Boom—
Suddenly, heaven and earth trembled violently, as if this place was on the verge of a transformation.
It was Chu Feng. He had already reached the ninety-eighth step and now stood at the foot of the ninety-ninth.
Just two more steps, and he would reach the summit. He could obtain that key.
But Chu Feng's previously smooth progress came to a halt at this moment.
"Finally, has he reached his limit too?"
Jie Tian stared intently at Chu Feng. He no longer cared about whether he could obtain the key—he only hoped Chu Feng would fail.
Yet after a brief adjustment, Chu Feng still took that step.
From the way he moved, stepping onto the ninety-ninth step didn't seem to be particularly difficult for Chu Feng.
"Then why did he hesitate?"
Just as Jie Tian grew puzzled, heaven and earth suddenly quaked. The disturbance originated from the staircase—from the ninety-ninth step upon it.
On that step, visible pressure materialized, accompanied by a piercing roar, and hurtled straight toward Chu Feng.
Under the onslaught of that pressure, it wasn't just Chu Feng's clothes that flapped wildly or his hair that danced frantically—
Facing that pressure, Chu Feng's body trembled, and his upright figure immediately hunched over.
But his foot remained planted on the step, never retreating from the ninety-ninth one.
Even under such immense pressure, Chu Feng had not yielded a single step.
Yet Jie Tian didn't see Chu Feng's refusal to back down. All he saw was Chu Feng trembling before the pressure, struggling to hold on—and so he laughed…
"So you're nothing special after all."
The scene before him was exactly what Jie Tian wished to see.
Why should someone he looked down upon be stronger than him?
Why should someone else succeed in breaking a formation he couldn't?
No—absolutely not, and it would never be allowed!!!
This formation would either be broken by him, or by no one at all.
If a formation he himself couldn't break was shattered by Chu Feng, where would his dignity be?
He couldn't accept such a thing. It would be a devastating blow to his heart.
Because all along, in Jie Tian's mind, he had always been the strongest.
No one could surpass him—and he would never accept anyone surpassing him.
Awoooo—
But suddenly, a piercing roar rang out through the world.
At the same instant, Nine-colored Divine Thunder erupted from within Chu Feng's body.
The visible pressure crumbled instantly before the Nine-colored Divine Thunder, collapsing in the blink of an eye.
And Jie Tian's fantasies and pride collapsed along with it.
For he had not only witnessed the terrifying Nine-colored Divine Thunder surge from Chu Feng's body.
The moment the Nine-colored Divine Thunder appeared, he also sensed the barrier bloodline.
Invincible. The pinnacle of all things.
He recognized the feel of that barrier bloodline—it was the King's Bloodline!!!
"He… is also of the King's Bloodline?"
Jie Tian stared at Chu Feng in disbelief. By this time, Chu Feng had already stepped past the ninety-ninth step, ascended to the final one, and seized the key.
In an instant, the steps began to crumble, and the entire grand formation dissipated into nothing.
Chu Feng and Jie Tian both fell from the heights.
But during the descent, Jie Tian's gaze never left Chu Feng. It wasn't until they landed that Chu Feng noticed him staring.
"What are you looking at?" Chu Feng asked.
"You have the King's Bloodline too?" Jie Tian asked.
Chu Feng didn't answer directly. Instead, he narrowed his eyes and regarded Jie Tian meaningfully. "You too?"
Hearing those words, Jie Tian's fists clenched immediately, creaking from the force.
The mere word "too" within that question gave him the answer—the very answer he least wanted to hear.
Because Chu Feng had been locked in eye contact with him, he noticed.
The moment Chu Feng said "you too," Jie Tian's eyes went vacant. The arrogance and pride he had carried vanished in that instant, entirely gone.
Soon, Jie Tian's tightly clenched fists loosened. Then, with a thud, he collapsed to the ground in a seated position.
He gasped for air in great, ragged heaves, his entire body looking utterly spent—more feeble than when he had been on the steps above.
"What happened to him?" Xiao Yu'er walked over and asked.
She could tell that Jie Tian's state wasn't caused by the pressure on the steps. Something else must have triggered it.
"He's been shaken," Chu Feng said.
"Shaken?" Xiao Yu'er was puzzled at first, but she quickly caught on and couldn't help but laugh.
"Well, he brought it on himself. Did he really think he was invincible under heaven?" she said with a grin.
She laughed with particular delight, knowing that it was Chu Feng who had broken Jie Tian's spirit.
At that moment, Chu Feng sat down as well.
"Are we waiting for him?" Xiao Yu'er asked.
"For a little while," Chu Feng replied.
"Alright." Xiao Yu'er sat down beside Chu Feng.