Trial Ladder

Ye Chuan's gaze swept across the plaza and soon landed on the nearby camp of the Taichu Holy Land.

Ji Lingxuan, dressed in a moon-white brocade robe, stood at the very front. Behind her were Master Taichu and several supreme elders. Even though the atmosphere in the plaza was tense and explosive, they remained as steady as Mount Tai.

Ji Lingxuan also spotted Ye Chuan immediately. Her previously tense face instantly relaxed, and she walked briskly toward him, her eyes filled with unconcealed joy and relief.

"Ye Chuan! You're finally here!" Ji Lingxuan walked up to him and looked him up and down. After confirming he was completely unharmed, she finally let out a sigh of relief.

"I was just planning to take some people to find you after entering the small world. You didn't run into any danger, did you?"

"None at all. Were you worried about me?" Ye Chuan smiled.

"Of course," Ji Lingxuan smiled, but then felt her words sounded a bit strange. She coughed lightly and said, "It seems all the major Holy Lands have arrived, except for the Myriad Poisons Holy Land."

The patriarch and several core elders of the Myriad Poisons Holy Land had not shown up; only a few low-ranking disciples were present. This made Ji Lingxuan feel very strange.

At this time, Master Taichu, who had been following behind her, also walked over slowly. "Kid Ye, I trust you have been well."

"You are too polite, Patriarch Taichu," Ye Chuan said. His gaze turned toward the stone coffin in the center of the plaza again, and he raised an eyebrow. "I just got here. What's the situation?"

"It has been nearly two hours since the pillar of light appeared, and the stone coffin has remained like this without any movement," Ji Lingxuan immediately explained, a trace of solemnity on her face. "The patriarch and I tried to investigate it with our divine sense, but our senses were blocked. We are not very clear about the situation inside."

Master Taichu also added in a deep voice, "This old man also noticed that the origin of this small world has completely merged with the stone coffin."

"The souls and life origins of us cultivators who have entered this small world are being silently absorbed by the stone coffin. It's just that the speed is extremely slow and hard to detect."

"In this old man's opinion, this is not a place of inheritance at all, but a complete trap."

As soon as these words came out, the faces of several sect elders who were eavesdropping nearby instantly turned pale. They subconsciously circulated their cultivation methods to protect their souls. The greed in their eyes as they looked at the stone coffin faded significantly, leaving only wariness.

However, most of the cultivators in the plaza were still blinded by the inheritance of a half-step immortal almighty. Even knowing the risks, they could not bear to give up this chance to reach the heavens in a single bound.

After all, the cultivation world was about defying the heavens, and wealth was found in danger. Even if there was only a one in ten thousand chance of obtaining the inheritance, they were willing to take the gamble.

"Inheritance? How do we take it? We can't just go up and open the coffin, right?" Ye Chuan stroked his chin. Just as he was speaking, the stone coffin in the center of the plaza suddenly trembled violently!

"Buzz---!!!"

A deafening hum rang out. The golden pillar of light that pierced the heavens and the earth instantly expanded, and a brilliant golden light swept across the entire plaza!

Countless ancient runes instantly lit up on the stone coffin, spreading along the golden chains binding it. The grand cosmic star formation across the entire plaza was also completely activated at the same time!

A vast, majestic aura that looked down upon the world erupted from the stone coffin!

Following that, a blurry golden phantom slowly rose from the stone coffin, hovering above the curtain of light.

The phantom was dressed in a dark imperial robe. Its face was blurry, and its features could not be seen clearly, but just standing there made all the cultivators in the plaza feel an oppressive pressure originating from the depths of their souls.

Even Ascension Realm almighties like Master Taichu and Sword Master subconsciously tensed their bodies, their spiritual energy instantly circulating to the extreme.

This was Almighty Xuanqiong! The supreme powerhouse who had single-handedly subdued the four great divine continents ten thousand years ago and taken a half-step into the immortal path!

"It's the dharma body of Almighty Xuanqiong!" Ji Lingxuan instantly gripped the folding fan at her waist and cried out in shock, her eyes filled with astonishment.

The plaza instantly fell dead silent. All the cultivators held their breath and knelt on the ground in unison, bowing to the phantom. They didn't even dare to raise their heads, afraid of offending this ancient almighty.

Only a few people, such as Ye Chuan, Master Taichu, and Sword Master, remained standing where they were, looking at the phantom with calm expressions.

The phantom of Almighty Xuanqiong slowly raised his hand, and a majestic voice, like the booming of an ancient bell, echoed throughout the entire plaza, even spreading to every corner of this small world:

"After ten thousand years, visitors have finally arrived."

"I am Xuanqiong. My lifelong Dao principles are all hidden here. My serendipity can only be obtained by those who are destined."

"If you seek the Great Dao, you must first climb the Heavenly Ladder."

"The one who reaches the top shall be my chosen successor. My lifelong inheritance and the method to ascend to the upper realm will all be bestowed upon them."

The moment his voice fell, the phantom waved his hand, and a brilliant golden divine light fell from his fingertips onto the ground of the plaza in front of the stone coffin.

"Rumble---!!!"

The earth trembled as a staircase forged from pure golden Dao principles slowly rose from the ground, extending all the way up into the curtain of light where the stone coffin was located.

The end of the staircase could not be seen at a glance. Every step was carved with profound ancient runes, flowing with a faint golden light. A terrifying pressure of Dao principles slowly emanated from the staircase.

This was the Dao Principle Heavenly Ladder that Almighty Xuanqiong spoke of!

After speaking, the phantom slowly restrained its aura and turned back into a ray of golden light, falling back into the stone coffin. It left only the Heavenly Ladder that reached straight to the sky, standing quietly in the center of the plaza.

After a brief deathly silence, the entire plaza instantly erupted!

"The Heavenly Ladder! It really is an inheritance trial!"

"As long as we reach the top, we can get Almighty Xuanqiong's inheritance! And the method to ascend to the upper realm!"

"Our chance is here! So what if they are the prodigies of the Holy Lands? This trial tests Dao heart and destiny, so it might just be our turn!"

Countless rogue cultivators instantly had red eyes, their faces full of fanaticism and excitement.

Most of them might not even touch the threshold of the Tribulation Crossing Realm in their entire lives. Now that they had such an opportunity to reach the heavens in a single bound, they would dare to brave a mountain of swords and a sea of fire!

It was unknown who shouted first, but countless cultivators rushed toward the Heavenly Ladder like a tide, scrambling to step onto the first stair.

But the moment their feet landed on the stair, the terrifying pressure of the Dao principles instantly descended!

"Pfft---!!!"

The dozen or so cultivators charging at the very front did not even let out a scream before their physical bodies were directly crushed by this terrifying pressure. Blood splattered all over the golden stairs, and their souls were instantly pulverized, leaving them without even the chance for reincarnation.

The cultivators behind them instantly froze in their tracks. The fanaticism on their faces instantly turned into extreme terror, and they abruptly stopped in front of the stairs, not daring to take another step forward.

However, there were still cultivators who refused to believe it. Gritting their teeth, they circulated their spiritual energy and stepped onto the stairs again.

"I don't care anymore!"

In just a quarter of an hour, the bottom of the Heavenly Ladder was littered with the corpses of cultivators, and blood dyed the stairs red. Yet, there were still countless cultivators rushing upward one after another, only to be crushed or forced back by the pressure.

How was this a Heavenly Ladder of destiny? It was clearly a road to the underworld!

At the edge of the square, Ji Lingxuan clicked his tongue as he took in the brutal scene before him.

"Good lord, this isn't picking a successor at all. They're just sifting the wheat from the chaff."

"I think I'll go up and take a look too," Ye Chuan said after watching the spectacle unfold.