A burning desert emerged on the left, the heat waves distorting the air, and Atum's low roar echoed from the depths of the dunes.

That was the trial of strength, requiring pure power to crush the powerful enemies within the illusion;

On the right was a frozen sea of stars, where countless ice crystals reflected her deepest inner fears.

That was the trial of the state of mind, requiring absolute calm to break through the inner demons;

The stairs ahead were directly broken, with an endless void below, leaving only several floating star stones as footing.

That was the trial of wisdom, requiring the calculation of all the star stones' trajectories in an instant to make precise leaps.

"Split up." Bai Cheng did not hesitate. "These trials must be passed simultaneously, or the stairs will not be completed."

Blue Bird grinned, lightning exploding. "Leave it to me!"

She leaped into the burning desert, her Thunder Spear transforming into a roaring dragon, colliding violently with the Atum in the illusion.

Zi Yuan's long blade hummed softly as she stepped into the frozen sea of stars.

With every step she took, purple lightning cracks bloomed on the ice surface beneath her feet, and those reflected illusions of fear shattered silently before her blade.

Leng Ningxue directly froze an ice bridge, connecting the broken stairs.

Standing at the head of the bridge, her icy eyes swept over the void below. "The star stone trajectories have been calculated. Bai Cheng, go!"

The spatial patterns clearly emerged within Bai Cheng's silver eyes.

She leaped out, her figure flickering several times in the void, precisely stepping onto every moving star stone.

The small stream of Power of Faith played a subtle role at this moment.

It made her perception of space more acute, even allowing her to predict the next position where a star stone would flash into existence.

Three steps, five steps, ten steps... By the time she stepped onto the opposite bank, Blue Bird had defeated the desert illusion, and Zi Yuan had slashed through all the ice mirrors of the inner demons.

The broken stairs reconnected and continued to extend upward.

"Nice coordination." Blue Bird shook her wrist, lightning crackling at her fingertips.

"It's only just beginning." Leng Ningxue looked toward the higher reaches. "There are three thousand heart-questioning steps in total, and we've only passed five hundred. The higher we go, the more dangerous the trials become."

Bai Cheng looked up.

The Spiral High Tower still showed no sign of its top, the stairs winding through the starry sky as if leading to the end of the universe.

But she could feel that the so-called 'Final Chapter of the Era' at the top of the tower was emitting an indescribable attraction.

Within that attraction was a mixture of the temptation of truth and deadly danger.

"Continue," she said.

The six of them stepped onto the stairs once more.

Step five hundred and one, five hundred and two, five hundred and three... Illusions and trials appeared alternately: sometimes it was an ancient riddle that had to be answered, where a wrong answer would cause the stairs to collapse;

Sometimes it was a soul interrogation that had to be endured, where any hesitation would mean being trapped in the illusion forever;

Sometimes it was a resonance of laws that required cooperation, where a mistake in coordination would injure the entire team.

Each time, they broke through by relying on their mutual trust and chemistry.

As they crossed the thousandth step, a sudden change occurred.

On both sides of the stairs, two figures identical to them suddenly emerged.

No, it wasn't just their appearance; even their aura, abilities, and combat habits were exactly the same!

On the left, the 'Bai Cheng' had cold silver eyes, her spatial blades tearing through the starlight;

On the right, the 'Blue Bird's' Thunder Spear roared, arcs of electricity tearing open the stairs.

"Mirror replicas." Leng Ningxue's icy eyes turned cold. "The heart-questioning steps are copying us!"

"Then let's fight!" Blue Bird barked, her Thunder Spear thrusting directly at her counterpart.

But the replica's reaction was perfectly synchronized with hers, thrusting a spear back in the same manner.

The two spears collided, lightning exploded, and both retreated three steps simultaneously.

On the other side, Bai Cheng had already exchanged dozens of blows with her own replica.

Space folding against space folding, space collapse against space collapse—every move was perfectly predicted and perfectly replicated.

"This will go on forever at this rate!" Zi Yuan forced back her replica with a blade strike, panting. "Their power seems inexhaustible!"

Bai Cheng's silver eyes swept over the battlefield.

Indeed, the replicas showed no signs of fatigue; instead, they fought with increasing vigor.

Meanwhile, after continuous trials, their own strength was being steadily consumed.

They had to find a way to break the deadlock.

She closed her eyes and sank her perception into that small stream of Power of Faith.

This time, she didn't just feel its warmth; she actively guided it, letting it resonate with her own spatial origin.

A miraculous change occurred.

The stream of Power of Faith began to actively organize the Power of Space within her body. Those energy pathways, slightly disordered from the continuous fighting, became smooth and condensed once more under its nourishment.

More importantly, when her spatial origin resonated deeply with the Power of Faith, a microscopic stagnation appeared in the replica's aura!

"They cannot replicate the Power of Faith!" Bai Cheng realized instantly. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

The replicas could mimic her spatial abilities, Blue Bird's lightning, Zi Yuan's blade intent, Ning Xue's frost, Lu Duo's life force, and Yu Nian's vines... but the Power of Faith originated from the trust and hope of the desert survivors, from those entrusted beliefs.

That was a connection unique to her, one that could not be copied!

"Everyone, ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) resonate your power with mine!" Bai Cheng shouted.

Without hesitation, Blue Bird's lightning, Zi Yuan's blade intent, Leng Ningxue's frost, Lu Duo's life force, and Yu Nian's vines all surged toward Bai Cheng simultaneously.

The six forces gathered within her body without conflict, instead reaching a subtle harmony under the guidance of the Power of Faith.

Bai Cheng opened her eyes.

Within her silver eyes, the light of faith shone like stars.

She raised her hand, palm upward in a posture resembling the desert statues.

An invisible ripple spread out.

All the replicas froze at once, and fine cracks began to appear on them like a shattered mirror.

"Break," Bai Cheng whispered softly.

The replicas disintegrated silently, dissipating into a sky full of light specks.

The stairs returned to tranquility.

Blue Bird breathed heavily, leaning her Thunder Spear on the ground. "Whew... finally dealt with that."

"It's not over yet." Leng Ningxue looked toward the higher reaches. "We've only passed a thousand steps."

Bai Cheng also looked up.

Under the starlight, the Spiral High Tower remained majestic.

And the Tower Guardian's eyes of starlight watched quietly from the base of the tower, as calm as a deep well.

"Continue." Bai Cheng stepped forward again.

This time, her steps were even firmer.

The Power of Faith flowed cheerfully within her body, like the warm wind of a desert night, silently speaking to her.

Though the road ahead was dangerous, she was not alone.

Those entrusted beliefs, those companions at her side, those oaths of protection... these were her true strength.

Upon the three thousand heart-questioning steps, starlight surged like a tide.

When the illusion of the final trial dissipated, Bai Cheng and her companions finally stepped onto the summit of the high tower.

Before them were no longer flowing stairs, but a boundless, silent void. In the center floated an ancient scroll woven from starlight.

The Final Chapter of the Era.

The pages turned without wind, the characters upon them moving like living things, emitting a vast and desolate aura.

Bai Cheng's silver eyes narrowed slightly as she walked forward slowly.

Before her outstretched fingertips could touch the scroll, the starlight on its surface rippled like water, transforming into a wisp of flowing light that entered her brow.

Countless fragmented images and whispers instantly flooded in.

It was the final elegy of an annihilated civilization, the origin of the Abyss's gaze, and fragments of the sealed truth... "I found it," she whispered softly, her gaze as calm as an abyss.

Behind her, the others stood quietly, starlight casting a faint glow on their shoulders.

The Tower Guardian beneath the tower remained silent, with only the vast sea of stars slowly revolving within the hall.