Stepping into the stone gate.
Light and shadow blurred, and a wave of dizziness ensued.
By the time her feet were firmly on the ground again, the sound of wind and snow around her could no longer be heard.
Jiang Yuechu narrowed her eyes slightly.
This was an extremely spacious hall.
The vaulted ceiling was so high its top was invisible, and the surrounding walls were all built from giant stones.
In the center of the hall, there was only a single winding staircase leading upward.
The staircase was wide enough for a dozen people to walk side-by-side, but a layer of gray mist shrouded the steps, making it impossible to see clearly where they led.
At this moment.
The hall was not deserted.
The groups that had entered earlier were now occupying several different positions, clearly separated from one another.
Jiang Yuechu entered with her blade in hand, making no effort to muffle her footsteps.
As the sound of her footsteps echoed.
The gazes of all the Demons were cast toward her.
Jiang Yuechu's expression remained calm as her gaze swept across the room, finally landing on the winding staircase.
"Why aren't they moving?"
She turned her head and glanced at the cowering Old Scarlet Flood Dragon following behind her.
Red Sun Demon Venerable was also bewildered at the moment.
Although he had stepped into the Mountain Gazing Realm and was an Old Ancestor of the South Abyss lineage... in the end, this was his first time entering as well.
However, having lived for quite a long time and heard the records left by his tribe, he could now vaguely guess a few things: "This Dragon Washing Pool is called a pool, but it is actually a tower. The tower is divided into eight floors, each floor a different world. Only by breaking through these eight levels and reaching the top can one see the Dragon Ascending Platform."
"The remains of a True Dragon are unpredictable and exceptionally dangerous."
"Every time it opens, the Restrictions, obstacles, and even the terrain within this building will change."
"No one knows what they will face when heading to the next floor..."
Speaking to this point.
Jiang Yuechu understood.
No wonder they were all just standing here.
The strong, proud of their status and wishing to preserve their strength for the final struggle, were naturally unwilling to waste even a fraction of their Qi to scout the way.
The weak wanted to seize an advantage, but who would be willing to scout the way for the strong?
The youth in the brocade robe stood with his hands behind his back, his golden eyes narrowing slightly as he said somewhat impatiently, "How long must we wait?"
Great Sage Tengxiao said respectfully, "This Dragon Washing Pool was transformed from a True Dragon before its death. Although our foundation is deep, there is no need to waste our strength on this first floor, Little Dragon King. Please be patient... in a moment, someone will eventually be unable to help themselves."
On the other side.
Great Sage Qing Ming had a different idea.
His gaze swept gloomily across the field, seemingly looking for a suitable candidate to scout the way.
When he saw Jiang Yuechu, a glint flashed in his eyes.
A fresh face.
Although she was followed by Red Sun Demon Venerable, that old waste was just there to make up the numbers.
Isn't this the perfect stepping stone to scout the way?
It wasn't just him.
Many of the great Demons present had the same thought at this moment.
The atmosphere suddenly became somewhat eerie.
The various tribes that had been on guard against each other now shared a certain unspoken understanding.
Vague traces of Qi quietly locked onto Jiang Yuechu.
Red Sun Demon Venerable felt his scalp go numb.
How could he not feel this change?
Just as he was about to speak.
Great Sage Qing Ming suddenly spoke up: "Which path of the Great Dao in this world isn't paved with bones?"
"The Dragon Washing Pool is unpredictably dangerous; someone must always scout the path of this first floor."
"Surely we shouldn't ask Seniors with profound cultivation to be the stepping stones for the weak?"
At this point.
Qingming looked around, his gaze lingering for a moment on the two Demons of the Golden Scale Tribe. Seeing their indifferent expressions and lack of opposition, his heart felt settled.
"If that were the case, then what would be the use of us cultivating bitterly for tens of thousands of years and accumulating all this power?"
"Furthermore, the time the Dragon Ascending Platform remains open is limited and fleeting. If we miss the opportunity due to hesitation, wouldn't that be a pity?"
"Everyone, do you think what this old man says... makes sense?"
As his voice fell.
Voices of agreement rose throughout the hall.
"Great Sage Qing Ming makes sense."
The Demons weren't stupid.
Instead of gambling their own lives against unknown dangers, it was better to push forward a scapegoat.
And this pair, one old and one young, who had just entered.
The old one was that waste from the South Abyss Red Jiao, and the young one was only at such an age—how much cultivation could she possibly have?!
These two were the most suitable.
Seeing that the general consensus was hard to oppose.
Red Sun Demon Venerable's heart began to panic.
He had already seen the capabilities of the killing star beside him... Now that they had entered this place, he was already useless to the girl... Right now, the girl could completely rely on her strength to make everyone drop the idea, but he was just a mere Mountain Gazing Realm Demon Venerable; how could he resist?
He subconsciously looked at the girl beside him.
The girl's expression was calm. She didn't look at him, but merely nodded slightly: "What you say makes a lot of sense."
Eh?
As soon as these words came out, all the Demons in the hall were stunned.
Even the gloomy Great Sage Qing Ming had a flash of surprise in his eyes.
She's just accepting it?
He thought it would take some effort, but he didn't expect this Little Girl to be so sensible.
Red Sun Demon Venerable's body swayed, nearly collapsing to the ground.
It's over.
Completely over.
He smiled bitterly, a sense of infinite desolation welling up in his heart.
The others didn't know what the girl meant.
How could he not know?
She was going to push him out.
Just as his heart was turning to ash.
The girl's voice rang out again.
"Since it makes sense, then what are you still waiting for?"
Eh?
All the Demons present now wore peculiar expressions.
Who... was she saying this to?
Following the girl's gaze.
At the end of her line of sight was none other than Great Sage Qing Ming, standing in his green robes with his hands behind his back.
"..."
Great Sage Qing Ming's face instantly froze as he pointed at himself in disbelief: "Are you... speaking to this old man?"
Jiang Yuechu's expression was somewhat impatient: "Besides you, who else here talks so much?"
The Demons looked at each other, their eyes full of disbelief.
Crazy!
This Little Girl is absolutely crazy!
How dare she ask a Lamp-Lighting Great Sage to scout the way for her?!
"Good... good... good!"
Great Sage Qing Ming laughed in extreme anger, saying the word 'good' three times in a row.
The green scales on his cheeks trembled violently, and as they opened and closed, they spat out freezing white mist.
"In all the years this old man has lived, this is the first time..."
Before his voice could finish.
The black-clad figure was no longer where she had been.
Only at her original position, the floor tiles suddenly exploded.
Great Sage Qing Ming's pupils shrank.
Harsh words were still swirling in his throat when a rolling black mist rushed toward his face.
The mist surged.
The girl's figure appeared, expressionless. Her right leg was raised high and then brought down heavily.
BOOM—!!!
The Demon's body flew backward toward the stairs.
The terrifying aftermath of the airwave did not stop there, but spread backward in a fan shape.
The Green Jiao clansmen standing behind Great Sage Qing Ming didn't even see what had happened before they were blown away by the force, crashing noisily against the distant stone wall.
"..."
Whether it was the always-composed Great Sage Tengxiao or the arrogant youth in the brocade robe, their expressions were now slightly grave.
One kick.
Just one kick.
Although there was a suspicion of a sneak attack, he was a genuine Lamp-Lighting Great Sage after all!
And yet he was completely powerless to fight back?
Red Sun Demon Venerable huddled in the back, his mouth wide open.
A surge of warmth suddenly rushed to his eyes.
Seemingly sensing the movement behind her.
Jiang Yuechu turned her head slightly and glanced at the Old Scarlet Flood Dragon with some bewilderment.
She saw this old thing was red-faced, eyes filled with tears, looking at her with an expression of deep affection and worship... What kind of fit was this old thing throwing?
She had only found the old dog noisy and had kicked him over to scout the way.
As for being this excited?
Jiang Yuechu withdrew her gaze, too lazy to pay attention to the old Jiao's self-indulgent emotion.
In any case, now that they were in the Dragon Washing Pool.
Whether this old Jiao was crying or laughing, moved or resentful.
The final result would be the same.
Since he was a Demon destined to die, letting him have a good dream before he died could be considered a bit of her mercy.