645: 644: Empty this one, then empty that one 645: 644: Empty this one, then empty that one The situation at the Sword Pond was settled, and inevitably Tang Feng’s gaze then fell upon the palace gates.
He hadn’t realized until he looked, and once he did, he felt deeply shaken.
The entrance to the Heavenly Palace seemed simple, yet it possessed a thousand Sword Arrays for defense, insurmountable even by an Immortal Level Array Master.
This Sword Emperor was truly no ordinary being, but to have fallen at the Emperor Level was somewhat of a disappointment.
Regardless, he left behind some fine treasures, which Tang Feng gladly accepted with a bittersweet smile.
If the Sword Emperor knew of Tang Feng’s thoughts, he might be angry enough to leap out from his coffin and slap him dead.
Tang Feng didn’t immediately attempt to break the formation but instead walked around the sides to inspect the Heavenly Palace, recognizing it as an astonishingly rare Top-grade Immortal Artifact among the Eighth Grade.
In the past, Ninth Grade Immortal Artifacts had never been revealed to the world.
Only the Five Emperors and Tang Feng possessed Eighth Grade Immortal Artifacts, while the artifacts of the Seven Emperors were merely Sixth or Seventh Grade.
At least the Heavenly Palace was the most powerful Immortal Artifact Tang Feng had seen so far.
The carvings on the walls and doors of the Heavenly Palace were exquisite, and they were even inlaid with top-tier Immortal Crystal Stones.
Such things should be diggable, right?
Tang Feng summoned an Immortal Sword and began to pry off an Immortal Crystal Stone.
A few dozen breaths later, a multicolored, shimmering Immortal Crystal Stone lay in Tang Feng’s hand, bringing him an unparalleled thrill.
Immortal Crystal Stones, more precious than High Grade Immortal Stones and said to be irreplaceable even by Immortal Veins, were indeed treasures.
One, two, three stones; he left none behind, four, five, six stones; all were extracted.
He had hollowed out six fist-sized Immortal Crystal Stones.
Oh!
There’s even this stroke of luck.
Tang Feng discovered an unexpected delight—his luck was indescribable.
After removing the six Immortal Crystal Stones, the Sword Array at the entrance weakened by half.
This discovery spurred Tang Feng’s thoughts, and so he meticulously searched for other vulnerabilities along the adjacent walls.
After some time, his efforts indeed paid off.
Upon the walls, he successively found several items of interest: a wheel, a mirror, and a few miscellaneous small items.
He wasn’t clear on their uses, but the fact that they could influence a Sword Array indicated their extraordinary nature.
The most intriguing finds were two statues, one of a fish and the other of a Jiao dragon.
After removing them, the Sword Array’s power was merely a breeze to Tang Feng.
Of course, he wasn’t careless.
Spotting the Array Eye, he activated his Chaos Golden Body and moved through it.
The clamor of metal against gold rang loudly, and Tang Feng felt sore all over from the impact.
Just one layer of the Sword Array was enough to hurt him—had it been the previous ten layers, he dared not imagine the outcome.
Even if an Immortal Emperor had come, it would have been difficult under the circumstance that the secrets of the Formation remained undiscovered—once found, entry would naturally be easy.
But Tang Feng’s mind was stirring again; he aimed to refine the Heart of Space himself, so how could he allow others the chance to do so?
Consequently, he returned the items he had obtained to their places and set up Small Arrays upon them.
It would be extremely difficult for the nine below to enter—it would all depend on their luck.
Tang Feng had ceased to care about that by now; what lay within was what he truly desired to understand.
Seeing the Sword Array restored, Tang Feng smiled with satisfaction as the spoils should always be his to claim.
In the Immortal Realm, reality was far harsher than on Earth.
If you weren’t powerful, you were merely waiting to pick up your boxed lunch.
Here, power decided the pecking order; everything else was trivial.
Therefore, Tang Feng was quite excited about what might be within the Heavenly Palace.
He pushed open the door and stepped inside, and in the next moment, Tang Feng fell silent.
At this time, the nine individuals on the Heavenly Ladder were extremely anxious, naturally not wishing for the treasures to fall into someone else’s hands.
Considering how exceptionally lucky that young man was, it was no wonder they were nervous.
Looking at the two women, there were only a handful of men left, only a dozen or so steps away from the pinnacle of the Heavenly Ladder.
Of course, those remaining steps were by no means easy to take.
Thankfully, they hadn’t finished eating the grilled meat they had in their hands, or else they would have surely died of frustration.
They discovered something strange.
Whenever they couldn’t ascend, just by eating a bite, they could withstand the pressure and continue climbing, which was even more terrifying than the power of Immortal Pills.
As a result, they ate sparingly, which naturally meant facing a lot more pressure, but that was negligible compared to the ability to ascend further.
Unfortunately, when only three steps remained, they were forced to come to a halt.
The two women looked at each other with a mix of tears and laughter, knowing that the next three steps would have to be taken on their own.
As for the seven men, they were filled with jealousy, envy, and resentment.
This was the privilege of women, their innate advantage, which was undeniable.
Sometimes, if you can’t stop thinking about something, the only choice is to try your best not to think about it.
To ascend this thousand-step Heavenly Ladder, the seven used every ability they had kept in reserve.
Still, there were gains to be had, their cultivation had clearly improved, and the changes in their physical strength were even more pronounced.
This was an unexpected reward, but remembering everything they had gone through in the passage before, their excitement was dampened.
In particular, the absence of any returnees from the left channel weighed heavily on the minds of the seven, unable to put them at ease.
They feared that some Immortal Beast might emerge from within the Heavenly Ladder, and if that were to happen, they truly wouldn’t be able to withstand it.
Half a month passed in a blink of an eye, and the two women ascended another level, leaving only two steps left, while the seven men also caught up, placing everyone more or less at the same starting point.
The benefits reaped over these two months were substantial, saving at least a hundred years of cultivation.
Even if there were no other gains from this journey, it would have been worth it.
Contentment brings happiness, they say, but whether they truly found happiness, only they knew for sure.
A year later, the two women stepped onto the Heavenly Palace’s platform and were immediately enveloped by a dense influx of Immortal Essence, which they both couldn’t help but close their eyes to enjoy.
It was an indescribable sensation, much like the baptism they received when they first ascended to the Immortal Realm.
Regrettably, the sensation lasted only a few minutes before it disappeared, and now in front of them stood a very beautiful Immortal Palace, but its entrance was barred by a Formation.
Fortunately, they tested throwing Immortal Stones at it, otherwise by now they might have been disintegrated.
The two women helplessly searched for a way around the area, but clearly, it seemed impossible.
Where was that young man?
Could he be dead?
At that moment, a woman from the Sword Control Immortal Sect pointed to a corner where some shredded fabric lay; judging by the color, it must belong to that young man.
Could it really be that he’s dead?
For a while, both women felt downhearted, for in any case, he had helped them.
Otherwise, they wouldn’t have been able to ascend or receive the baptism of Immortal Essence.
For a moment, both women fell silent, finding the young man’s fate rather pitiable.
Women are always sentimental.
Half a month later, the seven men ascended one after another, each of them having made considerable progress in their cultivation, naturally in high spirits.
However, their smiles faded when they saw the Formation before them.
Was this not a trap?
The Heavenly Ladder was difficult enough; could this Formation even be broken?
Now they understood why so many Immortals had died here: if not destroyed by the Formation, life would eventually be cut short.
“Is there a way?” Qingxuzi from the Sanqing Palace inquired.
Everyone shook their heads, it seemed they would return empty-handed this time.
“This Formation is somewhat strange, unnaturally strong.
It doesn’t seem to be set by an Immortal Emperor, but rather like the work of an Immortal Emperor Level expert.
Sealing the Sword Emperor’s legacy, but why?
Is it because he doesn’t want others to obtain it, or is it part of the Sword Emperor’s own scheme?
What about the first young man who ascended?
Is he really dead?
They didn’t believe it.
Anyone who could reach this point with the cultivation of a Profound Immortal surely had a profound destiny; it was entirely possible that he had already entered the inside of the Heavenly Palace.
Qingxuzi’s guess was not wrong; at that very moment, Tang Feng was inside the Immortal Palace, and this palace was a bit of a disappointment.
Inside the vast space, there was only one sphere, a planet resembling Earth.
Here, Tang Feng could see everything on that planet, including Xia City.