Upon the Obsidian Stairway, a thousand steps ascended, each hundred marking but a tenth of My dominion realized! Throughout the ages, among the Grand Celestials of legend, none have surpassed the six-hundredth step under the weight of My will.

The closest was an Immortal, of the East Domain, named Donglin. He faltered at the sixth century, leaving behind a token of his struggle before I permitted his departure.

“As for you…” The ageless voice, steeped in glacial indifference, echoed across the heavens as Wang Lin’s foot landed upon the one-hundredth step. “Let us see how far you shall rise.”

With the utterance of those words, the stairway before Wang Lin, that twisted, serpentine path to the mountain’s crown, materialized into a true dragon of the abyss. Its scales were the color of a moonless night, and it writhed forth, a tempest of black fury, towards the intruder who dared to tread upon its domain!

A suffocating stench, acrid and foul, rode upon the gale, a barrier meant to halt Wang Lin’s progress. In a heartbeat, the dragon was upon him, its jaws agape!

Wang Lin’s eyes flashed with defiance. Though his face bore the pallor of exhaustion, he showed no fear. He raised his right hand, and from behind him, the fading silhouette of the Grand Celestial contracted, emitting a blinding radiance of ebony and ivory that coalesced in his palm, forming an unholy fusion.

His palm, white as bone on the inside, black as void on the back, struck forth as the dragon lunged, meeting the beast in a cataclysmic collision.

The very firmament trembled as the dragon emitted a horrifying shriek. Its massive head crumbled, and the decay spread with terrifying speed, consuming the entirety of its form until it was naught but ash, scattered upon the winds.

And as swiftly as it came, the stairway straightened, the illusion of the dragon banished, leaving Wang Lin to wonder if it had been merely a trick of the senses.

Wang Lin coughed forth a mouthful of crimson. The destruction of the dragon had come at a price. His right hand dissipated, vanishing into nothingness, only to reform anew from tendrils of swirling darkness.

The backlash, however, had taken its toll. His right foot, poised to ascend, was thrown back by a force akin to the weight of a thousand mountains, threatening to fall upon the ninety-ninth step.

Such a fall would signify defeat, an inability to conquer the hundredth step!

With a guttural roar, Wang Lin channeled the ancient power coursing through his veins. He withstood the crushing force with the very sinew of his flesh, redirecting his foot with sheer force of will.

Instead of retreating, his foot planted itself firmly, defying the gods themselves, upon the one-hundredth step!

He inhaled deeply, a nascent fusion of his Immortal and Ancient energies stirring within him, sparked by this monumental achievement. A curious phenomenon, indeed.

He continued his ascent, his pace measured, ten steps at a time. Each footfall reverberated through the very core of the Ancient Path Mountain, shaking the foundations of the world.

Beyond the one-hundredth step, the weight of the Ancient Path Grand Celestial’s dominion doubled, threatening to crush Wang Lin beneath its oppressive might. By the time he reached the one-hundred and fiftieth step, his body trembled, forcing him to halt his advance.

From the peak, within the highest spire, Xuan Luo watched with a heart heavy with concern. He had made his decision; should Wang Lin fail, he would risk the wrath of the Ancient Path Grand Celestial to rescue him!

“He came here because of me, he came to the Ancient clan for me, I must save him!” Xuan Luo vowed silently.

“He shall not pass two hundred. Xuan Luo, perhaps this disciple should remain here.” A chilling voice echoed from the mists behind Xuan Luo, emanating from a form shrouded in shadow.

Before Xuan Luo could retort, Wang Lin, upon the staircase, let out a deafening yell and the Grand Celestial-Sun silhouette behind him began to shrink with incredible speed.

With this contraction, Wang Lin looked up, and with a mighty stride, he stepped onto the one hundred and sixtieth step.

He did not falter, striding forward again, the Grand Celestial-Sun behind him, shrinking and dissolving into endless power that infused Wang Lin’s body, enabling him to stride past the one hundred and seventieth, one hundred and eightieth and the one hundred and ninetieth steps. Finally, just as the Grand Celestial-Sun silhouette shrunk to its absolute limit, the silhouette fully disappeared. Wang Lin’s foot, had landed on the two hundredth step!

At the moment his foot landed, from the spire at the peak, the shadowy figure within the mist gave a slight gasp.

Xuan Luo’s eyes sparkled with a new glint and a smile spread across his face, the first in many years.

“He has traded the power of his Grand Celestial-Sun for strength to reach the two hundredth step; a useful strategy, however, how will he make it up the final one hundred steps?” The shadowy figure said slowly.

Upon the Ancient Path Mountain stairway, at the moment when Wang Lin’s foot fell upon the two hundredth step, from high up in the mountain spire where the four giant pillars were placed, the grey-robed figure sitting on the Northern pillar suddenly opened his eyes that had been closed, with a grey flash within them. He shook his body and vanished without a trace.

When he reappeared, he was already on the stairway, striding towards Wang Lin. He waved his sleeve and rose his right hand, his expression was blank as if he wore a leather mask as he arrived and pointed at Wang Lin’s forehead!

When this finger came down, the Heavens changed and were in turmoil as if, in that instant, the skies had cracked open a huge chasm that caused the earth to tremble and Ancient Path Mountain to shake.

Wang Lin’s eyes shrunk, and he could see that this finger was similar to that of a Grand Celestial!

“This, masked, grey-robed figure, he has the power of a Grand Celestial! Just who… is he?!” Wang Lin had no time to think about anything because that finger was about to come down, aimed directly at his forehead.

If he was touched by that fingertip, Wang Lin, regardless of his Ancient race body, would not be able to withstand it and would perish in both body and spirit!

At this critical moment, Wang Lin’s body, the power that he had absorbed from his Grand Celestial-Sun silhouette from steps one hundred and fifty, up to two hundred, erupted from within his body.
Wang Lin, channeling the storm within, unleashed the full fury of his cultivation. Ninety-nine spectral forms flickered around him as he raised his right hand, meeting the approaching finger with a thunderous fist!

Behind him, a spectral Dao Ancient warrior materialized, followed by visions of Ancient Gods, Demons, and Devils, each mirroring his blow! Above the Dao Ancient apparition, a golden aura shimmered into existence, its form indistinct, yet radiating pure Celestial Qi, intertwined with the raw power of the Ancient bloodline. All coalesced into a single, devastating punch.

Dark energies erupted from Wang Lin’s form – a miasma of slaughter, madness, and crackling lightning, forming a wrathful storm that amplified his strike.

The impact echoed across the Ancient Dao Mountain, a seismic tremor that shook the heavens and reverberated across the land.

The gray-robed figure’s fingertip disintegrated. He swayed slightly, then stood motionless, casting a knowing glance at Wang Lin before turning toward the mountain’s peak. He vanished from Wang Lin’s sight only to reappear, seated in meditative stillness, against one of the northern pillars surrounding the towering pagoda.

Blood gushed from Wang Lin’s lips. The Dao Ancient phantom dissolved, and the golden aura faded. He gasped for breath, but stood firm on the two hundredth step!

In that instant, he felt it – the raw power of his Ancient bloodline, and the refined energy of his Celestial cultivation, beginning an unnatural confluence. The oppressive will of the Ancient Dao Mountain was forging them together, molding them into something greater than the sum of their parts.

“Be they Celestial Lords or Transcendental Emperors,” a voice echoed in his mind, cold and imperious, “none but a Grand Emperor can ascend my Dao Mountain. You stand on the two hundredth step, possessing the nascent power of a Grand Emperor. Continue, and I shall see if you can reach the three hundredth.”

“Ancient Dao Grand Emperor! He is my disciple!” A furious roar reverberated from the summit, followed by a streak of light that coalesced beside Wang Lin – Xuan Luo.

“He is mine to guide! I will take him from here! Ancient Dao Grand Emperor, I, Xuan Luo, have dedicated my life to the Dao Ancient lineage, sacrificing all personal gain! For countless ages, I have served without complaint, my heart devoted to the Ancient Clan!

But today, I implore you, Ancient Dao Grand Emperor, grant me the right to lead my disciple away!” Xuan Luo declared, his voice resonating with unwavering resolve as he stared at the mountain’s peak.

Silence descended from the summit, broken after a long, pregnant pause as the imperious voice softened ever so slightly.

“Xuan Luo, when you first achieved the rank of Grand Emperor, I offered to take you as my disciple, to reside with me upon the Ancient Dao Mountain… but you refused, citing your duty to the Dao Ancient lineage, unwilling to remain within these confines…”

“I have witnessed your devotion, your sacrifices over these countless ages… This is your first request. I shall grant it, but know that it is your last.”

Xuan Luo’s face was etched with conflicting emotions as he bowed toward the mountain’s summit, preparing to take the weakened Wang Lin.

“Master…” Wang Lin rasped, drawing himself up to his full height. “I can continue!”

“You…” Worry creased Xuan Luo’s brow.

“Master, the oppressive power of these mountain steps… it is the most potent training ground I have ever known! I must continue!” Wang Lin declared, bowing once more to Xuan Luo before turning to face the two hundred and first step!

As his foot landed, a chorus of protest rose from his body, as if he was being torn apart from the inside. Yet, his eyes shone with unwavering determination.

“My Ancient bloodline infuses me with its power, my Celestial cultivation stems from my understanding of the Source. Yet, these two have never been in harmony!” He thought, his mind racing. “In the Cave World, I attempted to fuse them, but failed. These two forces, so disparate, could only coexist, never truly merge…

But now, there is no place better suited to aid their unification than this! The Ancient Dao Grand Emperor, the most formidable being in the Celestial Continent, his oppressive will is the perfect catalyst for the merging of my Ancient and Celestial energies!”

It was the opportunity, sensed within those first two hundred steps, that drove Wang Lin to press on. This chance, to truly unite his dual natures, was an opportunity of a lifetime, a chance he could not ignore.