Leo felt he could still move forward a bit, but he wasn’t sure how far. He had no confidence in reaching the high platform and the dragon throne. Yet, retreating now felt like giving up on a great opportunity, despite the risks.
He was at a crossroads, torn between advancing and retreating. Leo was curious about what would happen if he reached the dragon throne. A mysterious force seemed to urge him forward.
Leo knew his body could still absorb a lot of purple aura. After weighing his options, he decided to continue moving forward. He would keep going until he absorbed as much purple aura as his body could handle.
With his decision made, a new problem arose. If he took nine more steps, the purple aura would erupt. This energy would automatically enter Sophia’s body, posing the same danger as before.
After much thought, Leo decided to take Sophia with him. When the purple aura erupted, he would use his Spiritual Power to transfer the energy from Sophia’s body to his own.
“Sophia, can you keep moving forward?” Leo asked.
Sophia understood his decision and nodded, biting her lip. Leo helped her up and brushed her hair from her forehead. “Don’t be afraid. I’ll protect you,” he reassured her.
“I believe in you,” Sophia said firmly.
Her words gave Leo immense strength. He held her hand tightly, took a deep breath, and stepped forward.
They moved slowly this time. After eight steps, Leo paused and took out a fourth-level raging waves talisman. He activated it with his Spiritual Power, which surged within him. Then, he took the ninth step with Sophia.
A powerful but calm wave of energy emerged. Dense purple aura filled the room, surrounding them and quickly entering their bodies.
Leo formed a seal with his left hand, releasing his Spiritual Power. Part of it enveloped Sophia, while another part entered her body. The purple aura in Sophia’s body was continuously transferred to Leo.
In about five or six minutes, all the purple aura from the fourth set of nine steps had entered Leo’s body. He felt full, like after a satisfying meal.
Leo knew he could still “eat” more. After the fifth set of nine steps, even more concentrated purple aura appeared. His Spiritual Power worked at full speed to absorb it all into his body.
Leo now felt extremely full. His body was nearing its limit for absorbing purple aura. If he continued, he wouldn’t be able to absorb the next wave.
Looking at the high platform ahead, about thirty steps remained. Without another solution, they might not make it to the end and could perish here.
But Leo wasn’t worried; he had a secret weapon-the Damaged Storage Sack. While his body couldn’t absorb more purple aura, the storage sack could.
Holding Sophia’s hand, they continued forward cautiously. After the sixth set of nine steps, dense purple aura filled the stone chamber, obscuring Leo’s view of the platform.
Leo summoned the storage sack and controlled it to absorb the purple aura. To his surprise, instead of absorbing the energy, the Nine Abyss Suppresses Evil Peak emerged from the sack on its own.
The peak began absorbing the purple aura rapidly, clearing the chamber in seconds. A mysterious purple-gold rune appeared on its surface.
Leo didn’t understand why the peak absorbed the energy but decided to move forward since it could handle the purple aura.
Holding Sophia’s hand, they completed the seventh set of nine steps. The peak absorbed all the purple aura again. After the eighth set of nine steps, it did so once more but began vibrating and showing signs of strain.
“Could it be that the peak has reached its limit for absorbing purple aura?” Leo wondered, feeling concerned.
With only nine steps left to the high platform’s stairs, success was within reach. Noticing Leo’s expression change, Sophia tightened her grip on his hand.
“Nine Abyss Suppresses Evil Peak, you must hold on,” Leo prayed silently. He looked at Sophia tenderly. “Are you scared?”
“No,” Sophia replied firmly. “I trust you and your choices.”
With such an understanding partner, Leo felt determined. If the peak couldn’t absorb all the purple aura after nine steps, he would protect Sophia with his life.
They continued forward together.
One step… two steps…
A powerful pressure weighed on Leo.
Seven steps… eight steps…
Sweat poured from Leo’s forehead as he gritted his teeth.
His face turned a strange shade of purple, neither flushed nor pale but an eerie violet hue. His body alternated between intense pain and extreme comfort as if needles were piercing him one moment and endorphins were flooding his system the next.