Chapter 96: Chapter 96: Illusion Realm at the Top of the Ladder

BOOM! A deep rumble echoed from the Chaos Celestial Ladder. Immediately after, a torrent of black flames erupted from Shen Haoran’s body. His aura surged, and in an instant, he broke through to the Spirit General stage!

"This..." The crowd exchanged glances, their eyes wide with disbelief.

Meanwhile, Mu Feiyu, who had just regained consciousness, saw Shen Haoran standing on the eightieth step like a Demon God. An aura even more formidable than his own radiated from Shen Haoran’s body. Mu Feiyu’s vision went black, and he fainted from rage all over again.

"That boy... he must have used some kind of Secret Technique," She Master commented from the side, her brow furrowed.

"Yes, that must be it. And a high-grade one at that, to allow him to break through an entire stage!" Chen Yu nodded, his eyes narrowing as he watched Shen Haoran. What interested him more, however, were the black flames swirling around Shen Haoran. ’Isn’t that the Fire Spirit Black Obsidian of the Five Elements?!’

On the other side, Elder Huo was pacing back and forth like an ant on a hot pan, muttering nonstop. "That brat! So reckless, just absolutely reckless! I’ll have to teach him a harsh lesson later! Just please, don’t let anything happen to him!"

Atop the Chaos Celestial Ladder, Shen Haoran was oblivious to the crowd’s thoughts. Even if he had known, he wouldn’t have cared. He simply had no time. The violent Spiritual Power unleashed by the Heaven-Dominating Tribulation was wreaking havoc inside him. Compounded by the terrifying pressure of a Saint from the outside, he was in constant danger of being crushed to pieces by the two forces. He had to charge up to the eighty-first step while he could still control the power of the Heaven-Dominating Tribulation. Otherwise, not even the gods could save him.

Shen Haoran struggled back to his feet. He had no intention of using tricks or shortcuts to counteract the Saint’s pressure. Instead, he relied completely on his own rampaging Spiritual Power and the terrifying heat of the Fire Spirit Black Obsidian to forcibly tear an opening through it.

Shen Haoran took a deep breath, stared at the step before him, gritted his teeth, and lunged forward.

"CRACK..." A sickeningly sharp sound echoed out. The moment Shen Haoran’s foot touched the eighty-first step, the horrifying pressure instantly snapped it. His entire leg bent at a grotesque angle.

"AARGH!" The immense pain forced a scream from Shen Haoran’s lips.

Shen Haoran’s agonized scream reverberated across the plaza, grating on everyone’s nerves. Those present were all Martial Artists with exceptional eyesight; they could all clearly see his completely twisted right leg. A cold chill welled up from the depths of their hearts. They couldn’t begin to imagine just how terrifying the pressure on the eighty-first step must be, nor did they dare to try.

"Ngh..." Shen Haoran bit down hard on his lip, fighting to stay conscious. Even as he stared at his mangled right leg, he showed no sign of giving up. His gaze remained as resolute as ever. For him, Shen Haoran, the words "give up" were not in his vocabulary.

"Oh, my heavens, is he going to keep going? He already won the bet, why is he still pushing himself so desperately?" someone in the crowd asked, watching the unrelenting Shen Haoran in confusion.

"I don’t know why he’s so persistent, but I know this: right now, he’s my hero," one person declared, their voice thick with emotion.

"But he’ll die if he keeps this up!"

Indeed, he would die if he kept going. But did Shen Haoran care? His path of Martial Arts was one of forging ever forward. To stay true to that path, he would not shrink from sacrificing his very life.

"ROAR...!" With a furious bellow, Shen Haoran heaved his entire body onto the eighty-first step.

In that instant, the terrifying pressure slammed Shen Haoran flat against the ground. He couldn’t even move a finger. He felt as if he were being torn apart; skin all over his body began to split open, and blood gushed out as if it cost nothing, instantly drenching him and turning him into a man of blood. A loud ringing filled his mind, and his consciousness completely lost its connection to his body.

The sensation did not last long. A mere moment later, Shen Haoran could no longer feel the pressure. But then a strange suction force appeared. Before he could react, his consciousness was devoured by a pitch-black, twisting vortex.

"Did he fail?" From the viewing platform, Chen Yu gazed at Shen Haoran’s lifeless form and spoke with a hint of regret.

Beside him, She Master also shook her head in pity. Elder Huo collapsed onto the ground, seemingly unable to accept the reality of the situation.

Down below, the other Martial Artists also shook their heads, and a continuous chorus of mournful sighs filled the air.

"Alas... what a pity. The test ends here. Elder Huo, bring Shen Haoran’s body down and see that he gets a proper burial," Chen Yu lamented with another sigh.

"Yes, sir." Elder Huo answered, completely dejected. However, as he moved to retrieve Shen Haoran’s body, Ji Lingxuan stopped him.

"Brother Haoran isn’t dead! I can still feel his presence!" Ji Lingxuan’s beautiful face was filled with solemnity. She had once saved Shen Haoran with her own Essence Blood, which had forged a faint connection between them. That connection was not yet broken, which meant Shen Haoran was still alive!

"Still alive?" Chen Yu turned his gaze back to Shen Haoran. This time, his eyes shone as brightly as stars. After sweeping his gaze over Shen Haoran’s body, his face filled with amazement. "He’s a tough one to kill. The flame of his life has indeed not yet been extinguished!"

Indeed, Shen Haoran was not dead. But where had that vortex sucked his consciousness off to?

’Ngh... where is this?’ Shen Haoran’s consciousness was groggy as it slowly returned. But when he became fully lucid, he was frozen in terror by the scene before him.

Yes, Shen Haoran was utterly terrified. His face was pale, his body trembled uncontrollably, and it was clear he was deeply shaken. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

Before him were mountains of corpses. Even with his extraordinary willpower, he couldn’t help but stumble back a few steps. Around the corpse mountains, streams of black energy danced in the air while creatures he had never seen before gnawed on the bodies. Not far away, numerous Martial Artists were locked in a desperate struggle against these ferocious and horrifying monsters. However, the gap in their strength was simply too vast. It was a complete one-sided slaughter.

Staring at the earth, which had been stained crimson with blood, Shen Haoran couldn’t help but swallow hard. ’What in the hell is this place?!’

"BOOM!" Before Shen Haoran could process what he was seeing, an earth-shattering explosion ripped through the air above him. He looked up and saw two figures standing in the sky.

One was completely shrouded in black mist, his features obscured. The other, a man in golden robes, stared at his opponent with a grave expression, his eyes filled with wary apprehension.

"Hand over the item," a chillingly soft voice called out from within the black mist, apparently addressing the man in the golden robes.

The man in the golden robes snorted coldly. "In your dreams!"

"If that’s how it’s going to be, then I will slaughter your entire Supreme Profound Sect!" With that, the figure in the black mist waved his hand. Down below, the monsters grew even more frenzied. Countless Martial Artists died in an instant. The brutal scene sent a chill through Shen Haoran’s heart.

Watching his disciples die one after another below, the man in golden robes roared, "I’ll fight you to the death!" A terrifying power erupted from his body. A massive, mountain-like ladder descended from the heavens, hurtling toward the figure in the black mist.

Seeing this massive, tiered platform, Shen Haoran was stunned. ’Isn’t that the Chaos Celestial Ladder?’