Chapter 311

The passage, spanning a thousand zhang in width, is extremely broad; a person standing at the entrance appears extremely tiny, like a grain of rice in the vast sea.

Inside the passage it is not dark; there is a flight of white jade steps that ascend step by step, inscribed with Dao markings, exuding an ancient, natural Dao rhythm.

Beside the steps stands a jet-black stone tablet, the three large characters 'Heaven-Reaching Road' fluttering free of dust, emitting a light like that of the stars.

Having endured who knows how many years, it remains crystal clear, the Dao markings undestroyed; clearly left behind by an unparalleled expert.

"Amazing! These Dao markings are profound and unfathomable, containing the supreme mystery!"

Upon reaching the steps, Heihuang could not stay calm, almost laying his whole body on the ground, carefully pondering the patterns on the steps, repeatedly exclaiming in wonder.

"Well, I jumped to a conclusion too early; I dare say there is definitely an extraordinary place inside!"

Just like discovering treasure, drool flowed as he concentrated, immersing himself in carefully sensing those Dao markings.

"Is it really that mysterious?"

The Dragon Horse was not versed in formations; after imitating and studying the big black dog for a moment, he helplessly gave up.

Immediately, after confirming there was no danger, he took the lead in stepping onto the white jade steps, wanting to know as soon as possible what treasure awaited ahead.

"Big brother, there is an altar above."

Xiao Nannan was very well-behaved, one hand gripping Yang Zhu's clothes, the other pointing toward the steps, also seeming very curious.

"Let's go take a look."

Yang Zhu nodded; he possessed the Divine Eye, so he naturally saw that on the white jade steps there stood a Five-Color Altar.

Indeed, it is a perfectly intact Five-Color Altar, preserved to an extraordinary degree, in no way inferior to the one beneath the ancient forbidden land.

"Who exactly left it behind?"

This made Yang Zhu curious; the Five-Color Altar is too heaven-defying, capable of linking the boundless unknown cosmos, the former too vast, the karma too great.

Moreover, anyone or any force capable of laying down a Five-Color Altar is certainly no ordinary lot; they must be a supreme powerhouse wielding heaven-reaching means.

"Be careful."

After a reminder, Yang Zhu and the others stepped onto the white jade steps, moving upward step by step.

But the steps were extremely high; after walking for a long time, the surroundings were a blank white, like rising mist, with heavenly jade pillars neatly arranged on both sides.

"Could it really be as the stone tablet at the entrance said, truly the Heaven-Reaching Road?"

Later the white mist grew denser, submerging the surrounding mountains; upon looking up, there was nothing in sight, the peak of the great mountain so high it was hard to make out.

Walking on the white jade steps inevitably gives the illusion of ascending to the nine heavens' cloud tops, as if one might at any moment sprout wings and become an immortal.

After half an hour, the steps finally ended; ahead opened up into a vast expanse, like entering another small world.

Yang Zhu looked back down the path, hazy and indistinct, much of it hidden within the white mist, making it hard to see clearly.

"The layout is exquisite, astonishing even to heavenly beings."

He couldn't help but feel that way; as he climbed the steps, he silently counted them, finding exactly nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine steps.

Those white jade heavenly pillars numbered ninety-nine in total, the last one standing before them like a Divine Needle, supporting this heaven and earth.

Nine has always been a special number, carrying extraordinary significance, worthy of great attention.

Here, whether the number of steps or jade pillars, it happens to be closely related, showing that the creators expended much effort.

Only after a moment did they continue forward; soon a Five-Color Altar came into view of several people.

"There really is a Five-Color Altar!"

The Dragon Horse was curious; on the Starry Sky Ancient Road he had seen many such altars, their origins astonishing, mostly linked to astonishing powerhouses and eternal Dao lineages.

He has seen many different forms, most of them damaged; seeing this one so intact before him is the first time! "Strange, I always feel something is not right..."

After studying along the way, Heihuang furrowed his brow, muttering softly.

"Too quiet; the silence is unusual."

Finally, Yang Zhu spoke the truth in a single sentence.

According to common sense, the place where a Five-Color Altar stands is usually extremely perilous, to prevent others from discovering and approaching it.

But here, the silence is terrifying; along the way there was not a single guarding killing formation, causing several people to reach the altar as if walking on flat ground.

"Could we have fallen into a trap?"

Accustomed to being carefree, the Dragon Horse came to his senses, his scales clanking, nearly bursting apart.

Anomaly betokens a demon! Yang Zhu remained calm, having no worries, approaching the altar up close to study it thoroughly.

"Buzz..."

Suddenly, the Five-Color Altar trembled, radiating five-colored divine light, shining brilliantly, extremely gorgeous and dazzling, even the void was tinged with a layer of immortal radiance.

Afterward, the sense of time made the Five-Color Altar gradually become hazy, and a picture silently unfolded.

In the picture before the Five-Color Altar stood an elderly figure with hands behind his back, wearing a Daoist robe, immortal aura drifting, standing alone and unmatched.

Although his face was covered in wrinkles, he nevertheless had a childlike visage and crane-white hair, his skin still moist, full of vitality.

"Boom!"

The old Daoist casually waved his sleeve, and the sky filled with intricate, endless runes, profound and exquisite, containing the fundamental truth of the world.

Only a few blinks of an eye, each pattern evolved into a small world, self-contained, with the order of heaven and earth overturned! "The Soldier Character Secret? Could this person be the Primordial Heavenly Venerable?"

Yang Zhu saw the secret technique the old Daoist was displaying—it was indeed the Soldier Character Secret among the Nine Secrets! But unlike other displays, it required no effort to activate; that person almost in an instant had driven this secret to its utmost.

Except for the Primordial Heavenly Venerable who created the Soldier Character Secret itself, no one else could display it with such perfection! "Boom!"

The Primordial Heavenly Venerable waved his hand again, and the three thousand small worlds dimmed, all transforming into various forbidden scriptures, as if the myriad rivers flowing into the sea were gathered in his palm, then poured onto the five-colored altar.

After finishing everything, the Primordial Heavenly Venerable finally stopped, petrified like stone, standing motionless for a long time without moving a muscle.

I may not attain the path to immortality, but I will still exert some effort for future generations.

His lips moved slightly, a muffled sound issuing forth; the Primordial Heavenly Venerable seemed to sense it, turning to look around, but there was nothing there.

Yet through the river of time, his gaze met Yang Zhu's at this moment.

Heavenly Venerable!

At that moment, Yang Zhu really felt that gaze truly looked over through mythic ages, his heart throbbed, unable to calm!

"Hehe, everything will be left to future generations."

Finally, the Primordial Heavenly Lord smiled faintly, his body gradually becoming illusory and vanishing here. In heaven and earth, the Heavenly Lord's runes appeared, deterring the six directions and eight wildernesses, sealing the void where the five-colored altar stood, and hundreds of thousands of li of the heavenly river vanished instantly.

Just like the Kunlun Mountains of Earth, condensed into a small region of heaven and earth.

"The altar is indeed a path to heaven; after a display it can connect to the road to immortality, though it cannot pierce through, it can allow those who enter the immortal road to escape."

Yang Zhu understood that in the era of the Primordial Heavenly Lord, the road to immortality had not been opened, yet as a Heavenly Lord, how could he just watch?

So he acted, using all his life's means, forged a five-colored altar that could be activated when needed to link to the immortal road.

As everyone knows, opening the immortal road is extremely perilous; even when the supreme beings of several major scenic areas join forces and exhaust their sublimation, they still fall on the road.

Once you set foot on that road, there is no retreat; you can only fight all the way to your fall, utterly brutal.

Yet the single character "immortal" is too tempting, making all ancient powerhouses yearn for it, even the ancient great emperors are no exception.

In pursuit of immortality, they spare no cost, even if no one dares to affirm whether immortals truly exist, just like moths flying into flames.

Yet the Primordial Heavenly Lord's five-colored altar can connect to the immortal road, meaning that at that time it can allow some of those who enter to escape thereby.

Know that those who step onto the immortal road are mostly supreme-level beings; if even a few of such beings could be kept alive, one can imagine how terrifying the five-colored altar is! "It should be that the immortal road is about to open, the seal begins to loosen, until fully lifted, reappearing manifest in the world."

This is currently the most reasonable explanation; otherwise, aside from supreme beings of equal level, who could forcefully break the seal laid by the Heavenly Lord?

"This is a good thing."

Yang Zhu's mind stirred; the five-colored altar before him counts as a major trump card after the immortal road opens, and if obtained, it will surely have endless wonders.

To speak without exaggeration, its value is not inferior to a stalk of immortal medicine!

"You go in first and stay; I'll study how to act."

Yang Zhu let Hei Huang and the others enter the Chaotic Immortal Realm first, while he himself began measuring and pondering near the altar.

From afar, Hei Huang saw several Golden Crow flying across the sky, extremely fast, as if rushing.

Finally, after preparing for half a day, Yang Zhu finally acted.

Boom—

He stood outside the ten-thousand-zhang great peak, his hand gestures shifting; this space rumbled with a boom, the entire great peak and the five-colored altar within it were uprooted and sent into the Chaotic Immortal Realm.

Afterwards, after some maneuvering, Yang Zhu finally placed the five-colored altar properly within the immortal soil.

"Ahahaha, another divine trace has been added!"

Hei Huang and the others gathered around, circling the great peak, unable to help laughing loudly.

Within the Chaotic Immortal Realm now, various divine traces can be seen, all extraordinarily stunning; any random spot, if it appeared in the outside world, could provoke a bloody catastrophe.

No telling how many powers would clash over this, darkening the sky and earth, rivers of blood flowing.

"Big brother, where are we headed next?"

Xiao Nannan rode on Hei Huang's back, her eyes clear and bright like gemstones, raising her little head to ask, looking pleased and adorable; anyone who saw her couldn't help but be moved.

"Return to the Northern Dipper."

Yang Zhu gently rubbed the other's little head; he had been away for over ten years, and now the Northern Dipper has undergone drastic changes, it's time to return.

……

The immortal road is about to open in the Northern Dipper, no longer a secret; many forces and powerhouses in the universe already know.

Over these years, many powerhouses have descended to the Northern Dipper, awaiting the opening of the immortal road, yet in a blink it's been almost twenty years, and no one knows when it will finally open.

As ever greater powerhouses arrive, the Northern Dipper has become even more lively, with world-shocking battles staged daily, untold numbers of masters thus falling.

A few days later, in the extraterritorial starry sky of the Northern Dipper, several figures appeared silently.

"Ah—this long-lost aura!"

Gazing at the immense life Gu Xing beneath his feet, Hei Huang deeply inhaled a mouthful of rich life essence, his face full of enjoyment.

The Northern Dipper, also called the Emperor's Burial Star, is immensely vast; even among the myriad life Gu Xing, no star field can compare with it.

Here there are too many legends, having produced many mighty, breathtaking powerhouses renowned throughout the ages; even the ancient great emperor from beyond the borders, in his later years, would come to command this place and be buried here.

From this one can see how transcendent the Northern Dipper star domain is! On the Northern Dipper exist numerous powerful tribes—humans, holy spirits, ancient royal clans… and so on—all are terrifying existences beyond compare, far surpassing other Gu Xing.

Moreover, there is the terrifying seven-day life forbidden zone; even the ancient great emperor cannot pacify it, its profundity so horrifying as to be unimaginable!

"It seems the Northern Dipper is truly not peaceful now; the great Dragon Horse has returned, and will surely make those major powers tremble, tossing and turning beneath my feet!"

The Dragon Horse let out a loud snort, excited to the extreme, almost wishing to trample the Northern Dipper and have all the powerful ones pay homage; "Damn, even a Saint King peak has fallen?"

But soon he could no longer laugh, because a corpse drifted over from the distant extraterritorial region.

It was a man long dead, his body beaten to a pulp, leaving horrible wounds, while his lower half had vanished, possibly turned to bloody mud.

Although he had fallen, one could still clearly sense how mighty his vital energy was—he was a Saint King peak, with half a foot already stepped into the Great Saint.

Judging by his appearance, he likely fell not long ago, perhaps just these few days; one can imagine how powerful the being beneath must be.

"Hmm……"

Xiao Nannan's gaze was fearful; she hastily turned her head, not daring to stare at the corpse too long.

"Actually it's nothing; as long as you kid don't provoke the life forbidden zone, I, the emperor, will guarantee you can walk sideways!"

Hei Huang boasted shamelessly, thumping his chest in assurance, speaking with full confidence.

But truly speaking, this fellow dared decades ago to overturn the Northern Dipper; now returning from the ancient road, who knows what commotion he'll stir up?!

"Huh? Isn't that a miscellaneous-feathered bird? How is it not extinct yet?"

From a great distance away, Hei Huang saw several Golden Crow flying across the sky, extremely fast, as if rushing.

"I heard the old ancestor discovered a Fire God Hall, urging us to rush over; perhaps there will be a great opportunity."

"That would be tremendous."

Those were several young Golden Crow, though young in age they had already reached Saint-level cultivation, immensely powerful, enough to make many strong ones retreat.

Moreover, the Golden Crow are inherently domineering and overbearing; their bloodline advantage makes their clan extremely prosperous, so that upon arriving there they can practically walk sideways, truly arrogant and tyrannical.

"Hey, those scruffy birds, kneel down for this Emperor!"

Not knowing what he thought of, the big black dog's saliva instantly lay down, in a flash it rushed out, blocking in front of those few Golden Crows.

He is as strong as a young bull, square-headed big-eared; wherever he stands, the surging demonic aura emanating from his body would make even a sage king feel a shudder of fear! (End of chapter)