Your current cultivation base was at the Fourth Realm: Divine Ability. The first four steps of the Nine Steps to the Heavens hardly posed any challenge at all. You mastered them in less than two short days.
Half a month later, you successfully cultivated the Fifth Step. A special Mountains and Rivers Talisman materialized in your mind—with a thought, you could burn your lifespan to draw power from the Heavenly Talisman and instantly ascend to the Fifth Realm: Mountains and Rivers...
A month and a half later, you mastered the Sixth Step. A brand-new Transcendent Talisman coalesced in your consciousness. Burn your lifespan, and you could step into the Sixth Realm: Transcendent...
Three months later, you completed the Seventh Step. A Saint Talisman took shape in your mind. With a flicker of will, you could burn your lifespan to surge into the Seventh Realm: Saint...
At long last, you had fully mastered the first seven steps of the Nine Steps to the Heavens. You could unleash Saint Realm cultivation at a moment's notice, securing a fearsome trump card in your arsenal.
「Finally got it!」
「Even though it's incomplete, obtaining the Nine Steps to the Heavens has more than made up for the trouble.」
Watching the simulation unfold smoothly, Sun Qian clenched his fist excitedly, cheering silently in his heart.
With the Nine Steps to the Heavens in hand, he now had the power to overcome stronger foes and fight across realms.
At the very least, he'd never again be cornered by a mere Transcendent or Saint Realm powerhouse.
Lost in his elation, Sun Qian completely failed to notice the faint, peculiar spiritual energy rippling through the room.
But these waves, designed to stir up primal desires, fizzled out the moment they neared him—his overwhelming joy and excitement had drowned out any hint of temptation.
On the carpet, Liu Yue rolled onto her side, cracking one eye open slightly to peek at him, a look of confusion crossing her face.
What in the world was going on?
「From this day forth, unless a Heavenly Realm powerhouse makes a move, no one in the entire Magic City can threaten me.」
「As for the final two steps of the Nine Steps to the Heavens… I'll have to take them from Ye Fan sooner or later.」
Having mastered the Nine Steps to the Heavens, your mood soared. You felt as free as a bird soaring in the sky, the lingering gloom in your heart lifting considerably.
Now that you'd secured your primary objective—the Nine Steps to the Heavens—you prepared to leave the secret realm. But before departing, you decided to comb through the ruins one last time.
The shattered stone statue that had held the sheepskin scroll became your top priority.
「This place hid a heaven-defying treasure like the Nine Steps to the Heavens—a legacy left behind by some immortal or deity. It's only logical that there might be other gifts hidden here.」
「In my last villain simulation, Ye Fan wielded a crimson blade that cut Zhao Kun down in one strike. Even back then, I sensed that weapon was extraordinary—it must have come from this very secret realm.」
You suspected the crimson blade might still be hidden somewhere in the ruins, but no matter how thoroughly you searched, you came up empty-handed.
Eventually, your suspicious gaze landed on the broken stone statue before you, wondering if it concealed something inside.
「Vast Tyrant Dragon Fist!」
「Fire Dragon Talisman!」
「...」
You unleashed a barrage of devastating attacks, hammering them into the statue—but not a single crack appeared on its surface. The shattered statue remained completely unscathed.
Realizing the statue's durability far exceeded your current ability to break it, you finally conceded defeat and gave up.
You left the ruins behind and headed for the secret realm's exit, ready to return to Magic City and assess the current situation.
As good as the secret realm was—with spiritual energy ten times denser than the outside world—it was also a natural prison. If the mastermind's forces discovered you here, you'd be trapped like a turtle in a jar with no hope of escape.
In your last villain simulation, you'd hidden in this secret realm for half a year, only to be tracked down and killed with a single palm strike, unable to flee.
「I wonder how things are faring outside. Has Su Meng's disguise been blown… huh?」 Midway through your journey, a sudden chill ran down your spine.
BOOM!
A massive, frigid palm suddenly descended from the vault of the sky, streaking toward your head like a meteor.
「Cackle cackle cackle… Who would have thought this trip to the secret realm would net me a Talisman Master? The Li Family has been sorely lacking in talisman inheritances—you'll make a fine addition!」
A ghoulish cackle echoed across the sky. An elderly man with a weathered face, dressed in a long, scholarly robe that clashed horribly with his sinister grin, materialized before you.
A bone-chilling Transcendent Realm aura emanated from his body, coiling around you like a venomous snake.
This was none other than the Elder of the Li Family—the younger brother of the Li Family Ancestor, a powerhouse at the Fifth Rank of the Transcendent Realm.
(The Transcendent Realm is divided into nine ranks; cultivators at this realm can condense either a Martial Dao Intent or a Daoist Intent. With their intent amplifying their attacks, their martial arts and dao techniques unleash power far beyond their base cultivation level.)
「A member of the Li Family!」
Fate truly worked in mysterious ways. You recognized him instantly, your eyes blazing with cold fury.
When a mysterious secret realm appeared off the coast of Magic City, how could the Four Great Clans—Magic City's ruling powers—stay on the sidelines? Sending their elites to plunder its treasures was a given.
And now, this old monster clearly saw you as nothing more than a walking treasure trove, eager to seize your talisman inheritance for himself.
In the past, facing a Transcendent Realm powerhouse—a gap of two entire major realms—you would have had no choice but to flee for your life with the Life-Substitute Blood Escape Talisman.
But today was different.
Today, you had no intention of running.
Today, you were going to test the true power of the Nine Steps to the Heavens!
「You want my inheritance, old man?」
Your voice dropped to an icy snarl. Instead of retreating, you surged forward, activating the Mountains and Rivers Talisman and Transcendent Talisman deep within your soul.
You burned twenty years of your lifespan in a heartbeat—and took two consecutive steps.
In the blink of an eye, your aura skyrocketed!
Fourth Realm: Divine Ability!...Fifth Realm: Mountains and Rivers!...Sixth Realm: Transcendent!
In the space of a breath, you transformed into a Transcendent Realm powerhouse. A blazing Flame Dao Intent coalesced around you, imbuing every inch of your being with scorching heat.
With a single thought, you condensed five enhanced Fire Dragon Talismans—their power amplified by your newly forged intent!
You slammed your palm forward, your voice ringing out like clashing steel.
「Five Dragon Fire Talisman Array!」
ROAR! ROAR! ROAR! ROAR! ROAR!
Five colossal fire dragons, each dozens of feet long, materialized out of thin air. They unleashed earth-shaking roars, their scales shimmering with molten fire as they surged forward with the might of true dragons.
The frigid palm descending from the sky was torn to shreds in an instant. The five dragons then streaked toward the Li Family Elder, their jaws gaping wide to devour him whole.
Empowered by your Flame Dao Intent, these fire dragons were ten, no—twenty times more powerful than the ones you'd summoned earlier!
「Impossible! How can you—NOOOOO!!!」
The Li Family Elder's scream of disbelief was cut short as the five fire dragons slammed into him, engulfing his body in a sea of searing flames.
In the blink of an eye, the Fifth Rank Transcendent Realm powerhouse was reduced to ashes, annihilated on the spot.