Right now, Chu Feng and the others had arrived at the base of the tallest mountain.
There was an extremely steep staircase here that led straight to the mountain's summit.
However, fog shrouded the upper reaches of the mountain, limiting Chu Feng's vision.
And Chu Feng sensed that this was no ordinary fog, but rather a form of barrier power—something intentionally placed to restrict his sight.
The patriarch of the Sansheng Demon Clan, along with Sansheng Qiutian and the others, first performed a grand bow toward the Divine Mountain upon arriving.
Only then did they lead Chu Feng and Zi Ling up the mountain.
At first, the climb felt perfectly smooth, without the slightest resistance—it was just a normal ascent.
If this continued, then no matter how tall the mountain was, given the cultivation of Chu Feng and the others, they would reach the summit in no time.
But after walking for a while, forget about reaching the summit—Chu Feng could tell that the peak was still incredibly far away.
There was only one possible explanation: this mountain was far larger than it appeared from the outside.
What they saw from without was merely the form; what lay before them now was the true Divine Mountain.
But that was to be expected. After all, this Divine Mountain had been constructed by fusing together a massive array formation.
After advancing for roughly an hour, a barrier gate appeared on the left side of the staircase.
Beside the barrier gate stood a stone stele.
The stele read: "Those who can break this array will receive certain rewards."
But Chu Feng could tell that although this barrier power was still rotating, it was in fact no longer accessible.
It appeared normal on the surface, but in reality, it had already been closed.
"Is this the array formation?" Chu Feng asked.
"It is, but this array has already been broken, and we can no longer enter," Sansheng Qiutian explained.
Continuing upward, barrier gates appeared one after another on both sides of the staircase, each one accompanied by a similar stone stele.
And Chu Feng noticed that besides the ones flanking the staircase, there were likely barrier gates deeper in the mountain forests as well.
There should be quite a few such barrier gates within the Divine Mountain.
After walking for another hour, Chu Feng felt his steps growing heavier.
He certainly wouldn't tire.
It was the mountain exerting pressure.
And that pressure was growing stronger by the moment.
"Father... I can't take it anymore."
Sansheng Qiutian said, gasping for breath.
He bent over with his hands braced on his knees, sweat pouring off him in droplets as though he had been caught in a downpour.
His condition was far worse than Chu Feng's.
Seeing this, the patriarch of the Sansheng Demon Clan flipped his wrist and produced three compasses.
They were identical to the compass Chu Feng had obtained in the initial barrier gate.
He kept one for himself and handed the other two to Sansheng Qiutian and Zi Ling respectively.
"Simply merge your aura into this token," the patriarch of the Sansheng Demon Clan said to Zi Ling.
Meanwhile, Sansheng Xingyu took out an identical compass on her own.
According to the Sacred Elder, this compass served as a token—only with it could one enter the deeper reaches of the Divine Mountain.
So Chu Feng also produced his own compass.
Following the patriarch's instructions, Chu Feng merged his aura into the token.
Sure enough, a gentle force radiated outward from the compass, enveloping Chu Feng, and the oppressive sensation dissipated along with it.
"Looks like we've entered the deeper part of the Divine Mountain," Chu Feng remarked.
"Yes, but even with the token, the road ahead won't be easy. If you can't hold on, tell me at any point—don't push yourself too hard."
The patriarch of the Sansheng Demon Clan finished speaking and turned to continue leading the way.
Sure enough, after walking a bit further, Sansheng Qiutian began gasping for breath once more.
But he said nothing, instead clenching his teeth and trying his best not to show how badly he was struggling.
It was one thing before when he didn't have the token.
Now that he had one, he naturally didn't want to be the first to fail.
After some more time, Zi Ling's injuries began to catch up with her, making the climb increasingly difficult as well.
"Feeling the pressure?" Chu Feng asked.
"Yeah, but I'm fine." Zi Ling didn't try to hide it.
"That's perfectly normal. I told you—even with the token, this road isn't easy."
"It'll only get harder from here," the patriarch of the Sansheng Demon Clan said.