Fourteenth Floor.
After passing through the Transmission Gate, Jiang Ke’er arrived at the Fourteenth Floor.
Looking at the corpses strewn across the ground and the obviously chaotic battlefield that showed signs of a fierce battle, Jiang Ke’er let out a sigh of relief.
It seemed the plan had worked.
She walked over, carefully pried open the floor tile, snipped the Thread Trap beneath it, and only then dared to retrieve the Button.
Those fine threads had always been connected to the Transmission Gate, and with the sudden loss of tension, they all slipped from the gate and fell to the ground.
Relying on the floor tile alone to ensure the Button would be triggered one hundred percent was obviously impossible… If someone just jumped in from a distance straight into the Transmission Gate, wouldn’t all her efforts be wasted?
So she had long ago set up a dense web of Thread Traps within the Transmission Gate.
As soon as they were triggered, they would press the Button.
These Thread Traps would normally be easy to spot, but Jiang Ke’er had cleverly used the shimmering light effects of the Transmission Gate to conceal the threads within the glow.
This way, as long as anyone tried to pass through the Transmission Gate, they would inevitably trigger the Button and be transported away.
After retrieving the Regret Button and clearing away the traps, Jiang Ke’er hesitated.
Qian Yue’s condition was dire at the moment.
Previously, the Old Man had said that entering the Transmission Gate would allow you to take some of the Tower’s powers with you upon leaving… She wondered if that included the Evil Curse.
If it did.
Then Senior Sister Qian Yue’s life would be ruined!
She didn’t want to go forward anymore.
“Go,” Qian Yue’s voice was squeezed out between clenched teeth, her body trembling, icy cold all over.
She was struggling to tear her gaze away from the artery on Jiang Ke’er’s neck, so close at hand.
“If we press the Button now and search for the Shop and Tokens, we might still have a chance to break the Evil Curse,” Jiang Ke’er considered calmly.
“Although that means losing one guaranteed Victory, it’s not entirely impossible to turn things around.”
“Impossible,” Qian Yue shook her head.
Jiang Ke’er knew it was impossible too, because pressing the Button would return them to the same starting line as the other teams.
But the other teams all had powerful artifacts to boost them.
When it came to a straight race, Jiang Ke’er would never outrun them, not to mention breaking the Evil Curse as well.
“I need this power,” Qian Yue’s voice was weak but unusually firm.
“There are people I must kill, and reasons I have to become strong. For that… even if I must carry this Evil Curse out, even if I become a Demon Lord that everyone hunts down, even if I’m hated, I’m willing!”
Jiang Ke’er’s heart ached with compassion.
“This is my choice!” Qian Yue struggled anxiously. “Stop wasting time! Besides, who says the Evil Curse will definitely come with us?”
Jiang Ke’er let out a long sigh.
Qian Yue was already prepared, but she was not.
Making a decision that would hurt Qian Yue with her own hands was harder than hurting herself.
The Transmission Gates to the Fourteenth Floor around them were already aglow, and the Fireblade Squad’s captain had already poked his head halfway through.
Jiang Ke’er no longer hesitated.
“I won’t let you become a Demon Lord, Senior Sister Qian Yue.”
She spoke softly, then dashed straight toward the Transmission Gate.
“I’ll take responsibility.”
Qian Yue was stunned, and with a faint smile, leaned her head on Jiang Ke’er’s shoulder.
But after that brief moment of happiness, her heart was left only with a bitter ache.
Silly fox.
It’s me…
As Jiang Ke’er’s body was already halfway through the gate, the Fireblade Squad captain’s eyes nearly popped from their sockets.
“No—Get out here!!!”
His wailing was thick with heart-wrenching unwillingness and rage.
Now, he only wanted to kill Jiang Ke’er, at any cost! Not just knock her out of the competition—he wanted her dead!
But he was too late in the end.
In the blink of an eye, Jiang Ke’er and Qian Yue’s figures had vanished through the gate.
His flames couldn’t even singe the fur of Jiang Ke’er’s tail, and he finally slammed into the Transmission Gate in despair.
A sound echoed from within the Tower.
[The first place has been decided. Other teams, complete the challenge quickly. The second round of the Trial is about to begin.]
The Fireblade Squad captain punched the wall in fury.
Immediately after, they blocked the doorway entirely, venting all their rage on the remaining teams.
Those teams were already exhausted, with barely any strength left to resist.
With the Fireblade Squad blocking the way, they could only watch helplessly as they were wiped out.
This continued until the Demon Revival Society’s team arrived, finally bringing it to an end.
The Time Stop Ring recharges one charge for every ten floors cleared.
The Fireblade Squad didn’t expect that their Time Stop Ring had just recharged again.
But this time, Emperor Taizong of Tang didn’t rush to the next floor.
He and Changsun Wuji exchanged a knowing smile, then decisively approached the three members of the Fireblade Squad, raising their blades.
“Sorry, your threat is too great. We can’t let you survive to the second round.”
In the blink of an eye, two people were beheaded—one was the Fireblade Squad captain, the other a female Fireblade Squad member.
Just as Emperor Taizong of Tang was about to finish off the last member, that person’s veins bulged all over! His already massive body swelled to three times its original size!
Even the power of the Time Stop Ring could barely hold him!
“Let’s get out of here!”
Emperor Taizong of Tang shuddered. Taking advantage of the moment before the opponent broke free of the Time Stop Ring, he dove into the Transmission Gate and took second place.
The last Fireblade Squad member glared at them in fury.
Great, now even second place was gone.
After breaking free of the Time Stop Ring, he didn’t dare linger any longer.
With a leap, he dashed through the gate and claimed third place.
The Heaven’s Gate Team took fourth place, and the Dan Sect Alliance team came in fifth.
Climbing to the top of the Tower, they saw Jiang Ke’er.
She was kneeling on the ground, gently cradling Qian Yue’s face as Qian Yue lay, barely conscious, in her lap.
At this moment, Jiang Ke’er showed no change in aura.
Even after taking first place, it seemed she had gained no enhancement in power.
Wasn’t it said that first place could choose any ultra-rare artifact?
The last remaining Fireblade Squad member could no longer contain his killing intent and raised his Flaming Sword to smash it down on Jiang Ke’er!
“Now’s not the time for fighting.”
The grinning Grotesque Gnome Elder appeared beside Jiang Ke’er and, with a gentle wave, sent that Fireblade Squad member flying.
“The second round of the Trial is about to begin. I’ll only explain the rules once.”
The Old Man floated in the air, leaving no time for the teams to rest as he immediately began to explain the rules for the next round.
“First, there will be no more gentle rules like death protection this time… If you die, you die.”
These words sent chills down everyone’s spines.
They had already experienced the dangers of the Emperor Jiang Trial.
If the next round was just as difficult, but now their lives were on the line, they’d have been better off dying and being eliminated just now.
“Your goal is to survive for seven days. For cultivators, seven days is very short, but here, these seven days will be much harder to endure than in the Tower,” the Old Man swept his gaze over everyone.
“I advise you to unite…”
The teams looked grim.
During the climb through the Tower, many teams had already formed grudges.
How could they possibly unite now?
“The boons you gained in the Tower can’t be taken out into the world, but can be used in this round of the Trial. I hope you make good use of their value,” the Old Man continued.
This was a small blessing amid the misfortune. The Trial Tower’s boons were incredibly powerful and would provide significant help in this round.
“Finally,” the Old Man paused, suddenly glancing at Jiang Ke’er.
“Because the artifact chosen by the first place has certain special qualities, by the rules, I must inform you of her chosen artifact…”
[Gluttony Dagger: During the second round of the Trial, killing members of other teams with the ‘Gluttony Dagger’ allows you to permanently gain a portion of their power, and you can take this power out of the Trial.]
“It seems someone has chosen the hardest start.”