Unrivaled Martial Emperor

"So fast. Chen Fan is too fast!"

"Yeah, he's already at the nine hundred and ninetieth step, only nine last steps away from the top."

"I wonder if this is the only test? If so, he will be the first to reach the top and enter the divine palace, gaining an edge over everyone. People like us will only get his leftovers."

"This won't do. I need to go faster. The treasures and opportunities are finite. If I'm too late, I'm afraid I won't even get a taste of the soup."

"Faster? It's useless. Maintaining this pace is fine, but pushing beyond is just courting death."

Below, the crowd could no longer bring themselves to think of competing with Chen Fan.

If there was only a difference of a dozen or so steps, they could still grit their teeth and try to catch up; over a hundred steps, though, was beyond mere effort.

Meanwhile, Chen Fan didn't care to think about those behind him.

He stood at the nine hundred and ninetieth step. The oppressive force acting on him was as if a continent were pressing down on him, forcibly bending him.

The oppressive force was too terrifying. Even breathing had become difficult.

Huff!

Huff!

Chen Fan breathed laboriously, his sweat pouring like rain.

His legs have turned to jelly. If he was not careful, he might collapse on the stairs.

He dared not rush forward and instead stopped, slowly adjusting to the pressure.

After about two incense sticks of time, he slowly straightened his back, barely adapting to the oppressive force on him.

He stepped forward.

Boom!

Heaven and earth seem to shake violently. His straightened back was forced to bend again instantly, and his body trembled uncontrollably.

"Up!" Chen Fan's veins bulged, and his eyes widened. He gritted his teeth as he raised his foot, stepping on the nine hundred and ninety-first step.

The crowd below was at a loss for words.

Chen Fan led by a wide margin, proving the strength of his physique. However, even he was having an incredibly hard time climbing a single step up now, a clear indicator of the terrifying and oppressive force acting on him.

"My god, even Chen Fan finds this hard, what hope do we have?"

"You can't put it that way. Here, the higher one's cultivation level is, the greater the oppressive force they will face. Our levels are far lower than Chen Fan's, so the force we endure should be less."

"But even so, our ability to withstand the oppressive force isn't like Chen Fan's. Even with less pressure, can we handle it?"

"Hoho, you're already doubting yourself before getting there. I think it's impossible for you to reach the top."

"Damn it, curse me all you want; we can't exist under the same sky. Take this!"

The crowd's expressions differed. Some people even got into arguments and broke out into fights.

One step.

Two steps.

Three steps.

Chen Fan walked very slowly.

He only climbed three steps in an hour, reaching the nine hundred and ninety-third step, far slower than before.

It was unavoidable: the higher he climbed, the stronger the pressure.

At this stage, the force was terrifying.

After reaching the nine hundred and ninety-fifth step, his bones creaked loudly, and he trembled nonstop.

Hoo, hoo.

Chen Fan's breath roared like a bellows. His chest rose and fell fiercely, each inhale deep and drawn out.

Boom!

Every step he took was exceptionally strenuous.

"Hmph, if I can't even pass this test, how will I open the door to immortality? How will I enter the Phoenix Ancient Realm and bring Senior Sister back? This little bit of oppressive force won't stump me!" Chen Fan's gaze turned resolute.

In his eyes, there was nothing except for the few remaining steps.

Time passed extremely slowly as he climbed.

Under the incomparably huge pressure, Chen Fan's mind began to feel somewhat dazed, but his firm belief was not shaken once.

Onward!

Onward!

Climb all the steps!

Go to the end of the staircase!

Thus, Chen Fan continued advancing.

Although every step was exceptionally difficult, he continued going forward.

After an indeterminate amount of time, a loud boom suddenly echoed in his mind the moment his foot landed.

Boom!

Immediately afterward, he felt lighter. The pressure vanished. He felt weightless. True primeval energy surged from his dantian, flooding through him.

Exhaustion faded instantly.

Chen Fan's mind cleared up, and he couldn't help but let out a long breath.

Phew.

"This... I've reached the top!"

Chen Fan was astonished.

He'd lost track of everything. His sole thought had been to move forward. And somehow, he had made it.

"I didn't expect to gain such benefits after passing this test."

Chen Fan felt like he had gone up a level from inside to outside.

His mind had become purer, his will had become tougher, and even the flow of his true primeval had improved greatly compared to before, becoming incomparably smooth.

"He reached the top! He reached the top!"

"No need for you to say that, we all saw it!"

"Why isn't it me? Why isn't it me?"

The crowd burst into an uproar as Chen Fan reached the top of the staircase.

He rested for a while before he slowly pushed the divine palace's gates under countless people's gazes.

But the moment his palm touched the doors, a flash of clear light appeared, and he vanished.

"Hmm?"

"He disappeared!"

"That clear light just now..."

"Could it be that he's already been sent into the divine palace?"

The crowd's gazes froze at the sight.

Immediately afterward, their hearts pumped fiercely. A surge of determination rose within them, and they resumed their climb.

......

A vast and hazy ocean of white that was like a fog.

The entire world was filled with white fog. Its end was nowhere to be seen. Visibility was low; one could barely see a few dozen meters ahead, and beyond that, everything vanished into white.

Chen Fan opened his eyes and was shocked.

"What is this place?"

His first reaction was to look around him.

"I was just about to push the gates open when a force enveloped me..." Chen Fan calmed himself down, recalling what had happened earlier. He muttered, "Could it be that I'm already inside the divine palace? That staircase is only the first test, and this is the second test?"

His heart pumped violently.

He had assumed treasures awaited beyond the gate, but clearly, the trial wasn't over.

It seems like the test hasn't ended yet.

Right at this time, a melodious sound reverberated.