"Wahhh, Lao w.a.n.g. I can't stand it anymore!" Simba was already screaming under the pressure. Even though he had transformed into the clown mask, it felt like he was about to be crushed by the extreme pressure. As for Tatamu who was still on w.a.n.g Zhong's shoulders, it was already as pale as a sheet. It could not sense the trials on the white jade stairs.
In the term of the Octopus people, this was called the Heaven Ascension Stairs, made from a phoenix's skeleton. The phoenix was the master of the sky, and all creatures were not able to fly in front of it. It was impossible to fly, but… Seriously, no one thought about being carried up by someone else; it felt really blasphemous.
In any case, Tatamu was still alive. It was indeed blessed by the G.o.ds. However, it was still terrified. If this human couldn't hold on and decided to leave him behind… Gosh… Even those Sword Saints had difficulty walking this sacred path; if it came into contact with the steps, wouldn't it instantly get crushed?
Tatamu actually wanted to scream, but it was afraid of disturbing the human carrying it. As such, it could only hold it in and pray silently.
It prayed for the Phoenix G.o.d to bless this human. It hoped that the human wouldn't leave it in this h.e.l.lish place to fend for itself.
"If you can't continue, you can stay in my Soul Sea," said w.a.n.g Zhong.
"Why would I do such a disloyal thing? But Lao w.a.n.g, you should go faster, so we can suffer less…" Simba screamed. He was different from Tatamu as he was connected to w.a.n.g Zhong's soul. He also had to share the kind of soul restraint that w.a.n.g Zhong felt, so it was extremely uncomfortable for him as well.
However, he knew that w.a.n.g Zhong was already struggling to resist the stairs' soul restraint. If w.a.n.g Zhong didn't have the clown mask to reduce the pressure, he was afraid that w.a.n.g Zhong would not be able to go on. As such, he had to accompany w.a.n.g Zhong all the way.
w.a.n.g Zhong acknowledged his words with an "Mmm". It was not appropriate to get distracted by anything at this time. He tried to forget about everything that was going on, including the people chasing him, aliens, etc., and focused on walking up step by step.
This flight of stairs and this path was a trial specially designed for Heavenly Souls. The standard of physical strength or soul strength for this path was set at the Heavenly Soul Stage. Even in the long history of the Octopus people, no Heroic Soul had ever reached the end. The nearer it was to the end, the more insurmountable it would become.
Previously, he felt that he had endless Soul Power, but now, it seemed that his Soul Power was insufficient. Although there was still a continuous flow of Soul Power from his divine cells, the flow couldn't keep up with this huge consumption. The pressure he felt on his body was increasing by the second.
Previously, he also felt that his body was extremely strong, but at this time, he was getting more and more tired. He was so tired that even the super recovery ability of his divine cells could not lessen his fatigue.
He was tired and weak. The seemingly short 100 meters seemed to be infinitely far away. He felt as though a century had pa.s.sed, but he had only managed to take a few steps.
It was not possible to find another path. Furthermore, the Sword Saint was right behind him.
Hold on! Endure! Continue!
Almost every inch of his body's muscles was trembling, and his insides were convulsing. As for his Soul Sea, it had already been stretched to its maximum possible limit. Even though his Soul Sea was special, it was now extremely dry. All his limits were tested, including his body's various functions and various endurances. They were all pushed to their limits and extremes. This made w.a.n.g Zhong feel that he might be directly crushed on this flight of stairs in the next second. However, the soul restraint felt in his heart suddenly dissipated.
Ordinary people would have a so-called fatigue cycle when running long distances. The first thousand meters would make you half-dead, and your legs would become as heavy as lead. It would make you feel that it would be impossible to take another step. However, if you could continue, the body would enter a stage of numbness; your fatigue would begin to dissipate. The pressure on the body would also begin to dissipate. It would not matter if anyone regarded this situation as a false impression from subconscious deception or pure body numbness. It truly existed. When the will defeated the body's limitations and the soul defeated the flesh, it would be considered a self-breakthrough.
This was exactly how w.a.n.g Zhong felt at this time. The gravity around him did not dissipate; the restraint on his soul did not decrease, and there was no obvious breakthrough in his own physical condition. However, he suddenly felt a little more relaxed. Previously, it took all his power and around ten seconds to take one step, but now, he could do so in four or five seconds. However, this also meant that the second round of fatigue would come faster.
After walking about a dozen more steps up the stairs, a more intense exhaustion suddenly struck him. This time, the exhaustion came at him more violently than before. It was as though it included the fatigue w.a.n.g Zhong was supposed to feel previously.
Hold on! Hold on!
w.a.n.g Zhong kept cheering himself on silently. Under this huge pressure, he even felt that he could no longer sense the world anymore. He was so tired that he couldn't even keep his eyes open. It wasn't because he felt like sleeping; it was because even opening his eyes and moving his eyelids was like a huge consumption of energy for him. But he could not afford to fall down, and he could not die here. He had to go back alive because many people were waiting for him!
Scarlet. He promised that he would protect her forever!
He wanted to find Aunt Shea; he wanted to know who he really was; why he had the Fate Stone, and why he had different experiences from others. He wanted to know what happened in the past, and he wanted to know everything!
The faces of Grai, Laura, Barran, etc., flashed before his eyes like an illusion as though they were cheering for him. w.a.n.g Zhong gritted his teeth as the skin and blood vessels in his entire body seemed like they were about to explode. However, his eyes flashed with determination.
Failure always started from the moment of giving up, and his biggest forte was never giving up!
w.a.n.g Zhong had lost count of how many times he had experienced the fatigue cycle. To be precise, other than moving forward, he had lost his sense of time as well as his consciousness. Due to the Fate Stone, his Soul Sea would never completely collapse, and due to his divine cells, his Soul Sea would always replenish itself when it was about to collapse. If he was still the old w.a.n.g Zhong, he would probably have died a thousand times over. Even if the Fate Stone could maintain his Soul Sea, his body would have collapsed long ago. If that were to happen, the Fate Stone would lose its bearer and would be summoned back to its mysterious dimension, and w.a.n.g Zhong would also disappear completely.
w.a.n.g Zhong didn't know how long he had been walking. He was still looking forward to the end of this path just now, but the end was only seemingly near. Now, he had forgotten that he was walking up a flight of stairs; all that was left was merely numbness and mechanical movements.
Pa…
Amidst all the numbness, w.a.n.g Zhong finally reached the place that he himself had no hope of reaching. With that, he instantly felt his body lighten, and the restraint on his soul that nearly crushed his heart also dissipated.
w.a.n.g Zhong's hands and feet turned to jelly, and he knelt down on the ground instantly. The surrounding air seemed to be filled with powerful energy. As it flowed freely in the air, he felt increasingly comfortable with each breath.
This sudden relaxed feeling felt like the layers of mist shrouding his vision were pulled away. The recovery ability of the divine cells was exerted to the fullest in this normal state of zero energy consumption. With the rich and powerful energy of this place, w.a.n.g Zhong merely fainted for about two or three seconds due to the sudden relief in pressure; after which, his consciousness and body began to recover quickly.
At this time, he realized that his body was already soaked in sweat, and all the muscles in his body had become extremely sore and numb. However, with the recovery ability of the divine cells, he got the feeling of an empty s.p.a.ce being rapidly filled up, and it was truly very comfortable. His strength, consciousness, and perception were gradually becoming clear. It was like he was about to die of thirst in the desert when a bottle of iced mineral water was suddenly given to him, and there was also a full refrigerator waiting for him. The most important thing was that he did not feel like his body was going to collapse.
w.a.n.g Zhong looked at his own hands in disbelief, then clenched his fists. He only walked up a flight of stairs, yet he was now only one step away from becoming a Heavenly Soul. In the Holy Land's terms, he was truly already a Semi-Heavenly Soul!
Reaching the top signified that he had attained victory. The Octopus people's Sacred Mountain truly lived up to its name. Whether it was the flight of white jade stairs or the vitality and energy on the top of this mountain, the effect of this trial was truly terrifying, but it was the most perfect experience one could get.
Simba had already slipped off w.a.n.g Zhong's face and transformed back to a clown. He sat on the ground, panting heavily.
On the other hand, Tatamu fell off w.a.n.g Zhong's shoulders and rolled to the side. At this time, it was staring at w.a.n.g Zhong, clearly dumbfounded. Of course, it was praying along the way for heaven to bless this human to reach the top so that it would not be left behind halfway, but when this human really did it, Tatamu suddenly discovered how incredible and impossible this was.
As citizens of the Imperial City— regardless of whether it was the Polylegs or any other races living in the Imperial City — everyone knew the so-called 'national events' like the back of their tentacles. They had certainly heard all kinds of legends about the Sacred Mountain and, of course, knew that this was the famous 'pilgrimage road'. This was a place where only Octopus Sword Saints and Warlock Saints were qualified and had the strength to enter. Furthermore, the person had to be the cream of the crop. It was no exaggeration to say that the Octopus people would not necessarily pay much attention to a newly emerged Sword or Warlock Saint, but if someone had completed this pilgrimage, that one would definitely be highly respected and become a guest of the Octopus royal family. The requirements to walk on this path were so high that it had become something only attainable by G.o.ds in the minds of the Mizobudapi people.
At this time, w.a.n.g Zhong had already almost fully recovered, and he took the opportunity to look around.
It was slightly different from what he had imagined. At the top of the mountain, there was no sign of the so-called Sovereign's corpse nor any altar used by the Octopus people to pay respects to heaven. It didn't even have flames like the bottom of the mountain.
