435: Who are these people?

As the altitude continued to climb, approaching the seven-thousandth step, the power of the Heart Demon tribulation grew stronger, and the pressure became increasingly terrifying.

The climbers slowly formed several echelons.

Chu Daolin, Qin Wuye, Hanyue, Xuan Ming, Mo Xingyun, Lei Dong, Jiang Ruofeng, and others were far in the lead.

Shi Potian, Ji Xuanye, Xing Lan, Golden Lion, and a group of powerful Prodigies were striving to catch up, forming the second echelon.

The five people including Xiao Ruobai walked unhurriedly behind them, steadily marching toward the seven-thousandth step and the even more terrifying trials beyond.

Further behind, there were even more renowned Prodigies, such as the Saints and Saintesses of the Holy Lands and Ancient Sects.

They bore immense pressure, needing to exert great effort for every step they climbed; any slight negligence could lead to being devoured by their Heart Demon or crushed by the pressure.

Li Xuanfeng, Mu Chenyu, and others were also in this group.

When the height of the heavenly ladder climbed to the seven-thousandth step, the power of the Heart Demon tribulation reached a peak, and the pressure, like a tangible mountain, bore down on everyone's dao body and Divine Soul.

Screams, muffled groans, and the faint sounds of breaking Dao Hearts could be heard from time to time throughout the stairs.

Prodigies constantly had their eyes go completely vacant, being devoured by their Heart Demons, falling off the heavenly ladder in a frenzy, or having their protective divine light shattered by the terrifying pressure, falling while coughing up blood.

Those who could stand above the seven-thousandth step were already fewer than a hundred!

Every single one of them was a peerless Genius tempered through thousands of trials!

Chu Daolin, Qin Wuye, and the others in the first echelon had now surprisingly already stood above the seven-thousand-five-hundredth step.

Shi Potian, Ji Xuanye, Xing Lan, Golden Lion, and the others in the second echelon had also long since passed the seven-thousandth step.

However, their speed had become extremely slow, and for every step they climbed, they needed to rest for a long time to contend with the pervasive Heart Demons and the monstrous pressure.

A gap had also opened up between them; Shi Potian and Xing Lan were slightly ahead, while Ji Xuanye and Golden Lion lagged slightly behind.

The five people including Xiao Ruobai still maintained that heart-palpitating steadiness.

They had quietly passed the seven-thousandth step, following unhurriedly at the tail end of the second echelon.

Their calmness formed a stark contrast with the gritted-teeth persistence of the surrounding Prodigies, causing Shi Potian and the others to glance over frequently, their minds unsettled.

As for the third echelon, the number of people was slightly larger, but everyone looked solemn, sweating like rain, struggling to trek between the seven-thousandth and seven-thousand-two-hundredth steps.

The climb continued in silent, tragic intensity.

Seven-thousand-one-hundred steps... seven-thousand-two-hundred steps... seven-thousand-three-hundred steps...

The pressure continued to increase, and the Heart Demon illusions became increasingly realistic, pointing directly at the most fragile parts of their Dao Hearts. More people kept falling.

When the height reached the seven-thousand-four-hundredth step, only about twenty people remained in the third echelon.

When everyone reached the seven-thousand-five-hundredth step, a sudden change occurred!

"Hum—!"

A terrifying pressure, ten times more majestic than before, mixed with a Heart Demon shriek that pierced straight into the Primordial Spirit's Origin, erupted!

In an instant, more than half of the Prodigies in the third echelon could no longer bear it; their protective divine light shattered, they spat blood wildly, and like dumplings being dropped into a pot, they were violently blasted off the edge of the seven-thousand-five-hundredth step and fell!

Among them were many veteran Saints from Holy Lands and successors of Ancient Sects!

Only ten people remained in the third echelon who could stabilize their figures under this impact and successfully step onto the seven-thousand-five-hundredth step platform!

And among these ten people, there were surprisingly seven figures!

They were dressed simply and modestly, and had received almost no attention before, but at this moment, they stood side by side at this eye-catching height!

Their faces were slightly pale, and their breathing was slightly rapid; clearly, they were also bearing immense pressure.

But their eyes were exceptionally clear and firm, and their dao foundation was so thick and solid that it far exceeded those of the same rank; among this crowd struggling to trek, they appeared quite methodical instead.

"Who are these people?!"

"Never seen them before?!"

"Strange! How could such figures have no reputation spread before?"

"And their Foundations are so solid! Their aura is steady and deep; they are definitely not ordinary Loose Cultivators!"

"The world is recovering, the Golden Age has arrived, and it has actually spawned so many peerless geniuses we have never heard of!"

"I originally thought the Prodigies of this generation were already dazzling, but I didn't expect there to be so many hidden dragons yet to be revealed!"

"What exactly is their background? And what kind of existences stand behind each of them?"

The Prodigies below who had not yet reached this height, as well as those on the Dao Yuan Mountain square closely watching outside the heavenly ladder, instantly erupted into a chorus of exclamations and incredulous discussions that sounded like a tsunami!

These seven strange powerhouses seemed to have appeared out of thin air, yet their Foundations were shockingly thick, completely overturning everyone's perception of the current landscape of Prodigies.

How many unknown geniuses are still hidden in the wave of the world's recovery?

The true outline of this Golden Age is far more magnificent and unfathomable than everyone imagined.

The vast majority of people had only shock and curiosity in their eyes; no one could name their identities or Origins.

However, not everyone did not recognize them.

And Xing Lan, at this moment, suddenly narrowed her eyes, locking onto those seven people, especially the green-clad man at the head who possessed a steady and deep temperament.

"Green Robe Guest?"

She whispered in her heart, and her calm lake of a heart finally rippled.

"And those few others, who once had a fleeting appearance in the Eastern Territory, they actually all walked to here? And their Foundations are so terrifying?"

She remembered that Green Robe Guest had once fought against the Yaoguang Saint, Mo Yiqian, and remained undefeated, but that was all.

In her previous assessment, while such figures were strong, they still had a gap compared to the top-tier ones like Ji Xuanye, Wang Zhan, and others.

But now, all seven of them were actually able to ascend the seven-thousand-five-hundredth step together, even surpassing many veteran Saints!

It was not just her; a few Prodigies from the Eastern Territory, such as those who had met Li Xuanfeng and the others once or had heard some rumors, also recognized them at this moment, and expressions of astonishment appeared on their faces one after another.

Even those above, who had already stepped onto the seven-thousand-six-hundredth step and were struggling to move forward, such as Shi Potian, Ji Xuanye, Golden Lion, and others, were attracted by the exclamations below and those seven strange yet resilient figures, and they turned back to look.

"Where did these guys pop out from? Interesting!"

Shi Potian grinned, his Battle Intent rising in his eyes.

Golden Lion let out a low roar, a flash of solemnity passing through its beast eyes; from those strangers, it felt a kind of Foundation so solid that it even made it feel heart-palpitating.

Just as those below were exclaiming about those seven strange Prodigies, and those above were glancing sideways because of them.

Boom!!!

An indescribably vast Dao Rhyme, like the first ray of light at the beginning of the creation of the world, suddenly shone brilliantly from the very top of the heavenly ladder, at the end that submerged into Chaos!

Immediately following that, one, two, three... seven distinct, yet equally dazzling and magnificent rays of light shot into the sky, illuminating the upper reaches!

Within the rays of light, ancient runes could be vaguely seen circulating, and the sound of the Dao boomed and echoed, shaking the mind and soul.

"Is that the ascension phenomenon of the eight-thousandth step?!"

"Someone has ascended the eight-thousandth step? So fast?!"

"Who is it?!"

After a brief silence, a tsunami-like outcry swept up from below Dao Yuan Mountain, and even the Prodigies who were climbing were shaken, looking up in unison.

They saw that within the first ray of dark cyan light that had lit up, carrying the aura of the vicissitudes of time, a figure standing with hands behind his back, seemingly transcending time, was faintly visible.