By then, nearly two or three hundred cultivators had gathered in the valley. Most stood at a distance, keeping away from the eight stone stairways.
Tang Furen and his three companions also stood far off, watching the stairways with grave expressions. They neither approached nor called out to Qin Fengming.
The old man put away his magical treasure and studied the stone stairway before him for a moment. After exchanging a few quiet words with the four cultivators beside him, his expression hardened, and he flew toward the steps.
"Ah!" A startled cry rang out just as the old man flew directly above the stone stairway.
His body abruptly plunged out of the air, utterly beyond his control, and landed solidly on the first step.
Before anyone could react, a layer of red light suddenly enveloped the old man, and scorching heat burst forth in an instant.
An immensely powerful flight-prohibiting restriction lay over the stone stairway. Although magical treasures were unaffected, cultivators could not fly over it. More alarming still, the restriction contained exceptionally formidable fire attribute energy attacks.
No fireballs or fire blades appeared, yet that layer of red light still struck terror into everyone's hearts.
At the old man's startled cry, those standing nearby shot backward, afraid that the scorching energy might spread and injure them.
Under the searing heat, the old man's originally dark face instantly turned crimson. Radiance flashed around his body, and an icy barrier appeared in an instant.
But his expression changed sharply when the ice barrier he had conjured lasted only two breaths before shattering with a crisp crack.
"This is bad!" the black-faced old man cried. His figure blurred as he tried to retreat from the stone stairway.
To his soul-shaking horror, a thick barrier behind him blocked his retreat. The