Above the second tier of the ladder, crimson True Fire Law surged forth, blotting out the sky and covering the earth.
The surrounding void was scorched into twisting distortions, while the jade steps beneath his feet were searing hot.
The Primordial Nine Revolutions Body Refining Art within Chen Changqing began circulating on its own. The instant those blazing law flames touched his flesh, the nine Primordial Spirits forcibly devoured them, refining them into the purest essence.
Boom!
The chaotic mist ahead churned and rolled as an illusory figure condensed out of thin air.
The figure stood thirty meters tall, clad in an ancient star-patterned Daoist robe, its features indistinct.
Chen Changqing stopped and examined it.
The pressure emanating from this phantom was extraordinarily terrifying, far surpassing the so-called pseudo-immortal True Lords outside. It was even deeper and more vast than the Heavenly Lords he had encountered.
"Beyond a Heavenly Lord... Could this be a residual divine projection left behind by an ancient Tribulation Immortal?"
Chen Changqing pondered silently.
The star-clad phantom slowly lowered its head and gazed down at Chen Changqing. Its voice was vast and desolate, echoing through the empty minor world.
"Ladder climber, you have passed the second tier."
"The Heavenly Ladder has nine tiers. Each tier passed grants an Ancient Immortal fortune."
"You may choose to claim this tier's reward immediately, or accumulate your fortunes until the ninth tier and settle them all at once."
"If you choose accumulation, the subsequent trials will become several times more difficult. However, your final reward may have a chance to transform into a true ancient immortal Dao source."
"Ladder climber, what is your choice?"
The majestic Dao voice shook the void until it hummed.
Chen Changqing did not hesitate in the slightest.
He had no interest whatsoever in ordinary heavenly