Chapter 399: The Owner of the Giant Hand

For the Nine Provinces, it was just another ordinary day—those who pillaged continued pillaging, while those upholding justice still upheld justice. 

All cultivators acted according to their personal moral codes, steadfast in their Dao Hearts, employing various means to grow stronger.

Suddenly, every cultivator froze mid-action, their horrified gazes turning skyward.

A massive hand shimmering with runes tore through the void, dripping blood as it reached toward the Nine Provinces.

None understood what this hand intended to do.

Tribulation Transcendence Stage experts nearly burst their eyes in fury. Unlike ignorant low-level cultivators unaware of the Celestial Ladder’s location, they knew full well.

Though they couldn’t see the Celestial Ladder, they could vaguely sense its presence.

This giant hand clearly meant to sever the pathway to immortality!

Cutting off the path to ascension was worse than murdering parents or stealing wives—an unforgivable transgression. 

The Tribulation Transcendence cultivators abandoned restraint, disregarding how their unleashed powers might affect the Nine Provinces, all attacking simultaneously to stop the hand’s motion.

Having destroyed Celestial Ladders across countless worlds, the giant hand had never encountered such fierce resistance before.

No other world matched the Nine Provinces’ potential or abundance of cultivators.

With an immortal emerging every century on average, no realm could compare.

Countless immortals had established Dao lineages here, engaging in sectarian struggles.

Many privately called the Nine Provinces “Little Immortal Realm”—proof of its significance.

Now, distinctions between righteous and demonic paths vanished. No neutral mediators remained. This giant hand threatened every cultivator’s fundamental interests!

“Falling Buddha Life-Ending Palm!”

“Wishful Gourd!”

“Dao Transforms Yin-Yang!”

“The Sage Says: Think Thrice Before Acting!”

“Brahma Tower!”

“Five-Colored Divine Light!”

“Other Mountain Stone!”

“Demon Pillar Holding Up Heaven!”

Tribulation Transcendence experts attacked simultaneously, burning lifespan without regard, unleashing their ultimate techniques in desperate attempts to halt the hand’s advance.

Yet it proved futile. The indestructible hand continued unabated, not even pausing when struck by immortal artifacts.

The power disparity was absolute—utterly despair-inducing.

“Ancestor, why won’t you let me use the Yin-Yang Heaven Seal?” The then Dao Sect Master exclaimed in shock, unable to comprehend Immortal Elder Changcun’s restraint.

Changcun gently shook his head, suppressing the Sect Master’s hand with cultivation power: “This is for your own good.”

“We have backers in the Immortal Realm! Whoever dares sever our path—show yourself!”

“The immortal ancestors will never let this stand!”

“We swear vengeance or renounce our humanity!”

The Tribulation Transcendence experts roared. Despite surviving countless life-and-death trials, none had ever been so distraught.

Cultivation meant nothing if immortality remained unattainable.

Among them, the Golden Daoist wept blood—his ascension had been imminent when catastrophe struck.

This torment surpassed death itself.

…

The giant hand’s owner seemed injured, bleeding more profusely than during the Weigu World incident.

As before, runes shimmered across its palm, neutralizing the Celestial Ladder until it vanished completely.

The runes contained no temporal aspects, leaving time-related ladder fragments intact.

The hand crudely pulverized the time-imbued sections into dust.

“So this explains why most fragments I found relate to time,” Jiang Li realized. Destroying time-infused ladder segments required two steps. In its haste, the hand had missed some fragments.

Tearing through space, Jiang Li finally saw the hand’s owner—and froze in horror.

Dao Ancestor!

Dao Ancestor had crushed the Celestial Ladders.

The colossal figure spanned two provinces, resembling a world-forging titan.

Yet this giant appeared grievously wounded—one hand cradled protectively against his chest, palm sheltering cultivators from spatial annihilation through brute-force mana expenditure.

This crude protection damaged their spiritual platforms, likely erasing memories.

His other rune-covered hand had shattered countless Celestial Ladders across existence!

Blood spilled into the void from Dao Ancestor’s empty eye sockets, his spiritual platform pierced, barely able to project spiritual sense.

These were mortal wounds beyond recovery—death was certain.

What followed shocked Jiang Li more.

Countless Outer Realm Demons pursued Dao Ancestor, baying for his confirmed demise.

“Truly Dao Ancestor—enduring such wounds this long.”

“Completed Severing Three Corpses and Reunification undetected, misleading us about his strength.”

“He destroyed the ladders to hide these worlds’ locations.”

“Useless—we tracked him and memorized coordinates.”

“Worlds drift, but rapid return with positioning formulas renders his efforts void.”

These coherent demons indicated at least Celestial Immortal level.

They reveled like hunters felling a mighty lion—taking special pleasure in slaying the powerful.

Killing Dao Ancestor promised immense rewards.

Seeming to hear their whispers, Dao Ancestor suddenly whirled, his rune-hand crushing every demon along with their memorized coordinates.

His mouth moved soundlessly—perhaps laughing, perhaps weeping.

Staggering through the void, he proceeded to the final world.

After crushing its ladder, his body floated through space, altering celestial orbits.

With dying strength, he inscribed a stone tablet before transforming his corpse into land—a sanctuary for the cultivators he’d saved from the Immortal Realm.

Approaching silently, Jiang Li understood what the demons missed:

Dao Ancestor had died before reaching the Nine Provinces. Sheer willpower alone had sustained him.

That mere determination enabled annihilating demons and shattering ladders defied comprehension.

Yet Dao Ancestor was truly gone.

Sensing presence, his instinctual assumption of demonic threat proved impossible to act upon. Spiritual sense revealing Jiang Li sparked apparent resurrection.

“Who…future…cultivator…stronger…hope remains…”

Dao Ancestor’s fragmented spiritual message conveyed relief upon seeing Jiang Li, his determination finally releasing as true death took him.

Though they’d never met, Jiang Li felt profound sorrow.

Picking up the deathbed tablet, he recognized it from Mingzhong World—previously fragmented, now complete.