Di Tian and the other fierce beasts looked toward the bottom of the staircase.
A graceful figure was quickly ascending, overtaking one person after another, drawing ever closer to them.
Near the final stage, the fierce beasts themselves had encountered almost no pressure.
"She must've gotten some guidance from brother-in-law, right?"The Scarlet King guessed.
"No matter how powerful brother-in-law is, how vast his cultivation, I believe in him. If you told me he could directly destroy the Sea God Tower, I'd believe that too. But figuring out a solution without even having been here? That's hard to buy," the Ten Thousand Demon King shook his head, staying rational.
Di Tian remained silent, waiting for Bi Ji to arrive.
He had been stuck at this final short distance for an entire day.
Now he was at the peak of embarrassment and frustration.
He too wanted to know what method Dan Heng had come up with.
Moments later, Bi Ji arrived at the final stage.
She paused for a bit, closed her eyes—no one knew what she was thinking.
The next second, she began climbing again, and surprisingly, her speed didn't slow down much.
"She doesn't seem affected at all!"The Scarlet King exclaimed in shock.
"She's not like us. Her pace hasn't faltered at all. She's almost there… Brother-in-law actually found a solution?!"The Demon Spirit cried out in astonishment.
"Bi Ji, Bi Ji! What did brother-in-law tell you?"The Ten Thousand Demon King fully bought in now—after all, Bi Ji had climbed in one go what had taken them a full day.
If she didn't have some kind of cheat, who would believe it?
Bi Ji stopped among the beasts and spoke:"Brother-in-law's method is…"
After she finished,
The beasts all fell silent.
This method... was borderline blasphemy!
Playing tricks under the very nose of the gods?
Though soul beasts hated the gods, their reverence for them often ran even deeper than that of ordinary humans.
The Scarlet King hesitated:"What if the gods punish us for this?"
"And isn't this just avoiding the issue? Would the trial still deem it a legitimate success?"The Demon Spirit added.
Bi Ji gave them a calm look. "Then I'll test it out for you."
With that, she lowered her head and continued climbing.
Soon, she surpassed one fierce beast after another.
Watching Bi Ji's back, all the beasts came to the same realization:Even the gentle Bi Ji had gotten mad at them!
When she passed Di Tian, her pace never slowed, and finally, she disappeared into the white mist.
She had cleared this stage!
"..."
The beasts looked at each other, all with mixed expressions.
"I'll try…"The Ten Thousand Demon King volunteered first. After a moment's thought, he stepped forward—only to let out a scream after half a step, frantically pulling his leg back!
His whole body trembled in fear."Fake! It's fake!"
The Demon Spirit and the Scarlet King followed suit, trying it out.
All of them failed!
They were still trapped at their limits, unable to advance.
"No good, the pressure's too strong. Even though I tried to follow her mindset, it's still not working…"
"Try again!"
The beasts backed away from the final stage.
Imitating Bi Ji, they stood still for a moment, then climbed again.
But… they didn't even get as far as before!
Now they were sure of one thing:
"Could Bi Ji be messing with us? No way anyone can climb that! It's even harder than before!"
"She wouldn't have lied to us in the past, but if she's mad now, who knows? Maybe she's trying to teach us a lesson…"
"..."
The beasts muttered in frustration.
Di Tian looked up toward the white mist above—just a few steps away. Did he really have to use what Bi Ji called an "escape" to get through this?
Yes, to him, Bi Ji's method was pure escapism!
"No. I won't do that. My pride… won't allow it!"
Di Tian gritted his teeth and stared at the summit.
At that moment…
Footsteps echoed rapidly from below.
Three beautiful young girls—Huo Wu, Zhu Zhuyun, and Xiao Wu—were climbing up hand-in-hand.
"Huh?"
All the beasts were dumbfounded.
That easy?
Was divine bias a thing now?
Di Tian recognized Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuyun. As they approached, he asked:
"How did you make it up here?"
Xiao Wu looked at Di Tian in confusion:"Didn't Sister Bi Ji tell you? Mr. Dan Heng gave us the method…"
She gave the same explanation Bi Ji did.
And their ease in climbing was thanks to that method.
"Then why can't we do it?"The Ten Thousand Demon King yelled.
Xiao Wu smirked mischievously."Maybe because your brain is made of wood. You didn't understand it right!"
"Can we go now?"Zhu Zhuyun asked.
Di Tian nodded and stepped aside.
The three girls effortlessly stepped into the white mist.
They passed the trial.
"Agh! I can't take this! Why can three little girls pass so easily? There's gotta be something fishy going on!"The Ten Thousand Demon King grumbled.
The Scarlet King and Demon Spirit stayed silent.
Now that Xiao Wu and the others had cleared it so easily, Bi Ji's method had to be legit.
They just didn't understand it.
Suddenly, Di Tian clenched his fists, bit his lip, and stubbornly charged forward.
The immense pressure bore down on him.
It was a soul-crushing fear, making him feel as if he were about to die.
Every step was agonizingly slow; sweat soaked his clothes.
His entire body turned red, blood beading out.
But he kept moving forward!
He would not accept defeat—not through "escaping!"
At that moment, he cast aside all fear of death!
"Di Tian! Don't force it!"The other beasts shouted in panic, watching him crawl like a snail.
He looked so miserable that they feared he might actually die halfway up!
White mist drifted—and a figure emerged from within.
It was Bi Ji.
Seeing Di Tian's state, she was stunned.
"You didn't use brother-in-law's method?"
Di Tian couldn't even speak—he was pouring all his strength into the climb.
Each step looked like it was happening in slow motion.
He left footprints behind with every move.
Bi Ji looked at him with complex emotion.
His aura was wild and chaotic, but he kept advancing toward the mist.
Finally, under everyone's anxious gaze, Di Tian lunged forward and collapsed into the white mist—signifying he had passed the trial!
Bi Ji let out a breath of relief."Thank goodness…"
"Bi Ji! Help us! How do we do this? We really can't go up!"The Ten Thousand Demon King cried out.
The Scarlet King and Demon Spirit looked ashamed.
They had been given the solution… and still couldn't pass.
They had even thought of getting through on their own—how ridiculous in hindsight!
Bi Ji descended the staircase and stood beside them.
"What's your situation?"
She asked calmly.
The beasts explained their failures.
Bi Ji fell silent for a moment, then said plainly:
"The reason is simple. Deep down, you don't actually trust brother-in-law. That's why your mindset wasn't firm. That's why you're still trapped by your old fears."
"But Zhu Zhuyun and I trust him completely. So it was easy for us to trick the staircase."
"If you want to go up, then start respecting and trusting brother-in-law more."
With that, Bi Ji turned and climbed back up.
"..."
"She seems mad again?"The Scarlet King muttered, scratching his head.
The other beasts all nodded.
They had all noticed it.
"Let's step back down again. This time… we won't fail."
The Demon Spirit said determinedly.
...
Second Level of the Sea God Tower
Here stood thirteen towering jade pillars that stretched endlessly into the sky. Each was carved with different patterns.
The space here was vast, yet there were fewer people—fewer than a hundred!
Di Tian lay exhausted at the entrance of the stairs, drenched in sweat. He struggled to his feet, but a relaxed and unconcealable smile spread across his face.
He did it!
He hadn't "escaped," nor had he submitted to the authority of the gods!
Bi Ji, Zhu Zhuyun, and the other two women arrived one after another and gathered around Di Tian.
"Is there a new trial here?" Xiao Wu asked, curiously glancing around.
A figure suddenly ran over in excitement—it was Tang San, who had arrived earlier. "Xiao Wu! We actually met here! Are you alright?"
Tang San stepped forward to hug Xiao Wu, but she dodged and snorted, "Tang San, what do you think you're doing? That's no way to treat your sister Xiao Wu!"
Tang San smiled sheepishly. Although they had sworn brotherhood, Xiao Wu never called him "brother" in public.
"I'm just really happy to see you," Tang San said.
Xiao Wu rolled her eyes. "Save it. If you really wanted to see me, why didn't you leave Shrek and join the Blue Tyrant Battle Team?"
Tang San fell silent. In his heart, his teacher's commands mattered more.
Xiao Wu gave him a brilliant eye-roll and directly asked:"You arrived first? Then tell us what this place is."
Tang San nodded. "Good thing we met. Xiao Wu, look—those thirteen pillars originate from different gods. When we touch any one of them, we are granted a divine test. My father and I received the Sea God's and the God of Strength's divine trials."
"Which god is stronger?" Xiao Wu asked.
Tang San's expression shifted slightly. "Xiao Wu, don't think like that. To receive any god's favor is already a tremendous blessing."
"That one's the Sea God's pillar. The one beside it is the God of Strength's. As for the others—no one's sharing which god they got. Everyone's being cautious; only those who are truly close might share their trial."
Tang San looked at Xiao Wu with intense eyes, as if saying: See? I care about you—I'm willing to share this secret.
Xiao Wu's expression softened a little.
At this moment, Ning Fengzhi arrived with Sword Douluo, followed by Tang Hao.
"You must be Mr. Dan Heng's sister-in-law, right?" Ning Fengzhi asked with a warm smile.
Bi Ji was slightly startled. "Yes…"
Ning Fengzhi nodded. "Mr. Dan Heng is someone I deeply respect. Since you're his sister-in-law, I can share some information. We received the trials of the God of Shura and the Seven-Colored Goddess—that's those two pillars over there."
He shared the details in a low voice.
Bi Ji quickly thanked him.
It was clearly due to her brother-in-law's reputation, so she had to remain respectful.
Then Tang Hao walked over with a smile. "I got the trial of the Earth God, sigh…"
He rubbed his head, looking a bit unwilling.
Bi Ji thanked him again.
Before she could say more, another person approached—it was Poison Douluo.
His expression was stiff and gloomy as he said, "I touched the pillar of the Fire God…"
Fire restrains poison—his choice had been especially unlucky.
Bi Ji bent and thanked him once again. After three in a row, she didn't dare speak further, unsure if others might still come forward.
And sure enough—someone else did.
Liu Erlong strode over energetically, exuding boldness uncharacteristic for a woman.
While approaching, she grumbled:"I swear! Why is that damn Sea God haunting me?! I picked at random and still ended up with his pillar!"
...
Everyone waited, wondering who might come next.
At this rate, they wouldn't even need to touch the pillars to figure out which was which.
But this time—no one else showed up.
Xiao Wu cast a meaningful look at Tang San, her eyes full of suspicion.
Didn't he just say only people truly close would share information?
So what's happening now?
Tang San's face turned green. He hurried to add:
"Divine trials come in different ranks—Yellow, Purple, Black, and the highest, Red…"
"Xiao Wu, with your talent, you'll definitely get a Black-rank trial!"
Tang San smiled.
Xiao Wu asked, "And you? What rank is yours?"
Tang San hesitated. He didn't want to hide anything from Xiao Wu—but with others around, he was reluctant.
Plus, if his father Tang Hao found out, he might be displeased…
"I… I…"
Xiao Wu snorted. "Forget it then. Who cares? I don't need to know."
At that moment, the Ten Thousand Demon King and the other soul beasts finally climbed up, all wearing proud, beaming expressions.
"As expected of brother-in-law! We made it up here with ease!" Red King said excitedly.
Ning Fengzhi and the others looked over, their eyes flashing with a hint of understanding.
Di Tian glared coldly at the other beasts.
They immediately shut their mouths, looking awkward.
Even though Ning Fengzhi and the others suspected something, they weren't foolish enough to question it openly here.
"Let's wait and observe for a while?" Bi Ji suggested.
They still needed to wait for Dan Heng's decision before choosing a god pillar.
Di Tian and the others readily agreed.
After what happened in the first trial, if they still acted arrogantly, they'd be complete fools.
Ning Fengzhi and the others chatted a bit more before dispersing.
But all of them carried lingering doubts in their hearts.
Meanwhile, at Dan Heng's home…
Dan Heng and Gu Yuena returned with a bunch of hidden weapons.
The couple decided to kill time by disassembling them.
They bought plenty of tools and started with sleeve darts.
Gu Yuena examined one closely and frowned. "This looks simple on the outside, but it has anti-disassembly mechanisms inside. Quite clever!"
Dan Heng nodded slightly. If an ordinary blacksmith made something like this, one mechanism would be enough.
But this dart was compact, powerful, and silent!
However, to take it apart…
One wrong move, and it would self-destruct!
"Husband, there are two darts. How about we each take one and see who can disassemble and reassemble it first?"
Gu Yuena raised her brow with a playful smile.
"Sure," Dan Heng nodded.
The two sat at opposite ends of the table and began working with their tools.
(End of Chapter)