There werenât any wrong ways to go up a step. Besides, Gilbert had walked in a very standard posture.
Loreleiâs assumption was spot on. The Heavenly Stairs was, in fact, broken.
The ax within Alderâs consciousness was the thing that broke open the boundary by force. It had
rushed up to the top as if summoning something from within. But, due to Xiennaâs sudden appearance,
she disrupted its path, causing it to fail.
Alder
Alex
In reality, it malfunctioned when Alder and Jade were on the first step, resulting in their inability to
ascend the second step.
Alder
Alex
Basically, the core of the entire Heavenly Stairs was damaged. The current Heavenly Stairs could no
longer generate mental domain challenges, so it was no different than regular stairs. Thatâs how Alder
was able to run up all nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine steps with ease.
Alder
Alex
âClose!â
âIâm getting closer!â
Alder was now able to see the end of the stairs.
Alder
Alex
There was a tall mountain floating in the air, it looked like the legendary Brightta Mountain. Yet it wasnât.
It was the Western Queen Motherâs ancient palace.
Whoosh!
Alder leaped over the last step. Suddenly, the scenery in front of him drastically changed. Josef was no
longer looking at the ancient palace but instead a living hell. Josef found himself in a plain of ruins.
There were corpses everywhere, death, and concentrated amounts of negative energy reeking in the
air.
Alder
Alex
Josef
He
Josef
He
Rumble!
Josef suddenly heard a loud noise coming from afar. A cloud of dust could be seen as if something was
sprinting towards him. Alder stood there silently as he watched on. In the end, he saw a group of
Undead.
Josef
He
Alder
Alex
It was an endless swarm of skeleton troops and Undead beings. Alder had fought this clan at close
range before. Josef had even encountered some of them in several dungeons. Moreover, he had
personally entered the Undead Territory once and was hunted down by swarms.
Alder
Alex
Josef
He
The Undead in front of him were the ones he had seen in the past, the strongest kind. The entire front
row alone consisted of dozens of Undead Kings.
In the middle of all these Undead Kings, a woman dressed in red armor sat on a luxurious chariot.
Alder started shivering as soon as he laid eyes on that woman. Josef looked at her in disbelief because
he had seen her in the past.
Alder
Alex
Josef
He
It was under the Dead Zone, within Emperor Genbuâs territory. She had once projected a phantom of
herself to fight the emperor. She was the Undead Queen of the Undead clan.
âWhy would there be such strong Undead troops at the end of the stairs, including the Undead Queen?â
âIllusion!â
âThis must be another illusion!â
âWhat character am I this time?â
Alder couldnât help but curse this place. Josef wanted to complain as well. The first challenge was
difficult enough, and it took them a lot of effort to succeed. Not only that, Jade even sacrificed her own
mission. Hence, he shouldâve been able to receive certain rewards.
Alder
Alex
Josef
He
Unexpectedly, he got nothing.
Just then, the queen pushed the Undead Kings out of her way.