"Long live the Illusion Queen! Long live the Queen!"

"Long live Her Majesty the Queen!"

The roar of hundreds of thousands echoed through the mountains and rivers.

It was filled with their respect and support for this legendary queen. This peerless beauty provided them a place to settle in the perilous Tianlan Sea Domain, which was rife with slaughter.

Under the protection of the Illusion Queen, many of these wanderers were able to marry, bear children, take root, and turn the Inner Sea into a paradise.

The glory of Tianhuan Island was founded single-handedly by this queen!

Feeling the cheers of her subjects, the Illusion Queen merely opened her eyes slightly and raised her hand, signaling for silence.

In an instant, all the subjects hushed, as they would unhesitatingly carry out any command from the Illusion Queen.

This was the authority of this queen!

"What a pity..."

The Illusion Queen took a deep breath and thought to herself: If they knew that the true Illusion Queen had already passed away years ago, and I... am merely her daughter, what would these subjects think?

In any case, as long as I am here, I must continue to protect this paradise in the name of the Illusion Queen.

This is my promise to my mother!

And the only ones who know this truth are her brother and the maid, Xiangxiang, who grew up with her.

The true Illusion Queen had long succumbed to exhaustion from various battles of early years, and at her dying moment, she forcibly elevated her eldest daughter to Emperor-level cultivation using the technique of enlightenment.

And this imposture has lasted for a full decade.

It can be said that the one who established Tianhuan Island was her mother, while the one who safeguarded it was her, Yang Huaxin.

...

Seeing the Illusion Queen appear, the cultivators participating in the test on the steps, after a brief daze, exploded with unprecedented enthusiasm.

Throughout the years, this illustrious queen had never appeared, but exclusively in this session!

An excitement surged within them, causing their blood to boil and faces to flush, prompting them to roar as they accelerated forward!

And the man in the black robe, who had been meditating on the more than five hundred steps, looked up at the Illusion Queen, frowned, and thought to himself, "How does this old witch still look so young? No, although she looks similar, she isn't her..."

"Old witch, it seems you finally passed away before me. Humph, you may have almost annihilated me in that battle, but fate spared me. I found a suitable body, rebuilt my cultivation over ten years, and am about to return to the peak!"

"The secret hidden within the soul stairs of your Yang Family appears to be mine soon. In another ten years, I will make a comeback, annihilate your Tianhuan Island, and seize your daughter, hahahahaha!"

The black-robed man's eyes flashed with a fervent light, then he took a deep breath, gathered his mind, and began to comprehend the Soul Refining Secret Technique on the soul stairs.

And the only one seemingly unaffected by the Illusion Queen's appearance was Ling Feng.

At this moment, Ling Feng had reached the more than eight hundred and sixty steps, where the intense soul pressure began to overwhelm him.

Sweat dripped from his forehead, and in the span of a few blinks, his back was drenched.

"Does each step bring such terrifying pressure as I advance?"

Ling Feng clenched his fist, beginning to doubt whether he could really stop at the nine hundred and ninety-ninth step to cultivate.

With more than eight hundred steps, the soul pressure is already near his limit. It might not be too difficult to pass the steps, but to stay and cultivate on the last step for a few hours, perhaps...

"Should I give up?"

Ling Feng hesitated for a moment, but the next moment, an unyielding determination flashed in his eyes.

Since the stairs have nine hundred and ninety-nine steps, it means someone can cultivate on the last step.

Since it can be done, then I, Ling Feng, can certainly do it as well!

"Soul Splitting Technique!"

Ling Feng quietly activated the Soul Splitting Technique, driving his Divine Sense to its limit, and with gritted teeth, he continued to advance, each step steadier than the last.

"That kid is almost at the finish line, my god, isn't he too fast!"

"He's leading by nearly half the way, this guy is just an abnormality!"

The spectators exclaimed in awe, though many like Murong Huang were striving to catch up desperately, but barely managing to move forward, each step faltering, they couldn't compare to Ling Feng at all.

"Your Majesty the Queen."

Elder Tianyi approached the Illusion Queen, bowed, then smiled and said, "It seems the Queen is quite impressed with the boy named Ling Feng, to have come down personally."

"This boy does have extraordinary aspects."

The Illusion Queen nodded slightly, glanced at Elder Tianyi, and said faintly.

"Indeed, this boy's Divine Sense talent is exceedingly strong, passing through the soul stairs doesn't seem too much of a challenge for him. However, it appears he's not planning to use the soul stairs to refine his Divine Sense, missing out on a rare opportunity."

"That may not necessarily be so."

The Illusion Queen squinted her eyes and said softly, "I suspect that the boy may intend to cultivate on the last step."

"This... How could that be possible?"

Elder Tianyi was first stunned, then laughed heartily, "Although this boy has a soul origin far surpassing the norm, wanting to cultivate on the last step would underestimate the arrays on the soul stairs. Not even you could achieve that, Your Majesty."

"What I cannot do, might not be impossible for others."

The Illusion Queen smiled and continued, "Perhaps he can do it?"

"I still find it hard to believe. Look, at the more than eight hundred steps, his speed has obviously slowed down, indicating he's nearing his limit. Yet he still doesn't intend to stop and cultivate. The soul pressure on the nine hundred and ninety-ninth step probably could only be withstood by a Peak Emperor or even an Emperor-level powerhouse."

"Maybe so, it's just a hunch I have."

The Illusion Queen smiled slightly and closed her eyes once more, quietly awaiting the outcome.

...

Eight hundred and nine!

Nine hundred!

Nine hundred and one!

Ling Feng's breathing had gradually become chaotic, as if steel needles were piercing his mind, followed by chaotic thoughts madly surging, and any slight lapse could plunge him into an endless illusion.

"Just passing the soul stairs is so difficult, but the more challenging it is, the better the refinement effect on the Divine Sense!"

Ling Feng adjusted his breathing, although his speed had slowed significantly, he continued climbing steadily.

At this moment, one and a half hours had passed since the test began, and about seventy percent of the testers had been ejected from the soul stairs.

Murong Huang had reached the seven hundred steps, panting heavily as his heart filled with despair watching the distant Ling Feng.

No catching up!

Meanwhile, Yang Huanzhi and the black-robed man remained motionless from start to finish.

After all, being the first to pass the soul stairs doesn't have substantial meaning, but cultivating on them provides actual benefits.

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