Chapter 3670: Ascension Ladder

A continuous stretch of emerald green mountains, with ancient trees reaching skyward and strange, jagged rocks.

A massive ball of azure lightning shot into the sky, shaking the earth.

Two hundred thousand miles away, a blinding azure lightning bolt lit up the void, revealing the figure of Layman Azure Lightning. His right leg was gone, his face was pale, his aura was weak, and his eyes were filled with terror.

"Trying to run? Did you ask us first?"

A man's incredibly cold voice rang out.

As soon as the voice faded, a strong gust of wind swept through, and a giant seven-headed owl appeared above Layman Azure Lightning.

Terrified, Layman Azure Lightning's body erupted with countless azure electric arcs, forming a dense azure lightning cloak that protected him entirely.

He opened his mouth and spewed a thick, nine-colored lightning bolt, which was clearly the Nine-Colored Divine Thunder, straight towards the seven-headed owl.

The seven-headed owl flapped its wings lightly, and a black halo swept out, covering an area tens of thousands of miles in radius.

The nine-colored lightning touched the azure halo, immediately stopping and floating in mid-air.

The seven-headed owl's sharp talons struck down, effortlessly piercing the azure lightning cloak and penetrating Layman Azure Lightning's head. A miniature Nascent Soul flew out of his body, and one of the seven-headed owl's heads swallowed it.

With a flash of black light, the seven-headed owl transformed into a tall, slender young man in black robes, with a pair of black feathered wings on his back and an icy expression.

He searched Layman Azure Lightning's body for valuables, then consumed his corpse. With a gentle flap of his black feathered wings, he vanished.

On a towering, cloud-piercing mountain peak, four men and two women gathered at the summit. A slender young woman in a red dress held a miniature Nascent Soul in her hand. If Wang Changsheng were there, he would recognize it as Immortal Li Huo's Nascent Soul.

"Only one Profound Heaven Treasure? That's a bit meager."

A burly man in golden robes said with a frown.

"Hmph, we tried to open an exit but failed. By an unexpected turn of events, entrances to the Immortal Realm Shard appeared in multiple locations in the Xuanyang Realm. Many alien Grand Ascension cultivators have entered the shard to seek treasure. If we kill a few more Grand Ascension cultivators, we should be able to acquire more Profound Heaven Treasures."

A young man in golden robes, with a dove-like face and a high nose, scoffed dismissively.

The seven of them had joined forces to attack a spatial node in the Immortal Realm Shard, hoping to open an exit. They failed, and instead, the entrances to the Immortal Realm Shard appeared in multiple locations in the Xuanyang Realm.

Consequently, they changed their strategy: they began to kill the Grand Ascension cultivators who entered to seek treasure and seize their Profound Heaven Treasures, hoping to use the power of these treasures to open an exit.

A gust of wind swept by, and the young man in black robes appeared.

"Fellow Daoist Xiao, did you catch him?"

The burly man in golden robes asked.

"That fellow cultivated an aperture and mastered lightning techniques, so he was a bit fast. However, Fellow Daoist Jiu severely injured his divine soul, greatly reducing his strength, so I caught up quickly."

The young man in black robes took out a red storage bracelet and handed it to the young woman in the red dress.

The young woman in the red dress tossed Immortal Li Huo's Nascent Soul to the young man in black robes and said, "Well done. You can have it!"

The young man in black robes thanked her repeatedly, "Thank you, Sister Bi." He then swallowed Immortal Li Huo's Nascent Soul, a look of satisfaction appearing on his face.

"Let's go! We'll search for other Grand Ascension cultivators. Even if we can't leave this place, obtaining a defensive incomplete Profound Heaven Treasure or a Profound Heaven Treasure would suffice."

The young woman in the red dress had a murderous look on her face; she had set her sights on the Grand Ascension cultivators who had come to seek treasure.

The seven of them then left the area, searching for treasure seekers. A hunting operation targeting these seekers had begun.

In a sprawling, giant valley, stood a towering, light-golden tree. Its trunk bore nine vortex-like patterns, emitting a faint spiritual glow.

Fu Hai and over twenty other Grand Ascension cultivators stood near the golden tree, their expressions varied.

"The Nine-Aperture Immortal Wood! Haha! Our Heavenly Sound Clan's fortune has arrived."

Fu Hai exclaimed excitedly.

This Nine-Aperture Immortal Wood was over 400,000 years old and incredibly valuable. If brought to the Immortal Realm, it should fetch a high price.

"Start transplanting this Nine-Aperture Immortal Wood."

Bai Bing commanded.

A gaunt old man in green robes conjured a gleaming azure gourd. The azure gourd emitted astonishing wood spiritual energy fluctuations; it was clearly an incomplete Profound Heaven Treasure.

Immortal wood was no ordinary spirit wood; its transplantation required extreme care. The Thousand Spirit Gourd was specifically designed for transplanting immortal wood. Fu Hai took out formation flags and a formation plate to set up a formation, working with the old man in green robes to transplant the Nine-Aperture Immortal Wood.

After transplanting the Nine-Aperture Immortal Wood, they departed from the area.

An endless black desert stretched out, with strong winds constantly blowing, carrying countless black sand particles high into the sky.

With a massive roar, a huge black light shot skyward. Immediately after, a deafening thunderclap echoed, and hundreds of thousands of silver lightning bolts ripped across the sky, striking downwards.

There were booming roars, the lightning intensified greatly, and thunder and lightning flashed.

In less than ten breaths, the lightning dissipated, and everything returned to normal.

Deep in the desert, a blue-glowing, four-sided beast carriage floated high in the sky. Wang Changsheng and others stood upon it. A yellow centipede, emitting black smoke, lay dead on a sand dune, its head bearing a massive bloodied hole.

Wang Changsheng drove the Spirit-Crossing Sky-Flying Carriage on their journey to the location of the Thunder Apricot Jade Immortal Fruit Tree, this desert being an essential path.

According to the crystal ball left by True Monarch Bi Hai, this area had many spatial rifts and a strange wind that specifically harmed divine souls.

With the Spirit-Crossing Sky-Flying Carriage, their journey was surprisingly smooth, free of major dangers.

"Mengbin, your strength has increased considerably!"

Wang Qingshan said with a smile.

Wang Mengbin dealt with this mid-grade eighth-tier demonic centipede in less than ten breaths. His strength had greatly improved after cultivating an aperture.

"It's all thanks to the aperture-cultivating materials given by our Ancestor; otherwise, my strength wouldn't have increased this much." Wang Mengbin smiled broadly as he put away the yellow centipede's corpse.

Wang Changsheng formed a hand seal, and the Spirit-Crossing Sky-Flying Carriage transformed into an afterimage and vanished.

Three days later, the Spirit-Crossing Sky-Flying Carriage appeared above a rolling, emerald green mountain range. Wang Tun Tian's eyes glowed with dazzling yellow light as he searched for the Thunder Apricot Jade Immortal Fruit.

He could now perceive conditions a million miles away, which was convenient for treasure hunting.

"Master, someone has opened the Immortal Ascension Ladder, in the northwest direction."

Wang Tun Tian said, his expression agitated.

Any being that cultivates to the late Grand Ascension stage and passes the Nine-Nine Heavenly Tribulation will ascend to the Immortal Realm. The Immortal Ascension Ladder guides such beings to the Immortal Realm.

"What? The Immortal Ascension Ladder!"

Wang Changsheng's expression tightened. He formed a hand seal, and the Spirit-Crossing Sky-Flying Carriage glowed with dazzling blue light, transforming into an afterimage and disappearing.

Seven hundred thousand miles away, a plump old man in red robes stood on a mountaintop, gravely observing a nine-colored ladder over ten zhang long in the sky. The ladder was covered in mysterious runes.

A graceful young woman in a golden dress stood on the nine-colored ladder. Her face was pale, yet she smiled broadly.

"Fellow Daoist Lin, I shall be leaving first."

After saying this, the young woman in the golden dress strode along the nine-colored ladder. Upon reaching its end, she vanished into the void. The nine-colored ladder then dissolved into specks of spiritual light and disappeared.