The pressure from these stairs had already reached a point where Chu Feng could barely endure it.
Yet even so, he stubbornly forced his feet forward.
Whoosh—
But before his foot could land steadily, it suddenly slipped, and Chu Feng tumbled down the staircase, rolling head over heels.
"Big Brother Chu Feng!!!"
"Benefactor!!!"
The moment they saw this, Zhan Lingtong and Zhan Lingling were thrown into a panic, their hearts seized with dread.
But the two of them simply couldn't ascend those stairs at all. All they could do was watch helplessly, frantic with worry.
Snap—
However, when Chu Feng tumbled down to roughly the midpoint of the staircase, the pressure eased, and he managed to grab onto the stairs, steadying himself.
Seeing Chu Feng regain his footing, Zhan Lingtong and Zhan Lingling slapped their chests in relief, both exhaling heavily.
But the ease on their faces had barely returned before tension seized them once more.
Chu Feng stood up. Yet instead of walking back down the stairs, he wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and actually started climbing upward again.
"Big Brother Chu Feng, please don't push yourself! That pressure is no ordinary thing—you could lose your life over this!" Seeing that Chu Feng refused to give up, Zhan Lingtong pleaded with him once more.
But Chu Feng paid no heed to Zhan Lingtong and continued pressing forward. Before long, he arrived at the very spot where he had fallen moments ago.
This time, Chu Feng was prepared. He didn't rush to take that step forward. Instead, he took a long moment to steady his breathing and acclimate to the pressure at this spot.
Only when he felt ready did he take the step.
He succeeded in climbing up—but the overwhelming pressure immediately drove blood streaming from all seven orifices, his body trembling violently once again.
He had returned to the exact state he'd been in when he'd fallen.
And the place where Chu Feng currently stood was still some distance from the end of the staircase. If the pressure was already this terrible here, it would only grow stronger the higher he went. No matter how you looked at it, reaching the summit seemed impossible.
"Big Brother Chu Feng, I'm begging you, stop pushing yourself. You don't know how terrifying those stairs really are—they've killed people before. My father's injuries count as lucky."
Watching Chu Feng prepared to risk his life, Zhan Lingtong was so frantic that tears spilled from his eyes.
In his view, Chu Feng had extraordinary talent. Even without reaching the third level of the Place of Enlightenment, he was bound to have a brilliant future. There was simply no need to take such a reckless gamble with his own life.
"Lingtong, let me ask you—when Senior Zhan Haichuan climbed these stairs back then, how was it for him?" Chu Feng suddenly spoke, his voice weak.
"Lord Zhan Haichuan? When he reached the third level back then, it seemed to be quite effortless," Zhan Lingtong replied.
"Then, ever since your ancestors built this Place of Enlightenment, aside from Senior Zhan Haichuan, has anyone else ever reached the third level?" Chu Feng asked again.
"No. Lord Zhan Haichuan is the only one. Not only has no one else reached the third level—no one has even managed to get as high as where you are right now, Big Brother Chu Feng."
"So you've already proven yourself remarkably impressive. You're the strongest person since Lord Zhan Haichuan all those years ago. Getting this far is already incredible. There's truly no need to push yourself this far," Zhan Lingtong said.
"Lingtong is right, Benefactor. You've already proven yourself. There's no need to force yourself and take this risk," Zhan Lingling added.
In their eyes, if Chu Feng kept going, even if he didn't die, he would most likely suffer grievous injuries—and that was not a result either of them wanted to see.
"I'm afraid you've been deceived," Chu Feng said, shaking his head with a faint smile.
"Deceived?" Zhan Lingtong and Zhan Lingling froze, their expressions blank with confusion.
"If before me, only Senior Zhan Haichuan ever made it this far, then there's no way he reached the third level with ease back then," Chu Feng said.
"Big Brother Chu Feng, what do you mean by that?" Zhan Lingtong and Zhan Lingling asked almost in unison.
"There are bloodstains here. Though many years have passed and they've long since dried, I can still see them. The stains trail upward in a continuous line, reaching all the way to the third level," Chu Feng said.
"Then that means Lord Zhan Haichuan was also crushed by that pressure back then and suffered serious injuries?!" Zhan Lingtong and Zhan Lingling stared in shock.