"Mm, I heard that the Dragon-Slaying Demon Lord has already entered the Eternal World. His whereabouts cannot be detected by anyone. All that is known is that he has perfectly hidden himself within Great Yi's territory. Without accident, as long as the right opportunity arises, he will certainly strike at Emperor Yi. At that time, his chances of success are at least seventy or eighty percent. Even ten out of ten. In the past, whenever the Dragon-Slaying Demon Lord made a move, no ruler of any Destiny Dynasty survived his Dragon-Slaying Blade."
The green-robed cultivator spoke with full confidence.
This was not blind arrogance but a conclusion drawn from the Demon Lord's consistent record.
It was said that the Dragon-Slaying Demon Lord had already reached the Hunyuan Realm. He was an unconventional Dao-prover, taking dragon-slaying as his Dao. By slaughtering true dragons, his own power surged, his foundation skyrocketed. These dragons were not ordinary creatures, but the Destiny True Dragons of dynasties. Each time he slew an emperor, his strength grew.
That was why he was called the Dragon-Slaying Demon Lord. He dared to slay dragons, and the immense karmic entanglement upon the rulers of dynasties could not harm him. The backlash of destiny, the retaliation of karma—he could bear it easily. Or perhaps it still came, but he had a special method to negate it. In any case, he had slain no small number of dragons, and yet he was still alive and well.
There was something even stranger—within Eternal Night, their knowledge of him never surpassed his title. Who he was, what he looked like, even his gender, was unknown. Only the name remained. All who had ever seen his true face had already died.
Revealing his identity meant his goal had already been accomplished.
Thus, none of them knew where the Dragon-Slaying Demon Lord was now, nor what identity he had assumed. Everything was shrouded in mystery. But with his hand in play, even the Hydra felt secure. No matter what, this time the outcome was guaranteed.
If Yi Tianxing was slain, Great Yi would collapse.There was nothing more to say—everything would be smooth sailing.
Time passed quietly.
The Eternal World seemed to sink into a strange calm. Minor incidents occurred, but no great upheavals. Around Great Yi, however, four more realms failed to hold on and fell under its rule—Shenquan Realm, Baoxiang Realm, Wujī Realm, and Lieyang Realm.
In these realms, common people pleaded daily for annexation. Witnessing the stark difference in treatment, they sparked uprisings, forcing their rulers into chaos. Some even staged protests in their capitals. Eventually, worn down, the realm lords chose to submit, offering their territories in exchange for noble titles in Great Yi. Relieved, they obtained the right to reside in Xuanhuang Immortal City, with mansions and countless treasures bestowed upon them. Even if their descendants squandered it, the wealth would last generations.
This revealed Great Yi's magnanimity.There were no restrictions, no imprisonment. Freedom remained. This had long been proven true in Great Yi.
Thus, four more realms were smoothly annexed.
Immortal Cities were expanded, talents poured in, populations relocated, and the Iron-Blooded Great Wall extended to new frontiers. Wherever fortune spread, the Demon Calamity was suppressed. Change was visible to the naked eye.
Through it all, Great Yi's strength steadily grew. No matter the blockades, they could not withstand Yi Tianxing's righteous strategies.
During this time, Great Yi even held an imperial selection.
This selection spanned all realms under the Immortal Court, producing peerless beauties of unmatched grace, flawless in appearance and cultivation, each excelling in arts and martial ways alike. In the end, three hundred young women entered the palace, titled Beauties, filling the harem with new radiance.
Thus Yi Tianxing enjoyed yet another unrestrained springtime.
Unknowingly, the date arrived—the fifth day of the third month, Eternal Calendar Year 172.
Boom!!!
At dawn, as the sun rose, the void thundered violently, the sound shaking all directions and spreading across the Eternal World.
"What's happening?"
"A thunderclap from a clear sky… something major must be coming."
"Back in Eternal Year 160, the Eternal Heavenly Dao proclaimed that in ten years, the Chaos Heavenly Ladder would open, holding the Heavenly Ladder Trial, unlocking the ancient road, and granting all beings a chance to ascend to the Hunyuan Realm. But by Year 170, nothing happened. Surely it was hindered by Eternal Night. Now, with such commotion… could it be the Chaos Heavenly Ladder is finally opening?"
"These years, our Heaven's Chosen have trained desperately, strengthening their origin and sharpening their combat power, all for this battle atop the Ladder—to shine, to slay Eternal Night fiends, to bring glory to our Eternal World. This war, we must not lose!"
Across the realms, countless cultivators' eyes burned with expectation, fixed on the heavens.
Back in Year 170, they had hoped, but no Ladder appeared. Now, seeing this phenomenon, the blood of all Heaven's Chosen surged.
Expectation, anxiety, fear, and determination tangled within them.
For once the Ladder opened, it was a road of no return, where countless bones would pave the way.
In the void, visions appeared—ten thousand rays of divine light shining.
A colossal mountain revealed itself, towering beyond sight, its size unfathomable. It radiated awe, inspiring reverence as if before the Dao itself, impossible to blaspheme.
The mountain was shrouded in a gray mist like chaos, ancient and sacred, yet tinged with sinister demonic aura, mysterious and dreamlike, like flowers seen through fog.
"Buzhou!!"
"It's Mount Buzhou!!"
"But it's changed! Taller, more mysterious, suffused with strange transformations. Eternal Night's Great Demons have altered it—Buzhou Mountain has completely changed!"
All who saw it instantly knew what it was. But this Buzhou was not the same as before. Its aura, its laws—something within had shifted. Only by entering could one discover the truth.
What they did not know was that not only Eternal Night had reshaped it with demon corpses, but Nightmare had secretly joined in, weaving its own Buzhou dream into the mountain, fusing the essence.
This Nightmare infiltration was subtler, even surpassing Eternal Night's methods. The transformation was silent, imperceptible.
Thus, even Eternal Night and Nightmare themselves could no longer fully control it.
Buzhou Mountain had become an unknown. Neither Eternal Night, Eternal World, nor Nightmare had an advantage now.
The starting line had been leveled.
Fate would rest solely on the Heaven's Chosen who entered.
Swish!!
As Buzhou appeared, a golden eye shone in the void—Eternal Heavenly Dao. Immediately after, a pitch-black eye appeared—Eternal Night Heavenly Dao. Then a violet eye flickered into existence—Nightmare Heavenly Dao.
Three eyes appeared almost simultaneously, their presence unleashing indescribable pressure across the heavens.
"Eternal Heavenly Dao, Eternal Night Heavenly Dao, Nightmare Heavenly Dao!!"
All who saw them instantly knew their identities. Not only in the Eternal World, but in Eternal Night and Nightmare alike, every living being witnessed this sight.
It was truly the gaze of all worlds.
"What? Nightmare World too?!"
"It was supposed to be us versus Eternal Night, but now Nightmare is involved as well? This is insane!"
Countless cultivators cried out in shock. This was beyond expectation, multiplying the danger. Facing Eternal Night alone was already dire, but now with Nightmare added, it was utter chaos.
The Heavenly Dao's voice resounded:
"The Chaos Heavenly Ladder is opening, to receive all Heaven's Chosen from Eternal, Eternal Night, and Nightmare. The Ladder War holds no rules. Once you enter Mount Buzhou, you are part of the trial. Life and death are your own fate."
"Within Buzhou lie infinite fortunes and endless perils. It is a forbidden land of life—where one may ascend in a single step, or perish in an instant. Those who reach the summit may prove the Dao and attain the Hunyuan Realm. May my Eternal World's Heaven's Chosen shine forever!"