This trial tested one's nature, which was why the vegetables and the rabbit, who were natural enemies, were put in the same boat. The weasel was also the rabbit's natural enemy, but it was obvious that its cultivation was much higher than the others, and it seemed to have known the rabbit for many years. It seemed that as long as one spirit monster was missing on the ship, the whole ship would fail.
After being scolded by the weasel, the rabbit no longer stared at the mushroom with sparkling eyes. But after the commotion, all the vegetables on the ship subconsciously covered their butts and moved away from the rabbit. Due to the favorable impression they had of his name, everyone started to lean towards Eggface, as if he was their leader.
"Rock spirit, don't be afraid. If that rabbit comes over again, I … I will stomp it to death!" Mushroom patted his chest and guaranteed.
Zhu Yao's expression darkened. How did you know that rabbits eat rocks?
The ship continued sailing for another two days before they could faintly see the shore. It was a small island with a lush forest on it. There was someone waiting at the shore. Compared to the indifference of the staff at the registration, this disciple was much more enthusiastic. This was especially so when he finished counting the people on the ship and realized that no one was missing.
"Fellow immortal friends, congratulations on passing the first stage. Now, as long as you pass through the forest in front and pass the Immortal Leading Ladder, you will pass the second stage." That person pointed to a small path in the forest.
Taking a closer look, one could see that there was a small path paved with stones in the forest, winding its way towards the depths of the forest. Zhu Yao and the others got off the boat, and stepped onto that path. This time, Rabbit and Weasel walked at the very front, while Zhu Yao and Mushroom walked in the middle. Goudan pulled a large wave of vegetables and followed behind.
There were no twists and turns along the way. After walking for about an hour, their eyes suddenly opened up. The towering trees around them were gone, replaced by a grassland. In the middle of the meadow was a flight of stairs that led directly into the clouds. This must be the Immortal Leading Ladder that the person on the shore spoke of. However, the staircase was rather special. It was paved with pieces of jade, and there were no handrails around it. From afar, it looked like pieces of stone were floating in the air in an orderly manner.
"It smells so good," Carrot suddenly said from behind.
The garlic sprite also nodded. "Yeah, it smells so good. It seems like it's coming from underground?"
"I smell it too. It really smells nice. "Little Cabbage took a step forward. His face was filled with yearning.
Zhu Yao took a whiff. Other than the smell of soil and grass, there wasn't any other fragrance in the air. However, more and more people smelled the fragrance. The only ones who were as confused as her were the dog fart and the two animal spirits. Even the mushroom could smell the fragrance.
Zhu Yao faintly felt that something was amiss. Could it be that only plants could smell that fragrance?
"There's something underground over there." The peapod pointed to the ground under the immortal staircase and hurried over. He used both his hands and feet to pull out the unexpectedly lush weeds around him and was stunned. "This … this is!"
When they got closer, they saw that the land was different from the others. It was blood-red, and it seemed to be alive. It swayed like water ripples.
"Breathing Soil, it's definitely Breathing Soil," Garlic exclaimed in surprise. Without saying anything further, it jumped into the soil. In less than a moment, it transformed back into its original form, a green onion sprout. For a moment, the whole garlic looked even more crispy. It seemed to have absorbed sufficient nutrients.
"It really is Breathing Soil!" The little cabbage girl was moved as well. Breathing Soil was the soil used by the Creation God to create things during the creation of the heavens and earth. It was the most perfect sacred ground in the hearts of all plants. As a spiritual monster that was born and grew in soil, it naturally could not resist a soil like this. "I want to live here as well." Hence, it immediately transformed back into its original form and planted itself into the red soil.
Zhu Yao faintly felt that this Breathing Soil was a little strange. Most probably, it was intentionally set up by the Advent Cloud Hall. However, the vegetables at the side still threw themselves into it without any hesitation.
Even the peapod which had been calm the entire time was moved. Its body emitted out a green light, as though it was about to transform back into its original form. Zhu Yao could not help but remind it. "Peashooter … No, peapod. Aren't you guys planning to go to the Advent Cloud Hall?"
The peapod was startled for a moment and did not reply. Instead, the garlic said. "We have already found the Breathing Soil, so what does it matter if we go to the Advent Cloud Hall or not?"
Only then did the peapod anxiously transform back into its original form, and planted itself into the red soil together with the other vegetables.
It seemed like this bunch of vegetables were destined to be eliminated. Actually, the test for this stage was the same as the previous one. However, the previous stage was to see if the animals were able to control their instincts, while this stage was to see if the plants were able to withstand the temptation of the Breathing Soil.
Out of a perfectly good nine-man team, five of them went down at once. Zhu Yao sighed. Everyone had their own ambitions, and she couldn't forcefully pull them out either. Hence, she walked up the floating stairs with the remaining people.
She lowered her head and looked at the unmoving vegetables below her. She did not know if it was her imagination, but although their original forms were growing more and more green, she faintly felt that something was flowing out from their bodies.
"Master?" Zhu Yao transmitted her voice into her divine sense. "That red soil, is it really the Breathing Soil?"
"Mn." Yu Yan gave a definite answer. "The Breathing Soil does indeed grow by borrowing the power of plants, but it's still just plants."
"Ah? You're saying … "
"They have long turned into spirits, and have already broken away from the nature of plants in the first place. If they were to stay in the Breathing Soil for a long period of time, they would simply return to being normal plants."
Return to being normal plants? In other words, they would once again return to being normal vegetables? "Then should I remind them?"
"Yu Yao, in the path of cultivation, the greatest taboo is an unstable Dao heart. They do not have a righteous Dao heart in the first place, which is why they were enticed by the Breathing Soil, and were willing to return to their original forms. Even if you forcefully pull them out today, as long as they do not dare to change their original hearts, they would still return to this place in the future. "
"…" Zhu Yao once again glanced at the ground, and sighed. She was a little curious about the mushroom which was completely uninterested in the Breathing Soil. Could it be that because its cultivation was high, it was already able to engrave its true nature? "Mushroom, why didn't you stay with them?"
The mushroom tilted its head, and glanced at the ground with a disgusted look. "I don't want to stay in such a dirty place. How can this place be as good as my home? The soil is soft and soft, and there's even a big tree to cover it. "
Alright, this was a homebody.
"Rock spirit, don't worry. Once you're done with your matters, we will return. I will let you stay in my home as well." The mushroom patted on its chest with a righteous look. "I won't despise you."
"You can't be talking about that dirt pit, right?" She despise him, alright?
"That's right!" The mushroom said with a serious look. "You can't have forgotten, right? We slept together."
"Who slept together with you?" Speak clearly, hey, others will misunderstand.
"Boss, you, you two …" As expected, Goudan who had been quietly listening at the side, looked back and forth between the two of them, his face was filled with shock. A moment later, as though he had finally accepted the truth, he respectfully bowed towards the mushroom, and obediently called out. "Brother-in-law!"
The hell, Zhu Yao kicked Goudan down the stairs. "Brother-in-law your sister." What are you randomly calling out for?
Master, listen to my explanation. Don't release any cold air into my divine sense, I'm about to freeze.
— — — —
The Divine Connecting Stairway was unexpectedly long. Zhu Yao could faintly sense that divine energy was attached to the stairway, and the higher she went, the denser the divine energy became. When she was about five hundred steps up, a huge fog suddenly appeared. The fog was especially thick, and even the rabbit and weasel which had climbed the stairway before them had disappeared without a trace.
It seemed like on these stairs, not only was there divine energy, there was also a test of formations. That formation was merely an ordinary Illusory Formation, it wasn't anything special, and anyone who knew a little about formations would be able to see through it. However, the spiritual monsters didn't know about it.
The mushroom and Goudan's faces were already filled with sweat, and every step they took was extremely difficult. Zhu Yao had no choice but to occasionally stop and wait for them. She had to prevent them from getting lost in those Illusory Formations.
According to the formations on the stairway, this Divine Connecting Stairway should not have an end. The higher they went, the denser the divine energy, and the more severe the pressure. However, exiting the formation was very simple, as they just had to step out of the stairway. What Zhu Yao was worried about, was that she did not know just which floor they had to climb to in order to be considered qualified. Hence, she could only drag the mushroom and Goudan along as much as possible.
When they reached the two hundredth step, the mushroom and Goudan could no longer endure the pressure, and both of them collapsed on the stairway, panting heavily. Zhu Yao had no choice but to have them meditate and absorb the divine energy while recovering their vitality. Once they had the strength, they would then continue climbing.
Just like that, they walked and stopped. Zhu Yao did not know how many days had passed, and she had even forgotten to count the number of stairs. Though, in the days that she accompanied the two of them in their cultivation, she felt that her cultivation had risen by a level, from the early stages of a Profound Deity to the mid stages of a Profound Deity.
The mushroom and Goudan finally reached their limits, and could no longer take another step forward. They had no choice but to retreat from the stairway together.
The scenery in front of them changed. The dense fog instantly dispersed, and a divine paradise appeared in front of their eyes. Floating palaces could be seen everywhere in the sky. Every single one of them had golden bricks and jade tiles, so dazzling that it could blind a person's eyes. And among those palaces, other than the largest one at the center, the others were all floating in the surroundings. Occasionally, they would change their positions, as though they were being moved by a formation. Below them, was a sea of clouds formed by layers of rainbow colored auspicious clouds.
This was the true Heavenly Palace.
Zhu Yao silently lit a candle for the Lightning Divine Palace, and could not help but send a voice transmission. "Master, our Lightning Divine Palace is really poor, right?"
Yu Yan: "…"
"You guys have passed." This time, the one receiving them in the sky was a late-stage Earth Deity, and he looked at the three of them with satisfaction. Initially, they only needed to climb two hundred steps to pass, and it was rare to see a spiritual monster that had climbed an additional fifty steps. "Congratulations, you guys have climbed a total of two hundred and fifty steps. You guys have climbed the most out of everyone here."
Even the weasel who had arrived a step earlier came over, and said enviously. "I have only climbed two hundred and thirty-six steps, and you guys have actually climbed two hundred and fifty. Amazing."
The corner of Zhu Yao's lips twitched. Why did she feel that this number was a little strange?
Goudan just had to stand at the side with a complacent and excited look. "Boss, did you hear that? We're two hundred and fifty. The three of us are all two hundred and fifty. "
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