The soft laughter seemed to vanish as if it had never been there, and no matter how Chu Lingwei questioned, not another word was uttered.
Soul Devouring Pagoda.
Chu Lingwei silently repeated the name to herself. It didn't sound like a place with a good reputation.
Looking towards the stairs leading to the second floor, Chu Lingwei popped a Spirit Nurturing Pill, adjusted her breathing, and slowly ascended.
The wooden floor creaked again. Chu Lingwei held her breath and continued to climb.
This time, there should be no mistake.
Upon reaching the second floor, a gust of hurricane-force wind rushed towards her. Chu Lingwei quickly channeled her spiritual energy to resist.
She unleashed her spirit sword, using it to steady herself in the middle of the second floor.
The hurricane seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere, all directed at her.
Chu Lingwei cast a barrier around herself. The hurricane hitting her lessened, allowing her to carefully survey her surroundings.
It was pitch black, yet she could see everything around her.
This place was very similar to the secret chamber she and her two senior brothers had entered. Countless stone statues stood around.
What was most terrifying was that all the statues’ faces were turned towards Chu Lingwei.
Chu Lingwei slowly approached one of the stone statues. Its eyes seemed to possess a soul, filled with sorrow, staring intently at Chu Lingwei’s eyes with a look that was half smile, half cry, tinged with hatred.
A stone statue, actually hating her.
Chu Lingwei suddenly remembered that the female voice had mentioned this was a Soul Devouring Pagoda. It seemed everything here was related to soul devouring.
Seeing the lifelike stone statues, a hint of a smile flashed in Chu Lingwei’s eyes. She thrust her Ice Jade Frost Sword heavily towards a statue.
The statue let out a mournful cry. All the stone statues began to move. Their eyes were filled with hatred as they stared fixedly at Chu Lingwei.
“How is this possible?”
Chu Lingwei met the gaze of these stone statues, and her heart began to tremble. Chu Lingwei knew clearly that she wasn’t afraid of these people at all; she felt no fear towards them.
Yet, why was her heart trembling at the sight of these statues’ eyes?
Soul devouring.
Chu Lingwei closed her eyes. Her spiritual sword, guided by her, pierced towards the eyes of these stone statues.
With each hit, the stone statues emitted a tragic cry, each one piercing the heart, as if undergoing extreme torture, disturbing Chu Lingwei's mind.
I understand now.
Soul devouring, soul devouring.
Their sole purpose was to devour souls. As long as she guarded her heart and remained unchanged, no matter how they transformed, they wouldn’t harm her in the slightest.
Here, it was a trial of the heart.
Having understood everything, Chu Lingwei opened her eyes, just as she was about to unleash a barrage of attacks, the stone statues suddenly vanished before her eyes.
It seemed she had passed this trial.
Chu Lingwei breathed a sigh of relief, searching for the direction of the stairs. She searched the entire second floor but found nothing.
Had she not actually passed, or were there other trials awaiting her?
“Junior Sister, I’ve finally found you.”
At that moment, Nangong Luo ran down the stairs. Seeing Chu Lingwei, his eyes were filled with surprise. “I was truly scared to death, Junior Sister. If anything happened to you, I wouldn’t be able to face Master.”
“Second Senior Brother.”
Chu Lingwei looked at Nangong Luo, slowly backing away, raising her sword. “Second Senior Brother, don’t come closer.”
Nangong Luo looked at Chu Lingwei in disbelief. “Junior Sister, what’s wrong? Why are you pointing your sword at Second Senior Brother?”
“Second Senior Brother, why are you here?” Chu Lingwei knew clearly that the person before her was definitely not Nangong Luo.
“Junior Sister, I don’t know either. I was trapped by the formation on that stone bridge. The moment I opened my eyes, I appeared here.” Nangong Luo stopped walking, holding his Warm Jade Haotian Fan in his hand. “Junior Sister, don’t you trust Second Senior Brother?”
“You’ve been here the whole time?” Chu Lingwei didn’t believe him.
“Yes.” Nangong Luo thought for a moment and pointed upwards. “I should have been upstairs the whole time. For some reason, a staircase suddenly appeared just now. I followed it down and saw Junior Sister.”
Nangong Luo suddenly chuckled. “Junior Sister, it’s good that you’re being so cautious.”
“Yes, I must be cautious.” Chu Lingwei looked at the Warm Jade Haotian Fan in Nangong Luo’s hand. It was real; she couldn’t see any difference from her Second Senior Brother’s fan.
Was this place truly so powerful that it could replicate divine artifacts?
“Sigh.” Nangong Luo sighed. “Junior Sister, how can I make you believe that I am your Second Senior Brother?”
“Second Senior Brother, have you seen Third Senior Brother?” Chu Lingwei’s suspicion grew. Nangong Luo was acting too realistically.
“No, I haven’t. However, he was with Mao Mao and the others, so you don’t need to worry about Mao Mao and the others encountering danger. I know Third Junior Brother’s abilities.”
Seeing that Chu Lingwei didn’t believe him, Nangong Luo directly took out a Spirit Gathering Chair and sat on it. “You should recognize this Spirit Gathering Chair, right?”
This Spirit Gathering Chair was a gift from their Eldest Senior Brother, Leng Xingzhi, to Chu Lingwei. There were two in total. Nangong Luo had insisted on having one when he saw it, and Chu Lingwei had given him one.
“How did you get this chair?”
The smile on Nangong Luo’s face froze. He suddenly stood up. “You’re not my Junior Sister?”
“Then, are you my Second Senior Brother?”
Since she couldn’t be certain, it was best to test him.
Chu Lingwei suddenly moved, her Ice Jade Frost Sword thrusting directly towards Nangong Luo’s neck.
“Junior Sister, how can you not recognize Second Senior Brother?” Nangong Luo dodged instinctively, looking helpless. “I recognized you from the very first glance.”
“I have no way to recognize you.” Everything here was false. Chu Lingwei couldn’t confirm if the Nangong Luo before her was real. He showed no flaws, and the more perfect he seemed, the more worried Chu Lingwei became.
“Wei Wei, how can you not even recognize your Senior Brother?” Nangong Luo sounded a little angry. “If it were Eldest Senior Brother standing here, you would have recognized him immediately, right?”
Nangong Luo pouted. In Wei Wei’s eyes, there was only Eldest Senior Brother.
Chu Lingwei froze upon hearing this. The person before her seemed to be her Second Senior Brother after all.
“Alright, tell me, why are you here?” Nangong Luo saw that his Junior Sister was starting to believe him and sat back down on the chair.
Chu Lingwei recounted everything that had happened since she arrived. Seeing his serious attention, she gradually began to believe he was the real Nangong Luo. However, she still needed to confirm it one last time.
“So, this is the Soul Devouring Pagoda?” Nangong Luo had never heard of such a bizarre pagoda before.
“Yes. That remnant soul should be a person. I suspect they were cultivators who entered here before us.” Chu Lingwei nodded and walked closer to Nangong Luo. “Second Senior Brother, this is for you.”
Nangong Luo looked at the pill Chu Lingwei offered him. He took it and held it in his hand.