Chapter 542 - 536: Celestial Ladder
Chapter 542: Chapter 536: Celestial Ladder
The pathway to that place?
Hearing the Dragon Emperor’s words, Lin You couldn’t help but feel puzzled. What did he mean?
And where exactly was that place?
Unfortunately, the two did not linger on this topic.
After a moment of silence, the elder said, "For thousands of years, our Taichu Realm has been guarding the Life Gate, ensuring no one disrupts the order of that realm."
"Now that the Life Gate is open, naturally, we will no longer obstruct you."
"However, the rules of the Life Realm are different from the outside. Entering it is not something that can be accomplished by mere strength."
"Also, this is the territory of Taichu Realm. I don’t care how you all fight among yourselves, but do not disturb the peace of this realm, or don’t blame this old man for taking action."
After speaking, a boundless aura erupted from him, instantly enveloping the entire area.
The faces of the Great Emperors from all realms changed, and they couldn’t help but retreat, their eyes filled with astonishment.
They had no doubt about the elder’s words.
Because he indeed possessed the strength to slay one of the Great Emperors!
Fortunately,
The elder was merely issuing a warning.
Seeing no objections, he and over a hundred Great Emperors behind him traversed through space, disappearing in an instant.
At the same time,
The mist behind him dissipated, revealing a towering Celestial Ladder at the edge of the realm, connected to that illusory barrier at the top.
"That’s... the entrance to the Life Realm!"
Great Emperors from various realms were overjoyed, and immediately someone transformed into a streak of light, rushing toward the ladder.
However, in the next moment,
As that Great Emperor entered the range of the ladder, his expression suddenly changed, and he fell directly from the sky.
"Boom!"
With a loud crash, a giant crater was smashed into the plain.
Thanks to his formidable body, that Great Emperor wasn’t hurt, but it shocked all the Lords.
Even a Great Emperor couldn’t manage to fly skyward?
What exactly is this ladder?
Lin You looked at the ladder in shock.
The entire Celestial Ladder was astonishingly tall, with a total of 1,000 steps.
It was also astonishingly wide, each step a huge platform divided into seven areas, corresponding to each level.
It extended all the way up into the void filled with thunder and lightning, tightly connected to that illusory barrier.
With his current eyesight, he could barely see the situation at the top.
"Be careful, the space above is sealed."
The Great Emperor stood up, dusted himself off, and solemnly reminded everyone outside.
The space is sealed?
Does that mean they can’t fly skyward or use instant teleportation?
The Lords on the periphery were in an uproar, and even the Great Emperors’ faces changed slightly as they immediately descended to the ground to investigate the ladder.
Under everyone’s gaze, the Dragon Emperor was the first to step onto the first step, then frowned and stepped onto the second, followed by the third.
"With each step up, the pressure from the heavens increases. Be careful when you come up."
This remark was directed not only at the other Great Emperors but also at those low-tier Lords outside.
Only then did the Lords finally understand the meaning of the trial.
It turned out they had to climb this ladder!
Only by climbing this ladder could they qualify to enter the Life Realm!
No one expected such a trial before entering the Life Realm, which instantly worried the Lords who wanted to go in and find their relatives.
"One thousand steps, with the pressure increasing on each. Can anyone really pass this test?"
"I just want to go in and find my family. Why must we have such a trial?"
"Don’t rush, what if the test isn’t about strength?"
"Indeed, they didn’t say it was a strength test. Anyway, let’s try going up first."
"Let’s go, let’s check it out first."
The trial of the Celestial Ladder did not dampen the Lords’ determination to enter the Life Realm.
After some discussion, many people headed to their respective level areas and began to climb the ladder.
The remaining people chose to stay outside and observe for the moment.
As time passed, more and more Lords arrived via teleportation, spreading across the boundary of the realm on the field, gradually forming two large factions: the Realm Alliance and the Anti-Alliance, gathering on the left and right sides.
The air was thick with tension, yet no one dared to make a move at this moment.
However, nobody took things lightly.
There were no restrictions on attacking others on the ladder, and no one wanted to be attacked by the opposing side halfway up, undoing all their efforts.
Especially those who pay attention to details noticed.
After passing halfway up the steps, the environment became increasingly harsh, with attacks like ice, fire, and lightning emerging.
By the latter half, even spatial cracks began to appear, looking extremely unstable.
"Lin You, finally found you."
Just as Lin You was observing the situation on the ladder, a familiar call suddenly rang out from the crowd behind him.
He turned his head and saw Situ Jian walking toward him through the crowd.
"So, it’s you. Where’s Yan Lie? Why isn’t he with you?" Lin You said in surprise.
"Don’t mention it, that guy just ran up as soon as he arrived, saying he absolutely had to enter the Life Realm today." Situ Jian pointed toward the ladder direction and said helplessly.
"Already went up?"
Lin You was aware of Yan Lie’s relentless search for his sister.
And he understood that this was the reason Yan Lie kept striving to grow stronger.
He just hoped that guy wouldn’t be too reckless, given the situation up there was still unclear; no one could predict what might happen.
"That guy’s always like this, there’s no persuading him. I should head up too, in case he encounters any trouble and acts impulsively."
"Alright, hurry up and go. Don’t let him do anything foolish."
"I’ll go now."
After speaking, Situ Jian directly entered the Tier Nine Region of the Celestial Ladder, chasing after Yan Lie.
Watching him leave, Lin You didn’t idle either and began preparing below.
"Look quickly! Someone has reached the 100th level!"
Suddenly, an exclamation rose among the crowd.
Lin You was taken aback, instinctively turning his gaze towards everyone’s line of sight.
To his great surprise, the first person to reach the 100th level was not the Great Emperor nor a lord above Tier Ten, but rather an unknown Tier Nine Lord.
What’s going on?
Could it be just as those lords were saying earlier, the pressure on the Celestial Ladder isn’t determined by the strength of one’s power?
Feeling doubtful, he looked in other directions and found that some Tier Ten Lords, nearing the 100th level, already had sweat on their foreheads, appearing extremely strained.
Clearly, it’s not related to strength, but varies from person to person.
What surprised Lin You even more was this:
Not long after the Tier Nine Lord reached the 100th level, the Great Emperors and various ranks of lords also began to ascend to the 100th level, yet no one continued climbing further but started to rest on the spot.
"What’s going on? Why did they all stop?"
"Could there be changes after the 100th level?"
"No, it seems like something’s appearing!"
An exclamation suddenly interrupted the crowd’s discussion.
On the 100th level platform, brilliant rays of light appeared, and various items enveloped in the light emerged out of thin air.
Tier Six Species Token, Tier Seven Species Secret Treasure, Tier Eight Territorial Sacred Artifact, Tier Nine Origin Crystal, Tier Ten Rule Fragment...
And not just one, but ten!
This made the crowd erupt completely.
No one had expected that treasures would appear atop the Celestial Ladder.
This was just the 100th level; what could be found on higher levels?
Immediately, all the observing lords swarmed towards the Celestial Ladder, joining the climbing army, making the entire ladder exceedingly crowded.
At this point.
Those who first reached the 100th level also began contending for the treasures, fiercely battling on the platform, producing loud booms.
Lin You, following the crowd to the foot of the ladder, squinted at the lords fighting above.
If his guess was correct.
These treasures, aside from rewarding the lords, likely also served to lure them into chaotic battles, depleting their stamina.
In other words.
If one got greedily swayed by those treasures, they’d fall into the trap of the Celestial Ladder Trial, ultimately wasting a lot of energy and missing the chance to climb the ladder.
The trial of the Gate of the Living Realm was indeed not as simple as imagined.
Lin You didn’t dare to be careless, promptly following the crowd to the foot of the ladder, stepping onto the first level.
Boom!
A roar resounded, the moment his feet touched the platform, an overwhelming pressure swept towards him, making his steps heavier.
Lin You tried, indeed he couldn’t use the Power of Space in this region, nor could he summon species; he could only use the most basic Power of Rule to activate skills.
It’s manageable.
At least not all means were unusable.
Without staying long, he simply felt it briefly and continued advancing to higher levels.
And as the levels increased, the pressure gradually intensified, and he finally sensed something abnormal.
It seemed an invisible force was constantly eroding his mind.
Although weak initially, it slowly strengthened, giving him a slight urge to kill, with surrounding pressure also growing much stronger.
When he calmed his mind, the pressure would weaken accordingly.
"So that’s how it is."
Lin You instantly showed a sudden realization.
This Celestial Ladder Trial doesn’t test one’s strength but gauges one’s intent to kill!
The heavier the murderous intent, the stronger the pressure one faces.
No wonder even those Tier Ten Lords find climbing challenging; among all present lords, whose hands aren’t stained with blood?
Only a few can keep their true heart unaffected.
Of course.
Under the same conditions, the stronger ones have more ability to resist pressure.
Thus, one’s strength does have some effect.
"Forget it, let’s climb up first."
Lin You didn’t know how many levels he could reach.
Just trying to stay calm and peacefully, distancing himself from other Tier Ten Lords to avoid conflicts that might exhaust his energy.
Soon.
He joined the large ranks, arriving above the 100th level.
The pressure of the first 100 levels wasn’t too overwhelming, only about twice as strong as in the beginning.
As long as they’re not killers with extremely heavy machetes, most can climb up here.
And at this platform, many lords from various realms had gathered, the ten Rule Fragments already seized, resting and recovering in their areas, not hastening to continue climbing.
Lin You didn’t stay, took a deep breath and proceeded towards the 101st level.
However.
Unexpectedly.
As he stepped onto the 101st level, a pressure far exceeding the previous levels suddenly fell, almost forcing him to one knee.
What is this!
...