Chapter 90: Celestial Cataclysm Divination
Chapter 90: Celestial Cataclysm Divination
Cheng Lingyu was stunned. He had always assumed the Source Pearl might be a spirit artifact, but Caiyun declared it a Holy Artifact—an object of immeasurable worth. The fact that Yu Wuchen gifted it to him after a single meeting left him both awed and uneasy.
After storing the Source Pearl, the two hurried through the tunnel until they reached a dark cave with no visible path ahead. Cheng Lingyu retrieved the Source Pearl, sensing the underground palace’s greatest treasure lay beyond, still sealed.
“How many days until the Mid-Autumn Festival?”
“Tomorrow,” Caiyun answered. “Why?”
“This place likely won’t open until tomorrow night. Let’s scavenge resources from the dead until then.”
Though Caiyun disdained such grisly work, Cheng Lingyu’s cultivation was still at the True Martial Realm. With the underground palace crawling with Soul Martial Realm experts—each carrying pills and resources—the spoils would aid him greatly.
Cheng Lingyu hid his valuables carefully, even around his Senior Sister, wary of attracting greed.
Over ten days, one to two thousand cultivators had perished here. Many small Yunyang City forces vanished entirely, their members now eternal residents of the underground palace.
Caiyun guided Cheng Lingyu through the tunnels, gathering news and loot. They amassed numerous storage rings.
Cultivators darted through the passages like shadows, hunting unseen prey. Cheng Lingyu moved like a ghost, silent and watchful.
The Ghost-faced Magic Vine had disappeared with the Holy Artifact Long Sword, leaving many bitter. The spiritual dew’s bird-form also vanished. Despite furious roars, the five Spirit Masters gained nothing.
By Mid-Autumn Day, the underground palace quieted. Grief hung thick—countless had died, yet only Hua Yuehong and Bai Ruomei reaped rewards. Previously unnoticed, Bai Ruomei now drew the keen attention of Spirit Master experts.
That night, eight stone doors creaked open, unveiling a majestic palace bathed in eternal light. Cheng Lingyu and Caiyun, waiting nearby, entered first.
The palace towered with pillars etched in spiritual patterns. Runes swirled in the void, morphing into spiritual birds and celestial beasts that circled the hall, radiating sacred energy.
At the center stood a radiant stone tablet adorned with a blazing sun pattern. Below it sat a complete skeleton, its bones shimmering gold and etched with runes. A terrifying aura pulsed from it, oppressive enough to choke the heavens.
The golden skeleton loomed like a God King, crushing all resistance. Cheng Lingyu and Caiyun froze at the entrance, breath ragged.
“This aura… it’s alive,” Cheng Lingyu gasped. “It dominates this space, suppressing everything.”
His left hand’s Fang Tian Bao Yin and right hand’s Ghostly Magic Blade trembled violently, reacting to the golden body.
Caiyun paled. “Legends say the Holy Emperor Realm—peak of Saint Martial Fourth Level—grants an indestructible Holy Emperor golden body. If this is the Tianyang Holy Emperor’s remains, this truly is the Tianyang Empire’s ancestral ground.”
Beside the tablet and skeleton lay a blood pool. Each drop held runes containing heaven’s mysteries and the Great Path’s Essence. Though small enough for one person, its blood-energy warped the void around it.
Above the pool, a spinning jade bead glowed with holy light, runes coiling into a luminous cloud that hummed cultivation’s deepest truths.
The square hall had eight exits, each marked by a banner bearing Golden Crow flames. Cheng Lingyu and Caiyun had hoped to seize treasures first—but one glance at the hall’s contents dashed their hopes.
This place was far too dangerous. With Caiyun’s cultivation level in the Blood Martial Realm, entering was impossible, not to mention Cheng Lingyu who remained in the True Martial Realm.
The opening of eight stone doors startled every cultivator in the underground palace.
Soon, experts from all directions rushed over. Cheng Lingyu and Caiyun had already withdrawn, standing aside while observing intently.
Ouyang Lie arrived in a flash but was violently repelled the moment he charged in, his face twisting with frustration.
Charming Pen Spirit Master secured one entrance yet halted after advancing merely three zhang, her expression turning solemn.
At other entrances, four Spirit Masters appeared successively, but none managed to breach the threshold. All stared at the golden body with awe and trepidation.
City Lord Yun Ao, the Shenhuo Sect leader, the Xuanhuo Sect leader, Shi Busi, Hua Yuehong, and Bai Ruomei appeared nearby, closely monitoring the palace’s movements.
“That’s the Sun God Tablet. This must be the legendary ancestral ground of Tianyang. The golden body is likely left by the Tianyang Holy Emperor. The Holy Emperor’s legacy must reside here.”
“The pool surely contains holy blood, more valuable than spiritual dew. Merging with it could remake one’s flesh into that of a saint.”
“Those eight banners resemble the legendary exceptional-grade spirit artifact—Golden Crow Blazing Flags. Their power is fearsome.”
Many experts recognized these relics from tales of the Tianyang Empire’s past—the Sun God Tablet, Holy Emperor’s golden body, sacred blood pool, and Golden Crow Blazing Flags.
“Blind charging won’t work. We must find another way, or we’ll only meet death.”
“Since the ancestral ground has emerged, its legacy will manifest. It’s now a matter of Luck.”
Discussions swirled about hidden methods to enter the palace, though none had been discovered yet.
The five Spirit Masters present were the mightiest. If even they couldn’t force entry with their supreme cultivation, others stood no chance.
Cheng Lingyu kept pondering—the palace’s opening must hold purpose. Why reveal itself if not to permit access?
Lan Xiaozhu and Song Xuejiao spotted Cheng Lingyu’s figure from the periphery and hurried over.
Noticing their approach, Cheng Lingyu turned and exclaimed, “Doctor Song and Miss Lan came too?”
Song Xuejiao answered, “We entered after you but lost sight of you until now.”
Lan Xiaozhu smiled and nodded at Caiyun before fixing her gaze on the palace interior.
“Trying to enter?”
Caiyun replied coolly, “Spirit Masters can’t breach it. We harbor no such delusions.”
Lan Xiaozhu’s brow furrowed slightly. “Spirit Masters can’t pass due to special restrictions here. But others might—those chosen not by strength.”
Caiyun’s eyes sharpened. “How do you know this? Who could enter?”
Lan Xiaozhu hesitated. “Divining such truths would cost me years of life.”
Caiyun’s face paled. “Celestial Cataclysm Divination…”
Lan Xiaozhu jerked as if struck, staring wildly at Caiyun.
“You… you know of this?”
Song Xuejiao blinked. “What’s Celestial Cataclysm Divination? Why do you both look so shaken?”
Cheng Lingyu pressed, “Senior Sister, what makes this divination special?”
Caiyun said nothing, her strange gaze lingering on Lan Xiaozhu, emotions warring beneath the surface.
Lan Xiaozhu sighed softly, “Celestial Cataclysm Divination, also called Heavenly Luck Divination, can seize the Fortuitous Encounter of heaven and earth, but also takes away the Life of all things. Though similar, Celestial Cataclysm can be inherited as legacy while Heavenly Luck requires cultivation. I inherited Celestial Cataclysm Divination, doomed to die young from the heavenly way’s backlash.”
Song Xuejiao sighed helplessly. Though known as the divine doctor, she couldn’t remedy this.
Cheng Lingyu frowned. When Lan Xiaozhu mentioned being cured earlier, had she meant this divination method?
“Miss Lan could avoid backlash by limiting its use.”
Lan Xiaozhu gave a bitter laugh. “You don’t understand – restraining this power brings unbearable agony to its wielder.”
Caiyun interjected, “Can you predict how many will enter that palace?”
Lan Xiaozhu gazed at the structure’s brilliant glow, her lovely face contemplative.
Song Xuejiao warned, “Don’t force this prediction. The Tianyang Empire’s ancestral ground carries immense karma – the heavenly backlash could destroy you.”
While Celestial Cataclysm Divination could seize great fortunes, its backlash proved equally formidable. The weightier the predicted matter, the stronger the retaliation.
The Tianyang Holy Emperor remained the empire’s most celebrated figure – any secrets involving him held world-shaking significance. As a mere early-stage Soul Martial Realm cultivator, Lan Xiaozhu might perish from heavenly backlash before completing such a prediction.
Her past divinations had involved minor matters with limited consequences. Though always accurate, each left her severely weakened.
Knowing this, Song Xuejiao’s medical conscience compelled her to prevent unnecessary risks.
Cheng Lingyu stayed silent, though burning with curiosity about the palace entrants. He couldn’t voice this concern without endangering Lan Xiaozhu.
After brief contemplation, Lan Xiaozhu turned to Cheng Lingyu.
“Your hand.”
Song Xuejiao looked perplexed. Caiyun’s brow furrowed. Cheng Lingyu blinked in confusion.
He extended his right palm. Lan Xiaozhu grasped it without explanation, eyelids fluttering shut.
Suddenly she jerked back as if scalded, releasing him violently.
“What happened?” Song Xuejiao cried.
“Wrong hand.”
Lan Xiaozhu’s pallid face held unfathomable expressions, her eyes harboring secrets beyond mortal understanding.