She froze in her tracks. As her heart started to stir, she kept her limpid eyes on the empty palm of her hand. All of a sudden, her heart became clear. “There is a way to heaven inside the heart. Why fear that snow or wind may block the immortal path?”

As soon as her voice faded, the floating snow vanished and the environment appeared to restore to its previous state. She pulled herself together and took a good look at herself. She’s still dressed in her previous red robe, which was now fluttering in the wind, with no snow on her body. Her fatigue and thirst had vanished as if they had been her delusions and never existed.

“Young Master Jiu? Young Master Jiu?”

“Young friend? Young friend?”

Hearing those voices brought her to her senses. As she turned around, she saw the elderly man and He Shu shouting at her from a distance of approximately ten metres. When they noticed her looking up, they asked her again.

“What are you doing up here? Aren’t you here to see the fun, why are you also going up?”

Feng Jiu smiled as she heard this. “I have nothing to do, so I come up and take a look,” she said as she took a step forward. “Perhaps the scenery above will be more attractive.”

The sounds around her entered her ear. She could hear fighting and exclamations behind her as well as several figures walking slowly through the mist ahead.

The elderly man and He Shu were taken aback to see her going up slowly, step by step, with ease. When she reached the two men, the elderly man sighed and said, “Young friend, you keep your strength under wraps!”

Feng Jiu smiled. “I have not yet made it to the top. How do you know if I keep my strength hidden?” She moved up and said, “Let’s go!”

When the two men saw her walking upward, they paused for a moment before following her. They had already walked nearly half the distance, and the higher they went, the more challenging it became, especially for He Shu, who gradually looked unwell and his breath became erratic.

Sensing that his body had reached its limit, He Shu stopped and told them, “I’ve reached the limit. I’m afraid I can’t bear it any longer.”

Feng Jiu and the elderly man looked at him, nodded, and then walked away without saying much. Then, He Shu went down.

“Young friend, don’t you feel anything?” The elderly man was compelled to ask. It struck him as odd because Feng Jiu always wore the same expression and showed no signs of discomfort.

“I do!” Feng Jiu sighed.

As soon as the old man heard this, he looked at Feng Jiu with bright eyes and asked quickly, “What do you feel?”

“Why is the road so long? How many more steps must I take to reach the top?” Feng Jiu muttered, her words tinged with helplessness. The elderly man was taken aback.

After a long time, the elderly man drew a deep breath. “I want to know about other feelings. Don’t you feel unwell? Don’t feel the pressure on this Immortal Ladder? Don’t you feel your blood and vital breath boiling inside your body?”

Feng Jiu stopped all of a sudden, and after a short pause, she turned to the old man and said, “Not at all. I just feel like the road is too long and the climb is difficult.” She answered as she took two fruits from the space and handed one to the old man. “Here, eat a fruit to moisten your throat.”

The elderly man moved his lips, but he couldn’t think of anything to say, so he just took the fruit, said thank you, and walked away.

Feng Jiu was walking while enjoying the fruit. She had no idea how much time had gone, but there was no one at the front…