76: Chapter 76 The Fifth Life, The Blazing Sun Illuminates the Martial Path (Twenty-Four)

A cold shout suddenly erupted from the high platform, resounding like a thunderclap.

Elder Zhang, sitting on the high platform, didn't even lift his eyelids. He merely raised his hand casually and made a grasping motion in the air towards the fleeing spy.

In an instant, a terrifying pressure descended from the sky. The spy, who had already reached the outer edge of the plaza, was seized as if by an invisible giant hand.

His figure froze abruptly in mid-air, unable to move a single inch.

With his Copper Bone Realm cultivation, he was like an ant in front of Elder Zhang, who had undergone the Blood Exchange twice, possessing no power to resist.

"A demonic scoundrel dares to intrude upon my Great Sun Holy Land? Truly seeking death!"

Elder Zhang snorted coldly, his fingertips tightening slightly as he prepared to cripple the spy's cultivation on the spot before handing him over to the Enforcement Hall for rigorous interrogation.

Yet, no one expected that the demonic sect spy, imprisoned in mid-air, would suddenly flash a look of fierce determination in his eyes.

Disregarding his own life, he violently circulated all his cultivation and ruthlessly shattered his own heart meridians!

"Pfft..."

A mouthful of blood sprayed from his mouth, and his aura instantly withered to the extreme.

His eyes lost focus, his body went limp and fell from mid-air, and he died on the spot.

He didn't even leave a single last word, choosing to commit suicide directly.

Elder Zhang frowned almost imperceptibly; the palm force he had prepared to cripple the spy's cultivation paused in mid-air, and a trace of subtle embarrassment flashed and vanished.

He then flicked his sleeve, withdrawing his hand, and snorted coldly. His icy gaze swept across the entire audience, his voice filled with bone-chilling coldness:

"This is the fate of those who harbor malice and treacherous intentions against my Great Sun Holy Land! Such demonic scoundrels deserve to die!"

His gaze, sharp as a hawk's, swept over the face of every disciple. He spoke again, his voice heavy as a thousand jun:

"I will give you all one last chance! Anyone who feels guilty in their heart or harbors hidden selfish thoughts, step out now and withdraw from the trial. The sect will let bygones be bygones and will not pursue any responsibility! If you wait until the mirror shines upon your filth, it will be too late to turn back! Do not remain unrepentant until death is at your doorstep!"

After his words fell, the entire plaza fell into dead silence.

Thousands of reserve disciples held their breath, looking at each other, but not a single person stepped out of the ranks.

After this incident, even if someone harbored slight distracting thoughts, they were already scared out of their wits; who would dare to step out and walk into a trap?

Seeing this, Elder Zhang said no more; he simply waved his hand coldly, signaling to continue passing through the heart-questioning mirror.

After this disturbance, the remaining disciples were even more terrified, daring not to have the slightest distraction.

The subsequent mirror-passing process went exceptionally smoothly, and no further anomalies occurred.

In just the time it takes to burn an incense stick, all the reserve disciples from the three provinces successfully passed the test of the heart-questioning mirror and gathered in the open space before the nine-layer heavenly ladder.

Until the last disciple stepped into the area behind the mirror, the Enforcement Hall disciple guarding the mirror bowed to the high platform and announced loudly:

"Reporting to Elder, all reserve disciples from the three provinces participating in the trial have finished the heart-questioning inspection. There are no remaining individuals with ill intentions!"

Elder Zhang nodded slowly, his gaze sweeping over the thousand-plus reserve disciples waiting below, his voice resonant and echoing throughout the plaza:

"The heart-questioning trial has passed, and you have all proven your loyalty to the Holy Land. Next is the true trial. The nine-layer heavenly ladder is right before you; opportunity and challenge coexist. How far you can go depends entirely on yourselves. Now, I announce, the entrance trial officially begins! Disciples, ascend the nine-layer heavenly ladder!"

As Elder Zhang's voice faded, the entire trial plaza instantly fell into dead silence.

Thousands of reserve disciples looked at each other, all somewhat hesitant; no one dared to be the first to step forward.

After all, the reputation of the nine-layer heavenly ladder was simply too overwhelming.

No one wanted to be the first to go up, make a fool of themselves in public, and become the laughingstock of everyone.

After a full dozen breaths of silence, finally, a sturdy-looking youth gritted his teeth, walked out from the Qingyan Province formation, and headed towards the nine-layer heavenly ladder.

"It's a disciple from Qingyan Province!" "Someone has finally gone up first! Let's see how many layers he can ascend!"

The disciples in the plaza instantly perked up, stretching their necks to look in the direction of the nine-layer heavenly ladder.

The youth walked to the front of the nine-layer heavenly ladder, took a deep breath, narrowed his eyes, lifted his foot abruptly, and stepped onto the first step of the nine-layer heavenly ladder.

The moment his foot landed on the step, the golden runes on the nine-layer heavenly ladder instantly lit up.

A massive gravity suddenly descended, pressing down on his body.

The youth let out a muffled groan, his body instantly bent over, his legs trembling slightly as he struggled to hold his ground.

His expression was dazed, and he stood motionless, clearly trapped in an illusion while enduring immense pressure.

It was a long time before he moved again; gritting his teeth, sweat on his forehead, he lifted his leg to step toward the second step.

The moment he stepped onto the second step, the gravity doubled again!

"Pfft!" With a sound, the youth spat out a mouthful of blood, his body instantly pressed down to his knees, unable to support himself any longer.

The runes on the nine-layer heavenly ladder flashed, and a gentle force enveloped him, directly ejecting him from the nine-layer heavenly ladder and onto the plaza.

"Trial ended, layer count: second layer." A cold, mechanical voice sounded from the formation, echoing throughout the plaza.

The youth sat on the ground, his face deathly pale, filled with shame, head bowed, not daring to meet the gazes of those around him.

The disciples in the plaza instantly erupted in an uproar.

"My god! He couldn't even hold on past the second layer?!" "I know him, he has above-average aptitude! How could he only reach the second layer?!" "This difficulty is just too terrifying!"

The disciples who were originally eager to try instantly backed down, their eyes filled with apprehension.

But soon, other disciples gritted their teeth and stepped forward for the trial. One, two, three... More and more disciples walked onto the nine-layer heavenly ladder.

The results were similar to the first disciple; most disciples with average aptitude could only reach the first layer, and after barely breaking free from the illusion, they were unable to climb any further.

A few with strong willpower were able to reach the second layer. Only the very few who possessed both superior aptitude and willpower could barely step onto the third layer, but they were instantly ejected as well.

As time passed bit by bit, the atmosphere in the plaza became increasingly tense.

The Peak Masters and Elders on the high platform watched the trial below, commenting from time to time. Most of them shook their heads, clearly not very satisfied.

Seventh Prince Xiao Yuan stood beside Chu Shi, watching the disciples on the nine-layer heavenly ladder being ejected after only a few steps, his palms sweating.

He lowered his voice and said to him with some emotion: "Brother Chu, the difficulty of this nine-layer heavenly ladder is just too terrifying, right? I heard before that those with average aptitude could reach the third layer. Now it seems that reaching the second layer is already considered quite good."