The light guided the path ahead, and Yang Kai quickened his pace without hesitation.
Before long, he passed through the great gate.
What entered his vision was a white jade stairway stretching upward in a continuous line, pristine and flawless, its length impossible to determine, its end invisible to the eye and impossible to probe with divine sense.
At the base of this white jade stairway, on Yang Kai's right side, stood a stone stele with a line of large characters carved into it.
Yang Kai lowered his gaze and read aloud: "Stairway of Years?"
His expression was blank, and he furrowed his brow, unsure what mysteries the stairway contained. He didn't dare advance rashly, lest he encounter some danger.
Fortunately, there was no one else around. After a moment's thought, he simply called out Hua Qingsi.
Hua Qingsi was, after all, a disciple of the Star God Palace and had prepared extensively for the Land of Four Seasons. She should know more about this Temple of Years than he did.
Light flashed, and Hua Qingsi's figure appeared.
She first looked around in confusion, apparently unsure of where she currently was.
"This is the Temple of Years!" Yang Kai said from beside her.
"What?" Hua Qingsi responded with surprise, then quickly became overjoyed. "You really found the Temple of Years?"
"Yes. By sheer coincidence, it surfaced on its own for some reason," Yang Kai said. "Take a look at this first…"
As he spoke, Yang Kai gestured toward the white jade stairway ahead and the stone stele beside it.
Hua Qingsi glanced at the stele, and her delicate body trembled: "Stairway of Years?"
"So you really do know about it…" Yang Kai observed her reaction and immediately understood that she must have some knowledge of the stairway. He promptly asked: "Tell me, what's the trick here?"
Hua Qingsi took a deep breath, calming the excitement in her heart, and said in a low voice: "The Stairway of Years is said to contain the Great Emperor of Years' comprehension and mastery of the power of Years. Those who ascend the stairway can receive a cleansing of the power of Years upon their bodies. It is of tremendous benefit to warriors!"
Her eyes gleamed with excitement, and she looked eager to try.
"And what happens if you fail?" Yang Kai frowned.
Hua Qingsi was taken aback, hesitating for a moment before answering: "I don't know… there would probably be some terrible consequences."
Yang Kai nodded slightly. It seemed Hua Qingsi didn't know all that much about the Stairway of Years either, but she still knew more than he did.
Seeing Yang Kai deep in thought, Hua Qingsi bit her red lips and said: "Whether you want to go up or not, I want to give it a try!"
Yang Kai glanced at her and smiled: "Since it counts as an opportunity, we naturally can't miss it. Hmm… let me call Ruoxi out as well."
With another wave of his hand, he summoned Zhang Ruoxi too.
After explaining the wonders of the Stairway of Years to Zhang Ruoxi, Yang Kai looked at her and said: "Whether you go up or not is your own decision. I don't know what the consequences of failure might be, but they probably won't be pleasant. However, don't worry—if it comes to that, I'll pull you into the Small Mysterious World."
"I want to go up!" To Yang Kai's surprise, Zhang Ruoxi showed no hesitation or wavering whatsoever. Instead, she expressed her enthusiasm with great eagerness.
Hua Qingsi smiled behind her hand: "The little one may be young, but she's got plenty of spirit…"
"Then let's go together." Yang Kai nodded and admonished them seriously: "Don't stray too far from me. If something truly happens, I may not have time to pull you into the Small Mysterious World."
Zhang Ruoxi nodded nervously, her face flushed slightly red with excitement, while Hua Qingsi smiled alluringly: "Then you'd better stay right behind big sister…"
Yang Kai shot her a glance and snorted with amusement, then stepped onto the white jade stairway.
Hua Qingsi and Zhang Ruoxi exchanged looks and, their expressions turning solemn, stepped up side by side.
Suddenly, a surge of pure white energy welled up from the stairway, transforming into mist that enveloped the feet of the three, giving them the curious sensation of walking on clouds.
At the same time, Yang Kai's body trembled as he inexplicably felt a strange power flood into his body like a catalyst, cleansing the Source Power within him and the Divine Sense within his sea of consciousness, making both more abundant and dense.
This power was hard to describe, as if the years were flowing past, and with the passage of time, his own strength was increasing step by step.