Chapter 2348 — Chapter 2348 Stairway to Heaven's Sudden Disappearance

"W-What did you just say? The Stairway to Heaven has vanished into thin air?"

The Celestial Emperor glared at the messenger with a deep frown on his face.

"When did this happen? And do we have any idea why it happened?" he quickly asked.

"It happened only four days ago," said the messenger. "According to rumors, someone was attacking the Stairway to Heaven before its disappearance, and it wasn't just a single individual. Apparently, there was a witness at every single realm from the First Heaven to the Ninth Heaven, implying it was a coordinated attack."

The messenger continued, "There were also many casualties at the Stairway to Heaven's location. We believe they were all killed by these individuals to keep their identity hidden. Unfortunately, we do not know of their motives at this moment."

The Celestial Emperor pondered for a moment before speaking out loud to himself, "The Stairway to Heaven isn't any ordinary treasure. It's not the first time someone has attacked it, either. Yet, this is the first time it reacted in such a fashion, meaning that these individuals were not ordinary cultivators."

After a moment of silence, he gave a clear command.

"Find out who these individuals are and their motives. With the Stairway to Heaven gone, transportation between the realms will essentially become impossible for most people, and we have no idea when the Stairway to Heaven will return—if it ever will. What a troublesome situation…"

"What should we do if the Stairway to Heaven never returns?" The messenger swallowed nervously at this possibility before asking in a trembling voice.

"We'll have to replace it with something similar," he said.

"The Stairway to Heaven was created many eras ago. Nowadays, there are master blacksmiths who are capable of creating something similar, so it's not completely hopeless. I'll give it a few years to return before we make a new one."

Some time later, the Celestial Emperor made a public announcement, reassuring the world that he would get to the bottom of the situation and replace the Stairway to Heaven if necessary.

Though the Celestial Emperor succeeded in calming the people, it did little to truly ease the situation or resolve the problem. The Stairway to Heaven was still missing, and replacing it could take decades—an unbearably long time for those living in the lower heavens.

Meanwhile, after leaving the Stairway to Heaven, Yuan found himself standing in a vast green plain. Two solitary buildings stood only several meters apart, the only structures in sight. Above him, the sky was a clear blue, and the spiritual energy in the area was unfathomably rich—so dense that it made even the Eighth Heaven's spiritual energy seem pale by comparison.

"This is… my personal world."

Yuan immediately recognized the location, as he'd spent tens of thousands of years in this place just recently. "This place looks exactly as I remember…" Yuan muttered, somewhat surprised by how little had changed. "Anyway, let's get to work."

He immediately retrieved the sword-shaped token given to him by Xiao Cangming, which was entrusted to him by the Immortal Monarch.

"What's that?" Kulas asked out of curiosity.

"The key to my storage in this place, which happens to contain countless treasures that I have gathered throughout many lifetimes. Hopefully, I already have enough materials to craft your new vessel."

"Huh? Why do you need a key to a storage that's within your personal world? It's not like anyone can enter here."

"I don't know," Yuan replied with a nonchalant shrug. "In fact, I don't even remember where I hid the entrance to this place. Fortunately, I remember that I can access this place directly through the Stairway to Heaven."

"How can you forget the entrance to your own world?" Kulas would shake his head if he had one right now.

"Then do you know where it's located? You should know since your soul followed my precious incarnations around."

"Nope. It's not like I am constantly conscious during that time, as I would slumber from time to time, and you tossed me inside the Stairway to Heaven once it was completed."

"Is that so?"

Yuan entered one of the two buildings shortly after and went directly to the basement.

However, before he could even access the basement, he had to deal with the formations that protected it.

Fortunately, these formations recognized his soul and allowed him to bypass them without any issues.

"You'll have to wait here," Yuan stopped Kulas, who attempted to follow him.

"Since these formations only recognize Ren Xia and me, your soul will be obliterated if you try to enter."

"What the hell?! You should've told me that before you even approached this place! To think I almost died just now! Can you imagine how humiliating it would be to perish in such a fashion after surviving so many ordeals?!" Kulas exclaimed, hastily backing away from the door to the basement.

"Are there any more death traps in this place that I should be aware of?" he then asked.

"Not that I remember."

"That's not good enough! I'll wait for you outside just in case." Kulas sighed as he left the house altogether.

"What about me…?" Yu Ning, who was residing within his Dantian, asked in a worried voice.

"You'll be fine."

Moments later, Yuan began descending the staircase to the basement. The path downward seemed endless, the steps stretching as far as the eye could see—reminiscent of the Stairway to Heaven itself.

Eventually, they reached a point where the walls vanished entirely, leaving behind nothing but a pitch-black expanse, as though they had stepped into the void. Yet despite the darkness, Yuan could still see where he was walking.

The steps suddenly began to split into multiple paths like branches on a tree, clearly trying to mislead him. However, with the sword-shaped token in his grasp, Yuan was able to discern the true path.

After what felt like an eternity, Yuan finally reached the end of the path, greeted by a lone golden door that exuded a profound radiance, illuminating the surrounding darkness.