567: Inheritance and Presentation, Ascending the Ladder to Heaven

Inside the sword stele Forest, countless standing sword steles began to hum, and the sword marks on them seemed to come alive. Sharp Sword Qi erupted uncontrollably, slashing back and forth!

The sky darkened instantly as thick, leaden clouds gathered and swirled frantically, forming a massive vortex that covered the entire core area.

"W-what... what's happening?!"

"The core Legacy! It must be the core Legacy of the Secret Realm appearing!"

The gray-robed Mysterious Sword Cultivator, who was about to leave, came to a sudden halt, and his eyes behind the mask erupted with an unprecedented, brilliant light.

"Go!" Di Qianjie shouted lowly. Without a moment's hesitation, his figure transformed into a streak of light that tore through the storm of Sword Intent, shooting toward the deepest part of the ruins first!

Di Lingxiao, Di Wushang, and the others followed closely behind.

Ye Qingtian and Yu Qingchen followed one after another.

"The Legacy has appeared! Quick!"

"Keep up with the Godfall Di Clan!"

"Charge!"

The Prodigies from various parties, having reacted, erupted with their strongest power and flooded toward the depths of the ruins in a frenzy!

The deepest part of the ruins.

The Core Legacy Divine Hall stood tall and majestic, its grandeur far exceeding any palace discovered previously.

In front of the Divine Hall was a massive plaza. At this moment, figures were everywhere as the top Prodigies from various forces in the Eastern Region gathered here like hundreds of rivers returning to the sea.

When the group from the Godfall Di Clan arrived, they instantly attracted countless gazes.

"Is this the Godfall Di Clan? Truly extraordinary!" In the crowd, a youth dressed in Profound Purity Daoist robes murmured. He was Xuan Chenzi, the leader of the Profound Purity Dao Sect for this trip. His gaze lingered on Di Qianjie for a moment, and feeling that incredibly pure Sword Intent, his brow furrowed slightly.

"Hmph, a bunch of Law Realm cultivators daring to show off in a place where Profound Venerables gather." Not far away, in the team from the Profound Talisman Heaven-Reaching Sect, Fu Li, who had been defeated by Di Lingxiao, spoke sinisterly, his eyes staring at Di Lingxiao's figure with malice.

Just then, another majestic and heavy Aura approached from the distance.

The group from the Tianxu Di Clan arrived together, their Aura not at all weaker.

The leader was none other than the top Prodigy of the Tianxu Di Clan, Di Shiyu. He had a tall, straight posture and a handsome face. The space around him rippled slightly like water, and the subtle space-time fluctuations caused the hearts of all those with keen senses to tremble.

Di Shiyu's gaze passed through the crowd and landed precisely on Di Qianjie and the others. A gentle yet scrutinizing smile curled at the corners of his mouth.

"I have long heard of the fame of the brothers from the Godfall Di Clan. It is a pleasure to finally meet you today; I am Di Shiyu."

Di Qianjie nodded slightly, his gaze as sharp as a sword. "Godfall Di Clan, Di Qianjie."

His response was brief and powerful, but his gaze lingered for a moment on the space-time ripples beside Di Shiyu.

Di Shiyu's Space-Time Bloodline Power was almost on par with theirs, being more refined than most of the awakened ones in their clan.

"Di Lingxiao," Di Lingxiao said with a grin.

"Brother Shiyu," Di Mingzhi, Di Yu, and Di Fei were also very happy to see the people from the Tianxu Di Clan behind Di Lingxiao.

Di Shiyu nodded.

"Sister Zhaohua, they can all clash head-on with Profound Venerables at the Law Realm; their combat power is simply Heaven-Defying."

Di Zhaohua nodded with a solemn expression. The news of Di Lingxiao defeating Fu Tiangang of the Profound Talisman Heaven-Reaching Sect as a Law Realm cultivator had already spread. Although she hadn't seen the others fight, as fellow seven prodigies of the di clan, the others wouldn't be far behind. She knew well the terrifying nature of this group of kinsmen's Bloodline.

"So it's the people from the Sword Tomb!" Di Qianjie's gaze suddenly turned toward the front of the Sword Tomb team.

A solitary and lofty figure stood there quietly; it was that Mysterious Sword Cultivator.

The leader of the Sword Tomb was a Sword Cultivator with a sharp Aura—Dawn Sword Venerable. He stood slightly behind Jialuo with a respectful posture.

"It seems his status in the Sword Tomb is unusual!" Di Qianjie thought to himself.

Prodigies from other forces also arrived one after another.

Long Zhan of the Dragon Suppression Heavenly Sect arrived; he was both a Prodigy of the Dragon Suppression Heavenly Sect and a member of the Long family.

The leader of the Nangong Clan, Nangong Mingxuan, had a refined temperament and eyes as deep as the starry sky.

The Book Addict of the Dao Seeking Academy, Wen Haoran, was surrounded by the scholarly Qi of books. Kong Zheng and the others behind him also had steady and profound Auras.

Lin Yan, Lin Yanran, Lin Qingyue, and others from the Wutong Lin Clan were surrounded by a faint red haze, with a trace of Phoenix Aura in their Bloodline held in check.

More than ten people from the Holy Temple, including Shentu Yi, Qiu Xu, and Chang Zhoule, had restrained but unfathomable Auras, forming their own domain within the crowd.

Among the Loose Cultivators, Shadowless Sword Feng Wuji from the Sword Tomb Continent stood with his sword in his arms.

On the plaza, the Auras were mixed and powerful, with Profound Venerable Realm pressure everywhere. The invisible collisions of Qi made the air thick and heavy, and those with weaker cultivation already felt their breathing become labored.

"BOOM—!"

The giant gates of the Divine Hall suddenly let out an ear-splitting roar!

The incredibly heavy doors, engraved with countless profound Dao patterns, slowly cracked open from the center.

Boundless divine light erupted from the gap, instantly illuminating the entire plaza!

The light was not dazzling; instead, it carried a gentle and ancient will, instantly smoothing over all the restless Qi and noisy discussions.

An irresistible majesty spread out, making all the Prodigies, whether Profound Venerable or Law Realm, feel as small as dust.

As the light faded, a blurry phantom of a powerhouse appeared above the open giant gates like a projection.

The phantom's face could not be seen, only a pair of eyes that seemed to contain the birth and destruction of the stars in the heavens, indifferently scanning the thousand-plus Prodigies below.

A grand, majestic, and emotionless voice rang out directly in the depths of everyone's Soul:

"My Dao Legacy is not for the mediocre to covet. To obtain it, one must first climb the Dao Seeking Heavenly Stairway. The limit is a thousand steps; only those who pass will be qualified to enter the second trial."

The moment the voice fell, the ground of the previously empty plaza in front of the Divine Hall shook violently!

Countless profound runes lit up from underground, intertwining and spreading, as a massive stairway rose out of thin air!

The Heavenly Stairway! It was entirely a mottled ancient bronze color, with each step over ten zhang wide and nearly three chi high, covered in the marks of time and battle scars like those from sabers and axes.

The steps stacked up, piercing the clouds and vanishing into the churning nebula deep within the Divine Hall; the end was nowhere in sight.

A heavy, vast, and terrifying pressure spread out from the Heavenly Stairway!

This pressure was not simple gravity; it contained an ultimate trial for the Dao Heart, will, Physical Body, and cultivation!

"The Dao Seeking Heavenly Stairway! It truly lives up to its reputation!" A brilliant light shone in Nangong Mingxuan's eyes.

"A thousand steps as the limit... Hmph, it is only right that my name, Long Zhan, resounds throughout the Eastern Region!" Long Zhan let out a low growl as his Dragon-Elephant Battle Body was activated, his vital energy surging like beacon smoke straight into the heavens as he was the first to step onto the first step!

"Go!" Fu Tiangang said expressionlessly. With a wave of his hand, several profound Talismans surrounded him as he took a step forward.

"The path of seeking the Dao begins beneath one's feet," the Book Addict Wen Haoran recited softly, shedding clear radiance to protect his body as he stepped up steadily.

"Go!" Shentu Yi of the Holy Temple had sharp eyes as he led the Holy Temple Disciples, transforming into over a dozen streaks of green light that shot upwards.

In an instant, over a thousand Prodigies were like a school of carps crossing a river, each displaying their own methods as they rushed toward that ancient and mottled Heavenly Stairway!