Chapter 95: Chapter 95: Reaching the Summit

"You’ve still got a long way to go!" Those words stabbed into Mu Feiyu’s heart like a sharp thorn, grating on his every nerve.

Mu Feiyu scrambled to his feet, his eyes bloodshot and his face contorted as he glared at Shen Haoran. He couldn’t accept this reality. Compared to Shen Haoran’s calm and composed demeanor, he looked utterly pathetic. At the same time, his heart was screaming in denial. ’Impossible! We’re both on the Seventy-fifth Tier, facing the same terrifying pressure. I have to fight for my life just to resist it, but Shen Haoran treats it like it’s nothing! How can that be?!’

Was it impossible? No, it was entirely possible. Mu Feiyu realized that a faint, almost imperceptible pressure also seemed to emanate from Shen Haoran. This pressure was like a sharp knife, slicing right through the Saint’s might pouring down from the Chaos Celestial Ladder. That had to be why Shen Haoran could act so casually on the Celestial Ladder!

Shen Haoran gave Mu Feiyu an indifferent glance, then with a light leap, continued his ascent.

"He can still keep climbing!" Seeing that Shen Haoran hadn’t stopped, the crowd below cried out in shock.

"The seventy-eighth tier! He’s tied Sect Master Chen Yu’s record!" By now, Shen Haoran stood on the seventy-eighth tier. The disparaging voices from the crowd had vanished, replaced by cheers. People are like that: they revere the strong and bully the weak.

Shen Haoran turned a deaf ear to the cheers from below. He took a deep breath and lifted his foot to press forward once more.

"Oh, my heavens, what is he doing? Does he plan to go even higher?"

"He made it! He made it! The seventy-ninth tier! He broke the record! He broke Sect Master Chen Yu’s record!" When Shen Haoran stood firmly on the seventy-ninth tier, the cheers from the crowd grew even louder.

To Mu Feiyu, still on the Seventy-fifth Tier, the tsunami of cheers from below felt like a profound mockery.

"Damn you, Shen Haoran!" Mu Feiyu’s face twisted as he roared. "Those cheers should be for me! All of this should be mine! You’re just a good-for-nothing! There’s no way I’ll lose to you!" He roared and tried to climb higher.

However, he was no Shen Haoran. His body, already at its limit, completely collapsed after taking that single step. He was blasted away by the pressure pouring down from the Chaos Celestial Ladder. Amidst the crowd’s cheers, the sound of breaking bones was piercingly sharp.

Watching Mu Feiyu fall like a kite with a snapped string, Mu Feng’s expression was thunderous. Helpless, he could only fly out and catch him.

Mu Feiyu was completely unconscious. Multiple bones in his body had been crushed by the terrifying pressure. Fortunately, his constitution was strong, so his life wasn’t in danger.

"Elder Mu, you should hurry and take your genius disciple for treatment. Otherwise, your Cyan Wood Hall might be short one great general in the future!" Elder Huo said with a chuckle, ignoring Mu Feng’s murderous glare.

It couldn’t be helped; Elder Huo was just too happy today. With Mu Feiyu having fallen from the Chaos Celestial Ladder and Shen Haoran standing on the seventy-ninth tier, the outcome of their bet was all but decided. This meant that all of the Cyan Wood Hall’s new disciples’ Cultivation Materials would go to the Red Flame Hall. That was a massive jackpot. Just thinking about sleeping on a pile of so many Cultivation Materials made Elder Huo grin from ear to ear.

Mu Feng was speechless, his heart filled with agitation. He cursed the unconscious Mu Feiyu in his mind. ’What a useless piece of trash! Couldn’t you see Shen Haoran’s body was starting to give out? If you had just held on a little longer, you would have won the bet!’ Now that they had lost so many Cultivation Materials for nothing, Mu Feng felt like killing Mu Feiyu himself.

And Elder Mu wasn’t wrong. Shen Haoran’s body was indeed trembling violently. He was only two steps away from the top of the ladder. Yet those two steps felt as difficult as ascending to the heavens.

By now, the pressure pouring down from the top had changed completely. It was no longer like a stream of water; it had become extremely viscous. The resonant pressure he had comprehended earlier had a negligible effect here. He felt as if he were trapped in quicksand, unable to move no matter how he tried.

"What’s wrong with him? Why has he stopped moving?" The people below were confused as they watched Shen Haoran stand motionless. They had all been hoping to see him create another miracle.

"Stop here. This is your limit. What lies beyond is not a realm you can touch yet." At that moment, Sect Master Chen Yu’s voice rang in Shen Haoran’s ear.

Indeed, for a Tier Eight Spirit Pupil to have charged into the third stage was incredible. One had to understand that the pressure of the third stage could only be resisted by those who had comprehended the Momentum of Heaven and Earth, a feat that at least a Spirit General was required to achieve. To do so as a Spirit Pupil was already something to be proud of.

But would Shen Haoran stop? No, he would not. He took a moment to acclimate himself slightly, then lifted his foot and strode forward once more.

Shen Haoran couldn’t stop now. A voice in his mind was calling to him softly. Shen Haoran could feel it: at the very top of this Chaos Celestial Ladder, there was something he absolutely had to obtain. Something even more important than his own life.

Seeing Shen Haoran ignore his advice and insist on pressing forward, Chen Yu’s brow furrowed. But this was Shen Haoran’s choice, and he could not interfere.

"CRACK! CRACK! CRACK..." As Shen Haoran planted one foot on the eightieth tier, his bones began to pop and crack, sounding as if they could be crushed at any moment. The Fire Spirit Black Obsidian, which had previously subsided, surged forth again, enveloping his entire body.

Only when his other foot landed did he truly feel the terror of this place. On the eightieth tier, Shen Haoran couldn’t even stand. The terrifying, viscous pressure made it difficult for him to even breathe. He fell to one knee, a raging black flame swirling around him. All the muscles in his body trembled ceaselessly, as if trying to match the rhythm of the pressure, but it had a negligible effect.

"HUFF... HUFF..." Shen Haoran gasped for breath. He struggled to raise his head and look at the summit, so close yet so far. A bitter smile touched his lips. ’In my current state, I can’t even stand, let alone reach the top. In a few more breaths, once my Spiritual Power is depleted, I’ll probably be crushed to dust by this horrifying pressure.’

"Hmph, he’s overestimating his own abilities!" Mu Feng sneered from the viewing platform as he watched Shen Haoran’s aura grow weaker and weaker. He now wanted to vent all his frustration on Shen Haoran.

"Kid, give up! We’ve already won! There’s no need to throw your life away! You’ll die if you take another step, you know that?!" Elder Huo was also getting anxious. He had finally found such a promising seedling; how could he bear to watch him perish here?

But Ji Lingxuan, standing beside She Master, said nothing. She simply watched Shen Haoran with a calm expression.

"Little girl, quick, talk some sense into him! He’s going to die!" Elder Huo urged anxiously.

"Brother Haoran will not give up. And he will definitely succeed!" Ji Lingxuan’s voice was filled with confidence.

"You... *Sigh*..." Elder Huo let out a long sigh, at a loss for words. He could only turn his gaze back to Shen Haoran.

On the eightieth tier, Shen Haoran’s gaze was resolute. He indeed had no intention of giving up. He gritted his teeth and retracted all the black flames enveloping his body.

Seeing this, Elder Huo seemed to realize what Shen Haoran was about to do and immediately tried to stop him. "Don’t! You’ll die if you use that move!"

But Shen Haoran didn’t stop. A cold, emotionless voice shouted from his lips: "Heaven-Dominating Tribulation, activate!"