On the third day of the Taixu Immortal Mansion's manifestation, at the hour of Chen, the instant the ninety-nine heavenly gates opened in the morning mist, tens of thousands of feet of rosy clouds suddenly collapsed into golden threads as fine as human hairs. The sea of clouds churned like boiling water, revealing the majestic outline of an immortal mountain resembling a sword. Three thousand white jade steps descended from the edges of the clouds, each step carved with tadpole-like ancient Dao Patterns. Lin Moyu stood within the ranks of the Tianchu Sacred Land, watching as the two characters "Taixu" hanging at the very front suddenly twisted and transformed into a pair of five-clawed golden dragons. As their whiskers brushed against the void, starlight projected and flickered in the daylight, the positions of the Big Dipper aligning precisely with the first seven steps of the immortal stairs.
"The final trial: those who ascend the immortal stairs enter my gates." The aged voice in the void carried the trembling resonance of metal striking stone. Ye Qingxiao of the Xuantian Sword Sect was the first to transform into a streak of sword light, only to plummet heavily the moment he touched the first jade step. Sparks three zhang high burst forth where his natal spirit sword, "Qingming," collided with the white jade. The genius of swordsmanship—a once-in-a-century prodigy—dropped to both knees, the droplets of blood bursting from the web of his right hand freezing into ice cryst…
Chapter 148