143 The Eight Heavenly Dragon Generals (1/2)
Yi Ping was dumbfounded by the sight that was in front of him as he stepped forth from the shimmering portal!
Ahead of him were lush meadows and rolling grasslands with lofty mountains behind.
It was a sight that he had not seen for a long time and it reminded him of the lower realm.
But still there were obvious differences!
One was that the entire heaven was white with lofty clouds covering it and not a single blue sky could be seen!
Two was that dozens of floating islands dotted the heavens above!
Yi Ping murmured, ”I thought that we are in the Stellar Sanctuary? Isn't this supposed to be the eleventh floor of the Stellar Sanctuary?”
Yi Ping was not the only one who was astonished.
Shi Shi, Jing'Er, Yang Min, Yixian, Lele, Lie Qing, Youxue and the Celeste Wind Maiden were gasping breathlessly at the grandeur view!
Lele asked, ”Where are we?”
Lie Qing was also asking, ”Are we still in the Stellar Sanctuary?”
Lingfeng the Heaveness laughed softly, ”Of course we are still in the Stellar Sanctuary. We have never left it in the first place!”
The Goddess Aiel smiled mysteriously at them as she said, ”Welcome to the Immortal Realm!”
Her sweeping statement immediately stunned everyone except for Lingfeng, the Universal Old Man, Han Lin and the Goddess Isa!
The Universal Old Man laughed jovially as he patted his pot belly, ”Or rather a glimpse of the Immortal Realm!”
Yi Ping stammered, ”This is the Stellar Sanctuary as well as the Immortal Realm? But how do we reach the twelfth floor if um…there are no floors here?”
He was actually horrified even though the entire scene looked entirely tranquil.
He knew that he had only one target in sight; that was to reach the top of the Stellar Sanctuary.
Why did he have to do so?
Was it because the very last time that he had seen Maiden Ziyan, he had noticed her woeful look and ever since then it had been etched deeply into his memory?
That night she had said to him, ”If you know who I am then we may not be friends and things may not be the same again.”
Or was it because she had hinted to him that he was the one that had almost driven her to end her life?
That night…
He shook his head in disbelief, ”But I don't understand. What is the reason that you want to take away your own life?”
He seemed to hit the crux of her heart; she stumbled slightly backward with blank expressions while muttering, ”That is because…”
She inhaled deeply, ”…I have promised someone. If someone can awaken the Celestial Alice then I will destroy the Astronomic Stellar Formation on my own accord….”
He clenched his fists and his eyes were burning with fury, ”That someone! He is too cruel to ask you to do such a thing! You have almost perished inside because of that!”
She turned around while muttering, ”Is that so? I don't think so.”
She had turned around and was looking quietly at him, ”That is because he is right here now.”
Was he that cruel someone that she was mentioning?
Or was it because of what she had said, ”If you want to find me, you must ascend the Stellar Sanctuary or look for me in the Immortal Realm of the Ninth Heavens. I will be at the Eternal City that is beyond time reckoning. You must come…”
Or was it because she had pleaded with him as she made a tearful dash out of the room, ”Even if I wait for you for a thousand years, you must come…You mustn't forget about me and must come!”
Yi Ping muttered to himself, ”The Eternal City that is beyond time reckoning…”
His thoughts were interrupted by the maidens who had never been to the Stellar Sanctuary that were behind him as they too were startled by what they were seeing.
Lele gasped, ”This is the Stellar Sanctuary? Or rather, are we still in the Stellar Sanctuary?”
Shi Shi was stumped by what she was seeing, ”How do we reach the next level then?”
Yang Min despite her intelligence was too dazed for words as she looked around her as she muttered, ”There are so many floating islands in the skies…”
Indeed!
Shi Shi was muttering, ”It is so beautiful especially the waterfalls that are on top of some of these floating islands…”
Jing'Er murmured, ”Why won't these floating islands fall…where are we?”
Lingfeng smiled, ”You will soon know…”
All of a sudden there was brilliant light in the heavens above!
A shimmer in the lofty skies above could be seen that was shaped like a towering figure of a man in a meditating pose and there was a stunning light that was behind him!
This towering figure that hovered in the skies seemed to be shaped by shimmering grey clouds which made his apparition seemed all too real!
Yi Ping was stunned by the sight as he muttered, ”What is that?”
He was in awe but he was not the only one.
There seemed to be an invisible emanation that seemed to cause everyone to develop a compelling fascination with the apparition!
The Goddess Isa had turned completely ashen as she fell upon her knees as she gasped with trembling voice, ”The Great God Pangu!”
The Goddess Aiel laughed softly, ”Don't worry, that is not real. That is what I have thought too when I have first come here in the past.”
The Goddess Isa muttered softly, ”Really?”
The Goddess Aiel nodded as she said firmly, ”Yes, it is only a mirage. Nothing else.”
All of a sudden, the apparition in the skies above reverberated aloud, ”Welcome to the Inner Stellar Sanctuary…”
The Goddess Isa was even more startled as she gasped, ”The Great God Pangu can speak! He is real…”
Han Lin laughed jovially, ”He is not real. He is always repeating the same thing to anyone that has reached to this point. I can almost recite what he is going to say next!”
The Goddess Aiel laughed gently as she said, ”This mirage only exists in the minds of those that first reach here. How that can possibly happens, I do not know.”
The apparition reverberated, ”Only the enlightened ones will be able to reach this place so that they may grasp the secrets of the divine. This realm is the recreation of the Eternal Realm. Blessed are those that are able to catch a glimpse of it!”
Lie Qing, Lele, Jing'Er, Yang Min, Yixian, Youxue and Shi Shi were gasping in astonishments!
Youxue gasped, ”The Immortal Realm? So that is how it looks like?”
The apparition had paused for a while before resuming, ”Surely you must be wondering who I am. I am the Great God Pangu!”
The apparition added with a laugh, ”You must be wondering where the next level is. It is the mountains that are just beyond the plain. The pain that is beyond is called the World's End. But beware there are many mountains out there. How do you know which is the true mountain that will lead you to the true Eternal Realm?”
The Universal Old Man muttered, ”I don't want to find the Eternal Realm. I just want to find the immortal practice and the way to the Immortal Realm…”
He looked at the Goddess Aiel and the Goddess Isa as he thought, ”Why am I in the Stellar Sanctuary and risking my life? We have two immortal practitioners here. Isn't it simpler to ask them for the immortal practice instead…but one question still remains; where is the Immortal Realm and how to reach it?”
Lingfeng was also secretly looking at the Goddess Aiel and the Goddess Isa as she thought, ”All along, we have thought that the forbidden Eternal Realm is the Immortal Realm that we are thriving for. How wrong we are! It seems that there is an even higher realm that the Immortal Realm…”
As though the Goddess Isa seemed to have heard their thoughts, she smirked softly. ”The Eternal Realm of Beyond is above the Immortal Realm. You are all incapable of fathoming its existence…”
But she quietly kept mum and looked at the apparition with renewed interest…
Han Lin yawned softly, ”The highest mountain peak naturally…”
The apparition laughed, ”The highest mountain peak naturally will lead you to the true Eternal Realm…”
Han Lin continued, ”And it is located in the center of the World's End.”
The apparition laughed, ”And it is located in the center of the World's End!”
Yi Ping turned to the look at the mountains in the horizon and he was startled to see that these mountains had no peaks! It was because these mountains were so lofty high that it had reached into the misty canopies that were above!
The apparition turned solemn, ”It is up to you to reach the World's End and to find the gate to the Eternal Realm. Naturally, the extreme difficulties that you will have encountered and the more powerful guardians that you will encounter along the way is the indication that you are near to the end…”
Han Lin yawned, ”He is stating only the obvious. While you may be seeing a multitude of mountains that can be approach from many sides but there are only one straight path. The mountains will get higher and higher as we approach the middle.”
The apparition began to shimmer and start to flicker, ”…the Forbidden is lifted for those that have reached this realm. Use whatever means you can without restrictions without fear of the Divine Wraths for there are none in this realm.”
Han Lin said aloud, ”No more. He is about to vanish soon and that is when our true journey starts!”
The Goddess Aiel said, ”That is the end of his message.”
Lingfeng nodded as she gave a soft sigh, ”From this point onward, the Forbidden is lifted. We can freely discuss about the forbidden without any repercussions. But be warned, you are not to discuss about anything that you have seen or heard when we have made it out of here or you will surely die…”
The Universal Old Man nodded, ”That is right. Let us be on our way…”
All of a sudden the vanishing faint blue apparition above flickered again as it turned golden as the apparition resonated, ”You have finally come! My long wait is worth it! Good!”
All of a sudden Lingfeng, the Goddess Aiel, Han Lin and the Universal Old Man who thought that they knew it all had suddenly turned ashen for they had heard it too!
Jing'Er stammered out after noticing their expressions, ”Isn't the mirage supposed to disappear already?”
Yang Min stole a glance at Yi Ping before chuckling, ”Maybe this Great God Pangu is getting senile and getting long winded!”
All of a sudden there was a sudden freak of blue lightning bolt that struck the ground in front of her!
Yang Min immediately turned ashen as she fell upon her knees as she cried out in fright, ”Great God Pangu, forgive me…”
Yi Ping had drawn out the Celestial Alice as he stared at the apparition, ”What are you?! Don't you harm Maiden Yang!”
The Goddess Aiel, the Universal Old Man, Lingfeng, Han Lin and even the Goddess Isa were all panicky trying to calm him down by urging softly, ”Be respectful!”
The apparition seemed to stare at Yi Ping while saying, ”You dare to be disrespectful to me?”
Immediately everyone could feel a terrifying presence that was threatening to overwhelm them and they were all trembling with fear!
Lingfeng was stunned, ”This isn't supposed to be happening. It is all just in the mind…”
The Goddess Aiel murmured softly, ”But we are all in Stellar Sanctuary as well. What if we are all in the Great God Pangu mind as well…”
The Goddess Isa was pleading, ”Yi Ping…you got to restraint yourself…we are in the presence of an entity that is above us…”
Yixian said, ”Ping'Er, you must stay calm. Focus yourself with the Emotionless Rhythm that I have taught you. Perhaps this Great God Pangu is able to sense the emotions of the mind.”
But Yi Ping said defiantly, ”If anyone wants to get any of my acquaintances then I will fight them. Great God or not.”
The apparition seemed to laugh silently before vanishing out of sight all of a sudden to the utter surprise of everyone!
”You have finally come! Good, good, good! Perhaps this time round you will finally be able to succeed. As promise, this is what I have owed you.” That was the last words of the apparition before it completely vanished but not before striking Yi Ping with a white streak of lightning!
Everyone was startled!
But that white streak of lightning seemed to have disappeared as soon as it struck Yi Ping.
Yi Ping was grasping his chest but he had felt nothing extraordinary while muttering, ”Where did he go?”
As he turned around and was about to ask the rest for answers, he was startled to see Lingfeng, the Goddess Aiel, the Goddess Isa, Han Lin and the rest looking at him weirdly.
The Goddess Aiel was next to Yi Ping in the next instant as she whispered politely, ”Can I examine your pulse?”
Yi Ping nodded weakly, ”Yes…”
The Goddess Aiel did not waste any time to examine his pulses earnestly before she stammered out, ”I think…I am going to faint. I feel a strong intricate energy in his pulse…”
The Goddess Isa immediately reached out to feel Yi Ping's pulse as well as she helpfully offered a suggestion, ”Is it the Pangu Intricate Energy?”
The Goddess Aiel turned pale immediately as she murmured, ”I do not know for sure…”
The Goddess Isa was smiling, ”The Goddess Theocracy has a forbidden legend…”
The Goddess Aiel looked blankly at the Goddess Isa as she interrupted softly, ”Do you think he is the one?”
Han Lin asked curiously, ”What are the two of you exchanging? Quick share it or I will be mad!”
The Goddess Aiel said quietly, ”I cannot tell you. This is one of the forbidden secrets of the Goddess Theocracy. If I reveal it to you then I am afraid that the Goddess Isa will not spare you.”
The Goddess Isa added, ”Trust me I surely will.”