Chapter 550 - 544: The Final Twenty Floors
Chapter 550: Chapter 544: The Final Twenty Floors
When Lin You returned to the territory, half a day had already passed.
He summoned Xue Changgui and briefly explained the situation before leaving the Duchy, stepping into the Teleportation Gate.
Whoosh!
As the light flashed, he entered the Space Passage entirely.
After a moment of weightlessness, he finally arrived at the long-missed Land of Trial and immediately saw various Lords from all realms roaming the prairie.
Although it was still morning, it was extraordinarily lively, with small groups assembling together, preparing to climb the Celestial Ladder.
There were already quite a few silhouettes on the ladder.
Some had just gone up, while others seemed to have stayed overnight.
"Do you think anyone will reach the top today?"
"Probably, right? Wasn’t it said yesterday that quite a few have almost reached the 980th floor?"
"I think so too. Judging by yesterday’s situation, those big shots have probably gone back to prepare. Someone might actually make it."
"That’s uncertain. The oppressive force from the final 20 floors is ridiculously strong, it may not be doable in one day."
Constant discussions from the Lords surrounded them.
Walking across the prairie, Lin You’s expression gradually grew solemn.
At this pace, the first person to reach the top of the ladder might appear within days.
Some were even preparing to use their coffin-bottom strategies for a final attempt, urging Lin You to hasten his steps.
No longer wasting time, he quickened his pace towards the Celestial Ladder, swiftly stepping onto the numerous broad platforms.
For Lin You, the oppressive force from the first 900 floors posed little difficulty now.
Thus, his progress was swift, crossing platform after platform, reaching the 900th floor in less than an hour.
At that moment.
A considerable number of Tier Ten Lords from various realms had already gathered on the platform, far more than on the first day, all preparing for the final hundred-floor sprint.
To Lin You’s surprise, the black-eyed youth from before was among them, seemingly unharmed.
Could he have escaped the Great Emperors’ pursuit, or perhaps he’d stayed on the ladder all along?
Furthermore.
Other Kings seemed to have received word, each vigilantly eyeing the black-eyed youth, subtly forming an encirclement.
Nevertheless, they couldn’t make a move.
The oppressive force on the 900th floor was already terrifyingly immense.
Should they expose murderous intent, the tremendous force would instantly crush them, possibly inflicting severe injuries, let alone attempting an assassination.
That fellow evidently recognized this, appearing with a brazen fearlessness.
When Lin You appeared, he merely glanced at him before withdrawing his gaze again, sitting cross-legged and closing his eyes to recuperate.
The entire platform was eerily silent, no one willing to waste any energy on words.
Lin You didn’t speak either, sitting directly on the ground, leveraging the new National Treasure’s effect to slowly recover the Power of Rule consumed on the way and the wounds caused by the lightning cracks.
Time flew by quickly, and in the blink of an eye, it was noon.
When the sun reached its zenith, all Lords simultaneously opened their eyes, as if by some unspoken agreement.
Lin You also slowly rose from the platform, his gaze fixed determinedly on the top of the ladder, and the intact Divine Format floating quietly there.
"Look! The people above are starting to move!"
"Hey? They really are moving, come and see!"
"Are they finally going to challenge the final hundred floors?"
The various Lords gathered below the ladder quickly noticed the changes on the platform, exclaiming in astonishment.
Not just in the Tier Ten zone, but even on higher platforms at other Levels, Lords were all standing up one by one, the atmosphere surrounding the entire ladder suddenly becoming taut.
"Set off!"
A phrase murmured by someone ignited action; all thousand Kings finally began to move, suppressing their aura, slowly advancing to climb the next steps.
Within the crowd, Lin You took a deep breath and stepped onto the 901st platform as well.
"Boom!"
An overwhelming oppressive force enveloped him instantly.
This time, however, he wasn’t as wretched as before.
He relied on his immense Physical Attribute to resolutely endure, stepping forward onto the next platform, albeit somewhat slower than the other Kings.
It couldn’t be helped.
His Strength Attribute was relatively low.
Though he could resist the oppressive force, the strength required to lift his feet didn’t match the others, forcing him to slowly trail behind.
"Bang!"
Suddenly, a dull noise sounded.
A young King ahead couldn’t endure further, half-kneeling on the ground under the pressure.
His face flushed, body trembling violently as he tried to rise again.
Yet, he couldn’t overcome that overwhelming pressure, ultimately spitting blood and retreating back to the 900th floor defeated.
The crowd glanced at him, feeling somewhat dispirited.
But they merely spared him a glance.
Immediately, they refocused and continued onward.
By the time they reached the 920th floor, people were finally collapsing one after another, withdrawing from the competition.
This time, Lin You didn’t falter at this height.
The substantial enhancement of his Physical Attribute enabled him to successfully break his previous record. He followed the group slowly from behind.
Thus, he slowly ascended to 930, 940, all the way until the 950th floor, when the powerful pressure finally pressed his skin open, and blood seeped through, dyeing his clothes red.
Looking at the others, their condition wasn’t any better.
All had cracked skin, with blood oozing out and sweating profusely from their foreheads, appearing shaky and unsteady.
Then, with two thuds, two more Kings collapsed, having no choice but to retreat.
What followed was akin to a chain reaction; those with weaker power or stronger murderous intent began to fall one after another, halting their progress, and the number ascending dwindled rapidly.
Lin You gritted his teeth to hold on, not succumbing to the pressure.
With a flip of his hand, a Life Aura enveloped his body, slowly healing his injuries.
The other Kings did the same, finally forced to use recovery methods to heal themselves, which intensified the consumption of the Power of Rule.
In other words.
The last 50 floors would be a contest of the Power of Rule.
Whoever exhausted their Power of Rule first would be eliminated and would have to wait for another chance.
Luckily, during this time, Lin You had acquired a National Treasure to restore the Power of Rule, and the Offensive and Defensive Belt reduced skill consumption, barely allowing him to endure.
However, his speed was still a bit slow, already lagging a layer behind those ahead.
Especially the black-eyed youth and several other old Kings at the forefront, who had pulled ahead by two layers.
It seems some tactics were needed.
Lin You silently calculated in his mind that if he used the Offensive and Defensive Conversion Set now, he should recover before reaching the top, not affecting his final outburst.
Thinking this, he no longer hesitated, directly activating all the effects of the three-piece Offensive and Defensive Set.
In an instant.
A force of reversal surged through him, converting the three Attributes of Power, Agility, and Spirit with the Physical Attribute, shooting up to over 160,000.
Then, with the boost from the Four-leaf Clover Skill, he finally broke through 200,000.
And it was an all-Attribute breakthrough!
With this boost, his overall strength was comparable to those old Kings with nine Divine Fragments, feeling a sudden lightness, and the pressure around him weakened significantly.
The surging aura immediately startled the Kings ahead, instinctively turning back.
What greeted them, however, was Lin You rapidly closing in, overtaking them in no time, even reaching the same height as the vanguard.
"So fast!"
The crowd was astounded, shocked by the speed Lin You displayed.
To know that this was the last fifty floors, the pressure was nearly 600 times that of the beginning.
Moving a single step was extremely difficult for them, yet Lin You traversed the platforms as if walking on flat ground, surpassing two platforms in a single go.
Could it be that he’s not afraid of being crushed by the pressure, with his body breaking apart?
And just as they were in a daze, Lin You’s Offense and Defense Conversion effect vanished, and the overwhelming pressure swept in once more, stalling his steps.
Those old Kings turned their heads, inspecting him curiously.
Lin You’s sudden outburst brought pressure to the other Kings, prompting them to rein in their thoughts and strive to move forward.
Meanwhile.
On the Celestial Ladder at other levels, the vanguard also began crossing the 950th floor, their speed gradually slowing.
It took roughly five minutes to enter the next floor.
By the time they reached the 960th floor, it took them ten minutes to move a single floor, appearing to be extremely arduous.
"It seems like there are half as many people going up today as there were yesterday."
"It does seem like quite a lot more. Could it be that they are really going to reach the summit?"
"It’s very possible. Just not sure who will be the first to get there."
"The Great Emperor should be first to go up, but as for other levels, it’s hard to say. Likely more than one will reach the top."
"Look quickly! They are starting to assault the last 30 floors!"
An exclamation in the crowd interrupted everyone’s discussion below.
On the platform nearest to the top of the Celestial Ladder, after nearly two hours of climbing, all levels of Lords finally managed to cross the 970th floor and began their attack on the last 30 floors.
At once, the atmosphere inside and outside the area became tense.
Everyone stopped climbing and kept their eyes fixed on the top of the Celestial Ladder.
In the vanguard, Lin You had just set foot on the 970th floor when a wave of overwhelming pressure swept towards him.
His already almost crumbling body immediately displayed huge cracks, which under the wraps of Healing Skills were constantly repaired yet continuously split open.
The intense pain furrowed his brow, and gritting his teeth, he stepped toward the next platform.
Several Kings were in even more dire straits, nearly turning into bloodied figures, with even Healing Skills unable to keep up with the rate of their bodies’ collapse, ultimately having to reluctantly retreat.
In a matter of moments, only fewer than a hundred Kings were left around, all struggling just to move a single layer every fifteen minutes.
Yet, from their eyes, Lin You saw the gleam of excitement.
It was apparent.
Each still had their final trump card unused.
Just as he had saved Barbaric Roar and Offense and Defense Conversion for the last sprint.
However.
As they labored across ten platforms, reaching the 980th floor, the surrounding pressure suddenly surged.
Including Lin You, as soon as one foot stepped on it, they recoiled in shock.
Although it was just a fleeting moment, they felt a threat of death!