The Final Step

Upon ascending the twenty-seventh stone step, Xiao Chen felt a powerful pressure, a thread of fear originating from the deepest source of his divine consciousness. Yes, having personally set foot on the Ninety-Nine Stone Steps, Xiao Chen now had an intuitive feeling that this place held immense danger—it was truly an ominous land! Human perception is a subtle thing, impossible to explain clearly with words. At this moment, he vaguely sensed that something extremely terrible was about to happen, surpassing any calamity he had ever experienced.

Behind him, Lu Zhan, Lang Ya, and the four Otherworld Ancestral Gods had all caught up, cutting off his retreat. Among the kings, aside from three who withdrew, all the others—those in the shadows and those in the open—chose to advance and surround him, preparing to close in.

"Lu Zhan, you have reached your sacred ground. As the host, won't you introduce it in detail?" Xiao Chen stood on the twenty-seventh high platform, looking down from above, and asked casually, "What lies at the end of these Ninety-Nine Stone Steps?" In response, Lu Zhan remained cold and silent, saying nothing.

Among the four Ancestral Gods, Lang Ya's stone body had been destroyed; his form was now like a shadow. He wielded his wolf-fang stone club, swinging it as if a pillar holding up the heavens were crashing down.

Xiao Chen frowned and charged upward again. When he reached the thirty-somethingth stone step, he felt the pressure was too great. He could barely move forward, unable to proceed further. The kings behind him advanced unhurriedly, step by step drawing closer, gradually encircling him.

The final hunt was about to begin. The owner of the Three Sovereign Mirror would be decided here. Although everyone knew the outcome could be extremely bloody, no one was willing to back down. They were all ancient fossils who had cultivated through endless ages, deeply aware of the Three Sovereign Mirror's terror. Possessing it would make one invincible among the kings. Moreover, the mysterious legends about the Three Sovereign Mirror and its origins were enough to stir the hearts of all.

Xiao Chen stopped on the forty-ninth stone step. He felt it was difficult to advance; his body was under too much pressure. Pushing further would inevitably consume a great amount of divine power. "Ya ya..." Keke muttered softly, her expression very tense.

"This is as far as I can go for now..." Xiao Chen held the Three Sovereign Mirror, his heart sinking. With so many kings present, he didn't know if he could escape. He said to himself, "I hope Old Skull and that old crow don't let me down." He wanted to cause a great disturbance here, but he didn't want to lose his life. Only those two could lend him a hand now.

"Die!" Lang Ya's shadowy form had eyes that blazed red. Over twenty thousand years ago, his stone body had been destroyed, and he remembered all who had attacked him that day. Naturally, he had not forgotten Xiao Chen. At this moment, he let out a low roar, his voice rumbling like the wailing of ghosts and the weeping of gods: "Mind-force conceptual slaying! The king is slaughtered, the god is butchered, the demon is annihilated! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill!"

Xiao Chen was startled. This living fossil, who had returned to the path of the Upper Ancestral God, had once grievously wounded Keke's father with this very power of killing intent. Its lethality was truly horrifying. The dreadful demonic sound was like a divine spear piercing through the brain, making one's spirit feel as if it would split. This divine principle annihilated consciousness and destroyed the physical form; it was indeed a supreme technique of a Stone Man King.

Xiao Chen turned the Three Sovereign Mirror, and at the same time, he spoke in a casual tone: "Great sound is silent; great form has no shape. Great thought is no thought; great art has no art. The myriad things have their source; the laws return to the heavens!" Naturally, he had not grasped Keke's father's divine ability. He was only doing this to enrage Lang Ya. After all, Keke's father, even without being a Stone King, had once severely wounded Lang Ya.

As expected, the light in Lang Ya's eyes grew even colder. He intensified his divine thought assault, which was nearly covering the entire sky. Lu Zhan and the others did not stop him. Although they knew the wondrous properties of the Three Sovereign Mirror could reflect even fierce attacks, they also knew it would consume a vast amount of Xiao Chen's divine power. Draining Xiao Chen's primal essence right now was the safest course.

"Om!" The Three Sovereign Mirror trembled, emitting a blazing radiance. Xiao Chen used this divine light to shine it upon Lang Ya. "Boom!" With a great crash, the enemy's own technique was used against him. Lang Ya vanished from where he stood like a ghost. Where he had been, the heavy stone steps cracked open with terrifying fissures. This was the combined full-force blow of a Stone Man King, and even the stone steps could not fully withstand it. However, everyone knew the steps here would repair themselves afterward.

The matter did not end there. Xiao Chen frantically drove his divine power. The Three Sovereign Mirror autonomously shot out divine light. A huge pillar of light, like a sharp heavenly sword, left dreadful marks on the forty-eighth stone step below! "Rumble!" All the kings changed color. None had expected the Three Sovereign Mirror to be so powerful. The forty-eighth stone platform had been grievously damaged! Xiao Chen wanted to sever the Ninety-Nine Stone Steps!

"Extinguish!" Lu Zhan and the others were not panicked. Their expressions grew even colder as they attacked simultaneously. "Alright, it's time to fight for our lives." Xiao Chen summoned the King's Divine City, shrinking it to ten meters square to protect himself. At the same time, beams of divine light radiated out, gathering toward Xiao Chen, instantly surging his body with divine power. It continuously supplied primal energy to the Three Sovereign Mirror. The third stone artifact lived up to expectations; its brilliance blazed as if it were on fire. Xiao Chen could clearly see that the three beautiful human-shaped imprints on the back of the stone mirror had become noticeably clearer. The front of the mirror trembled lightly.

"Dong!" A dazzling radiance shot out, sweeping down toward the attackers, simultaneously confronting the four Otherworld Ancestral Gods. "Kill!" At that moment, some among the kings also attacked, launching fierce assaults from above. They no longer wanted to 'indulge' Xiao Chen. It was time to end this. "Rumble!" The King's Divine City was burning, endlessly replenishing divine power into the Three Sovereign Mirror. Xiao Chen held this supreme treasure; the light it reflected numbered in the thousands. The Ninety-Nine Stone Steps were immediately flooded with radiance. In this short span of time, Xiao Chen had already consumed two Life-Reviving Grasses. That meant he had been nearly destroyed twice in this brief interval!

"Dong, dong, dong..." The Ninety-Nine Stone Steps shook violently. Everywhere was filled with dazzling light. The Three Sovereign Mirror shone in all directions, continuously counterattacking. In just a few moments, the King's Divine City had cracked. The drain on its primal energy was too great, combined with the attacks of the kings. This ancient city was in danger of collapsing at any moment.

With no other choice, Xiao Chen produced an ancient, palm-sized stone jar. In that instant, he summoned the Stone Man King puppet. At the same time, the jar's body radiated light, casting a dazzling divine glow around him. Borrowing the divine power of the Stone Man King puppet, Xiao Chen frantically drove the Three Sovereign Mirror. This supreme treasure became even more dazzling, shooting out a divine light that could pierce anything. Lu Zhan and Lang Ya all dodged, not daring to withstand it head-on. The other kings also showed shock. With the powerful Stone Man King puppet assisting, the power of the Three Sovereign Mirror was unleashed to its fullest!

"Dong!" Just then, the Three Sovereign Mirror shot out a blazing divine light, piercing through Lang Ya's shadowy form in an instant. There was a sizzling sound, forcing him to flip backward, tumbling down nine stone steps. Clearly, Lang Ya had suffered a great loss and was grievously wounded!

The kings changed color. Xiao Chen and the Stone Man King puppet jointly controlled the Three Sovereign Mirror, posing a tremendous threat to them. Countless great Daos, ten thousand laws, covering all heavens, piercing through all worlds, struck at Xiao Chen like a dense rain. All the kings attacked without reservation.

The Stone Man King puppet did not disappoint Xiao Chen. With its aid, his divine power was effectively replenished, and he had no worries of exhaustion, reflecting all kinds of divine principles back. The Ninety-Nine Stone Steps trembled. The kings all showed shock. At this moment, all the powerful beings of the myriad worlds felt the terrifying fluctuations from the Otherworld. This power could absolutely destroy any enemy! Even if the Little Stone Emperor were reborn, he would probably find it hard to withstand.

The violent storm of frenzied attacks made it difficult to tell if there were ten Stone Man Kings or more. Everyone was attacking wildly, completely flooding the Ninety-Nine Stone Steps. "Rumble!" Starting from the forty-ninth stone step, an ear-splitting sound erupted. Dust and smoke filled the sky. The stone steps suddenly split apart. Massive stone bodies continuously fell toward the earth!

From the end of the stone steps, boundless black mist poured down. The evil aura was enough to make anyone tremble. But none of the kings below ceased their attacks. They still struck with fierce power. The dazzling light even scattered the nether mist surging down from the summit. No one would retreat now. With the kings allied, they feared no evil place. They would not stop until they had obtained the Three Sovereign Mirror.

Xiao Chen's heart was a mix of joy and worry. He had indeed achieved his goal—he had destroyed half of the Ninety-Nine Stone Steps. But could he escape? Charge! He could not turn back now. He merged with the Divine Diagram, used the Ancient Scroll to protect his body, and simultaneously summoned the Otherworld Dao Imprint. He unreservedly let it burn, unleashing the power of ultimate laws. All kinds of mysterious, supreme Dao essences swirled around him, aiding his advance as he walked toward the summit under immense pressure. The Stone Man King puppet followed closely, helping him control the Three Sovereign Mirror and shielding his physical body.

Xiao Chen wanted to tear down the Ninety-Nine Stone Steps all the way to the end! Braving tremendous pressure, he finally reached the eighty-first stone step. Throughout this process, none of the kings ceased their attacks. Divine light crisscrossed, and chaos swirled. Even true great worlds would have been destroyed many times over. The Ninety-Nine Stone Steps displayed an astonishing resilience, enduring an unimaginable amount of attack power, though forty-nine steps had been shattered.

In this short span of time, Xiao Chen had already consumed five Life-Reviving Grasses cultivated by the Little Stone Emperor from his own essence blood. Otherwise, his physical form would have collapsed five times. Although he had damaged the stone steps, breaking forty-nine of them, Xiao Chen grew more and more uneasy. And throughout this process, Lu Zhan was frighteningly calm, without a trace of emotion. He simply advanced slowly, his steps heavy and forceful. The other three Otherworld Ancestral Gods were also as calm as an ancient well, moving in step with him.

The kings did not stop either, their attacks growing even more intense! "Rumble!" The eighty-first stone step shattered completely. Black mist spread, rolling dust and smoke rose, and enormous rocks tumbled from the sky. Xiao Chen pressed on toward the end, steeling himself. By this point, he had long seen that the kings were using him to destroy the Ninety-Nine Stone Steps. He had originally wanted to use the power of the kings, but now it seemed the kings needed to use him even more to achieve their strategic aims.

The kings needed an excuse! They had long felt uneasy about this ominous place. Using this incident, they were openly and justifiably destroying the Otherworld's sacred ground! "Boom!" The eighty-eighth stone step shattered! Under the attack of over ten kings, no power could withstand or resist. It was enough to annihilate all great worlds, sweeping away all obstacles. The legendary, indestructible Otherworld sacred ground was continuously crumbling.

Together, the Stone Man Kings, both hidden and overt, numbered more than ten! Even if the Little Stone Emperor were reborn, he would have to sigh in awe. Such powerful combat strength could not be stopped by anyone advancing. Lu Zhan grew even colder, causing unease and even some fear. The four Ancestral Gods were too calm. Everyone knew that the door at the end of the Ninety-Nine Stone Steps would probably be opened now. But having come this far, there was no turning back. All chose to advance.

For just now, the kings had reached a consensus. Setting aside the Three Sovereign Mirror, they had to shatter that stone door and suppress the terrifying being within. The shadow that had once stood at the end of the Ninety-Nine Stone Steps had brought them great shock. Everyone felt very uneasy. This time, Xiao Chen was not the victor. It was hard to say who was using whom. But even so, the kings all wore dark expressions. Now that their intentions had been exposed—if they could not destroy that door of the Otherworld, things might become somewhat unfavorable in the future.

"Boom!" The ninety-second stone step shattered. From this point on, the dreadful pressure grew even more fierce and powerful. It was like a tangible form pressing down on them, like a sharp divine sword forcing itself upon their bodies. Even the Stone Man Kings showed expressions of gravity. Everyone felt very uneasy.

Xiao Chen bore the immense pressure, relying on the support of the Divine Diagram, the Ancient Scroll, and the Stone Man King puppet. He finally reached the very summit—the ninety-ninth stone step! It was like the world's foremost demonic mountain. Here, black mist coiled, visibility was extremely low, and a terrifying baleful aura pervaded the air. A premonition of dread from the depths of his soul made Xiao Chen realize there was immense danger here!

This final, enormous stone platform was very spacious, but unlike the stone steps below, it was covered in carved symbols, appearing mysterious beyond compare. Yes, this last stone step was crisscrossed with runes, stained with a bloody smell. Looking closely, one could see large patches of dark red bloodstains on the stone. The end of the stone steps—this ninety-ninth step—was truly a sacrificial altar!

"Boom!" The fierce attacks of the kings continued. All the stone steps below shattered completely. At this moment, everyone had ascended to the final stone step. Shadowy figures stood amidst the black mist, each one a terrifying Stone Man King, motionless like fossils from a bygone age. Upon reaching this place, everyone became cautious! These experts had all weathered great cataclysms to ascend from the myriad worlds to the Celestial Realm. They represented the pinnacle of power gathered from countless great worlds.

"Enough!" At last, Lu Zhan let out a chilling snort. The two words he uttered made everyone even more uneasy. "Not yet!" someone transmitted secretly. "Boom!" A fist struck the final stone step. But this last step, covered in runes, was exceptionally sturdy. There was not a single crack on its surface; it showed no signs of being damaged.

Arriving here, Xiao Chen knew that the Three Sovereign Mirror could no longer be kept. It was time to drop the mirror and find a way to escape. But would Lu Zhan give him the chance? The answer was clearly no. "Nothing can be changed. The tragedy will be reenacted..." This was Lu Zhan's cold pronouncement after uttering ancient syllables. "A complete end!"

"Bang!" The black mist around the end of the Ninety-Nine Stone Steps was briefly shaken away. On this towering altar, a mysterious stone door appeared, strangely and unpredictably. An overwhelming, dreadful pressure surged out. Black mist roiled there. At this moment, all the kings felt a tremendous pressure. In a daze, they seemed to see, through the black mist, a demonic shadow coalescing behind that stone door.

Xiao Chen's heart sank. At that instant, he learned a terrible thing: there was no escape. This final stone step had been sealed off. The kings all changed color as well. They looked at the Three Sovereign Mirror in Xiao Chen's hands, but no one made a move. Then, they turned their gazes toward that stone door. Everyone was gathering their power.

"There is nothing to fear. With us kings allied, we are unmatched under heaven and earth. Even if there is something strange within that stone door, so what? Even if it were the Little Stone Emperor at his peak, reborn, we could contend with him. Can it possibly surpass the Little Stone Emperor, who looked down upon the ages?" The kings steeled themselves, determined to destroy this ominous place.

"Rumble!" That dreadful stone door was pushed open, and a demonic shadow slowly stepped out! At this moment, the winds and clouds shifted, heaven and earth lost their color, and all the myriad worlds trembled! Everything became blurred, and nothing remained. It was as if a thousand ages and ten thousand worlds had been utterly destroyed.