A Martial Odyssey Book 3: The Stellar Sanctuary – Chapter 1

War of the Immortals

Millenniums ago somewhere in the Seventh Heavens of the Immortal Realm on a lofty peak that was surrounded by three spectacular waterfalls from the floating islands above.

This was the renowned Three Isle Heavenly Lofty Peak.

At the lofty peak were a hundred immortal practitioners from a hundred immortal sects and clans. All of them were either the leaders or the most eminent elders of their respective sects and clans! 

Out of these hundred immortals, forty were Zen Immortals, another forty were Arhat Immortals and the rest were the Autonomous Immortals. 

The Autonomous Immortals had fewer representatives but they were no less influential! 

This was actually the first time that these powerful immortals had congregated together!

They were all rebuking each other coldly and were full of sarcasm in their exchanges! 

An Autonomous Immortal who called himself the Great Battle Emperor said coldly, “I have no interest in the feud between the Zen Practitioners and the Arhat Practitioners. But the reason why we have congregated here is to have an agreement with each other, am I right?”

The Goddess Celestial Alice yawned softly, “What else.”

Today she was the lead representative of the Zen Immortals!

Great Lord Ahoha the lead representative of the Arhat Immortals replied coldly, “The Zen Immortals have to surrender access to the Stellar Sanctuary. Surely the Zen Immortals are not thinking of denying the rest of us the access to the Eternal Realm?”

The Goddess of Mercy who was also an Arhat Immortal hummed coldly, “Isn’t it too obvious already?”

She rose to her feet as she stared coldly at the Goddess Celestial Alice, “We are all the children of the Great God Pangu…”

Great Lord Ahoha coughed softly to remind her that the Arhat Practitioners had their own names for their creator.

The Goddess of Mercy smiled gently before correcting herself, “I mean the Great God Fan Tian. Look at me. I am so forgetful. We are the most exalt of the exalts. We are the inheritors of the Immortal Realm regardless of our ideologies. At long last, the Stellar Sanctuary has descended to the Immortal Realm. Isn’t this the moment that we are all waiting for? To transcend to the forbidden realm and to be near to the source of the Universal Force!”

The Great Battle Emperor said coldly, “And yet the Goddess Theocracy Sect chooses to seal the Stellar Sanctuary. Does the Goddess Theocracy Sect wants to fight all the immortal clans at the same time?”

The Goddess Celestial Alice said quietly, “The true embodiment form of the Stellar Sanctuary will only appear in the Celestial Realm. Even if I unseal the Stellar Sanctuary and let it loose now, how many of you are able to descend to the Celestial Realm? Even if you have the means, the price to descend to the Celestial Realm is astronomical!”

She rose up to add coldly, “Surely you are all not fools. If the Stellar Sanctuary is unsealed, it will mean the end of our era and the beginning of the new era for the mortals. Do you want that to really happen?”

Great Lord Ahoha replied calmly, “That is the just the ancient prophecy of the Jade Emperor. Who knows if it is true? If he is able to prophesize our demise, why is that he is unable to prophesize his own demise?”

The Martial Sage of the Universal Truth, a Zen Immortal interrupted coldly, “The Zen Practitioners may not agree with the Goddess Celestial Alice wholly on this matter but we have our own reasons to think that the prophecy is real.”

The Northern Star Sage, an Autonomous Immortal quickly added. “I agree too. That one day the mortals will ascend to replace us. The first is the last and the last is the first! That is the prophecy of the Jade Emperor! Surely all of you know that time flows differently in the lower realm? A year here is like ten years in the Celestial Realm and a hundred years in the Mortal Realm. While we are bickering here for a year now, a hundred years have already passed in the Mortal Realm!”

Immortal Mortal Lord, an Arhat Immortal looked hesitantly at Great Lord Ahoha before saying. “Indeed it seems that that the Great God Fan Tian has the intention of letting the mortals succeed us or else the three realms would not have existed. In theory, the mortals have more time to further their practice than us… ”

Great Lord Ahoha interrupted, “It is not true. They have the time but they are mortals after all and can’t live that long. Moreover, the gap between the mortals and us are as vast as the boundless heavens. There is no way for them to succeed us. We have observed them for a long time. Sadly to say this; maybe one day they are able ascend to the Celestial Realm but to be an immortal practitioner, it is impossible. That is why we are the immortals and they are the mortals!”

The Goddess of Mercy smiled, “Simply put, they don’t have the infinity wisdom to succeed us at all.” 

The Goddess Celestial Alice interrupted coldly, “Then maybe we should intervene and enlightened them!”

There were a large number of loud mutterings; many of the immortals were clearly shocked and amused!

The Eastern Sea Immortal King, an Autonomous Immortal laughed softly as he rose up to say. “My Eternal Goddess, you are indeed humorous. But surely you know that we cannot intervene directly in the realms below. Not only will our future enlightenment suffers as a result but endless calamity and sufferings will surely befall the realms below!”

The Goddess Celestial Alice hummed coldly as cold aura flared around her before she replied, “Indeed. Since the Stellar Sanctuary is destined for the mortals below, why are all of you so insistent on unsealing the Stellar Sanctuary? You know that without my Symphony of Destiny, it is impossible for any of you to do anything, am I right to say so?”

She emphasized coldly by adding, “Only I have the key to unseal the Stellar Sanctuary! Moreover, I am the High Priestess of the Great God Pangu. If I really unleashed the Stellar Sanctuary then my own enlightenment will surely suffer, not yours…”

Great Lord Ahoha interrupted with an equally coldly aura, “You are sketching the truth a little too far. The Great God Fan Tian promised us the Eternal Realm. All the immortals know that our ultimate purpose is to reach the Eternal Realm. Many of us will surely perish and only a few will find true enlightenment but as immortal practitioners, our true purpose is to seek knowledge and to further our own enlightenment. And the knowledge to true enlightenment is in the Stellar Sanctuary!”

The statements of the Great Lord Ahoha caused many of the immortal practitioners to mutter in agreement and that included half of the Zen Immortals!

The Goddess Celestial Alice swept a cold glance to all the Zen Immortals before smiling coldly to the rest of the immortals, “It is either you are with me or against me. If you really want to gain access to the Stellar Sanctuary, why don’t you try storming the Ninth Heavens and try to seize the physical form of the Stellar Sanctuary?”

She managed an amused smile before saying, “Oh, I seem to forget that most of you have not even reached the Cosmos Positioning yet so how are you able to see my beautiful realm? Maybe we should wait for all the eminent leaders of the immortal clans to reach my enlightenment first.”

Great Lord Ahoha was not just an immortal of the Cosmos Positioning but he was also an immortal of the Greater Cosmos Position which marked him as the highest level among the immortals!

He said coldly, “The Eternal Goddess is not the only immortal that has reached the Cosmos Positioning. There are dozens of immortals that are not here that have already reached the Cosmos Positioning. We only ask the Eternal Goddess not to stop us from seeking further enlightenment.”

At this many of the immortals began to agree and mutter their agreements!

The Goddess Celestial Alice looked at all the immortals quietly before sighing softly, “And what if I don’t agree?”

The Goddess of Mercy smiled coldly as she offered a suggestion, “Then you shall bear the consequences and of course, there will be a little war that will see the end of the Goddess Theocracy Sect. What do you think?”

The Goddess Celestial Alice gave a warm smile before replying enchantingly, “Then so shall it be. From the First Heavens to the Ninth Heavens, war shall it be!”