The Heaven Tower was not merely a monument of stone; it was a bridge. In ancient times, it was built as a Path of Heavenly Ascension, a structure forged from ancient metals and other materials, designed to pierce through the mortal realm and touch the very gates of the Heavens.
Each level was aligned with the laws of the universe, resonating with the one and only Heavenly Dao, and cultivators who successfully passed its trials can align themselves with the will of Heaven itself.
No one has ever succeeded in uncovering the reason behind the destruction of the Heaven Tower, which may have been caused by wrathful gods or other factors, thus shattering the connection between mortals and Heaven. The upper sections were torn apart, falling into ruin, while the fragments remained suspended in the void above.
For cultivators, stepping into the tower is akin to stepping onto the edge of the Heavenly Dao itself. Although the tower is in ruins, it still contains passages that offer immense enlightenment about the Heavenly Dao. Those who can withstand the pressure of the broken connection may glimpse a path to ascension, but most are crushed under the will they seek to defy.
As soon as they arrived at the outer perimeter of the Ruined Heaven Tower, Tian Jianshen and the others immediately experienced a powerful pressure descending from the heavens.
They could hear a soft whisper that was inaudible to their ears but resonated in their hearts and souls, making them think that it was a whisper from the heavens themselves.
Even with their cultivation in the three Immortal Realms, to be precise, the Immortal Emperor Realms, they still had difficulty dealing with the pressure, forcing them to kneel and bow to the heavens.
"Damn it! Iâve been here in the past, but this pressure is much stronger than before." Tian Jianshen spoke as he tried to stand up, but the pressure became stronger and caused him to almost fall to the ground.
Tu Shen and the other cultivators also experienced the same thing, forcing them to stop resisting the pressure. Instead, they sit in their spots, allowing the pressure to press on them.
Di Yuantian looked up at the sky in thought. "The pressure is starting to decrease."
"Yes." Xuanyin Yue nodded in agreement with him. "It seems this pressure comes from the heavens themselves, and they will suppress anyone who tries to oppose them."
Chu Xingyan turned to them. "How long do we have to be like this? If we keep wasting time like this, weâll never be able to find Di Tousen, and Iâm afraid those fake immortals will come to attack us again."
"Why donât you try to fight back against this pressure?" Tu Shen responded with a shake of his head. "The pressure will intensify if we force ourselves to stand, but it will lessen if we allow it to press down on us."
Chu Xingyanâs lips twitched, but she didnât refute Tu Shenâs words. "What do you think caused the heavens to suddenly act like this?"
"No one knows the will of the heavens." Di Yuantian paused for a moment before continuing. "The Heaven Tower has been a mystery since its inception, and no one has ever known its creators or how they built it. For now, we have no choice but to let this pressure down on us, and Iâm sure it will disappear on its own in time."
"Hey! Look above!" Xuanyin Xue spoke, pointing to the sky. "Isnât that Ling Yun?"
"Yes and no." They turned to Huang Xiaotian directly. "My son-in-lawâs real body is in the Ancestral Burial Domain right now, and itâs one of his clones."
"Observe him; his strength is only half his original strength," Xiao Huan spoke. "I previously contacted my daughter and informed her that weâre looking for Di Tousen here, and she apparently told my son-in-law about this matter, so he came here on purpose."
Chu Xingyan raised her eyebrows. "What can he do with half his strength? He wonât be able to face this pressure with his full strength, let alone with only half his strength. If he forces himself, this pressure will definitely crush him."
"You donât know anything about my son-in-law, Xingyan." Chu Xingyan frowned at Xiao Huan, but she did not refute her because she did not have much information about Ling Yun. "According to my daughter, he once faced seven lightning tribulations at once when he broke through from the King Realm to the Saint Realm. You might think it was easy to face that with our cultivation, but he wasnât at our level yet, and the Heavens manifested themselves to kill him."
"What?" They all screamed in shock. "Are you serious? Why would the Heavens go so far as to manifest themselves? Moreover, Iâve never seen or heard of such a thing happening before."
Xiao Huan shook her head at Chu Xingyan. "Even if youâve never seen or heard of such a thing, that doesnât mean it never happened, right? Zhimei told me that my son-in-law once intervened during one of his wivesâ breakthroughs, primarily because her body wasnât strong enough to handle her breakthrough to the Emperor Realm. Therefore, he forced himself to help her in her breakthrough, and the heavens have repeatedly tried to kill him since then, but they have always failed."
"Thatâs as crazy as shit!" They all glared at Chu Xingyan. "Even with my current cultivation, I would never dare interfere with someone elseâs breakthrough! My master said such an act would only make the personâs breakthrough even more powerful, and it could kill us both!"
"Your master is not wrong with that." Di Yuantian spoke, nodding his head two times. "Thatâsâ"
"Stop talking and look above!" Tu Shen interrupted them.
All of them returned their attention to Ling Yunâs clone, but they looked puzzled by his apparent calm. "How can he be so relaxed when weâre struggling so hard to deal with this pressure?"
"Perhaps heâs already accustomed to the pressure exerted by the Heavens, especially since theyâve tried to kill him repeatedly." Tian Jianshen and the others nodded in agreement with Di Yuantian. "Letâs see what he will do, but I hope he doesnât provoke the Heavens now; otherwise, we will be in danger if they manifest themselves again to kill him."
Xuanyin Yue and the others trembled as soon as Di Yuantian mentioned that, and they hoped in their hearts that Ling Yunâs clone would not do that.
- To Be Continued -