“For great kindness, no thanks are needed—I must offer myself in return!” he pondered. “When this matter is settled, let us marry. Your foster mother is also in New Xia, so we can ask her to preside over our wedding.”
She scoffed: “Is that all?” Why did it still feel like she was getting the worst deal?
“Of course not!” His face turned solemn. “To show my sincerity, how about I give you a baby? That would require considerable effort…”
Feng Miaojun was greatly embarrassed and pinched his palm forcefully: “Shut up! Why can’t you ever be serious?” Discussing such matters while sitting on the Realm God’s shoulder—wouldn’t that be blasphemous?
“Is one not enough?” He maintained his serious expression, though his heart ached slightly. “Then two, three… after all, we have plenty of time.”
Feng Miaojun initially wanted to pinch his face to see just how thick his skin was, but after hearing his last sentence, she fell silent. Ripples of sweetness spread through her heart.
Indeed, having shed the heavy burden of fate, from now on, they had all the time in the world.
The Realm God moved with extreme speed. During their brief conversation, he had already reached the seaside.
From here northward lay the vast Forbidden Sea.
The cultivators had followed all the way. The Yan garrison stationed on Storm Island had already been alerted, and all the soldiers poured out, crowding the cliff edge to witness this once-in-a-millennium spectacle.
Many exclaimed: “Quick, quick, look at the sky!”
Feng Miaojun seemed to sense something and suddenly looked up, seeing a golden dot appear in the eastern sky. The sunlight had not yet risen, and the sky remained dim, making its appearance all the more conspicuous.
The dot grew larger in her vision, indicating it was moving rapidly, and its size was…
Astonishingly enormous!
After just a dozen breaths, the cultivators could see that what descended from the heavens was a segment of an immense tree trunk!
It was a magnificent golden color—even the purest gold could only match this hue. The cracks and patterns characteristic of ancient wood were also clearly visible.
Anyone could tell at a glance that this tree must be very old.
One end plunged into the Forbidden Sea, its massive bulk occupying a third of the entire sea surface.
Strangely, the sea level didn’t rise, nor did the coastal lands suffer flooding from any backflow of seawater.
It was as if the seawater had been absorbed by the giant tree.
Next, branches grew from the tree, and leaves sprouted from the branches, quickly forming one lush crown after another. Each leaf was as transparent as imperial jade, breathtakingly beautiful.
“This is the World Tree,” Feng Miaojun felt her husband’s hand grow warmer. She turned her head to see Yun Ya staring intently at this giant tree, his expression complex.
“Yes, this is the Celestial Ladder,” she hadn’t noticed the endless joy that pervaded her own voice. “At the end of the Celestial Ladder lies the Realm of Immortality!”
In years past, the demons had attempted to defeat the Realm God and break into the Immortal Realm, disrupting the laws of ascension. Thus, the Celestial Gods withdrew the Celestial Ladder, extinguishing the path of ascension for all living beings.
The fate of the Hao Royal Family had always been most closely tied to this divine tree. After a thousand years, the only remaining bloodline of the Hao family in the mortal world had, alongside a demon, invited it back.
At that moment, a wind came from nowhere, causing the divine tree’s branches and leaves to rustle, like a nocturne or the soft singing of countless spirits, filling everyone with delight.
Thousands of beings were entranced, not uttering a word.
The Realm God, having already placed one foot on the giant tree trunk, suddenly stopped, as if also lost in the enchanting melody.
After a long while, the music gradually faded.
The Realm God came to his senses and continued striding up the tree.
Only after he had traversed more than half the distance did the cultivators suddenly awaken, wanting to follow in his footsteps.
Though the giant tree stood right there, no matter how hard they ran, they couldn’t draw any closer to it.
After futilely rushing for dozens of li, someone finally gave up in despair, sighing: “Our cultivation is still insufficient!”
This was the Celestial Ladder, the only path of ascension for mortal realm cultivators—how could it be so easy to climb?
The qualification to ascend the Celestial Ladder began with the ability to approach it.
When everyone looked up again, the giant tree stood tall and majestic, its foliage as resplendent as brocade, but where was the Realm God?
Yet everyone felt at peace.
With the Realm God’s return and the reappearance of the Celestial Ladder, how far away could their day of ascension be?
Feng Miaojun and Yun Ya sat on the stone giant’s shoulder, following him upward.
Who knows how long they traveled, surrounded by flowing clouds and mist, with only a vast expanse below them.
They must be very, very far from the ground now, like the distance between heaven and earth.
The two simply admired the scenery along the way, for sitting on the Realm God’s shoulder while climbing the Celestial Ladder was a privilege no third person could enjoy. However, upon reaching this point, Feng Miaojun suddenly said: “We’ve arrived.”
“Hmm?”
She pointed forward to the end of the Celestial Ladder, where there was no tree crown, only clouds, and mist so thick that even spiritual perception couldn’t penetrate them, flashing with azure and golden colors: “A thousand years ago, the demon clan attacked to this point. Just one step away from ascending to heaven.”
Her voice was flat and emotionless. Yun Ya turned his head to see her expression calm, neither excited nor regretful, as if speaking of events that happened to someone else.
Of course, she remembered—she was the demon leader, and that earth-shattering battle a thousand years ago had been commanded by her own hands.
“Just one step away?” The Realm God scoffed. “You were still far from it!”
Feng Miaojun was surprised: “Is the Immortal Realm not behind the cloud wall?”
The Realm God let them both descend: “Seeing is believing, why not go see for yourselves?”
Both Yun Ya and Feng Miaojun were startled. Just as they were about to inquire further, they saw the Realm God’s form suddenly shrink, rapidly reducing from mountain-like proportions to… normal human size.
He wore gray robes, was very tall with a robust build, not handsome, but with a face as cold and impassive as solid rock.
“Can we pass through now?” Yun Ya raised an eyebrow. “Without undergoing the heavenly tribulation test?”
“You two have contributed to protecting and opening the realm, so you may bypass the tribulations and ascend directly to the upper realm.” Although his form had shrunk, the Realm God’s voice was now like a normal person’s, though still permeated with coldness from within. “I am the Realm God and cannot easily leave this realm. Now I must reopen the heavenly tribulations.”
At this point, his expression finally softened as he said to Yun Ya: “Thank you for three hundred years of protection. Go now, someone is waiting for you ahead.”
Is someone… waiting for them?
The two were stunned, and just as they wanted to inquire further, the Realm God’s figure slowly faded and finally disappeared.
At the same time, his voice once again resounded throughout the universe:
“From this moment forth, the heavenly tribulations in this realm are reopened. All demon and human cultivators who have achieved great perfection in their cultivation may climb the Celestial Ladder to face the Three-Seven Heavenly Tribulation. Failure means annihilation, success means ascension to the Immortal Realm! The Three-Seven Tribulation contains three minor tribulations in each of its seven major phases, totaling twenty-one levels, with the number and power of tribulations still adjusted according to one’s merits and sins.”
The Realm God had indeed reopened the heavenly tribulations, completing the rules of this world. From now on, humans and demons who weren’t content with mediocrity would have a path to advancement.
The Realm God’s announcement echoed between heaven and earth, the reverberations lingering. Countless beings across the world knelt toward the divine tree, tears streaming down their faces.
They finally had a way out.
At that moment, the first ray of golden light burst forth from the east, illuminating the divine tree.
Thus, the divine tree awakened in the early morning, stretching its branches and leaves, suddenly releasing an unparalleled abundance of spiritual energy!
The spiritual energy was so dense that Feng Miaojun and Yun Ya could even see strands of azure qi emerging from the leaves, dispersing in all directions, floating far away before gradually dissipating into the air.
Taking a deep breath, the freshness and sweetness that permeated their hearts could wash away an entire night’s fatigue.
Such rich spiritual energy! Feng Miaojun exclaimed in praise. Looking back, she happened to see a drop of morning dew hanging from a nearby leaf, also transparent and emerald in color.
She extended her finger to catch it, tasted it, and revealed a shocked expression:
“Spiritual essence!”
The dewdrops condensing at the top of the divine tree were spiritual essence.
Yun Ya sighed deeply: “No wonder after the Celestial Ladder closed, the world’s spiritual energy gradually diminished.” They had lost the source.
Thinking of this, Feng Miaojun pressed her red lips together, her expression slightly darkening. Seeing a trace of melancholy slide across her phoenix eyes, Yun Ya was about to inquire, but she pointed at the mountains and rivers below and said: “From now on, the spiritual energy in this world will become abundant again.”
This was a blessing for all beings in the world. With sufficient spiritual energy, human cultivators and demons could make vigorous progress in their cultivation.
The sun rose in the east, clouds, and mist dispersed, and the world was clear and bright.
The two looked down to see the universe resplendent, mountains and rivers brilliant.
From now on, the mortal world would change.
They smiled at each other, joined hands, and stepped into the cloud wall.
It is said that thousands of mountains and rivers still await ahead.