Now is not the time to fall asleep; if you do, you might never wake up again.

He carried her forward, the scorching wind blowing against them like it came from the deepest depths of Hell.

Finally, they reached the mountain summit, and lightning illuminated the apocalyptic scene.

The volcano crater had been frozen, and from beneath the thick ice came a wave of destructive spirituality. It was the Strategy Group's members battling the massive flesh body of the Ancient Ancestor.

And this was with the Ancestor being suppressed by the Heavenly Person Realm and frozen.

Otherwise, the volcano would have continued to erupt, making it impossible for anyone to reach the summit.

Now, at an altitude above 10,000 meters, they could almost see the flowing sea tide overhead, yet the air was so thin it was nearly unbreathable, mixed with the scorching embers in the hot wind howling around them.

Through the steaming heat, one could vaguely see eight towering bronze pillars encircling the mountain peak, entwined with golden chains. Molded on the surfaces of these pillars were the grim skeletons, resembling ancient beasts.

Gu Jianlin instantly recognized what those molded skeletons were because terrifying illusions appeared before his eyes; the Qilin trapped on the bronze pillar roared in fury before being burned by golden flames.

It was the punishment from a Black Supreme!

In the Azure Sea, gigantic skeletons floated and sank indistinctly, an abyss where dragons were buried, with the rich breath of life bound by an invisible force, surging to the world's highest place.

Clearly, this was where the Stairway to Immortality was located.

But having come this far, there was no path ahead.

Where exactly was this so-called Stairway to Immortality?

Boom!

The sound of the Skeleton Giant collapsing echoed—a Cloud Lord's spiritual body, different from ordinary beings yet unable to stop the relentless onslaught of so many monsters, was finally torn to pieces, producing a resentful sound.

Gu Jianlin continued forward with the girl on his back, without looking back.

The earth trembled.

The monstrous tide rushed towards them, its fetid stench seemingly palpable.

"Let's go; if we don't move now, it'll be too late."

Tang Ling whispered.

She knew there was no path ahead, and she wasn't overly concerned about life or death; she just felt it was a pity.

Her entire life felt like a pity.

Unable to escape the cage the Order World had built for her.

In the end, she couldn't save her closest kin.

She might even fail to fulfill his last wish.

But Gu Jianlin was different.

His life could be brilliant and didn't need to end with her here.

Gu Jianlin, however, did not respond; even with the monstrous tide behind him that could tear them apart, he showed no fear. He expressionlessly crossed the frozen volcano crater, arriving at the cliff's edge.

This was a true thousand-foot cliff, the scorching wind lifting their garments and forelocks.

Below was an endless abyss.

The violent Elemental Turbulence raged, as if it could tear everything apart.

Boom!

At the Peak of the Vault of Heaven, Kui's grotesque face lurked within the stormy clouds, as if ready to spew forth world-consuming molten lava; in the volcano's core, its true form battled, this was the manifestation of its spirit and will.

Kui did not refrain from attacking them.

It was that it couldn't.

Because it was guarding something.

"It's not time to give up yet."

Gu Jianlin paused for a moment, looking up at the God above the heavens, and softly said, "You need to hold on tight, just like when we met Tai Zhuo, the tighter the better, and no matter what happens, don't let go. I will hold you tight too, no matter what happens, even in death, I won't let go."

His heartbeat grew more intense, the roaring behind them ever so close.

Tang Ling momentarily felt dazed; he remembered everything that happened back then.

But with no path forward, what use was holding on tight together?

Wait together for death?

Alright, if it was death, perhaps it did require holding tight.

She wrapped her arms around the young man's neck, hugging him tightly.

The violent heartbeat pounding from the young man's back brought her a long-lost warmth.

"Trust me."

Gu Jianlin took a step and said, "Close your eyes."

For a moment, Tang Ling gazed at his cold and indifferent profile, memories flashing through her mind like a storm, and eventually, she felt an unprecedented sense of peace, closing her beautiful eyes, her eyelashes trembling slightly.

Time seemed frozen at that very moment.

The furious, vicious eyes of the God looked down upon the young man and woman.

Below the desolate cliff, the tide of monsters lunged toward them, seeming like it would tear them to pieces.

In the abyss, the Elemental Turbulence howled like a tide of destruction.

Gu Jianlin stepped forward, like someone pushed to the brink, about to leap off the cliff.

"I will take you... to the heavens."

Boom!

With that step forward, it was as if a grand symphony echoed within the Sea of Eternal Life, as if billions of souls emerged from the deep sea, singing ancient sacred hymns, the song solemn and majestic, reverberating across the heavens and earth.

Under the youth's feet, steps formed from interwoven golden tree vines appeared!

They did not fall into the abyss.

Instead, they stood in the void.

They stood on the sky!

Tang Ling opened her beautiful eyes, the golden light illuminating her eyes.

Yet brighter than the light was the young man before her.

He shone brilliantly like a god, gazing at the enemies in the high heavens.

The immense pressure surged forward, and the violent monsters could not open their eyes against the brilliant light.