A Martial Odyssey

Yi Ping was alarmed as he asked, "Just what are you?"

The blue stellar light blinked and resonated with a soft hymn, "Do you really want to know? There is a price to pay for knowledge."

The Goddess Isa hummed coldly, "Shut the crap and reveal yourself."

The blue stellar light blinked and echoed, "I am here."

The Goddess Isa was startled, "Huh? What do you mean?"

Yi Ping said quietly, "Indeed. It is there. This is its energy manifestation and this energy manifestation is the Universal Creation Force!"

The blue stellar light glowed brilliantly, "You have finally recognized me."

Alice and Asura were looking at each other as they gasped at the same time, "This is the Universal Creation Force? It is a living entity?"

Like everyone else, Nuwa was also startled. She looked into the blinking light as she said. "How is it possible?"

Lele said quietly, "I sense an immeasurably sadness in there…"

Xian'Er nodded, "And a deep sense of regret…"

Yi Ping heaved a soft sigh as he sheathed his swords…

Ye Yin, Yu'Er and Mei'Er who had acute senses were perplexed. Their seventh senses were supernaturally sharp but why did they not sense anything?

What they did not know was that Yi Ping, Yixian and Lele were judging by the blinking of the stellar light. Somehow, they felt an attunement to it and could read its emotional state through the blinking!

Yi Ping said, "If your solo purpose is only me alone then let it end now. I will be the only person that will climb this stair."

The stellar light answered, "If you have the courage and if your group is willing, you may try then."

Yi Ping turned to his group and heaved heavily, "Let me go up alone."

Yu'Er said panicky, "Master Yi, you are really going up? It is so dangerous!"

Mei'Er nodded as she grabbed his sleeve, "We don't know what to expect from there!"

She turned to Yixian the Celestial Fairy, "Mistress! You are really letting him go up there?"

Xian'Er answered gently, "It is for Yi Ping alone to decide."

Yi Ping turned to the group and said gently, "Everyone, I think that I have finally discovered the true reality of the Stellar Sanctuary but in order to prove it, I must go up on my own."

Everyone was gasping softly as they looked at each other…

The Celestial Liege laughed, "Let's go up together. I am not afraid!"

Yi Ping smiled and said gently, "That won't do. That is because anyone that goes up that stair will surely die. It doesn't matter how powerful you are."

The Ancient Heavenly Sage King looked at the Sacred Embodied Heavenly Goddess before he asked, "We will all die except for you?"

Yi Ping nodded as he trembled lightly, "Everyone with no exception. Maybe even for me. I am not sure. I am actually gambling."

Lele flashed Yi Ping a dangerous look, "Then let's us leave now!"

Yi Ping shook his head as he looked at the Goddess Celestial Alice, "Then I won't know why the Dark Chaos Lord died at the very end. I need to know."

Alice looked at him as she pursed her lips, "Don't do it at the cost of your life…"

Yi Ping rubbed his nose as he smiled at her, "Ziyan, Alice…it is not just for you…"

He also stole a secret glance at Isa, who lowered her head shyly. "It is for everyone."

He looked at the Western Paradise Heavenly King, the Jade Emperor, the Ancient Heavenly Sage King, the Sacred Embodied Heavenly Goddess, the Celestial Liege and the Lord Supreme, "Thank you for accompanying me in this journey. You must know that I desire not to be the Great God Pangu when I request for everyone to let me climb the stair alone. It is because the entity in front of us, is trying to tempt everyone to climb the stairs. If you go up, you will surely perish!"

The Western Paradise Heavenly King looked at Yixian and Yi Ping, "Great Goddess Fantian and Great God Pangu, I do not desire to take the mantle of the Great God Pangu but can I know why? I am a little dense to figure out why."

In his heart, the Western Paradise Heavenly King had already acknowledged Yi Ping as the Great God Pangu and what he had said was the truth.

The Sacred Embodied Heavenly Goddess smiled, "Same here!"

Yi Ping said, "Because all along, it is waiting for me. Only the one with the Essential Righteous Energy can approach the stairs or else the Creation Universal Force will surely overwhelm the practitioner. Its solo purpose is to tempt all of you into your own demise."

Everyone was startled…

Yi Ping added, "The trials won't end unless everyone else is dead!"

Nuwa murmured, "This…lucky I did not fly up the stairs!"

Everyone was nodding.

Actually, everyone that was left now had no desire to compete with Yi Ping or thought that they would be the chosen one. Precisely no one, that was why they would allow Yi Ping to ascend the stairs!

They were simply being worried for his safety.

Yi Ping smiled as he made his first step on the stair, looking back at everyone. "Don't worry for me. I will surely return!"

All the maidens that loved him rushed to his back immediately as they prayed for him.

"Ping'Er…"

"Yi Ping!…"

"Master Yi Ping…"

Before long, Yi Ping had reached the 100th steps and he had struck a barrier of impassable windforce that was hindering him!

But still he persisted and every step that he had taken, he felt a mounting pressure that seemed to crush him.

By the time he had reached the 500th step, his legs were already shaking.

And there were 9500 more steps more.

Every step that he had taken, the mounting pressure would only increase.

By the time he had taken the 1000th step, he was already perspiring and he felt as though his chest would burst at any time!

He was shaking and thought, "If I give up now, then I will surely perish as well! I must not give up!"

At the bottom, he could still hear everyone urging him on and calling his name!

Lingfeng, Alice, Lele, Xian'Er, Nuwa and Lie Qing were whispering to him and urging him on!

Their voices had become withdrawn because of the distance and all his focuses were only on taking the next one step, moving from one golden step to the other!

By the time he had climbed to the 3000th step, he could no longer hear from any of his group and after a while he was too tired to count anymore!

He had only one goal in his mind; to reach to the very top where the blinking light was!

The powerful windforce was pressing onto him like a pressuring wall that threatened to sweep him down the stairs despite the fact that he was already mustering all his strength, even drawing on the sanctorum strength of his divine swords!

When he had reached to the middle of the stairs, very step that he had taken was so heavy that it was like he was fighting against his very own Thousand Weight Fall.

He did not know the passage of time but it seemed like an eternal time had passed before his thoughts were interrupted by the familiar voice of the blue stellar light, "You have reached the very top."

When Yi Ping had lifted his eyes, he was looking straight at the blue stellar light and straight at the glowing animus of the Divine Pangu Armor.

Only sheer force of will had prevented him from collapsing on the platform.

He mustered all his wobbly strength to gasp out, "Who are you?…"

The blue stellar light reverberated, "Who am I? You have come all the way to ask me this? You should be concerned about the ultimate prize first."

Everyone below could hear the reverberating voice of the blue stellar light but they were not able to hear Yi Ping so naturally they did not know what Yi Ping had said to provoke the blue stellar light to answer in this manner!

Yi Ping answered breathlessly as he struggled to stay on his feet, "Who are…you?"

The blue stellar light blinked, "You will have your answers very soon. Reach out to receive the Creation Universal Force, receive the mantle of the Great God Pangu and you will be transmigrated to the Great Beyond. Or alternatively you can leave with your group. Either way, the trials of the Stellar Sanctuary will end."

Yi Ping murmured, "Transmigrate to the Great Beyond? But the conflicts between the Immortal Realm and the Desolate Immortals have not ended…"

The blinking stellar blue light resonated, "This conflict is of no consequence to you. You will be the Great God Pangu, future Lord of the Six Realms."

Yi Ping stared at the blinking stellar light before he laughed aloud. His laughter was so loud that even those who were below were able to hear him!

He asked firmly, "What exactly are you?"

The blinking stellar blue light flared before resonating, "This matters not. You now have a rare chance that not everyone will have. Make a choice now."

Yi Ping stared blankly at the blue stellar light before he muttered, "Such sorrow in you…"

But all of a sudden, he shook his robe as he turned back. He had taken a step down the stair before the blinking stellar light resonated, "You are leaving? After all the effort that you have put to overcome the trials of the Stellar Sanctuary and to reach this very point?"

The group that was below was all gasping and was startled as well, even though they could not hear Yi Ping!

They had heard the blue stellar light said, "You are leaving…" and that Yi Ping had indeed turned around.

Disbelief greeted everyone below as incessant murmuring broke out immediately.

Yi Ping sighed softly, "I know I am stupid, am I right? But I cannot leave my companions. Even though I know that I may not have this chance again. Even though I know that no matter how hard I cultivate, I can never ascend to the Great Beyond. Even though I know that the Practitioners of the Way have to be emotionless in their seven sentiments and six desires in order to cultivate oneself with the Heavens, in order to be an immortal being but I can't do that…"

He paused briefly but there was none the sadness in him, "All I know is that I cannot abandon my companions. I cannot abandon the love that is in my heart. I would rather face the severe consequences of the divine calamities and the six cycles of afflictions than leaving them. I have no regrets at all."

With a wryly smile, he took another step down the stair as he said, "I have sworn to protect them always.

This time round, his heart felt extremely light and he was exuberated.

All of a sudden his surroundings turned dark and Yi Ping was startled to find himself sucked into a whirling black hole.

The gravity that was being exhibited by this whirling black hole was extremely intense and was tearing him apart.

Yi Ping only thought was, "Where am I?!"

As he was being sucked into the black hole, the crushing pressure was so intense that he could feel his entire bones were cracking and breaking!

But Yi Ping being himself, he was not one to give up without a single fight!

The Ninth Immortal Positioning on his forehead intensified as he struggled with all his faltering strength!

He yelled aloud, "I am not afraid of death but I am not going to die here!…I still have important persons to protect…they are going to need me…I cannot allow them to grief for me!…"

All of a sudden a blue sun rose from the horizon of the whirling black hole, accompanied by thousands of stars…

Instead of feeling the intense pressure that he had felt earlier, now he was serene and was like a feather that was floating on the whirling black hole!

As he looked around him, he was startled to see the apparition of the Divine Pangu Armor that was on him!

He gasped out as the Divine Pangu Armor slowly vanished, "What is going on?"

The familiar voice of the blue stellar light was heard, "You have now inherited the mantle of the Great God Pangu and the Divine Pangu Armor is now part of you. In time to come, you will awaken to the Tenth Immortal Positioning."

Yi Ping was startled, "But I didn't say anything about inheriting the mantle of the Great God Pangu?"

The blinking blue stellar light appeared over him and said, "Should you choose to inherit the Great God Pangu's mantle, we won't be talking now, just like that someone from long ago."

Yi Ping was jolted!

He immediately shouted, "The Dark Chaos Lord! What had happened to him?…"

The blinking stellar light responded by showing an illusion…

A handsome man in black was seen stepping triumphantly on the top of the platform where the Divine Pangu Armor was and on his back was the Celestial Alice Divine Sword!

He was heard saying, "As destiny wills, I know that I am the destined one. Hereof, I will take the mantle of the Great God Pangu and be the next Great God Pangu!"

As he touched the divine blue light of the Divine Pangu Armor, he was first turned to a golden animus before he was dissipated into bits of golden dust!

Yi Ping was shocked as he muttered, "The Dark Chaos Lord, he had perished just like this…"

The blinking stellar light resonated, "That was your first reincarnation. He had made it all the way but he had failed in the end."

Yi Ping was trembling and his voice was hoarse. It was because the shock of watching the Dark Chaos Lord turned into nothingness was as though he was watching his own death!

The blinking stellar light said, "You do not need to grieve for yourself. You have finally made it."

Yi Ping was silent for a while before he asked, "You are the Stellar Sanctuary?"

The blinking stellar light glowed brilliantly, "I am the Stellar Sanctuary. Now that you have inherited the true mantle of the Great God Pangu, I am not surprise that you know now."

Yi Ping said with trembling voice, "I don't want to go to the Great Beyond. I want to protect my companions. Didn't you say that I am free to go? Why is it possible that I have passed the trial while the Dark Chaos Lord had failed?"

The blinking stellar blue light responded, "Your great love for the others enable that."

Yi Ping murmured, "My great love?"

The stellar blue light resonated, "Indeed. You have no desires for power but only seek to end the trial because you desire to protect all your loves. Only great love can arouse the Creation Universal Force or else it will only lead to self-destruction. Your first reincarnation receives the Creation Universal Force but he was not able to contain it, therefore he was consumed by it."

Yi Ping was startled, "He was consumed by the Creation Universal Force?…"

The stellar blue light resonated, "Consumed entirely. Even the Great God Pangu was not able to contain the Creation Universal Force and he was consumed by it."

Yi Ping was stunned, "Even the Great God Pangu?"

The stellar blue light reverberated, "Only you are able to contain the Universal Creation Force and only you are able to attain to the true Tenth Immortal Positioning!"

Yi Ping had a sudden revelation as he panicky said, "I am absorbing you?! You are the source of the Creation Universal Force? No, wait! You will put an end to yourself in this manner!"

It was because he had suddenly remembered that the Great God Pangu had discovered the Creation Universal Force after he had laid hands on an ancient desolate artefect, the Stellar Sanctuary!

The stellar blue light responded, "It is exactly as you have said. Do not feel sad. A spark of me will be revived in my chosen successor. She will be your Alma and she will be your Mirror of Transmigration to the Great Beyond in my stead."

Immediately memories of the Unchained Melody and the Flower of Life flashed into Yi Ping, invoking the image of Lele in him!

It was not a coincident of her good luck; Lele was the chosen successor of the Stellar Sanctuary!

Her pureness was the chosen vessel of the Stellar Sanctuary!

And Lele was his conduit!

As Yi Ping received the Creation Universal Force, he could sense a powerful awakening of his mind!

He had glimpsed into the Great Attractor, a black core with the gravitational force equivalent to a million billion suns in which all the cosmos rotated around it!

And he saw the Three Known Realms of the Mortal Mundane Realm, the Celestial Realm and the Ninth Heavens Immortal Realm!

Hanging on the inverted plane of the Three Known Realms were the Three Invisible Realms of the Desolate Realm, the Spatial Realm and the Great Beyond!

He was now flying through the vast plains of the Desolate Realm and was astonished to see hundreds of floating citadels. On the vast plains were vast movements of beasts and men, tens of thousands of them. They were moving gigantic blocks of stones below and were building dozens of fortifications!

As he passed through two lofty peaks, he saw a floating citadel that was of immerse gigantic size and it was even larger than the dome of the Stellar Sanctuary!

He knew instinctively that this was the Ancient Fortress of the Desolate Immortals that was cast to the Desolate Realm!

He knew that soon he would be flying out of the Desolate Realm, into the Spatial Realm and finally to the Great Beyond!

All of a sudden a bright light greeted him and time seemed to have slowed down!

It became so slow that he had some trouble adjusting to it but he knew that this was the correct norm instead. That was only because he had been flying so rapidly!

"Who is that? Who are you?"

Yi Ping felt a throbbing headache and when he looked up, he saw a scantily dressed heavenly maiden, with long flowing green hair and scarlet eyes that was greeting him. Behind her was a gigantic blue dragon!

He was startled at the sight of the gigantic blue dragon as he took several steps backward!

Instinctively, he had unsheathed his two beaming divine swords!

The scantily dressed heavenly maiden flashed her whip, lashing it with a frightening thunderous explosive force as she said coldly, "I repeat myself again for the last time. Who are you? Why is that I have never seen you before? I have thought that it is a shooting star but it seems that it is actually a person!"

She smiled coldly, "You are an escaped slave? An escaped slave that have dared to steal two divine swords! How audacious are you!"

Yi Ping was stupefied!

It was because he had thought that he was ascending to the Great Beyond, only to be interrupted by someone!

He smiled weakly, "I don't know exactly what is going on but maybe I should be grateful to you."

He did not want to ascend to the Great Beyond and was glad that he was interrupted. But that was something that he did not want to say aloud!

The scantily dressed heavenly maiden was enraged as she lashed her whip at Yi Ping, which immediately caused whipping explosions to burst out!

And to her astonished surprise, Yi Ping had emerged harmlessly even though she had lashed a dozen strokes in a blink of an eye!

Yi Ping heaved a soft sigh, "Can we talk first?"

The scantily dressed heavenly maiden was blinking her eyes in astonishment before she asked, "You are one of us?"

Yi Ping forced himself to tell a white lie, "I have scarlet eyes and so have you. So what do you think? So we can talk?"

The scantily dressed heavenly maiden lowered her whip cautiously as she nodded lightly…