The Final Gate

On the steps amidst the clouds, Zhou Chen carried Yun Yun on his back, advancing with steady steps.

Because they were so close, a few strands of her beautiful hair brushed against Zhou Chen's cheek, releasing a faint hair fragrance along with a subtle, feminine scent.

That was Yun Yun's unique body fragrance. Much like her persona, her body scent exuded a faint aroma akin to an orchid in a quiet valley.

"How many steps now?" Zhou Chen asked.

"We have passed three thousand steps."

"Three thousand steps already, yet there is still no sign of the summit. We are surrounded by a sea of clouds; we must be hundreds of meters above the ground," Zhou Chen said, glancing at the vast white clouds around them.

"Are you tired? If you are, take a break." Yun Yun took out a light blue handkerchief from her pocket, gently pressing it against Zhou Chen's forehead to wipe away his sweat.

"I'm not tired. Let's keep going and see how many more Gates of Life and Death will appear," Zhou Chen took a deep breath.

"I've noticed a pattern. The later the Gates of Life and Death, the stronger they become. The strength of the sect master in the final Gate of Life and Death has likely reached the threshold of a Dou Zong."

"How many Gates of Life and Death have we cleared?"

"Four... four gates. Only the last two remain."

Zhou Chen nodded. Yun Shan naturally did not have a Gate of Life and Death inheritance. The remaining ones who had not appeared were the second-generation sect master Yun Hongying and the founding ancestor Yun Potian.

"Didn't the remaining two mysteriously disappear without a trace? Could it be that the inheritance has already ended, and the final gate no longer exists?" Zhou Chen voiced his thoughts.

"I am not too sure about that either."

"Then if we reach five thousand steps and there is still no new Gate of Life and Death, we will rest for a bit and then leave, how about that?"

"Alright," Yun Yun nodded.

Yun Yun knew in her heart that Zhou Chen's words might be hard to realize. In the history of the Misty Cloud Sect, the best record was four thousand steps, achieved by the sect master Xing Shengtian, who was hailed as a super genius.

Xing Shengtian's soul strength was much stronger than that of ordinary people, even surpassing many alchemists. If it weren't for his Dou Qi lacking a wood attribute, he would have likely become a renowned alchemist.

With his strength, being able to reach four thousand steps was already an exceptionally good achievement. Yun Yun knew that as an alchemist, Zhou Chen's soul perception was much stronger than ordinary people's, but the possibility of him breaking the record of four thousand steps set by their predecessor was not high.

As time quietly passed, Zhou Chen began to feel a slight resistance. However, this resistance was extremely faint, almost non-existent. Had it not been for his powerful observation skills, it would have been difficult to detect.

"3,998."

"3,999."

"Exactly 4,000."

"4,001." Yun Yun silently counted the steps in her heart, her beautiful eyes slowly widening. "He actually did it, breaking the historical record of four thousand steps set by Xing Shengtian!"

Deeply shocked, Yun Yun looked at Zhou Chen's relaxed expression. There was only a light sweat on his face, which was highly likely caused by the physical effort of carrying her.

Four thousand steps was not his limit, nor did it place any pressure on him.

"Does he truly have no limit?" Yun Yun thought with a trace of panic. She knew Zhou Chen's soul perception was strong, but she had not expected it to be this formidable.

At this moment, Zhou Chen felt a great doubt in his heart. He was clear about his own soul perception strength, yet as he walked up these steps, he did not feel any strong resistance. This was somewhat unusual.

Could it be that because the Gates of Life and Death had existed for too long, the soul resistance on these later steps had dissipated?

Or perhaps because no one had ever reached this height, no obstacles had been set up on these later steps?

Dismissing these stray thoughts, Zhou Chen reached 4,500 steps, and then 5,000 steps.

This young sect master, with a relaxed expression, effortlessly broke the record of the Misty Cloud Sect.

"Five thousand steps, and still no end. This Gate of Life and Death is truly an unknown territory. Could it be endless?"

After carefully putting Yun Yun down, Zhou Chen lay flat on the steps, cushioning his head with his hands, and muttered as he stared at the vast white clouds filling the sky.

"Then let's rest for a moment and leave," Yun Yun said, leaning anxiously against the cliffside.

Zhou Chen reached out his hand to Yun Yun. "Yun'er, right beside these steps is an abyss. I plan to take a quick nap. You must hold onto me tightly, otherwise we won't be able to get married."

Seeing the faint smile on Zhou Chen's face, Yun Yun somewhat slowly took his hand, pulling him slightly closer.

Feeling the soft warmth of Yun Yun's palm, Zhou Chen was highly satisfied, staring at her with an appreciative, slightly mischievous gaze.

"What are you looking at?" Yun Yun turned her body slightly away.

"Admiring a beautiful figure."

"Pervert, are you finally dropping your act?" Yun Yun glared at him.

Zhou Chen laughed even heartier. Was there anything he hadn't seen before?

His hearty laughter echoed in the high sky, and Yun Yun also relaxed because of his laughter. However, his laughter did not last long before it came to an abrupt, rigid halt.

Like a running machine suddenly forced to a stop, Zhou Chen's expression froze, quickly turning serious.

"What's wrong?" Yun Yun also grew tense.

Zhou Chen's storage ring was trembling violently. He could feel that the Eight-Winged Black Serpent Emperor and Xing Xing had unleashed their battle intent.

"Holy Son, where on earth are you? There is the aura of a powerful expert here!" the Eight-Winged Black Serpent Emperor warned from within the ring.

"Even you are this tense. It seems there is indeed another Gate of Life and Death further up! And it is much stronger than any of the previous ones!" Zhou Chen quickly stood up. Pointing a finger, he shot a beam of fiery Qi forward, clearing a straight path and dispersing much of the surrounding white clouds.

In the distance, Zhou Chen could faintly see a materialized gate!

"There is a gate." Seeing Zhou Chen's reaction, Yun Yun also hurriedly stood up. A gate had indeed appeared.

After exchanging a tacit glance, the two decided to proceed. Since they had come this far, there was no reason to turn back halfway.

As they drew closer, Yun Yun discovered that this gate was different from any of the Gates of Life and Death they had seen before. The previous gates had all been summoned, appearing alongside energy vortexes.

Zhou Chen lowered his steps, shielding Yun Yun behind him as he cautiously approached the gate. This gate was more accurately described as a mere doorframe, with the center completely empty.

The material of the frame was highly ordinary, offering no special sensation to the touch. The patterns on it were just natural stone veins, as plain as could be.

"Is this the final gate? Why does it look so ordinary..."