Chapter 716: Celestial Court Ruins
The Broken Utopia
Buzhou Mountain was incredibly high, so tall it seemed to have no end.
It took several minutes of flying for the three of them to pass through the clouds and reach the summit.
The Celestial Court was here, but it was nothing like what they had imagined. There were no exquisite pavilions, no shimmering golden light, no fortified towers or jade tiles, no divine dragons or cranes. All they saw was a scene of utter destruction: broken walls, shattered pillars, collapsed buildings, and moss-covered stones.
Had Hanyue not been there, Luke would never have believed this was the legendary Celestial Court.
What kind of Celestial Court gets this wrecked?
Hanyue stared blankly at the destruction. Grief welled up in her heart, and she began to weep.
Diana hesitated. "Are you sure we haven't come to the wrong place?"
"Let's look around first."
After crying for a while, Hanyue wiped away her tears and flew toward the highest remaining structure.
It had once been her home, but now it was just as ruined as the rest. Luke followed closely, observing the environment while simultaneously releasing his senses, meticulously searching every patch of ground for any sign of life.
Unfortunately, after two thorough searches, he found no living beings.
The Celestial Court was truly annihilated.
"Where is the Immortal Ascension Pool?" Luke asked.
"Give me a moment, I'll take you there shortly."
Hanyue used her soul power to move aside fragmented stones and followed her memory to a ruined palace. The stone tablet in front of the door was engraved with three "Jinwen" characters, which translated to Moon God Palace.
Luke asked curiously, "This is where you lived?"
Hanyue nodded and walked into the ruins, staring blankly at everything around her. All the items from her memory were gone, nothing was left—including her most cherished bay laurel tree and the Moonlight Crystal.
The bay laurel tree had been a gift from her grandfather, originating from another realm. It was the only one in existence, blooming once every thirty years with a light that could turn the entire world silvery-gray.
The Moonlight Crystal was a divine artifact of foresight. Through the crystal, she could view any place she desired. When bored, she used to sit in front of it and watch interesting events unfolding around the world.
The Grandfather's Corpse
After a long silence, Hanyue turned to leave.
"I'll take you to the Immortal Ascension Pool."
The three passed through the ruins and arrived at the eastern part of the Celestial Court. On a hill covered with sculptures was a pool over five hundred meters in diameter. The water had long dried up, leaving behind only an overgrown patch of weeds.
Luke's expression turned grim.
"Don't tell me this is the Immortal Ascension Pool?"
Hanyue silently nodded, her expression complicated.
"The pool didn't look like this before..."
Luke raised his hand, stopping her. "I'm not interested in the past. I only care about one thing: can it still be used?"
"Without the water, there is no divine power."
"So, it's useless."
Hanyue opened her mouth, unsure how to explain. Seeing her reaction, Luke's anger exploded. He suppressed the urge to kill and said in a low voice,
"It seems my trip was wasted. Your Highness, you have successfully wasted ten days of my time."
"The basis of our cooperation was my helping you achieve godhood. Since you cannot meet that condition, there's no need for you to remain in the real world."
Luke spread his fingers, and green flame leaked from his palm.
"Wait!"
Hanyue's face shifted. She quickly said, "There is still a chance. Besides the Immortal Ascension Pool, there is another way."
"What way?"
"Do you remember what I told you? The essence of the Celestial Court's cultivation methods originated with my grandfather, the First Celestial Court Lord. The water in the Immortal Ascension Pool was actually... was..." She hesitated for a moment before admitting,
"...extracted from his corpse."
Luke was stunned and instinctively took a few steps back, putting distance between himself and the pool. Diana also looked disgusted. It turned out the water in the Immortal Ascension Pool was essentially corporeal residue.
Hanyue explained, "My grandfather was a primordial god. Like the other primordial gods, he had an immense body. After his death, to ensure the Celestial Court's longevity, my father and the priests sealed his corpse and extracted his divinity and divine power. They mixed it with various elixirs to create a potion that could grant ordinary people power comparable to a god, though the effect was short-lived. Later, they improved it repeatedly and combined it with my grandfather's bloodline purification methods, which became the Celestial Court's legacy."
Luke sneered.
"You mean to say that if I find your grandfather's corpse, I still have a chance."
"Yes."
Luke laughed heartily. "Good, Princess. Lead the way. Let me witness the legendary primordial god."
Hanyue lowered her head, saying with some awkwardness,
"I know the location of my grandfather's body, but so much time has passed... what if..."
"Don't worry. If we don't find the corpse, I will serve you up comfortably and send you straight to the Western Heaven."
As he spoke the final words, pure killing intent rushed out. Having been delayed for so long, his patience was completely exhausted.
Diana gave him a quick glare. After Hanyue left, Diana used a silent thought-message to warn him,
"Be careful. This woman is not as simple as she seems."
"Relax. I know what I'm doing."
Hearing this, Diana didn't press the matter. After all this time together, she had vaguely sensed that the Celestial Court Princess was far from the naive figure she appeared to be. She had been stalling, constantly making subtle moves, and had even tried to deliberately expose herself near the Chinese high-command's residence. Yet, everything she tried was neutralized by Luke.
These were all things happening behind the scenes. Since Hanyue didn't speak of them, Luke naturally wouldn't bring them up. They were locked in a game of attrition.
Many times, Diana couldn't figure out what exactly Luke was trying to achieve.
Beneath the Altar
The burial site was on a hill two hundred miles east of Buzhou Mountain.
There was a massive altar here, and in the center of the altar stood a statue over a hundred meters tall. Unfortunately, the statue's head and hands were gone, leaving only a crumbling body.
Hanyue walked to the base of the statue and carefully checked a compass. After a moment, she shook her head resignedly.
"The entrance is sealed."
Luke said flatly, "Are you sure the corpse is beneath it?"
"Yes, beneath the altar."
"Very good!"
Luke soared into the air, hovering above the altar. The Divine Wing Armor erupted in gold and red light. The four wings converged in front of him, light spreading to form an energy sphere over five meters in diameter.
Boom!
A roar exploded in the sky. A blue pillar of light hammered down from above, slamming directly into the altar. The already damaged statue immediately began to break apart. Hanyue bit her lip and subtly turned her head away, looking elsewhere.
The pillar of light carried destructive energy, blasting away the earth and shattering the stone as it extended deep underground. After a long pause, the light slowly faded. A circular hole over ten meters in diameter now stood in the center of the altar.
Luke's soul detached from his body, and he rushed into the hole with Hanyue in tow.
Diana did not follow. She stayed near the altar, meticulously observing the surroundings. This was a strategy they had agreed upon before coming: one inside, one outside. If they encountered a sudden event or an abnormally powerful enemy, Diana would take Luke's body and flee. Luke had his own way of escaping.
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