Cloud Sea Plaza was already packed to the brim. Tens of thousands of Kunlun disciples had gathered here, their auras varying in strength. There were Earth Immortals and True Immortals alike, and faint traces of Golden Immortal-level divine senses occasionally swept across the entire plaza.
All eyes were fixed on the faintly visible stairway at the center of the plaza, one that led endlessly upward—the Myriad Manifestations Heavenly Stairway!
The heavenly stairway was not a physical structure, but formed from countless interwoven runes and Dao traces, radiating an aura of chaos, antiquity, and majesty.
Every step seemed like a small world, containing a different trial. The end of the stairway vanished into the vast sea of clouds, connecting to the mysterious Chaos Secret Realm.
The bell rang again. A Great Luo Golden Immortal elder presiding over the assembly appeared and announced the rules. "The Myriad Manifestations Heavenly Stairway is now open, with a time limit of three days. Your height on the stairway will be determined by your own strength, Dao heart, and fate. Do not maliciously interfere with others. Violators will be severely punished! Begin!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the disciples who had long been unable to restrain themselves turned into streaks of light and charged toward the heavenly stairway!
Naturally, those at the forefront were the powerful True Immortals and Peak Celestial Immortal disciples. They moved with astonishing speed, ascending hundreds of steps in the blink of an eye before disappearing into the clouds.
Li Su was in no hurry to compete for the lead. He carefully observed the path ahead. Many disciples visibly slowed after reaching a certain number of steps.
Some wore pained expressions, while light flickered chaotically around others. Clearly, they were enduring immense pressure or the trials of illusions.
He took a deep breath and stepped onto the first level of the heavenly stairway.
In an instant, a crushing pressure descended upon him, as though he were carrying a mountain on his back. At the same time, all manner of decadent sounds rang in his ears, disturbing his mind.
But such a level of trial had almost no effect on him. The faint glow of Profound Star Swirl Body Protection flashed, neutralizing the pressure, while his Bedrock Dao heart remained firm and impervious to all evil.
He climbed steadily. He was not fast, but he was exceptionally sure-footed. With every step, the pressure, illusions, and even the occasional elemental attacks intensified, yet he resolved them all with ease.
Before long, he had surpassed many Earth Immortal disciples who were gasping for breath and struggling forward.
One thousand steps, two thousand steps, three thousand steps...
The higher he climbed, the stranger the trials became. At times, he would fall into endless reincarnation and experience the countless facets of mortal life.
At times, he had to confront the deepest fears and desires within his heart. At times, he had to solve complex formations or Daoist puzzles within an extremely short time.
At times, he even had to battle Dao Soldiers manifested by the heavenly stairway, each possessing cultivation equal to his own!
Li Su's Dao heart was resolute and his divine sense powerful. Combined with his mastery of formations and the transformations of the Eight Nine Mysterious Art, dealing with them was not easy, but he remained composed.
He did not blindly pursue speed. Instead, he immersed part of his mind in these trials, using them to temper himself and verify what he had learned.
[Passed the heart demon illusion. Dao heart slightly improved.] [Cracked the remnant image of an ancient formation. Formation Dao proficiency increased.] [Defeated a heavenly stairway Dao Soldier. Combat experience increased. Mastery of the Eight Nine Mysterious Art has become more refined.]
When he reached five thousand steps, only a few hundred people remained around him, almost all of them cultivators at the Celestial Immortal realm or above.
At this height, the pressure had become almost tangible. Every additional step required immense reserves of mana and mental focus. The manifested Dao Soldiers had also become late-stage Celestial Immortals, or even Peak Celestial Immortals!
Li Su began to feel the strain as well. His bamboo body hummed, the halo of Profound Star Swirl Body Protection flashed steadily, and Soul-Devouring Dark Light and the Star Spirit Bamboo Leaf Blade appeared from time to time, destroying incoming Dao Soldiers or breaking through difficult trials.
He even had to occasionally invoke the Dao intents of the Bedrock Rune and "Guardianship" to steady his mind and resist the pervasive erosion of the Great Dao's laws.
Six thousand steps, seven thousand steps...
The numbers dwindled sharply once more. Fewer than a hundred people remained. By this point, every step had become extraordinarily difficult.
Li Su saw several Peak Celestial Immortal disciples ahead of him bringing out powerful magic treasures just to barely endure.
His own foundation was profound. Although his cultivation was only at the peak of the Earth Immortal realm, the purity of his mana, the strength of his divine sense, and the power of his divine abilities were no weaker than those of an ordinary late-stage Celestial Immortal. With his many methods, he remained firmly at the tail end of the first group.
Eight thousand steps!
The pressure surged again! Several muffled groans came from ahead, and more than a dozen disciples could no longer hold on. They were flung away by the power of the heavenly stairway and eliminated.
Fewer than thirty remained. Every one of them was an elite among elites!
Li Su felt as though his bamboo body were about to split apart, while his divine sense was operating at its limit. With a low shout, he finally activated the newly refined Profound Star Swirl Body Protection with all his strength!
The starry shield with its dark golden sheen enveloped him tightly. Its resilience increased dramatically, and he finally withstood this wave of pressure.
He swept his gaze ahead and saw five or six figures at the very front still moving at astonishing speed. They were clearly True Immortals!
One of them was Yang Jian! He had not used any magic treasure at all. Relying solely on his formidable physical body and exquisite divine abilities, he had taken the lead and was already nearing nine thousand steps!
I can't fall too far behind! Li Su gritted his teeth and fully activated the Sword Edict of the Eight Nine Mysterious Art. The structure of his bamboo body shifted slightly, becoming better suited to withstand the pressure, and his speed rose another notch.
Eight thousand five hundred steps, eight thousand eight hundred steps, nine thousand steps!
The instant he stepped onto the nine-thousandth step, the scene changed again! It was no longer a single trial. Instead, it was as if he had entered an ancient battlefield!
Murderous aura surged into the heavens. Gods and demons slaughtered one another, and laws shattered! The incomparably brutal scenes and the force of their wills far surpassed every previous trial!
This is... an imprint fragment of the Witch-Demon Great Tribulation?! Li Su was horrified.
Could this heavenly stairway actually simulate such scenes?
Just as the impact shook his mind and left him slightly dazed, a gigantic claw shadow wrapped in overwhelming demonic aura suddenly lashed out from the battlefield ahead and grabbed at him!
Its power far exceeded that of a Celestial Immortal. It had clearly reached the level of a True Immortal!
Danger! Li Su instantly awakened. He pushed Profound Star Swirl Body Protection to its utmost limit while his bamboo branches darted forward, firing a Stellar Evil Sky-Rending Thrust that condensed all his strength!
Boom! The claw shadow collided with the stellar thrust, and energy exploded! Li Su's bamboo body shook violently as he was blasted backward again and again. He nearly fell from the steps. The halo of Profound Star Swirl Body Protection dimmed considerably, and fine cracks even appeared across his bamboo body!
The claw shadow also dispersed.
So powerful! A mere True Immortal strike simulated by the heavenly stairway had nearly gravely wounded him!
He looked up and saw that the True Immortal disciples ahead had also each unleashed their abilities, fighting against the terrifying beings manifested by the battlefield. Their speed had noticeably slowed.
Yang Jian was battling the phantom of an Ancestor Witch that stood tall enough to support heaven and earth. The two were locked in an even fight!
The final trial of this heavenly stairway was actually a simulation of the ancient great tribulation, forcing challengers to confront the imprints of those terrifying beings!
Li Su's heart grew solemn, yet his fighting spirit was also stirred. As he circulated his mana to repair his bamboo body, he carefully observed the battlefield, sensing the fragments of laws and the battle intent contained within the brutal conflict.
"Kill! For the Demon Clan's Heavenly Court!" "...The Witch Clan will never be slaves!" "Father God Pangu..."
Broken cries and boundless battle intent intertwined. Li Su seemed to see countless great demons roaring, Ancestor Witches holding up the sky, stars falling, and the earth collapsing...
His Bedrock Rune began circulating on its own under such pressure, absorbing the unyielding battle intent from the battlefield.
The damaged jade pendant also grew faintly warm, emitting a protective light that guarded his mind from being eroded by the endless intent of slaughter and destruction.
Without realizing it, his understanding of "battle" and "guardianship" deepened another layer.
He stepped forward again, enduring the pressure of the battlefield phantoms and the occasional terrifying attack as he climbed upward with difficulty but unwavering resolve.
Nine thousand one hundred steps, nine thousand two hundred steps...
When he reached nine thousand five hundred steps, fewer than ten people remained ahead of him! They were all True Immortals, and all had brought out their most prized magic treasures, looking rather strained.
Yet Li Su, with only peak Earth Immortal cultivation, had miraculously kept up through Profound Star Swirl Body Protection, his many Dao intents, and his formidable will. This drew cries of shock and countless gazes from the disciples watching below!
"That bamboo spirit... actually reached nine thousand five hundred steps?" "Peak Earth Immortal? How is that possible?!" "His protective divine ability is incredible! It seems to contain several Dao intents!"
Even the True Immortals ahead could not help looking back at him, surprise visible in their eyes.
Li Su had no attention to spare. All his focus was devoted to resisting the pressure and the battlefield's assault. His gaze was firm as he looked toward the final four hundred and ninety-nine steps!
The endpoint was right ahead!
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