Chapter 534

Chapter 534: Forward, Forward!

One step! Then another.

Ye Yun moved slowly, taking half an hour to walk ten steps until he stood twelve zhang from the pond’s edge.

No one uttered a sound. Even Shu Anshi’s eyes flickered with surprise as he watched.

Eleven zhang and ten zhang were entirely different concepts. Past eleven zhang, the exotic spiritual energy grew denser, its hidden energy harsher, dealing devastating damage to the body.

To Shu Anshi, eleven and twelve zhang felt similar—only at thirteen zhang did real pressure hit, yet his calm demeanor never wavered.

Kuang Wuwei never reopened his eyes. Though standing, his body trembled faintly under the crushing pressure, leaving him no energy to observe others.

Zhuge Chong and Kun Huazi stared in disbelief. This junior brother had shattered their expectations—twelve zhang? Impossible!

Ding Qian’s face went blank. Now she understood the chasm between her and Ye Yun. While their combat skills might compare, her potential and willpower paled in comparison.

The other Absolute Heart Peak disciples refused to look. Ye Yun was a freak, a monster beyond normal standards.

Twelve zhang!

Ye Yun felt immense power surge like a tsunami, slamming into him. Without preparation, it would’ve hurled him back ten zhang—or straight to shore.

He held firm, letting the wild strength batter his numb body.

Spiritual energy flooded his pores, each wave of pressure shredding his meridians, bones, and muscles. Even rapid healing couldn’t outpace the destruction.

_Pfft!_

A blood arrow shot from his mouth, splattering several zhang away.

“Junior brother!”

Kun Huazi and Zhuge Chong lunged forward, but a gentle force stopped them—Shu Anshi shook his head.

Ye Yun swayed, blood trickling from his lips, face ghostly pale. The raging energy inside nearly tore him apart. Without robust flesh and Soul Willpower, he’d have faced death and spirit dissolution.

Agony seared him, yet he knew twelve zhang was his limit. Shu Anshi and Kuang Wuwei stood ahead, impossibly far.

Hidden energy surged. Ice Spirit Qi and Thunder Spirit Qi channeled into his False Pill, while Fire Spirit Qi rampaged unchecked.

Without condensing the Fire Spirit False Pill, reaching the Golden Core stage was impossible. The twelve-zhang Fire Spirit Qi could forge it, but his ravaged body couldn’t endure. Half an hour more, and he’d collapse.

Shu Anshi saw Ye Yun’s worsening state—retreat to eleven zhang was inevitable.

Yet shock gripped him. He’d predicted Ye Yun might reach eleven zhang, but twelve? When Ye Yun pushed forward, excitement had briefly surged in him.

“Even retreating to eleven zhang gives you three days to condense the Golden Core,” Shu Anshi remarked gently.

Ye Yun heard nothing. The pressure severed his senses. Organs faltered; one more hour here meant death.

“My limit… is this.” Ye Yun inhaled sharply.

Suddenly, a black-and-white light glowed within him. Spiritual and hidden energy whirled into the Heart of Immortals and Demons.

He’d activated it.

Wild energy streamed into the Heart, unrelenting.

Pain halved. True qi mended his bones, meridians, and five internal organs.

Shu Anshi’s eyes widened. Ye Yun steadied, color returning to his face.

_How?_

Did he have a pressure-easing treasure like Kuang Wuwei? Impossible—such items were used early, not after near-death.

Kun Huazi and Zhuge Chong gaped. Moments ago, they’d tried rescuing him—futile given their cultivation. Now he stood firm, revitalized.

Then came greater shock: Ye Yun stepped toward Shu Anshi.

A tiny step, yet it stunned everyone.

At exhaustion’s brink, how? Each step closer multiplied pressure—this one doubled twelve zhang’s force.

Ye Yun wobbled, almost falling.

Yet he steadied, stopped shaking, and stepped again.

Under disbelieving stares, he inched toward thirteen zhang.

He halted, face flickering pale then red, eyes blazing with resolve.

Shu Anshi’s composure cracked. Ye Yun neared him—one step from standing beside him and Kuang Wuwei!

All watched, breath held. Could he reach thirteen zhang?

Ye Yun stood panting. After half an hour, a glimmer lit his eyes—he stepped!

Toward thirteen zhang.