"Nine Dragons Heaven-Ascending Ladder!" Ancient Evil Chen's scarlet pupils shot out sharp light as he let out a fierce roar, like a towering flame.

The Nine Dragons Heaven-Ascending Ladder was one of the famous ancient treasures of the Three Realms, said to be a supreme artifact refined by an ancient Great Divine Ability cultivator for the descendants of his own bloodline. The Ladder was inscribed with thirty-six thousand Supreme Purity restrictions, each one exquisitely profound and beyond the comprehension of ordinary beings. Once activated, the Heaven-Ascending Ladder could instantly connect the Three Realms, allowing effortless passage even into the perpetually guarded Thirty-Three Heavens Forbidden Palace. With the Heaven-Ascending Ladder in hand, the limitations on a cultivator's ascension within this starry expanse became utterly meaningless; the Daoist Mu could ascend at will.

Just as a pillar of golden light, several yards thick and soaring to unknown heights, tore across heaven and earth, the dark creatures, their eyes burning red with frenzy, simultaneously launched an attack against Daoist Mu and Meilin.

Dozens of Innate Sacred Artifacts were unleashed again, but this time, countless golden lotuses erupted chaotically from the Heaven-Ascending Ladder. A tide of golden light swept through the surrounding void, and the terrifying recoil force flung every single Innate Sacred Artifact back. The dozens of Great Chiefs among the dark creatures simultaneously spat blood and were sent flying backward. After all, they could not manipulate these Innate Sacred Artifacts with true ease. Facing the Nine Dragons Heaven-Ascending Ladder, an ancient artifact specifically designed for the defense and assistance of cultivators with lower realms, even the most elite among these dark creatures, Li Wei, felt the strain.

Seeing how marvelous his artifact was—the treasure brought along with the Myriad Immortals Array Diagram—managing to repel the leaders of dozens of formidable dark creatures in one fell swoop, Daoist Mu couldn't help but laugh heartily toward the heavens: "Thank you for seeing us off! Hahaha! We shall meet again; one day, I will return to settle accounts with you all!"

Amidst his loud laughter, Daoist Mu proudly placed an arm around Meilin’s slender waist. The two, brimming with satisfaction, stepped onto a golden lotus spanning several acres and deliberately slowed their ascent, leisurely floating toward the void. The golden light emitted by the Heaven-Ascending Ladder rose for tens of thousands of miles. Reaching the terminus of the light ray, the radiant beam pierced the void, appearing to lead toward some marvelous dimension.

"Kill!" A furious roar erupted from the massive army of dark creatures.

Countless dark creatures exerted all their strength in an assault upon the Nine Dragons Heaven-Ascending Ladder. Various colored lights swept across the firmament, seeming to shatter the void itself, scattering countless stars.

But golden lotuses danced everywhere, and the golden light waves, accompanied by tremendous dragon roars, swept in all directions. Nine golden dragons, each stretching for ten thousand miles, burst forth roaring from the Heaven-Ascending Ladder. They thrashed and tore wildly with claws and teeth, instantly shredding the dark creature army within a thousand-mile radius into pieces. A massive number of dark creatures were enveloped by the golden light, instantly turning into wisps of smoke and dying agonizingly. The attacks launched by the dark creatures struck the golden barrier like high ocean waves hitting a reef; even if they churned up a thousand piles of snow, the reef itself remained utterly unharmed.

Witnessing the profound magic of the Nine Dragons Heaven-Ascending Ladder, Daoist Mu’s laughter grew increasingly wild. He relentlessly vowed revenge, swearing he would certainly return to retaliate. With the Ladder, he could freely move within the Three Realms. Once he ascended to the Upper Realm and cultivated enough strength, he would definitely descend with Meilin to seek vengeance upon the dark creatures. With sufficient power, Daoist Mu could achieve so much more: for instance, rebuilding the Dortro Family, reviving the Kunlun lineage, and re-establishing the Polaris Empire.

Ancient Evil Chen slowly rose. A five-colored stream of energy erupted from above his head, within which hovered a cyan treasured mirror covered entirely in cracks. Streams of profound yellow energy continuously surged from the mirror's surface.

"Ten Heavenly Sovereigns, deploy the Ten Ultimate Formations! Cover my retreat with full power in a moment."

A cluster of watery clouds surged beneath Ancient Evil Chen's feet, and he rushed toward Daoist Mu and Meilin at his utmost speed. He had to kill Daoist Mu and Meilin; otherwise, how could he face the billions of humans on Planet Earth, how could he face Syren and Aredia, and how could he face his sect brothers who perished together in that black hole?

His cloud-light swift, Ancient Evil Chen rapidly traversed the dense ranks of the dark creatures while they were thrown into disarray by the Nine Dragons Heaven-Ascending Ladder. He sped straight toward Daoist Mu and Meilin. Daoist Mu and Meilin, suddenly confronted by Ancient Evil Chen, whose eyes were crimson and whose entire body radiated murderous intent, simultaneously cried out in alarm.

But in the next instant, Meilin was convulsing with delighted laughter, pointing and gesturing at Ancient Evil Chen: "Boy, you still want to seek revenge for your kin from that low-level civilization? Oh, too bad, you won't get the chance."

Daoist Mu stood with his hands clasped behind his back, nodding to Ancient Evil Chen with cultivated composure: "The Thirty-Three Heavens are vast beyond measure, and the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths form a world unto themselves. If you wish to seek revenge, cultivate until you reach the realm required for ascension, and then come find us. If you can find us, that would be best."

He paused, then narrowed his eyes and smiled: "However, legend says the Upper Realm is even more conducive to cultivation than our world. One day spent cultivating in the Upper Realm is equivalent to one year in the lower realms. By the time you ascend and find us, we might be able to kill you with a casual breath! What do you think?"

Ancient Evil Chen remained silent, pointing a finger toward the Haotian Mirror, then shouting sharply: "Haotian Sunder-Law! All laws shall be broken!"

A stream of black and yellow energy, several yards thick, violently erupted from the Haotian Mirror. In the blink of an eye, the Profound Yellow Qi condensed into a beam of cyan light, barely three feet thick, which struck the Nine Dragons Heaven-Ascending Ladder. Countless golden lotuses and golden light sprayed forth from the Ladder like fireworks, locked in a fierce confrontation with the cyan beam. The cyan light spun rapidly, functioning like a drill, boring into those golden lotuses and light waves with lightning speed. Wherever the cyan light passed, the golden lotuses withered like snow tossed into boiling water, and the golden light scattered piece by piece. In moments, the cyan light pressed close to the Nine Dragons Heaven-Ascending Ladder.

Daoist Mu and Meilin were terrified to the core. What bizarre device was this great mirror in Ancient Evil Chen's hands? Even the ancient treasure, the Nine Dragons Heaven-Ascending Ladder, could not withstand it? Seeing the cyan light drawing nearer, Daoist Mu no longer dared to posture. He hastily commanded the golden lotus beneath his feet, swiftly whisking Meilin away with him to ascend through the void at maximum velocity.

But was it fast enough? In the time it took to blink, the cyan light emitted by the Haotian Mirror, rumored to shatter all heavenly laws and restrictions, had already pulverized all the golden lotuses and light outside the Heaven-Ascending Ladder. Even the nine great golden dragons that had rushed back roaring to shield them were transformed into a rain of light particles by a slight spin of the cyan beam. The void flickered with golden light, and the cyan beam enveloped Daoist Mu and Meilin. The golden lotus beneath their feet was the first to shatter, and the protective divine light around their bodies instantly dispersed into countless fireflies.

"Meilin! Mu—"

Ancient Evil Chen roared fiercely. The Cyan Lotus Ring flew up, transforming into a cyan light that shackled the two figures. The Taiyin Thorn transformed into countless hair-thin, ash-white rays of cold light, stabbing toward their vital points. The Five Waters Dragon Beard Fan whipped up a water pillar, barely three inches thick but moving with lightning speed, aimed directly at their brow centers. The True Magnetism Two-Polar Light-Dividing Sword transformed into a light waterfall several hundred miles long, carrying a faint rumble of thunder, descending upon their heads. Ancient Evil Chen casually flicked his hand, unleashing thousands of Cai Water strikes against them in the blink of an eye.

Ancient Evil Chen's heart trembled. If he killed these two, the blood debt from the destruction of Earth would be completely avenged, and he would have no lingering attachments. Whether he chose to live freely after marrying Fuyamin or pursued his childhood aspiration of becoming the most successful merchant in this universe—either path would be his to command. Perhaps he would even release all the Golden Stars stored in his Sea of Consciousness and playfully re-establish a Heavenly Court in this mortal realm? That idea sounded quite appealing!

Daoist Mu and Meilin were dumbstruck with terror. They could only watch Ancient Evil Chen’s fierce attacks descend upon them, lacking even the will to retaliate.

Amidst his triumphant laughter, Ancient Evil Chen's thoughts raced. The True Magnetism Two-Polar Light-Dividing Sword Qi covering hundreds of miles abruptly compressed inward, condensing into two short swords, barely three inches long, emitting black and white light that illuminated tens of thousands of miles. These swords plunged viciously toward the crowns of their heads. The overwhelming sword qi tore the void apart; merely the premonition of the sword qi shattered the garments covering Meilin and Daoist Mu's bodies into dust, and wisps of sword intent sliced their physical forms until they were riddled with wounds. The sword light was still dozens of yards away from their bodies, yet they were already mutilated beyond recognition.

Just then, a purple figure materialized out of thin air before Daoist Mu and Meilin. Intense purple and gold light shone from her eyes. She slowly swept her gaze over the Cyan Lotus Ring, Taiyin Thorn, Five Waters True Essence, and the True Magnetism Two-Polar Light-Dividing Sword Qi that Ancient Evil Chen had launched. With just this light sweep, the void twisted strangely. Even Ancient Evil Chen failed to perceive what had happened; all the attacks he had launched simultaneously struck the purple figure.

"Deng?..."

Ancient Evil Chen was stunned.

Daoist Mu and Meilin were also slightly taken aback, then Daoist Mu stomped his foot, causing a massive golden lotus to surge forth again, lifting him and Meilin like lightning along the dimmed Nine Dragons Heaven-Ascending Ladder toward the void. As they fled rapidly, Daoist Mu roared fiercely: "Ancient Evil Chen! You killed my daughter, and I swear I will never let this go! You, you, you wait! I will personally kill you!"

Ancient Evil Chen experienced a moment of dizziness; Daoist Mu and Meilin had already ascended into the void and vanished. Only a lingering trace of golden light from the Nine Dragons Heaven-Ascending Ladder was gradually dissipating in the void.

Jin, whose body had been instantly riddled with countless large holes, stared blankly at Ancient Evil Chen, a strange smile etched on her face. Her life force had already vanished, and her flesh was disintegrating inch by inch, turning into fine dust. Faced with Ancient Evil Chen's full-force strike, Jin's fragile body, despite cultivating the preliminary methods of the Body Refinement Divine Art, could not withstand such terrifying power. Faint golden and purple lights flickered in her eyes; only her two eyes still shone amidst her dissolving form.

That single strike had completely pulverized Jin’s primal soul essence. Unless a Great Overarching Golden Immortal descended and intervened before her soul essence completely dispersed, she would turn to ash within moments. Ancient Evil Chen, at only the second-grade Heavenly Immortal level, was utterly incapable of saving Jin.

"Didn't I trap you with the Great Formation so you couldn't come over?" Ancient Evil Chen flew dazedly to Jin's front, his right hand gently stroking her gradually disintegrating face. Tiny patches of skin on Jin's exquisite features were turning into fine dust, revealing the pale, lifeless muscle beneath.

"Brother forgot, my Divine Eye can see a person's fate; of course, I knew how to escape those formations." A faint, ethereal voice emanated from Jin’s already lifeless body. She chuckled dryly, "Don't blame me, Brother. Even though they treated me poorly, I couldn't let my beloved Brother kill them."

"I exchanged my life for one chance for them to live. Just once, Brother, only this once. Please don't blame me."

Jin's skin and muscle tissue scattered, leaving only the similarly ash-white bones, which also began to disintegrate accompanied by faint cracking sounds.

"They are my father and mother. No matter what, they are my mom and dad."

"I love Brother, but Brother only ever saw me as a little sister."

"I also like Sister Fuyamin; she has always been my sister. I can't fight her for anything."

"So, letting my life pay for their one life—this is my destiny! I never wanted to see my beloved Brother kill my father and mother with his own hands..."

With a soft sigh, the last remnants of bone that constituted Jin dissolved into streaks of light and scattered. In the void, only her two sharp, purple-gold eyes remained, gleaming brightly. Jin's voice emerged from those two orbs, and she spoke gently: "If I can only be your little sister, then let me stay by your side forever. Being remembered by you for a lifetime, that is good enough. Forever, we cannot be separated, forever, okay?"

The two eyes lightly dissolved, transforming into two streams of purple-gold light that merged into Ancient Evil Chen's scarlet pupils. Within the center of his irises, two small points of black and white light spun furiously. A violent surge of heat rushed through Ancient Evil Chen's eyes. A moment later, when Ancient Evil Chen reopened his eyes, he found his vision had changed significantly from before. But exactly how it had changed, he couldn't discern or fathom. After he closed his eyes briefly and reopened them, his sight was entirely blood-red.

The Great Chief of the Fox-People Clan swayed his long tail and slowly floated over to Ancient Evil Chen's side. He cautiously observed Ancient Evil Chen, whose body was wreathed in flames, and sensed the immense aura emanating from the few natal artifacts near him. He couldn't help but nod: "Young man, the enemy of my enemy can be considered a friend. Are you interested in joining forces with us to pursue those two escaping enemies of ours?" The old fox stroked the long whiskers near his mouth, his eyes narrowed as he scrutinized Ancient Evil Chen up and down.

Ancient Evil Chen cast a cold glance at the Great Chief of the Fox-People Clan, his eyes silent, and glared. The Haotian Mirror whistled as it shot out a beam of cyan light, instantly piercing the old fox's chest.

Snapping the old fox's neck and casually tossing his corpse far into the shocked and bewildered army of dark creatures, Ancient Evil Chen roared toward the heavens: "Daoist Mu, Meilin! You two despicable scoundrels! Your daughter is dead, and you just fled like that?"

In the void, the final section of golden light left by the Nine Dragons Heaven-Ascending Ladder, several thousand miles long, was steadily fading. The massive rift opened by the Ladder in the void was slowly closing. Daoist Mu’s wild laughter and Meilin’s charming giggles could faintly drift down from the gap: "You killed Jin; we will certainly avenge this hatred!"

Meilin's words were less polite. Accompanying her bell-like laughter came venomous curses and mockery: "That damned slut, dead is dead! Hahaha, everything went wrong because of her; it's a good thing she's dead! If she had died a few years earlier, I would already be the Empress Dowager of the Polaris Empire, and none of this would have happened today!"

A piercing laugh echoed from the void, and Meilin said sharply: "Thank you, Ancient Evil Chen. Thank you for helping me kill that little slut!"

Daoist Mu let out a low, displeased hum, and Meilin’s laughter abruptly stopped. She deliberately spoke loudly: "Alright, my dear, don't be angry. If you like children, we can have another one!"

"With Jin as an example, the child we give birth to will surely possess the bloodline of the Divine Eye. If one isn't enough, we can just have several more."

Ancient Evil Chen trembled with rage, and a mouthful of reverse blood rushed up, immediately spurting from his nostrils.

"Daoist Mu, Meilin, I will absolutely kill you! I will pursue you through the Three Realms, scour every corner of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, and ensure your souls are scattered!"

Ancient Evil Chen's oath was met only by the derisive laughter of Daoist Mu and Meilin. The laughter gradually faded, clearly indicating they were nearly finished with their flight through the void and were about to step into the Upper Realm.

Just as Ancient Evil Chen’s pent-up fury had nowhere to vent, sharp, unpleasant laughter echoed from the void, followed by Daoist Mu’s and Meilin’s panicked screams.

That sharp laughter was extremely grating and contained a terrifying power that inspired dread. Just a few bursts of laughter caused Ancient Evil Chen's primordial spirit to tremble violently; stars flashed before his eyes, and he nearly fainted. The surrounding dark creatures, who were preparing to swarm and attack him, fared even worse. At least a million dark creatures who were nearby had their skulls explode one after another, splattering blood and brains everywhere.

A few miserable shrieks followed, and from the last residual section of the Nine Dragons Heaven-Ascending Ladder—a golden light beam hundreds of miles long—a mangled corpse was thrown down.

It was the body of Daoist Mu. He had nearly a hundred transparent, true holes of various sizes on him; judging by the wounds, at least ten different entities had clawed holes in him. A gap the size of a bowl was blasted through his brow, his skull empty—not a single drop of brain matter remained. Ancient Evil Chen sensed that the trace of Taiyin energy he had left in Daoist Mu’s soul had also vanished, meaning Daoist Mu’s soul had clearly been annihilated by someone.

Immediately following, a desiccated corpse fell down—it was Meilin's body. However, her once fair and delicate flesh had become as thin as a bundle of dry reeds. Someone had used an incredibly vicious, evil technique to instantly drain all her True Yin essence; judging by how shriveled her corpse was, her soul must have been absorbed along with it.

Ancient Evil Chen and the distant dark creatures were all stunned. Where had Daoist Mu and Meilin ascended to?

Ancient Evil Chen cautiously approached the two corpses. He reached out to touch Daoist Mu's body, and an icy, bone-chilling, profoundly sinister demonic energy immediately assaulted his fingertips.

This demonic energy was described in the memories of the True Monarch of Taiyin: it was the Profound Nether Demonic Qi unique to the Cold Ice Hell, the foremost of the Ten Hells within the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths.

In ancient times, the Heavenly Court created the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths to pacify the Primordial Chaos-level Immortals who possessed great divine abilities but refused to submit to the Heavenly Court's authority. Cultivators with relatively peaceful temperaments, like the True Monarch of Taiyin, resided in the Nine Heavens. Those beings inherently fond of warfare, slaughter, and causing trouble resided within the Ten Earths. The designation "Gods and Demons of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths" originated from this distinction.

Daoist Mu and Meilin had terrible luck; by using the Nine Dragons Heaven-Ascending Ladder to bypass the strength restriction on ascension in this void, the first place they arrived was the Cold Ice Hell!

"You truly wasted Jin's life," Ancient Evil Chen roared at the sky after crushing the two corpses with a single stomp.

After screaming madly for a full minute, Ancient Evil Chen suddenly jolted, nearly breaking out in a cold sweat—Daoist Mu and Meilin were dead, but where was the Nine Dragons Heaven-Ascending Ladder?

The Nine Dragons Heaven-Ascending Ladder—where was it?

He looked up at the pitch-black void, then at the endless, red-eyed dark creatures surrounding him, eager for revenge for their Great Chief, the Fox-People Clan leader. Ancient Evil Chen let out a strange shriek and fled upon his cloud-light. The dark creatures roared and pursued him, with several dozen Great Chiefs simultaneously summoning their ancestral sacred artifacts to besiege Ancient Evil Chen.

Fortunately, Ancient Evil Chen's Mirror Flower Water Moon Taiyin Evasion Technique was profoundly mysterious, and the speed of his cloud-light was terrifyingly fast. Relying on his robust physique, he deliberately took hundreds of thousands of strikes from the low-ranking dark creatures, using their attacks as cover to forcibly break through the encirclement. The Great Chiefs of various clans dared not unleash their full power for fear of harming their own kin nearby, and could only watch helplessly as Ancient Evil Chen escaped.

His mind in utter chaos, Ancient Evil Chen sped back to the location where the Ten Heavenly Sovereigns had set up the Ten Ultimate Formations to meet him. He didn't waste a single word, hastily taking the Ten Heavenly Sovereigns and turning to leave.

He maintained maximum speed all the way back to the Spiral Star Domain, deliberately destroying every fixed star gate and jump point along the route.

He had a very bad premonition: if the Nine Dragons Heaven-Ascending Ladder fell into the hands of those devils in the Cold Ice Hell, the trouble would be immense!

Carrying a belly full of anxiety, Ancient Evil Chen hurried back to the Spiral Star Domain.