Ch. 3061..3070
The Pinnacle of Life Chapter 3061
Lorelei shook her head. “No. You will be kicked out of the Heavenly Stairs after you fail. If failing from above is considered punishment, then it’s a yes.”
“I’ll go up and give it a try then,” Jade bluntly said.
The Heavenly Stairs had a width of over twenty meters, accommodating everyone present.
“Wait! It’d be best if we didn’t go up together!” reminded Lorelei.
However, it was already too late. The swift Jade had rushed to the first step right away. Then, she froze on top of it.
Lorelei was helpless. “Why are you so anxious?”
Gilbert asked, “Is there anything particular about it?”
Lorelei explained, “ If you ascend the steps at the same time, you will experience the same ordeal. However, different personas will be given in the ordeal of the Heavenly Stairs, and conflicts may occur in the ordeal’s missions, affecting each other.”
Gilbert asked, “That shouldn’t be too much of a problem, right?”
Nebula said, “What if the condition for her advancement is to kill him?”
“Huh? Such a condition exists?”
“Then, what will happen if one dies in the ordeal?”
Nebula said, “That’s not a big deal. One will experience mental death, but there will be a buffer period after being kicked out due to failure. One will be unable to attempt climbing the Heavenly Stairs again within a year.”
“It will take as long as a year?”
The crowd was stunned. Everyone looked at Alex and Jade on the first step. No one headed up recklessly anymore. If the situation that Nebula mentioned really took place, wouldn’t the opportunity be wasted?
Presently, Alex was trudging ahead in the illusionary realm’s desert world. It was getting dark, and he was exhausted, thirsty, and hungry. He looked at that hard bun that had been inedible long ago. It was even harder than a stone.
‘F*ck. I’m not going to die here, am I? I wonder if there are any sequels after death.’
Alex felt extremely uncomfortable and was about to collapse.
He even tried to invoke the world’s spiritual energy, hoping he could cultivate something useful in a short time. When that was done, he would be able to relieve his body’s tired state by borrowing the world’s spiritual energy.
Unfortunately, it was wishful thinking.
His body was illusory, and his physical body was not there at all. In addition, the aim of the illusionary realm’ s restriction was to put him through such a predicament, so it naturally wouldn’t allow him to do as he wished.
‘The temperature variance in a desert is so extreme that one can die of heat during the day and freeze to death at night. Zechariah Hadid is really a nerd. He dared to enter the desert alone without any preparation?’
Alex whined. Although it was difficult, his willpower was still powerful. Hence, he could still withstand this little predicament right now.
Suddenly, he saw a house right in front of him.
‘It looks like an inn! An inn in the desert? How strange. It can’t be the new Desert Inn, right?’
No matter what inn it was, it was a lifesaver right now.
Alex accelerated his pace and rushed over frantically. It turned out not to be an illusion but a real inn.
Its name hung on a flagpole with two words, ‘Death Inn’!
The Pinnacle of Life Chapter 3062
‘Death Inn?’
Alex froze for a moment. ‘Who would operate an inn with such a name? Wouldn’t customers turn around and leave the moment they saw such an ominous name?’
Alex could feel how miserable he was. He clearly saw the ominous inn, yet he still wanted to enter. Just then, there was a series of rumbling behind him.
‘What’s going on?’
He looked back, only to see a billowing yellow cloud of sand that had appeared in the blink of an eye. Unfortunately, at the moment, he didn’t have his divine eye, primordial eye, and X-ray vision. Hence, his vision was slightly blurred as the yellow sand enveloped him.
The huge commotion only quietened after reaching a hundred meters in front of the inn. Only then did Alex see it clearly. There were four people, three men and a woman, all wearing face scarves.
As for their mounts, they were on four precious Nisean horses!
Although Alex’s cultivation base was gone, he still remained sensible. As soon as the four people appeared, he felt a strong wave of pressure and a faint flow of Chi on them… If Alex was in his previous state, the Chi would be a child’s play, and he would smack them to death in a brief moment. However, any of them could just casually kill him like a hot knife cutting through butter.
“Haha! Maximilia Calypse’s Death Inn is really here!”
“Let’s go! We’ll stay in the Death Inn tonight!” A man among the four people laughed heartily. After saying that, he waved his large hand.
The four people then stormed away, riding their four horses.
Boom!
They hurried toward the inn right away.
Alex was shocked to witness such a scene. Did they not see him? Did they intend to run over him?
At that moment, he was already exhausted, but he still exerted all his strength to escape to the side. However, he truly wasn’t fast enough, and just when the horses were almost upon him, the only woman in the group suddenly lifted a long whip and struck it at him.
“A sensible person will not stand in our way! Get lost!”
The long whip enveloped him before flinging him away. Alex was infuriated!
A burning pain seared through his back. Moreover, he couldn’t control himself while he was in mid-air. Furthermore, judging from that b*tch’s intention, she even tried to slam him hard on the ground. He probably would die from such a slam with his current weak body.
‘Did this d*mned b*tch fail to reach climax with impotent men?!’
Just then, a ray of cold light suddenly flew out of the Death Inn.
It was a flying dagger. It instantly severed the woman’s long whip.
At the same time, a woman’s cold voice carried over from the inn. “Who dares to kill in my territory? Since it’s your first offense, I will punish you so you will not make more serious blunders in the future!”
Whoosh!
A wave of energy knocked open the Death Inn’s door. A pitch-black strip of cloth flew out of it and slapped hard into the whip-wielding woman, knocking her off the precious horse. That inexhaustible cloth turned around unexpectedly and rushed to Alex, who was in the air before wrapping around him.
This time, it nullified the power acting on Alex’s body. Eventually, he landed on the ground firmly. The long cloth was retracted. Alex heaved a sigh of relief as he managed to survive.
“Thank you for saving me!” Alex said as he cupped his hands in the direction of the inn’s door.
All the four horses stopped.
The Pinnacle of Life Chapter 3063
The woman with the long whip looked slightly wretched as she got to her feet. The scarf fell off, revealing her true face.
After taking a good look, Alex almost screamed… It was a genuinely unsightly face. There were two centipede-like wounds with a deformed mouth that was abnormally large and crooked, looking terrifying and disgusting.
Rage welled up in the woman’s heart. She wanted to kill someone. The person whom she wanted to kill was clearly Alex. She glared at him like a poisonous snake staring at its prey.
However…
“Amber, hold your horses. Just treat someone as petty as him as non-existent ”
“Maximilia Calypse has a rule. Murder is not allowed within a loo-meter radius of her inn. Otherwise, she will kill you, and she is not all talk.”
The woman also knew about that rule. Eventually, she could only leave the matter unresolved and turn around in anger. However, after walking for a short distance, she suddenly turned back and said, “I’m not going to kill him. I just feel upset just by looking at this mongrel. It should be okay for me to beat him up, right?”
Wham!
The woman kicked Alex in the stomach to the point that he foamed at the mouth. She then entered the inn arrogantly.
‘D*mn! This ugly b*tch! The ugly always give people a hard time by doing weird things!’ Alex truly hadn’t experienced that kind of pain and grievance for a long time. He couldn’t help but think that Eustace could only ascend to the thirteenth step because he was powerful, not weak.
Ordinary people wouldn’t have withstood such an insane mission. Fortunately, that ugly b*tch also feared misfortune would befall her if she hit too hard and killed him. Hence, he was not severely injured. He was lying and resting on the ground.
At that time, another few groups of people appeared. All of them came to stay at the Death Inn. He even vaguely heard a few people talking about some kind of treasure. It seemed that they had all come to look for a certain treasure.
***
Finally, night fell. It was windier than usual.
Alex kept lying on the ground. Many people passed him, but none seemed concerned. There was no pity in their eyes, as if he were poultry.
“Phew!”
Alex exhaled a breath.
He could not cultivate, but he tried to recite the Buddhist texts of Ksitigarbha’s Ten Wheels Earth Incantation silently, sensing the divine power with his body while lying on the ground earlier. Although he had no divine power, the incantation possessed a certain healing effect. Currently, the area that the ugly woman kicked did not hurt so badly anymore.
He got to his feet arduously and walked toward the inn one step at a time.
Squeak!
The inn’s door was opened.
As a gust of cold wind blew inside, the drinking, meat-eating, noisy guests immediately looked at the entrance. When they saw the dying scholar lying in front of the inn, they immediately looked dissatisfied.
“Hey! Who let a petty guy like you in?”
“This is the Death Inn. Is this a place you can enter?”
“Get lost!”
“Why don’t you hurry and shut the door?”
Indeed, Alex was currently a powerless scholar, but his soul belonged to the number one person from America’s young generation, Alex Rockefeller. His face showed no fear as he cast a sweeping glance at the crowd… He was afraid of nothing. This place was nothing more than an ordeal in an illusionary realm. Everyone here was just an NPC.
“Who is the owner here?” asked Alex.
A young man in tattered clothes by the entrance’s table said, “The owner isn’t someone you can meet just because you want to. Do you know who the owner of this place is? It is Maximilia Calypse, famous for her flying daggers in the martial world. We can’t even meet her, let alone a useless and trashy scholar like you. By the way, why did a weak scholar come here? Do you also intend to snatch the Peacock Divine Monarch’s treasure?”
Alex said, “I’m not interested in the treasure. I want to stay at the inn. Since the owner is not around, there should be a receptionist, no?”
The young man in tattered clothes asked, “The key is, can you afford the room? It will cost a hundred spiritual stones to stay for a night at Maximilia Calypse’s inn. Do you have spiritual stones? I’m afraid you don’t even know what spiritual stones are…”
Alex replied, “Indeed. I don’t have spiritual stones, but I think your owner will let me stay for free.”
As soon as he said that, the crowd burst into laughter.
“Scholar, did a screw come loose from reading too many books?”
“Do you think Maximilia Calypse is your mother? She will let you stay for free? Do you believe she will turn you into a human meat bun?”
The Pinnacle of Life Chapter 3064
A burst of laughter rocked the inn. No one believed Alex, and they treated him like a fool instead.
They looked at the fool. He was incompatible with a place like the Death Inn and was simply worlds apart from them.
“Scholar, walk out of the entrance now and stay in the stable for a night. Perhaps you can still survive until tomorrow. You might really lose your life, otherwise!” Said an old man with white hair and beard to Alex…
He was considered the kindest among the guests in the inn. Alex looked at him. “Thank you for your kindness, but with this weak body of mine, I can’t stay in a stable. It’s more comfortable to stay in a room.”
“Hahaha…”
That speech invoked a burst of uncontrollable laughter once again.
“Fool! What a ridiculous fool!”
“In that case, let’s see how you’ll get Maximilia Calypse to provide you a free room! Are you trying to make her fancy your pretty face so you’ll become a guest of honor?”
Someone yelled directly upstairs. “Maximilia! Maximilia, come quickly! A pretty-faced scholar said he would throw himself at you. He asks if you would accept him!”
“Is that so?”
A soft, lazy voice replied from upstairs.
Alex looked up, only to find a woman in a red dress leaning next to the guardrails on the second floor. She looked young and had fair skin and a striking face. Coupled with that slightly exotic red outfit, she turned out to be eye candy that was particularly pleasant to look at.
The famous woman was the owner of the Death Inn, though she did not look cold like some Holy Maiden. Instead, she wore a faintly discernible smile and exuded a natural sense of intimacy.
Whoosh!
Maximilia moved gently, floating down from the second floor like a fairy. She attracted a round of applause. Nonetheless, that was a child play’s to Alex.
Even his four children could do that easily.
He quietly looked at the proprietress. The smile on her face deepened.
However, men’s laughter was heard around him. “Hurry and look! This brat has been completely enchanted by Maximilia Calypse’s beauty! Judging from that expression, he probably doesn’t remember who he is, right?”
“Maximilia, this scholar is skinny, but he has good looks. Why don’t you accept him? You could use him as a bed-warmer at night.”
Maximilia lifted her beautiful foot and gently lashed out with a kick.
A wine gourd on the table next to her was sent flying into the mouth of the talking man. “Even wine can’t stop a nasty man’s mouth like yours!”
Laughter instantly rang around her.
Sitting on the table, Maximilia took a closer look at Alex and asked, “Scholar, where are you from? Where are you going?”
Alex was startled for a moment. He did not know how to answer her for a while.
It was because he had become Zechariah but had acquired extremely limited information about him. He had not obtained all of Zechariah’s memories, and the Heavenly Stairs had only passed a little information to him. He didn’t even know the location of the desert or the current era he was in.
“What? Does one have to be interrogated to stay at Maximilia’s inn?”
Maximilia felt suspicious about Alex’s current speech and demeanor.
That was not how a powerless scholar should behave. Surprisingly, he did not fear her and was bold.
“Aren’t you afraid of me?”
“Why should I? Alex showed a weird expression. “Maximilia, you do business openly, and I am a guest. How can I be afraid of you?”
“But you don’t have money, do you?”
“I have something better than money.”
Maximilia lifted her hand and pinched Alex’s face before pulling it hard. She then shook her head and said, “It’s not as good as money. Your face is worthless.”
“Hahaha!!!”
The guests in the inn burst into pangs of laughter.
Looking at Maximilia at close quarters, Alex stretched his hand and beckoned her. “Maximilia, I have a few words to tell you in private.”
Maximilia smiled coquettishly. “Scholar, you’re really intriguing. You’re starting to pique my interest. You’re not going to take advantage of me suddenly, are you?” Then, she leaned closer.
Alex whispered a few words in her ear.
Maximilia was smiling at first, but that expression quickly changed.
At that moment, everyone’s hearts were in their mouths. Everyone scratched their heads, curious to know what Alex had whispered in Maximilia’s ear. To their surprise, he made Maximilia’s expression change again and again.
The Pinnacle of Life Chapter 3065
After Alex finished speaking, Maximilia unexpectedly grabbed his hand and cackled. “Go to my room.”
Without warning, she grabbed Alex and flew up to the second floor. She opened a certain door and walked in with a smile.
“Uh…”
“Ah…”
The guests downstairs were dumbfounded for a moment. Someone booed only after Alex and Maximilia disappeared, and a flurry of discussions followed…
“What happened? Does Maximilia really fancy that dumb scholar?”
“I don’t think so. That fragile scholar won’t satisfy Maximilia. If she really wanted to choose a man, she would’ve chosen someone like me.”
“Pooh! How shameless. Why don’t you look in the mirror? A piece of coal would be ashamed of how fair it is compared to you.”
“What’s wrong with coal? Did coal offend you? Yor, you should look in the mirror. Your face looks as yellow as pop!”
“F*ck off! You must be looking for a fight!”
That man who shouted took out a long sword and was about to start a fight.
It was then that a burst of cold light shot out from upstairs.
Whoosh!
A flash of silver whistled loudly from the upper floor. It was a flying dagger. It was Maximilia’s flying dagger, and it had stabbed that man’s foot.
Maximilia’s lazy voice was heard. “Fighting and killing are forbidden inside my inn. If you break something, you’ll have to pay with your lives.”
In that instant, the inn fell silent once again.
Inside the room, Maximilia looked at Alex as she casually asked, “What is your name?”
“Zechariah Hadid,” Alex replied casually.
Unexpectedly, Maximilia froze as soon as she heard the name before she fixed her gaze on Alex’s face for three seconds. Her eyes even revealed murderous intent.
Although it was fleeting, Alex still managed to notice it. ‘What’s going on?’
‘Is she going to kill me? ‘Why did she intend to kill me when I mentioned the name, Zechariah Hadid?’
Dejected, Alex asked, “Maximilia, have you heard of my name before?”
Maximilia declined to comment. “Maybe! But perhaps it’s the same name… It sounds like an old friend of mine.”
‘The name sounds like her old friend’s?’ Alex was speechless.
Maximilia asked, “Can you really help me cure that disease?”
Alex nodded. “I’m 100% sure.”
It turned out that Alex mentioned the free accommodation earlier because he had long noticed the hidden disease in Maximilia’s body. Alex discovered it when Maximilia rescued him after that ugly b*tch’s whip flung him away.
She was injured.
Alex’s cultivation power was insufficient, but the medical skills in the Ultimate Book of Medicine were still available. And, he did not require Chi to cure Maximilia’s injury.
Earlier, Alex told Maximilia about her hidden disease and was ready to tell her why. Maximilia had only brought him to the room after he said to her that he could cure her.
“What do you need to cure me?” asked Maximilia.
“I need thirteen silver needles.”
“Acupuncture? I’ve done it with a miracle doctor, but it was futile.”
“My acupuncture is different from the others.”
“How different? Isn’t it old wine in a new bottle? Stabbing the acupoints, right?”
“You’re wrong then. Mine is called the Thirteen Acupunctures of Hell. It belongs to the Ultimate Book of Medicine. It can cure normal people as well as cultivators.”
“The Ultimate Book of Medicine?” Maximilia’s eyes widened abruptly as she stared at Alex without blinkin
The Pinnacle of Life Chapter 3067
Phoenix Sect.
Somewhere between dozens of divine pillars in the shrine on the immortal mountain…
A stunning beauty floated among the sacred pillars. She was none other than Dorothy Assex, who had left Alex to find the Legacy alone.
At that moment, she had acquired the Legacy and just needed some time to digest it, but her mental strength had greatly improved. Of course, Xienna Stoermer still played the dominant role at that time.
‘Now, my mental strength has surged. With the help of the Legacy’s divine pillars, I should be able to find that person in the sea of people!’
Xienna’s fixation was on her lover from her previous life. Having such an opportunity, she naturally wouldn’t miss it.
Her soul immediately phased out of her body. Dozens of Legacy’s divine pillars abruptly emitted dazzling light that soared into the sky. A massive mental intent gushed out. She was looking for the man carrying her imprint.
‘No!’
There was still nothing!
Unconvinced, she refused to give up. She did not let go, and eventually, her mental strength silently passed and entered through Yukon’s force field.
The Heavenly Stairs was the only place she couldn’t see clearly. It was an expanse of haziness.
She couldn’t even see Alex and Jade standing on the Heavenly Stairs because there was an unknown force field and spell formation on it. It still couldn’t work even with the power of the Legacy’s divine pillars. Xienna only saw the vague back of a man.
However, at that moment, she seemed to feel an intense sensation. That man was likely the person she was looking for.
‘I don’t believe I can’t break the mist here!’ Determined, Xienna exerted all her strength.
Boom!
Consequently, she blew it away with brute force. However, she saw a ray of light in that instant… It looked like there was an ax within the light. The ax seemed to be summoning a certain existence, but she ended up interrupting it with that impact.
Shortly afterward, the ax seemed infuriated and fiercely struck her mental body.
‘Oh crap! Run!’
At that moment, Xienna couldn’t care less about taking a clear look at that man. She retreated frantically, but she noticed that she was far slower than that ax. The next second, her mental body was struck viciously.
Whoosh!
Xienna was gravely injured and her mental body almost collapsed. Nonetheless, she managed to escape and quickly return to the Phoenix Sect with the help of the divine pillars. Meanwhile, that ax was twinkling with overwhelming fight.
Eventually, it stopped what it was doing, swayed, and broke through the mist. It then turned into a ray of light and descended into Alex’s body again.
***
Presently, Alex who was still in the illusionary realm woke up.
He discovered that Maximilia, no, Jade, was guarding him by the bed, whereas he was lying in her bed… He did not know why, but he found that his mental strength seemed more powerful than before.
“How long have I slept?”
“It didn’t last long!” Jade answered. “Do you feel better?”
“Much better! Isn’t this the Heavenly Stairs’ trial for me? How did you enter my trial?”
The Pinnacle of Life Chapter 3066
Alex was shocked to see Maximilia’s reaction. “You know the Thirteen Acupunctures of Hell?!” he asked.
Maximilia nodded. “I even know you are not Zechariah Hadid.”
“Huh?”
Alex was shocked, but he concealed his emotions. “Maximilia, you sure make a good joke. I am Zechariah Hadid. How could I remember my name wrongly?”
Maximilia forced a smile. She abruptly reached out and pinched Alex’s nose. “Rockefeller brat, don’t you know who I am?”
‘Holy crap!’
Alex’s mind went into overdrive. He stared intently at Maximilia’s face. “Jade Benmore?”
Smack!
Maximilia flicked her forehead. “Impudent! Call me Master!”
Yup! Maximilia was none other than Jade.
Jade was also genuinely baffled. When she stepped onto the first step of the Heavenly Stairs, she experienced the same situation as Alex. However, she found that she had become a young proprietress of an exotic inn. More importantly, the inn was operating in the desert. It was truly peculiar.
In fact, she still wasn’t accustomed to it.
After confirming that Maximilia was truly Jade, Alex felt like crying. He had come all the way with great difficulty, it was simply the greatest burden dragging along the scholar’s useless body. At that moment, his tense state of mind was relieved, and an intense sensation of fatigue swept over him.
His body went limp, and he fell toward Jade.
“Rockefeller brat?!” Jade hurriedly hugged him.
***
At the same time in America, the Stoermer Sect, represented by Eustace and others, had already occupied all the domestic sanctuaries and sacred mountains that once emitted spiritual energy tides. All of them except Yukon.
Once occupied by the Flying Eagles, even Mount Dragon-Tiger was no exception.
Moreover, Eustace had also seized the territory in California, where Rockefeller Manor was located. Not only that, but Eustace even sent godly cultivation experts who had sworn allegiance to him to occupy territories abroad that emitted spiritual energy tides.
In a place where there was beautiful scenery and abundant spiritual energy, Nadia said to Eustace, “Young Lord, as of now, we’ve occupied twenty-nine locations that emit spiritual energy in America. They definitely exceed Yukon in terms of the total number. After all, Yukon only contains one area that has a spiritual energy surge.”
Eustace said, “The most important thing is to gather all sources of spiritual energy into one place. Yukon is the top priority. Ultimately, we still have to take it down! I can’t wait three months. Nadia, when will the second spiritual energy tide occur, according to your estimation?”
Nadia replied, “It will occur earliest in three days, and seven days latest.”
Eustace nodded. “Fine. I don’t care what method you use. You’ll have to open access to all spiritual energy sources in all twenty nine American locations and gather them in one place within three days. When the time comes, I will use the Umbrella of Destiny to seize all the luck.. As for that Alex, whosoever, Rockefeller, Yukon will be destroyed, and the spiritual energy Will be exhausted after I seize the luck. Let’s see how he’ll compete with me for the seed’s position.”
“Alright, Young Lord!”
Eustace looked up to the sky. There were countless visitors beyond the sky, but what use was it?
“Hmph! Don’t you ever think of getting the Wasteland’s luck! It’s all mine!”
Setting the Stoermer Sect aside, all the ordinary people in America were worried now. The Stoermer Sect had occupied all the sanctuaries, leaving nothing to the outsiders. Having lost hope deep down, many naturally had few good things to say about the Stoermer Sect.
In private, they even described the Stoermer Sect as a heinous satanic cult.
If Heavenly Emperor Rowan and Phoenix were still in the mortal realm and found out, they would’ve vomited blood! It took countless years, manpower, effort, and lives to build up the Stoermer Sect’s fame. In just a few nights, however, Eustace had ruined it in front of everyone.
On the Internet, almost everyone pinned their hopes on Alex. It was because only Yukon, occupied by Alex, hadn’t been replaced by the Stoermer Sect.
Once, some had even witnessed the Stoermer Sect devotees trying to enter Mount Yukon, but they were blocked outside the spell formation and were unable to ascend even halfway.
“I wonder what Alex Rockefeller is doing right now. ”
“I really hope Alex Rockefeller will leave Yukon at some point and kill the people from the Stoermer Sect until they are scared witless!”
The Pinnacle of Life Chapter 3068
Jade didn’t know. She simply hadn’t listened to Lorelei’s explanation.
“It’s because I took the first step that we both experienced the same trial in the illusionary realm!” said Jade.
“It’s the only plausible explanation.” Alex looked at Maximilia’s unfamiliar appearance. In fact, he was slightly incapable of substituting her character for Jade.
“Look at your current appearance. You really don’t look like yourself at all. You seem flirty when you smile!”
“Get lost! What makes you think you are any better?”
“Is there a mirror?” Alex still didn’t know what he looked like!
“Isn’t one over there?” Jade pointed at a large bronze mirror by the table. Alex walked over and looked at it, only to find himself… He really had a pretty face.
He was good-looking, albeit feminine and lacking masculinity.
“Alright. Isn’t it just a test? Who cares what we look like? By the way, there is a mission in the Heavenly Stairs trial. What is your mission?” asked Jade.
“Speaking of which, what: a coincidence. My identity here is Zechariah Hadid. I have a painting with me, indicating the woman I fancy. I’ll show it to you. You’ll be surprised for sure.”
Jade looked at the painting Alex had taken out, and she immediately shouted, “Ynes Larkin?!”
“I suspect she is Ynes Larkin’s elder,” Alex replied.
After that, they began discussing in the room. Alex told Jade what his mission was. Jade said with a smile, “I’m just like you. Haha. Isn’t it amazing? It turns out that my mission is to protect you for the successful completion of your mission.”
“That sounds good,” Alex said.
Jade told Alex that the Golden Phoenix Scorpion’s egg that he had to find could only be found in one location in the entire desert, the lost Kingdom of Kroraina. In fact, the destination of those guests in the Death Inn was the same.
They, too, were headed for Kroraina Kingdom.
“Just now, I heard someone mention some kind of treasure. Is there a treasure in Kroraina Kingdom? What treasure is that?” asked Alex.
Jade said, “I actually know something about that. Rumor has it that there used to be a priest in Kroraina Kingdom. He was a powerful wizard who possessed omnipotent and earth-shattering abilities. It’s said that the overnight disappearance of Kroraina Kingdom had something to do with that wizard. It looks like that wizard is most likely a godly cultivator. That treasure is actually the priest’s legacy.”
Godly cultivators had powerful abilities, and if one had a knack for spell formations, hiding a small kingdom shouldn’t be a problem.
Alex understood it. Indeed, such a thing was a fatal temptation to countless people in the martial world.
“You better rest well today! I’ll take you along tomorrow!” said Jade.
“To team up with them?”
“It’s necessary! Rumor has it that Kroraina Kingdom is full of dangers. The Golden Phoenix Scorpion is one of its poisonous creatures. I’m not Jade Benmore now, but Maximilia Calypse! Maximilia has decent martial arts, but that’s all.”
In no way was she a match for the real Jade.
“You’re kind of decent! Just watch me and enjoy yourself secretly!”
“That ugly b*tch almost whipped me to death. I couldn’t sense any spiritual energy in the world, nor could I cultivate any cultivation techniques. What a trashy spiritual root. It’s really strange. The Heavenly Stairs’ missions are ridiculous. It’s impossible to complete the mission by relying on such a scholar.”
They both began to speculate about the Heavenly Stairs again.
Indeed, it was the Heavenly Stairs with 9,999 steps. If Alex had to become someone else and complete a certain challenging mission on each Heavenly Stairs step, he felt that he would collapse.
“Forget it. Let’s get through this ordeal first,” said Jade.
“Yeah. Let me treat the injury on your hand first. It should be the sequel from the battle!” Alex took Jade’s hand as he said, “If you were Maximilia Calypse, I would’ve been confident, but you’re a candidate for the Heavenly Stairs trial. Hence, I’m unsure if I can cure you, as this place is full of variables.”
“Just do your best. Do I need to take off my clothes?”
“Take them off! I need to look at your body and insert the needles right now.”
“To what extent should I undress? All the way?!”
The Pinnacle of Life Chapter 3069
“I don’t mind it. Do you? This body isn’t yours anyway.”
Jade rolled her eyes. “I do mind, you rascal. You’re still so lustful even after becoming Zechariah Hadid.”
Alex said with a smile, “I call this a test of concentration. No matter how enchanting and sultry you are, it’s all just skin and bones.”
Eventually, Jade didn’t strip. Even so, Alex managed to find the precise acupoints and began his treatment. Consequently, it was still effective, but it was much slower than expected. A single treatment was insufficient, so a few more sessions were required.
“I’m okay! You should take a break. I’ll get you some food,” Jade said before a momentary pause. “You better call me Maximilia here and I’ll call you Zechariah, lest we let the cat out of the bag.”
Squeak!
After stepping out of the room, Jade heard a commotion downstairs.
“Maximilia, you were in the room with that pretty-faced scholar for over two hours. Did you really screw him?”
“Over two hours? Are you really that strong?”
Jade snorted coldly. “It’s none of your business!”
Although it was a cold snort, Maximilia had an innately enchanting face, and she couldn’t even utter anything genuinely cold. Even her meanest words came out sounding flirty.
Someone shouted, “Maximilia, call the scholar out. We will ask him personally how he managed to do it.”
Jade said coquettishly, “Ask, my a*s. This is a talent born of parents. Don’t even bother looking for women if you don’t have the talent. You might just humiliate yourself and harm her! Besides, I hereby announce that the scholar inside is now my man. Whoever lays a hand on him is equivalent to laying a hand on me! Think of the consequences yourselves!”
As soon as she made the statement, the eyes of that ugly woman from before gleamed. In fact, the other guests were quite astonished themselves. All banter aside, they had thought that the scholar was completely useless and would absolutely not be favored by Maximilia. Yet…
At that moment, Jade shouted at a staff member. “Merilyn, prepare a table of fine wine and dishes and send them to my room!”
“Alright!”
***
The next day, the desert became ferocious again.
Alex stayed by Jade’s side and set off with the large team.
His participation naturally upset many people. They felt that he was a burden, and Jade had insisted on bringing him along. It appeared that they would have to quit the team. In that way, there would be no objection. On the way, Alex learned that this group of people had long found the entrance to the Kroraina Kingdom. They were going to revisit the place, so they were familiar with the paths. As expected, they found the entrance next to the Great Basin Desert half a day later.
The group went ahead and entered it.
Alex and Jade were the last to walk in. They didn’t look like they had come to find treasures but traveled instead. However, the good times did not last long.
Almost immediately, they encountered a problem. It was an attack of bugs!
Small, densely packed bugs crawled out of all sides in the long passage. The creatures looked peculiar, with their long antennae and wings.
“Ouch!”
Teams of bugs swarmed over someone who had slowed down, leaving behind nothing but a few mutilated bones in mere seconds.
The Pinnacle of Life Chapter 3070
“Ah..!”
“What bugs are these? I’ve never seen them before!”
“Save me quickly! Help! I don’t want to die!”
Many people screamed in ultimate terror. Although only slightly bigger than ants, the all-white bugs were extremely terrifying. More importantly, they came in massive numbers, densely packed. People with trypophobia would definitely feel their blood freeze upon seeing those bugs.
Alex and Jade were at the very back, but they ran the fastest. Soon, they took the lead and rushed out of the passage’s entrance before those bugs reached them. After that, they saw crowds of panic-stricken people rushing out. Some of them howled wildly because bugs desperately gnawed on their bodies… Fortunately, there were few of them, so it would not be life-threatening. However, from the horrifying screams, one could deduce how painful it must’ve been to be bitten by those bugs.
No one came out again after one minute.
Horrible screams were heard in the cave from time to time until they eventually became inaudible.
“Those bugs didn’t come out, did they?” A man widened his eyes as he stared intently into the passage. Everyone thought those bugs would rush out of the cave, but it didn’t happen.
It seemed that those bugs could only live in the cave.
“That’s better. Otherwise, I really don’t know what to do. Those bugs were too fast.”
Consequently, a headcount revealed seven dead people in their group. One of them was the boss of that ugly woman who had almost killed Alex.
They were off to a bad start. Everyone suppressed their rage. However, they noticed that Alex, the weak scholar, stood unscathed next to Maximilia under her firm protection. They were really upset at that time.
A middle-aged man said, “Maximilia, it’s really inappropriate bringing this burden along. In the first place, an expert like you should be the main force on our side, but you are focusing all your energy on this scholar and is of no help to our team. We ended up serving cannon fodder instead. It’s unjustified no matter what!”
Someone instantly echoed, “That’s right. He can’t punch his way out of a paper bag. It’s simply a burden to bring him along.”
Maximilia sneered. “I’m doing it out of my own will. It’s none of your business. Your men died because they were useless.”
The ugly woman said, “Maximilia, it doesn’t make sense for you to say that. You will also have a share of the discovered treasure. You want the team to scout the way ahead for you. We are not fools. Do you think that’s fair? If that’s the case, what’s the point of having you?”
Maximilia sneered. “Those who are on your level will just hold us back! I will quit, okay?!”
Someone said, “Maximilia, you’ve gone overboard. Now that you know the entrance to the Kroraina Kingdom, you’re quitting, and you won’t join us? How could you be like this?”
At that moment, Alex said, “Who knows if this is the real entrance. Even if it is, I don’t think you guys can pass. I hereby kindly advise you to go back, lest you might lose your lives.”
“D*mn! What right does a dumb scholar have to say something like that?”
“The wages of avarice is death. Forget it. Pretend that I said nothing.”
Alex took Maximilia’s hand and walked out right away.
However, a group of people blocked them. “You aren’t allowed to leave!”
Maximilia was furious. “What? You’re trying to keep me with brute force? Are you that confident? The passage is dangerous. I won’t stop you if you wish to court death, but Maximilia Calypse has precious life, and I don’t wish to lose it here! So long!”
Maximilia and Alex actually walked away and left the Great Basin.
The remaining people looked at each other in dismay. In fact, many had tried to give up and leave, but they were reluctant to let that legendary treasure go.
“What should we do? Even Maximilia Calypse is scared.”
“Bugs are afraid of fire. We weren’t mentally prepared just now. Let’s prepare some torches now. When the time comes, we will burn those bugs to death!”
The group acted instantly.
Shortly after Alex and Maximilia left Great Basin Desert, they turned around and walked toward the opposite side. Alex said to Maximilia, “That chaplain has probably set up a large spell formation in the Kroraina Kingdom. The entrance just now is a door to death. Judging by our current situation, entering is equivalent to courting death.”
“Where is life’s door then?” Maximilia asked.
“I’m still uncertain. We’ll have to look for it. You should take me to the high ground. Ah, over there!” Alex pointed at a stone wall not far away.
Its use was unknown, but it should be quite ancient. It was relatively tall at the height of twenty or thirty meters. With Alex’s current skills, he definitely couldn’t climb it.