The sound ringing that filled the upper troposphere didn’t fade.
It deepened into a sustained, sky chord. A crystal-clear harmony that rang within the teeth, the ribs, and the spiritual cores of hundreds of millions of mortals.
High above the mountain summit of Tongtian Apex, the circular opening in the clouds had widened to twelve miles across.
Pouring downward through the breach was a nonstop, pouring cascade of rainbow-bright sky mist.
The vapor didn’t feel cold or damp like mountain fog. It was warm, fragrant, and heavily soaked with crushed sky starlight and liquid ambrosia.
Where the mist brushed against the jagged cliffs of Tongtian Apex, coarse grey moss sprouted vibrant lilac petals within seconds.
Stunted, wind-blasted mountain pines straightened their crooked trunks. Their needles turned into semi-clear emerald jade that chimed in the breeze.
And suspended within that twelve-mile column of holy mist, the ninety-thousand-foot golden stairs hung in terrifying, massive majesty.
