Chapter 1761: The Ascending Dragon Stairway
Xiao Juanyun rested a hand against one of the stone monuments before turning to look at Ling Feng. "These stone monuments seem to hide something."
"Perhaps," Ling Feng said as he narrowed his eyes as he examined the sword marks carved into the stone. There was definitely something extraordinary about them.
At this moment, Luo Hanzhou stood motionless before another monument, staring at it without blinking. His eyes had gone vacant, as though his consciousness had left his body. Yet an unusual aura radiated from him.
"Could it be..."
Ling Feng's heart skipped a beat. He immediately poured his spiritual thoughts into the monument.
The next instant, his consciousness was pulled into a boundless sea of chaos.
Within the hazy mist, a shadowy figure slowly emerged.
Just like the guardian he had encountered at the outermost trial, the figure before him exuded overwhelming strength.
It was terrifying.
Ling Feng instantly understood what this meant. To break through the stone monument and leave this place, he had to defeat the Shadow before him. Otherwise, his consciousness would remain trapped here forever.
***
After a grueling battle, Ling Feng finally defeated the chaotic Shadow.
Golden light blossomed beneath his feet, and everything before him dissolved into blank whiteness once again.
He had no idea how much time passed.
When his senses gradually returned, he felt as though he had climbed above the clouds themselves. Endless white mist surrounded him.
At the end of that sea of mist shone a brilliant golden light.
Ling Feng followed it until he finally reached its source.
A grand hall stood before him.
It was not especially magnificent, but directly ahead rose a towering golden staircase that stretched high into the sky.
One after another, several more figures emerged through the clouds.
They were Luo Hanzhou, Xiao Juanyun, and Yi Ming.
Like him, they had all been drawn here by the golden light.
Before the staircase stood an enormous stone monument.
Three dazzling golden words were engraved upon it: Ascending Dragon Stairway.
Xiao Juanyun narrowed his eyes as he stared at the monument. "What does that mean? Are we supposed to climb it?"
"We'll find out soon enough," Luo Hanzhou said. He took a deep breath and strode toward the Ascending Dragon Stairway.
The others remained where they were, watching his every move.
In only a few steps, Luo Hanzhou reached the foot of the staircase.
He inhaled deeply and stepped onto the first stair.
The moment his foot landed, his expression changed and he clenched his fist tightly.
Looking closely, his legs could even be seen trembling slightly.
After taking several slow breaths, Luo Hanzhou did not continue upward. Instead, he stepped back down and withdrew from the staircase without forcing himself any further.
Ling Feng looked at him in surprise. "How did it feel?"
Even with Luo Hanzhou's terrifying physique, he had only managed to stand on the very first step. Could anyone really climb this staircase?
Luo Hanzhou took several deep breaths before finally steadying himself.
His expression remained solemn as he slowly uttered four words. "Do not underestimate it."
Judging by the seriousness on his face, the staircase had clearly dealt him quite a blow.
"Brother Luo, what exactly did you experience up there?" Xiao Juanyun asked.
"Pressure," Luo Hanzhou spoke slowly as he recalled the sensation. "Pressure coming from every direction. It stops you from lifting your feet. It stops you from setting them down. It stops you from moving forward. At the same time, it keeps crushing you, trying to force you off the staircase."
He paused before continuing. "It feels like standing before an ancient ferocious beast. Climbing it will not be easy."
As he spoke, his eyes burned with determination. The Ascending Dragon Stairway was unimaginably difficult, but he clearly had no intention of giving up.
"Brother Luo, thank you for the warning. I will give it a try as well."
Xiao Juanyun tightened his fists and calmly stepped toward the staircase.
The moment his foot landed on the first step, the overwhelming pressure crashed down upon him exactly as Luo Hanzhou had described.
It felt as though every bone in his body was about to be crushed.
Fortunately, Luo Hanzhou's warning had prepared him.
Instead of rushing forward, Xiao Juanyun remained on the first step until he adjusted to the pressure before taking the next one.
Step by step, he advanced steadily.
Before long, he successfully climbed past the tenth step.
The instant he stepped onto the eleventh, however, his expression changed dramatically.
Sweat poured down his face as he gasped for breath. "So that's the limit..."
Xiao Juanyun was not reckless. If he suffered serious injuries here, he would have no chance of conquering the Ascending Dragon Stairway later.
He retreated to the bottom and shook his head.
"There are ninety-nine steps in total. Every time you pass another ten steps, the pressure increases dramatically. Reaching the ninety-ninth step will be incredibly difficult."
There was another issue weighing on everyone's minds.
The Sunset Ancient City remained open for only one month.
At this point, only five or six days remained before it closed.
In other words, they had only a handful of days to conquer all ninety-nine steps.
Otherwise, the Great Desolation Sword Saint's inheritance would remain forever out of reach.
Judging from both Luo Hanzhou's and Xiao Juanyun's attempts, reaching the ninety-ninth step seemed almost impossible.
"That's exactly what makes it worth the challenge."
Luo Hanzhou laughed heartily.
Having fully recovered, he stepped onto the staircase once again.
This time, he climbed all the way to the thirtieth step before the overwhelming force blasted him back down.
"Haha! Excellent!"
After landing on the ground, Luo Hanzhou showed no trace of frustration.
Instead, his face lit up with excitement.
He firmly believed that with enough attempts, he would eventually reach the ninety-ninth step.
"Brother Luo, take these. They're medicinal pills for healing."
Ling Feng took out a bottle of medicinal pills and offered it to him.
"No."
Luo Hanzhou shook his head.
"Here, we're still competitors. Since we're competing, I can't accept your help. If I do, the contest is no longer fair."
"Very well."
Ling Feng smiled and put the bottle away.
Someone as principled as Luo Hanzhou would never change his mind once he had made a decision.
At that moment, Yi Ming, who had yet to test the staircase, finally stepped forward for his first attempt.
Although he had kept a low profile the entire time, the fact that he had reached this place already proved both his talent and his strength.
Before long, Yi Ming successfully climbed beyond the twentieth step.
He finally stopped at the twenty-ninth.
After a brief silence, he shook his head.
Rather than pushing himself any further, he carefully retraced his steps and descended.
Unlike Luo Hanzhou, he did not possess such a powerful physique.
If the staircase blasted him off, he would almost certainly lose any chance of climbing it again.
Worse still, the terrifying pressure might crush him to death on the spot.