"Did you come to my side just to mock me, Buddha?" He greeted the intruder with a sharp, defensive question. "Dundun is not a bad name, it suits you well," Buddha teased. "Do you really think you can help me?" "You are mistaken." "I do not believe you would help me for free." He spoke with trembling fear, his voice shaking with humiliation. No one had ever seen him in such a pathetic state. It was a truly shameful situation for a former supreme being. "I spent all my strength to break the restrictions." "I managed to dissolve three of the four mixed restrictions." "But when I reached the last one, I realized something." "I realized that time was passing far too quickly." "It felt as if everything was not actually happening." He displayed a rare seriousness in his tone. Buddha broke the awkward silence and stated his purpose. "I am here to help you break the restriction placed by Dao." Heaven Itself interrupted him before he could finish. "What do you want in return?" Although Buddha often acted rashly, his mind was sharp when needed. "You will remove the restriction you placed on me." "That is my price." Heaven Itself stared blankly at a distant point for a moment. A smile slowly appeared on his face as he agreed. "It is a deal, but we must hurry." Meanwhile, the Astral Lords and their disciples realized the truth. They discovered Heaven Itself's return by observing Buddha. They signaled the other reincarnators to watch Heaven Itself. This group included the Ten Guardians of the Heavenly Palace. The Nine Great Family Descendants were also watching. The 12 Generals of the Heavenly Army were present as well. The remaining observers did not possess enough power to be remembered.
Whatever this thing is, it is a truly powerful restriction. Buddha ceased his efforts after two exhausting hours of continuous struggle. He failed to achieve the expected result despite his immense divine power. "I see that this is not a single barrier." "I see a fusion of dozens of restrictions combined into one." "I fear that Dao is not intelligent enough to construct this." Buddha expressed his doubts while wiping golden sweat from his brow. However, Heaven Itself was more interested in the creator of this seal. He only possessed deep knowledge of Earth and Heaven restrictions. He had managed to untie the first three mixed restrictions earlier. He did this by exploiting the links between Dao and Ancient restrictions. However, the final layer was far too complex for his current understanding. It would take at least one hundred years to solve this puzzle. Even with the assistance of Buddha, this duration would not decrease. Heaven Itself decided to speak plainly about the gravity of the situation. "No matter how many restrictions are here, they are linked intricately." "I have identified Time, Illusion, and Freezing Cultivation restrictions within this knot." "However, this is the first time I have seen a Freezing Cultivation restriction." He had spent his entire previous life researching Puppet Control and Restrictions. He had managed to make new discoveries in those specific fields. Yet, he realized he had just committed two grave errors in judgment. The first error was removing the restriction from Buddha prematurely. The second error was causing his own Soul Restriction to strengthen significantly. Approximately two years ago, he had tried to forcefully reach Step 15. This reckless action triggered the Soul Restriction and the Memory Annihilation Restriction. Consequently, he lost one-third of his precious memories in the process. Despite this devastating loss, he refused to surrender to his fate. Since Buddha had offered him a glimmer of hope, he would not let it go. He would not miss this opportunity to regain his former glory.
"Dao also has a restriction, do you think you can find him through that?" Buddha asked with a flash of impatience and curiosity. Since he had already achieved his primary goal of freedom, he now harbored the ambition to leave his main rival, Dao, far behind in the dust. The sudden appearance of Heaven Itself in Outer Space, coupled with the fact that he had caused the total destruction of the Inner Space before his arrival, naturally piqued the interest of the other powerhouses. Everyone had come to this realm specifically to become the successor of Heaven Itself, so the question remained: what was the original Heaven Itself doing here? The high-status entities and ancient masters had already deduced the truth behind this anomaly. Consequently, they all began searching for the location of the Divine Bridge from every conceivable direction. Buddha, however, had a more direct approach; under the pretense of offering assistance, his true objective was to probe the memories of Heaven Itself and pinpoint the exact location of the Divine Bridge. Heaven Itself began to search for the restriction he had placed on Dao, but he could not find even a single trace of it. He only managed to detect that his ten disciples were located somewhere in the immediate vicinity. "I fear that is impossible, Buddha," he replied after completing his investigation. Deep inside, his thoughts churned with confusion and frustration. "I intended to make that boy into a puppet before anyone else, but he is already free from my restriction; how did that brat manage to do it?" This moment of distraction played perfectly into Buddha's hands. He immediately cast the Memory Stealing Spell and successfully extracted the information regarding the Ancient Order Valley, but this knowledge came at a steep price. The psychic ripple of the spell meant that the others also learned the secret of the Divine Bridge. "Thank you, my dear younger brother," the mocking voice of one of the Astral Lords echoed through the air. Realizing his mistake, Buddha immediately turned and began to run, attempting to flee the scene quietly. However, Heaven Itself snapped back to his senses at that exact moment and decided to execute his contingency plan. "My puppets, kill him!" Following this command, the bodies of the ten disciples twisted and transformed into mindless puppets, and they began to chase after Buddha with feral intensity. However, Buddha proved to be too fast for them, and unable to catch him, they eventually ceased their pursuit. Now, the entire gathering of powerful beings set their course directly for the Ancient Order Valley. They traveled along the Northern Galactic Ring Road. Their massive movements stirred the heavens and shook the stars. In just two days, they arrived at their destination, the Planet of Wars. One by one, they began to land near the gaping mouth of the cave. Once they touched down, they rushed blindly toward the entrance of the cavern before them. They were completely unaware that nine terrifying tests were waiting for them inside.
In the first trial, a suffocating, milky-white fog blanketed everything, reducing visibility to absolute zero. There was no sound, no wind, and not a single sign of living creatures. The silence was so heavy that it felt like a physical weight on their souls. As the cultivators ventured deeper, the mist began to seep into their minds, manifesting their worst nightmares. Screams of pure terror suddenly erupted from the white void, chilling the blood of those who heard them. Men and women fell to their knees, clawing at their eyes as they battled invisible enemies. They were fighting their own pasts, their regrets, and the sins they had buried deep within. The number of people entering the cave was unknown, but the number emerging was shockingly low. The vast majority of the ambitious cultivators simply vanished, consumed by their own psyches before they could reach the end. Heaven Itself walked through the mist with his hands behind his back, completely unaffected by the illusions. He stepped out of the fog, looked at the trembling survivors, and spoke with cold indifference. "Only those who have conquered their inner fears, those who have defeated their inner demons, can pass this test."
The survivors stumbled into a massive, cavernous hall where the second trial awaited them immediately. There were no monsters to fight here, only a single, glowing inscription floating in the air. The trial consisted of just one question: "What is Heaven?" It seemed simple, yet the air crackled with the threat of immediate death for an incorrect answer. A cultivator stepped forward confidently and shouted, "Heaven is the sky above!" He instantly disintegrated into ash, leaving not even a trace of his existence behind. Another tried, yelling, "Heaven is absolute power!" He too was erased from reality in the blink of an eye. Panic began to set in among the remaining masters as they realized the danger. Buddha stepped forward, his face calm, and whispered a philosophical answer that caused the gate to glow green. He passed through safely. Heaven Itself approached the inscription, a smirk playing on his lips, and spoke with supreme arrogance. "I am Heaven." The gate rumbled and opened wide, accepting his answer as the absolute truth. The remaining challengers frantically searched their souls for the right answer to proceed to the next stage.
As time drifted by in the timeless void, only a select few managed to drag their weary bodies to the entrance of the ninth trial. This was the penultimate barrier, known simply as the Test of Strength. The rule was simple yet terrifying: whoever can defeat themselves, whoever can conquer their own existence, will pass to the next stage. The arena was a vast, mirror-like expanse where the ground reflected the soul rather than the face. "Child's play," Heaven Itself scoffed, looking at the shimmering barrier with disdain. He stepped into the trial grounds without a hint of hesitation. Following his lead, the remaining cultivators jumped into the fray, hoping to seize their destiny. Immediately, exact copies of themselves materialized from the floor, their eyes burning with killing intent. For thirty days and thirty nights, the cavern echoed with the deafening sounds of metal clashing against metal and the screams of the dying. It was a slaughterhouse where one had to kill the person they knew best. Finally, the silence returned. The dust settled, revealing the gruesome aftermath. Out of the hundreds who entered, only a handful remained standing amidst the sea of corpses. Heaven Itself, Buddha, the Seven Astral Lords, the Ten Guardians of the Heavenly Palace, the Nine Descendants of the Great Families, and the Twelve Generals of the Heavenly Army were the only ones who walked out of the carnage alive. They stepped into the Tenth Hall, their eyes fixed on the golden majesty of the Divine Bridge. All the others had perished, slain by their own hands.
At that moment, a booming voice echoed through the vast hall. "Challengers, the rules are simple and the path is very clear. Walk seven thousand steps to earn the status of a Sage. Walk ten thousand steps to become a Saint of this realm. Reach fifty thousand steps to claim the title of a God. One hundred thousand steps will grant you the rank of Lord. One hundred fifty thousand steps will make you a divine King. Three hundred thousand steps will crown you as an Emperor. Five hundred thousand steps will grant the supreme title of Sovereign. One million steps will bestow the ultimate Deity status and level. There is no way back and the offer is given once. Then let us begin the trial immediately," the voice faded away. The gathered cultivators erupted into a chaotic frenzy of greed and ambition. "I am first, no I am first, get out of my way!" They shoved and fought each other to reach the golden staircase. Heaven Itself sneered at them and took the decisive first step. Boom. The pressure was so immense that it nearly pinned him directly to the ground. He gritted his teeth and forced his trembling body to stand upright. Far above in the clouds, Aldo sensed the familiar vibration of his restriction. He realized that the pursuers had finally entered the trial of the bridge. "I must move faster," he whispered to the silent, golden void. He was currently standing on the four hundred eighty-seven thousand nine hundred twenty-third step. The Divine Bridge stretched upward endlessly as if it had no end.