Chapter 142: Drunk on Spiritual Energy

The spiritual energy on the sixth floor was so dense that it was almost tangible. Ye Su could clearly feel her spiritual residence brimming with energy, every meridian throughout her body being immersed in spiritual energy. Although her sea of consciousness had not expanded, it had become noticeably richer.

It was only when she noticed the spiritual energy around her rapidly decreasing that Ye Su awakened from her meditative state. She then discovered that the last bit of spiritual energy in the cultivation area had been completely absorbed by You Fushi.

Even such dense spiritual energy could be absorbed completely. Sitting in front of You Fushi, Ye Su momentarily thought that the two of them had stayed on this floor for a very long time.

The instant You Fushi opened his eyes, a purple glimmer flashed across his pupils, but it quickly disappeared.

"You're awake. We..." Ye Su had just begun speaking when she suddenly heard several muffled groans coming from a distance. She immediately stood up and hurried over, raising her guard to the highest level.

Everything in the Rotating Tower was unfamiliar, and Ye Su did not know whether something might appear on each floor to attack them.

Ye Su cautiously approached. When she saw the scene over there, she immediately fell silent: "..."

The three of them, Lü Jiu, had flushed red faces and were sprawled out in every direction near the staircase. Zhou Yun even rolled over, smacked her lips, and slept soundly.

Perhaps because the spiritual energy on the sixth floor had completely disappeared, Lian Lian finally managed to get up. Sitting on the ground, she gazed at Ye Su in a daze. "You're here too... Hahaha."

Ye Su: "..." Were they drunk on spiritual energy?

The three of them still had various bloodstains on their bodies. Clearly, after coming up from the fifth floor, they had not cleaned themselves up before lying down here.

Ye Su waited for a while before Lian Lian and the others finally became completely sober.

Lü Jiu rubbed her face and slowly stood up. "There's way too much spiritual energy here."

The three of them had spent a full two days struggling desperately to climb the stairs. Every bone and tendon in their bodies had been broken. After finally making it up, they were immediately met with an overwhelming flood of dense spiritual energy. Lian Lian and Zhou Yun were both direct disciples of major sects and had seen plenty of the world, yet even they had succumbed.

The spiritual energy entered through their breathing and skin. The three of them accepted it all without the slightest resistance, getting drunk on the spot and sleeping in a daze for so many days that their spiritual residences had been filled to bursting.

"I think I've reached the peak of the late Nascent Soul stage," Zhou Yun said after sensing her cultivation.

"Fortunately, the spiritual energy disappeared." Lian Lian used a cleansing technique to clean herself up, feeling somewhat shaken. "Otherwise, before we could even break through, our spiritual residences would have exploded first."

Zhou Yun suddenly felt that something was wrong. "Can the spiritual energy in the cultivation area disappear?" She had never heard of that before.

"It should have been completely absorbed," Ye Su said with a cough.

Zhou Yun's gaze moved back and forth between Ye Su and You Fushi behind her. Clearly, they were the culprits. In the end, she slowly nodded. "...You two really are amazing."

The spiritual energy here had been so dense that it had made them drunk, yet Ye Su and You Fushi had actually absorbed every last bit of it. The difference between people really was that great.

"We're preparing to go up. Are you coming with us?" Ye Su asked.

The few of them looked at one another and ultimately decided not to go.

"There are still ten days left. I plan to stay here and digest the spiritual energy," Lian Lian said. "If we go up, we might spend all ten days just climbing the stairs."

The three of them intended to remain here and cultivate in meditation. Ye Su set up a formation for them to prevent outsiders from disturbing them, then continued upward with You Fushi.

For the first time, the spiritual energy on the sixth floor had been completely absorbed. High up in the air, where no one could notice, new spiritual energy was quietly taking shape, only at an extremely slow pace, almost imperceptibly.

Ye Su headed toward the seventh floor. With just her first step, she felt an endless pressure bearing down on her shoulders, as heavy as Mount Tai, making it difficult for her to move even an inch.

The sensation on the seventh floor was completely different from that on the sixth.

You Fushi, who had originally been standing beside her, unconsciously walked one step ahead. When he realized Ye Su was still behind him, he instinctively stopped to wait for her.

Ye Su lowered her eyes and stared at the floor for a moment. Then she raised her head and straightened her body, completely disregarding the damage caused by the pressure. Her spiritual power circulated at the highest possible speed, and she smiled at You Fushi. "Little Junior Brother, lead the way."

Only then did You Fushi continue forward. Ye Su followed behind him without saying a word. The only sounds were the occasional, teeth-grating cracks of bones breaking throughout her body.

You Fushi walked in front and never once turned around to look back. He simply maintained a distance of exactly one step between himself and Ye Su. Whenever she slowed down, he slowed down as well.

Even after reaching the final step, You Fushi still did not look back. He simply stood where he was.

Although the pressure grew heavier and heavier, Ye Su's speed of repairing her meridians also increased. The final few steps were actually not as difficult, but one thing happened that was beyond her expectations.

Previously, the pressure would disappear once they had finished climbing the stairs. But after reaching the seventh floor, the pressure remained as strong as ever and did not disappear.

"I've made it up," Ye Su said from behind You Fushi.

Only then did You Fushi turn around to look at her. His gaze fell on her collarbone. "It's broken here."

Ye Su lowered her head and concentrated her spiritual power on repairing her collarbone. "It's fine now."

The two stood at the entrance to the stairs and looked ahead. All they could see was a vast expanse of white. The moment they stepped into the white mist, the scenery changed completely. The area was filled with sixth-tier demonic beasts, and there were even quite a few seventh-tier demonic beasts.

If Mei Chouren and Yan Hao were here, they would have been able to distinguish that these demonic beasts were illusions. They were simply so lifelike that people would mistake them for the real thing. Even the scattered pieces of flesh and internal organs on the ground, along with their smell, were exactly like those in a real scene.

Ye Su looked into the distance. At the very center stood the staircase leading to the eighth floor. She saw that Lu Chenhan was still holding the Seven Absolutes Sword, but its sword spirit had already separated from it. They were rushing toward the eighth floor.

Gu Liang Tian and Yi Xuan were also there, but neither of them was heading toward the staircase to the eighth floor.

They did not have enough time. In previous years, with their level of ability, the two of them should have ranked among the top three and received at least three months to comprehend the path to advancement. But this time, they had only one month. Rather than waste it climbing the stairs, they might as well remain on the seventh floor and strengthen themselves through battle.

Yi Xuan held the Chongming Saber in his hand, with Chongming still beside him. The two fought side by side against the demonic beasts around them.

Yi Xuan even occasionally flipped through the saber manual, learning and practicing on the spot. He had thoroughly learned from Ye Su's actions when she fought Gu Liang Tian back then.

"We're going to climb to the eighth floor." Ye Su turned her head to look at You Fushi. "Together?"

You Fushi opened his hand, and the Blood-Weeping Sword, which had been floating in midair all along, obediently flew into his palm.

You Fushi drew the Blood-Weeping Sword from its ancient silver scabbard. Its excited sword cry made Ye Su, standing beside him, think of the strange cries of the red-clothed sword spirit.

It was better for this sword spirit to remain inside the sword. He did not look like a good sword spirit and would probably lead her junior brother astray.

The two moved forward together, one on the left and one on the right, their backs against each other.

……

On the fifth floor, Ning Qianyao had finally managed to climb up after going through countless hardships. As expected, no one was there anymore. She bit her lip and stared at the sixth floor. The pressure inside the tower had suddenly increased, and she did not know whether she would be able to make it up.

In the end, Ning Qianyao still headed upward. After climbing just four steps, she could barely take it anymore and collapsed onto the stairs. Her eyes turned red as her resentment toward Ye Su grew once again.

At that moment, Ning Qianyao suddenly felt warmth in her spiritual residence, and her cultivation level abruptly rose.

—The Deity Transformation stage, and without undergoing a lightning tribulation!

Ning Qianyao stood up in delight. It must be Jian Hu. His cultivation had improved, so he had brought her along and helped her advance as well.

She had not even undergone a lightning tribulation!

No wonder people in the past liked to form companion contracts with demons.

She could already feel the benefits. In the future, once Jian Hu had fully recovered, then she...

Ning Qianyao's eyes flickered. Her fear of Ye Su and the others began to gradually diminish. Next, she would choose to head up to the sixth floor.

When she actually started climbing, Ning Qianyao found it much easier. Although she could feel considerable pressure, she was still able to make her way up.

Along the way, she had already figured out how she should absorb the spiritual energy to cultivate. Before coming here, she had heard Lu Chenhan say that the sixth floor was the place with the densest spiritual energy in the entire cultivation world. If one's spiritual residence could not digest it, staying there too long could even result in one's body exploding. But she had signed a companion contract with Jian Hu, and the spaces within their spiritual residences were practically shared.

The sixth floor was practically tailor-made for her.

Ning Qianyao finally reached the sixth floor. She spread her arms, wanting to experience what the place said to contain the densest spiritual energy in the entire cultivation world was like.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. After sensing it for a moment, she wondered, Was this the densest spiritual energy? It silently nourished everything, just like the air.

After a long while, Ning Qianyao finally opened her eyes. Looking at the empty sixth floor, she suddenly sensed that something was wrong. This feeling was extremely similar to the one she experienced at the Qianji Sect. What spiritual energy density? This was clearly... a complete depletion of spiritual energy.

"Sorry, you're too late." Lian Lian leaned against the tower wall in the distance. "We've used up all the spiritual energy here."

Ning Qianyao's expression turned ugly. She had gone to such lengths to get here, only to find that all the spiritual energy on this floor had disappeared.

Before Lian Lian could say anything more to mock her, Ning Qianyao hurried toward the seventh floor. She could not let Ye Su monopolize all the resources.

"Her cultivation..." Zhou Yun frowned. "Why has it increased again? Did she find some kind of pill on the fourth floor?"

After the peak of the late Nascent Soul stage, the next level should be the Deity Transformation stage. Yet none of them had sensed a lightning tribulation entering the sixth floor.

"I don't think so," Lian Lian said. "Ever since the Fox King went to the Ten Thousand Buddhas Sect to recuperate from his injuries, he seems to have recovered some of his strength. Those two signed a companion contract, so their cultivation levels are connected."

……

On the seventh floor, when Lu Chenhan saw Ye Su and You Fushi arrive, he once again quickened his pace toward the staircase.

Although Yi Xuan was not going up, he deliberately cleared a path for Ye Su and You Fushi.

"Thank you, Junior Brother." Ye Su hurried forward.

"Eldest Senior Sister." Yi Xuan called out from behind. When he saw Ye Su look over, he said, "Don't let Lu Chenhan get ahead of you."

Yi Xuan disliked Lu Chenhan. He had disliked him ever since the first time they met, for no particular reason. He had simply never told anyone else about it.

So far, the disciples who had entered the Rotating Tower had only ever reached the eighth floor. No one had ever climbed to the ninth floor.

When Lu Chenhan stepped onto the stairs to the eighth floor, his knees instinctively bent under the pressure, and he was forced to kneel directly on the ground. Bracing himself with the Seven Absolutes Sword, whose sword spirit had already reattached itself to the sword, he could only grit his teeth and struggle back to his feet. By the time Ye Su and You Fushi arrived, he had climbed only four steps.

This time, Ye Su walked in front. When climbing the stairs to the seventh floor, she had basically figured out the pattern by which the Nine-Turn Soul-Reviving Pill repaired her meridians. The best results came from beginning repairs as soon as her body showed the first signs of damage.

Ye Su slowly stepped upward, appearing as though she were strolling leisurely through a courtyard. If not for the occasional sound of cracking bones, it would have been impossible to see anything wrong.

The vitality brought to Ye Su by the Nine-Turn Soul-Reviving Pill allowed her to repair the bones and tendons throughout her body at the fastest possible speed. As long as she could endure the pain caused by the pressure, she could continue upward.

When Lu Chenhan reached the seventh step, Ye Su finally caught up with him. She stood beside him and deliberately taunted him. "You're nothing special."

Lu Chenhan, who was hailed as the number one genius of the younger generation, had never suffered such humiliation. He immediately tried to stand up, but the pressure was too heavy. He had barely managed to rise before he was forced to crash back down onto his knees.

Yet at that very moment, Ye Su was still able to keep her back straight and continue climbing.

Lu Chenhan gritted his teeth so hard that his jaw ached. He could not understand why everything he had possessed had been ruined simply because these few people had suddenly appeared.

Before the sect competition, he had still been the most talented number one, carrying his own calm pride and arrogance.

Now, not only was he being suppressed from every direction, but he could not even withstand a mere pressure field?

With bloodshot eyes, Lu Chenhan stood up, finally managing to preserve his dignity. He prepared to continue climbing and drag Ye Su down, but unexpectedly, You Fushi came up from behind. He suddenly turned around and kicked Lu Chenhan straight down the stairs.

Lu Chenhan was caught completely off guard. The kick landed squarely, and he fell straight down.

Gu Liang Tian happened to be fighting demonic beasts nearby and witnessed clearly how You Fushi had kicked Lu Chenhan down. His heart tightened. He had developed a psychological shadow from You Fushi.

Then Gu Liang Tian heard You Fushi say to Ye Su, "It seems he accidentally stepped into empty space and rolled down."

The new Buddha: "..."

"His strength is too poor." Ye Su did not bother to hide her voice.

Originally, they had been minding their own business without interfering with one another. It was Lu Chenhan who had insisted on cutting off everyone else's path. Now, merely mocking him a few times already made Ye Su feel that she was putting the Qianji Sect's benevolence, sincerity, and beauty into practice.