Witch-Demon Prelude

After nine thousand five hundred steps, every step felt like crossing a heavenly chasm.

The phantoms of the ancient battlefield grew increasingly real, their attacks sharper and fiercer. The pressure of the Great Dao laws was nearly suffocating.

More and more cracks spread across Li Su's bamboo body. The halo of Profound Star Swirl Body Protection flickered erratically, while his divine sense was being consumed at an enormous rate.

Yet his gaze remained bright, and his will, like refined steel tempered a thousand times, only grew tougher.

He pushed the "Bedrock Rune" and the Dao resonance of "Protection" to their current limits. The Eight Nine Mysterious Art circulated without pause, constantly adjusting his body's structure to withstand that terrifying pressure.

One step, two steps, three steps...

He surpassed two early True Immortal disciples whose magic power had failed them, forcing them to stop and recover.

Nine thousand seven hundred steps! Nine thousand eight hundred steps!

Ahead, only five people remained, including Yang Jian! Three mid-stage True Immortals and two late-stage True Immortals!

Though Yang Jian was only an early True Immortal, his combat strength defied heaven, and he still held firmly within the leading group!

Nine thousand nine hundred steps!

Li Su felt that he had reached his limit. His bamboo body seemed on the verge of shattering completely at any moment.

But when he saw the final ninety-nine steps ahead, along with the faintly visible light gate at their end that radiated a chaotic aura, a surge of unwillingness and stubborn resolve rose within him.

How could the path to transcendence end here?! he roared inwardly. He actually took the initiative to draw upon a trace of the ancient "Bedrock" origin within the dark yellow stone he had obtained from the battlefield, which he had yet to fully refine!

Buzz! His bamboo body shook violently, and even more intricate, ancient patterns surfaced across it. His defensive power instantly rose by another level! Then he charged upward!

Nine thousand nine hundred fifty steps! Nine thousand nine hundred eighty steps! Nine thousand nine hundred ninety steps!

He overtook the two mid-stage True Immortal disciples in succession, drawing cries of astonishment from everyone present!

In the end, he stepped onto the nine-thousand-nine-hundred-ninety-ninth step! He arrived almost simultaneously with Yang Jian and the other two late-stage True Immortal disciples!

The moment they stepped onto the final stair, all pressure and illusions vanished abruptly.

An incomparably pure stream of chaotic spiritual energy descended from above, pouring into the bodies of the four and rapidly restoring their wounds and depleted strength.

Ahead stood the light gate of the Chaos Secret Realm, radiating an enticing aura!

The elder presiding over the gathering appeared. Looking at the four of them, his gaze lingered briefly on Li Su before he announced in a clear voice:

"Yang Jian, Mo Xing, Qingxu, Yuding, the four of you are tied among the top three of this Heavenly Stairway trial. Since you arrived at the same time, an exception shall be made and all of you shall be counted among the top three. You are qualified to enter the Chaos Secret Realm for three days of enlightenment. Enter at once!"

Four people were actually tied for the top three? An uproar broke out below, but no one questioned it. Li Su had created such a miracle with only peak Earth Immortal cultivation, leaving everyone utterly convinced.

Li Su was exhilarated. He exchanged glances with Yang Jian and the others, and each saw battle intent and acknowledgment in the others' eyes.

The four said nothing further. They stepped forward together and entered the chaotic light gate.

It was as though he had passed through a film of water. In the next instant, Li Su found himself in a wondrous space beyond description.

There was no up or down, left or right; no concept of time or space. Only endless currents of chaos flowed slowly, forming and fading away.

Fragments of Great Dao laws in every color and shape could be seen everywhere like ribbons of light, yet they were ethereal and impossible to grasp.

Here, divine sense seemed to have lost its use. One could only feel with the heart, drawing close to the most fundamental traces of the Great Dao.

Li Su merely inhaled a breath of chaotic energy, and he felt the bottleneck in his cultivation loosen. His understanding of heaven, earth, and all things became clearer and deeper.

He immediately sat cross-legged, his bamboo roots taking hold in the void. He circulated his cultivation art with all his strength, absorbing chaotic energy while sinking his mind into this chaos and striving to capture those fragments of Great Dao laws.

Here, all the powers he cultivated became extraordinarily active.

The power of the stars greedily absorbed chaotic energy, becoming purer and vaster; the Soul Devouring Origin was especially sensitive to law fragments representing "Ending" and "Return to Ruin."

The "Bedrock Rune" and the Dao resonance of "Protection" resonated with laws representing "Stability," "Eternity," and "Shelter."

The Eight Nine Mysterious Art circulated on its own, guiding chaotic energy to temper every minute structure of his bamboo body...

His cultivation advanced at a tremendous pace, launching an assault against the barrier of the Heavenly Immortal realm!

More importantly, his understanding of his own Dao deepened at an unprecedented speed.

Though the myriad laws differed, their source was one.

Chaos was that original "one."

Comprehending the Dao in this place allowed him to move beyond specific divine abilities and spells. From the level of origin itself, he understood the true essence of power and searched for the possibility of truly fusing his many powers into one.

He saw the birth and extinction of stars, the cycle of souls, the solidity and transformation of matter, the order and changes of formations...

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

When the power of the secret realm sent Li Su out, the aura around him surged. He had already reached the absolute limit of the Earth Immortal realm, needing only a single opportunity to become a Heavenly Immortal on the spot!

More importantly, his Dao foundation had been tempered to an incomparably solid state. He now had a clearer plan for his future path and had even begun devising a framework to unite the Daos of stars, devouring, formations, protection, bedrock, and more. Though it was only a prototype, its significance was extraordinary!

Yang Jian and the others had also gained their own harvests, and their auras had grown even deeper.

After leaving the secret realm, the four nodded to one another in farewell before departing separately.

After this trial, Li Su's name, "Mo Xing," completely resounded throughout Kunlun's generation of disciples.

Upon returning to Listening Bamboo Abode, Li Su immediately entered seclusion to digest his gains. However, on the tenth day of his seclusion, an urgent sect decree was transmitted through the identity jade talismans to every disciple:

"The Witch Clan and Demon Clan have clashed once more across the Primordial World. Baleful energy pierces the heavens, and tribulation clouds gather! The prelude to the great tribulation has begun!

"All Kunlun disciples are forbidden from descending the mountain without orders in the near future. Guard the mountain gates strictly and observe the changes!"

The Witch-Demon Great Tribulation had begun!

Li Su suddenly opened his "eyes," walked out of his cave abode, and gazed toward the Primordial World. Even across an endless distance, he could faintly sense the killing intent and tribulation aura pervading heaven and earth!

He recalled the battlefield fragments he had experienced upon the Myriad Manifestations Heavenly Stairway, and his heart turned solemn.

Under a great tribulation, all living beings were like ants. Even powers as mighty as the Witch Clan and Demon Clan would sink beneath the tribulation.

His current cultivation was utterly insignificant before such a calamity. He had to increase his strength as quickly as possible!

Yet though the tree wished for calm, the wind would not cease. Several months later, an unexpected visitor came to Listening Bamboo Abode.

The visitor was actually Fairy Yun Yao. Her expression was grave, and the moment she saw Li Su, she said directly, "Fellow Daoist Mo Xing, my master, Yuqing Zhenren, asked me to convey a message to you:

"The great tribulation has arisen, and heavenly secrets are obscure. As an anomaly, you may encounter special opportunities within this tribulation—or even greater danger. Kunlun may shelter you, but towering trees cannot grow in a greenhouse.

"Whether you remain hidden in the mountains and cultivate quietly, or enter the tribulation to contend for that sliver of opportunity, the choice is yours."

Enter the tribulation? Li Su's heart sank. Was the sage hinting that he should descend the mountain and enter it?

The risk was undoubtedly immense, but Yunqian Zhenren had also said that there might be special opportunities. During a great tribulation, danger abounded, but the laws of heaven and earth were also at their most active, making opportunities and treasures easier to reveal themselves.

Should he seek stability, or brave danger?

Li Su pondered for a long time, his gaze gradually turning resolute. His Dao was one of struggling onward through hardship and peril!

Remaining hidden in the mountains might bring safety, but the road to transcendence would inevitably be slow.

Only by entering the tribulation and tempering himself between life and death could he possibly rise swiftly and seize that escaped one.

"I choose to descend the mountain," Li Su said slowly.

Yun Yao seemed to have expected this. She nodded. "In that case, Fellow Daoist, take great care.

"This is the Small Teleportation Talisman my master has given you. At a critical moment, it may save your life.

"After descending the mountain, you may travel toward Ten Thousand Witch City in the northwest. There... you may find your destined opportunity."

Li Su accepted the jade talisman brimming with spiritual energy and thanked her. "Thank you, Fairy Yun Yao. Thank you, Senior Yuqing."

After seeing Yun Yao off, Li Su no longer hesitated. Following a brief period of preparation, he went to the Affairs Hall to register his descent from the mountain for training, then quietly left Kunlun Mountain.

When he stepped onto the Primordial World once again, the tribulation aura and baleful energy in the air were indeed several times denser. A suffocating restlessness filled heaven and earth.

In the distant skies, strange phenomena could often be seen as demon clouds collided with the Witch Clan's blood energy. Great battles had clearly erupted in many places.

Following Yuqing Zhenren's guidance, Li Su headed northwest toward Ten Thousand Witch City. It was an important gathering place for the Witch Clan.

Along the way, he became even more cautious, avoiding large-scale battlefields. But small skirmishes and slaughter could be seen everywhere, and the order of the Primordial World had already begun to collapse.

One day, as he passed through a range of ancient, desolate mountains, he suddenly heard fierce fighting and enraged beastly roars ahead.

Sweeping the area with his divine sense, he saw a group of Witch Clan warriors surrounding and attacking an enormous Fierce Beast with wings on its back and crimson scales covering its entire body—Qiongqi!

Qiongqi was incomparably ferocious. Its claws tore through flesh, and it spewed poisonous flames, severely injuring several Witch Clan warriors already.

Yet the Witch Clan warriors feared no death. They formed an array to besiege it, unleashing every kind of witchcraft and blood energy attack upon Qiongqi.

However, what drew Li Su's attention was not the battle itself, but a faint yet incomparably pure yellow spiritual glow revealed within a cracked mountain wall at the edge of the battlefield!

The aura of that spiritual glow shared the same origin as the "Bedrock Rune" he had obtained from the giant beast's skull, yet it was purer and heavier!