Changsheng: My experience in patrolling the liver

Chapter 727 Ascending the Heavenly Steps, Following the Ancient Path, Seeking Immortal Traces, and Attaining Immortality! (Part 2)

After heaven and earth were connected in this way, the space in that area became relatively stable.

The terrifying energy shockwaves of the past no longer appeared, but messages came from other major states.

The strange phenomena that had spread throughout the land all disappeared, the various natural disasters subsided, and the spiritual energy no longer surged.

In Yuanzhou, apart from the central area in front of them, everything has returned to normal.

Upon hearing this news, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Regardless, this is good news.

With Kyushu temporarily back to normal and the unrest contained, they no longer needed to be in such a hurry.

"So, the key link is indeed here," said the Cloud King, gazing at the wondrous sight where heaven and earth seemed to merge.

Even from thirty miles away, one could still see the enormous vortex of air descending from the horizon.

In order to find out the situation, the group chose to continue to approach.

Suddenly, a slender golden light appeared faintly in the connected vortex, shooting straight from the chaos below into the center of the dark vortex in the sky.

"That is?!" Feng Wang Bei Xiaoyin's gaze suddenly sharpened.

She clearly saw that the golden light enveloped by the airflow was actually a golden staircase.

The end of the staircase is not visible; it is not made of physical materials, but rather constructed from some kind of high-level energy.

"This is... a Heavenly Rank!" King Yun suddenly exclaimed, his spirits lifted.

"Resembling gold yet not gold, imbued with celestial essence, a divine rank connecting heaven and earth!"

Seeing everyone's gaze, King Yun made no attempt to hide anything and revealed what he knew.

Similar descriptions can be found in some ancient and secret texts passed down from antiquity.

"The staircase connecting heaven and earth can guide the strongest to ascend to the immortal realm and obtain the immortal Dao fruit that grants them immortality and indestructibility!"

"I have always suspected that if this Heavenly Path exists, it should be an ancient passage leading to that primordial continent. However, the Heavenly Path may have appeared during the time of our ancient ancestors, but it has never appeared again since."

Therefore, this has become one of the unsolved mysteries in ancient books from later periods, and there has been no further explanation to this day.”

Everyone was shocked upon hearing this, never expecting it to unfold in this way.

Some grandmasters were hearing such a rumor about a celestial rank for the first time, and their minds were immediately stirred.

Even Su Qingqing's eyes shone with an incredibly bright light, and her fists clenched tightly.

Whether it's a fairyland or not is secondary; what she knows is that the place her young master traveled alone to back then was that primordial continent!
Hearing what the King of Clouds said, she felt as if she had grasped a ray of hope.

Since Song Changming can't come back, she'll go find him!
"If King Yun's judgment is correct, then this is the Heavenly Rank that appeared in the ancient times, which can directly lead to the primordial continent that the Martial Emperor was searching for back then?" a Grandmaster said solemnly.

"It hasn't been seen for tens of thousands of years, so why has it suddenly reappeared?" King Qin Beisheng of Miao frowned.

On the one hand, they were captivated by the legendary fairyland, but on the other hand, they all had their concerns.

Everything has a cause. They hadn't done anything, yet this celestial staircase appeared without warning.

They could not find the reason.

"Could the root cause be from the primordial world?" Heya suddenly asked.

"Perhaps, could it be the work of the Martial Emperor? Was it him who brought this Heavenly Staircase back to the mortal realm?!"

Heya's words sparked a flurry of speculation among the crowd.

There is indeed a certain possibility.

If this is true, it means that when their Martial Emperor left the Nine Provinces, he actually succeeded in reaching that new world where immortals reside.

"Can we really reach that new world through this celestial staircase?"

Although there are many speculations, no one dares to try it rashly, after all, no one is sure that this is the Heavenly Staircase described in the ancient book.

If something goes wrong during the attempt, they may not be able to escape unscathed.

Su Qingqing was the one most willing to try, but Xi Yanxue stopped her, unwilling to let her daughter risk her life to try it.

"You are the Prince of Yuanzhou, you cannot act so arbitrarily!"

Xi Yanxue's words finally made her daughter suppress her impulse.

Afterwards, many talented and powerful individuals from the Nine Provinces were invited to study this golden celestial staircase day after day, but the results were meager.

These things are beyond their comprehension; simply studying them from the outside won't make any sense to them.

Finally, an old master nearing the end of his life stepped forward, determined to make his final attempt at reaching the Heavenly Rank.

"I hope I can really meet those legendary immortals and gods, then I will have no regrets in this life."

The old master smiled faintly and stepped into that chaotic mass.

The chaotic energy absorbed the old master's entire body and instantly engulfed him.

There were already thousands of onlookers around, most of whom were top-tier human experts, and some were also powerful demons.

Everyone fell silent, watching the situation closely.

They could all sense that the old master's aura was still present, and that he was still alive and well.

Soon, the old master's figure appeared faintly in the Heavenly Stairs above the Chaos.

Amidst swirling mist, the old master slowly ascended the heavenly staircase, step by step.

At first, he appeared calm and even seemed to be in control, but after climbing to a certain height, his steps gradually became slow and labored.

After climbing for three days and three nights, the old master suddenly stopped, sighed, and returned the way he came.

And so it emerged from the deepest chaos.

Everyone was overjoyed to see him return safely.

"How is it?" King Yun asked immediately.

The old master looked somewhat regretful and shook his head, saying, "I am no longer able to continue."

"Is that really a Heavenly Rank?"

"Yes, there is a Dharma seal in the chaos. When your mind touches that Dharma seal, you will receive a sentence," the old master nodded and said.

"What did you say?" Everyone strained their ears to listen.

The old master didn't keep anyone in suspense and said directly: "Ascend the Heavenly Steps, follow the Ancient Road, seek the traces of immortals, and attain immortality."

A simple sentence, yet it seems to explain everything.

Regardless of who left that seal, this statement alone is enough for everyone to conclude that this is the Heavenly Stairway to the New World!

What King Yun said, and what everyone had guessed, was now strongly confirmed.

"This must have been left by the immortals of the other shore!"

"Could this be everything that Emperor Wu did for us?"

"Perhaps Emperor Wu has already become an immortal!"

This time, when everyone discussed it again, they had fewer concerns and were only eager to try.

The fact that the old master escaped unscathed put them at ease.

"I'll give it a try!"

Soon another grandmaster volunteered. His lifespan had not yet reached its limit, his blood and energy had not declined, and his strength was greater than that of the old grandmaster. He also had a better chance of reaching a higher position on that Heavenly Rank.

"Why don't we go together?" Another senior master, not wanting to wait any longer, stepped forward and said.

The other masters were moved.

Soon, several highly skilled grandmasters stepped into the chaos and appeared on the heavenly staircase, just like the old grandmaster before them, ascending step by step.

Several more days passed, and these masters all returned empty-handed.

They all climbed to higher places, and one of them even came close to the vortex swirling high in the sky, but in the end, he could no longer go any further.

"Perhaps only those with a Grandmaster cultivation level close to perfection have a chance," said the Grandmaster who had climbed to the highest position after emerging.

"Brother Yang, have you noticed something?" King Yun asked upon hearing this.

"Yes, there should be a spatial passage at the center of the vortex connecting the heavenly staircases. If I'm not mistaken, that is the ancient path mentioned in the story!" The grandmaster revealed the information he had discovered.

In this way, the situation becomes basically clear.

Ascend the heavenly steps, follow the ancient path.
Passing through that spatial passage, the other side leads to a new world, the primordial continent!
“If that’s the case, then I’ll give it a try!” a grandmaster stepped forward and said.

He has already refined ninety-five drops of Grandmaster-level essence blood in his Purple Mansion, making his Grandmaster cultivation nearly perfect. He has a chance to reach that spatial passage.

"I'll go as well."

"I also."

Soon, several more stepped out.

"Everyone, I must remind you that while you can return once you step onto the Heavenly Stairs, if you truly enter that spatial passage, no matter the circumstances, there is very likely no way back!" A ninth-rank old talisman master suddenly stood up and said to everyone.

"The path of cultivation should be forged without hesitation. I have no attachments to begin with. If I am going to leave today and never return, then so be it!"

One of the grandmasters remained steadfast in his decision, letting out a long laugh before venturing straight into the Heavenly Staircase.

"Exactly! A martial artist should be like this!"

With the support of a grandmaster, they chose to step into it.

The onlookers were unable to perceive anything clearly because their senses were obscured by the massive mist swirling in the sky, and they couldn't even get close.

Therefore, they could not see whether anyone actually stepped over the Heavenly Stairs and entered the spatial passage.

But after waiting for several days and seeing no one return, they finally confirmed that a group of grandmasters had left the Nine Provinces and gone to the other side!

Those departed masters could not send back messages, so outsiders did not know their fate or whether they had succeeded.

But in any case, a path forward has been opened.

Especially those martial arts masters who had already reached the Grandmaster level and reached the pinnacle of their skills, had their hearts rekindled with a burning passion.

Their path in martial arts has come to an end. If they want to continue on the path of cultivation, they must be like the Martial Emperor of yesteryear, daring to explore and take this uncertain step.

"King Yun, I'm going." A Grandmaster suddenly spoke, addressing King Yun who was not far away.

He was one of the most powerful men under the command of the King of Yun. However, he was reluctant to leave this time. Firstly, he had not yet repaid the King of Yun's kindness, and secondly, his large family was still in Yunzhou.

This time, embarking on this path to immortality and making this decision is far more difficult than for those who came before.

Yun Wang looked at him and slowly said, "Aren't you going home?"

The grandmaster shook his head.

"Then go." Knowing that the other party's resolve was firm, King Yun could not persuade him any further and agreed directly.

The Grandmaster bowed to the Cloud King and then stepped onto the heavenly steps.

Over time, they have gained experience and can almost confirm it.

As long as the Grandmaster's essence blood is refined to more than ninety drops, the possibility of stepping into the Heavenly Realm is over seventy to eighty percent.

As long as one is a Grandmaster, one can certainly step over the Heavenly Staircase. Whether to go or not is just a matter of a single thought for these Grandmasters. This Heavenly Staircase poses little difficulty for them.

Among the thousands of powerful individuals present were both human and top experts from other alien races of the Nine Provinces.

Soon, a small number of them stepped onto the Heavenly Staircase and disappeared into the sky above the Nine Provinces, in search of the so-called Immortal Path.

"Sister Qingqing, aren't we going to find the young master?" Xiaohuang asked.

“I will go, but before that, I must relinquish my position as Prince Yuan and hand over power to a suitable person,” Su Qingqing said, her tone exceptionally firm.

She will definitely go, but she is unwilling to act unilaterally, leaving hidden dangers and ruining the hard-won unification of the Nine Provinces by Song Changming.

Upon hearing this, Xi Yanxue knew that she could no longer persuade her daughter.

The only saving grace was that Su Qingqing hadn't lost her mind and still retained some rationality, not forgetting the responsibilities she bore.

Just like Song Changming back then, he only chose to risk leaving after everything was completely stabilized in Kyushu and all was ready.

The other kings also realized that Su Qingqing, a powerful figure left behind by Emperor Wu, would likely follow in Emperor Wu's footsteps in the end.

In fact, it would be impossible for the other eight kings not to have their own ideas.

Who wouldn't want to seek immortality and longevity?

This is incredibly tempting for any cultivator.

However, if all of these human kings choose to leave, the rule of the human race in the Nine Provinces will inevitably be at risk.

This matter requires careful consideration from them. First, they need to find a suitable candidate for king before they can transfer power to him.

Only after stepping back from the limelight can one truly leave.

"This place must be placed under the highest level of security. From now on, anyone who wants to ascend the Heavenly Stairs must register and report, and can only pass through with permission!" King Yun temporarily suppressed the many distracting thoughts in his mind and slowly proposed.

The other eight princes had no objection to this.

This highest-level blockade requires the combined efforts of all nine kings, each dispatching their most reliable personnel to guard it, and also necessitates the deployment of numerous high-level rune arrays.

Outposts and fortresses stretched for at least several hundred miles!
After all, this path to heaven is too important, and it is absolutely impossible not to strictly control it.

After some discussion, the proposal was finalized, and the nine kings returned to their respective posts to make their arrangements.

"Mother, I need your help," Su Qingqing suddenly said, standing in front of the imperial palace, which was mostly destroyed.

Xi Yanxue sighed inwardly, "As expected," but still said, "I am your mother, and I will naturally help you no matter what."

"After I leave, I would like to ask you to assist the new Prince Yuan," Su Qingqing said.

In reality, although she has several promising talents under her command, none of them have fully matured yet.

Therefore, she wanted her mother to become a major support for the new Prince Yuan after she left, so that Yuanzhou could remain peaceful.

After all, Xi Yanxue herself was strong enough, and she represented the entire fox clan power that occupied Yuanzhou.

(End of this chapter)