He raised his head and glanced upward.
There were five levels left. Level five hundred and twenty was within reach, and the Sea God's Light on those final five steps was so dense it was nearly tangible. Dark red and dark gold flickered in turns, like a sheet of solidified lava.
He lifted his foot and stepped onto level five hundred and sixteen.
In that instant, two entirely different forces flooded into his consciousness. The Sea God's vast tolerance and Asura's sharp, murderous force struck his Sea of Spirit at once. The two powers tore and collided within his mind, neither willing to yield.
The Nine-Pointed Star on his forehead trembled violently, flashing gold and red as though it were about to come apart.
He gritted his teeth. The Frost Heaven Sword Martial Soul and the Ice Dragon King Martial Soul emerged from his body at the same time. An icy-blue longsword hovered above his left shoulder, while a hazy phantom of an ice dragon coiled above his right.
The two Martial Souls released the aura of Ultimate Ice together, forcibly suppressing that tearing force for an instant.
Seizing that moment, he stepped onto level five hundred and seventeen.
Five hundred and eighteen.
Five hundred and nineteen.
The final step.
He nearly threw himself upward with every last ounce of strength he had.
The instant his right foot landed on the five hundred and twentieth step, the entire Sea God's Light Stairway shuddered violently from bottom to top.
The golden sea of light was like water struck by a massive stone. A huge ripple spread from beneath Bing Yekong's feet, rolling down the stairway layer by layer until it reached the bottom, whipping the robes of the five people at the foot of the mountain into a loud flutter.
Then