The Collapse of the Stellar Sanctuary
An overwhelming darkness seemed to envelop Yi Ping as he willed himself back to his real physical body.
He was dazzled by a sudden bright light and soon after, he was immediately greeted by several familiar joyous cries!
A stunning light greeted him when he opened his eyes, he saw many familiar faces and saw that he was now back at the Stellar Sanctuary!
Xian’Er, Lingfeng, Yu’Er, Mei’Er, Alice, Isa, Aiel, Youxue, Lie Qing, Nuwa, the Goddess of Mercy Xiang, Han Lin, Yunzi, the Universal Old Man and many others were all standing around Yi Ping excitingly!
Next there was a terrifying hearty roar by the White Divine Tiger, followed by the Xiao Ping the Golden Kirin as they stomped their paws to welcome Yi Ping!
Lingfeng the Heaveness laughed jovially as she gave him a soft kick, “What happens to you? We are so worried for you. You are finally back!”
Xian’Er gripped his hand and said, “Ping’Er, you are finally back!…”
Mei’Er laughed jovially, “Do you know that our Mistress and the Great Desolate Goddess Nuwa are about to make another attempt to cross the boundaries of space to the Desolate Realm to look for you!”
But she immediately softened to say, “Because of you, they have suffered grave internal injuries.”
Yu’Er sighed softly, “If you have not returned then they would have risked a fourth time…”
Xian’Er replied gently, “Ping’Er, I am alright. Please do not worry.”
Nuwa coughed softly, “I am not alright. If we fail another time then we may very well lost our lives.”
Yi Ping was burning with hot tears inside as he looked at them, “Xian’Er, Nuwa…alas! I wish I know how to say words of comfort. It is not worth to lose your lives because of me…”
Xian’Er smiled gently as she held his hand even tighter, “No my dear. For you, everything for you is worth it!”
Lele smiled, “You know, they are not the only ones that are anxious for you!”
She pointed to the smiling Youxue, Yunzi, Lie Qing, the Ascension Goddess Ye Yin and Shen Xingyue and Yunzi, “Are you forgetting about us?”
Yi Si was also smiling as she said, “Father! Glad to have you back!”
The Universal Old Man was patting his belly as he laughed heartily, “I know that he will surely be able to overcome the Stellar Sanctuary!”
Yunzi and Lie Qing were looking at him with affectionate eyes as they said at the same time, “Ping’Er!”
Yi Ping was also smiling as he exclaimed aloud, “Qing’Er, Yunzi, Xue’Er, Xing’Er, Ye Yin…how is everyone?”
The Goddess Celestial Alice smiled, “What a great reunion!”
Yi Ping nodded and smiled back, “Ziyan, Alice…”
Behind her, were the Goddess Isa, the Goddess of Mercy Xiang’Er, Aiel, Han Lin and the Goddess Asura and they were all smiling shyly at him. While they were equally excited at seeing Yi Ping again, they were too shy and mindful to express their heartfelt sentiments unlike Yi Ping’s original group.
The Lord Supreme, the Skylord Jun, the Ancient Heavenly Sage King, the Sacred Embodied Heavenly Goddess, the Western Paradise Heavenly King, the Universal Old Man, the Jade Emperor, the Avant-garde Heavenly King, the Celestial Liege and Ye Ling were all smiling as they looked intently at Yi Ping.
Yi Ping sighed softly as he remembered the demise of the Nirvana Heavenly Queen, the Heavenly Pagoda King, the Formula Heavenly King, the Martial Sage, the Skylord Jun and the Immortal Saint of Swords…
They had attempted to scale the stairs of the Stellar Sanctuary instead of helping the group. It was because they knew in hindsight that if they were to reach the Pangu Divine Armor then they would be granted the Creation Universal Force and they would be the next Great God Pangu!
Even though they knew that Yi Ping was Pangu reincarnation, it did not bother them. They knew that whoever reached the top first was destined to be the next Great God Pangu, the Ruler of the Three Known Realms!
Yi Ping was still grieved when he had remembered their demise. It was because he had a special fondness for the Martial Sage, the Skylord Jun and the Immortal of Saints. Moreover the Skylord Jun and the Immortal Saint of Swords were his sworn brothers.
He did not blame them for attempting to scale the stairs at all. It was because he had no real desire to be the Great God Pangu or the Ruler of the Three Known Realms.
He did not want to be another Great God Pangu. He did not want to be his old incarnation again. That would be too lonely at the very top.
Alice smiled and asked, “Have you obtain the divine inspiration to reach the Tenth Immortal Positioning? Have you obtained the Pangu Divine Armor?”
Yi Ping nodded lightly and said, “Yes, I have obtained the Creation Universal Force and have just attained the initial stage of the Tenth Immortal Positioning. Yes, I have obtained the Pangu Divine Armor. This divine armor has a name. It is actually the Omnipotent Creation Armor of the Stellar Sanctuary. It is actually its voice that is speaking to us and challenging us to the feats of the Stellar Sanctuary.”
He closed his eyes to recall the last moment again and had recalled what the Stellar Sanctuary had told him; great love was the true arousing power that can receive and contain the potent power of the Creation Universal Force.
It was precisely he could not abandon the love that was in his heart; he would rather face the severe consequences of the divine calamities and the six cycles of afflictions than abandoned the sentimental love that was within him. (See Chapter 234)
He stared blankly as he muttered, “Everyone…”
Immediately everyone was responding to him like chorus, “Yes? Ping’Er? Yi Ping?…”
He had finally understood why the Dark Chaos Lord had failed at the last step of the trial of the Stellar Sanctuary and why the Great God Pangu had failed to contain the power of the Universal Creation Force.
His personal trial of the Stellar Sanctuary was extremely tedious because he had to take care of his group and the power level of the Stellar Sanctuary increased tremendously as the numbers increased!
He could not forget his companions and the countless sacrifices that everyone had been through to reach this point!
There were heart wrenching tears, heartfelt joys, great pains and tormenting toils along the way. All these he could not forget, could not erase from his mind and heart!
Because of that, he could be the true destined one of the Stellar Sanctuary and be the Master of the Stellar Sanctuary. Because of that, he had transcended above the Dark Chaos Lord and the Great Lord Pangu. From now on, he was to be known as the Universal Ruler and the future ruler of the Six Realms instead of being the Great God Pangu of the Three Known Realms!
Yi Ping was trembling as he muttered with heartfelt emotions in his eyes, “Everyone, thank you for accompanying me till this far…”
Just as the group was all chatting excitingly with each other as they looked intently at Yi Ping, they were alarmed that there were blue and yellow glow that were surrounding everyone!
Yi Ping was surrounded by an animus of yellow lit glows and so were many others.
Lele exclaimed with shock as she tried to disperse the yellow animus that was on her, “What is this light? I can’t get it off me!”
Alice said gently, “Now that the trials have ended, the Stellar Sanctuary is now collapsing and we will be returned to where we have come from.”
Yi Ping sighed softly. Indeed, this was the moment that he had been dreading to happen. It was time for them to part!
The Goddess Isa said, “The immortal practitioners will be sent to the Immortal Realm while the celestial practitioners will be returned to the outside.”
Yunzi looked at her blue glow with sad sorrow in her eyes before she muttered, “The yellow glow indicates that the practitioner will be sent to the Immortal Realm while the blue glow indicates the practitioner will be returned to the Celestial Realm.”
The Universal Old Man was brimming with tears as he hugged the Lord Supreme, “Old man! Did you see? We are finally going to the Immortal Realm now!”
The Universal Old Man and the Lord Supreme were enveloped in yellow glow!
The Lord Supreme smiled weakly as he said, “I am not blind, you know.”
Yu’Er, Mei’Er, the Ascension Goddess Ye Yin and the Fiery Phoenix Shen Xingyue were all exclaiming excitedly, “All hails the Lord Supreme!”
Mei’Er added excitedly, “Lord Father, you can finally get your wish and transmigrate to the Immortal Realm now!”
The Lord Supreme sighed, “I am an Ancient Celestial and finally I can ascend to the Immortal Realm. But the four of you, you can also ascend to the Immortal Realm? I can’t believe it!”
Indeed, the four of them were also enveloped in yellow glow!
Yu’Er laughed softly as she turned to look shyly at Yi Ping, “It is all thanks to Master Yi!”
Shen Xingyue nodded and smiled, “All the Supreme Celestials are going to the Immortal Realm now. So who is going to take care of the Holy Ascension Sect?”
Ye Yin said indifferently, “Don’t forget we still have one old Ascendant Custodian that is left behind.”
Xingyue smiled alluringly, “You mean that Old Reverend Vanquisher Sage?”
Ye Yin smiled, “Who else? But I wonder why Xingyue and I are now immortal practitioners? The Axis and Eclipse Heaven Goddesses I know but us?”
The Jade Emperor overheard and answered her, “That is because you have awakened the sanctorum powers of your swords and your destinies will be as one of the Thirty-Three Heavenly Kings from now.”
At the same time the Jade Emperor had turned aside to address the Celestial Liege, Ye Ling and Yi Si, “I guess it is time for me to return to the Immortal Realm. Train well in the Celestial Realm. Your cultivation has only just begun.”
Yi Si was bleary, “Grandpa! You are leaving us!…”
The Jade Emperor patted her head and smiled serenely, “Silly, we will meet again one day.”
Yi Si looked at Lele and Yi Ping, “Grandpa…even my parents are leaving me. I will be extremely lonely…”
Lele interrupted with a soft reprimand, “My child. You must be strong. Cultivate well and join me in the Immortal Realm one day. After all, don’t you want to witness the glory of your mother who is the new empress of the immortal realm? Or your father again?”
Yi Ping muttered softly, “Yi Si, I have never done my duty as a father. I am really overjoyed to see you here. One day, we will surely meet once more. You must cultivate well and stay away from evil. Don’t be distracted by the material things.”
Yi Si replied quietly, “I will father. I really hope so to see you again.”
The Celestial Liege said, “Yi Si, you still have your uncle here and your aunt Ye Ling here.”
Ye Ling smiled, “That’s right!”
Han Lin was glowing with blue animus and she was looking tearfully at Aiel and Yi Ping, “Mistress, you are leaving me. We have been together for so many centuries…”
Aiel was also emotional as she tried to hold back her tears, “My heavenly eyes are unsealed now and I am back to being an immortal. Han Lin, I won’t forgive you if you don’t become an immortal. Don’t keep me waiting. Things aren’t the same if you are not around. Do you know?…”
Lie Qing and Youxue were hugging Yunzi.
Lie Qing said unhappily, “I don’t understand. Why is that I got to go to the immortal realm but not you…I very well know that I got to the immortal realm because Ping’Er has given me the Feather Sword Shard and that has the effect of also enhancing my cultivation progression. ”
Youxue lowered her eyes too to say, “It is all due to Nuwa that I am able to ascend to the immortal realm. Without the Divine Nine Cauldron to aid me, it is impossible for me to ascend on my own as well…”
Yunzi smiled serenely, “Trust me, I will be joining everyone soon so I am not anxious at all. If I am not anxious, why worry?”
Yi Ping quickly said as he sensed his grip on reality loosening now, “Yunzi! I will surely come for you! I promise you! We will meet soon enough!…”
Multiple colored lights in yellow and blue began to flash throughout even as Yi Ping voice could be heard resonating, “I will never forget everyone. We have been through so much, so much together…”
See Also
A Martial Odyssey consists of four novels. View the series index, book index, or go to the adjacent chapters.