The Art of Chaotic Divinity-Chapter 1173: The Freak Named Ling Feng

Nine hundred and two!

Nine hundred and three!

...

Nine hundred and eight!

Nine hundred and nine!

Ling Feng pressed onward. The seventy steps he had taken so far had already cost him nearly half an hour. Sweat drenched his robes from head to toe.

Far below, the black-robed figure who had stood motionless all this time frowned slightly and let out a low grunt. "It seems comprehending that soul secret art at the five-hundredth step is still too difficult. I need to climb higher!"

Swoosh!

In the blink of an eye, the black-robed figure climbed another hundred steps and advanced past the six-hundredth step before pushing upward again.

"My heavens, another dark horse!"

"That's outrageous! He leaped a full hundred steps in one go!"

The crowd erupted in shock. Even Elder Tian Yi and the Illusion Heart Queen on the high platform showed surprise.

It was clear now that the black-robed man had been concealing his true strength!

"Who is that man?"

The Illusion Heart Queen frowned. Something about him stirred a deep unease within her.

While the spectators murmured, the black-robed figure climbed higher still.

Six hundred and fifty!

Seven hundred!

Seven hundred and fifty!

His pace was no slower than Ling Feng's earlier ascent, perhaps even faster. When he reached the eight-hundredth tier, the pressure grew immense. Only then did he sit cross-legged and begin to comprehend.

"What in the world..."

The most frustrated person present was Murong Huang. He had already fallen to second place, and now this mysterious newcomer had pushed him into third. For someone so obsessed with reputation, it was a heavy humiliation.

Meanwhile, as the black-robed man advanced three hundred steps in one surge, Ling Feng's entire body shook with exhaustion. Cold sweat poured down his back, yet he finally reached the nine-hundred and ninety-eighth step.

Only one step remained!

Ling Feng drew a long breath. His spiritual consciousness erupted, his body feeling as if crushed beneath a mountain. Gritting his teeth, he forced himself up that final step.

He stood firm. A faint smile touched his lips.

Then he did something that stunned everyone watching.

He sat down!

Cross-legged, he began to meditate. His body trembled, every muscle quivering under the immense weight, yet he remained still. He had chosen to refine his spiritual consciousness on the final step.

"This... this..."

Elder Tian Yi swallowed hard. His mouth twitched. "This boy is completely mad!"

He stepped forward quickly and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, allow me to stay close. If he is thrown off by the pressure, I will retrieve him. Surely Your Majesty would not wish to lose such a talent."

The Illusion Heart Queen gazed at Ling Feng for a long moment, then nodded. "Go ahead."

But events did not unfold as Elder Tian Yi had expected. Ling Feng sat motionless beneath the crushing power of the nine-hundred and ninety-ninth step. His body trembled slightly, but his posture never faltered.

"What kind of monster is this boy?"

Elder Tian Yi was stunned again. Ling Feng's extremely quick crossing of the Soul-Locking Bridge had already made the Grand Elder rate his spiritual consciousness highly. Even so, seeing Ling Feng actually cultivating on the final step of the Stairway of the Soul made him completely doubt his own eyes.

On the platform above, Illusion Heart Queen narrowed her eyes. She had not expected that a mere early-stage Spiritual Element Realm could possess such a formidable spiritual consciousness!

"Your Majesty," said the pink-clad maid Xiang'er with a teasing smile, "that young man is actually refining his soul on the last step. Perhaps he really can comprehend the ancient soul secret art you mentioned."

"Perhaps," the Illusion Heart Queen replied, her expression unreadable.

Xiang'er's eyes sparkled mischievously as she leaned closer. "Your Majesty once said that if he truly comprehended the entire secret art, you would marry him. Heehee..." 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

The Illusion Heart Queen gave her a sharp glance. "I said I would consider it. Whether he can actually succeed is still uncertain. But Xiang'er, would you like to make a wager?"

"What kind of wager?" Xiang'er grinned.

"We shall bet on whether that young man can fully comprehend the soul secret art. What do you say?"

"I bet he can!" Xiang'er said without hesitation, still smiling. "What are the stakes, Your Majesty?"

The Illusion Heart Queen's eyes gleamed with playful light. "If you lose, you will run one full lap around my Heaven's Illusion Palace without a stitch of clothing. Do you dare?"

"Ah?" Xiang'er's cheeks flushed crimson. She bit her lip. "Then what if you lose, Your Majesty?"

"If I lose, I will do the same," the queen said solemnly.

"Must the wager be so extreme?"

Xiang'er was dumbfounded. The dignified queen of Heaven's Illusion Island, running around unclothed?

Even if she dared, who would dare to watch?

"Your Majesty, perhaps you should reconsider. Comprehending that secret art is nearly impossible. What if that foolish boy happens to get lucky?"

Before the result was even decided, Xiang'er was already fretting for her queen. How could the ruler of Heaven's Illusion Island do something so improper?

"I have not finished," said the Illusion Heart Queen with a smile. "If I lose, I will indeed do as promised, but only to watch you run. How does that sound?"

Xiang'er's mouth twitched. Whether she won or lost, she would still have to run naked!

Was there truly no justice in this world?

She pouted, looking pitiful. "Your Majesty, that's cheating!"

"How could it be cheating?" The Illusion Heart Queen's expression turned solemn again. "You were the one who agreed to the wager!"

"Bah..."

Xiang'er stuck out her tongue and gave a light, scornful sniff, refusing to agree to a gamble that was guaranteed to leave her at a disadvantage. However, this playfully cute display from the Queen was something only she and the young master, Yang Huanzhi, were privileged to see on all of Heaven's Illusion Island.

The Illusion Heart Queen had inherited all of her late mother's cultivation and teachings, but because of her mother's dying wish, she had been confined to Heaven's Illusion Palace since childhood. Freedom was a luxury she had never truly known.

While the queen and Xiang'er spoke, Ling Feng had already begun to adapt to the overwhelming soul pressure. Within that crushing force, he gradually sensed a faint rhythm.

"What is this? I can feel it clearly. Within this pressure lies an immense amount of information."

Ling Feng's eyelids twitched. He realized something odd about the Stairway of the Soul!