Far from the location of the Mountain King Wheel, there was no ice or bitter wind—only the clear, rippling waters of a lake and the lush greenery filled with birdsong and floral fragrance.
Yet amidst this picturesque scenery, there lay an enormous, terrifying crater. Like a festering sore, it marred the pristine landscape.
Upon closer inspection, at the bottom of the crater lay a woman, her eyes open but vacant as she stared at the sky.
The sound of light footsteps made her pupils tremble slightly, but she made no other movement.
"Amos, it's time. The people from Treasure Island are here."
A man clad in white armor knelt beside her on one knee, gently caressing her beautiful face.
After a long pause, the woman finally whispered, "Is Adam taken care of?"
The man nodded. "Yes."
For some reason, his eyes held not only grief but also an indescribable strangeness as he answered.
Without any visible effort, the woman slowly sat upright, her movements stiff and deliberate."I want revenge."
Her voice was calm, betraying no emotion. But the man, who knew his wife intimately, understood that her heart was now consumed by hatred. She needed an outlet.
"So do I. But we can't." The man stood up. "Amos, you know where our power comes from. The one who killed our only son may not be our match, but we don't have time to hunt him down."
"The source of our strength requires us to fulfill other obligations—ones we already agreed to."
Amos's expression flickered slightly. She lowered her gaze to the bottom of the massive crater she had created, where remnants of terrifying energy still lingered.
"Let's go, Amos." The man extended his hand. "Whoever killed Adam is no ordinary person. We can be certain he’ll head there too. All we need to do is wait."
"Are you sure?"
Amos looked up at her husband.
"I’m certain." The man lifted her tenderly into his arms. "We were the first to use the entry passes. By then, we’ll be even stronger than we are now. We’ll wait for him in the arena... and kill him!"
……………………………………………………
After passing through the gate, Cloud Peak arrived at a mountainside.
Everyone was certain this was no longer the Wheel Space—at least, not the previous enclosed dimension—because from here, they could see the full silhouette of the mountain peak.
At its summit, a massive wheel shimmered brilliantly.
"The ring-shaped mountain path is twenty meters wide and perfectly symmetrical. Every five hundred meters, there’s a stone staircase leading to the summit. Each step is a two-meter by two-meter square. Currently, we can’t ascend—blocked by an invisible force."
After listening to Xiao Min’s report, Ye Zhongming nodded.
The team had rested and regrouped before passing through the gate to arrive here. They soon realized that, whether due to timing or other restrictions, they were now confined to this ring-shaped mountain path.
"Rest here for now. Stay alert."
After issuing the order, Ye Zhongming checked on the Undead Dragon-fish, which had fallen into deep slumber after its victory, and the still-unconscious Talking Lady, awaiting the next prompt from this space.
However, after two hours of tense waiting, what arrived wasn’t the opening of the space, but another team.
Governor Spade’s faction.
Given the peculiar circumstances, both sides immediately assumed defensive postures upon sighting each other.
Governor Spade’s massive, mountain-like body stared in their direction for a full thirty seconds before he finally waved his team back, maintaining a safe distance.
Everyone understood: if the order of arrival here was determined by the time taken to pass the trials, then the first team to reach this place was either the strongest or among the strongest. Without knowing what lay ahead, reckless action was the least wise choice.
Thus, Governor Spade retreated, and Ye Zhongming refrained from provoking conflict.
Both sides waited, anticipating the next "game."
Soon, a third team appeared—an entire army of mechanical combat puppets. After observing for a long time, Ye Zhongming found no trace of any actual evolved among them, which immediately raised his guard.
Like before, this all-mechanical force appeared on the opposite side of Cloud Peak. After a tense standoff, they withdrew to one section of the ring-shaped path.
Then came the fourth, fifth, sixth...
Cannibal Chain, Gyanendra, and the foreign faction, the Motley Crusaders, arrived in succession, ranking fifth, eighth, and tenth, respectively.
As more and more factions appeared along the ring-shaped path, Ye Zhongming suddenly asked Xiao Min, "How many stone staircases lead up the mountain?"
Xiao Min froze for a moment before answering promptly, "Seven."
Even those who hadn’t fully grasped Ye Zhongming’s implication now understood.
With over fifteen teams already present—and possibly more to come—but only seven paths upward...
Who would ascend?
Everyone wanted to go up, and no one would willingly yield their path to others. So then...
Sure enough, when the number of arriving teams reached twenty, the Wheel’s announcement sounded.
"Now begins the Death Staircase Contest."
A single sentence sent waves of tension through all factions on the ring-shaped path.
Contest. Death.
Two words made it clear: the surrounding factions were now their enemies.
The two leaders of Cannibal Chain, who had been standing near Ye Zhongming, exchanged bitter smiles.
They had hoped to cooperate with Cloud Peak. Now, the best they could hope for was to avoid attacking each other.
But since the Wheel’s rules weren’t fully announced yet, they held onto a sliver of hope—what if collaboration was still possible?
"The paths to victory are few. Here, there are only seven."
"To reach the final summit, you must pass through these staircases. Each can accommodate only one faction. Securing passage rights is the sole method."
"Passage rights can be obtained by fulfilling one of the following conditions:"
"1. Occupy a staircase uncontested for five minutes."
"2. Repel five attempts by other factions to seize it."
"3. Eliminate over 5,000 rival evolved in the contest."
"4. Be among the last seven surviving factions."
As the rules were announced, every faction fell into contemplation. Though seemingly straightforward, these rules contained exploitable nuances that could make the coming battles much easier.
"The Death Staircase Contest begins in thirty seconds. The final seven factions to secure passage rights will receive rewards upon reaching the summit."
"30... 29... 28..."