The Ascension passage.
Golden light flowed upstream, starlight cascaded like a waterfall.
This was their third time entering this passage. Si Chen already knew the route like the back of his hand, and the others no longer felt the nervousness of their first visit.
Even Jiang Ling and Murong Li were no longer experiencing it for the first time.
Although Murong Li was still a little nervous, at least her little face had not gone pale as it had last time.
Jiang Ling was utterly expressionless. Ever since leaving the Si Household, she had not spoken a single word to Si Chen.
"Senior Jiang Ling, are you all right?" Murong Li asked softly.
"Mm."
"Your complexion looks a little..."
"No."
Murong Li wisely shut her mouth.
Black Mountain, on the other hand, was perfectly at ease. He looked all around the passage, clicking his tongue in wonder. "This humble fellow has made three trips now, and the more I look at this passage, the more flavor it has."
Red Wind glanced at him. "What flavor could you possibly get out of it?"
Black Mountain wagged his head a few times. "The flavor of my own backyard!"
Everyone froze, then burst into laughter. The atmosphere was so relaxed that they might as well have been out on a springtime excursion.
Zhou Yan stood in the middle of the group, closing his fan, opening it, then closing it again.
He looked into the depths of the passage, then at the laughing group, and finally could not help speaking up:
"Everyone."
Nobody paid him any attention.
"Everyone!"
Still, nobody paid him any attention.
Zhou Yan took a deep breath and smacked his fan against his palm:
"Are you done fooling around?!"
The passage fell silent for a moment.
Everyone turned to look at