Chapter 4250: Pressure

The comment stirred a thought in Lu Yin; this had to be Chang Tu’s doing. He must have forced geniuses who had not originally intended to participate in this particular competition to join instead of waiting for a future contest. It was likely that some had even been dragged out of seclusion, all to force Lu Yin out of the top 100. It was truly insidious.

He lowered his head and continued climbing up the vine.

At the same time, above the starry sky, Chang Fu was growing nervous. “When will Ancestor make a move? That man is already very close to entering the top 100. If he pushes a bit further, so long as one or two more quit, he will secure a slot.”

“I know. It should be soon,” Chang Tu replied, peering off into the distance.

Shortly after that, just as Lu Yin was closing in on Chang Yi, the pressure he felt abruptly surged. The increase was so sudden that he was nearly shaken right off the vine.

He clutched the vine tightly and looked upward. There was nothing unusual happening to Chang Yi or any of the others; only Lu Yin had been struck by the sudden spike in pressure. No, that was still a bit inaccurate. He had been observing those above him the whole time, and even when Chang Yi and the others had reached the same height that Lu Yi had just reached, they had experienced no sudden increase in pressure. If they had, it would have been impossible for them to not reveal even the slightest reaction.

That meant that he was being specifically targeted.

No one else could feel a thing.

This had to be the old monster finally making a move. This also meant that the pressure that Lu Yin had felt earlier really had originated from the Longevity Vine itself.

He was puzzled by the idea that the Longevity Vine could produce enough pressure for him to feel suppressed. How was it accomplishing that? Could the vine be a mirebound artifact?

Boom.

A thunderous crash echoed near his ears.

Lu Yin’s fingers locked onto the vine as the pressure on him increased yet again. That damned old monster!

At that moment, he felt as if a hundred people were stomping down on him from above while another hundred were pulling at him from below, all with the intent of forcing him off the vine.

Push me down? Impossible. The fact that the old monster had chosen this moment to act indicated that Lu Yin was close to securing a slot. If not, there would be no reason to interfere.

If Lu Yin could climb past Chang Yi, he just might be able to enter the top 100.

He did not particularly care about acquiring Divine Sight, but being so blatantly targeted by the Longevity Civilization left a bad taste in his mouth.

It felt as if he was being toyed with.

Lu Yin clenched his teeth and continued to climb.

A bit farther down, Chang Qi was puzzled. Why had the person above him suddenly slowed down? He could see that Lu Yin’s hands were straining against the vine more than ever. Had the pressure that he was experiencing somehow changed? But the distortion in the void looked exactly the same as before.

No one could comprehend the pressure that Lu Yin was facing at this moment. He gritted his teeth and climbed up, bit by bit.

Chang Yi looked down, panting heavily. He was about ready to give up, but why was the person below him climbing so slowly? Was he also about to give up?

Despite the short distance between Lu Yin and Chang Yi, it felt like an insurmountable chasm.

Lu Yin could only clench his teeth and continue to inch his way upward.

Chang Yi felt a bit of urgency as he sensed Lu Yin drawing closer, yet the one feeling the greatest emotional pressure at this moment was a man named Chang Shi. He was completely bewildered; how had a simple vine-climbing contest ended up pulling his family’s ancestor out?

“You little brat, climb! You aren’t allowed to give up! Climb!”

Chang Shi felt utterly lost. “Ancestor, I can’t climb any higher.”

Beside the vine, an old man glared at Chang Shi with eyes that were bulging so much that he looked ready to eat someone alive. Those bulbous eyes were bloodshot. “Even if you can’t climb, you must! You aren’t allowed to give up, even if you die!”

Chang Shi was on the verge of tears. “Ancestor, is it really so serious? Can’t I just try again next time?”

“No! It has to be now! If you dare to give up, I will flay you alive. I swear that I will flay you! I’m not joking at all,” the old man ranted, seemingly losing his sanity.

Chang Shi also felt that he was about to go crazy. What was going on? It was just a vine-climbing contest.

If he had known this would happen, he would have never signed up.

His family had encouraged him, telling him to participate for fun. How had things gotten so serious?

At the moment, there were 101 people still climbing throughout the entire Longevity Megaverse. If the heights that everyone had reached were objectively compared, then directly above Lu Yin was not Chang Yi, but Chang Shi. Lu Yin was only three meters below Chang Shi yet more than ten meters beneath Chang Yi.

There were five other climbers ranked within those ten-some meters.

But regardless of how many people might be between the two men, if Chang Shi gave up and stopped in his current position, Lu Yin would gain a slot the moment he climbed higher than Chang Shi.

This was why Chang Tu did not care about any other competitor. They could climb as high as they wanted, and even if they quit where they were, it would not matter; their positions would remain fixed. Chang Shi was different. He had to keep climbing. The only exception was if he passed someone else, in which case that person would replace Chang Shi as the one who needed to keep climbing. Whoever was in last place would be forced upwards until Lu Yin finally gave up, all to ensure that he remained outside of the top 100.

Chang Tu had dragged out Chang Shi’s ancestor specifically to force the young man to keep climbing. They chased out any thought of surrender and even threatened him with death.

Seeing the tears streaming down Chang Shi’s face, even Chang Tu felt rather helpless.

Ancestor, couldn’t you have acted a bit sooner? Look what this child has been driven to.

The Longevity Civilization’s ancestor also felt rather helpless as he watched the scene play out. He had not expected Lu Yin to continue climbing even after feeling such intense pressure. The boy’s mental strength and determination exceeded the old man’s expectations. Of course, he could increase the pressure even further, but not yet. Doing so at this moment would make things much too obvious and be far too underhanded.

Even cheating could be separated into blatant and hidden. The first increase in pressure had been concealed, which would make Lu Yin’s failure appear perfectly normal. If the pressure was increased again so soon, it would be too obvious, and it would stain their reputation.

Everyone was currently watching to see who could climb the highest, yet the ones at the very top of Longevity Civilization were simply watching Chang Shi.

If Chang Shi learned of this, he would very likely be scared so badly that he would make a mistake.

The young man’s ancestor himself was absolutely terrified, due to being fully aware that Senior Chang Tu was observing them. Little Shi, you cannot let us down! Whether our family can rise again depends entirely on you.

Streaks of blood ran down the vine.

Chang Shi gnashed his teeth as he forced himself to climb higher. He climbed until his muscles tore. He climbed until he was about to collapse.

Lu Yin’s eyes remained glued to Chang Yi, using the man as a target. Lu Yin also continued to climb and climb until he was on the brink of collapse.

Two people who were not even close to each other were competing with their lives on the line.

Chang Shi had no idea that the person he was racing against was an Aberrant like Lu Yin, someone capable of killing Immortals.

Similarly, Lu Yin had no idea that Chang Shi was suffering because of him.

He only knew that Chang Yi had already stopped.

Chang Yi felt bitter as he let go of the vine. He had done his best.

But no one paid any attention to him, not even Chang Tu. The only one Chang Tu cared about at this moment was Chang Shi.

Climbing up step by grueling step, he left bloodied handprints behind with each grip. Chang Shi was nearing mental collapse. The pressure had driven him into a dazed state where he no longer knew who he was—only that he had to climb because, if he did not, he would be flayed.

Their family’s Progenitor watched on with an aching heart. Child, it is not your Progenitor forcing you. It is Elder Chang Tu. Climb. If you can make it this time, you might join the Slaughterheart Seat and later found your own Slaughterheart Enclave. That would be your step into the heavens.

Child, climb. Climb your way into your own sky.

In the end, Chang Shi still collapsed and fell unconscious from the vine.

Chang Tu closed his eyes. The child had done all he could.

On Lu Yin’s side, he was still climbing. The three-meter gap that had once separated him from Chang Shi had shrunk to less than a meter. A little more, and he would enter the top 100.

Chang Tu stared into the distance. We still need to act, Ancestor.

Boom!

Another deafening impact rang out as a tsunami of pressure dropped. Lu Yin felt as though someone had replaced the sky itself and was crashing down upon him.

He lost all strength and let go of the vine. He had failed.

He had not caught up to Chang Yi. In the end, he had failed.

As soon as Lu Yin fell away from the vine, he recovered. He let out a breath and looked up at the sky. He had no idea where the megaverse’s ancient powerhouse might be and could only see Chang Tu.

Chang Tu smiled down, and Lu Yin returned the smile with one of his own. However, Lu Yin’s smile was mocking, full of contempt and yet also indifferent.

Chang Tu’s face fell and he looked away. It was humiliating. What they had claimed would be fair and just had been trampled beneath the brat’s feet at this moment.

Yet they had no other choice. The Longevity Civilization’s power could not be revealed. Everything was for the continuation of their civilization.

Young War King was still climbing. There were additional rewards for whoever managed to claim first place, but Lu Yin did not care about such things.

He was certain that he had not managed to enter the top 100.

Chang Yi and Chang Qi saw Lu Yin from a distance. They wanted to approach and speak with him, but he did not even glance in their direction before vanishing.

The two men exchanged glances, realizing that Lu Yin was far stronger than they could even imagine.

Lu Yin returned to the Slaughterheart Enclave.

Awe Gate commented, “You failed.”

Lu Yin nodded. “They are absolutely shameless. Their old monster personally intervened.”

“There is nothing we can do about that,” Awe Gate replied, “Besides, it doesn’t really matter. This Divine Sight does not actually fit your needs, and it’s possible that, if you obtained it, it would hinder you from obtaining some other ability that will allow you to see great distances in the future.”

Lu Yin gave a wry smile. “You’re just saying that to comfort me.

“When are we leaving?”

Awe Gate stared far across the stars. “I want to see Chang Tian once more. I want to at least learn what use that piece of Longevity Vine might have.”

Lu Yin nodded and did not press the woman further. The Meteor Realm would remain open for a full decade, so they had ample time.

The vine-climbing contest only ended after a full three months.

On the segment of the vine that Lu Yin had climbed up, the one who had reached the highest was Young War King. It was no surprise that someone whose mentality had been tempered on multiple battlefields had won third place in the overall contest.

First place went to a woman whose ugly appearance surprised many.

It was perfectly normal for cultivators to alter their appearance, but this woman had retained her natural, ugly appearance.

Another woman had won second place, but she was so beautiful that she seemed to glow. The woman naturally had countless admirers.

Young War King managed to gain third place.

Lu Yin was rather intrigued by the rankings. It was nothing unusual for the top two contestants to be women, but for one to be so ugly and the other so dazzlingly beautiful created a very strange and striking contrast.

With the vine-climbing contest at an end, the next stage was to bestow Divine Sight to the winners.

Perhaps out of guilt, or possibly as a form of compensation, Chang Tu arrived at the Slaughterheart Enclave and invited Lu Yin and Awe Gate to ascend above the sky to witness the bestowal of Divine Sight.

“This is a great honor. In my Longevity Megaverse, only a select few are ever allowed to witness this moment. All the youths who receive Divine Sight will one day become the elites of our civilization. To witness this moment is to witness the birth of a new era.”

Awe Gate sneered. “And we’re supposed to thank you for that?”

Chang Tu coughed lightly. “There’s no need for that. After all, you two are guests.”

Seeing that Awe Gate was about to say something further, the old man quickly interrupted, saying, “Come, I will lead the way.”

With that, he immediately flew up into the sky. As they left, Chang Tu made a point to specifically remind Lu Yin to alter his appearance in order to avoid being recognized by the competitors from his vine.

“Old man, where is Chang Tian?”

Chang Tu paused and looked back. “He broke our people’s rules and must pay the price. Still, you do not need to worry as it is not very serious. He will be released after a few years of imprisonment.”

Awe Gate said nothing further and silently followed Chang Tu upwards.

Above the sky, the Longevity Vine spread out to form what looked like a vast green land. It stretched out endlessly, nearly shrouding the entire Longevity Megaverse.

This region was reminiscent of the Mother Tree’s canopy in the human civilization’s Nine Odysseys megaverse; only a select few were allowed to enter this place.

At the moment, the top 100 competitors from the vine-climbing contest had already arrived. They stood within rings of light. None spoke to each other, though everyone was curiously glancing around, with most of their attention directed to the front. The people who stood there were the true pinnacle of the Longevity Civilization. At the bottom stood Ortusers, with Dukkhans above them, and at the very top, Immortals.

When Chang Tu arrived, everyone turned to look at him and bowed respectfully.

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