NOVEL NEXT Chapter 157: The Last Haven
The 46th floor was quiet.
Too quiet.
It should've been a blessing—one whole hour of rest, right when their legs were screaming and minds were strained from rushing through twenty consecutive trials. But with only four—no, three—floors left, and the deadline creeping closer with every tick of the clock, Xu Tao couldn't relax.
He sat cross-legged on a patch of cool grass, eyes closed, breathing steady. His atmosphere was a bit prickly, making everyone try not to get too close. Of course, there were exceptions.
"My Emperor... You shan't worry, for I know we will still make it in time," said Zetian, still hugging the little green pet pumpkin, Pepe.
"Sir Tao, there are only three floors left after this. I'm sure we have more than enough time to reach the top!" Jehanne added, trying to appease him.
However, neither of their words reached him... After all, even now, the Dao Law that scrambled their language, making words lose their meaning, was still active.
Still, despite not understanding their words, he could feel their genuine worry. "Thanks, you two," he said, smiling thinly. "You should rest too. I... still have preparations to do."
Following his gesture, Jehanne and Zetian sat side by side in silence.
Arthur stared at the stars, deep in contemplation, while Achilles paced in circles, as if trying to run away from his own thoughts.
Yifa, on the other hand, sat not too far from Xu Tao, watching him while pretending not to.
Xu Tao exhaled, realizing that at the rate he was recovering, he wouldn't reach full power by the end of the one-hour limit. Adding the "preparations" he was planning, he literally had no leeway.
"…Tch. I guess I'll have to gamble once more..."
He slowly opened his eyes and exhaled. Then, he pulled out a familiar brown bottle from his Storage Ring. It was the only reward he got back when he defeated the bugged Nine-Segment Crimson Yang Centipede—the Condensed True Qi Pills!
Xu Tao hesitated for a moment before taking a single pill and popping it into his mouth. He didn't swallow, only kept it under his tongue, letting the Qi seep out in a controlled burst.
"...!"
Just as he expected, the intensity of the Qi Pill was beyond imagination.
It was like a dam had burst, flooding the plains below! The Condensed True Qi began flowing from his mouth to his stomach before reaching his meridians. There, it started running wild. Like the sea on a stormy night, it hit the meridians in powerful waves—enough to make them crack under pressure.
Not so fast...!
Thankfully, he'd already gotten the hang of these pills before. He quickly circulated the Qi around his body, ensuring a clean flow through all meridians and Dantians. A fraction of it was refined, settled as his own Qi, while the rest...
Pluck!
Xu Tao grabbed a handful of his hair once more—over a hundred strands in one go.
One by one, he began weaving Qi into them, imbuing each with a generous portion of the rampaging energy in his body, and a wisp of his consciousness. The process took only a few seconds, but each hair he turned into a sort of talisman, a treasure that could save someone's life with certainty.
By the time he was done, he held 127 glowing strands in his hand—counting the unused strands, that would be three strands for each person. The same number as the remaining trials.
"Everyone, I'll be giving you three of these," he murmured. "Just in case. Use them sparingly."
Two to three strands of hair floated before each person. As they had already seen the hair clones before, they didn't hesitate and grabbed them, tying them around their fingers, wrists, or ankles like charms.
But one thing to note was that the strength of this batch of hair clones couldn't even be compared to the previous ones.
Each strand was filled with nearly the same amount of Qi that Xu Tao's body could hold. Having one in their possession was like having Xu Tao standing beside them wherever they went!
Zetian squealed in delight and tied hers like a bracelet, proudly showing it off like an engagement token. "Fufufu~! More of my Emperor's hair... so personal... so intimate...♡🎵"
Jehanne glared at her but said nothing. Despite not being able to understand what Zetian said, she knew she wasn't up to anything good... She let it pass, as she was busy tying the strand around her spear's hilt with solemn focus.
Yifa, meanwhile, just tucked hers into her belt with a small nod. Casual, but with a beaming smile bubbling up beneath her serious expression.
Arthur looked solemn, carefully tying the strand around his thumb. "I'll try not to waste it," he whispered.
Achilles blinked at his own strand like it was a snake, coiled and poised to bite him. "Ugh... I'll hold onto it. But I don't want it doing anything weird."
Everyone else did the same, securing the strands somewhere on their bodies, making sure they wouldn't be dropped or lost. It was their "lifeline," after all.
Everyone was well aware by now:
If Xu Tao expected something might go wrong, then it will.
🔷🔷🔷
The hour passed in tense quiet.
As the final minute ticked down, the glowing monolith shimmered and vanished in a burst of gold. In its place, the grass parted, revealing a staircase of ethereal moonlight spiraling upward into the sky. The visuals couldn't even be compared to the 4th floor's!
But ignoring this beautiful, picturesque sight, Xu Tao stepped forward immediately. His pace was mildly hurried, but not quite a run—he was also trying to keep his dignity.
"We're going!"
He didn't look back to see if anyone followed, or if they understood his gesture. There was no need to.
Like a trail of ducklings, everyone rose and followed after him—fifty strong, including himself. Even if they weren't ready, there was no time to hesitate. They were well aware that their schedule was tight.
One by one, they climbed the ethereal stairs of moonlight.
Weirdly, it didn't feel like stepping on solid objects, but more like walking on a cushion or a fluffy cloud.
As they reached the top of the stairs, their vision expanded.
A new location spread before them, with a new trial waiting.