740: Chapter 741 The Battle for the Heavenly Ladder

The true Shura Field had unfolded from the very first step.

Endless crowds surged and collided; the spiritual light of Immortal Lords and Heavenly Immortals clashing exploded in all directions. To seize the path ahead, some struck out ruthlessly the moment they stepped onto the stairs, with immortal arts and Magic Treasures flying everywhere.

Under the dual crushing weight of the crowds and the pressure, the weak couldn't even stand firm on the tenth step before screaming as they were ejected from the space by the heavenly ladder, turning into dissipating streaks of white light.

In less than half a stick of incense's time, thirty to forty percent of the hundreds of millions originally gathered beneath the heavenly ladder had already been eliminated.

The Road to Heaven was a bloody screening process from the start. Xiao Ruobai’s team was positioned in the front-middle of the crowd and did not charge blindly.

"Follow me, stay steady, and watch the sides and rear!"

Xiao Ruobai shouted low, his body rising with pale gold Battle Intent that formed an invisible push, slightly parting the surging crowd that was pressing in.

They chose a relatively less crowded flank and were the first to step onto the first level of the heavenly ladder.

The moment their feet landed, a distinct pressure came from beneath them, as if they were suddenly carrying a thousand-pound burden.

Simultaneously, a subtle pressure that pointed directly at the Divine Soul quietly spread. For them, in the Immortal Lord realm, this was still within the range of endurance.

Fang Hanyu followed closely behind, his Sword Qi contained within as he maintained a steady pace.

Ling Xi, Wang Xiaopang, Mo Yu, and Dong Li followed in sequence. The six maintained a tight formation and began their steady ascent.

The six were neither hurried nor slow; they weren't fast enough to attract attention, nor slow enough to fall into danger.

Along the way, Prodigies frequently came to blows over the route.

Some erupted with Bloodline Power and soared into the sky; others used high-speed movement techniques to step through the air, and Disciples of top forces formed battle arrays to crush all who stood in their way.

Cries, roars, the sounds of bodies exploding, and the shrill screams of those being eliminated rose one after another.

At the very front of the crowd, at the highest point of the heavenly ladder, several figures were moving with desperate speed and poise.

They left the sea of hundreds of millions below far behind, almost turning into points of light that were hard to discern with the naked eye!

A silver-white sword light, solitary and peerless; wherever it passed, the pressure on the steps seemed to be sliced open by an invisible sharp sword, unable to hinder him in the slightest. The Little Sword Emperor, Ling Guzhou!

A domineering and blazing golden pillar of vital energy and blood, like an ancient god of the wilderness traveling, crashed through everything with no loss of speed—the Ancient God Clan, Gu Shitian!

A cold crescent of moonlight, drifting like an immortal, seemingly unhurried yet crossing a thousand steps in an instant—Luo Shenyue!

A warm and peaceful white light, as if becoming one with the Dao, moved with a composed pace yet covered vast distances in a single step—Xuan Yi!

A figure flickered indistinctly, appearing and disappearing, hard to grasp—Xu!

These five, like five brilliant stars, hung high above the hundreds of millions, taking the lead to charge into the middle section of the heavenly ladder obscured by thick clouds, vanishing from the view of those below.

Immediately after, another group of top Prodigies followed: Huang Jiutian, Ao Zhan, Jiang Li, and others. Their brilliance was equally dazzling, and their speed was shocking.

There were also several figures with different auras who kept a low profile, their steps seemingly ordinary, yet they quietly climbed with an extremely steady and fast rhythm.

Ji Qingyi was bathed in clear light, unhurried as she gracefully stepped into the front of the second echelon, her elegance peerless.

Li Xuanfeng, Shi Jingxian, and the others were no longer keeping a low profile.

Wang Zhan followed the main force unhurriedly, turning a deaf ear to the surrounding conflicts. In his eyes, there were only the steps above, only battle, and only transcendence!

His long spear occasionally swept out, blasting away those who blindly bumped into him, as he continued his steady steps upward! Higher and higher!

Xiao Ruobai and the others watched this scene, and the Battle Intent in their hearts was also ignited.

"As expected of Wang Zhan," Wang Xiaopang clicked his tongue.

"We need to speed up too; we can't be left too far behind," Ling Xi said.

Just then, Xiao Ruobai's footsteps paused for a split second without warning.

A cold and gloomy gaze, like a venomous snake lying in wait, fell from the mist-shrouded high steps far above.

Passing through the layers of the surging crowd, it locked precisely onto the six of them. This gaze held a piercing killing intent and was chillingly cold.

Ling Xi's brow furrowed suddenly, and the blood Qi surging around Mo Yu instantly froze and tightened. The air around them grew heavy.

Without needing to look up, they instantly knew it could be none other than the Saint of the Taixuan Immortal Palace, Chu Yungui.

Xiao Ruobai slowly raised his eyes, looking up through the drifting mist.

High on the heavenly ladder, Chu Yungui stood more than a hundred steps above, looking down from afar with a heavy gaze, his eyes filled with thick gloom and malice.

The moment their eyes met, a faint and sinister smile curled at the corner of Chu Yungui's lips.

He didn't speak, but lightly raised his finger and slowly made a cold, sharp decapitation gesture across his neck.

The threat, provocation, and killing intent were self-evident.

After finishing this extremely mocking action, Chu Yungui indifferently withdrew his gaze, turned around, and continued his composed ascent, his back looking arrogant and sinister.

Chu Yungui's provocation was like a drop of ice water falling into boiling oil, causing a ripple in the lake of Xiao Ruobai's heart before it returned to an even deeper calm.

He withdrew his gaze, his footsteps not faltering in the slightest. His aura instead became increasingly steady and restrained, as if he had turned that cold killing intent into the solid steps beneath him.

The six spoke no more, climbing upward in silence.

Time passed silently. A day later, the heavenly ladder was no longer in its initial state of extreme Chaos.

The initial crowd of hundreds of millions had thinned out considerably after experiencing the cruel elimination and slaughter at the bottom.

Those who could persist until now were at least individuals with resilient wills and solid Foundations.

However, the competition did not weaken; instead, it became more intense. The higher they went, the pressure exerted by the heavenly ladder increased exponentially.

It acted not only on the Physical Body but also deep into the marrow, compressing the flow of immortal power and even beginning to shake the Divine Soul.

Every step taken required mobilizing the strength of the entire body to resist that omnipresent force that wanted to crush and grind them down.

Xiao Ruobai's group of six did not pursue extreme speed, but every step they took was exceptionally solid, and they gradually surpassed one figure after another.

Though they were still far from the top-tier ranks, they were certainly no longer nobodies.

Just as Xiao Ruobai and the others steadily crossed the 7,500th step and began to feel even greater pressure.

"BOOM!!!"

A massive roar erupted from the very top of the heavenly ladder, from the peak shrouded in endless Chaos mist and brilliant dawn light, echoing throughout the entire Road to Heaven!

Immediately after, a massive pillar of light shot up from the peak of the heavenly ladder, tearing through the Chaos mist above and briefly illuminating a hazy and magnificent phantom of the Heaven beyond Heavens!

Within the pillar of light, a figure as solitary and lofty as an ancient frozen peak, surrounded by silver-white Sword Intent refined to the extreme, was faintly visible.

The Little Sword Emperor!

He was the first to step onto the 9,999th step!

Even though his initial ranking was only fifth, and despite the sudden emergence of mysterious experts like Gu Shitian, Xuan Yi, and Luo Shenyue.

He still, with indisputable speed and strength, was the first to tear open the threshold to the next round!

Almost at the instant Ling Guzhou reached the peak, whether it was the phantom of the leaderboard floating in the sky within the Heavenly Tablet Space or the projection of the Heavenly Tablet reflected throughout the external immortal realms, both suddenly shook violently!

The name of Gu Shitian, which had been firmly at the top of the list, suddenly dimmed. Meanwhile, the three silver-white characters "Ling Guzhou," carrying a soaring Sword Intent like a sharp sword piercing the firmament, instantly leaped to first place on the list!

"It moved! The leaderboard moved! The Little Sword Emperor has overtaken and reached the top!"

"As expected of him! Reaching the top first, he truly deserves it!"

"Gu Shitian was pushed down? Is this the strength of the Little Sword Emperor!"

Ling Guzhou stood at the peak, his Sword Intent awe-inspiring. Looking at the surging crowd below and the shifting leaderboard in the sky, his eyes were devoid of joy or sorrow, possessing only a pure sword heart, as if this top position was rightfully his.

Only a few breaths later—

"Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!"

Three more pillars of light shot up almost simultaneously from different directions of the peak!

Reflecting and shining with Ling Guzhou's pillar of light, they illuminated that part of the sky as if a divine kingdom had descended!