"Ning Xue, calculate the spatial curvature of that coordinate point!"

"Calculating... Curvature anomaly detected. There is a hidden Folded Cloud Ladder! It is another type of ascending current!"

"All hands, turn right 37 degrees! Overload the engines and charge in!"

The dawn forcibly veered off course, plunging into that seemingly ordinary layer of clouds just an instant before the black tornadoes closed in.

In an instant, the world spun.

Everyone on board felt a powerful sensation of spatial folding, as if their bodies were being stretched and then compressed.

Outside the portholes was no longer a sea of clouds, but a spiraling, transparent passage composed of flowing light patterns. A Folded Cloud Ladder!

"We made it!" Blue Bird flashed back into the ship, her lightning wings folding. "We're in!"

The Cloud Ladder ascended steadily, faster than a Cloud Whale's breath. Through the transparent walls of the passage, a panoramic view of the White Sea outside was visible:

Boundless waves of clouds, clusters of floating islands in the distance, and the faintly visible second layer of cloud sea further up—the brighter, more ethereal silhouette of the White-White Sea.

But the crisis was not over.

The Folded Cloud Ladder was not absolutely safe. Twisted faces, shadows of broken weapons, and even fragments of war scenes flickered on the passage walls from time to time.

These were the lingering obsessions of beings who had fallen here during the ancient Star Sea War.

"Don't look at those images!" Yu Nian warned, her pure heart vine emitting stronger waves of tranquility. "They will erode your mind!"

Bai Cheng, however, took the initiative to gaze at the flashing images.

She saw warriors dressed in the attire of the Kingdom of God fighting invaders, saw the Lord of the Sky standing with a sword atop the Thousand Tower Forest, and saw the tragic yet resolute ceremony when the seal descended...

"These are... memory fragments of the fall of the Kingdom of God," she whispered. "They are warning us, and they are telling a story."

Suddenly, a golden barrier appeared ahead in the passage. Ancient script surfaced on the barrier—the language of the Kingdom of God.

Leng Ningxue quickly translated: "Latecomers, if you wish to set foot on the Island of God, you must answer. Why did the war begin? Why was the judgment unjust?"

This was part of the trial.

Bai Cheng fell silent for a moment, then spoke clearly:

"War begins due to greed and suspicion, and expands because of the breakdown of communication and trust.

Judgment is unjust not because the laws are biased, but because the truth is hidden, hearts are deceived, and obsessions have blinded the Scales."

The barrier remained silent for a few seconds before slowly dissipating.

The Folded Cloud Ladder reached its end.

The dawn burst out of the passage, and the view suddenly opened up.

They had arrived above the White Sea. The White-White Sea!

The cloud layers here were thinner and more translucent, emitting a holy golden halo.

Gravity had almost vanished. Countless floating islands of various sizes and shapes were scattered across the cloud sea like pearls.

And in the far distance, a colossal island, majestic beyond imagination, floated atop the cloud sea. Thousands of white towers, piercing the clouds, stood tall upon it. The Thousand Tower Forest, the Island of God! 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

But between them lay the vast White-White Sea, and...

Three Trial Islands arranged in a triangle, each emitting a different aura of danger.

"The second trial, the 【Trial Islands】," Bai Cheng looked at the three islands. "We need to choose one and defeat the Guardian Shadow within."

The three islands were vastly different in style.

The one on the left was shrouded in a never-ending blade storm, with countless weapon shadows faintly visible flying within, filled with murderous intent.

The middle one was silent, its surface covered in mirror-smooth crystals reflecting the sky and the cloud sea, yet giving off a profound sense of mystery.

The one on the right was teeming with life, covered in dense vegetation, with waterfalls cascading from the island's edge and turning into mist.

But at the center of the island, a heart-palpitating dark aura permeated, as if it could devour all vitality.

"Island of Swords, Island of Mirrors, Island of Life," Leng Ningxue analyzed the detection data.

"Based on fragments of ancient Cloud Hidden Clan texts and the fluctuations of the White Sea's laws: the Guardian Shadow of the Island of Swords should be a fallen God of War or Sword Saint level being;"

"The Island of Mirrors may be related to the laws of reality and illusion;"

"The Island of Life... is likely a polluted source of life, or some kind of taboo existence that devours life."

"Miss, which one do we choose?" Zi Yuan gripped her hilt, her fighting spirit rising.

Bai Cheng's gaze shifted between the three islands.

The Island of Swords tested pure strength and combat skills; it might be the most direct, but also the most dangerous.

The Island of Mirrors tested mind and perception; it might not involve direct combat, but once lost, there would be no return.

The Island of Life tested the understanding of the essence of life and purification abilities, relating to the powers of Yu Nian and Lu Duo, but that dark aura was unsettling.

She looked at her companions.

Zi Yuan and Blue Bird were clearly leaning toward the Island of Swords.

Yu Nian and Lu Duo exchanged a look, feeling both concern and responsibility toward the Island of Life.

Leng Ningxue's icy eyes were calm; she seemed prepared for any choice.

Bai Cheng finally made her decision.

"We're going to the Island of Life."

"Eh?" Blue Bird was taken aback. "Miss, why not the Island of Swords? We're not afraid of [N O V E L I G H T] a fight!"

Bai Cheng explained, "There are three reasons for choosing the Island of Life."

"First, the dark aura of the Island of Life may share a common origin with the corrosion encountered in the Emerald Sea and the sins of the Lei Hai Floating Island.

Solving it might grant us experience in countering similar threats."

"Second, Yu Nian's pure heart vine and Lu Duo's Emerald Radiance have a natural advantage in the domain of the Law of Life. This is a rational use of the team's strength."

"Third, and most importantly." She looked toward the writhing darkness at the center of the Island of Life.

"I can feel it... there's a voice crying there.

It's not an evil roar, but... a cry of pain from being polluted and twisted.

It might not be an enemy, but a victim."

Yu Nian nodded vigorously. "I felt it too!

Deep within that darkness, there are very pure fluctuations of life's essence, only wrapped and polluted by something..."

"Then it's settled." Bai Cheng turned around. "dawn, target: Island of Life. Advance."

The silvery-white warship cut through the golden sea of clouds, sailing toward the island where life and death coexisted.

What they didn't know was that in the deeper reaches of the White-White Sea, in the shadows beneath the cloud sea, several pairs of eyes were silently watching their choice.

These were the White Sea Remnants, even older and more secretive than the Cloud Hidden Clan, descendants of survivors who had chosen different paths after the fall of the Kingdom of God.

One of the figures whispered to themselves:

"Choosing the Trial of Life... interesting."

"Let me see if the person bearing the Six-Star Echo and the weight of the Scales can break the curse of the Life-Devouring Cocoon."

"If they succeed... perhaps it really is time for the truth of the Kingdom of God to see the light of day again."

The wind of the White-White Sea, carrying ancient desolation and waiting, gently brushed past the silent white towers of the Thousand Tower Forest.

The trial continues.