Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation  Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The moment Chu Li arrived at the Inner Mausoleum, he then left for a hall in Jing Tian Pavilion. After he exchanged greetings with Hu Feixing, he stood still on the spot.

 Although the harsh air was pus.h.i.+ng against him, he kept on moving forward like a fish swimming against the current. Each step he took made him dizzy and weary.

 The Heavenly Demonic Stone was hanging in front of his chest. With the continuous stream of cool air, it refreshed his mind and allowed him to concentrate wholeheartedly.

 Under such challenging conditions, the giant Buddha and the Heavenly Demon chanted the mantras at a speed which was ten times faster than before.

 Lotuses appeared and covered the bodies of the giant Buddha and the Heavenly Demon, becoming one with them and made them take on a solid form. With that, Chu Li's soul energy became stronger too. He thought that it would be best for him to cultivate under such a condition.

 However, without the Omniscient Mirror and a calm, focused inner state, he would not have been able to maintain his current composure. The streams of cool air were used by the Omniscient Mirror to sustain the extreme conditions. Slowly, he moved a step further and the chants of the giant Buddha and the Heavenly Demon increased its speed. Now, they were twenty times faster than before.

 A bunch of lotuses danced about in the air and filled the entirety of his mind's void as they fell on the bodies of the giant Buddha and the Heavenly Demon. It took a much shorter time for the soul energy to be fortified.

 Hu Feixing's eyes went wide with surprise. He stared at Chu Li in disbelief as the latter was getting closer to achieving the inextinguishable golden body. Six feet, five feet, four feet, three feet, two feet.

 When Chu Li was two feet away from the golden body, he did not faint. Although his body was shaking, he was stable.

 At last, with one foot left, Chu Li finally arrived at the bottom of the steps.

 He had reached his limit when he stopped at the foot of the steps.

 Hu Feixing let out a sigh of relief. He would not know what to do if Lu Xuzhou had moved one step further. It all happened too quickly. It was as if Lu Xuzhou had become another person. Did his injury result in a ma.s.sive improvement in his abilities?

 After a while, Chu Li got onto the first step.

 “Hold it!” Hu Feixing yelled.

 Chu Li turned his head.

 His eyes were bloodshot. An invisible force was pressing against him and he struggled to steady himself. He continued to channel the Earth Matrix and Reincarnation Scripture, but the purity of the Cloud Slas.h.i.+ng Power's inner strength brought stress to his meridians.

 Hu Feixing cried, “Our Inner Mausoleum Protectors must not touch the golden body!”

 Chu Li said, “Of course.”

 “Then why are you going up the steps?” Hu Feixing asked.

 Chu Li's voice was hoa.r.s.e. “To see how near I can go!”

 “Be careful, then!” Hu Feixing replied, “Don't say I didn't warn you if you touch it.”

 Chu Li looked at him before he took another step.

 The pressure on him increased with each step. The Earth Matrix and Reincarnation Scripture protected his body while the giant Buddha and the Heavenly Demon chanted mantras in his mind rapidly which fortified his soul.

 He could sense that the strength gained by his soul did not only originate from the four scriptures and the Omniscient Mirror, but it mainly came from the Heavenly Demonic Stone's energy. Usually, the cool energy from the stone would merely replace the loss of souls instead of strengthening them. However, under such extreme conditions, it could make his soul stronger.

 Nonetheless, without the Heavenly Demonic Stone, he would not have sustained the current pressure no matter how powerful he was. His soul would not have been fortified in such a short period of time either. Based on this, the Heavenly Demonic Stone was indeed a wondrous artifact and he must obtain the sect's Heavenly Demonic Statue!

 Last time, after getting obliterated by the Heavenly Demonic Statue, his soul became much stronger once he had regained consciousness. This time, when he was attacked by the Enlightened Master's powerful aura, Chu Li's soul became slightly stronger too. However, the effect was not greater when compared to the time he was wounded by the Heavenly Demonic Statue. It could probably be due to the Heavenly Demonic Stone.

 One step, two steps, three steps, four steps… When he arrived at the ninth and last step, Chu Li stopped moving. If he advanced, the Enlightened Master's golden body would be right in front of him and he would most likely touch it.

 He stood very still on the ninth step. The energy emanated from the Heavenly Demonic Stone penetrated his mind continuously and fueled his soul with vigor. All of a sudden, the Omniscient Mirror leaped out of his body to observe his surroundings.

 The pressure here was far greater than that in the Outer Mausoleum. Moreover, the formations and artifacts which suppressed the divine powers were more potent. The fact that the Omniscient Mirror could leave his body proved how robust his soul was.

 Suddenly, an idea flashed across Chu Li's mind as a set of heart techniques appeared in his mind's eye. It was pa.s.sed down by the Heavenly Demon!

 Without warning, the pristine inner energy of the Cloud Slas.h.i.+ng Power changed its direction and followed the path of the Heavenly Demon heart technique.

 Earlier, he had merely inherited the Heavenly Demonic Orb and the Heavenly Demon Scripture. More so, when he cultivated, he could only rely on the method of devouring.

 This set of heart techniques was miraculous. The inner energy that followed the heart technique's channeling could be absorbed into the Heavenly Demonic Orb, which increased his mastery of the Heavenly Demonic Power.

 With this set of Heavenly Demonic heart techniques, the Heavenly Demonic Orb could finally absorb another form of energy.

 Before this, he could only devour energy of the purest quality but now, he could cultivate his inner energy and have it absorbed by the Heavenly Demonic Orb.

 Chu Li was overjoyed.

 As he possessed the Life and Death Scripture, he faced no shortage of inner energy. By converting the spiritual energy from Heaven and Earth into the Heavenly Demon heart technique's inner energy, followed by replenis.h.i.+ng the Heavenly Demonic Orbs continuously, his progress in mastering the Heavenly Demonic Power would be unbelievably fast!

 Furthermore, the Earth Matrix and Reincarnation Scripture could convert the inner energy from the Enlightened Master's powerful aura. The aforementioned inner energy could also be converted into the Heavenly Demon heart technique's inner energy. By doing so, he could master the Heavenly Demonic Power in a very short period of time.

 Chu Li's spirits were lifted. After having suffered for so long, he finally saw the silver lining.

 “Are you really heading to Chong Wen Hall?” Xu Zhenshan looked at Chu Li with a frown.

 Everyone was gathered in the hall of the meeting room. The ones who heard what Chu Li said turned to look at him.

 Chu Li replied slowly, “Yes, I wish to see Chong Wen Hall for myself.”

 This was at dawn, the next day, they were busy delegating tasks when Chu Li interrupted them and mentioned his intention of becoming a guard in Chong Wen Hall. As a result, the crowd was shocked.

 “Don't you know that you're going to kill yourself?” Xu Zhenshan snorted.

 Chu Li said, “I can now walk beside the second-generation late emperor.”

 Xu Zhenshan looked at Hu Feixing.

 Hu Feixing nodded reluctantly. “He has gone up to the ninth step.”

 Everyone's expression s.h.i.+fted from smugness to one of curiosity.

 All of them had scaled the ranks in Jing Tian Pavilion and understood how arduous the process was. They did not expect Chu Li to complete their pathway, which had taken them years, in a matter of days.

 Xu Zhenshan spoke, “Then you should become a guard in the hall of the third-generation late emperor.”

 Chu Li said, “I want to see Chong Wen Hall for myself.”

 “… Fine, looks like this will be a punishment you will have to go through.” Xu Zhenshan gave in and spoke in a low voice, “However, you must be prepared to get hurt and you might not recover within a year and a half!”

 “It's alright,” Chu Li replied.

 Everyone regarded Chu Li smirkingly. They could imagine Chu Li spitting out a mouthful of blood as he gets kicked out of Chong Wen Hall.

 “You shall obey the rest of the rules. Follow me, Young Lu.” Xu Zhenshan got up from his armchair.

 “Yes.” Chu Li made a fist salute before he followed Xu Zhenshan out of the meeting room and arrived before Chong Wen Hall.

 When Xu Zhenshan pulled the doors open, Chu Li could immediately sense a fierce and intimidating vibe. It was like a huge wave that was about to swallow him.

 His face was red. The giant Buddha and the Heavenly Demon started to chant the mantras as fast as they could while the Earth Matrix and Reincarnation Scripture circulated quickly. The inner energy that was produced followed the circulation of the Heavenly Demon's heart technique and then entered the Heavenly Demonic Orb.

 Xu Zhenshan observed Chu Li, who was standing still at the entrance, with an expectant expression. He wanted to see whether he could step inside the hall. After all, this was just the first stage.

 Judging by his gait and demeanor, Chu Li did not seem to stand a chance. The powerful aura at the entrance differed greatly from the one inside the hall. If he struggled at the entrance, he would not be able to enter the hall.

 Slowly, Chu Li took one small step forward, but it was a ma.s.sive effort for him.

 Xu Zhenshan entered the hall at once without closing the doors.

 After some time, Chu Li took another step and everything before his eyes began to darken. He was almost at his limits.