Lin Feng stepped forward, drew a deep breath, gripped his jade token, and entered the tower.
The tower door closed behind him, and the world before his eyes transformed in an instant.
Lin Feng found himself standing in a void, surrounded by endless darkness. There was no sound, no light, and nothing to orient himself by. That absolute emptiness was enough to strike fear into anyone's heart.
Lin Feng stood motionless. He could feel the void eroding his mind, trying to stir fear within him. Yet he remained unmoved, allowing it to surround him while his mind stayed anchored within the Chaos Pearl, perfectly clear.
A moment later, the void dissipated. A long staircase appeared before him, stretching upward with no end in sight.
I've cleared the first floor, Lin Feng thought.
He stepped onto the staircase and climbed, one step at a time. It was so long that even after walking for ages, he felt as though he would never reach the end. With every step, the stairs beneath his feet trembled faintly, as if they might collapse at any moment. Eerie sounds drifted from the surrounding darkness, like someone weeping, or laughing malevolently.
Lin Feng remained unmoved and continued upward. He knew these were all illusions. As long as he refused to believe in them, they could not hurt him.
After an unknown stretch of time, a door finally appeared ahead. Beyond it lay the second floor.
Lin Feng pushed the door open and entered.
The scene on the second floor was a battlefield.
Mountains of corpses and seas of blood stretched before him, while battle cries shook the heavens. Countless cultivators fought, their blood staining the earth red as severed limbs flew everywhere. The air reeked of blood, pungent enough to turn his stomach.
Lin Feng saw