Unlike Renna, Anzu barely felt the pressure of the lower steps—his confidence unyielding, like forged steel.
20th step.
40th step.
50th step.
60th step.
His pace never faltered, and his breath remained steady. Eventually, he reached the 80th step, surpassing Renna's record. At that point, the weight of the Ancestral Flame began to press down on him, but his spine stayed straight.
90th step.
Sweat gathered on his brow, and his breathing grew sharp. His bones groaned under the pressure, yet still, he refused to yield.
91st.
92nd.
95th.
On the 99th step, his body finally buckled. His knees slammed against the cold obsidian, muscles screaming beneath the abyssal pressure. Blood dripped from his lips—but he wasn't done. Not yet.
Madness gleamed in his eyes as he forced himself to his feet once more. His horns caught the light of the blood moon, gleaming with raw power. And with a roar of defiance, he stepped onto the 100th step.
But the pressure was too much. His body slammed down again, knees crashing to the stone. He strained, trembling, struggling to rise once more… but it was futile.
With an unwilling sigh, he sat cross-legged in meditation. Deep golden abyssal qi surged into his body, repairing every wound and fracture, while tempering his bloodline to new heights.
His early Celestial-grade bloodline broke through, ascending to the peak of mid-Celestial grade.
His cultivation followed suit, rising from the peak of Body Refining to the peak of mid-Qi Condensation.
Bathed in golden flames, his silhouetted form burned with quiet power until, at last, he was teleported back to the foot of the stairs.
Finally, Malikai stepped forward. He approached the stairs with leisure, his crimson hair flickering in the wind like embers drifting through the abyss.
The moment his foot touched the first step, the flames erupted into a sea of blood. Crimson fire engulfed the stairway, with ominous black vortexes swirling within the infernal blaze. The ground trembled, and a heavy, ancient aura blanketed the sky. A chill ran down the spines of all present.
Tabitha's eyes narrowed, a flash of killing intent crossing them, only for a moment before vanishing.
Malikai climbed without struggle.
20th step
40th step
60th step
80th step
Eventually, he reached the 100th step, where Anzu had fallen to his knees.
Seeing Malikai standing tall—his back straight, unbending—Anzu gritted his teeth in fury. His hands clenched into fists, fingers digging into flesh as crimson blood dripped from between them.
Malikai could feel Anzu and Tabitha's heavy gazes stabbing into his back, yet he remained unbothered and continued climbing.
On the 105th step, the weight of the abyssal pressure finally settled onto his shoulders. His knees trembled, sweat beading across his brow.
For the first time since the trial began, the twelve Demon Lords opened their ancient eyes and watched in silence.
On the 107th step, blood dripped from his lips, but he didn't falter.
108th step
109th step
On the 110th step, the stair beneath him cracked. His seven orifices bled, blurring his vision, but his spine remained as straight as a javelin. He neither knelt nor uttered a sound.
Then, with unyielding resolve, he took the final step—111th.
The crushing pressure vanished. Pure abyssal blood qi surged into his meridians, healing his battered body and nourishing his bloodline. His pores opened greedily, absorbing qi like a parched man stumbling upon an endless stream.
His Celestial-grade bloodline surged—from early to peak mid-Celestial.
His cultivation followed, breaking through from the peak of Body Refining to the peak of mid-Qi Condensation.
Then, something strange occurred.
The abyssal qi began to recede like a retreating tide when suddenly, a beam of light shot out from Malikai's brow and vanished into the swirling abyssal qi.
It happened so fast that no one noticed—not the dozens of Empyreans nor the twelve Demon Lords seated above. Not even Malikai himself.
Immediately, the abyssal blood qi roared with intensified fervor, pouring into Malikai with renewed madness. His mid-celestial bloodline shattered its limits, stepping into late Celestial grade, then again, into peak Celestial grade.
The qi didn't slow. It kept rising.
His cultivation surged once more—breaking through late Qi Condensation, then peak Qi Condensation, placing half a foot into Core Formation.
He only needed to enter seclusion to condense his core and break into the next realm.