In the endless darkness, a slender figure slowly climbed a golden ladder.
Ye Ling had already ascended ninety-nine steps. His physical body and soul had been completely reshaped, and he was even stronger than before.
After reshaping his body, Ye Ling's ascent became much easier. With each step he took, he was firm and powerful, and his body was greatly strengthened.
"This ladder is truly miraculous. It not only reshaped my soul and body, but it can also continuously strengthen me. If I keep going like this, breaking through to the逍遥仙 realm won't be a problem."
After adjusting his breathing on the ninety-ninth step, Ye Ling began to climb again.
However, when Ye Ling stepped onto the one hundredth step, a pressure ten times stronger than before surged towards him. Even though Ye Ling was mentally prepared, he still couldn't withstand the impact. He was flung out of the golden ladder, his physical body destroyed, and his soul shattered!
All the power Ye Ling had painstakingly gained by climbing one hundred steps vanished, returning him to square one!
"Damn it! This intensity is on a completely different level!" Ye Ling's heart bled as he saw his soul and body collapse once more.
This was the power he had gained through his arduous climb of one hundred steps. Who knew how much time he had spent!
However, Ye Ling did not remain dejected for long. After reorganizing his thoughts, he embarked on the journey of climbing again.
Nothing in the world is difficult for a willing heart!
With the experience of the previous attempt, Ye Ling did not spend much time reshaping his soul and body to reach the ninety-ninth step. However, when he stepped onto the one hundredth step again, he was still blasted away by the immense pressure!
"I refuse to believe it!"
Ye Ling's physical body collapsed again, but he remained undiscouraged and set off once more, climbing the ladder anew!
Time and time again, Ye Ling's soul and body were shattered and reshaped, their strength reaching an incredible level.
After an unknown amount of time, on his ten thousandth attempt to break through the one hundredth step, Ye Ling finally withstood the immense pressure and was able to proceed!
"Continue!"
After breaking through the bottleneck, Ye Ling felt no joy. He was like a tireless machine, moving upward again.
The difficulty beyond the one hundredth step was on an entirely different dimension compared to before. Ye Ling's physical body would basically collapse and reshape with every step he took. Although the process was painful, the benefits Ye Ling gained were unimaginable.
The strength of his vitality increased exponentially!
Thus, Ye Ling spent a long time and finally reached the nine hundred and ninety-ninth step. His physical body and soul had been strengthened to a certain limit.
Ye Ling had a premonition that as soon as he stepped onto the one thousandth step, he would break through from the帝祖 realm to the逍遥仙 realm, reaching a new level!
"I wonder what kind of difficulty I will face on this step."
With his mind prepared, Ye Ling stepped forward with his right foot, resolutely stepping onto the one thousandth step!
BOOM!!!
A pressure a hundred times stronger than that of the nine hundred and ninety-ninth step struck Ye Ling, instantly shattering his physical body and soul!
However, this time, Ye Ling was not flung away by the immense pressure!
Ye Ling resisted the pressure with all his might. His shattered body and soul began to reshape at a visible speed!
"Hold onnnnnnn!!!"
Ye Ling roared fiercely. His body and soul both broke through their limits at this moment, and his power increased unprecedentedly.
All restraints vanished at this moment, Ye Ling...
Broke through to the逍遥仙 realm!
BOOM!
A powerful pressure erupted from within Ye Ling. Brilliant golden light illuminated the entire darkness, and Ye Ling was enveloped in light!
The next moment, Ye Ling suddenly opened his eyes and saw the灭世灵火 floating in front of him, crying, "Kid, I did my best. Your obsession dissipated too quickly, and I couldn't stop your demise."
"Don't worry, I will inherit your will and protect this inner universe for you!"
Hearing the cries of the灭世灵火, Ye Ling, without bothering to think about the golden ladder that had appeared in his mind, quickly got up and glanced around. He found himself still on the East Xuan Continent, where time was frozen.
It seemed that after the灭世灵火 had brought him to escape into the cosmic barrier, it had returned directly to the East Xuan Continent.
The灭世灵火 had not yet noticed Ye Ling's awakening and continued to wail, "Kid! You died so tragically! But I'm no match for the 残邪之主 either! What will I do when the cosmic barrier breaks?"
Hearing the mournful cries of the灭世灵火, Ye Ling couldn't help but smile and say to it, "Don't worry, this inner universe will be protected by me, not you."
"Kid! It seems I'm too heartbroken and am hearing things." The灭世灵火, still unaware of Ye Ling's revival, continued to wail, "Why has I, the dignified灭世灵火, fallen to this state?"
Seeing that the灭世灵火 was still lost in its own world, Ye Ling sighed and sealed it back onto his wrist with a rune.
"Damn it! Who is it!"
The灭世灵火, suddenly sealed, was startled and cried out, trying to break free from Ye Ling's seal.
However, no matter how much it struggled, it could not budge Ye Ling's seal in the slightest.
Ye Ling looked at the struggling灭世灵火 and chuckled, "Calm down, it's me."
Hearing Ye Ling's voice again, the灭世灵火 was stunned. It looked closely at Ye Ling and exclaimed in surprise, "Is, is it really you, kid?"
"What the heck? How did you suddenly reshape your body and soul? And become so strong?"
In the eyes of the灭世灵火, Ye Ling had only a wisp of consciousness left and was about to perish. But now Ye Ling had returned to his original state, even breaking through. This was too fantastical for the灭世灵火!
Regarding the灭世灵火's shock, Ye Ling also shook his head and smiled, "I'm not too sure about this myself. Previously, my consciousness was drifting in the darkness, and then I encountered a golden ladder. My physical body and soul were reshaped there."
"Golden ladder?"
The灭世灵火 was stunned, then seemed to recall something and asked Ye Ling with a trembling voice, "You, kid... could it be that you encountered the镇魂梯?"
"镇魂梯?" Ye Ling was surprised. "What is that?"
The灭世灵火 excitedly said, "The镇魂梯 is a legendary divine artifact, even rarer than the大道心, a treasure that can only be encountered by chance! Moreover, it is said that the trial of the镇魂梯 is no less than the trial of the大道心. Once the trial is completed, one can even become stronger than a Creator God!"
"Could it be that you, kid, have already completed the trial of the镇魂梯?"
Ye Ling shook his head, "Not quite... that golden ladder seems to have over ten thousand steps, and I only managed to walk up to the one thousandth step before I returned here."
"However, that golden ladder seems to have moved into my mind."
Ye Ling could now feel a golden ladder existing in his mind, but no matter what he tried, he couldn't touch it.
The灭世灵火 excitedly said, "That's right! What you encountered is definitely the镇魂梯! ...You are so lucky, kid. The镇魂梯 is a divine artifact that even Creator Gods yearn for!"
"Legend has it that the镇魂梯 has self-awareness and chooses its own trial-takers. The fact that it appeared in your mind means you have been chosen by it!"
Ye Ling then asked, "Then why did I return here midway through the trial?"
The灭世灵火 shook its head, "I don't know about that. The镇魂梯 is extremely rare, and very few people in the world know its secrets. However, I suspect... kid, that you were driven out midway through the trial because the镇魂梯 believes you are not yet qualified to undergo the complete trial. I estimate that you will need to become even stronger before you can continue the trial!"
"Is that so..." Hearing the words of the灭世灵火, Ye Ling was not too disappointed and quickly accepted reality.
Although he couldn't continue the trial, the benefits he gained from the镇魂梯 were already immense, and he had even broken through to the逍遥仙 realm!
He now felt an endless surge of power within him...
Even if he encountered Young Master Bai again, he was confident he could defeat him!