Ladder to Heaven

Their utterly unconcerned demeanor, contrasted with the wary reactions of those around them, created an extraordinarily striking visual impact.

The commotion naturally drew the attention of the top-tier figures farther up the Heaven Stairway.

Chu Daolin, Qin Wuye, Xuanming, and the other ancient monsters, as well as the starry-sky prodigies who had just joined the fray—Mo Xingyun, Han Yue, Shi Potian, and the others—all unconsciously slowed their steps.

Some turned around, while others released their divine senses toward the entrance below.

Expressions of varying degrees of astonishment and curiosity appeared on their faces.

“King Realm?”

Xuanming raised a thick eyebrow as he sensed that Xiao Ruobai and the others possessed only King Realm auras.

He then glanced at the almost fearful reactions of the surrounding crowd. His deep eyes were filled with confusion and intense interest.

“Just Kings, yet they possess such prestige? Interesting!”

Starlight seemed to flow through Mo Xingyun’s eyes as he frowned slightly.

“Peak King Realm, yet they can make so many prodigies of their generation afraid. They’re certainly no ordinary figures. The Xuanhuang Ancestral Land truly is full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers.”

The Frostmoon Fairy’s cool gaze lingered on Ling Xi for a moment, and her brows drew together almost imperceptibly.

From that seemingly delicate woman, she sensed an extremely subtle yet dangerous aura that caused even her soul to tremble faintly.

A flicker of surprise crossed Chu Daolin’s deep eyes before transforming into the excitement of a hunter who had found worthy prey.

“Battle Asura? Cyan Rakshasa? Their reputations are certainly impressive. To have such a fierce reputation at the King Realm… I’d like to see what makes them so extraordinary.”

Qin Wuye licked his lips, his fighting spirit growing even stronger.

The Golden Lion of the Southern Territory’s demon race stared at the Qilin Son Mo Yu with eyes burning with battle intent. A trace of instinctive fear flashed through its gaze.

But that fear was soon replaced by even greater pride born of its noble bloodline, along with a hint of disdain.

Its nostrils flared, and it let out an almost inaudible snort, as though it looked down on Mo Yu for willingly becoming a human’s mount.

Xiao Ruobai seemed completely oblivious to the gazes from every direction, each containing a different mixture of emotions. He raised his head toward the end of the Heaven Stairway and spoke calmly, his voice clearly reaching the ears of his fellow disciples.

“Let’s go. We shouldn’t keep those ahead waiting.”

With those words, he took a step forward and landed steadily on the first step of the Heaven Stairway.

Fang Hanyu, Ling Xi, Fatty Wang, and the Qilin Son Mo Yu, who had assumed human form and wore a respectful expression, followed closely behind.

The five of them climbed the Heaven Stairway at a steady pace. They neither flaunted their abilities nor displayed any astonishing aura. They simply ascended step by step, as though strolling along an ordinary mountain path.

Ahead of them, the starry-sky prodigies and ancient monsters had long since begun competing against one another, each displaying their own abilities and turning the ascent into a dazzling contest of divine arts.

Mo Xingyun transformed into a river of stars. The Frostmoon Fairy paved the way with moonlight. Shi Potian shattered laws with sheer force. Fragments of time danced around Chu Daolin’s every step. Qin Wuye’s battle intent surged like a rainbow, tearing through the pressure. Everywhere Xuanming passed, thousands of miles were frozen over.

The Jiang Family’s Divine King Physique sent blood and qi soaring into the heavens, rising steadily like a golden sun.

Imperial dragon qi coiled around Ji Xuanye, accompanied by waves of dragon roars. The Golden Lion howled repeatedly as rolling clouds of golden demonic energy surged around it.

The former Holy Son of the Yaoguang Sacred Land was protected by starlight, while the heir of the Lingxiao Sacred Land flowed forward like water…

Many renowned Holy Land heirs, prodigies of ancient sects, and princes of imperial dynasties were among them, each displaying their greatest techniques and struggling to advance.

Compared to the surrounding prodigies, whose paths were filled with dazzling phenomena and whose auras were astonishingly powerful, Xiao Ruobai, Fang Hanyu, Ling Xi, Fatty Wang, and the Qilin Son Mo Yu seemed remarkably ordinary. Their pace was neither fast nor slow.

The pressure descended upon them, and the laws swept over them, yet it was as though none of it existed. It did not even stir the hems of their clothing.

Qilin Son Mo Yu restrained his saintly might and followed behind them step by step, silent and respectful.

As time passed, the trials of the Heaven Stairway grew increasingly severe.

The pressure multiplied, while the laws transformed into blades, swords, wind, fire, and thunder, constantly assaulting the climbers.

Illusions that struck directly at the heart of the Dao also began to emerge, testing the climbers’ will and convictions.

More and more people groaned under the strain, their speed slowing drastically.

Some turned pale, sweating profusely. Others let out a scream as the immense pressure blasted them backward, sending them tumbling from the Heaven Stairway and declaring their failure.

Yet even more clenched their teeth, their eyes bloodshot as they burned their spiritual power and squeezed out their potential, all so they could climb one more step.

Some had muscles bulging and veins standing out as they advanced as though carrying a mountain on their backs, every step making the stairs tremble.

A Holy Son of a Sacred Land summoned a seal and suspended it above his head, where it shed streams of profound light as he struggled to hold on.

And just as the fervor of the climb continued to intensify, escape lights still tore through the sky beneath Dao Origin Mountain from time to time.

More and more young prodigies arrived one after another, carrying aspirations of paying homage and competing for supremacy. Without hesitation, they joined the path to the heavens.

Among them were several figures who were not particularly eye-catching, yet whose steps were firm and whose auras were deep and restrained. They quietly merged into the climbing crowd.

They were Li Xuanfeng, Shen Jinghong, Mu Chenyu, and the other core disciples from the various peaks of the Azure Profound Sect.

Among the ranks of prodigies whose radiance illuminated the heavens and who were often already in the King or Saint Realm, they did not stand out.

But their eyes were sharp, their Dao foundations solid, and their auras perfectly rounded and flawless. Although they felt the immense pressure while walking upon the Heaven Stairway, their steps remained steady and their wills were as firm as stone.

After receiving Gu Changge’s guidance, they had long since undergone a complete transformation.

Their pace was not particularly fast, but every step they took was incomparably solid.

Their expressions were calm, and their gazes remained fixed on the heights, where several indistinct figures belonging to their junior brothers and sisters could be seen.

They had come for only one purpose: to stand on this peerless stage, where the greatest prodigies of the present age and antiquity, from both this land and the starry sky, had gathered; to compete with the best of the world and temper themselves in the process.

Upon the Heaven Stairway, the laws manifested, and the pressure was as heavy as a mountain.

The higher one climbed, the greater the pressure became. Ordinary cultivators had to circulate their cultivation arts or even summon magical treasures before they could barely withstand it.

The ascent continued.

The three-thousandth step marked a clear dividing line.

The preliminary screening power of the Dao Repository Heaven Stairway revealed itself here.

Below three thousand steps, the pressure could still be resisted with abundant spiritual power or a powerful physical body.

But after passing three thousand steps, a mysterious Dao resonance began to merge into the pressure. It did not injure the physical body, but struck directly at the source of one’s cultivation power, interfering with the circulation of one’s energy and testing whether a cultivator’s Dao foundation was sufficiently solid and perfectly integrated.

“Pfft!”

More and more cultivators reached their limits after climbing past two thousand steps. Their faces were deathly pale, and sweat poured down their bodies.

In the end, they were blasted away by a gentle yet irresistible force and sent back to the ground, their faces filled with unwillingness and bitterness.

After crossing the three-thousandth step, the number of cultivators remaining on the Heaven Stairway fell sharply. Those who remained were undoubtedly elites.

Yet the competition not only failed to weaken—it grew even fiercer.

To secure a better position, receive a higher evaluation, and fight for the pride in their hearts, the prodigies began displaying all their strengths and accelerating their ascent.

Xiao Ruobai was standing on the four-thousandth step. He raised his head and glanced upward.

The figures of Chu Daolin, Mo Xingyun, and the others had already become tiny points of light, vanishing into the clouds ahead.

Ji Xuanye, the Golden Lion, and the others were also shining with radiance as they struggled upward.

Everyone was fighting with all their might. Spiritual energy surged violently, and flashes of divine techniques erupted from time to time.

The Jiang Family’s Divine King Physique, Jiang Ruofeng, was enveloped in a brilliant golden light, resembling a human-shaped sun as he forcefully smashed through the pressure and Dao resonance ahead, advancing steadily.

A faint dragon shadow coiled above Ji Xuanye’s head, while imperial dragon aura protected his body. Though he was not as swift as Jiang Ruofeng, he advanced step by step, steady and resolute.

The Golden Lion roared again and again, golden demonic clouds billowing around it and carrying surging vital energy.

“Senior Brother, aren’t we going a little too slowly? Those guys—and that Ice Face—look like they’re moving pretty fast.”

Fatty Wang sidled over and lowered his voice.

“Don’t rush.” Fang Hanyu held the ancient sword in his arms, his gaze as sharp as ever.

“Climbing quickly doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll climb steadily—or reach a higher place.”

Ling Xi said nothing. She merely moved forward with graceful, measured steps as they continued upward at a constant pace.