After a quick rest, the group set off again.
When they stepped onto the stairs once more, the feeling of not touching the ground had completely vanished.
However, the moment they set foot on the stairs, everyone felt as if their spiritual energy had been instantly drained away, and they were once again like ordinary mortals.
There were clearly only ninety - nine stairs, but when the four of them looked up, the stairs seemed endless, as if leading straight to the Ninth Heaven.
Shen Qing and Li Xian walked in the front, while Xue Ling and Hong Chaoyang followed behind. The four of them were on high alert, fearing that something might suddenly fly out of the jungles on both sides.
Every nine stairs among these ninety - nine would lead to a large step and a small platform. There were a total of ten small platforms, and it was not until the eleventh that they would reach the divine altar.
The four of them passed the first five small platforms smoothly, and there was no other discomfort on their bodies.
But it seemed that Kunlun Mountain was testing them. They began to feel exhausted, as if they had carried stones and run for several kilometers.
Hong Chaoyang, who had relatively poor physical fitness, already had beads of sweat on her forehead and was breathing slightly heavily.
"This staircase seems much more difficult to climb than others. Logically speaking, after walking such a short distance, I shouldn't be this tired!"
Shen Qing turned back to comfort her, "Do you think it's an easy thing to climb Kunlun Mountain? We can't use spiritual energy, nor can we ride our swords. These ninety - nine stairs, seemingly simple, are actually full of tests."
"Chaoyang, hold on. We've already walked almost half the way. Let's rest after climbing a bit more."
Hong Chaoyang had no choice but to support her legs and move up step by step.
The nine stairs in front seemed short, but with each step, it was as if a heavy lead block had been tied to their legs.
The feeling of the lead blocks made their feet extremely heavy and hard to lift. As a result, after climbing only three stairs, beads of sweat rolled down their cheeks.
The other three were only a little better than Hong Chaoyang. Shen Qing had used her spiritual energy earlier, so her physical strength had been consumed more than the other three. It was quite remarkable that she had managed to hold on until now without a break.
It took the four of them almost half an hour to climb just these nine stairs.
When they reached the sixth small platform, Hong Chaoyang could no longer hold on. She plopped down on the small platform, gasping for breath and fanning herself with her hand.
"I was wrong. I should have listened to my mother when she told me to train my physical fitness. I didn't expect to suffer like this now. I regret it so much!!"
"Now, after climbing such a short distance, I'm gasping like this. I'd be ashamed to tell others."
Xue Ling lifted his cassock and sat on the ground without any grace. Following Hong Chaoyang's words, he said, "You're a sword cultivator, but your physical fitness is even worse than mine, a Buddhist cultivator. You really should reflect on yourself."
Hong Chaoyang pouted unhappily and glared at Xue Ling with no real威慑力, "Little master, your mouth is as poisonous as if it's been quenched. You don't seem like a peaceful Buddhist cultivator at all."
Xue Ling raised his eyebrows. Because he had sweated a bit and his body temperature was relatively high, a blush appeared at the corners of his eyes.
His originally upturned eyes now looked even more both upright and evil. Coupled with his casual sitting posture and the slightly open collar, he didn't seem like a worldly - detached monk at all.
Hong Chaoyang had just casually glanced at Xue Ling, but was attracted by his appearance. She stared blankly at him, and her heart skipped a beat.
Hearing Hong Chaoyang's banter, Xue Ling wasn't angry. He just asked, "Do you know why my master is called Bu Yan?"
Hong Chaoyang replied blankly, "Why?"
Although she was asking, her mind wasn't really thinking about Xue Ling's question. Instead, she was attracted by Xue Ling's good looks.
"Because my master is well - known for his sharp tongue. Everyone who knows him thinks his words are unpleasant. Compared to my master, I've already restrained myself a lot."
Hong Chaoyang still looked dazed, "Oh... I see..."
Seeing that Hong Chaoyang didn't seem to be listening to him seriously, Xue Ling lowered his eyes that had been looking at the sky and stared straight into Hong Chaoyang's eyes.
Hong Chaoyang was caught off guard by this look from Xue Ling. She quickly turned her head in a flurry, but her cheeks and ear tips were completely red.
Shen Qing saw this and her alarm bells rang in her heart.
Hong Chaoyang's lovestruck state as a young girl seemed rather bad. It was clearly the look of being smitten!
But Xue Ling was a Buddhist cultivator and would never have a Taoist partner. If Hong Chaoyang really fell in love, she would be the only one to suffer in the end.
Just as Shen Qing was about to speak up to interrupt Hong Chaoyang's amorous thoughts, she was stopped by Li Xian.
Shen Qing turned her head unhappily, "What are you doing?"
Li Xian sighed and explained, "Look at Xue Ling. Although he has a sharp tongue and seems unruly, he doesn't understand the ways of men and women. Look..."
Shen Qing looked at Xue Ling again and saw that he looked utterly confused. His eyes were full of puzzlement, not understanding at all why Hong Chaoyang suddenly turned her back to him.
Moreover, he kept asking, "Why is your face so red? It looks like a monkey's butt. No way, no way. After walking such a short distance, are you already suffering from heatstroke?"
"Tsk, you're really too weak."
Hong Chaoyang had been slightly flirtatious before, but after being taunted by Xue Ling, she turned her head. When she saw Xue Ling's disgusted face and his ungracious pout, that little bit of infatuation in her heart suddenly cooled down.
"No wonder others call you a bald donkey. You're so unforgiving with your words. I'm a girl. How can you talk to a girl like that!!"
Xue Ling shrugged and sized Hong Chaoyang up and down, "In my eyes, everyone here is a mundane person. There's no distinction between men and women."
Hong Chaoyang seemed to be petrified on the spot. Her innocent feelings of love were extinguished by just a few words from Xue Ling.
"See, you don't need to worry at all, right?"
Li Xian looked as if he had expected this and raised his eyebrows at Shen Qing.
Although he hadn't known Xue Ling as long as he had known Xiao Jinglan, he still knew some of Xue Ling's amorous affairs.
As a Buddhist cultivator, his appearance was extremely attractive. If it weren't for his shiny bald head, the white cassock on his body, and his sharp tongue, there would be countless female cultivators falling at his feet.
Moreover, Hong Chaoyang didn't really fall in love with him. She was just attracted by his good looks and had a momentary flutter of the heart.
Li Xian believed that Xue Ling could handle this kind of infatuation on his own.
Shen Qing looked at her friend irritably, rubbed her forehead and shook her head, "Are you all rested? Let's set off quickly."
After resting for a while, Hong Chaoyang wasn't that tired anymore. She quickly got up from the ground.
The four of them set off again. They went all out and didn't rest on the way. They directly climbed up to the divine altar on Kunlun Mountain.
At the divine altar, Shen Qing indeed saw a familiar figure. That person seemed to have been waiting for a long time. When he saw them, he showed a smile.
"Shen Qing, we meet again."
Shen Qing stepped forward and stood in front of Hong Chaoyang and Xue Ling. She replied in a deep voice, "Han Ze, it's really you."