I tricked you into thinking you had the makings of an emperor, but you actually did it?

Baiyujing, once the top of the Ten Heavenly Realms, was shattered by a cataclysmic event.

Even a starved camel is bigger than a horse; the shattered heavens are still far stronger than the mortal realm.

Because it was broken, there was no Heavenly Gate, and beings from the lower realm could directly reach it by passing through the Heavenly Road.

Legend has it that initially, billions of beings reached Baiyujing through this method, until the path to the Divine Court was blocked.

However, it wasn't completely blocked off; it was just more concealed and dangerous.

Shen Ming rode the Boundary Ship, traversing the borders of the Sixth Realm.

No one knows what lies on the other side of the border; it is said that an enemy as terrifying as darkness exists there.

Once, giants of all sizes explored deeply, and after a hundred years, they finally saw a new continent, only to find that they had returned to the Hundred Great Dao Continent of the Sixth Realm.

It's like going around in circles for a century.

Since then, no one has crossed the border.

Having learned his lesson, Shen Ming stopped using his eyes and divine sense to find his way and instead sensed the location of Bone Lord in his mind.

Using Bone Lord as a coordinate to guide the Boundary Ship forward.

I thought it would take a long time, but it only took a few days before the Sky Road appeared ahead.

"What a brilliant method. Without the right approach, even a lifetime of exploration will be in vain," Shen Ming muttered to himself.

The giants who had spent over a century were as if they had been cruelly mocked.

Looking out, the vast天地 (heaven and earth) stretched out like a torn curtain across the sky.

Landing on the boundary ship felt less like landing on land and more like stepping onto a deserted island deep in the ocean.

The void between the two sides of the star path was like a bottomless abyss; even those who could fly would feel fear when looking down.

Fortunately, the road to the sky is quite wide and sturdy.

Shen Ming, who can shatter a mountain with a single punch, could only create a large crater in the ground when he struck with all his might here.

"This is considered an extension of the celestial realm, and the laws of heaven and earth from the upper realm are beginning to restrict me."

Shen Ming realized that his skills, which he had cultivated in the lower realm, needed to be transformed, otherwise his level would plummet in the upper realm.

It's worth mentioning that the more powerful a person is, the more times they need to undergo transformation.

Shen Ming's cultivation was perfectly encompassed within the Nine Apertures Dao Heart, which represented nine transformations.

Every transformation requires arduous training and the indispensable power of laws.

"Old tree, give me the honor of completing the transformation directly, how about it?" he tentatively asked.

This time, not even a rustling sound was heard.

"Okay, it can't hurt to give it a try."

Shen Ming wasn't too disappointed and strode forward.

The road to heaven is fraught with danger and full of challenges, so one must be careful.

The thought that he was the first person in thousands of years to embark on this heavenly path filled Shen Ming with excitement.

He was stunned by what he saw after walking several kilometers.

A massive gate to heaven stood there, half of it collapsed, leaving behind a base riddled with cracks.

Beneath the Heavenly Gate lies a vast plaza.

Broken stone platforms and giant steles float around the plaza. These steles are covered with arrays and runes, emitting a faint blue light, as if forming a star array that envelops the plaza.

To Shen Ming's surprise, the square was bustling with people, a gathering of cultivators from all directions.

They either sat cross-legged on the stone platform to meditate or gathered together to discuss.

Some were dressed in magnificent robes, others in armor, a diverse array of people.

In the very center of the square stands a tall building whose style is completely out of place.

Below the tall buildings, nine high platforms are arranged around the square.

Shen Ming went to a corner, where he listened intently without attracting anyone's attention.

After listening for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Shen Ming was certain that he had not come to the wrong place; this was indeed the Heavenly Road to Baiyujing.

These people, like him, came from the lower realm.

It wasn't the Sixth Realm of the Hundred Great Dao Continent that Shen Ming knew about; it came from the Eastern Wilderness.

The Ten Provinces of the Eastern Wilderness, located on the other side of the border, were once directly under the jurisdiction of Baiyujing.

The Sixth Realm of the Hundred Great Dao Continents corresponds to the present Nine Heavens.

The ten states of the Eastern Wilderness were once subordinate to Baiyujing.

Because of the shattering of Baiyujing, the ten states of the Eastern Wilderness and the hundred major states of Daodao are located on opposite sides of the world.

The difference is that the ten states of the Eastern Wilderness still know the Heavenly Road.

They did not have an ascension order; their way to the upper realm was to travel along the Heavenly Road.

This square is both the starting point and the gathering point.

As for the tall building in the very center of the square, it represents the Tower of Babel.

That's right, it's the strongest lineage in Baiyujing, the one that Bone Master was taught by.

The nine stone platforms outside the tall building represent the nine human clans below the Tower of Heaven.

In Baiyujing, the human race is the weaker party, while the demon race is powerful and has even established a Heavenly Demon Dynasty.

Humanity was forced to unite and establish the Nine Sects.

At this very moment, the nine sects of the human race are recruiting fresh blood here.

Those who pass the assessment will be able to walk the Heavenly Road under their guidance.

Therefore, people gathered here, waiting for the assessment to begin.

Some have been waiting for months without complaint. Compared to the near-death experience of traversing the Heavenly Road, this is an immense opportunity.

"If we go directly there, how can we complete our transformation?"

Shen Ming was thinking about this.

It's not a good thing for cultivators from the lower realm to directly enter the upper realm; there needs to be a process.

With this in mind, Shen Ming continued to listen to the conversation and gleaned key words from it.

Heavenly Path Source Heart, Reincarnation Heavenly Stone, Xuanhuang Heavenly Dew, Fragments of Laws.

These are the most precious treasures used for transformation, distributed along the Heavenly Path.

While leading their new disciples to Baiyujing, the nine sects of the human race will also guide them through corresponding trials to find these treasures.

"It doesn't seem to have any downsides."

At this moment, beneath the Tower of Heaven, an ancient bell floated in the void.

The bell was dark gold in color, surrounded by a faint halo of laws, causing the void to tremble slightly.

Suddenly, as if realizing something, the noise in the square stopped abruptly, and everyone held their breath, their eyes focused on the ancient bell.

"With the sound of the bell, the records of the nine sects are opened."

An elder's voice was deep and resonant, like the whisper of the Great Dao.

"Only those who can ring the bell are qualified to step into the pinnacle of the celestial star path!"

Before he finished speaking, the elder waved his sleeve, and an invisible force of law surged forth, pouring into the ancient bell.

People who have been waiting for a long time are already impatient.

A practitioner dressed in blue took a deep breath and was the first to step towards the ancient bell.

He walked to the bell, gritted his teeth, raised his hand, gathered spiritual power in his five fingers, and suddenly slammed it towards the ancient bell!

The bell trembled slightly, but made no sound.

The cultivator in blue robes paled, his blood and qi surged, and he spat out a mouthful of blood, being blasted several feet away.

"They can't even make the bell ring; they're not qualified at all!" the elder said coldly, his tone filled with undisguised disappointment.

Then, more and more people stepped forward to try.

"The requirements are quite high." Shen Ming nodded slightly.

Just then, a tall woman slowly walked forward.

She wore a long purple dress, and her body was surrounded by a faint light of law.

She raised her slender hand, her delicate fingers lightly touching the bell, as if it were just a gentle breeze.