Chapter 208 – Essence of Heretical Sword, Nine Realms Ultimate Law Fiend Lord

The content of the Ascension Stairway trial was actually not complicated.

Many people could grasp the key points as long as they remained calm.

But humans are like this—the more they crave something, the harder it is to maintain a normal state of mind.

Most cultivators were too fixated on climbing the first stage of the Ascension Stairway, to the point where they could see nothing beyond the endless ten-thousand-mile staircase stretching beyond sight.

Many who stopped at the tea stall and later woke up believed they had been eliminated.

Coupled with their fear of Immortals, they lacked the courage to set foot on the Ascension Stairway a second time and chose to ‘descend the mountain.’

It could be said that the main reason for their elimination was their failure to understand the true nature of the Ascension Stairway’s trial.

After all, the True Immortal Trial was meant to select those with the potential for Immortal Ascension.

If achieving immortality were that simple, this world would already be overflowing with Immortals.

Although the Ascension Stairway was merely an entry-level test, two-thirds of the participants had already been sent away.

The remaining one-third also encountered their own troubles.

In Lu Chen’s Ascension Stairway…

What he saw this time was no longer the originally serene, bird-chirping, flower-filled mountain forest scenery.

Instead, it was replaced by a dim and desolate sky.

A blood-red sun hung high in the sky, dyeing the entire world crimson.

Beneath this blood sun crouched countless twisted monsters.

These monsters included men and women, old and young.

Without exception, all of them bore the repulsive appearances of demons and monsters.

Facing the hordes of creatures trying to rush past the Ascension Stairway to attack him,

Four Spirit Swords suddenly materialized around Lu Chen.

These Spirit Swords encircled him, forming a unique barrier.

Ink Dragon Sword, Shangqing Cloud Sword, Gluttonous Fiend Weapon, Severing Heaven Sword.

The appearance of these four swords instantly caused the monsters surrounding the Ascension Stairway to recoil as if they had encountered their natural predators.

“A manifestation of mental state…”

Lu Chen immediately guessed the reason upon seeing the surrounding scene.

Because the monsters appearing around him were all entities Lu Chen had encountered before.

Among them were Dharma Corpses, Heretical Sword Fiends, and other Immortal Fiends he had met either inside game instances or outside them.

Looking at these demons and monsters that still bared their fangs and claws despite their fear of him, Lu Chen laughed.

“If I could kill you once, I can kill you a second time, a third time… until you can never rise again.”

With these words, Lu Chen strode forward, ascending toward the peak of the Ascension Stairway.

Although the Ascension Stairway no longer restricted Lu Chen’s cultivation this time,

Its difficulty was significantly higher than during the first attempt.

Because Lu Chen was no longer simply climbing the mountain.

He needed to ascend while simultaneously slaying the monsters that suddenly emerged around him.

Lu Chen had considered directly flying to the top of the staircase on his sword.

But whenever his feet left the Ascension Stairway, he would feel an overwhelming gravitational force pressing down on him.

Undoubtedly, this was the Ascension Stairway preventing Lu Chen from using shortcuts.

In reality, the ‘Dao’ might permit shortcuts.

But the ‘Dao’ represented by the Ascension Stairway did not.If you wish to reach the mountaintop here, you must ascend step by step.

As Lu Chen climbed higher, the monsters appearing around him grew increasingly powerful. Among them, even creatures at the Golden Core Stage began to emerge. To deal with them, Lu Chen had no choice but to unleash his Harmony Realm Sword Domain to slay them.

Yet, the more Lu Chen killed, the more monsters surged forth from his surroundings. Gradually, countless Demons and Monsters occupied the area around the Ascension Stairway. The corpses of these creatures and their spilled blood stained the entire stairway crimson.

But Lu Chen seemed oblivious to it all, his gaze fixed intently on the direction of the mountaintop not far away. There, hidden within the clouds surrounding the peak, were several beings whose faces were indistinct. The Ascension Stairway stood thousands of meters high, yet the size of these monsters was even more exaggerated. Lu Chen estimated their stature could exceed tens of thousands of meters.

Merely looking at Them filled Lu Chen with a terrifying sense of oppression. This feeling was hard to describe in words, yet it was undeniably real. Thus, even though Lu Chen was now only about a hundred steps from the mountaintop, these final steps felt incredibly arduous.

With each step Lu Chen took, the monsters around the peak drew closer to him. Moreover, Lu Chen could almost sense the excitement in Their eyes, as if They were anticipating something.

When Lu Chen reached the fifty-step mark, he could vaguely make out the appearances of these monsters. One was a freak with three heads and six arms: two of the heads resembled those of birds, while the central one looked like an elderly human. The heads were grotesquely mismatched—the two bird heads were two to three times larger than the human one, and the necks connecting them were much longer. Even Its skin was covered in repulsive bird feathers, making It neither fully human nor fully avian.

Beside this three-headed freak stood other indescribable horrors. One was a female Bodhisattva with closed eyes, possessing a stunningly beautiful appearance and a holy Buddha’s radiance that embodied all the benevolent ideals people held for Bodhisattvas and Buddhas. However, this perfection only extended to Her upper body. Her lower body was hollowed out, revealing ribs and a spine, and seated within the ribcage was a six-fingered Buddha infant. The lotus throne beneath was crafted from countless corpses, their dried blood giving it the appearance of a black lotus from a distance.

Next to this female Bodhisattva was another terrifying entity: a colossal Jiangshi. Unlike typical Jiangshi with green faces and fangs, this one’s mouth seemed sealed by something, with thread-like sutures visible between the lips. But the most striking feature was Its eyes—It had only one eye, which occupied a third of Its face. Combined with the eerily sealed mouth and a nose lacking a bridge but with nostrils, this Jiangshi exuded an ineffable sense of strangeness from head to toe.

Upon seeing these three, Lu Chen instantly recognized Their identities.Because Lu Chen had once seen these three—or rather, statues representing them—in the special instance known as the Sword Formation Ruins.

The three-headed monstrosity was the ancient immortal enshrined by the Great Thousand Mountains, called the “Great Thousand Heavenly Feather True Immortal.”

The female Bodhisattva, or rather female Buddha, was the ancient immortal revered by the Black Lotus Sect, the Greatly Merciful and Compassionate Black Lotus Buddha Mother.

The final colossal Jiangshi was the ancient immortal worshipped by the Corpse Fiend Cave, the Indestructible Celestial Corpse Immortal.

The reason they appeared here was because this place was a manifestation of Lu Chen’s mental realm.

Gazing at these three ancient immortals, Lu Chen took a deep breath and then strode toward the mountain peak.

Just as Lu Chen reached a certain distance, the three ancient immortals seemed to break free from some restriction, each extending a hand to grab at him.

It looked as if three diners were reaching for food on a banquet table.

Had it been anyone else, they would likely have been paralyzed with terror by now, utterly incapable of reacting.

But Lu Chen felt no fear. Instead, he responded to the three massive hands.

“Roar!”

Accompanied by a dragon’s roar, Lu Chen’s Ink Dragon Sword transformed into a golden true dragon, charging toward the hand of the Black Lotus Buddha Mother.

Yet this hundred-meter-long golden Sword Qi True Dragon appeared incredibly minuscule in the Black Lotus Buddha Mother’s grasp—not even the length of one of her fingers.

On another front, the Great Thousand Heavenly Feather True Immortal extended one of its heads, steadily advancing toward Lu Chen’s location.

In response, the pale Severing Heaven Sword shot forth.

As the sword flew out, the power of forbidden arts emanated from its blade.

In no time, the originally three-foot-long Severing Heaven Sword morphed into a semi-solid, semi-ethereal Divine Soul Sword.

This sword could not only ignore most spells and Divine Abilities but also inflict true damage that nearly bypassed all defenses.

However, compared to the enormous head of the Great Thousand Heavenly Feather True Immortal, the hundred-meter-long Severing Heaven Divine Soul Sword seemed no larger than a toothpick.

As for the final Indestructible Celestial Corpse Immortal, Lu Chen countered with the Gluttonous Fiend Weapon.

The Gluttonous Fiend Weapon fully unleashed its power, the Taotie eye at the junction of hilt and blade suddenly snapping open.

Then, the Gluttonous Fiend Weapon transformed into a massive crimson Taotie, charging headlong toward the Indestructible Celestial Corpse Immortal.

But whether it was the Sword Intent True Dragon, the Severing Heaven Sword, or the final Gluttonous Fiend Weapon, they ultimately only posed minor inconveniences to the three ancient immortals.

The Sword Intent True Dragon was instantly crushed upon contact with the Black Lotus Buddha Mother’s palm.

The Severing Heaven Divine Soul Sword shattered upon striking the Great Thousand Heavenly Feather True Immortal, failing to even leave a scratch on its face.

The Gluttonous Fiend Weapon suffered the worst fate.

Though the crimson Taotie fiercely bit down on the Indestructible Celestial Corpse Immortal’s finger, the result was as if the Taotie itself had its blood vessels seized by something.

In an instant, it was drained into a desiccated corpse.

Seeing that his three swords had achieved no effect, Lu Chen was not surprised.

The gap between him and these three ancient immortals was too vast to put into words.

And this was merely the strength of the three ancient immortals as he imagined them.

The reality might be even more terrifying.

Yet, to act despite knowing the impossibility was also a choice.

Watching the sky-obscuring head and two hands descending upon him, Lu Chen merely observed calmly, making no move.But just as the head and two palms were about to land on the mountaintop where the Ascension Stairway was located,

An invisible Sword Qi suddenly tore through the sky.

For a moment, time throughout the entire world seemed to freeze.

A bright red blood line appeared on the neck of the Great Thousand Heavenly Feather True Immortal, the wrist of the Black Lotus Buddha Mother, and the fingers of the Undying Celestial Corpse Immortal.

In the next second, the head of the Great Thousand Heavenly Feather True Immortal, the palm of the Black Lotus Buddha Mother, and the severed fingers of the Undying Celestial Corpse Immortal all fell from the sky.

They crashed into the Mountains of Corpses and Seas of Blood beside the Ascension Stairway, filled with Immortal Fiends and Demons and Monsters.

Lu Chen looked up and saw a black-clad man with an indistinct face standing at the mountaintop, looking down at him from above.

Although Lu Chen was certain he had never seen this person before,

He felt a sense of familiarity from the other’s presence.

Before Lu Chen could ponder further, the figure vanished from the mountaintop.

And after the other disappeared, the ancient Immortals originally surrounding the Ascension Stairway also vanished completely.

Lu Chen lowered his head and found himself standing before the entrance of the Ancient Moon Grotto without knowing when he had arrived.

Right beneath the Gathering Immortal Bell.

And at this moment, he was the first Cultivator to reach this place.

Lu Chen felt no joy at being the first to arrive.

Because his mind was preoccupied with the mysterious black-clad man who had appeared during the ‘Heart Realm Manifestation.’

After all, the Heart Realm Manifestation should not display entities unknown to the Cultivator.

Not to mention that Lu Chen had felt an inexplicable familiarity from that man.

He must have encountered this person somewhere before or come into contact with matters related to him.

More importantly, in Lu Chen’s eyes, the other seemed even more powerful than the three ancient Immortals.

Capable of severing the bodies of three ancient Immortals with a single sword.

At this thought, a sudden realization flashed through Lu Chen’s mind.

Yes, the one who appeared last must be the existence who wielded the ‘Heretical Sword,’ or rather, the ‘Immortal Severing Sword.’

For some reason, Lu Chen clearly knew the other’s title in his mind this time… Nine Realms Extremal Dharma Immortal Lord.

The reason Lu Chen could know this was because the Luck Little Gold Dragon he had encountered in the Dungeon: Cauldron-Carrying Warrior had once spoken these words.

But at that time, for some reason, Lu Chen could not comprehend the sounds of these words.

Or rather, some restriction prevented him from understanding.

But just now, he recalled the meaning of these words.

Thinking of this, Lu Chen immediately committed the words ‘Nine Realms Extremal Dharma Immortal Lord’ firmly to memory.

And prepared to see if he could gather any information about him.

Just as Lu Chen was pondering these things, a voice came from behind him.

“Fellow Daoist Lu!”

Shangguan Yunmeng, seeing Lu Chen already outside the Ancient Moon Grotto, happily waved her hand.

Without waiting for Lu Chen to respond, she cheerfully ran to his side and said with an admiring expression, “Fellow Daoist Lu, everything truly turned out just as you said. This second time stepping onto the Ascension Stairway is the true path to ascension.”

“If not for you, I would surely have been eliminated already.”

Hearing this, Lu Chen smiled and said, “It is a matter of timing and fate. Perhaps your success is not entirely due to me, but also your own destiny.”

“Ah?”

Shangguan Yunmeng looked confused, not understanding why Lu Chen would say such a thing.But Lu Chen knew very well that his words were not mere pleasantries, but genuine thoughts.

For some reason, Lu Chen saw the shadow of an old acquaintance in Shangguan Yunmeng.

Specifically, Little Yezi from reality.

Just like Little Yezi, Shangguan Yunmeng was both directionally challenged and remarkably lucky.

Were it not for the significant difference in their cultivation paths—one being a Sword Cultivator, the other a Body Cultivator—

And their appearances…

Lu Chen stared at Shangguan Yunmeng as if carefully examining something.

Under his intense gaze, Shangguan Yunmeng immediately grew somewhat self-conscious.

Nervously meeting his eyes, she cautiously asked, “Fellow Daoist Lu, why are you staring at me? Is there something on my face?”

Hearing this, Lu Chen seemed to snap back to reality, then said apologetically, “My apologies, I just suddenly thought you resemble a friend of mine.”

“R-Really?”

Shangguan Yunmeng wasn’t offended and responded with a light laugh.

Lu Chen nodded, his gaze toward her growing increasingly complex.

Previously, due to differences in attire and style, Lu Chen hadn’t noticed how strikingly similar Mu Xiaoye and Shangguan Yunmeng looked—nearly eighty percent alike.

If Shangguan Yunmeng were dressed in modern clothing with shorter hair,

Lu Chen might even mistake her for Mu Xiaoye’s blood sister.

Connecting this with Shangguan Yunmeng’s poor sense of direction and seemingly excellent luck,

Lu Chen vaguely formed an absurd hypothesis.

But since this idea was difficult to verify, he could only suppress it for now.

As Lu Chen wrestled with mixed emotions, Shangguan Yunmeng gazed at the massive bronze gate before them and couldn’t help asking, “Fellow Daoist Lu, how long have you been here?”

“Just a step ahead of you.”

“Do you know when we can enter?”

“Likely the time hasn’t come yet. When the moment is right, this gate will naturally open.”

“Oh, I see.”

Trusting Lu Chen completely, Shangguan Yunmeng promptly settled beside him for a brief rest.

Over time, more people gradually arrived, having passed the trials of the Ascension Stairway.

Among them were other disciples from the Azure Cloud Sect, such as Yi Hanqing and Meow King,

Disciples from Jade Void Mountain like Li Xueke and others,

As well as figures like Juechen, the Buddha Child from Little Thunderclap Temple, and Xing Li, the Quasi-Celestial from Martial God Mountain.

Unexpectedly, this True Immortal Trial also attracted many cultivators outside the Ten Great Sects.

In previous years, entrants to the Ancient Moon Grotto were predominantly from the Ten Great Sects.

But this time was different. Among all who passed the Ascension Stairway and qualified to enter the Ancient Moon Grotto,

Only one-third belonged to the Ten Great Sects.

The remaining two-thirds consisted of members from other sects and a few individual Rogue Cultivators.

Consequently, the number of qualified participants for this True Immortal Trial reached a staggering three hundred—

An unprecedented situation.

Without exception, every newcomer greeted Lu Chen with respectful smiles and courteous attitudes.

Only the disciples from Martial God Mountain treated him coldly, clearly viewing him as a thorn in their side.

Lu Chen paid them no mind.

After all, he had thoroughly humiliated Martial God Mountain at the Gathering of Heroes.

It would be strange if they treated him kindly.

Besides, Lu Chen currently had no interest in any of these people.Though they carried faint traces of Ancient Fiend Power,

Lu Chen could tell that most of it was passively acquired contamination.

What truly caught Lu Chen’s attention were merely twenty-five individuals.

Among them were seven from Giant Spirit Gate of Eastern Divine Continent, six from Formless Valley of Southern Divine Continent, and nine from Seven Mysteries School of Western Divine Province.

The remaining three hailed from minor sects even Lu Chen had never heard of.

These twenty-five were the only Immortal Fiends qualified to enter the True Immortal Trial this time.

As for the other Immortal Fiends, all had been eliminated.

Lu Chen secretly observed them, committing their appearances and auras to memory.

They remained completely unaware of this surveillance.

At this moment, they too were discreetly scrutinizing others.

Their purpose was simple: they intended to secretly devour some prodigies from major sects of Central Province during the True Immortal Trial to enhance their own Aptitude.

They saw themselves as hunters, viewing the gathered prodigies of Central Province as their prey.

Yet the roles of hunter and prey are never fixed…

(End of Chapter)