“Is that all?” Jared asked, his face filled with surprise.
“What? Were you planning on killing me?” The man‘s expression immediately darkened as spoke.
“Sir, don’t get me wrong. That’s not what I meant. l just thought it was a bit too simple.” Jared was quick to explain.
“Hmph, if I regain my strength, someone like you wouldn’t stand a chance. I could crush you with a single finger!” The man scoffed coldly.
“Sir, may I be so bold as to ask, you’re not a cultivator from this world, so why are you here as the one being challenged?” Jared was extremely curious. He wondered about the origins of these successful candidates and how they were chosen.
Upon hearing Jared’s question, the man sighed. “Who said I’m not from this world? It’s just that my era is too far gone, and many people have simply forgotten me.”
“Could it be that you’re a great power in this world?” Jared exclaimed in astonishment upon hearing this.
“I can’t exactly be considered great, but I’ve ascended to the celestial realm through my own hard work…” The man gazed up at the sky, his eyes brimming with longing.
“Why did you come back then? And while your abilities are commendable, they are still far from matching those of the immortals in the celestial realm,” Jared spoke sincerely.
“Don’t ask any more questions. This has nothing to do with you. Since you’ve already passed the level, I’ll leave a clearance imprint on you to signify your accomplishment.”
After the man finished speaking, a beam of red light from his palm struck Jared. In an instant, felt that, indeed, an imprint had been added within himself.
“Sir, are you planning on staying here forever, refusing to leave? This realm might be on the verge of abandonment, leading to its ultimate destruction.”
Jared was eager to understand what the deal with this Celestial Stairway was. He was increasingly realizing that this Celestial Stairway was the masterpiece of some supreme being. They were all but pawns, manipulated within this grand scheme.
Seeing Jared persist in his questioning, the man sighed and said, “We will never meet again, so I suppose there’s no harm in telling you… I was suppressed here by the heaven and earth laws, and I’ve been branded with the mark of a prisoner. There’s no way for me to leave this place. To put it simply, I’m nothing more than a prisoner now, a prisoner paying for his crimes…”
The man’s words left Jared momentarily stunned. He had no idea that there were even prisoners in the celestial realm.
“Could you leave this realm of Celestial Stairway? If you could, wouldn’t that mean you could return to the celestial realm?” Jared asked.
The man shook his head. “I can’t leave this place. Even if I could, there’s no way I could return to the celestial realm. I know you all are from the Ethereal Realm, a place shrouded by the Heaven and Earth Array. The celestial realm cultivators trapped within can’t return. Moreover, even in the celestial realm, I’m equally suppressed by the heaven and earth laws. It’s more comfortable to stay here…”
“Sir, the Heaven and Earth Array has started to loosen up. I believe it won’t be long before we can break through it,” Jared exclaimed.
“How could that be possible? The Heaven and Earth Array was laid out by the ancient supreme being. Even for the cultivators in the Ethereal Realm, who could possibly break it?” The man, Kishor Fane, didn’t believe a word Jared said.
“I can do it,” Jared declared, pulling out the four documentation devices. “These are the four documentation devices of the Heaven and Earth Array. I’ve already deciphered two of them. Once I break the code of the remaining two, the Heaven and Earth Array will manifest, and then it can be dismantled.”
When Kishor saw these four documentation devices, his eyes finally ignited with a hint of fervor.
He looked at Jared and asked, “Are you suggesting that I leave this place and then use the Heaven and Earth Array in the Ethereal Realm to seize the opportunity to return to the celestial realm?”
“Indeed!” Jared nodded.
“Why are you saving me? Moreover, I bear the prisoner imprint. It must be removed first, only then can I shed my status as a convict and leave,” Kishor asked.
“It’s nothing really. I just simply want to do something good.” Jared gave a slight smile.
Observing Jared’s demeanor, Kishor chuckled. “If you truly save me, I’m willing to be at your service, obeying your commands for the next three hundred years.”
