Using the black, white, and Nine-Colored Soul Crystals they had gathered over the years, they opened the passage through the barrier. Once inside, Ling Tian and the others were transported to a new plane—the Fifth Heaven of the Nine Heavens Realm.
As soon as they entered the Fifth Heaven, Ling Tian and the others sensed waves of immense auras coming from not far away. Some even made their hearts tremble slightly.
Looking closely, they saw many Stone People in the distance attacking a protective barrier. It shielded them, just as it had when they were first transported to this plane. Clearly, it was there to protect them during the transition period.
"Tsk, tsk, the Fifth Heaven is nothing like the outside. We've barely arrived, and already thousands upon thousands of Stone People have surrounded us." Fairy Lei Ying clicked her tongue as she tried to sense them. "Most are Near-Gods, but some are Heavenly Lords. Their strength is pretty decent."
"They're only early-stage Heavenly Lords. They're hardly a threat to us," Tan Tai Chang Feng said unconcernedly.
Based on the strength of the Heavenly Lord-level Stone People, Ling Tian and the others divided them into four categories: early-stage Heavenly Lords, mid-stage Heavenly Lords, late-stage Heavenly Lords, and peak Heavenly Lords.
The categories were easy enough to distinguish. Stone People who had refined fewer than ten fragments of Order Divine Artifacts were early-stage Heavenly Lords; those with ten or more but fewer than thirty were mid-stage; those with thirty or more but fewer than sixty were late-stage; and those with sixty or more but fewer than a hundred were peak Heavenly Lords.
Of course, the Stone People's strength varied slightly depending on their attributes, but there was no need to divide them any more finely.
As for Stone People who had