"Young Master..." Jing Shu's words were cut short as Yue Ran pushed her aside to help Xiao Man up.
"Aunt Jing Shu, is something wrong?" Yue Ran pulled Xiao Man to her feet, dusting off the residue of medicine on her clothes. "Yang Wei, bring a bucket of hot water into the room. Second Brother, you should wash up first."
"Alright."
Xiao Man nodded at Jing Shu as a greeting, then turned and went into the room. Yang Wei and Liu Han carried a bucket of water in and closed the door behind them.
"Aunt Jing Shu, is there something else?"
"Young Master, the Madam sent four maidservants to attend to Junior Brother Xiao Qin," Yang Wei explained.
Yue Ran's gaze fell on the four beautiful maidservants behind Jing Shu, her eyes devoid of emotion. She walked to Xiao Man's door and knocked. "Second Brother, my mother sent some maidservants. Do you want them to serve you?"
"No need. Please thank Madam for me."
"Aunt Jing Shu, Second Brother says she doesn't want them. Take them away," Yue Ran said lazily. "And, in the future, don't bring people to my courtyard. I don't like others stepping into my courtyard. You watched me grow up, how can you still make such a mistake?"
Jing Shu choked for a moment. Just as she was about to explain, she saw Yue Ran's expression turn cold and immediately complied. "Yes, Young Master. This servant will report back."
"Yang Wei, escort Aunt Jing Shu out."
After Xiao Man finished washing up, Yue Ran had also cleaned herself.
"Second Brother, let's go to the Purgatory Tower."
"How long does it take to challenge the Purgatory Tower?"
"It depends on one's ability. For someone like me, entering the Purgatory Tower and ascending from the first floor to the sixth took four days," Yue Ran said proudly. "Yue Zhong reached the fourth level in ten days. However, with Second Brother's skill, I believe it will take you about the same time as me to reach the sixth level."
"Do you have any insights into challenging the Purgatory Tower?" Xiao Man inquired.
"Insights? None," Yue Ran replied cheerfully. "I just fought my way up. The difficulty increased from the fourth level onwards. I got stuck on the sixth level. The sixth level is an illusion array, and no matter how I tried, I couldn't get out, so I was stuck there."
"What is the highest record in the Purgatory Tower?"
"Seventeen. My father."
"Your father only reached seventeen? This Purgatory Tower isn't easy to challenge," Xiao Man pursed her lips. "However, I still have to try."
"I reached the sixth level last time. This time, I will enter directly at the sixth level. You are entering for the first time, so you have to start from the first level. I will wait for you at the sixth level. Can you manage on your own?"
"It should be fine."
Standing before the Purgatory Tower, Xiao Man felt a stir in her dantian. A flicker of light flashed in her eyes. She could actually sense Chen An's soul here. Could it be that Chen An's soul was hidden within this Purgatory Tower?
"Second Brother, this is the Purgatory Tower. Cultivators at the Golden Core stage can enter and exit freely," Yue Ran explained to Xiao Man. "The first level of the Purgatory Tower is a Green Fiend Beast that breathes fire. With Second Brother's strength, it shouldn't be a problem."
Xiao Man nodded. "What about the second level?"
"The second level is a stake array. You just need to pass it. From the third level onwards, there are high-level demonic beasts guarding it, specifically an Iron-Backed Bear. It is incredibly strong and has very high defense. I spent half a day at the third level before defeating it," Yue Ran frowned when she mentioned the Iron-Backed Bear. It was a difficult opponent. If she could accompany Second Brother inside, defeating the Iron-Backed Bear would be a piece of cake.
"Alright, I know."
"I haven't told you about the fourth and fifth levels yet."
"You wait for me at the sixth level. The levels beyond the sixth are the truly difficult ones. If I'm defeated early on, I won't be qualified to accompany you further."
"That's true. I believe in you, Second Brother. I'll wait for you on the sixth level."
The two entered the Purgatory Tower together. Yue Ran went directly to the sixth level, while Xiao Man had to ascend from the first level. As soon as Xiao Man entered the Purgatory Tower, she felt the residual soul fluctuations in her dantian grow stronger. Indeed, Chen An's soul should be in this Purgatory Tower, but she didn't know which level it was sealed on.
Yue Ran sat at the entrance of the sixth level, gazing expectantly at the entrance, waiting for Xiao Man to ascend.
"Anyway, it will take Second Brother some time to get here. I'll clear the sixth level first. When Second Brother arrives, we can go up to the seventh level together... No, what if I clear the sixth level and they don't let me stay here anymore?"
Yue Ran paced back and forth, her mood agitated. She wanted to go down and take a look, but the door was one-way, not two-way. Xiao Man could come up from below, but she couldn't go down.
Suddenly, the guardian beast of the sixth level became restless. Yue Ran had been to the sixth level before. After arriving, she didn't challenge it, choosing to sit, stand, or lie in a corner, completely disregarding the Blood-Eyed Silver Wolf. The Blood-Eyed Silver Wolf was a high-level demonic beast, skilled in illusions. Without breaking the illusion array, one couldn't pass the sixth level.
It had initially wanted to finish quickly, but after Yue Ran arrived, she either slept or talked to herself, completely ignoring it. How could this not anger it?
"Why are you roaring? I'm not in the mood to fight you now. The illusion array is my weakness," Yue Ran said lazily. Many elders in the clan had reached level ten. With her ability, she should have reached level ten long ago, but she was stuck at the illusion array on the sixth level.
"If you're not fighting, get out!"
"I'm not getting out!" Yue Ran changed her position and lay down. "I'm waiting for someone here."
"Waiting for whom?"
"For someone you'd be afraid of!"
The Blood-Eyed Silver Wolf almost laughed at these words. Even Yue Tianxia, Yue Ran's father, didn't scare it. In this Heavenly Sword Sect, who else could make it afraid?
"Who is it?"
"My Second Brother."
"You have a Second Brother?" The Blood-Eyed Silver Wolf conjured a massive wolf head and stared at Yue Ran. "Yue Tianxia had quite a few sons. If I remember correctly, there wasn't a second one."
"Sworn Second Brother."
"Oh, you don't have enough brothers at home, so you went out to recognize more!" the Blood-Eyed Silver Wolf mocked. "Aren't you afraid of being eaten without even a bone left?"
"Don't think I won't hold it against you just because you're an animal!" Yue Ran glanced at the Blood-Eyed Silver Wolf. "My mother only gave birth to me, she didn't give me any other brothers."
The Blood-Eyed Silver Wolf chuckled. "Even if your father, Yue Tianxia himself, came here, I wouldn't be afraid, let alone some inexperienced brat."
"Keep being stubborn. When my Second Brother comes up, she'll beat you until you're crawling on the floor," Yue Ran snorted. "Just you wait."
"How long do I have to wait?"
"Three days at most."
"Three days..." The Blood-Eyed Silver Wolf's brows furrowed slightly. "Someone has reached the third level. They're quite fast. When you first reached the third level, it took you a whole day. But this person reached the third level in less than an hour."