Chapter 761: Chapter 504: Upper Realm (Part 2)

The piercing shrieks and the explosive clashes of divine light filled the air, yet his speed remained unwavering and unstoppable.

Moments later, the Gang Feng suddenly weakened.

Before his eyes appeared a strange scene, revealing an invisible barrier.

This barrier was not physical, yet it contained the vast and unparalleled power of heaven and earth, like the placenta of the world, completely isolating the mortal realm from the Upper Realm within.

Upon the barrier flowed ancient immortal patterns, indistinct yet palpable, exuding a heart-pounding pressure.

Chu Zheng hovered before the barrier, his divine sense pouring forth like mercury, spreading out and meticulously probing.

A moment later, he proceeded along the barrier, and soon the scene before him shifted dramatically.

Transparent jade steps, suspended in the void, one end connected to the barrier, the other hidden within the dazzling heavenly light.

These jade steps were not composed of mundane beautiful jade but of pieces of top-quality spirit stones, crystal clear.

Each spirit stone emitted gentle treasure light, with abundant spiritual energy converging into visible spiritual mist, forming clouds, swirling alongside the jade steps.

This was the stairway to the heavens, leading to the Upper Realm.

At the end of the jade steps, two figures stood tall, clad in immortal armor, one wielding a war spear entwined with thunder, the other with a heavy and ancient bronze giant sword hanging from their waist.

Beneath their helmets, their features were stern and cold, their gaze sharp as eagles, both with cultivation at Seventh Realm Perfection.

Chu Zheng collected his thoughts, stepped onto the jade steps paved with top-quality spirit stones, and walked straight to the two Heavenly Generals, retrieving a storage ring.

Before coming here, he had already inquired about the essentials of ascending to the Upper Realm.

The process of ‘ascension’ was not complicated. Without clan guidance, one simply needed to pay an ascension tax.

This ascension tax fluctuated occasionally, but generally, it revolved around a hundred pieces of immortal jade.

Immortal jade from the Lower Realm was rare, mostly exchanged with top-quality spirit stones, amounting to two million pieces of top-quality spirit stones.

Lacking clan support, the vast majority of seventh-rank cultivators were unable to afford this ascension tax.

Moreover, once entering the Upper Realm, they could not return nor communicate again, contributing to the number of seventh-rank cultivators remaining in the Lower Realm.

These individuals lingered either due to financial constraints unable to pay the tax, or unwilling to abandon bloodline relatives and sect legacies, thus staying within the mortal realm.

The Gatekeeper Heavenly General, wielding the war spear, accepted Chu Zheng’s storage ring, glanced at the spirit stones within, and explained solemnly:

“Two million top-quality spirit stones can be exchanged for a hundred pieces of immortal jade, wherein thirty-three pieces are for the Sea and Mountain Song Family, thirty-three for the Cuiyang Zhao Family, thirty-three for the Chixia Yuan Family, and the remaining one for our guarding compensation.”

The Linxian Upper Realm was divided into Four Outer Heavens: Sea and Mountain Heaven, Cuiyang Heaven, Red Cloud Heaven, and Falling Leaves Heaven.

Each of the Three Great Clans took three each, and this so-called ascension tax was nothing but a tool for the Three Great Clans to monopolize the path to ascending heaven.

Without a profound background or a miraculous encounter accumulating wealth, a newly breakthrough seventh-rank loose cultivator would be virtually drained of all possessions, possibly even falling into debt and struggles upon arrival.

“The spirit stones are sufficient, you may ascend and enter the realm.”

The Sword-carrying Heavenly General spoke solemnly with a hint of warning: “Remember, upon entering the Upper Realm, without the Boundary Token issued by the Three Great Clans, one cannot return to the Lower Realm eternally. This is an iron law, violators will face clan extermination and lineage eradication, with all bloodline connections executed.”

Upon hearing this, Chu Zheng’s eyes narrowed slightly, once again feeling the privilege of the clans.

“Hold out your hand.”

Chu Zheng complied, extending his hand and opening his palm.

The Spear-carrying Heavenly General, expressionless, flipped his palm, and immortal light flashed, producing a palm-sized snow-white jade talisman.

With a flick of his fingertip, the jade talisman gently fell into Chu Zheng’s outstretched palm.

Soon after, a gentle immortal power radiated from the jade talisman, sweeping over Chu Zheng instantaneously.

Afterwards, the surface of the jade talisman flickered with light, like water rippling, quickly revealing two lines of clear golden characters:

Bone Age: Sixty-one

Cultivation: Seventh Order Initial Stage

“Hiss—!”

At the moment this number appeared, the previously stoic and unmoving demeanor of the two Heavenly Generals abruptly shuddered, the Sword-carrying Heavenly General even gasped, his solemn and cold expression instantly replaced by extreme astonishment and disbelief.

Sixty-one years old?!

Seventh Order Initial Stage?!

How… how is this possible?!

In the Lower Realm, where spiritual energy is thin, laws incomplete, and resources scarce, achieving seventh order within a thousand years already classified one as talented!

Even in the Upper Realm, where resources abound and heritages complete, noble family descendants achieving seventh order before two hundred years of age are considered brilliant, courted by the clans as immortal seeds!

And this man… his bone age is only sixty-one?!

Instinctively, the Sword-carrying Heavenly General withdrew his previous dominant posture, his body slightly bowing, a smile of utmost respect and even flattery appearing on his face, his voice gentle as the wind, cautiously inquiring:

“May I ask your esteemed name and which supreme Taoist orthodoxy or who the Ancient Immortal Venerable lineage might you be from?”

His mind was in turmoil, considering this monster-like talent possibly a Qilin Child secretly cultivated by an Ancient Clan?

Regardless, he dared not be negligent! Absolutely could not be negligent!

Chu Zheng observed the instant transformation of the other party, his heart remaining calm:

“Qi Refining Lineage, Zheng Chu, with no sect.”

“Qi Refining?”

“Zheng Chu?”

Upon hearing this response, the respect and flattery on the two Heavenly Generals’ faces vanished like dust in the wind, the previously bowed bodies straightened with a speed, even causing a slight wind sound.

Qi Refining?

A wild and unheard-of philosophy!

Zheng surname? In the Upper Realm’s Three Great Families and over a thousand noble families, where has the ‘Zheng’ surname ever stood?

This must be some loose cultivator from an unknown corner of the Lower Realm.

They exchanged a quick glance, seeing the same emotions in each other’s eyes, undisguised contempt and disdain, even a hint of anger at being deceived.

The initial shock and admiration caused by his bone age were now completely gone.

In a place like the Lower Realm, with such rapid cultivation progression, and not being of a legitimate orthodoxy, it was most likely due to some quick, growth-stunting, and potential-depleting evil methods.

Or perhaps the shortcut involving devouring powerful living creatures’ flesh, refining and stealing souls, such side door left road practices, with foundations as flimsy as a sand tower, unable to withstand a strike.

Even upon reaching the Upper Realm, wanting to re-cultivate might never achieve greatness.

The Sword-carrying Heavenly General’s lips curled into a sneer, the previous caution now entirely absent, his voice reverting to its former coldness:

“Oh, so it’s a Qi Cultivator.”

“In the Upper Realm, one must act with care, you may only operate in Falling Leaves Heaven, without authority permits, you cannot enter Sea and Mountain, Cuiyang, or Red Cloud areas, go now.”

After speaking, the two waved Chu Zheng off, indicating for him to leave, with impatient dismissal.

No doubt, the surname Zheng Chu and the Qi Refining orthodoxy were already a stigma, marking him as lowly in their eyes.

In their eyes, Chu Zheng instantly fell from a potentially noble and respected immortal seed to a Lower Realm ant destined to have no future and might not live long.

The ripple caused by his age was completely overshadowed by the arrogance of the noble families and their deep-rooted discrimination against loose cultivators.

Chu Zheng said no more, putting away the jade token, maintaining a calm demeanor, crossing over the barrier behind them to enter the Upper Realm.

Their attitude meant nothing of consequence or value to him.

In the grand scheme of the River of Space-Time, these two’s existence couldn’t even stir a wave, microscopic as dust.

……

……

Upon crossing the barrier, spiritual energy surged, tens of times more abundant than the Lower Realm.

Chu Zheng’s muscles and bones relaxed, beginning to receive the baptism of the heavenly spiritual energy.

No wonder the people of the Upper Realm regarded Lower Realm cultivators as coming from poor and remote areas, standing aloofly.

In such an environment, even a pig advancing to the eighth order wouldn’t be difficult.