Rise to God with Life Skill Professions-Chapter 407 - 397: The Altar

The mist hung in the air like a light veil, so thick that one could barely see their hand in front of them.

When Qin An focused his gaze forward, the mist rapidly gathered.

A towering staircase emerged, entirely made of dense mist, stretching into its depths.

An eerie and terrifying sensation swiftly swept across the surroundings, enveloping everything in sight.

Many Jianghu people felt a slight tremor in their hearts, sensing a bone-chilling cold spread throughout their bodies.

Qin An’s gaze moved to the end of the staircase.

At the end, a tall building loomed faintly, exuding a haunting sense of dread.

Liu Mei said in a deep voice, "This is the entrance to the Mirage Tower."

Qin An squinted, "It really is a tower."

Wu Da shook his head, "No, it’s not a tower, but an incredibly vast space filled with both illusion and reality."

"Entering the Mirage Mountain, stepping into the Mirage Tower..." Zhu Qingsha recited, "Truth is false, false is true, whether real or not, it’s all deadly."

Qin An rubbed his chin, "It really is a magical place."

He had been in Xunyang Prefecture for a long time and had seen much, yet such a wondrous place was a first for him.

As they exchanged words, the misty staircase became increasingly solidified.

In just a moment, it was indistinguishable from a real one.

At this moment, numerous Jianghu people glanced at each other, the greed in their eyes growing.

Entering the Mirage Tower was indeed perilous, but within danger lay matching benefits.

Everyone desired those benefits, fully aware that they came with risks.

But these days, what these scattered Jianghu people contested was a matter of struggle.

Whoever feared death less, whoever could find life in death, would stand above the rest.

However, none dared to move now, as their gaze was fixed on Qin An and his group.

Although only four of them were Mountain Patrol Silver Generals, the Evil Extermination Bureau they represented was a top powerhouse in Xunyang Prefecture, and no one dared to offend them.

Therefore, they all waited for Qin An and his team to proceed first.

Qin An contemplated briefly and, holding his Straight Blade, walked toward the staircase.

This journey was to complete a mission, and since the entrance to the Mirage Tower had appeared, it was only natural to investigate.

Should he complete his mission and gain substantial benefits from the Mirage Tower, all the better.

Liu Mei and Wu Da exchanged glances and followed behind Qin An toward the staircase.

Reaching the staircase, Qin An stepped onto it.

He found that though the staircase was made of dense mist, it felt no different than stepping on a real one.

As Qin An ascended the staircase, Liu Mei and the others followed.

Subsequently, their figures vanished into the mist.

Many Jianghu people let out a sigh of relief, exchanged glances, and gradually stepped onto the misty staircase.

Soon, the forest fell into silence.

...

The staircase was long, surrounded by dense mist, obscuring what lay ahead.

Yet Qin An could vaguely hear roars coming from within the mist.

The roars were sometimes distant, sometimes near, at times hazy, at times distinct, causing Qin An’s True Essence to surge within him.

"This sound can directly reach the Divine Sense. If one’s strength were slightly lacking, they might not withstand even the sound," Qin An said calmly.

Liu Mei nodded, "This staircase is called the Staircase of Forgetting Worries. The Mirage Tower is composed of illusion and reality. It is said that ascending this staircase and entering the Mirage Tower will cause one to forget all worries between illusion and reality. But, Mr. Qin, you know this so-called forgetting of worries is simply death."

Zhu Qingsha added, "That’s right, forgetting worries isn’t that easy. Even in happiness, there are times of worry; only death is the most liberating."

Wu Er said coldly, "Indeed."

Wu Da, excited, said, "It’s said the Mirage Tower is filled with treasures. While completing our mission, we might earn a fortune."

The group conversed as they reached the end of the staircase.

The shape of the tower became gradually clearer.

A nine-story tower stood among the mountains.

Although the tower was made entirely of dense mist, its wind chimes hanging from the eaves and windows adorned with reliefs were vividly lifelike, as if real.

The top floor of the tower’s bottom level had a large door already open, filled with white mist, obscuring what lay within.

"Can we just step in?" Qin An asked.

Liu Mei nodded, "Yes, entering the Mirage Tower isn’t dangerous; all dangers originate within."

Qin An said no more, holding the Cold Star as he stepped inside.

A wave of disorientation struck him.

Qin An sensed the mist around him twisting as if possessed with a spirituality, then constructing scene after scene before his eyes.

The scenes depicted mountains, rivers, lakes, seas, along with birds, beasts, insects, and fish.

There were images of women washing clothes by the river and a horrific battlefield resounding with cries of killing.

A myriad of scenes intertwined, flashing continuously until they slowly settled.

The mist quickly faded.

Qin An found himself standing on the ground, and as he looked around, everything was desolate.

The earth was blackened, emanating a nauseating sulfur stench, and the distant mountains were long dead, leaving only a few withered branches standing tall.

The scene was filled with desolation and decay.

At that moment, a wave surged from behind, as Liu Mei and the others appeared in succession.

With their arrival, more and more Jianghu people stepped in.

Once the last Jianghu person entered this desolate land, it was crowded with countless silhouettes.

Upon entering, no one lingered long, dispersing in all directions.

Some ventured alone, others in groups.

The Mirage Tower was vast, with different entry points each time.

Therefore, upon entry, everyone hurriedly searched for treasure.

Zhu Qingsha’s alluring eyes darted around, her red lips parting slightly, "It’s said we only have a day and a night upon entering the Mirage Tower. Once time’s up, we are transported out, so we must hurry."

Wu Da pulled a map from his chest, "Clues are hard to find, but we can’t blindly search. From the intelligence I have, the last location of the Mountain Patrol Silver General is here."

The Mirage Tower’s map had been partially deciphered through countless efforts.

Although not complete, at least there’s a clue.

Qin An leaned closer, carefully observing the direction Wu Da was pointing, frowning slightly.

Wu Da was pointing to a towering mountain peak, not far from them, about a hundred miles away.

Liu Ji frowned and said, "If it’s this place, we should head there quickly, find the target as soon as possible, and see what exactly is happening."

With a target in mind, everyone no longer lingered.

Subsequently, Qin An and the others fully utilized their body techniques, rushing towards the direction Wu Da indicated.

...

On the way, the wind howled, surrounded by desolation and decay.

But unexpectedly, no danger occurred, like the calm surface of a lake.

However, Qin An and the others did not let down their guard.

They all knew that the more tranquil a place was, the greater the hidden dangers.

Ahead, the desolate scenery stretched on, revealing a mountain range made entirely of stone in front of them.

The mountain range soared into the clouds, and at a glance, the summit could not be seen.

Wu Da stopped and put away the map: "This place is called Wanshi Mountain Forest. It’s said that it contains extremely precious minerals, driving even the wealthiest Jianghu people mad when they see them."

Wu Er remained silent, nodding in agreement.

Liu Ji suddenly said, "Then let’s start investigating here. However, I’ve also heard of the dangers here. It’s said there are stone-formed Pseudo-Gods here with strong defense, and their attacks are not weak either. Everyone must be cautious."

Everyone present had climbed up from the blood-soaked and dangerous underworld, so there was no need for further words; they were all prepared.

Wu Da and Wu Er drew the long blades from their waists, standing closely together.

The two were proficient in the Combined Attack Skill, and when combined, their combat power was at its peak.

Zhu Qingsha had empty hands, placing them behind her back, making her chest even more prominent.

Qin An said no more, stepping into Wanshi Mountain Forest first.

After entering, Qin An felt a faint Evil Qi surrounding them.

In front was a stone-paved road.

The surroundings, even a single tree, were made of stone, appearing extremely bizarre.

Everyone followed the road upwards, and during this time, not even a single bird was seen.

The higher they went, the more intense the Evil Qi spiraled around, but the source of the Evil Qi could not be located.

At this moment, Qin An suddenly halted, his eyes flickering with a strange light.

Liu Ji, following alongside Qin An, noticed Qin An’s unusual behavior and asked, "Mr. Qin, have you discovered something?"

Qin An shook his head, "No discovery."

Liu Ji was full of doubt, "Why did Mr. Qin stop?"

The others also looked at Qin An with puzzled expressions.

They all knew Qin An and some of his exploits, so Qin An suddenly stopping wasn’t a simple matter.

Qin An suddenly stabbed his straight blade into the ground, the Seven-Colored True Essence spread across the blade, "I always felt there was something strange about this Wanshi Mountain Forest. Although there’s Evil Qi here, the source of this Evil Qi cannot be found, don’t you find it odd?"

As soon as he spoke, the four of them simultaneously furrowed their brows.

They found Qin An’s words to make sense.

Being able to sense the Evil Qi but not its source could indeed cause doubt.

Just then, the ever-indifferent Wu Er suddenly spoke.

"It’s dead."

Zhu Qingsha lightly furrowed her brows, "What is dead?"

"The Pseudo-God is dead." Wu Er spoke again, still extremely brief.

Wu Da, being Wu Er’s twin brother, naturally knew what Wu Er meant, and explained on behalf, "He means that... the Evil Qi here is the residue left after the Pseudo-God’s death, which is why we can’t find the target."

Liu Ji said, "So, someone killed the Pseudo-God before us?"

Zhu Qingsha replied, "No, not someone before us, but perhaps the Pseudo-Gods in this Wanshi Mountain Forest had already been completely eradicated, and this situation might be related to that colleague who went mad."

Liu Ji nodded, agreeing with Zhu Qingsha’s statement, then turned his gaze to Qin An: "Mr. Qin, why not continue exploring further?"

Since they knew where the clues were, continuing forward was naturally the only option.

Qin An drew forth the Cold Star without another word, simply continuing onward.

...

After walking for about half an hour, the mountain path suddenly opened up, revealing an immense clearing.

The clearing was vast, a single glance could comprehend everything.

There were no obstructions around, and in the center was a massive circular platform.

The platform was very high, reaching about twenty feet.

There was nothing on the platform, extremely clean.

From Qin An and his group’s perspective, the condition of the top couldn’t be seen clearly.

The three of them circled around the circular platform once, then decided to climb up and take a look.

This was the only anomaly, so without further ado, everyone used their body techniques to leap onto the platform.

Upon seeing the scene on the platform, all their brows furrowed deeply.

On the circular platform were carved stone pictures.

Each picture was extremely vivid; when pieced together, a complete stone painting unfolded before them.

Below the stone painting were human figures formed by giant stones.

They were bowing, praying, and even madly pounding their chests.

The place where the figures worshipped was a pile of burning bonfire.

Above the bonfire was a rectangular stone throne, and seated on the stone throne was a gigantic stone human.

"They seem to be worshiping?" Zhu Qingsha furrowed her brows.

The scene before them exceeded their understanding.

Qin An surveyed the images on the platform, suddenly bending to the ground, leaving a trace with his fingertips.

Wu Da, seeing the mark left by Qin An’s fingertip, suddenly widened his eyes.

"This is incense ash; I know, I understand what’s happening here. This stone platform is a sacrificial altar!"