Chapter 4890

The seventh floor was a vast star field—silent, lifeless, and without the slightest trace of breath or living creatures.

Only a man stood there, dressed in a robe, holding a cane in his hand.

This floor represented a realm that cultivators of the Heavenly Realm had never reached.

Kai couldn’t tell how powerful this seemingly disabled man with a cane truly was.

“Senior, do we need to fight in order to pass this level?”

Kai asked.

“No, you can proceed directly to the eighth floor from here. I’m only standing here out of curiosity… I wanted to see who could make the owner of the Ladder to Heaven take things so seriously.”

“But from what I see, you’re only in the Mahayana realm—not particularly remarkable…”
the man said with interest.

“Senior, I may not be very capable myself, but I have a master backing me. Even the Golden Immortal destined to climb the ladder fears my master,”
Kai replied casually.

“Perhaps… You may go up now.”

The man stepped aside, allowing Kai and the others to move on to the eighth floor.

But just as Kai was about to ascend with Ning Zhi and Su Yuqi, he suddenly stopped.

The man looked slightly surprised and asked with a puzzled expression, “Mr. Chen, is something wrong?”

“Senior, it seems you’ve forgotten something,”
Kai said calmly.

“Forgotten what?”
The man asked, confused.

“Senior, you forgot to give me a gift,”
Kai said matter-of-factly.

“A gift?”
The man looked stunned.

“Senior, if it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t be able to leave this ladder so easily, right?”
Kai reminded him.

The man: “……”

Ning Zhi and Su Yuqi looked at Kai, completely speechless.

Everyone else had begged the guardians to let them pass to the next level, but Kai… had actually blackmailed one.

“I’ve been trapped here for many years—I don’t have much in the way of resources…”
the man said awkwardly.
The man took out a storage bag and handed it to Kai.

Without even checking its contents, Kai tucked it away and proceeded to the eighth floor.

However, when Kai arrived, he found the eighth floor to be in complete chaos. There was no visible world—no guardian, not even a trace of life.

“What’s going on?” Ning Zhi asked, surprised.

Kai also couldn’t understand why the guardian of the eighth floor had vanished.

Just as they were all feeling puzzled, a new staircase appeared, leading them directly to the ninth floor.

“That’s it for the eighth floor?”
Kai said, clearly disappointed.

“Isn’t it better that no one’s there?” Ning Zhi replied.

“I was hoping to get some resources from the guardian…” Kai muttered.

Ning Zhi was speechless.

Since there was no one around, Kai had no choice but to bring Ning Zhi and Su Yuqi up to the ninth floor.

Soft light bathed the ninth floor, creating a calm and comforting atmosphere.

A boy, who looked no older than a teenager, stood quietly in a yellow robe, waiting for their arrival.

At a glance, Kai could tell the person in front of him wasn’t really a child.

Though he appeared youthful, he had probably lived for thousands of years.

“Senior, may I ask—where is the guardian of the eighth floor?”
Kai asked the young-looking figure.

“He ran off—afraid you’d demand resources from him,”
the boy replied calmly.

Kai looked a bit embarrassed, but still asked curiously,
“Then why didn’t you run away?”

“If I ran, you’d never pass the Ladder to Heaven and would never reach the heavens,”
the youth replied.

As he finished speaking, a soft white light descended.
“You can ascend to the heavens through this path. I’m only here to guide you. As for the dangers that await in the heavens—that’s not my concern.”

Seeing the glowing beam of light, Ning Zhi’s eyes lit up in excitement.
“Can we go too?”

“Of course. You’re Mr. Chen’s companions, so you may go as well.
But once you reach the heavens, surviving with your current strength will be difficult,”
the youth said truthfully.