A Martial Odyssey

Chapter 197: The Secrets of the Stellar Sanctuary

There was a glaring light and Yi Ping found himself in a dim white chamber with two passages.

His first thoughts were, "Where am I?"

At the same time there were four other beams of brilliant light and Yi Ping could see that it was the Great Desolate Goddess Nuwa, Lingfeng, Lie Qing and Xingyue!

When the glaring lights had dissipated, they were all staring blankly at each other

Xingyue was the first to regain her composure as she looked around their surroundings, "Where are we?"

Lingfeng suddenly pointed at the ground, "Look!"

They could see several golden skeletons that lay scattering around

Yi Ping was startled, "These are the remains of the other celestials?"

Lingfeng nodded, "It seems to be so."

Lie Qing was laughing softly, "Good! I am with you, Ping'Er. I dread to think that I am with the Universal Old Man or that boring Skylord Jun!"

Yi Ping had turned extremely solemn and it was noticed by Lingfeng who asked, "What is wrong?"

He said nervously, "Now that we are separated, I am worried for the others."

Immediately all the others fell into deathly silence!

All of a sudden the Great Desolate Goddess Nuwa hummed coldly, "Don't worry about them and worry about ourselves first. Most likely, we are all going to die here!"

Yi Ping asked, "What do you mean? We are all going to die here?"

The Great Desolate Goddess Nuwa nodded as she continued to examine the chamber with her eyes, "That is right. If I am right then we are teleported to six different locations of this Ten Thousands Celestial Formation and in order to break this formation, we have to neutralize the formation core at our location. Or else"

Yi Ping noticed her silence and asked, "Or else?"

The Great Desolate Goddess Nuwa sighed softly, "Or else we are all going to die here."

Yi Ping asked, "Even for you, you will die?"

The Great Desolate Goddess Nuwa looked at Yi Ping for a moment as she trembled lightly. It was obvious that she was hesitated to say it loud to everyone!

Lingfeng, Shen Xingyue and Lie Qing were three of the super smart exponents of the martial fraternity. Immediately they could guess the very reason why the Great Desolate Goddess Nuwa was hesitating. It was because no one was willing to share their own weakness!

So the first thought that they had in mind was, "The Great Desolate Goddess Nuwa has a weakness? She can be killed here?"

Yi Ping was not dense and he was aware of the reason too. So he said quietly to the Great Desolate Goddess Nuwa, "We have already entered into a temporary alliance. I won't hurt you even at your current state. I know that I can't ask you to trust me but all of us here have no intention to become a dark practitioner and none of us will seek such a despicable mean to advance our own cultivation attainment"

The Great Desolate Goddess Nuwa said coldly, "You will never know. When that opportunity is presented in front of you, surely you will be tempted! Because you don't want to die and because you can rid yourself of a strong opponent at the same time too!"

Lie Qing immediately interrupted, "But not him! If you think that Ping'Er is like that, you must be mistaken! Do you know, do you know"

She was suddenly trembling and her eyes were beaming with tears, "Do you know that he has actually used his one and only precious Divine Dragon Pill to revive me even though he did not know who I am at that time? He could have ignored me and seized my precious divine sword for himself but he did not! He did not!"

She was sobbing and her voice was trembling incoherently!

Even Lingfeng was beaming with tears as she recalled the number of times Yi Ping would repay those who he owed a debt to instead of advancing his own interests first, "That is right. If you think Yi Ping or anyone of us are just playacting to put you off-guard then you must be mistaken! I don't want to explain it. Think what you like of us!"

The Fiery Phoenix Xingyue lowered her gaze and she too was trembling, "I have always believe that Yi Ping is the White Sage and his heart is kind. If he dares to become a dark practitioner, I will surely kill him and after that, I will surely end my life!"

It was obvious that Xingyue still sorely missed the White Sage from her melancholy eyes!

Yi Ping lowered his gaze, unable to face her. It was because he had no idea if he was able to become the White Sage of her heart

Xingyue smiled bitterly, "But no matter what, we should try our very best to get out of this Ten Thousands Celestial Formation first, am I right to say so?"

Lingfeng and Lie Qing were quietly looking at each other and they were secretly sighing. Other than Ye Yin, Xingyue was not particular close to any of them. It was because she was the sole survivor of the Dark Descendant that had fallen a thousand years ago or a mere one hundred years in the Celestial Realm. To the immortals, it was but a mere ten years had passed!

The Great Desolate Goddess Nuwa said coldly, "Enough. Your stories do not interest me nor am I afraid of any of you"

She paused for a while and her eyes softened, "If you try to exercise your vital energies, do all of you feel more weary than usual, instead of feeling more refresh?"

Yi Ping inhaled and exhaled his vital energies through his Divine Revelation and was startled to realize that it was indeed the case!

Xingyue, Lie Qing and Lingfeng were startled as well as they muttered, "What is going on?"

The Great Desolate Goddess Nuwa explained, "In this Ten Thousands Celestial Formation, we are unable to regain our internal strength. In short the longer that we are trapped here, we will run the risk of dooming ourselves. The sapping energies of this Ten Thousands Celestial Formation can even destroy a Desolate Power."

When the Great Desolate Goddess Nuwa had explained to this point, everyone began to realize the graveness of their situation!

Yi Ping blurted out, "We cannot regain our strength here"

Lingfeng stared blankly at the golden skeletons around here, "So they have all perished in the tribulations of the Ten Thousands Celestial Formation here"

Xingyue nodded, "I have seen the records of the Holy Ascension Sect. Over the years, the Stellar Sanctuary has claimed the lives of at least half a million celestials!"

The Great Desolate Goddess Nuwa smiled bitterly, "If I know this will happen then I rather be sealed by the Divine Nine Cauldron. Alas! I wonder what I will become after I have met my demise. I wonder which hero will have the honor of wielding me."

Yi Ping was perplexed as he asked, "Wield you? What do you mean?"

The Great Desolate Goddess Nuwa looked at him with a bewildered look, "Don't tell me you did not know that all the sacrificed practitioners here will be used for the divine treasures of the Stellar Sanctuary?"

Yi Ping, Lingfeng, Shen Xingyue and Lie Qing were all stunned by this revelation!

Upon witnessing their expressions, the Great Desolate Goddess Nuwa looked at them with a beguiled look as she asked. "Then where do you think the divine treasures come from?"

Yi Ping smiled bitterly because he had never thought of that before

Lingfeng had a sudden realization as she muttered, "Actually we do know that when the ascension to the Celestial Realm fails, there is a chance for a Heavenly Relic to be created in the process"

Xingyue gasped, "So the Stellar Sanctuary is using the deaths of all the practitioners to"

Lie Qing was astonished as she continued, "Don't tell me that the entire Stellar Sanctuary is all but a deceptive trap to lure all of us?!"

Yi Ping was trembling, "Why"

The Great Desolate Goddess Nuwa said nonchalantly, "If they don't have greed in their hearts in the first place then they will be able to ascend as true immortals in the future. This is all but a test of their worthiness."

Yi Ping was trembling as he looked at the Great Desolate Goddess Nuwa, "True immortals? What do you mean?"

The Great Desolate Goddess Nuwa replied nonchalantly, "The Stellar Sanctuary isn't just a place to test the celestial practitioners, it is also a place to test the hearts of the immortals."

Yi Ping was muttering, "To test the hearts of the immortals?"

The Great Desolate Goddess Nuwa nodded, "The immortals are not perfect or else they won't be tempted to seek out the remnant powers of the Great God Pangu. I am sure that you have witnessed their cruelty and their callous behaviors."

The Heaveness Lingfeng hummed coldly, "The ways of the immortals have nothing to do with us."

The Great Desolate Goddess Nuwa gave her an icy smile, "Oh really? But aren't you trying to attain as an immortal? If you are able to attain as an immortal then won't the ways of the immortals be also your way?"

Lingfeng was stunned

The Great Desolate Goddess Nuwa snapped her fingers, "Do you really think the Immortal Realm will be any different from the Celestial Realm? Even if you are able to ascend to the Immortal Realm, you will only be a lowly immortal unless you decide to assert your rights. And to assert your rights, you need to demonstrate your martial strength or else you will be forced to accept their ways. And do you think the immortals will be pleased to acknowledge you?"

Lingfeng looked at her and said all of a sudden, "Just who are you?"

The Great Desolate Goddess Nuwa said coldly, "I am the Great Desolate Goddess Nuwa"

Lingfeng interrupted, "Are you a good or a bad person?"

The Great Desolate Goddess Nuwa appeared to be amused by her, "Naturally a bad person. After all, I am a Desolate Power and I will kill without any hesitation"

Lingfeng said quietly, "I don't know. But somehow I feel.I don't know"

The Great Desolate Goddess Nuwa said all of a sudden, "Actually you feel close to me. Is that what you want to say to me?"

Lingfeng was startled. She moved her lips silently and was speechless!

Lie Qing was observing the two of them. By now, she had her reasons to believe that the Great Desolate Goddess Nuwa was playacting with them along but she could not discern her doubts yet as the level of divinity of the Great Desolate Goddess Nuwa made it impossible for her to read her expressions.

The Great Desolate Goddess Nuwa continued, "Actually it is only natural for you to think it this way."

Lingfeng looked at her, not understanding

The Great Desolate Goddess Nuwa looked intently at Lingfeng, "You are the Heaveness, formed from the pureness essence of the Righteous Universal Force. I am the Great Desolate Goddess Nuwa, formed from the pureness essence of the Chaotic Desolate Force. I am the darkness while you are the light. But no matter how different we are, we do share the same origin."

Lingfeng muttered, "We share the origin? Impossible! I am just a mere divine practitioner while you are an immortal"

Even Yi Ping, Lie Qing and Xingyue were stunned by what the Great Desolate Goddess Nuwa had shared with Lingfeng

The Great Desolate Goddess Nuwa flashed a glance at Yi Ping before looking back at Lingfeng again, "In the beginning, there was just the chaotic desolate and out of the chaotic desolate came forth the Desolate God and Goddess. Among them was the Great God Pangu!"

Lingfeng was startled, "The Great God Pangu is a Desolate God?!"

The Great Desolate Goddess Nuwa seemed to be staring blankly and her voice had become almost inconsolable, "Not only the Great God Pangu but also the Great Goddess Fantian. That is because the Universal Force did not exist back then. Then the Great God Pangu discovered the Universal Force"

She had suddenly turned around and was seen trembling!

All of a sudden Yi Ping thought that the Great Desolate Goddess Nuwa was not that bad after all. So he said quietly, "Let's go. No matter how perilous this Ten Thousands Celestial Formation is, we can't be staying here all the time. Better to die trying than giving up our hopes."

The Great Desolate Goddess Nuwa was still shivering lightly, "Let me be. I am useless here. If you take me along, you will only be endangering yourself"

Yi Ping interrupted firmly, "I refuse and I know that the rest of the group will refuse too!"

Xingyue said, "Ping'Er is right! So what if our trials increase in difficulty? We are in here together and we will not abandon each other!"

Even Lie Qing was saying, "Hmph! After you have saved our sorry asses from the three Heavenly Kings, expended almost your entire martial strength to aid Youxue to overcome her divine limitations and stopping the Cosmos Water Formation, you really think we will be so ungrateful as to abandon you here?"

Lingfeng scurried her white sleeves as she laughed alluringly, "My Great Desolate Goddess Nuwa, we will not leave you in a lurch. Come with us!"

Yi Ping said quietly, "Yes, come with us! We are a party and we will never abandon each other!"

The Great Desolate Goddess Nuwa asked with trembling voice without turning her back, "Wewe are a party?"

Yi Ping nodded, "Yes, that is right. If you want to, you can travel with us to the top of the Stellar Sanctuary too!"

Lingfeng said half-amusedly, "We have not even escape from this Ten Thousands Celestial Formation and someone is already dreaming of ascending to the very top of the Stellar Sanctuary."

Yi Ping rubbed his nose, "That is so true. I have almost forgotten"

All of a sudden the Great Desolate Goddess Nuwa had turned around with a flustered look. She lowered her gaze as she said, "I must make myself clear first. Don't blame me if you suffer later. If I am in danger, don't forget to give me a helping hand. This doesn't change my opinion of everyone either so do not expect me to be grateful for anything"

Even though she appeared to be harshly worded but everyone could tell that her tone had softened and she was none the haughty anymore

Yi Ping was glad that she was joining them and that he had indeed learnt quite a few new things from her. He managed a smile as he marched forward, "Let's go!"

But he stopped all of a sudden as he turned around with a perplexed look, "So which way? There are two passage ways"

Lingfeng kicked him gently, "You have eyes but you don't use it. When you march off like this, we all thought that you have at least an idea. But now you are asking us which way to take?"

Yi Ping smiled weakly, "I wasn't thinking"

Lie Qing laughed softly, "And wasn't looking"

Yi Ping laughed aloud and this was followed by Lingfeng, Lie Qing, Xingyue and even the Great Desolate Goddess Nuwa!