Cao Ya made up his mind not to use any other extraordinary powers unless it was absolutely necessary!
He wanted to try to reach the summit purely through his own strength!
Even if things don't go well, it's still a good thing to get some experience and improve one's understanding of spatial laws.
"Buzz." Cao Ya stepped in and immediately felt as if he had sunk into a swamp, making it difficult to move.
Furthermore, maintaining balance was extremely difficult, forcing him to draw upon the power of the gods.
However, this is only the first level and is not particularly difficult.
But with each of the ninety-nine steps, things are bound to change, and the further you go, the more unimaginable it becomes!
"Well, these steps actually test one's understanding of space. The first few steps don't have high requirements; you can just use the power of a god to withstand them without any problems."
"Once you get to the end, no matter how high-ranking you are, it will be extremely difficult. If you're not careful, you'll be swept off the steps to heaven!"
"In fact, it's impossible to reach the top at all!"
As Cao Ya pondered, the profound mysteries of space surged and enveloped his body, like a fleeting wisp of light and shadow.
In reality, although this is a test of one's understanding of the laws of space, as long as one's strength is strong enough, it is not impossible to break the law with force. One can reach the ninety-ninth level with the power of a god!
But here's the question: if they have power comparable to a god-king, can they still be considered gods?
For example, if Cao Ya were to utilize the extraordinary systems of the great universes such as [Peerless One], [Desolate Era], and [Sacred Ruins], he could easily reach the final level.
He may appear to be just a high-level celestial being, but in fact, he has already reached the six-star level, comparable to a god-king!
"Fortunately, my comprehension, while not exceptional, is not terrible either; it is generally above average."
"Most importantly, it relies on so many laws and rules, and the experiences of others..."
"As a result, my spatial laws have also improved significantly, reaching the level of Upper Celestial God, just one step away from mastery!"
Cao Ya muttered to himself as the laws of space erupted forth, enveloping him and resisting the towering staircase.
To date, the recorded number of levels in the God Realm is ninety-five!
This clearly proves that even the strongest upper-level gods in the divine realm have not truly reached the limit of the god realm!
Finally, he relied on sudden enlightenment and the like to leap across several minor realms and attain the God King status!
Just like Duanmu Yu, the prince of Antarctic Mirror City, he has a good personality and outstanding abilities, and is hailed as a strong candidate for the second generation of Antarctic Holy Emperor!
Even within Mirror City, a large number of people were following him, and the Antarctic Holy Emperor was not annoyed at all, but rather pleased with the outcome.
Sixty quadrillion years ago, Duanmu Yu was already a top-tier celestial being at the peak, but an entire epoch has passed and he is still stuck in the same place.
Otherwise, given Duanmu Yu's personality, why would he come to the Arctic Snow City? He was just giving it a try.
If the realm of gods were clearly defined, perhaps more upper-level gods could reach the pinnacle and achieve enlightenment at the final, decisive moment without having to painstakingly traverse four or five "steps."
If it's one or two levels, obviously more and more gods will be able to cross over and become god-kings!
However, the Celestial Venerables were clearly too lazy to do so; building the Mountain and Sea Palace and setting up the Heavenly Staircase was already giving them the opportunity.
Anyway, if you don't become a god-king, you're just a god... Let alone a god, even those below the level of gods and humans can already live forever!
Whether these immortal beings can continue to grow stronger depends entirely on their individual abilities; the Celestial Venerable won't interfere!
They only diligently teach their own disciples at the beginning. Once they are on the right track and become gods, the disciples can then ponder and comprehend the laws of space in their subsequent cultivation.
At most, they might bestow some treasure that can accelerate time by a certain number of times!
For example, the Jianglan Realm in Qin Yu's possession was a gift from the God King of the Mu Mansion.
That new universe was created by Qin Yu himself, so that's another matter.
"Buzz..." Cao Yan could feel the surrounding space constantly distorting and changing.
Occasionally, he seemed to be squeezed, as if a galaxy were collapsing and a black hole was devouring him.
Sometimes, it felt as if space was rapidly expanding, stretching across thousands of light-years, and his entire being was stretched out, like a thin sheet of paper with almost no width!
If it were any other deity, they might be in extreme pain and fall!
Cao Ya, however, remained completely unaffected and continued climbing methodically, contemplating the mysteries of space.
"The Great Path of Reincarnation, the Great Path of Flame, and the Great Path of Bright Light, among others, can all counteract this kind of spatial distortion!"
"However, if I do that, it won't be my path of cultivation. I should focus on studying the laws of space!"
Cao Ya still had the leisure to let his thoughts wander, and at the same time, he manipulated the laws of space to transfer, weaken, and even completely eliminate the oppressive force of the Heavenly Staircase!
Just then, below, Qin Yu and Duanmu Yu, having wandered around many islands without any success, had no choice but to return to the foot of the Mountain and Sea Palace. There, they were surprised to see Cao Ya climbing.
Then, the two looked at each other and gave a wry smile.
"At this point, there is no other way but this path," Duanmu Yu sighed softly.
They clearly did not receive the favor of the Celestial Venerable. Otherwise, even if the Celestial Venerable was not constantly observing the divine realm, how could he not have noticed that someone had come to his palace?
However, no disciples were sent to inform them to come to the palace for an audience.
This undoubtedly shows that neither Cao Ya, nor Duanmu Yu, nor Qin Yu are the people the Heavenly Venerable prefers.
In this situation, there was truly no other way but to reach the heavens.
"Then let's go! I will definitely not leave empty-handed!" Qin Yu whispered, his eyes burning with an inextinguishable flame!
Duanmu Yu's eyes flickered slightly. He could sense that Qin Yu's reasons for participating in this conference were different from his own, and from those of Shen Tu Fan, Kui Yin Hou, Zhou Xian, and others!
"It seems... that he has truly fallen in love with Princess Jiang Li? Alas, I came only for the opportunity of becoming a God King, without any love whatsoever. I am not as good as Brother Qin Yu."
Duanmu Yu sighed inwardly, but also admired Qin Yu. For an ascendant to reach this point in such a short time, the difficulties he had encountered were unimaginable.
For Duanmu Yu, who had lived for nearly two eons, let alone ten thousand years, even hundreds of millions of years would only be the time it takes to go into seclusion, which can be described as "short".
Immediately, the two of them stepped onto the Heavenly Staircase and began to climb!
Soon after, about a few months after the three arrived at the Mountain and Sea Palace, the others also arrived one after another.
When they saw Cao Ya, Qin Yu, and Duanmu Yu on the steps to heaven, they were all taken aback!
"Brother Duanmu, what are you doing?" Marquis Quinn asked loudly.
On the thirty-fifth floor, Duanmu Yu and Qin Yu were neck and neck, neither of them thinking of surpassing the others.
Whether one can reach the summit is still unknown. If one succeeds, one will be summoned by the Heavenly Venerable. There is no need to compare oneself with others!
The steps are wide enough for several people to walk together.
Cao Ya, who had tried earlier, was ahead of the other two and had already reached the forty-eighth floor!
Upon hearing this, the three of them paused slightly, controlling the laws of space to counteract the strange constraint, and turned around to look at the dozen or so people below.
“Brother Quinn, we also tried our luck on the outer islands, but it was clearly…”
Duanmu Yu shook his head and said, "In the end, when there is no other way, we can only go to this Heavenly Staircase and try our best. Even if we fail, we can still experience the challenges set up by the Heavenly Venerable. If we gain some insights, we may be able to get closer to the God King realm."
Beside him, Qin Yu's expression was grave. Unlike Duanmu Yu, this prince of Antarctic Mirror City had gone to Arctic Snowdrift City for the sake of the God King's opportunity.
They adopted an attitude of being happy if they succeeded, but not caring if they failed.
Qin Yu and Jiang Li were in love, and he absolutely did not want to see anyone else get the spot and win the heart of the beauty!
He will do his utmost to secure more spots, overpower everyone's opinions with an absolute advantage, and become the most suitable candidate for Jiang Li!
Even without the Heavenly Venerable's attention, Qin Yu would risk his life to reach the top of this heavenly staircase!
"Right now, I'm still relying on the laws to comprehend the power of the new universe; I'm not in a hurry to use it."
"The highest record is ninety-five floors... The further you go, the more unbelievable the distortion of the void becomes! Especially after the seventies and eighties!"
Qin Yu looked up, his gaze unwavering.
Cao Ya looked down and saw candidates such as Kui Yinhou, Shen Tu Fan, and Zhou Xian, as well as the two disciples of the Heavenly Venerable Hao Jun and Yao Lin. Naturally, Qin Yu and Duanmu Yu also came into view.
He noticed Qin Yu's determination and nodded in approval. Without this will, Qin Yu might be able to break the God Realm record with his current abilities, but he would still be lacking something to reach the top.
We must gain new insights along this path, whether it be about the laws of space or the perfection of the new universe!
"Huh?" Suddenly, Cao Ya's eyes flashed, and he secretly curled his lips. This guy, Thunder Punishment Heavenly Venerable, really doesn't care about any rules. Even if he wants to show favoritism, he should at least pretend to do it!
"Your Highness Zhou Xian." Yao Lin, a disciple of Thunder Punishment Celestial Venerable, seemed to have received a telepathic message from her master and suddenly walked over, speaking to Zhou Xian with a smile.
Upon seeing her, Zhou Xian hurriedly tried to bow. Even if someone is the grandson of the Celestial Venerable, it doesn't necessarily mean they'll be more valued than his disciples!
At least, he hadn't seen Thunder Punishment Celestial Venerable as many times as Yao Lin! And he had never personally received guidance from Thunder Punishment Celestial Venerable!
Even though the disciples of the Celestial Venerable are only gods, they dare not ignore the God King in person.
Yao Lin smiled and said, "Your Highness Zhou Xian, the Heavenly Venerable has instructed me to inform you to go to the Thunder Punishment Hall to pay your respects to him."
Zhou Xian was stunned for a moment, then overjoyed!
Sure enough, my father didn't lie to me; he really did tell my grandfather about it!
On the side, Quinn Hou and the others couldn't help but let a hint of jealousy flash across their faces.
Shen Tu Fan, Duanmu Yu, and others also felt somewhat stifled.
Qin Yu felt even more bitter. No one objected to the Thunder Punishment Heavenly Venerable favoring his grandson, but if the ten-year term was set, at least three to five years later, when the disciple was summoned to see Zhou Xian again, no one would complain.
But as soon as Zhou Xian arrived at the Mountain and Sea Palace, he immediately gave the order... He really has no shame at all!
Qin Yu had no idea that the Thunder Punishment Heavenly Venerable was such an arrogant person, looking down upon all living beings!
So what if a group of gods have a god-king behind them?
I broke the rules, I was shameless, who dares to say anything?
If one cannot become a Celestial Venerable, then one is but an ant! To the Thunder Punishment Celestial Venerable, one can be annihilated with a flick of the finger!
"Haha, everyone, I'll head to the Thunder Punishment Hall first." Zhou Xian clasped his hands in a fist salute, his face beaming with glee, which infuriated everyone who saw it.
But what could Kui Yinhou, Shen Tu Fan, and the others do? No matter how dissatisfied they were, who dared to speak out against the Heavenly Venerable?
However, before following Yao Lin to the Thunder Punishment Hall, Zhou Xian deliberately looked up at the three people on the steps, especially Qin Yu and Duanmu Yu, who were also candidates, and a hint of disdain flashed in his eyes.
No matter how highly praised you are, no matter how much you are a master craftsman or a genius ascendant, in front of Thunder Punishment City, you are nothing but worthless trash!
"Hehe, Brother Duanmu, Brother Qin, you two take your time climbing. I hope you can catch the eye of the Heavenly Venerable. I won't suffer with you anymore."
With a broad smile, Zhou Xian walked up to Yao Lin and bowed again.
With a smile, Yao Lin led Zhou Xian into the Thunder Punishment Hall, one of the three side halls.
In addition to the main hall, the Mountain and Sea Palace has three main branch halls: the Feathered Hall, the Thunder Punishment Hall, and the Carefree Hall, each corresponding to one of the three Heavenly Venerables!
Everyone watched in silence, feeling a deep unease in their hearts.
"Brother Qin, take a break. In your current state of mind, there's no way you can climb any higher. You're more likely to make mistakes, fall, and get injured. Then, you won't have any chance to reach the ninety-ninth floor for at least ten years," Duanmu Yu reminded him, taking a deep breath to calm his resentful emotions.
Qin Yu thanked Duanmu Yu and regulated his breathing, trying not to let his turbulent emotions interfere with him.
The others below were in the same state, creating a somber atmosphere.
The only one unaffected was Cao Ya, who remained on the forty-eighth step, inwardly scoffing.
"Thunder Punishment Celestial Venerable, does he really think that just because he's at the Celestial Venerable realm, he can ignore everything!" Cao Ya thought to himself. "Lin Meng will definitely not be satisfied with such an arrogant attitude, which he doesn't even try to hide!"
"Even if Qin Yu didn't create a new universe or enter Lin Meng's Eye, he would still cause dissatisfaction!"
Cao Ya knew that Lin Meng was Lin Lei, who had risen to prominence in one of the four subordinate universes within the Hongmeng Universe in this world.
For him, favoring relatives and friends was not a big deal; he could turn a blind eye to it.
But we can't just ignore all the rules!
Even the Celestial Venerable of Floating Feathers and the Celestial Venerable of Carefree Life would have their opinions and disapprove of the Celestial Venerable of Thunder Punishment's actions.
If things continue like this, even if everything is normal, in the future, after hundreds or thousands of epochs, as more and more Celestial Venerables emerge, Thunder Punishment Celestial Venerable will inevitably be disliked, and it is even possible that he will be killed by Celestial Venerables who have achieved independent status!
It should be known that the more one seeks enlightenment alone, the more hardships and dangers one encounters, and the more life-and-death crises one faces, the more one will disapprove of the Thunder Punishment Heavenly Venerable's actions!
The innate royal family should abdicate by then!
Hou Fei, Qin Yu's second younger brother, is the biological son of Xiaoyao Tianzun. He has every reason to directly send a message to his disciple Haojun to summon Qin Yu from the very beginning.
However, the Carefree Celestial Venerable did not do that. Instead, he watched as Qin Yu made various attempts and climbed the Heavenly Staircase.
If it can be accomplished, then there will be no need for the favoritism of the Celestial Venerable. Qin Yu can rely entirely on his own abilities to be able to meet the Celestial Venerable!
Even if it doesn't work out, such a diligent attempt is enough to convince others and inspire their admiration.
When that time comes, if the Carefree Celestial Venerable steps forward again, no one will have anything to say.
Apart from Piaoyu Tianzun and Leifa Tianzun, who knew the inside story, no one would associate it with Hou Fei!
Even if Qin Yu didn't create a new universe or reach the top, with this kind of behavior, Lin Meng and Piaoyu Heavenly Venerable wouldn't be displeased when Xiaoyao Heavenly Venerable summoned him and bestowed upon him a spiritual treasure.
Lei Fa Tianzun's actions definitely stirred up some emotions in Lin Meng and Piao Yu Tianzun.
"No wonder this guy only has the fate of two Heavenly Venerables of the Epoch of Derivation. He deserves it!"
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