The Legend of the Immortal Cauldron

Matthew stood at the foot of the stone steps and looked up. The winding steps seemed like a giant dragon sleeping for thousands of years.

With a firm gaze, he stared at the slightly smooth ancient stone steps, and an inexplicable sense of heaviness surged in his heart.

He took a deep breath, carefully lifted his right foot, and slowly landed on the stone steps.

At the moment when his foot touched the stone steps, a heavy sense of oppression suddenly surged into his heart like a surging tide, as if an invisible force was trying to push him away.

Matthew frowned slightly, and a trace of vigilance was revealed in his eyes. He did not retreat, but stood there steadily and began to carefully feel the pressure from above.

As he took one step after another firmly, every time his foot touched the stone steps, he could clearly feel a force penetrating the soles of his shoes, piercing his leg muscles like fine needles, as if there was a pair of big hands hidden in the dark, trying their best to stop him from moving forward.

But Matthew is not someone who will be easily frightened.

His eyes were sharp, his teeth were clenched, and he concentrated on feeling the unique force exerted by each step.

At first, Matthew felt that the pressure of these steps might not be as unbearable as he imagined.

Perhaps it was because he had just embarked on this long journey and had not yet touched the more dangerous areas.

Or perhaps it was because his physical strength was far superior to that of ordinary people, and this pressure was just a breeze for him.

Despite this, Matthew knew in his heart that he must not take it lightly.

Time passed quietly, and Matthew knew the difficulty of this climbing task. Every minute and every second was crucial, and he could not waste too much time here.

So, after he fully adapted to the current pressure, he slightly adjusted his breathing rhythm, making it steady and long, like an ancient pendulum, each rhythm contained powerful power.

His steps began to gradually speed up, and he performed the light body technique, his posture was as agile as a ghost, his feet were like the wind, and basically he crossed two or three steps at a time.

Matthew rushed up all the way, and after climbing more than a hundred steps in one breath, he slowly stopped.

At this time, the pressure he was under was more than ten times stronger than at the beginning. The force was like a towering mountain, weighing heavily on his shoulders, making every movement of his extremely difficult.

He stood there, waiting quietly, allowing his body to gradually adapt to the suddenly increased pressure.

Time seemed to freeze at this moment, and everything around him became quiet and silent, with only Matthew's heavy breathing and heartbeat intertwined.

Matthew looked up and saw that the skinny old man in front of him also slowed down significantly, and he was no longer as agile and light as before.

However, the old man was still ahead of Matthew by at least four or five hundred steps, and the distant figure was looming in the mist, as if it was an unattainable goal.

Matthew knew in his heart that it was not easy to catch up with the other party, but there was no discouragement or giving up in his eyes, but a more ardent fighting spirit.

After adjusting for a while, he took another step and headed higher.

This time, his steps were more steady and powerful, and every step he took was like a mountain pressing down on his head, as if he was going to crush the stone steps.

He used the magic power in his body to flow through his meridians, resisting the strong pressure from the outside world, and at the same time transforming this pressure into the driving force for moving forward.

As Matthew continued to climb up, the surrounding environment gradually changed.

Some light mist began to appear around him.

As he continued to climb up, the originally thin mist became thicker and thicker, as if it was a layer of airtight gauze, tightly wrapping him in it.

With his vision blocked, Matthew could only continue to move forward by intuition.

And the stone steps became more and more steep and dangerous, and some places were even damaged and broken, adding more danger and difficulty to the climb.

But Matthew did not hesitate at all, he jumped and climbed on the stone steps flexibly.

Sometimes he would sidestep a protruding rock, and sometimes he would leap over a broken step with the help of a protruding stone.

During the climb, Matthew occasionally encountered some mysterious runes and patterns, which flashed faint light.

Although Matthew was full of curiosity, he knew that his first task at the moment was to reach the top of the stone steps, so he memorized the runes and continued to move forward.

After an unknown amount of time, Matthew felt as if he had been climbing for a lifetime, and his body began to feel a little tired, but his spirit was still highly concentrated, without any slack.

Suddenly, he felt that the pressure in front of him seemed to have a subtle change, and the force that had been tightly binding him seemed to have a brief loosening.

Matthew's heart moved, and he keenly realized that this might be an opportunity for a breakthrough.

The mana in his body was running to the extreme, and then he suddenly jumped up.

At this moment, Matthew's body was like an arrow from a string, breaking through the heavy pressure and flying towards a higher step.

When his feet stepped on the cold and hard stone steps, an indescribable feeling came over him.

It was as if he had passed through an invisible barrier and instantly entered a completely unfamiliar area.

The stone steps in front of him were extremely wide and surprisingly long, roughly estimated to be at least two or three feet long.

Each step seemed to be carved from a huge stone, exuding an ancient and mysterious atmosphere.

Matthew carefully stood on the stone steps. The moment his feet touched the ground, the huge pressure that was as heavy as Mount Tai on his body disappeared quickly like a tide.

The feeling of being relieved suddenly made him feel light all over, as if he had been reborn.

After his body gradually recovered, Matthew let out a long sigh.

"Huh... I really thought I was going to be crushed just now!"

At this moment, Na Luo, who had been lying on Matthew's shoulder, suddenly exclaimed.

Since Matthew started climbing the stairs, this little guy's mouth has been tightly closed as if it was sealed, and he has not made a sound from beginning to end.

Matthew saw that Na Luo had nothing to do, so he ignored it.

At this moment, it finally broke the silence, and it was obvious that it also felt the disappearance of the pressure and relief.

However, looking at Na Luo's sleepy look, it seemed that he had just woken up.

"Na Luo, did you just fall asleep?" Matthew asked after taking a few pills.

"Yes, I just fell asleep in a daze, but I can still feel the strong pressure. Master, where are we?" Na Luo nodded and asked curiously.

"Still on the stone platform, there is something strange here, it seems to be a place for people who climb inside to rest." Matthew said uncertainly.