The blood mist had not yet dissipated atop the Heavenly Ladder.
The Five-Crown King stood with his sword in hand, his robes spotless, as if the one-sided massacre just moments before was nothing more than brushing aside a few fallen leaves during a stroll. He looked down, his gaze calm, yet it sent chills down everyone's spine.
Who else?
Three words, yet they carry immense weight.
No one answered.
However, in the midst of this deathly silence, the crowd suddenly stirred.
Like the tide meeting a reef, silently splitting open a wide channel in the middle.
A figure in white walked over unhurriedly, his steps relaxed, as if the bloody battle that had just taken place had nothing to do with him.
" Lin Fan, I've been waiting for you for a long time!"
The Five-Crown King's gaze fell on Lin Fan, his eyes shining. In the entire Three Thousand Provinces, only Lin Fan was worthy of his serious attention!
He was very Lin Fan had indeed cultivated... Immortal Qi, as rumored!
Lin Fan stopped at the bottom of the Immortal Ladder, glanced up at the figure standing on the ninety-ninth step, and smirked. "Cleared out? The show's about to begin!"
Lin Fan stepped onto the first step.
boom!
A terrifying pressure instantly descended, like an ancient divine mountain crashing down on your shoulder.
Lin Fan didn't even pause in his steps.
Keep going up.
Second layer, third layer, fourth layer...
With each step he took, the pressure intensified, yet he walked with composure, as if the weight of the steps was nothing to him.
He walked very steadily.
With each step he took, the runes of law on the steps trembled slightly, as if automatically retreating to the sides under the pressure of his aura.
Below the Heavenly Ladder, everyone held their breath.
They watched the white-clad figure ascend layer by layer, unhurriedly, without making a move, and without being intercepted by anyone...
"Holy crap! The Imperial Prince has moved too!"
"He's going to challenge for the Five-Crown King, and finally... he's achieved it."
"This is going to be interesting! The Five-Crown King and the Imperial Prince are about to meet on the Immortal Ladder!"
"Who do you think is stronger?"
"It's hard to say... One is a monster who has dominated the rankings for five eras, and the other is a ruthless individual who has swept aside all the prodigies of this era. This is a battle of the pinnacle across eras!"
"I bet on the Emperor's son to win! He's even condensed Immortal Qi; even the Five-Crown King is only at the Sage King Realm!"
" The Five-Crown King also benefited from the Legendary Ancient Road! Don't underestimate him!"
"I don't know. But I bet this will be the most spectacular battle on the Mythical Ancient Road."
Whispers rose and fell, but everyone's eyes were fixed on the two figures approaching on the Immortal Ladder.
Those geniuses still standing on the Immortal Ladder would subconsciously give way when he approached, as if their bodies reacted before their minds.
Someone lowered their voice, their tone carrying an uncontrollable tremor.
Midway up the Immortal Ladder, a young prodigy clad in blood-red armor gritted his teeth and growled, raising his sword to block Lin Fan's path a hundred feet away. " Lin Clan Son! I am..."
"Um?"
Lin Fan glanced at him sideways. What a clown! What a blind fool.
One glance was enough to choke the man's voice, leaving his knife suspended in mid-air, unable to fall or retract.
When Lin Fan's gaze fell on him, he felt as if an ancient ferocious beast had casually pressed down on the back of his neck.
His gaze held no murderous intent, nor any air of authority.
He even had a hint of nonchalant disdain, but his knees... involuntarily buckled and collapsed to the ground.
Lin Fan withdrew his gaze and continued walking upwards.
"I am the Holy Son of the Heavenly Saber Sect!" The challenge finally escaped the man's lips, his voice already three octaves lower. He called out to the departing figure, "I... I am Zhao Tiezhu!"
Lin Fan waved his hand without turning his head. "Got it, Tie Zhu. Stand back, don't get shattered by the aftershocks."
Zhao Tiezhu: "..."
Everyone: "..."
The atmosphere on the Immortal Ladder eased subtly for a moment, then was filled again by an even heavier sense of oppression.
Lin Fan stopped when he reached the ninety-ninth step, and Chaos Qi surged around him like a tide.
The Five-Crown King stood three zhang in front of him, holding a long sword, and the restrained Sword Intent around him was finally slowly released.
" Lin Fan, I've been waiting for this battle for a long time."
His voice was neither loud nor soft, yet it carried a fighting spirit that ran deep in his bones.
Lin Fan looked him up and down, then nodded slightly. " Half-Step Quasi-Emperor, Sword Physique Perfected, you've digested the fortune of the Legendary Ancient Road quite well."
The Five-Crown King's gaze sharpened slightly, then he smiled with relief, " Double Pupils, indeed extraordinary, able to see right through me..."
Lin Fan answered very sincerely, "I've been looking forward to this battle for a long time, and I hope you won't disappoint me!"
The Five-Crown King paused for a moment, then smiled.
The smile held no contempt, no hostility, only pure excitement, like an ancient sword sealed for five eras, finally finding a worthy opponent.
The Five-Crown King drew his sword, its Sword Qi spreading like a waterfall.
Without any probing, without any opening stance, without even a moment of charging up, the Five-Crown King's longsword was simply and unremarkably presented.
But the moment the sword was thrust out, the entire Immortal Ladder seemed to be paused.
The sword light was colorless and luminous, simply slicing through the void, like a silent blade drawn from the cracks of time.
"A fine sword."
Lin Fan's pupils contracted slightly.
He raised his fist, Chaos Qi condensed on the surface of his fist before unleashing a powerful punch.
The moment the fist force collided with the sword light, the runes above the hundredth level of the Immortal Ladder simultaneously lit up. Before the booming sound could be heard, the aftershocks had already plowed a layer of stone dust onto the surface of the steps within a radius of several dozen feet.
They both moved at the same time.
Above the Immortal Ladder, the golden light was dazzling.
The storm of laws exploded between the ninth and tenth floors, scattering the cultivators who were still climbing.
Lin Fan and the Five-Crown King had already disappeared into the golden light on the higher steps.
The wind howled, and the laws roared.
Each collision left a deep, bottomless crack on the steps.
The cultivators who were originally fighting over the prayer mats on the Immortal Ladder have now completely stopped.
Everyone looked up, watching the golden pillar of light that stretched across the Immortal Ladder explode and then close again between the steps.
"So strong!"
"Is this still the Sage King? Why do I feel like I'm facing two Great Emperor?!"
Like two ancient deities above the Immortal Ladder, they used the most primal way to confirm with each other who truly calls the shots in this era.
The golden light at the highest point was slowly solidifying, like a gateway to the Immortal Stele confirming the ownership of the qualification.
Round 1. Both players retreated half a step.
A blazing fire shone in the Five-Crown King's eyes. "You truly haven't disappointed me."
The two figures quickly passed each other on the ninety-ninth step!
Collision... separation!
Each collision was accompanied by a dense roar of laws, like two great Great Emperor battling it out in the universe.
"He... he actually tied with the Five-Crown King?"
"It's not a draw, it's a close match! And he's still attacking!"
"Hiss... The Five-Crown King is a monster who has surpassed five eras! This contemporary prodigy has already exchanged dozens of blows with the Five-Crown King without being at a disadvantage?"
"Am I seeing things? The Five-Crown King was actually forced to take a half-step back!"
"Was that half-step retreat made by himself, or was he forced back by the force of the impact?"
"He retreated on his own, but the fact that he voluntarily retreated means that he didn't take that punch easily."
Immortal Ladder to immortality.
The cultivators who were initially observing widened their eyes and scrambled back to a safe distance, fearing they would be blown away by the aftershocks.
The Forbidden Lord of the Deadlands's eyelids twitched slightly.
Although he didn't open his eyes, the Law of Void surrounding him clearly fluctuated for a moment, and no one noticed that he quietly disappeared into the void.