"Charge!"
"The opportunity on the second level is mine!"
"Get lost!"
The crowd erupted into chaos in an instant. Countless figures turned into streaks of light, scrambling to rush toward the heavenly stairway as fierce clashes broke out.
To seize the initiative, shoving, underhanded attacks, and even small-scale skirmishes erupted at once. Cries of pain and angry roars rang out without end.
Chu Jiang did not rush into the chaotic torrent. Only after the first, most frenzied surge had eased did he calmly say, "Let's go."
The group soared into the air. Without becoming overly entangled with the crowd below, they easily passed the cultivators struggling and fighting on the lower steps, landing steadily on the tenth step.
The moment they stepped onto it, they immediately felt the difference. An invisible pressure surged in from all directions, bearing down on both body and soul.
At the same time, faint whispers seemed to sound beside their ears, while blurred phantoms occasionally flashed before their eyes, trying to disturb their minds.
This might have been troublesome for ordinary cultivators, but it posed no threat to Chu Jiang and the others.
Their steps remained steady. They were not fast, but climbed upward with an exceptionally measured rhythm, soon leaving a great number of cultivators behind.
The pressure gradually intensified, and the illusions became ever clearer, even beginning to stir subtle ripples of emotion deep within their hearts.
The speed of many prodigies visibly slowed. Sweat beaded on their foreheads, while those lacking firm resolve were bewitched by the illusions—some roared and attacked, some stood blankly in place, and some even screamed as they rolled and tumbled down.
Chu Jiang's group remained as composed as ever. Chu Jiang himself possessed the Immaculate Pure Yang Body; no evil could invade him, and he ignored the