246 Homecoming (1/2)
There were only the six of them remaining; the World Ruler Fu Xi had already dismissed the Blackwinds Legion.
The grandeur of the Firmament Citadel was not lesser if not greater than the Verdant Palace of the Great Lord Xuan Yuan.
As many as eight white monument bridges hung in suspension to the imposing and towering citadel. It was like a city within the Ancient Fortress!
Unlike the Verdant Palace, there was an aura of amicable air that he was familiar with.
From afar, Yi Ping's keen eyes could see that there were many mortals and lesser practitioners among the Desolate Immortals. He was genuinely surprised because some of the Desolate Immortals were even engaging in casual talk with the mortals and there were no hint of any superior airs!
The World Ruler Fu Xi said nonchalantly, ”Welcome to the Firmament Citadel. Before you go, have a look at my domain.”
He nodded and rubbed his chest. At this moment, he was not wearing the Omnipotent Creation Armor anymore. It was because the armor was part of him and he had remerged it within his golden body, to summon as he saw fit the next time.
He was glad that he was able to control the Omnipotent Creation Armor with his strength and will. It was because for a moment, he was thinking hard on how to remove it. Fortunately, he was able to succeed the first time by absorbing it into his body with his Universal Creation Force.
A sense of loss greeted him soon after. It was as though he had lost his heighten sense of invulnerability and confidence. But he soon composed himself as he meditated himself into a state of tranquil as he thought, ”Since time memorial, power often corrupts men. My faith comes from my own combat ability and not from my armor or my swords. I should be the rider of my artefacts and not the other way round.”
It was only because of Yi Ping insatiable will to better himself continuously that caused him to be above all the rest. He could be beaten but he learnt quickly enough and his fighting spirit never faltered in the face of fierce adversaries. It was this indominatable spirit of his that gained him control of the sanctorum strength of the Celestial Alice, the Fantian Sovereign and the Omnipotent Creation Armor!
Yi Ping asked curiously, ”There are mortals in your domain?”
The World Ruler Fu Xi laughed aloud, ”You are surprised?”
Yi Ping nodded, ”I have thought that the Desolate Immortals view the mortals as inferiors.”
The Dark Goddess Xia Hsien laughed as she shrugged her Lord Brother, ”Naturally they are our inferiors. However, our Lord Brother is also known as the Human Ruler. He has a special fondness for them, guiding them on the path of ascension.”
The World Ruler Fu Xi grumbled softly, ”That is none of your business. This is my domain and I do whatever I want.”
Yi Ping was startled as he asked, ”Isn't this the same as the Great God Pangu?”
The World Ruler Fu Xi hummed coldly, ”You are saying that I am like Pangu? Wrong! I don't intend to partition the Immortal Realm for the mortals. If the mortals are capable and willing to submit to the superiors then they have the right to live as we do. This is our tradition.”
The Alluring Goddess Theresa nodded and added, ”You know why I have allied with Fu Xi from the start and not the other great lords? It is because we share the same ideals. One day, mortal practitioners and immortal practitioners can walk together to overcome the Divine Calamity! One day, mortal practitioners and immortal practitioners can find a way to reach the Great Beyond and attain enlightenment!”
For the very first time Yi Ping had an appreciation of the Alluring Goddess Theresa and the World Ruler Fu Xi as he muttered, ”To the Great Beyond…”
He remembered the spiraling void and the nine dimensional rifts that he had seen when he had first dematerialized. He thought, ”That is the forbidden Great Beyond that only the Tenth Immortal Positioning can reach? I was traveling there but somehow I have faltered. Maybe I am not strong enough. One day, I would like to go there but not now.”
It was because he could not bear to leave his companions behind. Secretly, he knew that was the reason why his spirit could not soar there. But he was not regretfully. He mused to himself, ”I have more regrets here and many more worthy opponents to fight in the material plane. Alas! I would even like to fight the Alluring Goddess Theresa again, this time without the aid of the Omnipotent Creation Armor. I wonder how strong the World Ruler Fu Xi and the Great Lord Xuan Yuan really are!”
He knew that they had all reserved their most secret arts and techniques to use at an opportune time. It was because they were not desperate yet. With this thought, he was immediately spirited at the prospect of fighting them one day and he was not bothered with the loss of traverse to the Great Beyond!
The Alluring Goddess Theresa smiled as she lifted her fingers to form an intricate gesture, ”It is time. We are ready now to transfer our negative nuclear life energies to you. May you be blessed by the Eternal Cosmos and your travels will be smooth!”
Yi Ping quickly replied, ”Thank you!”
The Dark Goddess Xia Hsien and the Heaven Goddess Zero had also formed intricate gestures on their own.
The light breeze was blowing heavier now and the air was already charged by their negative nuclear life energies that they had gathered on their fingertips!
The Dark Goddess Xia Hsien bit her lips as she whispered to his ears, ”I don't care if the others hear me. Don't forget us, especially me when you have returned to your own world. That day when I first saw you in the streets of the Ancient Fortress, I have already known that you are someone special especially when you have intercepted my sister and I with your combat finesse. At that time, I was even a little worry about hurting you but I guess that my worries are unfound!”
Yi Ping could only manage a weak smile before the Heaven Goddess Zero whispered, ”You know at that time, I was a little offended and irritated by you when you have evaded my Seven Stars Mirage. But from that point onward, I cannot get you out of my mind. Who you are, what are you and where are you from?”
The Dark Goddess Xia Hsien quickly said, ”That is why we have asked our Lord Brother for aid. Even if it meant that we have to upset the delicate balance between the Firmament Citadel and the Verdant Palace, we have decided to make the trip to the Verdant Palace for you.”
Yi Ping asked, ”You didn't come for my Fantian Sovereign?”
The Alluring Goddess Theresa interrupted with a wry smile, ”They didn't. I did. The Fantian Sovereign is a heritage artefact of the Oracle Clan. But it seems that the Fantian Sovereign has already found itself a new master so it is pointless for me to pursue the Fantian Sovereign any longer. Moreover…”
She looked at the Goddess Lessica with a soft sigh, ”You didn't tell me everything, am I right?”
The Goddess Lessica quickly bowed with fright and said humbly, ”Mistress, I didn't think that I can hide from you. He is indeed not the Great God Pangu…”
The Alluring Goddess Theresa sniffed softly as she looked up to the heavens before saying melancholy, ”You are wrong. He is the Great God Pangu!…”
Immediately the World Ruler Fu Xi, the Dark Goddess Xia Hsien and the Heaven Goddess Zero turned ashen as they stared blankly at Yi Ping for an answer!
The Heaven Goddess Zero exclaimed with faltering voice, ”You! You are really the Great God Pangu? Tell me it isn't true! You are the one that have banished us to this desolate realm!”
Yi Ping was solemn as he replied coolly, ”Yes, I am indeed the Great God Pangu but at the same time I am not really Pangu. I am just his reincarnated.”
The Dark Goddess Xia Hsien asked the Alluring Goddess Theresa, ”How do you know?”
The Alluring Goddess Theresa smiled wryly, ”Unlike the other divine swords, the sanctorum powers of the Fantian Sovereign can only be used by Pangu. Since you bear no resemblance to Pangu then you must be his reincarnated. Moreover…”
She looked piercingly at Yi Ping before saying, ”Moreover, I can sniff the scent of Fantian on you. My sister…”
The Goddess Lessica lowered her glances as she said, ”Mistress, you have already known…”
The Alluring Goddess Theresa smiled, ”I have already known from the first time that I have met him.”
Yi Ping asked perplexed, ”Then why are you helping me?”
The Alluring Goddess Theresa smiled and said, ”I don't care for Pangu or Fantian. You are the Universal Ruler. The only reason why I have opposed Fantian is because I don't think that Pangu is the Universal Ruler and that Fantian has given him the secrets of the Oracle Clan, secrets that are meant for the Universal Ruler.”
The World Ruler Fu Xi laughed heartily, ”She has hinted that I may be the Universal Ruler in the past!”
The Alluring Goddess Theresa smiled wryly, ”Wrong. I have thought that between the Great Rift Lord Xuan Yuan and you, the two of you are the possible candidates to be the Universal Ruler. But I am wrong.”
Yi Ping knew that they had feud with the Great God Pangu. So he said solemnly, ”Since you have already known that I am the reincarnation of the Great God Pangu then why are you still helping me?…”
Suddenly he paused abruptly as he thought, ”If she has already known, is she waiting for this moment to reveal everything so that the Dark Goddess Xia Hsien and the Heaven Goddess Zero would refuse to aid me? So that I may fail in the very end?”
The Alluring Goddess Theresa began to laugh jovially, ”So are you thinking what I am thinking?”
With that, Yi Ping began to shiver lightly!
Just as he was about to say something, he noticed that the Dark Goddess Xia Hsien and the Heaven Goddess Zero were smiling at him!
That was not the reaction that he was expecting!
The Dark Goddess Xia Hsien blown a kiss on his ear as she said softly, ”I am thankful to Theresa for telling us the truth. You are one of us…”
Yi Ping was perplexed as he repeated after her, ”One of us?…”
The Heaven Goddess Zero smiled brightly, ”If you are Pangu reincarnated then you are a Desolate Immortal and one of our own people!”
Yi Ping asked, ”You don't blame me?”
The Heaven Goddess Zero smiled coyly, ”Of course not! It seems that you have a lot more to learn about us. After all, you are going to be our Universal Ruler pretty soon!”
Yi Ping smiled weakly as he thought, ”It seems that I have a lot more to learn than this. So this is their way. They only respect the strong and their ideals. For a moment I thought that they are going to slaughter me because of who I am in the past. I didn't think that they can readily accept who I am so easily. If only the intrigues of the martial fraternity can be settled as simple as this then things would not be as complex and the feuds would not be so lasting.”
Finally the Heaven Goddess Zero softened her voice to say, ”Don't forget us. We will meet sooner or later.”
The Dark Goddess Xia Hsien nodded and said, ”The Ancient Fortress will make the crossing soon. A hundred year is just a short wait.”
Yi Ping rubbed his nose awkwardly to say, ”Thank you! Surely we will meet again. When we do, I hope that we will be on the same side again.”
The Dark Goddess Xia Hsien nodded, ”Naturally we will be. After all, we have sworn our allegiances to you.”
He paused briefly to say firmly, ”I will never allow the Desolate Immortals to disturb the peace of the Immortal Realm but if they come in peace then they are welcome.”
The Heaven Goddess Zero smiled mischievously, ”Are you thinking of banishing the Ancient Fortress to the Desolate Realm again? That will require a blood price and it may not work the next time round. The Desolate Immortals are much stronger than before now, you know. Your sacrifice may be in vain.”
Yi Ping smiled, ”Then I will fight with all the great lords and great goddess if I cannot persuade them otherwise!”
The Alluring Goddess Theresa smiled, ”Then I will aid you if that is your aim. I will follow you and abide by your wishes!”
Yi Ping nodded before he asked hesitatingly, ”Will you get along with Fantian?”