However, when Han Li put away the two slightly deformed copper halberds, he faintly noticed Ji Yin taking an extra glance at the objects. But Ji Yin quickly averted his gaze, covering it up quite well.
Though the gesture had been carried out with extreme subtlety, Han Li's heart still went cold.
He knew these short halberds were probably something valuable. But Ji Yin still needed him to retrieve the treasure, so the old man wouldn't make a fuss over something small and demand them now.
Still, this meant Ji Yin would have yet another reason to come after him afterward.
At that thought, a faint, bitter smile appeared on Han Li's lowered face. But when he raised his head again, his expression was as calm as ever.
And so, with three Nascent Soul cultivators striking together, the puppets and restrictions on this layer—though more formidable than before—were navigated without a scratch on anyone.
Then they were transported to the third layer.
…
Half a day later, on the fifth floor of the towering pagoda, three figures were conferring in low voices. They were Wan Tianming and his group of righteous-path cultivators.
A short distance ahead of them stood an imposing presence—a massive, towering stone platform.
The platform stretched over a hundred zhang in both length and width, rising more than thirty zhang high. A stone staircase of several hundred steps led straight from the front to its summit.
The entire structure was built from what appeared to be ordinary gray stone, yet a white barrier of light enveloped it, steps and all.
What was strange, however, was that within the barrier a blue luminescence glowed, growing brighter the closer one looked toward the center. The radiance shimmered and flowed ceaselessly—so blinding that one could not look directly at it, making it impossible to discern what lay within.
At the edges of the platform, thick frost had crystallized, its icy surface gleaming transparently, lending the stone structure a hauntingly beautiful appearance.
"Everyone's magical power has recovered well enough, I trust? If so, let's get moving. We did use the Heavenly Secrets Gate's 'Object-Finding Instrument' to bypass those puppet guardians ahead of time, but our window won't last forever. After all, Barbarian Beard's Sky-Supporting Demonic Art is devastatingly effective against those puppets. They'll be delayed only slightly at the fourth layer at most—the rest shouldn't take them long," Wan Tianming said in a deep voice before the platform.
"Brother Wan speaks truly. Let us go claim the treasure," said the old Daoist Tianwuzi from across the group, nodding in eager agreement, a hint of excitement showing in his eyes.
The gaunt, dark-skinned old man who looked like a peasant farmer simply nodded in silence, saying nothing.
Wan Tianming didn't mind. He knew that although the dark old man was the taciturn sort, the 'Jade Pillar Technique' he cultivated was remarkably powerful—his true strength likely even exceeded that of Tianwuzi.
The man had simply always trained in seclusion with little contact with others, which was how he'd developed such a cold demeanor.
With a faint smile, Wan Tianming led the two toward the barrier of light.
A dense wisp of purple qi flashed past in an instant, and the white barrier split with a sharp crack. With a casual sweep of his sleeve, Wan Tianming had slashed open a gap roughly a zhang tall, and the three slipped through in single file.
Shortly after, Wan Tianming and his companions vanished from the platform into the blue radiance.
The breach in the barrier sealed itself back to its original state, and the staircase grew quiet once more.
After an indeterminate stretch of time, the people who had entered the barrier still had not re-emerged. But beneath the platform, the figures of Barbarian Beard and Ji Yin appeared.
Han Li and Xuangu followed behind them, behaving themselves.
"Finally made it to this wretched place. That golden-furred puppet on the fourth floor was absurdly tough—if the three of us hadn't all unleashed our trump cards, we would've been tied up for even longer," said the Confucian-robed elder, his eyes gleaming as he looked at the platform before them.
"Hmph. That puppet was one thing. But that restriction on the third floor was genuinely difficult to crack—it cost us extra time. We should have arrived even earlier," Ji Yin said, his expression dark, a note of frustration in his voice.
"Now that we're here, why waste breath on useless complaints? Let's first check whether Wan Tianming and the others have gone inside to claim the treasure," Barbarian Beard said with a frown, his tone brusque, impatience plain on his face.
At this, Ji Yin's face flickered with displeasure, but he fell silent.
The Confucian-robed elder, however, remained composed and chuckled lightly:
"Brother Barbarian, rest easy. According to the detection method that Brother Wu and I employed, Wan Tianming and his group did indeed enter several hours ago. They haven't come out yet. We simply wait here—this staircase is the only way in and out of this Cold Rime Platform."
"The only way? Are you sure about that? What if those righteous-path rats slipped out some other way and we're just sitting here like fools?" Barbarian Beard glanced sidelong at the elder, clearly skeptical.
"Heh heh! On that point, there's absolutely no cause for concern. This white barrier is no ordinary shield. It's the 'Celestial Gang Barrier'—a restriction that was famous even in ancient times. Apart from this specially carved exit at the staircase, it's impossible to pass through any other point in a short time. Let's rest and regroup here first, then go in and see what the situation is," the elder said calmly, stroking his beard.
"Fine. That works." Barbarian Beard gave a faint nod upon hearing this and sat cross-legged on the nearby steps.
Ji Yin and the Confucian-robed elder moved close together and began murmuring to each other.