As Jing He made his way up, his way calmed down and he took a moment to look at his surroundings.

The sound of water he had heard before actually came from beside the staircase: Two waterfalls rushed down at either side, one of them ending in the large body of water he had noticed at the bottom of the stairs while the other fell through a hole between a ring of stones.

Taking a closer look, it seemed as if there was nothing beneath it but air as if both the platform he had just come from and the sea were floating far in the sky or maybe there was simply nothing around at all. Apart from the waterfall, he certainly couldn’t hear any other sound as if nobody but him was in this place because there was no life at all.

Jing He couldn’t help but glance over his shoulder but even from up here, he could see nothing but water in the distance. It was indeed as if nothing else existed in this space apart from the water and the platform below.

He faintly furrowed his brows, trying to understand just where he was. The gods’ knowledge of the far past was limited. In fact, before he met him, he hadn’t even known that there had been more of Tian’s kind. This kind of place that had likely been created by his people was even more unknown to him.

From what Tian had said though, the Spring of Fate was the source of the great river which had once run through all realms. Later, it turned into the River of Forgetfulness that still remained in the Nine Heavens.

Thinking about it this way, if the Spring of Fate was at the top of the staircase, then the waterfalls next to him should be part of either the great river Da He or the River of Forgetfulness. No matter which one it was, it filled him with awe.

There were many stories about both of them and the River of Forgetfulness still played a vital role in the lives of the trueborn gods to this very day. He never would have thought he’d be able to see its source but here he was.

What surprised him was that there were two streams of water coming from above though. Did one of them originate in a different place? Or could it be that the one ending in the sea below was actually the Da He? Was the reason it did not flow through the other realms any longer that it had created a sea here in … wherever this was?

To be honest, Jing He wasn’t sure where exactly this place was but it certainly wasn’t anywhere in the immortal realms or mortal realms that he knew about. Otherwise, surely, he would have heard of it. No, instead, it should be either a part of the High Heavens or even further removed from the realms below that. And to be honest, it seemed likely to be the latter.

He didn’t know much about the High Heavens either but the city where he had woken up looked very normal from what he had seen. During his trial, he had also come to the High Heavens once and it had only been an endless expanse with nothing to it. That did seem similar to this place but the feeling it gave off was very different. Even though he hadn’t had his full perception during his lifetime as a mortal, some of it could be felt through his memories despite that and this … just wasn’t something that anything he had ever seen could compare to.

Jing He almost held his breath as he continued to walk up the staircase.

Over the years, how many people had set foot in this place? There shouldn’t be many. He may be the first one in not just thousands but tens or even hundreds of thousands of years. Tian certainly didn’t need to come here and while he had heard stories of people climbing the Heaven Mountain, he had never heard anyone going farther than that. Maybe from the time the curse was placed on their three races to today, there actually hadn’t been anyone other than him to come here.

His heart raced and he took a deep breath to try and calm down. He really wished that Qiu Ling had been at his side at this moment. The pressure he felt in this place was unimaginable. Even holding onto An Xin barely seemed to be enough. Maybe even if Qiu Ling had been with him, he still would have felt scared but he’d at least have some hope. Now, his hands trembled and he barely dared to set down his feet, always afraid that any sound he made would cause an issue.

He stepped forward lightly, closing his eyes for a moment before continuing. Raising his chin to look up, the end of the staircase seemed far in the distance. Just how tall was it? He couldn’t tell and he didn’t dare to surmise. He couldn’t help but wonder at the side if this staircase had only been created for practical purposes so one could walk up to the Spring of Fate or if the steps themselves held some type of meaning. It sure felt like the latter might be the case.

He continued to walk for several minutes until he finally reached the top of the staircase. He couldn’t help but glance back: Tian had already left and only the portal to the High Heavens that he had promised to leave open for him was still in place, ensuring his way back.

Jing He calmed down somewhat, knowing that he wouldn’t be trapped here but he still didn’t dare to look at the Spring of Fate. He knew he was the one to decide to come here but … this was such a big step, he still worried that he wasn’t ready for it. Instead, his gaze brushed over the sea below. He couldn’t see anything but the water in the far distance although, to be honest, looking at it now, it didn’t even seem like water.

Whatever it was, was completely clear to the point where he should have been able to see the ground below. It was just that … there was no ground and the only reason he noticed that there was something at all was the way the light broke on the surface of the substance. Inside though, he could now see a few things float gently as if carried on waves. It was an odd sight to behold and he didn’t know what to make of it.

Well, whatever that place was, it had nothing to do with him. To him, the Spring of Fate on this side of the staircase was more important. Since he had finally reached it, he shouldn’t delay any longer. He couldn’t delay any longer. Telling himself this, Jing He finally turned around and looked at the spring in front of him.