Chapter 398 - Great Elder (1/2)

*Ba-Dump*

*Ba-Dump*

*Ba-Dump*

Hao Xuan could literally hear his own heartbeat. It felt like it was in his throat, ready to jump out if he opened his mouth wide enough.

They had been flying for over 3 hours before arriving at their destination.

He looked down at the gigantic castle below and leaned in towards Ryfon. It was only them in the carriage right now so they could talk openly.

”Is this it?”

”Yeah, relax, he won't bite hahaha,” Ryfon patted his shoulder upon noticing the droplets of sweat forming on his forehead, but it was easier said than done.

The person Hao Xuan was going to meet was an actual hero for mankind. He was older than most kingdoms out there, so much so that barely anyone knew how old he was right now. He was apparently at least two realms higher than Ryfon who was a Profound Realm expert himself.

He had also fought in the last Great War. Hao Xuan didn't know the actual significance of those words but just hearing them made his heart beat faster. He taught Ryfon's father, the current King, and two of his older brothers and was considered to be a very respectable character by all the higher-ups of the academy as well as the three leading clans.

The carriage came to a stop and Hao Xuan felt a tug on his poor heart. he felt like throwing up for some reason.

Ryfon opened the door and jumped down.

”Come on, he's waiting,” he gestured towards Hao Xuan who reluctantly followed after.

The first thing he saw was the never-ending staircase in front of him in a world of ice and snow. It went up for more than a kilometer and connected to a gigantic castle on top of a mountain. There was a deep chasm underneath the stairs and the only way to get to the other side was either by flying to using the stairs. (Pic in authors notes)

From where they were standing, barely anything else was visible.

The sky was covered with white clouds and the cold wind filled with crystal-like snowflakes brushed passed their faces non-stop.

”Let's go.”

Ryfon took the lead and started walking up the stairs one by one. Each of the steps was the exact distance as the one before. The stairs looked like they were carved from one single rock and connected with one another seamlessly.

Hao Xuan took in a breath of cold air and followed. The only sound was coming from their footsteps and the howling, cold wind in this mountainous region. There were no beasts, no people, not even a single tree.

Step by step by step they went up in silence. There was not a single person in sight.

”No guards?” Hao Xuan asked curiously. A person of this caliber, wouldn't a few thousand guards be normal?

Ryfon chuckled, ”Guards? For what? If someone is able to fight with master toe-to-toe, no amount of guards will be able to stop them. After a certain level, guards don't matter. Only your own ability can guarantee your safety,” he explained without stopping or turning around.

Hao Xuan nodded and didn't ask anything else. It took them 15 minutes to reach the top where a red wooden gate waited.

Ryfon held his hands against the door and it opened on its own. It closed when both of them entered.

Inside, there was another staircase. This one even longer than the one outside. Ryfon obviously knew this and started walking without wasting any time.

This time it took them 40 minutes to reach the top where three more gates waited, these ones much smaller in size at about 4 meters of width and length each.

Ryfon went up to the middle door to knock but it opened on its own. He gestured towards Hao Xuan to follow and went inside.

Hao Xuan took another deep breath and tried to calm himself down but to no avail.

He went inside and the surroundings suddenly turned much darker. The door closed behind him.