As Bai Zemin was inside the illusion of the Staircase of Heaven in conjunction with the Collector's Pocket Watch, the soul evolvers who had their eyes fixed on him and the Demon Lord who was just one step below frowned as they realized that as the seconds passed, there was no apparent movement from either of them.
"W- What happened...?"
"Neither Bai Zemin nor the Demon Lord is moving."
"No shit. If you didn't tell me I wouldn't have noticed, you idiot! I'm asking the reason why neither of them is moving!"
"... The Demon Lord probably can't move any further? I mean, his body is trembling and he seems to be having a hard time just staying on his feet."
"But... What's the problem with Bai Zemin? He climbed 9999 steps without even trembling once but for some reason his steps stopped and he hasn't moved from his spot since he planted himself on the second to last level."