Terrifying Pressure!
Dugu Yan's dark green pupils contracted.
"How to deal with it?"
Lin Xia closed her eyes to sense the brand, and opened them a moment later.
"The Godly Trial mark guides us to touch the beginning of the staircase. Only by stepping onto it can we truly understand the meaning of 'crossing over'."
Xie Yue stepped forward first.
When he was ten feet away from the steps, the air was already as thick as glue. His Soul Power surged, and six Soul Ring appeared, two yellow, two purple, and two black, while the phantom of the Moon Blade solidified behind him.
"I'll try first."
The silver figure shot out like an arrow, heading straight for the first step!
"Bang--!"
As if he had crashed into an invisible barrier, Xie Yue's figure suddenly froze! His left foot was hanging half an inch above the steps, but it seemed to be suppressed by a tremendous force, and the veins on his forehead bulged.
The Black Level Six Trials Mark flashed wildly, and a light curtain exploded in front of him.
"Transmigration, Sea God's Light. Objective: Reach the 333rd level. Time Limit: 365 days."
At the same time, immense pressure crashed down! Xie Yue groaned, his right knee slamming uncontrollably into the ground, his Moon Blade Martial Soul emitting a clanging sound as it could not bear the weight.
"Xie Yue!"
Hu Liena exclaimed in surprise. Yan roared and charged forward, activating his Granite Armor, but was blown away by the shockwave five zhang away.
The poisonous mist that Dugu Yan had just emerged from was immediately purified by divine light.
Ye Lingling's Nine Heart Begonia blooms, but its healing radiance is blocked outside the force field!
Only Lin Xia moved.
He didn't activate his Martial Soul, relying solely on his physical body to walk up the stairs. The golden trident mark shone brightly, and the phantom of the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud appeared and disappeared above his head. The Gravity tore at him—his left half felt like it was falling into an icy sea, while his right half felt like it was entering a furnace.
As he reached out to press on the steps, something unexpected happened!
"Buzz--!"
The entire Sea God Mountain roared!
The step that Lin Xia touched with her palm burst forth with an unprecedentedly intense stream of golden and blue light.
The light shot up the stairs and condensed in the clouds into an illusory trident that stretched across the heavens and the earth!
A beam of light descended from the tip of the halberd, completely enveloping Lin Xia. A majestic and divine voice resonated throughout his soul.
"The First Trial the Sea God's Nine Trials begins! Double the divine light, ascend 666 steps!"
The beam of light dissipated, Lin Xia knelt on one knee, a trickle of blood spilling from the corner of her lips.
The double pressure was not a simple superposition, but rather two completely opposite divine forces—the vast and all-encompassing power of the azure sea and the blazing and domineering energy of the Gilded Flame —tearing at his meridians.
"Lin Xia!"
Ignoring the force field impact, Hu Liena lunged to his side, the Red seven-pointed star and the golden trident shining brightly together.
Okay, based on the references, the following is the continuation:
Lin Xia waved her hand, wiping the blood from her lips to indicate that she was alright.
The excruciating pain from that instantaneous tearing of my meridians still lingered within me, but the terrifying pressure of double the Sea God's Light was already clearly imprinted on my senses.
He took a deep breath, no longer rushing in rashly. His Soul Power flowed slowly according to the trajectory guided by the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud. The golden trident mark between his eyebrows and the faint phantom of the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud above his head complemented each other, attempting to build an invisible Barrier around his body that was more in line with the Gravity.
He lifted his foot again, with unprecedented caution, and slowly stepped onto the first step that radiated a golden and blue light.
The moment the soles of my shoes touched the stone surface, that familiar, overwhelming feeling of pressure returned!
It was as if the entire space had turned into solidified gel, or as if an invisible giant hand was gripping his body tightly from all directions.
A layer of golden mist rose uncontrollably from his body, a phenomenon caused by his Soul Power being Sheer Force squeezed out by immense pressure.
Lin Xia clearly felt that the Soul Power in her dantian was flowing out rapidly like a floodgate being opened, much more intensely than the consumption of any previous cultivation or battle.
"Really..."
Lin Xia felt a chill run down his spine; the double pressure was no exaggeration. The Pressure of this first step was almost equivalent to the fifth level of a normal Sea God's Light, or even higher!
He lowered his waist and sat down, his feet rooted firmly to the stone steps, his strong muscles groaning softly.
He was silently calculating.
Simply standing firm requires an output of Soul Power far exceeding what other Soul Master of the same level can imagine, and the rate at which this power is consumed is enough to exhaust any Soul Master below the Soul Emperor in a very short time.
Having withstood the first wave of impact, Lin Xia did not hesitate at all and immediately took the second step.
Buzz!
The pressure has increased dramatically!
Like a calm sea suddenly surging with raging waves, or like flames suddenly rising from a furnace.
That 10% increase, under double the base, brings a burden that increases exponentially.
Lin Xia's body swayed slightly, and the muscles on her bare arms and calves instantly tensed like steel, with veins bulging and protruding under her skin like writhing dragons.
But he didn't stop. His eyes were as deep as a pool. Relying on the strong will he had honed on the Heavenly Stairway of the Spirit Hall and his exquisite control over his body, as well as the slight buffer provided by the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud, he took the third and fourth steps in succession, and finally stood steadily on the fifth step!
Sweat poured from his forehead and temples almost the instant he stepped onto the fifth level.
Lin Xia's breathing became heavy, each breath like pulling a heavy bellows. He quickly assessed his body's response.
The pressure surge coming from the front has reached an alarmingly high level.
He instantly concluded that even a peak Soul Grandmaster with Soul Power level of 30 would have to exert all their strength to gain a foothold here, and it would be extremely difficult to sustain such an advantage for long!
This is only the fifth level of Double Sea God's Light!
Just then, heavy footsteps and suppressed breathing came from beside me.
Xie Yue also successfully stepped onto the fifth step. His short silver hair was soaked with sweat and stuck to his forehead. His face was also flushed, clearly under pressure no less than Lin Xia's.
Their eyes met briefly in the air. Without a word, they both saw the burning fighting spirit and the tenacity of the strong in each other's eyes.
Xie Yue let out a low roar, and the light of his Soul Power suddenly surged!
Two yellow, two purple, and two black Soul Ring— six in total—rose instantly from beneath his feet, their dazzling light seemingly frozen under the immense pressure.
He didn't conjure Moon Blade in his hand, but the Sharpness aura emanated from his body, which was the starting stance of his Self-Created Soul Skill "Full Moon," which he was very proud of!
With his powerful Soul Emperor -level Soul Power bursting forth, he took the lead, enduring double the pressure, and climbed upwards step by step.
Lin Xia did not activate any Soul Skill, nor did she summon Venusaur.
This was precisely his primary purpose for this trip—to hone his skills!
With his pure physical strength, incredibly refined Soul Power, and the divine protection provided by the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud, he closely followed behind Xie Yue.
With each step he took, he felt as if the stone steps beneath his feet were trembling, threatening to bounce his feet away.
Starting from the twentieth step, the difficulty of the climb increases dramatically!
The air was as viscous as liquid metal, and each time you lifted your leg, it felt like pulling your entire leg out of solidified cement, requiring immense strength and Soul Power.
Sweat no longer seeped out, but flowed down their bodies like streams, dripping onto the ancient, cold stone steps, instantly forming small, dark water stains that then vanished without a trace under some strange divine power.
The golden mist surrounding the two, which symbolized the intense depletion of their Soul Power, became thicker than ever before, enveloping them like burning golden flames.