Martial Peak - Rise Of The Human Emperor-Chapter 90-Heaven’s Staircase

After an entire day of waiting, the heavens finally parted to unveil what had been concealed within the sea of clouds. The thick mist gradually thinned, revealing the full silhouette of the mysterious structure suspended in the sky.

All who had been waiting rose to their feet, eyes wide with awe as they gazed five kilometers ahead.

There, descending slowly from the clouds, was a majestic palatial complex—an enormous floating temple shrouded in divine brilliance. Its sheer size made the mountains seem small in comparison. And leading up to its gates was a staircase unlike any they had seen before. Stretching endlessly into the heavens, it looked more like a path carved for gods than mortals.

Below, countless cultivators could hardly contain their excitement. Breath caught in their throats, hearts racing, they watched as the last veils of mist faded.

[Is the inheritance truly within that palace?] Yang Kai narrowed his eyes, his breathing growing heavy. The aura from the structure alone was suffocating—it whispered ancient power, sealed secrets, and danger.

The disciples of the three sects buzzed with anxious energy. Even without understanding the full picture, they instinctively felt the magnitude of what was before them. This was no ordinary treasure trove—it was a legacy that could rewrite one's fate.

Then, with a thunderous boom, the flight of stairs finally connected with the earth.

The ground shook violently. A deafening rumble echoed across the sky, as if heaven and earth were merging at this very spot. The clouds were blown away like dust, the heavens turning clear as the divine structure revealed its full majesty.

Silence fell for a heartbeat.

And then chaos.

Shrieks rang out as hundreds of cultivators charged forward, eyes ablaze with greed, dreams, and desperation. Like a flood, they surged toward the base of the stairs, pushing and jostling to get ahead.

Yang Kai walked calmly, watching them rush like moths to a flame.

He knew better.

The true trial did not lie in being first to climb, but in surviving what came after.

He was not as anxious as the rest because he knew that obtaining the inheritance was based on chance and not speed.

In front of him, a figure dressed in pure white appeared, standing out like a lotus in a pond of chaos.

It was Su Yan.

She moved with such elegance, as if the earth itself had conspired to make her walk in slow motion. Her robes fluttered behind her like the wings of a graceful swan, while the other disciples rushed around her like a stampede of over-caffeinated goats. She didn't run, didn't hurry—no, Su Yan glided forward with the kind of poise that made you question whether she'd discovered some kind of secret slow-motion cultivation technique.

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Yang Kai, who was trying to stay cool, found his eyes glued to her. He couldn't help it—her presence was like a magnet. He didn't even notice he was staring at her until she turned her head back, her long eyelashes fluttering like the wings of a butterfly.

Her lips parted, ready to speak—but then, no words came out.

Yang Kai's heart skipped a beat. Was she about to say something profound? Something mystical? Something that would change the course of history?!

And then—BOOM!

The crowd of disciples surged forward, blocking his view completely, as if someone had just opened a gate to the stampede section of a zoo. His moment with Su Yan was gone in an instant, swept away by the frantic mob.

Yang Kai's flirtatious grin instantly morphed into a sad, defeated expression. His shoulders slumped as he sighed dramatically.

"Of course. Of course the universe would do this to me. I was just about to have a meaningful moment, and then—BAM! ," he thought, shaking his head as he watched them all rush towards the stairs.

"Maybe next time..." he mumbled to himself, resigned to the cruel reality of his timing. "At least my luck with women is consistent."

Meanwhile, the two Hu sisters appeared beside Yang Kai once again—one on his left, the other on his right—gracing him with smiles that could melt the coldest hearts and charm even a ghost from the underworld. Their eyes twinkled mischievously as they moved closer, as if they were the embodiment of trouble with a side of sweetness.

Yang Kai, who had been lost in his own thoughts, snapped back to reality when the sight of Su Yan was no longer in front of him. He blinked a couple of times, trying to shake off the daze, and glanced at the two sisters who were now flanking him like a pair of unrelenting temptations.

"Hey, you brat! I'm talking to you!" Hu Jiao Er scolded, her voice a mixture of playful annoyance and faux fury. She was glaring at him, clearly upset that he'd completely ignored her.

"Yes. I heard," Yang Kai replied, his voice as casual as if he were responding to a question about the weather.

Hu Jiao Er snorted and muttered under her breath, clearly not satisfied. "Like you actually paid any attention to what I said..."

Yang Kai grinned sheepishly, hoping his charm would make up for his lack of attention. But the truth was, the only thing on his mind at that moment was Su Yan, and now... well, the two beautiful Hu sisters who were practically glowing beside him, their smiles making it harder to focus on anything else.

As they continued walking for what felt like an eternity (5 kilometers, to be precise), the trio arrived in front of a lavish jade step. It was a mix of green and golden hues, shining brightly under the sun—an almost ridiculously extravagant sight, like someone had decided to carve the most opulent staircase in existence just to show off.

In front of the gigantic flight of stairs was a dim screen of light. It faintly resembled multiple gates placed next to each other.

The disciples from the three sects tried to find a way through the screen of light. Over time, the number of people that were present was reduced. The disciples were either going in groups or one by one into the gate of light, reducing the population at the bottom of the steps.

The entire scene was extremely bizarre. Although there was a screen of light in front of them, they were able to see the flight of stairs behind it. How was it that when people managed to find a way past the screen of light, they were completely invisible? Did the screen of light consume them?

Watching this scene, the Hu sisters could not help but back off with trepidation.

"Yang Kai, where did they go?" Hu Jiao Er anxiously asked.

Yang Kai shook his head, "I do not know..."

Then Yang Kai arrived in front of the screen of light and placed his hand on it. As his hand passed through, ripples on the screen could be seen, but his hand completely disappeared on the other side.

"Are we going in?" Hu Mei Er, who was less courageous than her sister voiced with fear.

Yang Kai looked up into the sea of clouds and entered without scruple.

Watching him enter, Hu Jiao Er ground her teeth. Holding her sister's hand, she shouted, "Let's go in as well!"

Once they stepped through, Yang Kai was surprised to find that the place looked exactly the same from the other side. Numerous flights of stairs led up towards the sky.

After looking around, he did not see anyone else's trail. Yang Kai thought to himself and concluded, each gate must have led to an independent space. It seems that the people who go through the same gate will stay together.

When Yang Kai turned back, the ripples on the screen of light completely disappeared. When he blinked his eyes, the screen of light also vanished

Without much hesitation, Yang Kai placed his foot on the first step, the feeling of the step underfoot oddly firm, yet there was an undeniable weight to it. As soon as his foot made contact, his brows furrowed in confusion, and a subtle pressure seemed to settle on his body.

"What happened?" Hu Jiao Er asked, noticing Yang Kai's sudden change in expression. Her curiosity was piqued.

Yang Kai, with a half-smirk, replied, "Come here and try for yourself."

Without missing a beat, the two sisters moved forward, stepping to either side of him. They raised their feet simultaneously and placed them on the first step.

"How do you feel?" Yang Kai asked, his tone light, as if he were simply trying to solve a puzzle.

"There's energy invading my foot," Hu Jiao Er said, clearly taken aback by the sensation.

"It's hot energy!" Hu Mei Er added, her eyes narrowing as she sensed the intense warmth flowing from the step.

Yang Kai's lips curled into a knowing smile, one that was worlds apart from the confusion on the two sisters' faces. "This is probably a test."

He didn't need to say more; the hint of amusement in his voice was all they needed to understand that something deeper was at play here. Yang Kai had already figured it out—this energy was Yang attribute energy, something he could use to his advantage.

He suppressed his own power and began to channel his True Yang Secret Art. Immediately, he felt the heat of the energy flow into his body, but rather than harm him, it invigorated him, fueling him with more strength.

For the Hu sisters, however, the situation was different. The energy from the platform felt more like a burning force, something they had to resist by circulating their Qi to fight it off.

"If this is a test, then it's too easy," Hu Mei Er scoffed. "This level of energy isn't enough to stop me."

"Don't underestimate it," Hu Jiao Er shot back, her gaze focused on the stairs ahead. "The energy here may be weak, but what about the steps above? It's likely that the higher we go, the stronger the energy will be. I think it will continue until we can no longer resist."

Yang Kai raised a hand, signaling them to hold their thoughts. "Let's not rush to conclusions. Let's test it out." With that, he took another step—then another—until he had reached the fourth step.

The Hu sisters followed behind, albeit with some reluctance, as the pressure increased with each step.

Hours passed, and after climbing a hundred or so steps, the Hu sisters were starting to feel the strain. The Yang energy in the steps was intensifying, and resisting it was becoming increasingly difficult.

Finally, Hu Mei Er groaned, clearly irritated by the constant burning sensation in her foot. "This is ridiculous. How many more steps are there?"

Yang Kai, on the other hand, seemed to be having the time of his life. While the two sisters struggled, he appeared to barely break a sweat. Every step he took seemed to invigorate him further, a smirk dancing on his lips as he watched the two beautiful, fiery sisters behind him, their expressions a mixture of annoyance and exhaustion.

After their three-hundredth step, Yang Kai and the Hu sisters began to slow down. The constant resistance of the Yang Energy was taking its toll, and while the sisters felt their bodies stiffening, it wasn't enough to stop them.

Surprisingly, Hu Mei Er, despite being only at the Initial Element Stage 2, breezed through the three-hundredth step with ease.

However, by the four-hundredth step, the sisters were visibly struggling. They took several breaths between steps, already beginning to sweat.

Meanwhile, Yang Kai remained relaxed. But instead of engaging in conversation, his focus was entirely on the test, sensing that something beyond just climbing was at play. He suspected hidden dangers might lurk ahead.

At the four hundred and ninetieth step, the sisters couldn't help but notice Yang Kai's satisfied expression. They were convinced he was putting on a strong front—no one could be this joyful after climbing such taxing steps. The irony of their earlier promise to protect him wasn't lost on them.

Yang Kai, observing their exhaustion, suggested, "Let's take a break first."

"No!" Hu Jiao Er gritted her teeth and continued, stepping ahead of him.

She pushed on until she reached the five-hundredth step, but then collapsed, only for Yang Kai to catch her just in time.

"That changed!" Hu Jiao Er gasped in surprise.

Yang Kai frowned but didn't question her. As he stepped onto the five-hundredth step, the Yang Energy disappeared, replaced by an icy chill that pierced through his foot.

The sudden shift had clearly startled Hu Jiao Er, causing her to fall.

"Let's go." Yang Kai turned around and smiled at the two sisters, showing the way forward.

Hu Jiao Er, her irritation bubbling up, whispered to her sister, "Why is he being so smug?"

Hu Mei Er, giving her a knowing look, replied with a soft chuckle, "He's not..."

"He is! He's being so petty!" Hu Jiao Er grumbled, clearly upset by his attitude. With a puff of frustration, she and her sister activated their cultivation techniques to resist the cold energy seeping into their bodies. Step by step, they trudged forward, determined to catch up with Yang Kai.