Tribulation of the Inner Demon

Six thousand steps—so close, yet still just out of reach.

Six thousand steps: a true watershed, a measuring stick for the mettle of heaven’s chosen.

According to the ancient records of Daozang Academy, anyone capable of crossing this threshold through sheer strength earned the right to enter the academy’s inner court.

There, they could listen to the teachings of powerful experts and come into contact with supreme inheritances.

Countless prodigies had met their downfall here. Of those who managed to cross it, fewer than one in a hundred succeeded—and every one of them was a peerless figure whose name resounded across the land.

The scene here was completely different from below.

The Stairway to Heaven seemed to grow even broader at this point, yet the pervasive pressure had already solidified, heavy as liquid mercury.

More unnerving still, turbulent streams of Dao laws had begun to appear in the void.

At times, they transformed into golden sword qi of peerless sharpness, tearing through the sky. At times, they condensed into torrents of soul-corroding Xuanming True Water. At others, they erupted into Southern Bright Divine Flame, sweeping across the land and burning all things to ash.

These were no illusions. They were real attacks manifested from the laws of the Great Dao within the Stairway to Heaven!

“Ha!”

A Holy Son from an ancient sect, charging at the forefront, let out a furious roar and summoned an ancient shield. Runes blazed across its surface as he braced himself against a streak of golden sword qi.

Clang!

Amid the thunderous impact, he was sent flying backward together with his shield. Blood sprayed through the air before he crashed heavily onto the steps below and lost consciousness.

The brutal scene made every prodigy nearing the six-thousandth step grow solemn.

“Just a chaotic current of Dao laws, and you dare try to stop me?!”

Shi Potian threw back his head and laughed. He neither dodged nor evaded, allowing a torrent of Xuanming True Water to pour over him. A sizzling sound rang out as clouds of white vapor rose from his body.

He opened his mouth and inhaled, swallowing the remaining chill into his stomach before letting out a satisfied belch.

With both fists swinging, he forcibly shattered the sea of flames and sword qi before him, charging through with sheer brute force.

Around Mo Xingyun, a galaxy revolved. Any chaotic Dao laws that approached were drawn into the starry river and neutralized.

The Frostmoon Fairy was protected by moonlight, rendering her impervious to all techniques.

Chu Daolin walked with unhurried ease. Fragments of time fluttered around him, and the attacks aimed at him would often lose much of their power or veer off course before they could reach him.

Qin Wuye’s battle intent was like a spear, piercing through layer after layer of obstruction.

Xuanming froze ten thousand miles of land, sealing even the chaotic currents of Dao laws in place.

Ji Xuanye, the Golden Lion, and the others also unleashed their full strength.

These top-tier prodigies displayed their own extraordinary abilities and steadily crossed the six-thousand-step threshold, though their pace had visibly slowed as they faced the attacks with greater caution.

At that moment, Xiao Ruobai and the other four also arrived steadily before the zone of turbulent currents at the six-thousandth step.

A violent Geng Metal sword qi, massive as a mountain, cleaved down toward Xiao Ruobai at the head of the group, its razor-sharp edge overwhelming.

Everyone held their breath, eager to see how these five peerless warriors, who were only in the King Realm, would respond.

Just as the mountain-sized Geng Metal sword qi was about to engulf Xiao Ruobai, he finally moved.

He clenched one hand into a fist and met the sword qi head-on.

It was nothing more than a simple punch, as though he had casually swung his hand.

Pop.

The terrifying sword qi silently shattered the instant it touched Xiao Ruobai’s fist, like a bubble bursting.

His steps never faltered. He continued forward.

Immediately afterward, a vast wave of soul-corroding Xuanming True Water surged forth, carrying a chill capable of freezing the soul as it rushed toward Ling Xi behind him.

Ling Xi did not even raise her eyelids.

She merely maintained her usual cold and otherworldly bearing as she moved forward with graceful steps.

The surging wave of Xuanming True Water, powerful enough to freeze all things, vanished into thin air when it came within three feet of her.

It was as though it had encountered an invisible black hole that devoured everything.

On the other side, several streams of ferocious Southern Bright Divine Flame intertwined as they lunged toward Fang Hanyu like fiery dragons.

Fang Hanyu extended two fingers like a sword and casually swept them across the flames before him.

A fine silver thread, so faint it was almost invisible, flashed by.

Yet under that seemingly careless stroke, the several dragons of raging Southern Bright Divine Flame instantly lost control of their fire attribute energy and collapsed. They transformed into a sky full of sparks that drifted downward, only to extinguish before they even touched the ground.

Sword intent!

An supreme sword intent refined to the extreme and returned to simplicity!

This scene made Shi Potian, who had just broken through the area and was currently recovering his strength, twitch violently at the corner of his eye.

The battle intent in Qin Wuye’s eyes burned even hotter, yet a gravity he had never shown before flickered within them.

The speed at which the galaxy revolved around Mo Xingyun imperceptibly slowed for an instant.

Chu Daolin turned back to look, and for the first time, clear ripples appeared in his deep eyes.

These were absolutely not techniques that someone in the King Realm should possess!

At the very rear, Fatty Wang faced a tricky bolt of lightning and several strands of soul-corroding Yin Wind. He simply reached into his robes, took out a talisman, and blocked the attacks outright.

Qilinzi Mo Yu was even more direct. He revealed a trace of holy might, spreading an aura of auspiciousness. Wherever he passed, the chaotic currents of Dao laws actually became gentle and peaceful, parting of their own accord to open a path.

The five crossed the six-thousand-step threshold with astonishing ease, a relaxed elegance that had caused countless prodigies to fall. Their pace remained steady, and their breathing remained long and even.

Without changing speed, the five continued upward.

But this time, the eyes of every prodigy who noticed them changed completely.

The initial curiosity and scrutiny had transformed into deep wariness and disbelief.

Crossing six thousand steps so effortlessly could not possibly be a fluke! These five were even more terrifying than the rumors suggested!

Their performance also greatly spurred the others on.

The Jiang Family's Divine King Physique let out a furious roar, his vital energy surging even more powerfully. Ji Xuanye’s gaze grew resolute, and a resounding dragon cry rang out.

The Golden Lion roared as monstrous demonic clouds rolled around him. No one was willing to be left too far behind!

Without a sound, the competition grew even more brutal.

When the Stairway to Heaven rose to around the six-thousand-five-hundredth step, the pressure doubled once again. It nearly solidified, pressing down until bones creaked and blood qi churned.

Even more frightening was an invisible, intangible force that pointed directly at the heart. Like the finest spiderweb, it quietly seeped deep into everyone’s sea of consciousness.

The Heart Demon Tribulation had begun to reveal its sinister fangs!

“No! Don’t come any closer!”

A Holy Son from a sacred ground suddenly let out a terrified scream, flailing his arms wildly as though he had seen something utterly horrifying.

He staggered on the steps and actually fell straight down, his face deathly pale and drenched in cold sweat. Clearly, his mind had suffered a severe blow.

“It’s mine! It’s all mine! Hahaha!”

Elsewhere, another prodigy was grinning with greedy delight as he repeatedly reached out and grasped at empty air. His Dao heart had collapsed, and his pace slowed drastically. His eyes flickered between clarity and madness.

Some went even further, standing motionless in place. Their faces twisted in agony one moment and formed eerie smiles the next as they became hopelessly trapped in the illusions created by their own heart demons.

Even the top-tier prodigies were affected to varying degrees.

Their speed slowed noticeably as every one of them engaged in a silent yet perilous struggle against the demons within their hearts.

The invisible power of the Heart Demon Tribulation surged toward Xiao Ruobai, Fang Hanyu, Ling Xi, Fatty Wang, and Mo Yu like a rising tide.

Xiao Ruobai’s expression remained calm, his eyes clear. His Battle Asura Dao heart was unshakable, impervious to all demons, and his pace did not change in the slightest.

Fang Hanyu’s sword heart was perfectly clear. The illusions of the heart demons were no more than flowers reflected in a mirror or the moon reflected in water; they shattered at the slightest touch.

Ling Xi was even more strange. The power of the heart demons that approached her seemed to be quietly devoured by that invisible “black hole,” unable to stir up even the slightest ripple.

Qilinzi Mo Yu possessed a noble bloodline and was born beneath the protection of auspiciousness, making it difficult for heart demons to attach themselves to him.

Fatty Wang merely furrowed his brows slightly before quickly returning to normal.

The reactions of the five once again left the prodigies watching them stunned.

“How is it that none of the five seem to be affected at all?” someone exclaimed in shock.

“It’s understandable that Battle Asura, Sword in White, and the others possess steadfast Dao hearts. But that fat man looks so lecherous—how has he not fallen behind as well?

“Could his talismans even ward off inner demons?”

Even more people turned their puzzled gazes toward Fatty Wang.