458: Chapter 458 The Tribulation of Heaven's Dao

An invisible force of the world pressed in from all directions, like an invisible millstone, as if it wanted to crush any existence daring to pry into the higher realms.

The Heavenly Staircase seemed to truly connect to that Supreme Heavenly Dao—with every step taken, one needed to use their Physical Body, their Divine Soul, and all they had learned in their life to resist that increasingly vast and heavy will of the world.

Those leading figures, and their once lightning-fast speed, finally began to slow down.

But they were still moving upward.

Although their pace was slower, it was firmer and more powerful than before.

This heaviness, this composure, and this spine that remained straight under mountain-like pressure, all displayed their unfathomable foundations—as if within everyone's body, there lay a furnace not yet fully ignited, waiting for even more extreme pressure to burst forth with true brilliance.

Four thousand steps, four thousand five hundred steps...

At this height, only a few dozen figures remained on the Heavenly Staircase.

Behind every figure represented the Supreme glory and ardent expectations of their respective races or factions—they were the sparks, the hope, and the future into which countless resources and efforts had been poured.

Upon them, they carried too many gazes, too many expectations.

And at this moment, the competition between these dozens of figures had reached a white-hot intensity.

The distance between them was extremely tight, almost shoulder to shoulder, foot to foot.

That tiny gap was minuscule, yet as distinct as a chasm—any slight negligence, any moment of catching one's breath, could be an opportunity seized by the opponent behind to overtake; and any sliver of a Breakthrough, any burst of power, could allow one to stand out in this brutal ranking battle and advance further.

The air seemed to have solidified.

Only the sound of heavy gasping, the cracking of bones unable to bear the weight, and the dull roar of the Dao principles colliding remained, echoing on this divine staircase leading to the sky.

Finally—the white figure charging at the very front was the first to touch that invisible boundary.

His posture was straight as a pine, his white clothes whiter than snow, and his whole body was shrouded in a layer of hazy and divine holy radiance, as if he were untainted by dust and untouched by Karma.

This light was not magic power, but rather more like an innate temperament—holy, noble, and transcendent, as if he were an exiled immortal from heaven, who shouldn't have existed in this muddy world to begin with.

Since ascending the staircase, every step of his had been unhurried, as if he were not enduring pressure, but enjoying this contest with the Heavenly Dao.

His leisurely and unhurried posture had once made countless observers admire him and countless opponents feel despair.

But the moment he lifted his foot to step onto the five-thousandth step—

"BOOM!!!" The sky collapsed.

An indescribable, terrifying Aura, far exceeding all previous levels, came crashing down with Supreme majesty, as if the entire firmament had suddenly collapsed!

This was not pressure—it was more like a scrutiny and rejection from a higher-level rule. Cold, indifferent, and aloof, it contained the majesty of the Heavenly Dao, brooking no blasphemy, no slight, as if saying: "Mortal, you have touched a Domain you should not have touched."

The holy radiance around the white figure fluctuated violently, like a candle flame in a gale, flickering on and off, nearly extinguishing.

His straight body suddenly sank, and the jade staircase beneath his feet emitted a "crack" of being unable to bear the weight—that divine staircase, hard enough to carry a weight of ten thousand jun, had actually been cracked by his single step!

"Hmph—" A suppressed groan escaped his lips, clearly audible on this silent Heavenly Staircase.

His face instantly turned as pale as paper, and a trace of striking crimson spilled from the corner of his mouth.

The steps that had just been as fluid as an immortal's, and the posture that had just been so composed, showed their first clear signs of stagnation and heaviness.

This step was no longer climbing; it was more like carrying an entire mountain range, resisting the entire firmament.

His spine bent slightly, yet he stubbornly straightened it; his knees trembled, yet he never knelt; his breathing was chaotic, yet he did not retreat a single step.

"What happened?!"

"The five-thousandth step! It's the five-thousandth step! There is a hurdle there!"

"Heavens—even that person has been hindered! What level of trial is that?!"

Before the water mirror, all the Cultivators watching that white figure, whether they were his clansmen, allies, or observers from other factions, burst into cries of disbelief.

Some widened their eyes, some subconsciously took half a step forward, and some even forgot to breathe, just staring blankly at the scene in the water mirror.

This young Supreme had been in a league of his own since ascending the staircase, displaying unfathomable strength, and was recognized as one of the most likely competitors to reach the summit—no, the most likely!

His strength was something everyone could see. That kind of strength even made some older figures feel palpitations—this was a future Dominator, an existence destined to stand out in the contention of ten thousand races, a name destined to be recorded in history.

Yet even he was suppressed to such an extent at the five-thousandth step, almost unable to lift his head!

What exactly did this five-thousandth step threshold mean? What kind of trial could make such an existence find it so difficult to move?!

Outside the entire Secret Realm, the sudden change caused a brief shock and speculation. The sound of discussion rose like a tide, and countless Divine Senses swept across the water mirror, attempting to analyze the essence of the suddenly descended Heavenly Dao Aura.

Some were fearful, some were worried, some gloated, and some secretly rejoiced—rejoicing that they did not have to endure such pressure, rejoicing that they were not among the few standing at the very top.

However, before everyone could fully clear their heads from the shock of the white figure being hindered, the subsequent changes pushed the atmosphere to a climax once again—

Following closely behind the white figure, several figures with majestic Auras, not inferior in the slightest, stepped into the five-thousandth step area almost simultaneously.

Golden Crow Fentian! Wutian! Kasyapa! Burial Son! Prince of the Nether! Blood Butcher! Divine Son of Holy Brilliance!

Seven people! Seven great Prodigies!

Each of them had an Aura like a rainbow, with blazing Battle Intent burning in their eyes.

They saw the stagnation of the white figure ahead, saw his difficulty—and to them, this was the best opportunity!

Catch up! Overtake! Replace him!

This thought exploded in the hearts of the seven simultaneously, like a spark falling into a frying pan, instantly igniting their fighting spirit and ambition.

They erupted with even more blazing Auras, their steps suddenly quickening, carrying the momentum to break through the obstacles ahead and even wanting to overtake, stepping into that legendary five-thousandth step range—

"BOOM!" "BOOM!" "BOOM!" Seven consecutive, equally terrifying and inferior Heavenly Dao Auras, like seven invisible bolts of divine thunder, descended precisely upon the seven of them! Impartial and equal!

This pressure was not cumulative, but independent—for every person who stepped in, it was a complete scrutiny by the Heavenly Dao, a ruthless blow to the head!

"Pfft—" Someone was caught off guard and directly spat out a mouthful of fresh blood. The blood mist exploded in the air, only to be instantly crushed by the invisible pressure, turning into specks of crimson, scattering onto the jade staircase.

It was Golden Crow Fentian, known as an existence with invincible defense at the same level, now his face was as pale as paper, and his eyes were full of disbelief.

He looked down at the bloodstains on his chest, as if he could not believe that he had actually been injured.

"Hmph!" The protective light on someone's body instantly dimmed, emitting a cracking wail—this was his Lifebound Treasure that had accompanied him through years of battles, and now it actually had visible cracks!

It was Burial Son; he looked down at his Magical Artifact, deep fear flashing in his eyes.

This Magic Treasure had accompanied him through so many life-and-death dangers, never failing, never damaged—but now, it was wailing, trembling, struggling on the verge of breaking.

"Ugh—" Someone let out a suppressed groan of pain, their body swaying violently, almost being shaken directly off the staircase!

It was Wutian; he desperately circulated his Cultivation Technique to barely steady his body, but his feet retreated three steps, each step leaving a deep footprint on the hard stone stairs, shocking to the eye.

The seven great Prodigies—without exception, all were hit!

Their faces were filled with shock, anger, and gravity.

This was a disparity of falling from the clouds to the Mortal world, a resentment and anger of being slapped hard in the face.

They had thought that even if there was a hurdle at the five-thousandth step, they could handle it with ease given their strength—but reality gave them a loud slap in the face.

This completely unexpected Heavenly Dao Aura gave them a heavy warning.

The momentum of their rapid ascent was abruptly interrupted.

Everyone felt as if they had fallen into an invisible quagmire, or as if they were being pressed hard against the stairs by an invisible giant hand, finding it difficult to take a step. Every time they lifted a leg, they had to exhaust all their strength; every time they breathed, they had to endure the pressure of ten thousand jun.

Their pride and their confidence were ruthlessly crushed at this moment, and then trampled into the dirt.

"Hiss—"

"The seven great Prodigies have all been suppressed too!"

"The five-thousandth step! That is definitely a watershed, the true hurdle set by the Heavenly Dao!"

"Heavens—even they are suppressed so severely, how can the people behind them go up?"

"This... this trial is too terrifying! Does the Heavenly Staircase only truly begin at the five-thousandth step?!"

After a brief silence, there was an even more surging uproar and heated discussion.

Outside the entire Secret Realm, it was as if the pot had exploded; countless people vied to discuss, and countless gazes were glued to the scene in the water mirror, unwilling to miss a single detail.

If it were only the white figure who was hindered, perhaps it could be attributed to some accident or individual reason—but the seven great Prodigies following closely behind being struck simultaneously completely proved one point:

The five-thousandth step was an extremely terrifying hurdle that treated all climbers equally.

This was no longer a simple test of potential, cultivation, or will, but more like the Heavenly Dao was filtering—filtering the "true seeds" qualified to pry into the mysteries of higher levels.

Merely reaching that height was not enough; one also had to possess the qualifications to resist this Heavenly Dao Aura that had suddenly increased by several orders of magnitude, and must prove oneself worthy of being seen by the Heavenly Dao.

"So that's how it is... Below the five-thousandth step, perhaps it was just filtering out the mediocre and ordinary Geniuses. Above the five-thousandth step is the true battlefield for contending for the Supreme position!"