107: The Tower of Babel? I'm a professional tree climber!

The far north of the Central Divine Continent, the Forest of God's Legacy.

This was a forbidden land that even Soul Transformation Stage experts were unwilling to set foot in lightly.

Every tree here was thousands of feet tall, their canopies blotting out the sky and sun, leaving the ground in perpetual darkness.

The air was thick with an ancient and decaying scent, and the ground was covered in a thick layer of fallen leaves. Stepping on them felt soft and spongy, as if countless bones were buried beneath.

At the very center of the forest stood a... "pillar."

No, it was a tree.

A giant tree so large it defied common sense, seemingly supporting the entire firmament—the sky-reaching jianmu!

Its diameter was a full hundred miles wide, its bark resembling rolling mountain ranges, ancient and powerful.

The trunk pierced straight into the clouds, disappearing into the endless astral winds of the Void Realm, its top nowhere in sight.

"This is the Jianmu?"

Gu Yang stood at the foot of the tree and looked up; his neck ached, yet he still couldn't see the top.

"This isn't a tree; it's clearly an elevator to heaven... though I have to climb it myself."

He patted the trunk, which let out a dull "thud." Its hardness was comparable to a top-tier Magic Treasure.

"Ergou, hold on tight."

After having Ergou shrink its size, Gu Yang placed it on his shoulder. Ergou reflexively dug its claws into Gu Yang's flesh (though it couldn't actually pierce it).

"Time to climb!"

Gu Yang took a deep breath, bent his legs slightly, and kicked off forcefully.

*Boom!*

A large crater exploded into the ground.

Like a nimble gecko, he shot up a hundred meters into the air in an instant.

There was a natural forbidden-flight Domain here; any flying Magic Treasure or escape technique would fail. To go up, one could only rely on hands and feet to climb.

But for Gu Yang, this was right up his alley.

5,000 meters... 10,000 meters... As the altitude rose, the surrounding gravity began to multiply.

By the time he reached 30,000 meters, the gravity was already five hundred times that of the ground!

An ordinary Nascent Soul Cultivator would likely struggle even to lift a hand here, their internal organs crushed by the pressure.

But Gu Yang was like a fish in water.

"This gravity is exhilarating!"

His muscles tensed under the heavy pressure, his glazed red-gold skin shimmering with light. Every exertion of force was filled with an explosive aesthetic.

"Awoo..."

Ergou on his shoulder, however, was struggling.

Although it was a Starry Sky Giant Beast, it was still a cub after all. Crushed by the gravity, its tongue hung out as it sprawled on Gu Yang's shoulder, playing dead and not daring to move.

"How pathetic."

Gu Yang mocked it before casually tossing it a high-grade Ore.

"Eat something to recover. Don't embarrass me."

50,000 meters... The environment here began to turn harsh.

Various strange demon insects and poisonous vines were parasitic on the trunk.

*Hiss—*

A Multicolored Venomous Python (Half-step Soul Transformation) suddenly lunged, opening its fangs to bite Gu Yang's neck.

"I saw you a long time ago."

Gu Yang didn't even look and slapped it with the back of his hand.

*Slap!*

The python's head was slapped directly into the trunk, stuck so deep it couldn't be pulled out.

Gu Yang casually pulled the python off and wrapped it around his neck like a scarf.

"This skin is quite cool; perfect for wiping sweat."

He continued upward.

80,000 meters... By now, they had passed through the clouds and reached the astral wind layer.

The knife-like astral winds howled, slicing through everything.

Just then.

A resonant cry echoed from above, piercing through metal and stone, shattering the surrounding clouds.

*Chirp—!!!*

A terrifying pressure descended from the sky.

It was the aura of an apex predator!

Gu Yang looked up.

He saw a massive bird's nest in the canopy of the Jianmu, which was also the entrance to the Spirit Realm's Spatial Node.

A Golden-Winged Great Peng with a wingspan of a thousand meters, its feathers looking as if cast from gold, was circling above the nest, coldly looking down at this reckless climber.

An ancient remnant—the Golden-Winged Great Peng!

Strength: Half-step Void Refining (Soul Transformation Great Perfection Peak)!

It was the guardian of the sky-reaching jianmu and the final gatekeeper of the Mortal Realm.

"Human, halt!"

The Great Peng spoke in human tongue, its voice filled with arrogance and disdain.

"This path is closed! Scram back to the ground!"

Gu Yang stopped on a thick branch.

He looked at the sky-blotting bird above him, his eyes gradually lighting up.

That look was as if he were seeing a fat chicken waiting to be slaughtered for the New Year.

"What a big bird..."

"Those wings... that breast meat..."

Gu Yang swallowed hard, his voice trembling slightly with excitement.

"If I sprinkle some cumin on it, brush on a layer of honey, and roast it until the oil sizzles..."

He wiped the corner of his mouth and shouted at the sky:

"Hey! You big bird!"

"Got a light? Oh, no, I mean, can you step aside?"

"I want to go up and take a look. Could you do me a favor?"

"Court death!"

The Golden-Winged Great Peng was furious.

As a noble being with a Divine Beast Bloodline, it keenly sensed the naked appetite in Gu Yang's eyes.

This was a desecration!

"Wind and Thunder—Kill!"

The Great Peng flapped its wings.

*Rumble!*

Golden lightning and azure astral winds instantly fused, turning into a sky full of wind and thunder light blades that surged toward Gu Yang to shred him.

This strike was enough to level a mountain range!

"You're serious?"

Gu Yang stuffed Ergou into his robes to protect his emergency rations.

His feet were pinned firmly to the trunk, his blood and Qi surging like a dragon as he pushed his Indestructible War Body to its limit.

"Then I won't be polite either!"

Gu Yang didn't dodge; instead, he made a startling move.

He stomped his foot violently.

"Extreme Dao Burst Step—Eject!"

*Boom!*

The Jianmu bark beneath his feet exploded.

Gu Yang shot up like a golden ICBM, braving the sky full of wind and thunder as he surged upward!

"Que Xie Golden Body!"

Countless wind and thunder light blades struck him, creating a dense sound of clanging metal, yet they could only leave behind faint white marks.

In the blink of an eye, he had rushed beneath the Great Peng's belly.

"Get down here!"

Gu Yang reached out and grabbed both of the Great Peng's sharp claws.

"Extreme Dao Force Field—Thousand-fold Gravity!"

*Buzz!*

The Golden-Winged Great Peng felt its body suddenly sink, as if two great mountains were hanging from it, instantly losing its balance in flight.

*Screech!*

Both startled and furious, it exerted force with its claws, wanting to crush this insect.

But Gu Yang's palms were as hard as divine iron; it couldn't budge them at all.

"Comparing strength? You're still too green!"

Gu Yang gave a sinister laugh.

Using the Great Peng's body to flip himself in the air, he actually landed directly on its back!

"I'm riding a bird!"

Gu Yang clamped his legs around the bird's neck and grabbed the golden feather crest on its head with both hands.

"Get down!"

He exerted force from his waist and pressed down violently.

*Boom!*

The massive Golden-Winged Great Peng was actually forced down by its head, falling from the clouds and crashing heavily onto the broad trunk of the Jianmu.

The trunk shook violently, and countless leaves scattered.

"Do you yield?!"

Riding on the bird's back, Gu Yang raised his fist, as large as a sandbag, and unleashed a barrage on its head.

*Bang! Bang! Bang!*

"That's for blocking my path! That's for using lightning!"

"Do you have any idea how much of a hurry I'm in? Do you know how hungry I am?"

The Golden-Winged Great Peng was beaten into a daze.

It had dominated the Great Desolation for thousands of years; when had it ever suffered such an indignity?

But the strength of the human on its back was simply too terrifying. Every punch was like a pile driver, making its head ring.

"Stop hitting! Stop hitting!"

The Great Peng finally caved, sending out a Divine Thought for mercy.

"I'll open the gate! I'll open it right now!"

"Wouldn't it have been better if you said that earlier?"

Gu Yang stopped punching, feeling a bit unsatisfied.

He glanced at the Great Peng's shimmering golden wings and ultimately couldn't help himself.

*Rip!*

He reached out and plucked the three most beautiful and hardest True Feathers from the Great Peng's wing.

"These feathers aren't bad. I'll make a fan out of them; it'll definitely be cool in the summer."

"Ow—!"

The Great Peng cried from the pain but didn't dare speak up.

It struggled to get up and pointed toward the void.

*Buzz—*

A massive spatial vortex slowly took shape above the canopy.

From deep within the vortex, a surge of Spiritual Qi more concentrated and Advanced than that of the Great Desolation wafted out.

The Spirit Realm Passage!

"That's more like it."

Gu Yang tucked the three True Feathers into his waist and patted the Great Peng's head.

"Thanks, big bird."

"If I get the chance to come back, I'll treat you to roasted wings... oh, I mean, treat you to a meal."

With that, Gu Yang adjusted his large pack and pulled Ergou out from his robes.

Standing before the spatial vortex, he took a deep breath.

His eyes sparkled with infinite longing for the unknown world and its food.

"Spirit Realm..."

"I, Gu Yang, am here!"

*Whoosh!*

He leaped forward, carrying Ergou, and plunged without hesitation into the vortex leading to the new world.