Nie Kong was equally taken aback. Before setting foot on the Sky Ladder, he had prepared himself to be forced down by the pressure at any moment. In fact, when he stepped onto the ladder, an invisible pressure surged towards him like a tide from all directions; however, the moment that pressure was about to touch his body, it vanished without a trace.

This strange phenomenon left Nie Kong quite bewildered. As he ascended step by step, he observed carefully for a moment before suddenly realizing the truth. Vitality! These two words were the very root of it! Within that pressure was contained a vitality even richer than that on the ground floor of the Illusionary Realm. The higher he climbed, the stronger the pressure became, and the more intense the vitality grew. Every time the pressure bore down, the vigorous, vibrant spiritual energy within him seemed to be driven by an impulse, fluctuating of its own accord.

Those subtle, wondrous fluctuations caused the vitality contained within his spiritual energy to faintly merge with the external vitality, forming an integral whole that resonated with each other, neutralizing the pressure into nothingness. Once he understood this, Nie Kong’s worries vanished, his chest free of any apprehension, and his steps grew noticeably lighter. When Nie Kong crossed the fiftieth step, the pressure that had been surging like a tide now roared like monstrous, tempestuous waves, seeming intent on blasting away everything in its path.

Yet, despite the menacing appearance of the pressure, it dissipated the moment it was about to overwhelm Nie Kong, never causing him any adverse effects. As if unaffected, Nie Kong climbed higher and higher.

Gradually, Nie Kong could no longer see the wide expanse of green below, nor the figures of the Inner City disciples on that ground. White clouds swirled around him, and walking upon the Sky Ladder felt like soaring through the void on the wind, giving rise to an ineffable sense of transcendence, as if all worldly concerns had dissolved.

After another moment, the Sky Ladder ahead abruptly terminated. The void at the end rippled like water waves, much like the exit below used to leave the ‘Spiritual Cultivation Illusionary Realm.’ “Entrance to the Second Layer!”

Nie Kong’s eyes lit up with joy, and he instinctively quickened his pace. When he crossed the final step and entered that undulating void, an overwhelmingly potent suction force swept in from all sides. Nie Kong felt dizzy, the clouds and mists before his eyes swirling, countless scenes flashing by like a revolving lantern, before the solid sensation returned beneath his feet.

Before he even had time to take in his surroundings, a howling sound whipped past, and a colossal force swept Nie Kong into the air. He tumbled several times like a broken kite before crashing heavily onto the ground. Immediately following this, that formidable force coiled and surged toward him again.

Nie Kong roared, and a dazzling emerald light flashed from his palms. His two arms, like steel lances, stabbed fiercely into the earth, finally stabilizing his body, which was nearly lifted halfway up.

The sound of violent wind constantly roared past. Nie Kong spun around to look, discovering that the terrain of the Second Layer of the Illusionary Realm was incredibly bizarre. As far as his sight could reach, there were only strange, oddly shaped hills, rising and falling in continuous undulations, with no discernible end. The mountainsides were riddled with openings, from which strong winds continuously gusted out.

The wind direction changed unpredictably—sometimes left, sometimes right, sometimes forward, sometimes backward—with no discernible pattern whatsoever. In just a few short seconds, Nie Kong’s body was violently wrenched multiple times. Especially the gale blowing from behind, which flipped Nie Kong over, nearly wrenching his arms backward.

“The Second Layer of the Illusionary Realm is actually this wretched place?” Nie Kong couldn't help but curse. Estimating from the visible area, this place was countless times wider than the First Layer below. However, Nie Kong hadn't seen a single soul here. Of course, in this environment, even if other Inner City disciples were present, they would be impossible to detect.

A crisp cracking sound erupted. The gale coming from the left almost compressed Nie Kong’s arms and torso, which had been at a ninety-degree angle, down to zero degrees. Despite Nie Kong’s quick reaction, this sudden impact dislocated his shoulder, causing cold sweat to bead on his forehead.

Nie Kong was startled but maintained his composure... In an instant, the spiritual energy within Nie Kong surged. With a muffled groan, he actually used the force of the wind rushing from behind to violently snap his arms back into place. Although his arms were reset, Nie Kong’s focus did not relax in the slightest. If he couldn't secure his body quickly, he would eventually be tortured to death in this cursed place.

Suddenly, an even more violent gale swept in. The fierce wind actually ripped Nie Kong’s arms out of the ground, sending his body soaring into the air again. Nie Kong inwardly cried, "Bad!" But in such a moment, he had no other choice but to try and adjust his posture in mid-air to avoid taking heavy damage upon landing.

Alas, man proposes, but fate disposes... Nie Kong had roughly calculated his landing spot, but the gale supporting him suddenly vanished. His body plummeted straight down, crashing onto a protruding boulder. With a loud, resonant impact, Nie Kong slid past the stone; that collision almost made him vomit blood.

At that moment, the fierce winds abruptly ceased. Nie Kong hurriedly looked around and found that the surrounding strange rocks were sharp and isolated, offering no crevices in which to anchor himself. The openings were smooth and quite wide; if he were to hide inside, one gust of wind would surely send him out the other side.

Could it be that when this cursed place was created, the designers never intended for those who entered to be able to stabilize themselves? Just as this thought crossed Nie Kong’s mind, the fierce wind charged over again. Nie Kong burst into curses and hastily activated the "Spring and Autumn Life Generation Art." Emerald-green wood element vitality and life force separated from all directions and instantaneously converged around Nie Kong.

Sensing the richness of the spiritual energy elements and the vitality, Nie Kong was surprised, yet a sliver of joy welled up in his heart. He discovered that when he circulated his spiritual art, the fierce wind seemed to encounter resistance, pausing slightly before him, showing signs of halting.

However, Nie Kong’s joy lasted less than two seconds before the gale lunged forward again like a primordial beast breaking free from its cage. It fiercely scattered the wood element vitality and life force swirling around Nie Kong, violently terminating the "Spring and Autumn Life Generation Art" currently operating within him. Subsequently, Nie Kong’s body was flown like a kite once more.

}。*,}} His body slammed heavily onto the uneven ground. Nie Kong gritted his teeth, rolled over, and got up, continuing to circulate his spiritual art. The violently swirling gale, just as before, paused slightly before him, then sent him soaring into the air. He glided like a bird for a few seconds before crashing down heavily.

Nie Kong’s entire body felt like it was falling apart, but the momentary pause in the gale when he circulated his art allowed him to dimly grasp something. Furthermore, Nie Kong realized something: being tossed around in the air by the gale was dangerous, but being tossed around while his arms were plunged into the ground was far more perilous.

Thus, Nie Kong began to repeat the cycle: his body would be enveloped by vibrant green energy, then violently swept away by the gale, and then crash down repeatedly...

... ... The howling of the fierce winds and the thud of heavy objects hitting the ground intermingled, rising and falling in turn.

He didn't know how much time had passed, but Nie Kong was already battered, bruised, and every part of his body ached intolerably. Yet, at this point, instead of feeling discouraged or complaining, a joyful smile bloomed on his face, and his chest was filled with rapturous ecstasy. Initially, he could only sustain his spiritual art for less than two seconds before being swept away by the gale, but now, the time he could hold out had increased to ten seconds.

Ten seconds was but the blink of an eye, yet for Nie Kong, it represented enormous progress.

This advancement was also reflected in his spiritual energy. After being tossed around like a kite so many times by the elusive, unpredictable gale, the increased intensity of the spiritual energy within Nie Kong had almost reached the culmination of what he had cultivated over the preceding ten days on the First Layer of the Illusionary Realm.

Now, Nie Kong had realized that the gale here was not the same as the winds outside the Illusionary Realm. Within that gale seemed to be contained a kind of magical force. Every time it struck Nie Kong, faint wisps of power would penetrate, simultaneously tempering his spiritual energy and body. As time went on, Nie Kong’s spiritual energy intensity not only increased, but his physical body was also undergoing subtle changes.

“The Second Layer of the Illusionary Realm truly is a wonderful place!” he exclaimed, just as his body was lifted by the gale again and smashed down like a meteorite.

Now, he had fully understood... It was no wonder that only when they reached the Spirit Transformation realm could Inner City disciples enter the Second Layer directly from the Solitary Peak. This was because only by cultivating to the Spirit Transformation realm would a Spirit Master’s body possess sufficient resistance, preventing them from being smashed about as miserably as Nie Kong. For Nie Kong, entering the Second Layer of the Illusionary Realm ahead of time meant he gained an extra process of tempering his body compared to those Inner City disciples at the Spirit Transformation realm.

He landed again on a stone slab, his backside nearly split in two. Nie Kong grit his teeth in pain but unhesitatingly flipped over and sat cross-legged. His “Four Spiritual Apertures” vibrated rapidly, and vast swathes of green emerged from the void like thick smoke, swirling around Nie Kong.

Ten seconds later, his body was swept away, and he fell... This scene continued in a monotonous cycle, but Nie Kong persisted tirelessly, like a child with a new toy, never tiring of it.

Time flowed quickly... After being swept up by the gale, Nie Kong floated like a drifter upon the waves, constantly trying to flow with the wind’s momentum. He actually managed to find some small tricks: utilizing some of the body movements from the “Flying Flower, Flowing Shadow” technique. Gradually, Nie Kong’s landing posture became more composed.

One or two times out of ten attempts, he managed to land steadily on the ground! However, what truly delighted Nie Kong was the continuously increasing spiritual energy intensity and the duration he could endure within the gale. Nie Kong had not calculated how long he had been in the Second Layer of the Illusionary Realm, but he knew clearly that the time he could sustain his spiritual art had increased to about thirty seconds.

Thirty seconds—still not the limit. At this moment, the sky in the Spiritual Cultivation Illusionary Realm remained bright, and Nie Kong had no intention of leaving. Based on the situation on the layer below, the time of day in this Illusionary Realm should synchronize with the outside world. Since it wasn't dark yet, he would continue cultivating, wanting to see just how far he could push his cultivation today!

Tumbling into the air, Nie Kong twisted strangely like a swimming fish, and his body stabilized. His gaze swept over the terrain below, and Nie Kong’s spirit grew even more invigorated...

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