The Cyan Nether Realm below had completely collapsed, transforming into a massive black vortex. Countless mountains and rivers were mercilessly swallowed by that dark, gaping maw of the void.
And at the center of this destruction, the towering Lingma Mountain God carried over two thousand cultivators and the other survivors gathered along the way—more than five thousand people in total. Step by step, it ascended the lone golden path, striding through the void.
Nine thousand zhang!
Only the last thousand zhang remained to the gate of the Great Zhou’s mortal world—their final destination.
However, at this very moment, the Mountain God, which had been advancing with unstoppable momentum, suddenly ground to a halt.
A jarring sense of rejection emanated from the void.
At the end of the Celestial Ladder, the Space Gate to Dayuan Prefecture blazed with dazzling light. Yet for this hundred-zhang-tall Divine Body from another world, which exuded the aura of the ancient Divine Dao, the gate was far too narrow, and far too unwelcoming.
It was the instinctive rejection by the laws of the mortal world.
The Great Zhou Immortal Dynasty forbade the physical entry of Wild Gods from other worlds.
’We can’t get through...’
Seated at the core of the Divine Body, Chu Bai felt the resistance from the Law, which was like an iron wall. Realization dawned on him.
This Divine Body might have an invincible defense and astonishing power, but it was ultimately a relic of the Cyan Nether Realm.
It was like a great ship built to sail only in specific waters; now that it had reached the entrance to the open sea, it was about to run aground.
’So be it. This body has been useful, but it’s ultimately just an external tool. Since the way has been paved, I’ll let everyone rely on their own abilities for this final stretch.’
Chu Bai was not one to be indecisive. He glanced at the more than five thousand anxious, densely packed examinees within the Underground Palace, and his Divine Thought stirred.
"Open!"
With his command, the rocky plates on the Lingma Mountain God’s torso, broad as a town square, rumbled and slid apart.
A gentle yet immense, earthy-yellow Divine Light enveloped the five thousand-some cultivators in the Underground Palace. As if sowing seeds, it gently carried them out of the Divine Body and set them down safely upon the wide, golden Celestial Ladder.
"Everyone, the Divine Body is bound by the Law and cannot cross over."
Chu Bai’s voice echoed in their ears, carrying a faint note of farewell:
"This is as far as I can take you. You must walk this final thousand zhang of the Celestial Ladder yourselves."
The more than five thousand cultivators had just landed. Before they could even recover from the sense of security they had felt under his protection, a terrifying pressure originating from the depths of their souls descended without warning.
THUD! THUD!
Like wheat flattened by a gale, nearly thirty percent of the cultivators’ knees buckled the instant they landed, and they collapsed heavily onto the golden steps.
Many faces flushed red, veins bulging on their foreheads, as if a great mountain had suddenly been dropped on their backs. Even standing up straight became an impossible dream.
"So... so heavy!"
"Is this the pressure of the Celestial Ladder? How can it be so terrifying?!"
A cultivator at the Ninth Layer of Qi Cultivation tried to take a step, only to find his legs were as heavy as lead. Lifting them even an inch consumed all of his Spiritual Power.
Chu Bai, in contrast, released his control over the Divine Body and stepped onto the Celestial Ladder in his own flesh. The golden light, far from pressing down on him, seemed to cheer in delight, even providing a faint, uplifting force.
This was the difference in [Merit].
The ladder of the Celestial Examination tested not just Cultivation, but also one’s contributions to the Human Race and one’s Merit in the eyes of heaven and earth.
Among these five thousand people, the vast majority had only been fugitives, exhausted from fleeing for their lives during the chaos in the Secret Realm. Some had even been burdens in need of rescue.
With little Merit to their names, they naturally struggled to move forward under the scrutiny of the Immortal Dynasty’s Destiny.
"I... I can’t move..."
A cultivator stared in despair at the finish line, still a thousand zhang away, as tears welled in his eyes. "Our Merit is meager, and our reserves have long been depleted. This final stretch... it’s an impassable chasm."
A deathly silence fell over the surrounding cultivators.
Nine thousand zhang up in the sky, astral winds howled. Below them lay an abyss of destruction, and above, an unattainable Life Gate.
But soon, that deathly silence was broken.
"Everyone!"
Xia Xing wiped the blood from his face. Though his own steps were heavy, he struggled to stand straight, his burning gaze fixed on the back of the green-robed figure who had already begun to ascend.
"Stop being so ungrateful! If Immortal Chu hadn’t piloted the Divine Body to carry us across the most treacherous nine thousand zhang, we would’ve been rotting flesh in the belly of that Evil Flood Dragon by now, or just dust in the void!"
"Immortal Chu has already brought us this far! That alone is an immense kindness!"
"This is our final struggle in this Celestial Examination! Even if we have to crawl, we must crawl over this last thousand zhang!"
"That’s right! Only by getting to the top can we be worthy of this life we got back!"
Inspired, some of the more resolute-minded individuals in the crowd began to grit their teeth and press forward.
Some crawled on all fours, while others leaned on each other for support, inching along the golden path like snails.
The brutal culling process was on full display.
Only the strongest among them, those with deep foundations and tenacious wills from their daily training, could remain upright under the immense pressure and ascend one steady step at a time.
Most, however, could only struggle where they stood or inch forward with excruciating slowness.
Chu Bai glanced back at this scene of struggle, a panorama of the human condition. He said nothing, only giving a slight nod.
Then, he turned back around and gazed at the finish line, now so close he could almost touch it.
The [Circulation Wheel] within his body began to turn slowly. For him, the crushing pressure of the Celestial Ladder, which the others feared so terribly, felt like nothing more than a gentle spring breeze.
However, standing on that golden path under the watchful eyes of all, Chu Bai did not immediately turn and step through the gate to the mortal world as everyone expected.

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