145 The Goddess of Mercy vs. the Goddess Asura (1/2)
The Goddess Asura hummed coldly as she stepped forward, ”So you are hankering over the Celestial Alice Divine Sword. Do you think that I will allow you?”
The Goddess of Mercy smiled coldly as she began to take rapid steps forward, ”Did you just say that you want to teach them a lesson? Let me offer you my compassionate help too!”
The Goddess Asura answered coldly as her golden eyes began to flicker, ”Humph! Humph! No need. I can handle it. The Celestial Alice Divine Sword belongs to the Goddess Theocracy and not to anyone else…”
She stole a glance at Yi Ping before saying, ”And it is decided by the Goddess Theocracy that this Yi Ping will temporary hold the Celestial Alice Divine Sword on our behalf. Anyone that has funny designs on the Celestial Alice Divine Sword shall face the consequences of opposing the Goddess Theocracy!”
Yi Ping smiled bitterly when he had caught her glance as he thought, ”Just a few moments ago, we are about to draw swords against each other. Is she really on our side or she has an ulterior motive?”
The Goddess Isa mustered what little strength she had to say feebly, ”Yi…Ping…she has her own agenda…don't be a fool to trust…her…”
The Goddess of Mercy gave a wryly smile as she said, ”Oh but there are four of us here and only one of you right now!”
Everyone was half-amused.
That was exactly what Lord Tian Zhong had said to belittle Yi Ping and his group earlier!
The Goddess of Mercy was implying that none of them were their match except for the Goddess Asura!
The Goddess Asura smiled coldly, ”As if I am afraid of you!”
Yi Ping shook the dust from his robes as he said coldly to the Goddess Asura and the Goddess of Mercy, ”I say again. I will protect Isa. If you want to get her or my sword then you have to fight me first. All five of you can have a go at me at the same time!”
The Goddess of Mercy took a closer look at Yi Ping before she answered coldly, ”Mortal, you speak too hasty. There is always a higher peak and someone greater. Repent now or I shall make you pay dearly for your blasphemy.”
Yi Ping replied coldly, ”You really think you are a Goddess and above us?”
The Goddess of Mercy smiled coldly, ”Naturally I am.”
All of a sudden Lele was on her feet as she said weakly, ”You call yourself the Goddess of Mercy? What happens to your compassion?”
Yi Ping, Yixian and the rest were startled that Lele was on her feet again after such a short time.
Yixian was worried that Lele may be forcibly suppressing the harmful martial energies that they had received earlier. If so, the repercussion would be extremely severe as she may suffer a phenomenon deviation or serious internal injuries. Moreover even if she did purge out the erratic energies out, what was the point? She was not their match!
Yixian herself had already purged out the erratic energies but she was concentrating on regaining her martial strength and waiting for an opportunity to intervene.
So she said hastily, ”Lele, calm down please.”
Han Lin was also startled as she urged at the same time, ”They are all true immortal practitioners. At our current condition, we won't stand a chance…”
The Goddess Aiel had popped a pill into her mouth in the meantime as she hastily sought to regain her martial strength even as she was cursing softly, ”What a waste of my good pill. What a bad timing…”
The Celeste Wind Maiden smiled weakly at her, ”My Mistress, do you have any more pills to spare?”
The Goddess Aiel looked at her pouch before replying artfully, ”It is dangerous to consume my pills in your current state…”
Han Lin was half-amused as she interrupted softly, ”What a good excuse! When she is fully recuperated, do you think that she will require your divine pills?”
The Goddess Aiel began to flush lightly as she smiled weakly, ”Han Lin, this is not the time to start an internal strife.”
Han Lin replied coldly, ”Now is not the time to be selfish or be calculating either. Xiao Qian may be our last hope. Even if we can't defeat them, she may survive to exact vengeance for us a thousand years later!”
The Goddess Aiel smiled weakly as she took a divine pill and handed over to the Celeste Wind Maiden, ”Xiao Qian, your swiftness movement skill has almost no equal. Run if you are able to and don't forget to seek vendetta for us!”
The Celeste Wind Maiden took a forlorn look in the direction of Yi Ping before looking at the Goddess Aiel, Han Lin and Jing'Er, ”We have known each other for such a long time that we are not simply a master and servant relationship. We are like…close sisters…”
She popped the divine pill before she smiled gently at them, ”We are a group of bickering sisters. Even though my Mistress has always been selfish and calculating but I know that in the end she has always put our best interest in her heart. Therefore I refuse to leave and will fight to the very end instead!”
The Goddess Aiel cursed softly, ”Why are you so foolish…”
The Celeste Wind Maiden smiled, ”Other protégé mistresses and masters will have flown into a terrible rage when others have consumed their most precious divine pill or talk back to them but you are different from all the others that I have known. You have never for once lost your temper at us. I have always suspected that your selfish antic is to hide your true state of divinity from the others. I am right. No one suspect that you are an immortal practitioner.”
The Universal Old Man could not help interrupting weakly as he coughed out a bout of black blood, ”If you have known her while she is still the Sagess Ai then you will surely know that she is the best and is selfless. The real selfish one is actually me. I have freaked out at her generosity and…”
He looked at the Heaveness before sighing softly, ”…that I have joined another group of celestials because I have thirsted for the knowledge and treasures of the Stellar Sanctuary…”
The Goddess Aiel was beaming with tears as she said coarsely, ”No more please…”
Lie Qing said quietly, ”She is certainly a really bad actress.”
The Universal Old Man said weakly, ”…now I know why. She is actually an immortal practitioner. All along I have a precious treasure beside me but I did not know how to treasure her…”
The Goddess Aiel looked away as she cried softly, ”No more please! Enough!”
Lingfeng the Heaveness caught the Universal Old Man on his shoulder as she shook her head gently.
The Universal Old Man sighed miserably…
Meanwhile, the Goddess of Mercy seemed to stare blankly for just a while before her golden eyes flickered all of a sudden as she said coldly to Lele, ”That is just my immortal title when I was still a Zen Practitioner but it has no meaning now. I am much more enlightened now. If I don't go to hell and experience the agonizing suffering then I won't attain enlightenment.”
Lele immediately interrupted coldly as she raised her Divine Echo, ”Rubbish!”
She raised her voice to say coldly, ”I am the Joyful Goddess, Prime Celestial of the Celestial Palace. I hereby challenge all of you!”
The Goddess of Mercy smirked coldly, ”Lord Tian Zhong, Reverend Du Fa, Reverend Du Shang, what are you all waiting for?”
Reverend Du Fa who was the old monk standing on the right side of Lord Tian Zhong immediately said, ”We will naturally make a move but is not now!”
The Goddess of Mercy asked coldly, ”What do you mean?”
Reverend Du Shang said, ”We have no wish to interfere with the Goddess Asura or with you. After all, we are low ranking immortal practitioners.”
Lord Tian Zhong said solemnly, ”That is right. We are only teasing them earlier. After all, we are fellow immortal practitioners.”
Lie Qing laughed coldly as she said, ”They are waiting for the outcome of the duel between the Goddess Asura and the Goddess of Mercy. Then they will seize the opportunity to nail down these two troublesome foes and to seize the Celestial Alice Divine Sword for themselves. This stratagem is called downplaying oneself to wait for an opportune time and planning an offensive by faking a withdrawal!”
The Goddess of Mercy stared at Lord Tian Zhong, Reverend Du Fa and Reverend Du Shang coldly before saying, ”The Arhat Practitioners of the Enamel Sect are really humorous.”
Lord Tian Zhong stroked his long white beard before saying, ”However as far as I know the Goddess of Mercy from the Eight Lotus Immortal Sect is not known for retracting her words and will go to great lengths to ensure everything she has said is followed to the tiniest detail.”
Reverend Du Shang added wryly, ”Even to the point of betraying the Zen Practitioners and to join the Arhat Practitioners because of her pledge.”
The Goddess of Mercy smiled coldly, ”Very good. It seems that you know me more than I know myself.”
Reverend Du Shang smiled, ”It is because you are an eminent immortal practitioner in the Immortal Realm after all.”
The Goddess of Mercy then proceeded to look coldly at Yi Ping, Lele and the Goddess Asura.
Yi Ping said quietly as he clasped tightly the Celestial Antonym Alice and the Celestial Synonym Alice, ”I am ready!”
Lele raised her long black scythe on her right hand and the Divine Echo on her left hand as she said, ”I am ready as well!”
The Goddess Asura took out a black rod that had two golden hexagon heads from behind her. With a sudden spin, it had become a long black staff with two golden hexagon heads as she hummed coldly, ”Whatever!”
The Goddess Isa was startled, ”The Symphony of Destiny!”
Even the Goddess Aiel was startled, ”How did she get that divine staff?”
Lingfeng's curiosity was piqued, ”What is that staff?”
The Goddess Aiel said quietly, ”That is not just a divine staff. That is an immortal weapon that is wielded by the Goddess Celestial Alice.”
Lingfeng was startled, ”It is an immortal weapon?”
The Goddess Aiel nodded slowly, ”Like the Heavenly Earth Sword and the Divine Constellation, it is also an immortal weapon. It is a very formidable weapon….but how did she come into possession of it…”
The Goddess Asura smiled coldly, ”That is because I am an Ex-Eternal Goddess of the Goddess Theocracy. That is why. What so surprising about it? The Symphony of Destiny is the leadership sectarian symbol of the Goddess Theocracy.”
The Goddess of Mercy, Lord Tian Zhong, Reverend Du Shang and Reverend Du Fa were puzzled.
Lord Tian Zhong asked, ”Ex-Eternal Mistress? What do you mean? You have retired already and have appointed another as Eternal Goddess?”
The Goddess Asura chuckled jovially as she smiled amusedly. Finally she smiled at them before saying, ”Haven't you heard? The Goddess Celestial Alice is back so naturally I have to step down. But by her grace, I am allowed to keep the Symphony of Destiny.”
Lord Tian Zhong, Reverend Du Shang and Reverend Du Fa had turned pale immediately!
Reverend Du Fa stammered, ”She…is still alive? Where is she now?”
The Goddess of Mercy was startled as well.
The Goddess Asura replied, ”Naturally she is here in the Stellar Sanctuary as well. Maybe she is around the vicinity but with your present divinity, it is impossible for you to sense her.”
Immediately Lord Tian Zhong, Reverend Du Shang and Reverend Du Fa were scanning their surroundings nervously!
Yi Ping was startled as he asked, ”She is here?!”
The Goddess of Mercy said calmly to the three Arhat Practitioners, ”Don't fret. She is just calling a bluff. Given her unfriendly disposable toward us, if the Goddess Celestial Alice is here she would have shown up already. Moreover there are four of us and only two of them.”
Lord Tian Zhong asked nervously, ”The Goddess Celestial Alice is really here?”
The Goddess Asura hummed coldly, ”What? Are you fearful already? You know that by the decree of the Goddess Celestial Alice, the Stellar Sanctuary is forbidden to all the other immortal practitioners.”
The Goddess of Mercy smiled coldly, ”We are the Arhat Practitioners and we don't care about the stupid rules that are set by the Zen Practitioners. All we are care of now is that the Pangu Immortal Formation is now broken and we are free to enter the Stellar Sanctuary.”
Yi Ping muttered, ”The Pangu Immortal Formation?”
The Goddess of Mercy continued, ”Do you really think that the rest of the Zen Practitioners really care about the edict of the Goddess Celestial Alice? Along the way, I have sent several of them into oblivion!”
The Goddess Asura hummed coldly, ”Serves them right for defying the edict of the Goddess Celestial Alice!”
The Goddess of Mercy was slightly taken aback as she asked, ”Have you no compassion for your fellow Zen Practitioners?”
The Goddess Asura replied nonchalantly, ”They know that they are risking their lives by coming here. Even if you don't kill them, they would have been killed by the numerous denizens and immortal formations of the Stellar Sanctuary. Since the result is predictable, why should I grieve for them?”
The Goddess of Mercy hummed coldly, ”Then may I know why the Great Goddess Asura is here in the Stellar Sanctuary? Why waste your precious immortal life for foolish immortals like us?”
The Goddess Asura laughed softly, ”I am risking my life? What makes you think so? I don't think so.”
The Goddess of Mercy furrowed her golden eyes as she muttered, ”Oh?”
The Goddess Asura said, ”While this is your first time in the Stellar Sanctuary, this is already my seventh time in the Stellar Sanctuary.”
The Universal Old Man was startled as he muttered, ”It is her seventh time?! The Stellar Sanctuary has appeared only seven times throughout the history of the Celestial Realm. As for me, this is only my fifth time in the Stellar Sanctuary…”
The Universal Old Man was one of the first ancient celestial practitioners to enter the Stellar Sanctuary. He had only missed the Stellar Sanctuary only twice. The first time was because due to the immerse distance he was not able to make it in time to the Stellar Sanctuary. The second time was because together with the Heaveness and the Great Lord Sage, they had decided to explore the Astronomic Stellar Formation.
Lingfeng was muttering, ”How is it possible?”
The Goddess of Mercy was also muttering, ”How is it possible? But even then…”
The Goddess Asura laughed softly as she continued for her, ”But even then the trip to the Stellar Sanctuary can still be treacherous and there is still the Pangu Immortal Formation. The Pangu Immortal Formation is created by the Goddess Celestial Alice and so naturally, there are instructions on how to bypass it in the Goddess Theocracy. That is one advantage of being an Eternal Goddess. Am I right to say so?”
She smiled gleefully before continuing, ”And of course, not many people know that there is a map of the Stellar Sanctuary. I don't have to fight if I feel I am taking a risk. Most of the time, I am a silent observer.”
She stole a glance at the Universal Old Man and the Heaveness, ”There are only the two of you now. There used to be the three of you.”
She shot a look at the Goddess Aiel, ”Do you really think that the Goddess Theocracy isn't aware that you have been secretly entering the Stellar Sanctuary? By my grace, I merely observe and take no action.”
The Goddess Aiel said defiantly, ”Don't forget that I had been banished to the Celestial Realm. Therefore I have the right to enter the Stellar Sanctuary…”
The Goddess of Mercy interrupted coldly as she took out a large golden mirror, ”That is enough talk already!”
The Goddess Isa gasped softly, ”The Heavens Sundering Mirror!”
The Goddess of Mercy said icily, ”That is right! That is my immortal weapon. I didn't want to take the Heavens Sundering Mirror out but since the Goddess Asura has already taken the Symphony of Destiny out, she is leaving me with no other choice!”
Lord Tian Zhong clasped his long scepter as he exclaimed aloud, ”Good! The Heavens Sundering Mirror! An immortal weapon that is the equal to the Symphony of Destiny!”
The Goddess Aiel was gasping nervously, ”If the two immortal weapons clashed against each other, the consequences of their impact cannot be imagined!”
Lingfeng was also trembling slightly as she warned, ”If the Universal Force is within these two immortal weapons then it is advisable for us to steer as far away as possible.”
The Goddess Asura hummed coldly as she agreed, ”That is right. Enough talk already.”
As she said, she lifted the Symphony of Destiny gently in front of her but everyone could feel a cold fluttering wind gushing against them!