King

The Ancient Immortal Realm.

After two rounds of trials, at the cost of losing a tenth of their numbers, someone had finally reached the end of the Heavenly Ladder, standing there like a king.

Bathing in the blood of ancient beasts, Long Zitian carved out a bloody path, forging ahead of all the ancient freaks to take another step forward.

At this moment, a golden lotus hovered above his head, and several five-clawed golden dragons coiled around his body. Clutching a crystal-clear orb in one hand and a sword in the other, he exuded an awe-inspiring majesty that shook all directions.

Seeing this, the ancient freaks on the same path glared at Long Zitian with cold, dark eyes and leapt toward him with all their might.

There were nine Starry Heavenly Ladders in total. Each path could only produce one king, and only one cultivator could receive the Great Dao insights gifted by the ancient immortal.

“We can't let him succeed!”

Seeing this, several ancient freaks joined forces, fighting their way up from below. They slaughtered every ancient beast in their way, leaving none alive!

“Kid, this opportunity doesn't belong to you!”

Suddenly, an ancient genius burst through the horde of ancient beasts. Holding a long spear, he hurled it toward Long Zitian. The spear roared, transforming into a flood dragon that surged forward with majestic force.

The flood dragon roared, thrashing its tail as if passing through an uninhabited land. It kicked up a storm of blood and wind, piercing through the ancient beasts along the path as it shot straight ahead.

“Hmph, insignificant clowns,” Long Zitian snorted coldly. The golden light around him flared as several golden dragons roared, coiling around his arms as if they were alive. Then, he swung his sword!

The peerless golden sword light resembled a golden dragon as it charged head-on against the flood dragon. With a loud crash, a ripple of spiritual energy erupted across the starry steps.

The step below shook violently from the impact, showing signs of cracking.

“Fellow Daoists, why aren't you striking yet? The Starry Heavenly Ladder only allows for one king. We are all ancient geniuses who have slept for hundreds of years just for today. How can we let ourselves be suppressed by this kid now?!”

The genius recalled his long spear. Blood leaked from the corner of his mouth, and his palm trembled slightly.

That strike was absolutely not a move a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator should be able to use.

“Fellow Daoist is right. We have remained dormant for hundreds of years. How can we let our hard work benefit someone else?!”

Another ancient freak struck, summoning his soul-bound weapon. His attack came with the force of a thunderbolt, aiming for a one-hit kill.

Seeing this, the freaks of the first echelon did not hold back either. They swarmed forward, unleashing their strongest attacks in an attempt to drag down Long Zitian, who was about to reach the top.

All kinds of strange spells rained down in unison—some like flood dragons emerging from the abyss, some like tigers pouncing on prey, and others like crisscrossing sword qi. For a moment, several of the most powerful attacks surged from below.

Long Zitian was only ten steps away from them, but he was facing the combined attacks of the strongest individuals—something no weakling could withstand.

And he was no weakling.

“Roar!”

Long Zitian roared toward the heavens. His hair stood on end, and his gaze turned incredibly cold. His sword blade erupted with power, golden dragons gathered, and the light of the golden lotus flared brilliantly.

Like a king, he did not retreat. Instead, he advanced against the onslaught and swung his sword fiercely. A majestic pressure tore through the void. The strike was paradoxically both slow and fast, exceedingly bizarre.

A void crack ripped open between Long Zitian and the pursuers below, swallowing and neutralizing all of those powerful attacks.

“What?!”

Before they could react, several golden dragons carrying sword qi swept down from above, knocking them to the ground and leaving them bleeding from their noses and mouths.

As for Long Zitian, his entire body burst with golden light, radiating a unique imperial aura. He was like an emperor descending upon the world—sacred and absolute!

“Great!”

A cultivator in the back cheered. Long Zitian's action was undoubtedly a slap in the face to the many ancient freaks, letting them know that the geniuses of the current generation were not to be trifled with either.

Following closely behind, the second echelon and the latecomers all showered him with praise.

At this moment, he truly seemed to have become an emperor, receiving the compliments of his subjects!

Long Zitian thoroughly enjoyed being the center of attention. He cast a silent glance toward the outside world, as if to say, “With me in the sect, you can rest easy.”

Just as Long Zitian thought.

The elders of the Heavenly Martial Immortal Sect erupted in cheers, looking as excited as if they were the ones standing on that high platform. This was undoubtedly a morale booster.

Shen Shi also nodded in relief, remarking, “This child's temperament, talent, and aptitude are all top-tier. This is indeed a blessing for our sect.”

“This junior offers congratulations to Sect Master Shen in advance,” Murong Fu chimed in, the smile never leaving his face.

To him, although the Murong family was a regional hegemon, they were still quite lacking compared to behemoths like the Heavenly Martial Immortal Sect and the Yuhui Immortal Sect.

Since he had sent his daughter there, the stronger the Heavenly Martial Immortal Sect was, the better.

Besides, he had met that boy the last time he visited the Heavenly Martial Immortal Sect. He was Xiao Hongye's disciple and Qing'er's senior brother.

At this thought, Murong Fu was absolutely delighted.

Beside him, Xiao Hongye's cold expression softened considerably. He was her disciple, after all. Stealing the spotlight like this brought her great pride.

Su Qian and the others were also very surprised. The fact that Long Zitian could catch up to the ancient geniuses who had accumulated power for hundreds of years in such a short time proved just how outstanding he was.

However, while everyone else was focused on Long Zitian, Mo Yan merely cast a glance before searching the massive light screen for his own foolish disciple.

What he saw left him dumbfounded.

Wang Xuanyi was hiding behind Leng Ning'an and the others, shielding Zhu Huai and Huo Huang behind him, while Leng Ning'an and the rest were positioned behind the Golden Core Realm elders.

Layer after layer, it was like putting on clothes.

Inside the Ancient Immortal Realm.

Due to the clash between Long Zitian and the ancient genius, ripples surged across the entire Starry Heavenly Ladder. While those at the front felt little, a terrifying spiritual pressure swept through the back.

Those still in the Qi Refining Realm and those who had just entered the Foundation Establishment Realm with unstable cultivations almost plummeted into the stars under the impact.

“Woohoo, that was close.”

Wang Xuanyi held onto Zhu Huai and Huo Huang. His ink-black hair fluttered in the wind, repeatedly whipping Huo Huang's face and forcing her to take a mouthful of hair.

“Brother!”

“Haha, sorry, sorry! My hair is a bit long. But the shampoo I use is great—fragrant type. Want to borrow it next time?” Wang Xuanyi laughed heartily.

Huo Huang stared at Wang Xuanyi, completely speechless. Having spent so much time together, she finally understood why Martial Uncle Mo and Martial Aunt Su regularly beat him up.

Her senior brother's answers weren't necessarily good or bad, but they were always highly amusing—and made one really want to punch him.

The topmost step of the Starry Heavenly Ladder.

Seeing the group of ancient freaks collapse, a cold smirk curled on Long Zitian's lips. “They call themselves geniuses and look down on those of our generation. Today, I shall shatter this myth!”

With that, he turned and took his final step, reaching the very top of the ladder.

On this level, there was no longer any pressure or ancient beasts. Instead, it was a bizarre space overflowing with vitality and rich spiritual energy.

Ancient and mysterious characters were carved into the steps, resonating with the world and the Great Dao.

Long Zitian sat cross-legged, carefully sensing the Great Dao seal that normally could not be touched by anyone in the Foundation Establishment Realm. At the same time, he obtained the supreme Foundation Establishment secret method left behind by the ancient immortal before their passing.

Although he had acquired numerous secret methods in his past life, he had failed to become an immortal, and none of those methods could compare to the gift left behind by the ancient immortal.

In his past life, when the Ancient Immortal Realm opened for the fourth time, he—already in the Great Ascension Realm—had attempted to force his way in to seek the secret of becoming an immortal.

Only to be shut out.

The world, the three thousand Great Daos, and even the ancient immortal did not allow Long Zitian to enter again.

“Living another life, this Foundation Establishment secret method has given me a different insight.”

Golden lotuses drifted around Long Zitian, with a tiny five-clawed golden dragon perched on each lotus. His aura grew stronger with the increasing number of golden lotuses.

The Foundation Establishment Realm forged the roots of a cultivator, the foundation to defy heaven.

If the foundation was unstable, how could one even speak of seeking immortality and pursuing the Dao?

“Heaven's derivation is fifty, the Great Dao is forty-nine, and the one that escapes is the variable. This 'one' is the beginning of all things, the ever-thriving variable of life.”

“In my previous life, I used heaven and earth to smelt my body, refining the power of the world to forge my Heaven-and-Earth Foundation.”

“This time, I will not only forge a Heaven-and-Earth Foundation, but I will also use the three thousand Great Daos as my foundation to become a world of my own!”

How grand was Long Zitian's ambition? How could he possibly be satisfied with the Great Ascension Realm of his past life? What he aspired to was the Eternal True Immortal Realm, completely breaking free from the restrictions of the world and the Great Dao, roaming beyond the long river of time.

At this thought, his dormant heart was ignited once more.

Long Zitian's entire body burned with the fire of the Great Dao of heaven and earth. He used the three thousand Great Daos to refine his body, temper his true self, and fuse his existing foundation platform.

Apart from him, the first batch of geniuses who arrived also began to forge their foundation platforms.