442: Extreme pressure

Eight thousand eight hundred steps, eight thousand nine hundred steps... He caught up with Mo Xingyun and Fairy Han Yue, whose speed had greatly decreased due to setbacks, and then surpassed them under their shocked gazes.

He felt the terrifying Dao Rhyme aftershocks left by Chu Daolin and the others when they reached the summit ahead.

None of this caused him the slightest hesitation.

Finally, he stood at the eight thousand nine hundred and ninety-ninth step.

Ahead, Chu Daolin and the other three had already completed their recuperation and were climbing up step by step.

Higher up, the backs of Xiao Ruobai and the other five were about to disappear.

Wang Zhan took a deep breath, suppressing his surging Qi and blood, and an unprecedented glint burst forth from his eyes.

He didn't charge immediately. Instead, he closed his eyes, completely fusing the Aura, Battle Intent, comprehension of the Dao, and the Origin power of the Heavenly Azure Sacred Body that he had accumulated during his climb!

The next moment, he opened his eyes and let out a roar that shook the heavens!

"My Dao, advance! Ascend the Heavenly Palace!"

He transformed into a meteor burning with azure Dao flames and brilliant golden light, carrying the supreme will to crush all Daos and open a path forward.

He charged towards that final barrier!

Soon, a ray of light illuminated.

Wang Zhan's slightly staggering figure boldly stepped onto the nine thousandth platform!

His Qi and blood still surged, the azure sacred radiance flickered, and a trickle of sacred blood flowed from the corner of his mouth.

His final sprint just now, directly resisting the suppression of the Heavenly Stairway's Dao laws, had consumed an enormous amount of energy.

But he stood very steadily.

Higher up the Heavenly Stairway, at approximately the nine thousand two hundredth step, Chu Daolin, Qin Wuye, and the others, who were making difficult progress,

Sensed the emergence of a new Aura below and almost simultaneously looked back.

Their gazes fell upon Wang Zhan, who had just stabilized himself.

Chu Daolin's black robe stirred slightly, and a faint hint of surprise flashed in his cold eyes.

He didn't know Wang Zhan, but he could feel the dense, heavy, and vast Aura around him, imbued with an indomitable will forged through a hundred battles, which gave him a strong sense of threat.

"Another formidable person has arrived."

Chu Daolin thought silently, committing Wang Zhan's face to memory. This generation was indeed filled with brilliant stars.

The Divine King Body's gaze was like a tangible sword, fixed intently on Wang Zhan, his face filled with unbelievable shock!

"Wang Zhan?! It's actually him?!"

Previously, Wang Zhan, though exceptionally talented, was also overly sharp and aggressive. After repeated defeats, he carried a suppressed obsession and hostility.

Especially outside the Imperial Tomb, after being defeated by Azure Rakshasa's single finger, his departing figure was filled with desolation and unwillingness.

But now, the Wang Zhan before him, having ascended to the nine thousandth step, seemed to still have energy. Although he was greatly exhausted from the climb, the profoundness of his sacred power Foundation and the solidity of his Dao Rhyme astonished him!

How much time had passed?

From the end of the Imperial Tomb incident to the opening of Dao Zang Academy now, the time interval wasn't too long!

"He has transformed so much?!" Jiang Ruofeng was horrified.

"Repeatedly defeated, repeatedly fighting after defeat, with the last defeat being at the hands of Azure Rakshasa. Yet, not only did he not fall into despair, but he broke through and stood firm, reaching such a state?"

An absurd yet irresistible thought suddenly surged into Jiang Ruofeng's mind.

"Is failure truly so important? Even more so than progressing smoothly, can it temper a person more?"

He couldn't help but look up again, towards the higher reaches, the almost invisible direction of Battle Asura Xiao Ruobai, Sword White Robe Fang Hanyu, Azure Rakshasa Ling Xi, and the other five.

An unprecedented Battle Intent, mixed with intense curiosity, burned fiercely in Jiang Ruofeng's heart.

"After the Heavenly Stairway event concludes and I settle down in the academy..."

Jiang Ruofeng clenched his fists tightly, his gaze as sharp as a blade, first sweeping over Wang Zhan, then looking higher up.

"I must challenge each of you! Battle Asura, Sword White Robe, Azure Rakshasa, and you, Wang Zhan!

I want to see with my own eyes what makes your paths so different!"

On the platform below, Wang Zhan naturally felt Jiang Ruofeng's incredibly complex gaze, and also saw the scrutiny from Chu Daolin, Qin Wuye, and the others.

But his expression was calm. He no longer paid attention to others, sat down cross-legged, fully circulated his Cultivation Technique, absorbed the rich Dao Rhyme on the platform, comprehended creation, recovered his Consumption, and healed his hidden injuries.

Chu Daolin, Qin Wuye, Jiang Ruofeng, and Lei Dong suppressed the turmoil in their hearts, no longer looked at Wang Zhan behind them, and turned to continue climbing upwards.

However, each step felt as if they were pushing a divine mountain, slow and heavy, clearly approaching their current limits.

Higher up, Xiao Ruobai and the others were already nearing the nine thousand five hundredth step!

The moment they stepped onto this place, the entire Heavenly Stairway seemed to sink slightly, and the entire space hummed under the unbearable weight.

All previous trials suddenly vanished, replaced by a pure, domineering, ultimate pressure that descended from every inch of the Void Realm!

This pressure was so heavy that it solidified space, intending to completely crush and pulverize anyone daring to climb, from Soul to Physical Body!

Xiao Ruobai's body suddenly sank, and his bones crackled.

He let out a low growl, his War God Blood roaring, and he straightened his back with sheer force.

He lifted his foot, then brought it down, his movements as heavy as a moving mountain. Each step made the stairs tremble.

But his pace was extremely steady, his eyes as sharp as blades, resisting this pure force, moving slowly and resolutely upwards.

Fang Hanyu's figure swayed slightly then stopped, his face pale.

His Aura instantly retracted, and he became like an ancient sword sheathed, exceptionally heavy and solid.

Under the boundless heavy pressure, he advanced steadily, as if this weight was the best whetstone for his Sword Dao.

Ling Xi's figure swayed slightly, then adjusted. Her Aura became profound and unfathomable. Although her steps were no longer light, she still walked steadily.

"Oh my! Fat Master is being crushed!"

Wang Xiaopang shrieked, his chubby face instantly turning red, as if being savagely gripped by an invisible giant hand.

The omnipresent ultimate pressure threatened to flatten his Myriad Talisman Dao Body along with his Divine Soul into a thin pancake!

His hands danced wildly, fingers spurting blood, using his own Dao blood and Divine Soul as ink to frantically inscribe in the Void Realm before him!

Layers of heavy talismans representing the Origin of solidity and defense instantly formed, resisting the immense pressure.

He gasped for air, his steps significantly slowed, but his forward progress never ceased.

On the other side, Mo Yu let out a suppressed grunt from his throat.

The crimson-gold Qilin Emperor Blood surged and roared like boiling lava in his veins, as he walked up step by step with Wang Xiaopang.

On the nine thousandth platform, Wang Zhan sat cross-legged, his surging Qi and blood gradually calming.

The depleted sacred power in his body rapidly recovered under the nourishment of the platform's rich Dao Rhyme, and the trickle of faint golden sacred blood from his mouth had long since evaporated.

He slowly opened his eyes. The burning Battle Intent deep within them was even more fervent than before, yet also more restrained and serene, like molten lava beneath an abyss.

He raised his head, looking towards the unreachably high Heavenly Stairway above.

First to catch his eye were the figures higher up, struggling as if in a quagmire—Chu Daolin, Qin Wuye, and the others. Their steps were arduous, clearly nearing their limits.