Seeing Chu Feng like this, Yan Xie's eyes also flickered with a hint of gravity, because this was the first time since entering this place that Chu Feng had halted his steps.
Taking a careful look, Yan Xie realized that the path ahead had been completely shrouded by towering trees, with only a single route to take.
"Chu Feng, how do you know this is the final trial?" Yan Xie asked, puzzled, because he couldn't detect anything dangerous about this forest path.
"Trust me — at the end of this road lies the heart of the fortress. But you need to stay close to me. If you can't, then stay as far away from me as possible — get away from me before we go in."
With that, Chu Feng walked forward, but he didn't employ any movement martial art. He simply strolled in at an ordinary pace.
Yan Xie didn't understand what Chu Feng meant, but he certainly wasn't going to distance himself, so he hurried to keep up.
Once inside, apart from the fact that the vines, branches, and leaves blocking the sunlight and sealing off their surroundings were quite unusual — imbued with a barrier and virtually indestructible — there was nothing out of the ordinary.
Danger? Not a trace of it could be seen.
Yan Xie truly couldn't understand why Chu Feng had been so nonchalant about the perilous trials before, yet was so cautious and vigilant here.
Whoosh— Whoosh— Whoosh— Whoosh— Whoosh—
But suddenly, a blinding golden light surged from the depths of the dark forest. Looking closely, there were five beams of golden light, like five golden dragons, carrying howling gale-force winds as they bore down from the front.
At that moment, Yan Xie and the others were all startled. They finally understood what Chu Feng had meant.
The five beams of golden light were five waves of oppressive force — five waves of pressure visible to the naked eye — and they were now bearing down on Chu Feng, Yan Xie, La Jiao, Da Luo Bo, and Xiao Luo Bo.
Each of these five waves of pressure was immensely powerful, and they were not aimed at a single person. Instead, each was targeted at one of the five individuals.
In other words, the pressure here was calibrated according to the number of people.
But most importantly, this pressure was so overwhelming that not only would La Jiao, Da Luo Bo, and Xiao Luo Bo be affected — even Yan Xie felt tremendous weight pressing down on him.
The pressure wouldn't be enough to injure Yan Xie, but if it landed squarely on him, it would make every step a struggle, drastically reduce his speed, and drain a considerable amount of his stamina.
And if it truly fell upon La Jiao, Da Luo Bo, and Xiao Luo Bo, their bodies would explode in an instant, body and soul annihilated, not even ash remaining.
Chu Feng had told Yan Xie to stay close to him precisely because he intended to bear the pressure for all five of them by himself.
"Hah—"
Sure enough, Chu Feng suddenly let out a mighty shout. Immediately after, a dazzling suit of thunder armor and thunder wings enveloped his body, and his aura surged dramatically — from half-step Emperor Rank Seven to half-step Emperor Rank Nine.
As his cultivation rose, Chu Feng also activated his strongest defensive technique, the supreme secret art — Xuanwu Turtle Armor.
Boom boom boom boom boom—
The five waves of pressure crashed down simultaneously, instantly producing a piercing roar. Even the seemingly indestructible vines around them were battered by the shockwaves, swaying wildly and snapping apart with sharp cracks.
Yet despite the apocalyptic chaos outside, Yan Xie and the others standing beside Chu Feng were completely unaffected.
It was as though they stood in a sheltered harbor, calmly watching a raging storm.
Gulp—
However, watching Chu Feng crackling with thunder from head to toe, La Jiao, Da Luo Bo, and Xiao Luo Bo couldn't help but swallow hard. They were truly awestruck by his incredible power.
Chu Feng truly commanded the rumored ability to instantly elevate his cultivation by two full ranks.