211: The ladder to heaven has descended; are you all qualified?

Tianqiong Mountain Range.

No.

Now it should be called the foot of the Myriad Dao Divine Mountain.

Yesterday's oracle was like a thunderclap, exploding in the Sea of Consciousness of every living being on the Azure Cloud Continent.

Overnight.

This mountain range, which had been silent for years, became the center of the entire world.

People.

Endless crowds of people.

They surged in from all directions of the continent like a tide.

Cultivators flying on swords, noble families steering dharma boats, and royalty arriving via teleportation arrays.

There were even more Mortals in tattered clothes but with resolute eyes, measuring the earth with their feet as they trekked ten thousand miles.

They converged here, forming a black ocean that stretched beyond the horizon.

At the very front of this ocean.

The Heavenly Sword Sacred Master, the Old Ancestor of the North Profound Wang Family, the Valley Master of the Southern Border's Hundred Flowers Valley... these old monsters who could once make a region tremble with a stomp of their feet were now like the most devout believers.

They straightened their robes, their faces filled with awe and trepidation, not even daring to breathe loudly.

Behind them were the most outstanding Prodigies of their respective forces.

These young people, who were usually arrogant and looked down on everyone, had now cast aside their pride and were tensely watching the sky.

"It's coming!"

Someone let out a startled cry.

Everyone suddenly looked up.

They saw the divine mountain floating above the Nine Heavens; at the mountain gate, a brilliant light erupted.

A white jade staircase, its material indescribable, slowly extended down from the mist-shrouded mountain gate.

It didn't make a sound.

Yet it felt as if it were stepping directly onto everyone's hearts.

One step.

Another step.

With every inch the staircase descended, the vast dao rhyme from a higher dimension grew richer.

The billions of living beings below the mountain range felt their Divine Souls trembling.

It was as if they were looking up at the only path to a divine kingdom.

Finally.

The end of the white jade staircase landed steadily on the summit of the main peak of the Tianqiong Mountain Range.

Perfectly centered.

It connected the Mortal world with the immortal realm.

"The heavenly ladder... this is the Ladder to Heaven!"

"Immortal destiny! My immortal destiny has arrived!"

After a brief silence, the crowd erupted completely!

Countless Cultivators, eyes bloodshot and acting as if crazed, steered their Magic Treasures toward the main peak.

But they had barely flown three feet.

When an invisible, terrifying pressure descended from the sky.

Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!

Hundreds and thousands of Cultivators fell from mid-air like dumplings being dropped into a pot.

They spat blood, looking utterly miserable.

The entire mountain range was instantly enveloped by an absolute Restriction.

Flight was forbidden here!

Just as everyone turned pale with horror.

An old and majestic voice drifted down from the divine mountain above the Nine Heavens, ringing clearly in everyone's ears.

"This is the heart questioning heavenly ladder."

It was the Grand Elder of the Myriad Dao Divine Sect, Mo Yuan.

"It asks not of your origins, nor your cultivation, nor your race."

"It asks only of your heart for seeking the Dao."

"Those with sincere hearts may ascend to the heavens."

"Those with distracted hearts shall face eternal damnation."

"The hour has arrived."

Mo Yuan's voice sounded like a judgment from the Heavenly Dao.

"You all may begin your ascent."

As the voice faded.

The pressure enveloping heaven and earth quietly dissipated.

The crowd began to stir again.

But this time, no one dared to act rashly.

Every gaze converged on that white jade staircase, which seemed so close yet so far away.

"Hmph, playing tricks!"

A cold snort broke the silence.

A young man dressed in luxurious silk robes, his aura already at the Early Stage of the Mahayana realm, stepped out from the crowd.

He came from an ancient, secluded family in the Central Continent that had been hidden for ten thousand years; he possessed a noble Bloodline and a high opinion of himself.

"What heart questioning bullshit! Cultivating to seek the Dao always depends on talent and Root Bone!"

"I possess the Ancient Golden Crow Bloodline! This immortal gate should rightfully open for me!"

With a face full of arrogance, he strode toward the main peak.

He was actually the first to step onto the steps of the heart questioning heavenly ladder.

He stood firm.

The young man turned back, looking at the dense crowd below, a smug and sinister grin on his face.

"Did you see that! You bunch of trash!"

"This first place is mine..."

Before he could finish his sentence.

His face suddenly turned deathly pale.

The smugness in his eyes was instantly replaced by endless terror.

It was as if he had seen the most terrifying sight in the world.

"No... no! I'm not wrong! The strong prey on the weak! It's the natural law of heaven and earth!"

He let out a shrill scream, and his entire body erupted in golden flames.

That was his Bloodline Divine Ability.

But those flames burned for only a moment before an invisible force forcibly suppressed them back into his body.

Boom!

The young man's body, like a balloon blown until it popped, exploded into a cloud of blood mist.

His Divine Soul was utterly destroyed.

Not even a speck of residue remained.

Quiet.

A deathly silence.

Below the mountain range, billions of living beings stared blankly at the white jade steps stained red with blood.

A chill ran from everyone's feet straight to the crowns of their heads.

A Prodigy at the Early Stage of the Mahayana realm.

Just like that... gone?

Without even the slightest chance to resist?

The Heavenly Sword Sacred Master and the others were drenched in a cold sweat.

They asked themselves: if they were the ones to go up, their fate probably wouldn't be any better.

This heavenly ladder was a true path of life and death!

For a moment, no one dared to step forward.

Just then.

In a corner of the crowd.

A youth in tattered clothes, his body still bearing scars, slowly stood up.

He looked to be only fifteen or sixteen years old, and his cultivation was pitifully low, only at the third level of Qi Refining.

His name was Shen Nanxi, and he was the sole survivor of a remote village destroyed by Yao Beasts.

He looked at the divine mountain, no fear in his eyes.

Only a resolute determination to forge ahead.

He wanted to live.

He wanted to possess the power to protect others.

He pushed through the crowd and walked step by step to the foot of the main peak.

Under the gazes of countless people—some pitying, some mocking, some confused.

He took a deep breath.

He lifted his foot and stepped onto the first stair, which was still stained with blood.

Hum—

An indescribable, terrifying pressure instantly descended upon his Divine Soul.

Countless illusions appeared before his eyes.

His parents being torn apart by Yao Beasts, the desperate wails of the villagers, the village flowing with rivers of blood... "Give up..."

"You're just a piece of trash..."

"You can't save anyone..."

The whispers of the Heart Demon roared frantically in his mind.

Shen Nanxi's body trembled violently, and blood seeped from his seven orifices.

His consciousness was on the brink of collapse.

But he gritted his teeth hard.

He remembered the passing Loose Cultivator who had saved him from the jaws of a Yao Beast, only to eventually die from exhaustion.

That person had said to him before dying:

"Live on... for me... see the scenery at the top of the mountain..."

"I..."

Two lines of bloody tears flowed from Shen Nanxi's eyes.

"I... will not give up!"

He let out a beast-like roar and, using all his strength, lifted his other foot.

Heavily, he stepped onto the second stair.

He stood firm.

Although he was swaying, as if he would fall the next second.

He ultimately stood firm.

The entire world seemed to go quiet for a moment.

Atop the divine mountain.

The Sect Master's courtyard.

Chu Xuanjin lay on a rocking chair, watching that stubborn and tiny figure within the Shadow Recording Immortal Crystal.

A faint smile played at the corners of his mouth.

"Interesting."

Beside him, Linglong was holding a Treasure-Seeking Rat, curiously watching the screen.

"Sect Master Brother, why doesn't he fly up?"

"Because..."

Chu Xuanjin patted her little head, his voice sounding distant.

"Some paths can only be walked with your feet, step by step."

"That is one's own Dao."

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PS: Shen Nanxi was provided by the user "Nine and Nine," with the request for him to cultivate the Talisman Dao.

It has been a long time; I don't know if you're still reading.