasn’t given up on the idea of letting Yun Xiao "play" inside the Chongxiao Stairs, only now adding a dead-end to the path.
However, knowing that this old fellow was a Strange Spirit arising from cultivating within the Chongxiao Stairs, how could Yun Xiao obediently enter them? That would be like walking into a trap.
In some sense, the Spiritual Wisdom cultivated from the Chongxiao Stairs meant the so-called Chongxiao Stairs Space was its Domain; if Yun Xiao entered, he’d be fighting within its Domain Space.
Originally, Yun Xiao was unsure he could contend with this Strange Spirit of Chongxiao Stairs; how could he possibly enter the prepared Domain Space, especially when the Tenglong Continent’s experts trapped inside had been stuck for decades?
This Strange Spirit of Chongxiao Stairs likely has an intense playful streak; once cultivating Spiritual Wisdom and seizing the true Guardian’s body, merely wanting to lure more human cultivators into its domain, watching them flit about blindly.
Since the moment the Chongxiao Stairs cultivated Spiritual Wisdom and seized the Guardian’s body, the stairs lost their original purpose and could no longer guide any cultivator from the Tenglong Continent to the Nine-layered Dragon Cloud.
It’s unknown whether it’s due to those overseeing this plane from the Nine-layered Dragon Cloud not noticing or dismissing this lower plane’s cultivators; surprisingly, it’s gone undiscovered for so long – a truly peculiar matter.
Nonetheless, Yun Xiao was not thinking about saving the public now; he knows that with his current cultivation, perhaps he’s no match against the Strange Spirit of Chongxiao Stairs; one misstep and he might lose his life here.