She thought to herself about what consequences might arise if she turned back to sleep now, but in the end, she raised her hand and knocked on the door.

A mocking laugh from Grace Wood came from behind her. Was the central tower where the grandmaster resided really a place where just anyone could knock and be let in?

The door opened.

Watching Evelyn Foster calmly walk through that door, the proud and disdainful smile on Grace Wood's face instantly froze.

What was going on? She went in? Was that door really something you could just knock on and it would open? Wasn’t it true that ever since Lillian Clark angered the grandmaster during a visit, the door had never opened so easily again? That little disciple just now—how did she get in?

Thinking of those who died just by approaching, and then recalling how Evelyn Foster had just entered right under her nose, Grace Wood was filled with rage, her eyes nearly popping out as she suddenly stood up and rushed forward.

She had thought she was special, but that illusion was suddenly shattered. How could she bear it? She immediately wanted to follow and see what on earth Evelyn Foster was up to.

But as she stepped through the central tower’s door, a miserable scream burst from her lips, and she exploded into a cloud of blood mist.

Click.

Evelyn Foster shuddered and turned her head to glance back. Was that girl outside just now screaming? But the door was already closed; she couldn’t see outside.

On the stairs stood the ancestor, ghostly and expressionless. Seeing Evelyn Foster's expression, he gave a faint smile. “The person outside is dead.”

“Do you know why I killed her?” He turned and started up the stairs, and Evelyn Foster could only swallow nervously and force herself to follow.

“The others I killed mostly had greedy, ambitious, or foolish thoughts in their hearts. They were an eyesore, so I killed them. But that one just now was different—she had nothing at all... A puppet deliberately cultivated, of course she had nothing. Compared to those whose greed is obvious at a glance, I hate these mindless, soulless puppets even more. I can’t even muster the interest to kill her, but she was too noisy and annoyed me.”

For some reason, he was in the mood to talk to Evelyn Foster about these things, personally coming down to lead her upstairs, and even seemed rather easygoing.

The first time Evelyn Foster came here, she had reached the fifth floor and found no way forward. But this time, following the ancestor, she kept going up, and up, climbing twelve floors with no end in sight.

So tired, tired as a dog—how could someone with such a weak body still dare call themselves a cultivator?

Her original fear of the ancestor and the disgust from witnessing another death had, after ten flights of stairs, been completely replaced by exhaustion. She just felt tired, on the verge of collapse. Staying inside this building seemed even more unbearable than being outside.

The ancestor ahead still walked with that leisurely pace, not even glancing back. Evelyn Foster clung to the railing, crawling like a turtle, occasionally glancing at the ancestor’s back. His hair was long, black, and loose, and he wore the same clothes as before.

Evelyn Foster began to suspect he had never changed his clothes. If that was the case, wouldn’t the hem dragging on the ground be filthy by now? Black clothes really do hide dirt well.

At that moment, Brian Carter happened to turn and glance at her.

Evelyn Foster's face tightened. Wait, he has the truth-telling buff—he shouldn’t be able to read minds, right? She felt as nervous as she had during her first job interview after graduation.

“Your courage today is not as great as yesterday. You’re so frightened.”

Evelyn Foster wiped her sweat, thinking to herself, thank goodness—she was actually more afraid yesterday. Today, all this sweating wasn’t from fear, but from exhaustion.

“Are you very scared?”

Evelyn Foster felt like her mouth had a mind of its own and replied, “Not scared, just tired from climbing stairs.”

This jerk activated the truth-telling buff again! Does this truth-telling buff force an answer whenever it hears a questioning tone?

Brian Carter's expression turned a bit odd.

“Tired?” Just from this little bit of stairs? People from the Demon Domain are really weak.

Evelyn Foster clearly saw contempt in the ancestor’s eyes. Such an obvious and easy-to-read emotion—this was the first time she’d seen it on his face.

After climbing another five floors, Evelyn Foster collapsed. She thought the impatient ancestor would finish her off, but instead, he seemed to be stubbornly waiting beside her, as if curious to see how many more floors she could manage.

Evelyn Foster dragged herself up the stairs, feeling like the ancestor was just a bored person passing time by watching a hamster climb stairs.

Finally, they reached the twenty-second floor. It was still a vast, empty space, and it was enclosed. The most eye-catching thing inside was a red flame burning within a red lotus. The flame burned brightly, illuminating the entire space.

Chapter 8

Evelyn Foster was captivated by that red flame—it was truly a beautiful fire, almost magical.

She unconsciously became entranced, when suddenly a chill ran down the back of her neck, jolting her awake.

Brian Carter's hand was on her neck, cold as a corpse. He pressed her neck, gently guiding her forward, and Evelyn Foster could only stiffen her neck as he pushed her in front of the red lotus flame.