Bam!
The huge fireball quickly rushed to Vivian's body and immediately burst with terrible aftermaths.
Seeing this, color drained from Alex's face. She couldn't see what happened next, so she worried for
her.
As the smoke cleared, she found Vivian standing on the crystal step completely unharmed.
"Oh, Tripp, that was dreadful! I'm so glad you're okay!" Alex couldn't help but heave a sigh of relief.
"It's no big deal. He'll be fine." Rocky smiled. "Let's go." Before Alex could even figure out what he
meant, Rocky had already grabbed her hand and escorted her onto the crystal staircase.
Similar to what Vivian had experienced earlier, the first crystal step cracked under their feet as they got
on. Fortunately, they moved to the next step before the first one shattered and collapsed beneath them.
They continued on as though they were merely walking on the ground.
They faced tests that got more severe with each step they took. It seemed that the higher the step, the
more dangerous the test was, even for a premium-stage Spiritual Emperor.
Nonetheless, for Rocky and Vivian, these tests were just a piece of cake.
Meanwhile, another team also arrived at the crystal palace and noticed that Vivian, Rocky, and Alex
were climbing the crystal staircase and approaching the top of the crystal palace.
This team, led by a premium-stage Spiritual Emperor, and whose members were all Spiritual Kings at
the premium stage, was the strongest among the five clans that entered the Ethereal Valley. It was
none other than the team from the Lingji Clan.
"Elder Ruth, how could they have gotten here before us?" the medium-stage Spiritual Emperor said to
their premium-stage Spiritual Emperor. She was quite surprised to see that another team beat the
fastest among all the clans.
"They probably took some shortcuts," Elder Ruth replied calmly.
"Let's hurry! There must be valuable treasures in this palace!" Since they came here second, the
Spiritual Emperor at the medium stage couldn't wait to get inside.
"Go ahead and take two people with you. Follow those three warriors closely," Elder Ruth instructed.
The Spiritual Emperor nodded and brought along two Spiritual Kings at the peak stage to go to the
crystal staircase. Just as they touched the stairs, the first stepped cracked under their feet.
One of the Spiritual Kings was caught off guard and fell heavily right onto the ground. She had a hard
time getting up.
Fortunately, the Spiritual Emperor and the other Spiritual King reacted in time to move up to the second
step. However, when they reached the second step, a huge fireball fell from the sky.
They both hurriedly released their spiritual power to protect themselves, but the Spiritual King got sent
flying and awkwardly rolled to the ground later.
The Spiritual Emperor barely touched the third step, yet a thunderbolt instantly struck down. Despite
being a Spiritual Emperor at the medium stage, the powerful force that came at her made her feel a
little scared.
Upon learning that spiritual power alone could not block the thunder, she quickly took out a treasure
and released its power. In an instant, a bell-shaped shield appeared above her head and covered up
her whole body.
Boom!
When the lightning struck the shield, it began to shake violently.
A few seconds later, the power of the treasure was used up. As it slowly disappeared, it revealed the
Spiritual Emperor that was drenched in cold sweat. Her face had also gone extremely pallid.
It took her three steps to realize that she wasn't strong enough to proceed. After all, she knew that it
would be the end for her if she went one more step. She didn't risk moving up and decided to return to
Elder Ruth, along with the two Spiritual Kings.
"I've just tested it out. I'm afraid only Spiritual Emperors above the medium stage could climb up the
crystal staircase," the Spiritual Emperor reported with a sooty face.
"I'm sure this staircase is part of the trial, but it seems the difficulty would be too much for just one
team. It would be best to wait for other teams to link up all our Spiritual Emperors," Elder Ruth
prescribed coolly.
"But how could those three go up so easily?" The middle-stage Spiritual Emperor was flummoxed.
Apparently, Rocky, Vivian, and Alex were close to reaching the top of the stairs.
Elder Ruth simply watched them silently. After all, everything was possible in the Ethereal Valley.
On the other side, the three of them were climbing up the stairs so effortlessly. It didn't take them long
before they arrived at the top of the staircase.
Of course, Elder Ruth's team were stunned that they managed to easily pass through the crystal stairs
without sustaining any injuries. They couldn't fathom how they did that when their middle-stage
Spiritual Emperor had trouble getting past three steps.
At the top, Rocky, Vivian, and Alex found a closed gate that led to the palace. Rocky walked up and
tried to push it open, but the gate wouldn't budge no matter how much he forced it.
"Maybe we need some kind of key to open it," Rocky murmured and hesitated for a moment. Based on
experience, he presumed that the divine treasure that Alex obtained could help.
"Let me borrow the Ice Wand for a second," Rocky urged Alex.
Without any reluctance, she handed it to Rocky.
As soon as Rocky approached the gate with the Ice Wand in his hand, it finally shook and opened.
"It worked!" Alex couldn't help but feel elated.
"It feels like this divine treasure was left in the snow land on purpose so someone could get it and open
the gate to this crystal palace," Rocky whispered to himself. Still, something bothered him. For a crystal
palace that was meant to be a shrine, he found no trace of aura left by any deities in this place.
"Is something wrong, Rookie?" Alex thought she saw Rocky deep in thought.
"It's nothing. Let's go." He returned the Ice Wand to Alex and stepped inside the palace.
Vivian and Alex then followed him closely.
When they got inside, they were surprised to find that it wasn't as magnificent as it looked from the
outside. It was awfully dilapidated, almost as if it had been destroyed by a violent force. It didn't appear
to be divine at all.
"I really thought we could acquire some treasures from this palace, but I doubt we'll find anything here."
Alex sighed and pouted, obviously disappointed.
"It's too early to say that. For all we know, this is all just an illusion." Rocky smiled, almost
mischievously.
"Huh?" Alex furrowed her brows, confused that she might have missed something.
"He means that as long as you're with him, you'll find treasures," Vivian clarified.
"Really?" Alex's face instantly lit up.
When Rocky heard what Vivian said, he was at a loss. It was true, but he wasn't sure if he should feel
embarrassed or delighted by that remark. He would always look all over the place for any signs of
treasures and dig three feet into the ground if he had to.
"We might have some bad news, though. This place is filled with danger!" Rocky swiftly changed the
subject and narrowed his eyes.
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