Chapter 696: Heavenly Might!

Ascend the Heavenly Steps!

Li Ya looked up, trying to find the Heavenly Steps that Huang Feng Immortal Lord spoke of. But no matter which direction he looked, he couldn't see it.

The plain-clothed youth was searching for it too.

The sky was vast and boundless, the cosmic scenery grand and endless. The sea of clouds beneath them was just as vast, making them feel like mere specks of dust in the face of the cosmos.

After looking around for a while, Li Ya couldn’t help but ask, “Where is the Heavenly Steps? You didn’t bring me all the way here just to look at the sky, did you?”

Huang Feng Immortal Lord smiled and said, “Under normal circumstances, one cannot perceive the celestial phenomena of the Heavenly Court. But today, I’ll make an exception. You’ll witness a sight even the celestial beings cannot experience.”

These words made both Li Ya and the plain-clothed youth even more eager.

Huang Feng Immortal Lord stepped forward, lifted his robe, and half-knelt on the ground. He raised both arms high and began chanting a spell the two of them couldn’t understand.

Li Ya and the youth tensed up. They both looked up at the sky, waiting for the Heavenly Steps to appear.

The sea of clouds stopped swirling, and the sky and cosmic stars fell into an eerie silence.

As time passed, Li Ya and the youth gradually felt an immense pressure descending. It reminded them of the heavenly tribulation they had faced before—but even stronger.

Li Ya felt it most deeply. No heavenly tribulation he had ever experienced compared to the celestial might pressing down on him now.

Suddenly, golden light poured down, illuminating all three of them. Li Ya and the youth widened their eyes and instinctively opened their mouths in awe.

From deep in the cosmos, a beam of golden light descended rapidly, growing larger and larger as if it would engulf the entire universe.

Before either of them could react, the golden light crashed down. It turned out to be an unimaginably towering golden mountain, so vast they couldn’t even estimate its length or height.

The plain-clothed youth looked up, his pupils filled with nothing but gold.

Even Li Ya was shaken. He lifted his gaze, instinctively trying to guess how tall the mountain was.

It felt like it stood a million zhang high!

If placed in the Heavenly Spirit Great World, it would probably be visible even from the outer heavens.

He had never seen a mountain this massive. All thoughts of caution fled his mind as he stood there, staring blankly at the golden mountain ahead.

This golden mountain gleamed with divine radiance, with no trace of plants or grass. It was like a celestial wall standing upright before them. Once it landed, its grandeur became even more apparent. Both ends stretched beyond sight.

Huang Feng Immortal Lord slowly stood up. He gazed at the million-zhang golden mountain before him, eyes filled with reverence.

“The Heavenly Steps is really...”

Li Ya took a deep breath and looked at Huang Feng Immortal Lord, just about to ask a question. But before he could finish, another wave of overwhelming heavenly might crashed down, making him jerk his head upward again.

What he saw next was something he would never forget for the rest of his life.

One after another, golden mountains each a million zhang high fell from the cosmos above, crashing down and stacking atop one another, shaking the heavens.

Boom! Boom! Boom...

The entire world seemed to tremble. The sea of clouds surged like waves of fire. The plain-clothed youth stared at the sky, trembling uncontrollably. Li Ya was doing a little better—but only just.

The golden mountains piled higher and higher, forming a staircase that stretched into the depths of the universe. Each step stood a million zhang high, emanating an impossible pressure, sacred and majestic.

After a while, the world around them finally calmed.

Huang Feng Immortal Lord waved his sleeve and took Li Ya and the youth far into the distance. From billions of li away, they turned to look upon the Heavenly Steps.

But even from this far away, the Heavenly Step still struck the eyes of Li Ya and his disciple.

From here, the Heavenly Step looked like it had broken through the bounds of this world, extending into the depths of the universe, with no end in sight. As Li Ya and the plain-clothed youth gazed up at it, they couldn’t shake the feeling that if they just followed those steps, they could walk all the way to the peak of the Grand Dao.

It was a strange feeling, yet it arose within them naturally.

“The Heavenly Step isn’t just tall. Each step carries immense heavenly might. To even step on the first one, you must have reached the Golden Immortal Dao Fruit Realm. That realm is incredibly distant for you two. Only those officially part of the immortal ranks have a shot at reaching it.”

Huang Feng Immortal Lord finally spoke, his tone tinged with emotion.

Even though this wasn’t his first time seeing the Heavenly Step, each time he laid eyes on it, he couldn’t help but be moved.

The Heavenly Step represented the insurmountable gap between mortals and immortals!

Even as an immortal god himself, Huang Feng Immortal Lord still held deep reverence for the Heavenly Dao.

Li Ya didn’t respond. He was still caught in shock.

He could feel that each step of the Heavenly Step was imbued with profound truths of the Grand Dao, giving him the urge to kneel and worship.

The plain-clothed youth couldn’t withstand the heavenly might and collapsed to his knees on the sea of clouds, eyes vacant.

Huang Feng Immortal Lord turned to Li Ya and asked with a smile, “So, what will you choose now? Do you still want to seek him out? Even if I fail to befriend him through you, becoming an immortal god is the greatest opportunity of your life. Only immortal gods can achieve true eternal life. I wouldn’t harm you—heaven’s rules won’t allow it.”

Li Ya instinctively wanted to agree, but when he opened his mouth, he forcibly held himself back.

After seeing the Heavenly Step, he fully believed in the existence of the Heavenly Court. The influence of the Heavenly Dao had already taken root in his soul—there was no room for doubt.

But since this involved Gu An, he had to be cautious.

What Huang Feng Immortal Lord said just now made him feel like the man was very afraid of him getting close to Gu An.

Was this really about befriending Gu An?

Li Ya took a deep breath and said, “I still want to find him first. I’ll do my best to convey your goodwill.”

He was worried Huang Feng Immortal Lord might turn hostile, so he left room in his words.

Huang Feng Immortal Lord kept smiling, but the smile on his face grew increasingly eerie.

Li Ya realized something was off. He immediately grabbed the plain-clothed youth and put distance between them and Huang Feng Immortal Lord.

The next second, Li Ya’s expression drastically changed—his magical power was frozen.

He looked at Huang Feng Immortal Lord in horror.

The plain-clothed youth also snapped out of his daze, only to be terrified by the sinister smile on Huang Feng Immortal Lord’s face.

Huang Feng Immortal Lord stared coldly at Li Ya and sighed. “Mortal, I treated you with such sincerity, so why do you still not trust me?”

Li Ya was scared, but he didn’t back down. He asked bluntly, “What exactly do you plan to do to Gu An? If you really are an immortal god, why bother with these petty tricks?”

Huang Feng Immortal Lord sneered. “I didn’t lie to you. I do want to win him over and make him an immortal god. But if he refuses, the Heavenly Court will have no choice but to eliminate him. No one is allowed to reject the Heavenly Court. If you don’t understand that yet, then today, you will.”

Boom!

His aura erupted. The clothes on his body were incinerated by the energy, and his flesh turned to ash and drifted away. His form grew taller as he revealed his true body.

Streams of golden-red light coiled around him. Though his face remained aged, it now held a more awe-inspiring majesty. Behind his head, the phantom of two divine beasts emerged, intertwining with one another.

His yellow robes flapped wildly, immortal energy billowed from his body, and Huang Feng Immortal Lord, having revealed his true form, exuded a dominance that said: I alone reign supreme.