104: Inheritance

The moment they stepped through the tower gate, Xiao Ruobai and Fang Hanyu were separated by two golden light patterns, each falling into an independent space.

Xiao Ruobai landed in a desolate ancient battlefield, where a Puppet Cultivator at the Middle Stage of the Cave Heaven Realm appeared before him, wielding a long saber and striking directly.

Fang Hanyu, on the other hand, found himself in a sword forest, surrounded by a Puppet at the Middle Stage of the Cave Heaven Realm attacking with a sword, its wind carrying a sharp killing intent.

Neither of them hesitated for a second. Xiao Ruobai swept his long halberd horizontally, its tip carrying immense force, directly breaking the Puppet's long saber and then piercing its chest.

Fang Hanyu's Flowing Frost Sword was unsheathed, and a light green sword light flashed like lightning. Before the Puppet could even see the sword's shadow, its neck gushed blood, and it fell to the ground. The first stage was instantly cleared.

In the second stage, the space shifted abruptly. Xiao Ruobai faced the encirclement of three Puppets of the same Realm. His long halberd danced impenetrably, each strike precisely hitting the Puppets' vital points. In less than three breaths, the three Puppets crashed to the ground.

Fang Hanyu, utilizing the terrain of the sword forest, moved with sword techniques as fast as afterimages. The Puppets' attacks couldn't even touch his clothes before they were all slain.

The second stage was also instantly cleared.

The opponents in the third stage were elevated to the Late Stage of the Cave Heaven Realm, and both of them cleared it instantly.

The fourth stage had an Early Stage Heavenly Human Realm opponent, the fifth stage had three Early Stage Heavenly Human Realm opponents, the sixth stage had a Middle Stage Heavenly Human Realm opponent, the seventh stage had three Middle Stage Heavenly Human Realm opponents, the eighth stage had a Late Stage Heavenly Human Realm opponent... No matter how the opponents' Realm increased or their numbers grew, Xiao Ruobai's long halberd always struck true, and Fang Hanyu's sword was always too fast for anyone to react.

From desolate battlefields to ice-bound snowy regions, from sword forests to demonic domains, the spatial scenes of each stage constantly changed, yet their speed of slaying never slowed. The Puppets before them couldn't even withstand half a move.

When Xiao Ruobai's halberd shattered the head of the Peak Heavenly Human Realm Puppet in the ninth stage, the space suddenly twisted. He was drawn by a gentle force and landed on a tower top paved with jade bricks.

Almost simultaneously, Fang Hanyu also cut down a Peak Heavenly Human Realm Puppet, and his figure appeared on the other side of the tower top.

They stood side by side, looking at the cloud-shrouded tower layers below their feet, their breathing as steady as if they had merely experienced a casual practice session.

At this moment, most Cultivators on the lower levels of the Tongtian Pagoda were still trapped in the second or third stages.

Just as Xiao Ruobai and Fang Hanyu were surveying the tower top scene, the jade platform in the center of the tower top suddenly lit up with dazzling golden light. Golden runes surged like a tide, gradually condensing into a translucent, aged figure.

That was Ling Qiong's remnant soul, his messy hair clinging to his cheeks, his surrounding spiritual energy so weak it seemed it could dissipate at any moment. Only his eyes still held a glimmer of unextinguished light.

As soon as the remnant soul stabilized his figure, he began to cough violently. Each gasp caused ripples to appear on his spiritual body, and his voice was hoarse as if abraded by sandpaper.

"Cough... finally... someone who can pass the nine stages has arrived."

But when his gaze swept over Xiao Ruobai and then landed on Fang Hanyu, his spiritual body suddenly trembled, his coughing ceased abruptly, and his eyes were filled with incredulous astonishment.

"Eh, why are there two people?"

He blinked, thinking he was hallucinating.

He seemed not to have expected that his endless years of waiting would bring two successful challengers.

After a moment, he recovered, and the astonishment in his eyes gradually turned into an unshakeable sense of relief.

"My name is Ling Qiong. I was once just a Loose Cultivator struggling at the Bottleneck of the Quasi-Saint Realm. I accidentally stumbled into this Secret Realm and discovered this Tongtian Pagoda."

"At that time, I thought... this was my Opportunity to Breakthrough to the Saint Realm."

Ling Qiong raised his hand and pointed at the tower body. The remnant soul's fingertip passed through the golden runes, carrying a hint of helpless melancholy.

"But this tower was too ruthless. The ninth stage was an entire major Realm higher than me—that was the Late Stage Saint Realm.

I spent three hundred years, from black hair to white, and even burned half my cultivation to activate the 'Blood Sacrifice Foundation,' sacrificing my Spiritual Veins and severely reducing my Lifespan, yet I only managed to barely wound the Puppet."

He paused, his voice so low it was almost inaudible, filled with unwillingness and self-mockery.

Just then, Xiao Ruobai suddenly spoke, his tone carrying a hint of genuine confusion.

"Is this tower really that difficult? I think I came up in less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn."

Fang Hanyu nodded faintly beside him, adding, "Me too. It felt like it was over before I even warmed up."

Ling Qiong's remnant soul suddenly stiffened, the ripples on his spiritual body instantly chaotic, as if struck by an invisible lightning bolt.

He opened his mouth, but no sound came out for a long time. Finally, he pointed at the two of them tremblingly: "You, you two... an incense stick? Not even warmed up?!"

His previous melancholic mood was instantly shattered, the color of his spiritual body dimmed a few shades, and he muttered to himself, "I struggled for three hundred years... you two, an incense stick..."

"I guarded this Tongtian Pagoda, such an Opportunity, yet I couldn't even grasp its entrance..."

At this point, the remnant soul's spiritual body suddenly swayed violently, as if stung by past regrets, but this time, it was more stimulated by their understated words. It took him a long time to stabilize.

"Later, I knew I couldn't hold on, so I used my last strength to establish a cultivation Restriction based on this tower. Since I couldn't do it, I had to choose a powerful junior to see the view from the tower top for me, to refine this Tongtian Pagoda for me."

When his gaze once again seriously swept over Xiao Ruobai and Fang Hanyu, a bright light suddenly ignited in Ling Qiong's eyes, and his spiritual body actually solidified a few points, a rare occurrence.

This time, it wasn't relief, but a pure shock from their talent, a final surge of life before fading.

"You two... could you really pass all nine stages together? And so easily?"

He took two steps forward, his voice filled with uncontrollable excitement and a hint of despair: "Good! Excellent! You are far stronger than I was back then! Unreasonably strong!"

Before his voice faded, Ling Qiong waved his hand, and a pale golden light cluster rose from the jade platform. The Dao Rhyme within the Legacy core became even more vibrant due to the remnant soul's emotional fluctuations.

"This Tongtian Pagoda, and the treasures of the Secret Realm, I entrust to you two."

He paused, then whispered another sentence.

"Anyway, I'm not worthy..."

As his voice fell, the golden runes above the jade platform suddenly surged, condensing into a fist-sized, tower-shaped spiritual core. Faint Dao Rhyme flowed across the surface of the spiritual core, which was the core refining mark of the Tongtian Pagoda.

"Who will refine it?"

Fang Hanyu looked at Xiao Ruobai, his tone carrying a hint of deliberation.

"I mainly cultivate the Sword Dao; refining the tower core would not benefit me as much as it would you."

Xiao Ruobai did not decline. It was just a small Secret Realm; it wasn't as precious as the treasures his Master usually gave him.

He took a deep breath and reached out to grasp the tower-shaped spiritual core, slowly injecting spiritual energy with his fingertips.

As soon as the spiritual core touched his palm, it transformed into a golden stream of light, flowing through his Meridians and into his Dantian.

Xiao Ruobai felt the spiritual energy in his Dantian suddenly boil. Countless ancient runes unfolded in his Sea of Consciousness. The control methods of the Tongtian Pagoda and the distribution map of the Secret Realm's Spiritual Veins surged into his mind like a tide.

In just a moment, a faint golden halo emanated from his body, resonating with the distant Tongtian Pagoda body. The runes on the tower body also lit up, as if the recognition process was successful.

"It's done."

Xiao Ruobai opened his eyes, a flicker of enlightenment in them, and nodded to Fang Hanyu beside him.

No sooner had he spoken than the Tongtian Pagoda suddenly trembled violently. The runes on the tower body flowed wildly like living things, and golden light shot from the tower's Peak straight into the sky.

The next second, a gentle yet irresistible force spread from the tower body. The Cultivators still challenging within the tower were enveloped by this force, instantly ejected outside, landing steadily on the open ground in front of the tower.

Xiao Ruobai and Fang Hanyu also came out of the tower, reaching the outside.

Before everyone could react, they saw layers of runes rippling around the Tongtian Pagoda, spreading like water waves throughout the entire Secret Realm.

The invisible Restriction that had been tightly suppressing the Cultivators' cultivation, under the illumination of the rune light, rapidly disintegrated as if ice and snow were melting.

"Oh no, I was so focused on refining it earlier, I didn't expect that refining the tower core would also lift the Restrictions on the entire Secret Realm."

Xiao Ruobai's gaze swept over the Demon Heaven Sect team not far away. He saw Mo Luo lowering his head to examine himself. A fierce expression gradually appeared on his originally pale face, and the Devilish Qi around him was no longer deliberately restrained, clearly indicating that he had recovered to his Peak strength.