Swallowing the Stars: Heart of the Martial God

Chapter 52 The Twelve Levels of the Sky Bridge
Upon returning to Chaos City, the four began a period of secluded cultivation.

They would occasionally exchange tips and experiences with each other.

Time flies.

In the third year, some of the other geniuses gradually made it to the first level of the Bridge to Heaven.

In the fifth year, Feng Lishuang was the first to pass through the second level of the Tongtian Bridge.

In the sixth year, Leng Yanqiu and Ren Yaoli broke through to the second level one after another.

In the tenth year, Cao Benqi passed the ninth level of the Bridge to Heaven, shocking the entire Human Alliance. He had actually passed the ninth level in the fifth year after entering Chaos City, and was only 3 levels away from the universe-level limit record. Although these three levels were the most difficult, all the strong believed that Cao Benqi had a chance to pass the tenth level of the Bridge to Heaven before leaving Chaos City.

In the same year, Ling Xuan also passed the seventh level of the Tongtian Bridge, maintaining a progress that was two levels behind Cao Benqi.

In the sixteenth year, Feng Lishuang passed through the third level of the Tongtian Bridge.

In the eighteenth year, Leng Yanqiu and Ren Yaoli broke through to the third level one after the other.

In the same year, Cao Benqi failed to reach the tenth level of the Tongtian Bridge.

The Bridge to Heaven is a hurdle every three levels, and it's not easy to cross. The tenth level is far more difficult than the ninth. You have to know that the tenth level is the average level of those Domain Lords of the Giant Axe Secret Realm. They are all top geniuses among the human race, and they have all cultivated for tens of thousands of years. How could he cross it so easily?

In the twentieth year, some of the geniuses in this year's Genius Battle have passed through the second level.

In the twenty-first year, other geniuses began to pass through the third level.

In the twenty-fifth year, Cao Benqi finally passed the tenth level of the Bridge to Heaven, fulfilling the expectations of the super beings of the human race. At the same time, the high-ranking cosmic lords turned their attention to him, and he was eventually taken in as a disciple by the Lord of Lanzang of the Giant Axe Arena.

In the twenty-seventh year, Ling Xuan finally passed through the eighth level of the Tongtian Bridge.

In her thirtieth year, Feng Lishuang successfully passed the fourth level of the Tongtian Bridge, firmly establishing her third-place ranking in this year's Genius Battle.

Ling Xuan successfully cultivated the Heaven-Covering Technique to the peak of the second level of the Immortal Platform.

"You'll be leaving Chaos City in ten days. Ling Xuan, why don't you try your best to cross the Heavenly Bridge? You know, you'll get ten times the points in the past 30 years. Such an opportunity to take advantage of your clan is rare," the Candle Dragon King urged in the virtual universe.

Contrary to Ling Xuan's previous guess, the Candle Dragon King did not reside in the initial universe, and he still had not seen the true form of this ancestor in the past thirty years.

"Of course I will. I didn't go before to properly test my understanding of the laws. There's no need to rush. I won't give up those ten times the points." Ling Xuan smiled and took a sip of the Candle Dragon King's treasured wine. "Just wait and see me make a name for myself, sir."

After saying that, he was teleported back to the Sky Bridge dimension.

At this moment, all the powerful figures in Chaos City who had free time turned their attention to this place.

With his full power unleashed, Ling Xuan easily passed the ninth floor.

The tenth floor of Tongtian Bridge.

The surroundings were all barren rocks; the environment of the tenth level was the surface of a planet.

"Your Highness Ling Xuan," the gatekeeper, clad in black armor and wielding the Vulcan Blade, said as soon as he appeared, "You only passed the eighth level three years ago. Are you confident enough to attempt the tenth level now?"

"You can wait and see." Ling Xuan shrugged easily. If he relied on comprehending the laws, he wasn't confident and naturally wouldn't come looking for trouble. But no one said that you could only cross the Heavenly Bridge by comprehending the laws, right?
If Lord Luo could use his mental power to amplify his strength and his Beast God Intent to cross the Heavenly Bridge, then Ling could naturally cheat using the Heaven-Covering Technique as well.

"Let's begin, I'm in a hurry," Ling Xuan said.

"Then be careful." The gatekeeper's aura suddenly surged, instantly entering battle mode.

The Vulcan Blade, carrying a scorching heatwave, unleashed its seventh level, "Meteor Fall," raising the long blade high and smashing it down from above. Centered on the point of impact, the ground within a radius of thousands of kilometers instantly collapsed, and a powerful shockwave swept towards Ling Xuan like a raging tsunami.

Ling Xuan remained calm and unhurried, slowly extending his right hand and pointing towards the surging attack ahead, then flipped his hand.

The void collapsed instantly, and a gigantic hand that blotted out the sky materialized out of thin air, slamming down fiercely against the shockwave.

With a deafening roar, the shockwave dissipated instantly under the suppression of the giant handprint. The gatekeeper's attack vanished without a trace, not even disturbing Ling Xuan's clothes.

The gatekeeper's pupils constricted sharply. Just as he was about to change his move, Ling Xuan's massive handprint slammed down, solidifying the void. The gatekeeper couldn't even dodge and was instantly reduced to dust.

After crossing the tenth level of the Sky Bridge, Ling Xuan continued towards the eleventh level.

This layer is the planet's scorching magma layer.

As soon as you step in, a wave of heat hits you, and beneath your feet is a churning ocean of lava, from which pillars of fire several meters high occasionally burst forth.

The guardian of the eleventh floor has appeared.

"Your Highness Ling Xuan, you've reached the eleventh level of the Bridge to Heaven on your first visit to Chaos City. You're the first person to do so since the Bridge to Heaven was established, something to be proud of. But why don't you go back and cultivate for a few hundred more years before trying again?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the Vulcan Blade of Absolute Power was brandished.

"All things return to the blade."

In an instant, all his strength and understanding of the laws were integrated into this one strike, instantly unleashing thousands of sword shadows. These sword shadows appeared chaotic and disordered, but in fact they contained subtle trajectories, shooting rapidly towards Ling Xuan. Wherever they passed, the air was scorched and distorted by the high temperature, emitting a "sizzling" sound.

Ling Xuan remained calm, his steps were unusual, and his aura was contained.

As the blade approached, he formed hand seals, and a giant handprint in the void crashed down once more.

Countless rotating spatial patterns appeared on the surface of the giant handprint, forming a pulling force that absorbed all the thousands of sword shadows, shredding them one by one in the violent energy collision.

Seizing the opportunity, the gatekeeper moved with lightning speed, his Vulcan Blade, wreathed in crimson flames, aimed straight for Ling Xuan's throat.

A hazy aura of void emanated from Ling Xuan's body. He turned sideways and instantly merged into the void, appearing ten feet away.

At the same time, the Void Handprint swept towards the gatekeeper, the void solidified, and the handprint collided with the Fire God's Absolute Blade, creating dazzling sparks. The surging aftershocks caused the magma layer to boil and rise into a hundred-foot-high wave, and the gatekeeper was once again smashed to pieces.

The twelfth layer is the core of the planet.

The place is filled with energy so dense it's almost tangible, and the surrounding walls shimmer with multicolored light—the leakage of powerful energy from within the star's core.

As soon as Ling Xuan stepped into this place, he felt an invisible pressure coming towards him, as if he were under a huge boulder.

However, cosmic-level powerhouses can already fight on white dwarfs, so this amount of gravity doesn't affect them much.

The guardian of the twelfth level couldn't help but exclaim as soon as he took shape.
"Your Highness Ling Xuan, to reach this point on your first visit to Chaos City is an unprecedented display of talent. However, this twelfth level is completely different from the previous levels, and we will absolutely not let you pass through it easily!" The gatekeeper roared, his figure vanishing like a ghost.

The next moment, it appeared above Ling Xuan's head. The Fire God's Absolute Domain Blade slashed down with the force of splitting the heavens and earth. Thousands of blade shadows instantly enveloped Ling Xuan. The powerful law force contained in the blade shadows seemed to want to shred Ling Xuan's soul.

Ling Xuan's expression turned solemn. He frantically circulated his primal energy and used the Great Void Technique to merge into the void, thus dodging the attack.

The guardian's blade strikes were relentless, filling the entire star core space with crimson light, as if it wanted to shatter everything.

Ling Xuan seized the moment when the gatekeeper changed his moves, and the power of the Heaven-Covering Technique and the Void Scripture surged wildly within his body.

Point your right index finger forward slightly, and strike the sky with the Heaven-Severing Finger!
A dazzling silver light streaked through the void, causing ripples in the space as it passed, hurtling towards the gatekeeper.

The gatekeeper's expression hardened, and he wildly wielded the Fire God's Domain Blade, further enhancing the power of the Myriad Manifestations Return to Blade.

Thousands of sword shadows formed an indestructible crimson barrier, colliding violently with the Heaven-Slaying Finger.

Amidst a deafening roar, the star core space trembled violently, multicolored light flashed wildly, and the energy aftershocks swept across the entire star core like a storm.

After a brief stalemate, the gatekeeper, relying on the powerful material of the Fire God's Domain Blade, managed to withstand the attack of the Heaven-Slaying Finger, but was still forced to retreat repeatedly by the impact.

He steadied himself, a hint of madness flashing in his eyes. The Fire God's Absolute Domain Blade transformed into a streak of crimson light, moving several times faster than before, aiming straight for Ling Xuan's vitals.

Ling Xuan's eyes were icy as he simultaneously unleashed the Great Void Technique and the Great Void Handprint.

He constantly changed positions in the void to dodge attacks, while simultaneously manipulating the giant handprint to attack the gatekeeper from different directions.

The gatekeeper's swordsmanship was exquisite; he counterattacked while simultaneously searching for an opportunity.

The clash between the sword and the handprints created an explosion of energy.

"All things return to the blade." The gatekeeper anticipated Ling Xuan's location, and thousands of blade lights instantly bloomed.

"Innate Void Qi." Ling Xuan exhaled a breath of Dao Qi. This Innate Void Qi is said to be invincible, but it failed to achieve anything in the face of the huge difference in laws. The sword Qi and the Innate Dao Qi were evenly matched.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Ling Xuan vanished into the void and arrived in front of the gatekeeper. Suddenly, a three-pointed double-edged sword appeared in his right hand and slashed at the gatekeeper.

"Capturing dragons and binding tigers".

The sword strikes were continuous, each strike connected to the previous one, forming a cage of sword light.

"Only the sixth level? You're still far from it. Go back and practice some more." The gatekeeper sneered. "Young man, don't be too ambitious."

He slashed upwards with his three-pointed double-edged sword, colliding with Ling Xuan's sword. Because the gatekeeper's attack was also hasty, he was unable to break through the sword world formed by Ling Xuan's 'Cage-Binding Tiger' attack.

In that instant, Ling Xuan pointed out with his left hand, which had been hidden behind his back.

"Heaven-Severing Finger".

This time, the pitch-black fingerprints seemed to pierce through the void, hurtling straight towards the gatekeeper.

The gatekeepers tried to resist, but under Ling Xuan's all-out attack, the defensive line formed by the crimson blade shadows gradually collapsed.

In the end, the Heaven-Slaying Finger broke through the layers of sword shadows, pierced the gatekeeper's defenses, and pinned him to the star core wall.

The guardian's body slowly dissipated, turning into a stream of light and disappearing without a trace.

Ling Xuan let out a long sigh of relief and did not continue to try to create the thirteenth level. He relied on the Great Void Technique to slowly endure it. He had a chance to survive, but he could also be killed in one blow.

(End of this chapter)