Nine hundred ninetieth step!
When Tang Xiaoqi's foot steadily stepped on this second-to-last tenth step's stone surface, the entire heaven and earth seemed to solidify and flip!
If the previous pressure was heavy as mountains, then at this moment, these final ten steps brought down the crushing of the entire heaven and earth! That was not pure power, but more like a rejection will originating from the universe's origin, imperiously declaring this road impassable, those who dared to ascend to heaven were all rebels, should receive heavenly punishment!
"Boom--!!!"
An invisible shock wave erupted from the stone steps as the center! The air let out groans of unbearable burden, light twisted, space itself seemed to be trembling slightly.
"Puh!"
A genius not far behind Tang Xiaoqi did not even have time to make any response, his protective spiritual light instantly shattering, his whole body like being hit head-on by an invisible giant hammer, blood spraying wildly, flying backward like a torn sack, instantly teleported away by the ancient path's power.
Even those top geniuses at the very front all changed color!
Central Plains Ninth Prince let out a muffled groan, the purple dragon qi around him violently shaking, almost collapsing. He abruptly stopped his steps, hands forming seals, imperial dragon qi frantically gathering, only then barely steadying his figure, but his face was already pale white.
Ice Plain Holy Maiden's ice lotuses beneath her feet "cracked" and completely shattered into sky-full of ice powder, her figure swaying, a trace of crimson blood overflowing from the corner of her mouth, her cold eyes finally showing a look of horror.
Ten Thousand Buddhas Sect Buddha Son's relic's Buddhist light above his head rapidly dimmed, his cross-legged body violently swaying, almost falling from the stone steps.
Even that Hidden Dragon List's top rank Ling Tianyu, the chaos aura surging around him was also forcibly suppressed by this sudden heavenly might. He abruptly raised his head, for the first time revealing an extremely grave light in his eyes.
Everyone was intimidated by these final ten steps' terrifying might, having to stop and resist with full strength, no one daring to easily take the next step!
However, this was just the beginning!
Almost at the same instant the pressure exploded, even more terrifying, even more direct to the soul's origin illusions, like a breached flood, drowned everyone's sea of consciousness!
Before Tang Xiaoqi's eyes, the scene suddenly changed.
No longer simple flames and demon shadows, but extremely real, extremely clear scene replay --
Xu Lan Manor, night color like ink.
But this time, he was no longer that child hiding in the corner, helplessly crying. He stood right in the manor's plaza center, standing in that demon qi rushing to the sky and rampaging flames!
He saw Manor Lord Xu Zhan, his father, covered in blood, armor broken, holding a broken sword, fighting with those endless demon shadows. His father's eyes were no longer the determination and tragedy in memory, but filled with endless pain, struggle, and... a trace of madness and turbidity eroded by demon qi!
"Xiao Qi... run quickly... no! Kill you! Devour your origin!" His father's face frantically switched between clarity and demonization, letting out twisted and contradictory roars, a demon qi-filled claw, carrying destructive aura, directly grabbing toward his head! That aura, real and not empty, carrying Nascent Soul peak's terrifying pressure, made his soul tremble!
At the same time, the screams and pleas for help from those familiar relatives, servants, and playmates around him incomparably clearly entered his ears, they were torn apart by demon shadows, turned to ashes in the flames, blood splashing on his face, carrying warm touch...
This was presenting his innermost fear, the memory he least wanted to recall, and the most unable to let go of, in the most real, most cruel way, starkly before him! And intertwining that despair of being unable to save, with the fear of loved ones possibly falling!
Change to anyone, no matter how firm the Dao-heart, facing such an illusion directly striking the soul's weakness, would probably instantly lose their mind, their foundation destroyed!
Tang Xiaoqi's body violently trembled, his face instantly pale as paper. He could feel his heart seemed gripped by an invisible big hand, almost stopping. His father's twisted face, the tragic sight of loved ones before death, like countless sharp knives, fiercely scraping his soul!
In his sea of consciousness, the Green Lotus Origin spun madly at unprecedented speed, releasing pure white light, trying to purify this terrifying illusion, but that illusion seemed rooted in his soul's depths, the same source as his fear, extremely hard to dispel.
"Fake... all fake..." He clenched his teeth, his gums even oozing blood, telling himself over and over in his heart.
But the illusion's power was too strong! His father's demon qi-filled sharp claws had already touched his brow, the cold death aura making his whole body's hair stand on end!
At this critical juncture, Tang Xiaoqi's Dao-heart, long tempered transparent through countless life and deaths, suddenly burst with brilliant light!
He abruptly raised his head, no longer looking at his father's twisted face, nor paying attention to the surrounding tragic scenes and flames. His gaze seemed to pierce through this illusory fear, cast toward that "Dao" existing in the unseen that belonged to himself!
Guardian!
His Dao was guardian!
Guarding everything worth guarding! Guarding the pure land in his heart! Guarding that fire of hope never extinguishing even in despair!
The tragedy of Xu Lan Manor was the past, an unchangeable pain, but even more the whip driving him constantly forward! His father's sacrifice was to let him live, to let him have the power to guard the future! Not to let him sink in past fear and self-blame!
If he could not even defeat this illusion demon originating from the past, what right did he have to talk about guarding the future? What right to pursue that supreme realm?
"Father..." Tang Xiaoqi mumbled, his voice hoarse, yet carrying a resolute determination, "Your sacrifice will not be in vain. Xiao Qi... has grown up."
The moment his words fell, all the fear, struggle, and pain in his eyes, like a tide, receded, replaced by a calm and transparency having experienced vicissitudes, having seen through falsehood!
He no longer resisted that magic claw grabbing toward his brow, but instead, facing that terrifying pressure and illusion, actively, firmly, took a step forward!
One step out!
"Buzz--!"
In his sea of consciousness, something seemed to shatter! That entangling terrifying illusion, like ice and snow under sunlight, instantly melted and dissolved! His father's figure, the burning manor, the shrill screams... all of it turned to nothingness.
He still stood on the nine hundred ninetieth step, surrounded by that terrifying-to-the-extreme heavenly pressure.
But, his Dao-heart was unprecedentedly transparent! Crystal clear, flawless and unstained!
Those final ten steps tested long ago not cultivation and will, but absolute belief in one's own Dao, thorough release and transcendence of the past!
Tang Xiaoqi, accomplished it!
He slowly raised his head, looking toward that within reach starry sky that seemed reachable by stretching out his hand, and beneath the starry sky, those final nine steps as if leading to the divine realm.
His eyes, calm and firm, no longer had the slightest confusion and fear.
He adjusted his breathing, feeling the spiritual power within him though enormously consumed, yet even more pure and condensed, and that indestructible Dao-heart, once again taking steps.
One step, two steps, three steps...
The final ten steps, he walked extremely slowly, yet extremely steadily. Every step falling, the aura on his body became purer by a fraction, the light of his Dao-heart shone brighter by a fraction.
When he finally stepped over the nine hundred ninety-ninth step, both feet steadily standing on that Heavenly Stairs summit as if condensed from stars.
That terrifying-to-the-extreme heavenly pressure around him, like a tide,轰然 receded.
Replacing it was an unprecedented lightness and vastness. As if breaking free of all shackles, his soul merging as one with this vast starry sky.
He, Tang Xiaoqi, successfully reached the summit!