“It’s our turn,” Grace said, taking a deep breath as she looked at the group. Remember what Dustin said. Stay sharp. Whatever you see, don’t lose yourself.”
She stepped onto the Heartfall Stair first, followed by Scarlet, Adam, Blanche, Albus, and the others. Dustin stepped on last. Though his cultivation was sealed, his resolve was as strong as anyone else’s. The moment his foot touched the stairs, the world around him shifted.
He saw Natasha standing not far away, tears in her eyes. Her lips moved as if she were speaking, but no sound reached him.
“Natasha…” he muttered, his chest tightening. She reached out to him with a pleading look in her eyes. He almost stepped forward, but he quickly stopped himself. Then, he remembered that she was still at the foot of the mountain and couldn’t be here.
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them again, the illusion had vanished, leaving only the stone steps of the Heartfall Stair before him.
“I’ve passed the first step,” he murmured, then continued upward. Meanwhile, the others were also facing their own inner demons. Grace saw her mother lying on the ground, covered in blood. Her mother’s hand reached out toward her as she pleaded, ” Save me… Please save me..”
Grace’s eyes reddened, but she clenched her jaw and forced herself to keep moving forward. Scarlet saw Dustin. He stood before her dressed in a wedding suit, holding Natasha’s hand with a smile.
He said, “Scarlet, thank you for staying by my side all this time. I’ve found my happiness now. You should go and find yours as well.”
The words hit her hard, but she took a deep breath and replied quietly, “As long as you’re happy, that’s all that matters.”
The illusion vanished, and she continued upward. Adam saw his deceased wife. She stood a short distance away and waved at him.
“Come with me… I miss you so much…”
His eyes welled up with tears, then he closed his eyes and muttered, “I’m sorry. My sister still needs me. Just wait for me… Let me finish what I have to do, then I’ll come and accompany you.”
When he opened his eyes again, she was gone. He clenched his jaw and kept climbing. Blanche saw her family being wiped out, flames surging into the sky as her family members screamed in agony. She tried to run toward them, but an invisible force held her back.
Her lips pressed tight, and her nails dug into her palms as she forced herself forward, one step at a time. She had already lived through this countless times in her mind. Although facing it again still hurt, it no longer affected her.
Albus saw another version of him standing before him, gripping a demonic sword. The other presence was thick with killing intent and sneered at him.
“Sooner or later, you will become me. Your sword was always meant to kill,” the figure said. Albus regarded him coldly before replying, “My sword is meant to protect my sister and my family. I am not you.”
With that, he swung his sword, and the illusion disappeared. The Heartfall Stair had 99 steps, and none of them were easy. Every step was a torture and tested their resolve.
Some people broke down halfway through. Their screams echoed as they fell into the abyss below. Others were consumed by their inner demons and turned to stone, their bodies left standing on the Heartfall Stair. A few pressed on, gritting their teeth as they kept climbing.
When Grace stepped onto the 99th step, she was nearly spent. When she turned back, she saw that more than half the figures on the staircase had already disappeared. Spotting Scarlet, Adam, Blanche, and Albus among those who had made it, she felt a measure of relief.
“Where’s Dustin?” she asked suddenly.
The others turned to look, but couldn’t see him.
“Dustin, he…”
Scarlet’s face turned pale. At that moment, a figure slowly emerged at the far end of the 99th step. It was Dustin. Though visibly exhausted, his eyes were still sharp.
“I’m fine. Didn’t mean to worry you,” he said quietly. Everyone was relieved to see him. Scarlet couldn’t hold herself back. She rushed forward and threw her arms around him.
“You had me worried sick,” she complained.
Dustin gently patted her back and said, ” It’s alright. I made it.”
At the top of the Heartfall Stair, the path opened onto a wide platform. A bronze hall stood there, flickering in and out of view, its form indistinct and mysterious.
“Is that The Aethermoor Palace?” someone exclaimed. However, the hall was just a projection and hadn’t fully taken shape. Then, a commanding voice rang out again
“Those who have passed the Heartfall Stair may enter the Bronze Sanctum to contend for the final opportunity Countless treasures lie within, but only one may claim the Ascendant Pill. The gates will open in seven days.”
As the voice faded, the scene before them shifted again. When they came to, they found themselves back on the Stormspire Arena.
The Heartfall Stair had vanished, and the terrifying lightning vortex had dissipated. But everyone knew that the real trial had only just begun.
