The moment Ye Yunfei's words fell, with a loud *boom*, everything around him began to twist and deform, and what had been solid gradually turned illusory.
Slowly, bit by bit, everything became ethereal, everything became transparent, until at last, it vanished entirely.
Then Ye Yunfei found himself standing upon the stone staircase once more.
He understood that he had been standing here all along.
"Master, you've finally emerged from the illusion!"
When Ye Yunfei regained clarity, he saw Hu Miao beside him vigorously shaking her head, and then her gaze turned toward him.
"Right, I just came out of it myself. The power of the illusions laid out by Tianmu Shenjun is truly terrifying. If I hadn't coincidentally uttered the word 'dream' and broken through the illusion while inside it, I'd probably still be trapped, unable to extricate myself," Ye Yunfei said, speaking out as he recalled everything he had experienced in the illusion with lingering fear.
"Hu Miao, you probably emerged from the illusion quite composedly, right?" Ye Yunfei asked curiously.
"Firstly, my clan's sacred artifact helped, so my situation was a bit better. Still, I struggled for a while inside the illusion before waking up," Hu Miao answered.
"Now, have you both passed the trial of this staircase?" the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm asked.
"Yes, we've passed the trial of this staircase," Hu Miao nodded.
"And your rewards?" the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm asked again.
*Rumble rumble…*
The moment the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm's words ended, Ye Yunfei sensed a rift suddenly opening in the space above his head. Then, from that rift, an energy as vast as an ocean began to pour down, pouring straight into his body.
"This is Mental Force Energy!"
Ye Yunfei was first startled, then revealed an expression of pleasant surprise, for he found that this Mental Force Energy pouring into him was transforming directly into *his own* Mental Force Energy.
"This is Heart Gate's ancient infusion technique. Quickly sit cross-legged and receive the infusion!"
An ancient voice rang out within Ye Yunfei's mind.
"Heart Gate's infusion technique!"
After a moment of shock, Ye Yunfei immediately did as the voice instructed and sat cross-legged on the spot.
From then on, the Mental Force Energy pouring into his body was converted into his own in a continuous stream. However, Ye Yunfei noticed that during this conversion process, a considerable portion was dissipating away.
"It seems the amount of Mental Force Energy I can receive depends on my innate talent," Ye Yunfei thought to himself.
He focused his mind, dedicated to converting the Mental Force Energy pouring into him. As time passed, he felt his Mental Force level continuously climbing.
He noticed that Hu Miao was also sitting cross-legged nearby. Above her head, vast and magnificent Illusion Dao Energy cascaded down from the sky, pouring into her body.
"It seems that after passing the trial of this staircase, I received an infusion related to Mental Force, while Hu Miao received an infusion of Illusion Dao Energy," Ye Yunfei observed.
At this moment, he also discovered that on the fortieth step below them, the gray-clothed middle-aged man stood there motionless. A long while had passed, yet he had not regained consciousness.
"It seems that while this fellow's strength is great, he holds little advantage on this stone staircase. In fact, his performance is even worse than ours," Ye Yunfei looked at the gray-clothed man and couldn't help but show a hint of disdain. Here, cultivation realm and strength counted for little; temperament and talent were most crucial.
As time went on, Ye Yunfei's Mental Force grew stronger and stronger. He also felt the aura of energy emanating from Hu Miao not far away becoming increasingly potent.
No one knew how much time passed when suddenly, the Mental Force Energy pouring down on Ye Yunfei's head ceased.
"It's finally over," Ye Yunfei looked up at the high sky and said softly.
Next, he saw a jade slip fall from the heavens, landing in his palm.
"A cultivation technique jade slip."
Ye Yunfei recognized it at a glance as a technique-carrying jade slip. His Soul Force Energy immediately extended into it to sense its contents.
"This… these are actually some of the ancient Heart Gate's core inheritances, and they are far more advanced than the Heart Gate legacies I obtained before!" Ye Yunfei was both shocked and overjoyed.
Then, several spatial rings descended from the sky, dropping before Ye Yunfei.
Extending his Soul Force Energy inside, he discovered that these spatial rings were full of cultivation resources related to Mental Force energy, as well as some magical treasures.
Ye Yunfei put away the spatial rings, then waited a little longer. Nothing else fell from above.
"It seems these are the complete rewards for passing the trial of this staircase," Ye Yunfei thought to himself.
"Just the significant boost to my Mental Force alone makes all the hardships of climbing up here worthwhile," Ye Yunfei said softly, a satisfied expression on his face as he assessed the current strength of his Mental Force.
"Roughly what level has your Mental Force reached now? In other words, what caliber of experts can you contend against using your Mental Force now?" Hun Lao asked curiously.
"It should be enough to deal with Third or Fourth Level Sovereign Gods. Even when encountering a High Sovereign God, I can cause some interference," Ye Yunfei said with a smile.
"It's increased that much!" Hun Lao was somewhat surprised.
"Of course. I was infused for a long time just now. The Mental Force Energy I received must have come from the ancient Heart Gate – ancient and pure, of far higher quality than the Mental Force I cultivate myself, so its power is naturally strong," Ye Yunfei replied.
"And this is just the beginning. I also obtained many more ancient Heart Gate inheritances, plus a large batch of precious cultivation resources for Mental Force. Next, I can cultivate Mental Force anew and continuously elevate it," Ye Yunfei added.
"It seems the rewards you got for passing the trial are quite good. But why is it that all your rewards are related to Mental Force and none to Illusion Dao?" Hun Lao asked.
"Master, I'll answer that. It's because during your passage through the staircase's trial, the level of Mental Force you displayed was higher than your Illusion Dao proficiency. Therefore, the rewards you received were mainly Mental Force related. Conversely, what I demonstrated during the trial was primarily Illusion Dao Energy, so my rewards were mainly Illusion Dao oriented," Hu Miao said with a smile, having by now finished receiving her rewards and walking over.
"That should be the reason," Hun Lao nodded upon hearing Hu Miao's words.
"Hu Miao, your gains must also be substantial," Ye Yunfei asked Hu Miao.
"Of course. After passing this stone staircase's trial, I first received an infusion baptism of vast amounts of Illusion Dao Energy, and my strength soared once more. Moreover, I obtained a huge quantity of cultivation resources and various magical treasures related to Illusion Dao Energy. From now on, my combat prowess will be even greater. Master, from this moment on, I can truly fight alongside you," Hu Miao said proudly.
"That's wonderful. From now on, I have one more powerful helper," Ye Yunfei said with a smile.
"Master, look at that fellow. He's still standing there. After all this time, he still can't move. He's probably still trapped in the illusion, unable to free himself," Hu Miao pointed her finger at the gray-clothed middle-aged man below.
At this moment, the gray-clothed man stood motionless on the fortieth step. He had been standing there for a very long time, like a sculpture, without any expression on his face.
"This fellow is deeply entrenched in the illusion. It seems it will be hard for him to wake up in a short time," Ye Yunfei said, looking at the gray-clothed man.
"Master, I want to enter his illusion and deal with him. But I need your cooperation. Let's work together to kill him!"
Hu Miai suddenly spoke up with these words.
"You want to enter his illusion and kill him?" Ye Yunfei was greatly surprised by this.
"No, that's too risky. Even though he's trapped in an illusion, his cultivation realm and strength are what they are. A single misstep could bring disaster upon us," Ye Yunfei shook his head immediately.
"Master, you needn't worry. The fact that he's been standing there for so long shows he's fallen deeply into the illusion. Our Primordial Heavenly Foxes possess a secret inherited art that allows entry into another's illusion. We can use the illusion to numb them imperceptibly, then slay them when they are off guard. I have already refined my clan's sacred artifact, the Primordial True Fox Stele, and just now received the infusion, greatly boosting my Illusion Dao Energy level. Moreover, this is Tianmu Shenjun's personally laid illusion ground, immensely powerful. One could say I have every advantage of terrain here. Master, later, I will enter his illusion and use the illusion against him. You, Master, will just ambush him from the side. We will collaborate from inside and out, killing him when he least expects it," Hu Miao explained.
"Is that really possible?" Ye Yunfei asked hesitantly, still finding the idea of slaying such a powerful figure too perilous.
"Master, believe me. If we were anywhere else, I wouldn't dare. But here, we hold the advantage of terrain. That guy is mired in an illusion, unable to extricate himself, while we have completed the staircase's trial. I suspect the staircase's illusions have little effect on us now. Since we have such advantages, we should make good use of them," Hu Miao urged.
"Alright then. Hu Miao, we'll do as you say. I'll cooperate fully," Ye Yunfei was not a person afraid of trouble. After a moment's consideration, he nodded in agreement.
"Great, let's not delay. Master, let's move now."
Seeing Ye Yunfei agree, Hu Miao was visibly overjoyed.
With a *bang*, the Primordial True Fox Stele floating above Hu Miao's head erupted, releasing numerous chains of Illusion Dao Laws. They enveloped both Ye Yunfei and Hu Miao. Then, the two carefully turned back, suppressed their auras, and began to walk step by step, descending back down.