Protected by our psychokinetic shields, even if our physical stamina didn't match that of Olympic marathoners, we were still on par with elite special forces.

Running ten kilometers with that burden for half an hour was no issue; without any load, the speed we could achieve was beyond ordinary people. Especially me—my body had undergone such a complete metamorphosis that running felt utterly effortless. If it weren't for the extreme slipperiness of this secret passage, we could have moved even faster.

Accompanied by the rhythmic tap-tap-tap of our footsteps, we had already covered seven or eight hundred meters. It was then we noticed the torches lining the walls on both sides ahead had vanished, plunging the area into darkness. Fearing another wall might block the passage, I signaled the other two to stop. They had clearly noticed the change too and halted immediately.

Yet, as we stood there, peering cautiously ahead, we realized there was no wall blocking the path. Nor was there an absence of light—the illumination was simply much fainter. Soon, we understood why the lamps were missing from the forward wall. Because the outer wall ahead was gone, replaced by an open-air corridor, or perhaps a very long balcony. This balcony was set into the exterior of the Ghost Tower, with the faintly lit rooms of the tower on the left, and access to the vast exterior space on the right.

Being able to breathe fresh air was a marvelous sensation, so we naturally quickened our pace and hurried forward. In no time, we indeed saw the space beyond the balcony. It was an inky black expanse, but a faint light filtered down from somewhere high above. We craned our heads out from the balcony and looked upwards, spotting that we were only about thirty meters from the exterior of the underground cavern. There was a gap, roughly ten meters wide, between the cavern’s dome and the Ghost Tower, through which a weak, natural light spilled down. Clearly, ascending further would lead us out of the earth-hole; the Ghost Tower, just as the legends claimed, reached astonishing heights.

“Look, it seems like dawn outside,” Da Xiong pointed toward the sky visible beyond the gap.

We saw the stars beginning to fade and the large tree near the mouth of the earth-hole swaying gently in the morning breeze. A sudden, profound sense of relief washed over us at the prospect of seeing daylight again. Although we had encountered a forest inside the Ghost Tower, we knew instinctively that it was an illusion created by psychic energy, utterly inferior compared to the real sky and earth.

Thinking of this, a sudden fear gripped me, spawning a strange thought: What if the world we inhabited was itself a colossal psychokinetic construct, and we simply didn't know it? How terrifying that would be. Yet, after a moment, I chuckled inwardly, because I knew that anything genuinely formed by psychic energy could be tested by an equivalent force. Just as I had used my own psychokinesis to pass through a wall formed by it. In the real world, however, I could never phase through any solid, tangible wall. Even if this world was created, it must have been by the greatest God of the Cosmos, not these chaotic, malevolent deities.

A "god," I reasoned, should refer to some underlying rule, an irresistible force, rather than a physical entity or a specific person. Anyone who seeks to establish rules while positioning themselves as a god is merely a devil bloated by selfish desire—at least, that was my conviction. Human nature harbors flaws; no matter how great an individual, true impartiality is impossible. Even with the power of creation, whatever they craft will inevitably bear traces of their own selfish desires, serving their ends. Who are they to believe they are the masters of all things?

In my eyes, the so-called Four True Gods were nothing more than four exceptionally powerful yao guai (monsters). Thus, no matter how meager my own power, I had to oppose them with every fiber of my being. I turned to Da Xiong and the other, "We don't have time for sightseeing. Let's race to the top floor and find this so-called Gale Force Immortal."

The other two, uncertain why I had suddenly become so urgent, simply followed me as we bolted forward. We resumed our frantic ascent toward the pinnacle of the Ghost Tower, soon rising above ground level. We saw that the Ghost Tower was situated amidst mountains, their slopes lush with verdant vegetation that made us almost smell the fragrance of the leaves. These mountains towered far above the hills around Kobe Ear; clearly, we were no longer in our original location, or perhaps we had reached the deepest recesses of Mount Rokkō, an area seldom trod by humans, visible only with a few birds and the vast, open land.

A crisp, slightly chilly wind blew toward us, confirming that the temperature had dropped further in the late autumn season since we arrived. The sun had actually risen, but our low altitude meant the surrounding peaks obscured it, making the light still seem dim. We had agreed not to look at the scenery, yet the three of us couldn't help stealing glances at the majestic mountain view.

Unconsciously, we circled the Ghost Tower several more times, gaining another twenty or thirty meters in altitude. At this point, all three of us were somewhat fatigued and paused to rest, leaning against the balcony to catch our breath. While resting, we stretched our heads out to look up, gauging how much farther we had to go to reach the summit. We saw that not far above, the Ghost Tower disappeared into a dense bank of clouds, making its ultimate height impossible to gauge. This sight filled us with a degree of discouragement.

However, we were quickly distracted by something else. Da Xiong pointed upward and said, "Look, there seems to be a person standing on the side of the Ghost Tower."

I knew exactly what Da Xiong meant by that description: someone standing vertically against the building’s exterior, a posture only possible for those with suction cups on their feet. So, hearing it initially, I found it unbelievable. But following his finger, I truly saw him: about a hundred meters away, diagonally forty-five degrees above us, a figure was indeed standing there. He was fixed against the tower's side like a statue, perfectly stable in this anti-gravitational posture. On closer inspection, it seemed he wasn't merely standing; he appeared to be taking steps upward.

The man walked a few steps higher, then seemed to encounter the obstruction of the balcony and paused. To him, in his state, the balcony we were traversing must have appeared as nothing more than a three-to-four-meter-wide ditch. Then, in an action that defied all logic, the man sprang upward, defying gravity, leaped over the gap the balcony created, and continued his ascent.

Watching this, Da Xiong broke into a sweat, reminiscent of finishing a bowl of hot pot in the summer, and gasped, "What... what is wrong with this person? He’s incredible!" Nie Chuan and I frowned deeply, recognizing the sheer abnormality of the situation.

After a moment, I said to them, "He isn't moving very fast; if we push hard, we should be able to catch up and get a clearer look." This figure had piqued our interest immensely, and the three of us, moments ago ready to collapse from exhaustion, summoned all our strength and ran forward again. This time, after running a certain distance, I would use my psychokinesis to propel one of us forward. The affected person would shoot out a dozen meters instantly, like a race car suddenly engaging nitrous oxide.

Maintaining this acceleration, we covered another twenty-plus tiers and ascended nearly forty meters in just five minutes. Feeling we were very close to the other person, I told them to stop and rest. Just as we were about to lean out to gauge the distance to him, we saw someone swiftly vault over the balcony railing. Due to the angle, we only caught a glimpse of a flying trench coat and a pair of feet. However, that person seemed to have noticed us quite clearly, deliberately glancing down at us as he crossed the balcony.

"That aura feels familiar!" Da Xiong blurted out. I too felt a prickle of unease and frowned deeply.

The figure who had crossed over then hung upside down from the exterior wall of the floor above, like a bat, revealing only his head as he looked down at us. Our hearts immediately sank, because this person was none other than the White-Haired Old Man. We knew he was powerful, but not this powerful; that was why we hadn't guessed it was him earlier. Clearly, his goal was also the top of the Ghost Tower to find the Gale Force Immortal. He had previously ordered Ishida to kill me, yet Ishida had not only failed but had actually helped increase my strength. Seeing us now, his eyes were filled with shock and rage.

Before we could speak, he snarled at us in English, "You vermin, why aren't you dead yet?"

The three of us were at a loss for words. Despite having learned formidable spells from Wukong, facing such a powerful White-Haired Old Man left us completely without confidence. Lack of confidence aside, I knew we could not lose the psychological battle. After a moment, I retorted, "Not only are we not dead, but we’re here to seek vengeance for Liang Qian!"

The old man's eyes, already narrow slits, nearly disappeared, and a strange smile played on his lips. "Oh? Is that so? You keep delivering yourselves to death again and again; it seems I have no choice but to oblige you." With that, he leaped off, executing a forward somersault, and vaulted from the exterior wall back into the interior of the balcony. His height—nearly one ninety-five—made him appear like a giant before us, blocking nearly half the sunlight. Da Xiong, usually fearless, swallowed hard and took a step back.

The White-Haired Old Man narrowed his small eyes and said, "Enough chatter. Who dies first?"

Just as I was about to deliver another defiant retort, I saw him clench his left hand into a claw and strike toward my face. This time, my power had significantly increased; I had already gathered three layers of psychokinesis in my arm. Seeing his attack, I unleashed that energy toward him.