Chapter 780: The Heaven Realm |
Met with such a question, Ming Yue couldn't think of an answer just yet.
"I... wasn't expecting the Heaven Realm to go this smoothly. I knew that it wouldn't be like lower realms but still, a little underwhelming", she said.
"A little underwhelming? That's it? Ahahahahah! What an answer! Truly an admirable response!"
Dian Zhuan started laughing, covering his face with his little squirrel hand.
"If you were expecting the Heavens themselves to come and strike you down then you're sorely disappointed. Reaching the Heaven Realm means that you're coming towards the boundary of this very plane. The Heavens will become nothing but a veil to you", he said to her.
Ming Yue looked at him, pondering his words. To some degree, she knew what he meant by this. At the Sky Realm, her most destructive technique, Mortal Lightning, was an imitation of the lightning within a Heavenly Tribulation. What would the Heaven Realm allow her to do?
"Now then, since you've reached the Heaven Realm, what will you do now?" the little squirrel asked.
Ming Yue answered without any hesitation, standing up and grabbing her sword.
Knowing that she had reached the Heaven Realm, she knew that there was still room to grow. With her core condensed into such a small form, it seemed like there was a lot of it too. On top of that, there was plenty that she needed to learn about the Heaven Realm.
What changed about her body? How did it affect her senses? How much stronger could she become?
And the best way to find out was through practical experience, something that the Divine Citadel had an abundance of. Having a good grasp of the difficulty, she felt confident continuing the journey to climb higher.
Dian Zhuan had an amused smile on his squirrel face. He then floated to the side, allowing her to pass through.
"Heh, I wonder how far you'll get in your first attempt. You've already defeated the Red Comet and the Icy Gaze. How will you fare against the others?"
As she walked up the stairs to the next floor, his body slowly faded into bits of light.
He reappeared elsewhere, a hall filled with thousands of other spirits like him. Every one of them had thrones situated across multiple levels that faced a large glass screen, showing Ming Yue on the third floor.
She had already begun the fight, battling a man who used his fists to fight.
As soon as the squirrel appeared, a voice called out to him.
"Dian Zhuan! Welcome back! How was it, talking to her?" one of the spirits asked.
He merely had a smile on his face, moving towards his throne. Upon sitting, his squirrel form suddenly changed, turning into his original appearance.
"She certainly interesting, but what do you all think? Has everyone made their predictions?"
Looking around, the scholarly man glanced at the others, waiting for their responses.
"Heh, I think she'll get to the hundredth one! That means you, Jin Yong!"
"Me? No, no, no, no, if anything, she won't be able to get past the twentieth! She just reached the Heaven Realm, do you think she can win against Lan Niao?"
"Hey, hey, she managed to beat both Hong Shi and Su Bing at the Sky Realm! Besides, who knows how fast she could grow! I mean, such a young age and already at the Heaven Realm! She's a monstrous one!"
Everyone started to converse with one another about Ming Yue. Some were trying to see how far she could get, others examining the way she fought, it was as if all of them had found a new piece of entertainment.
As Dian Zhuan watched them talk, he looked up to the higher levels. In fact, his eyes traveled up to the highest level where there were only a hundred thrones. Among them was the one on the ten thousandth floor, a man resting his cheek on his fist and watching the glass screen.
He narrowed his eyes and took a deep breath before sighing. And then a smile formed on his face.
"Interesting."
That was all he said as he watched her claim victory against the third hall's Supreme. Ming Yue made her choice before climbing up to the next floor.
After the fourth was the fifth, then the sixth, and the seventh, and she didn't stop. There wasn't even a sign of her slowing down. As she climbed up those stairs, the Divine Citadel would heal her wounds, and bring her back to her top condition. With her mental fortitude, going from one battle to the next wasn't big of a burden. When it was, she would stop between floors to take a breath.
And with each victory, she would grow stronger.
The defeated would return to the giant hall to talk about their experience and join the others in watching.
It was on the 42nd floor that she was met with something different.
Climbing up those stairs, Ming Yue soon found herself at the start of a mountain pass where a carriage with a single horse awaited her. It looked at her and neighed before turning around, trotting along the mountain pass. Seeing it leave, she started to follow along.
"This carriage, am I supposed to protect it?" she wondered.
Thinking back to Hong Shi's words, a duel with another Supreme wasn't the only way to test someone. But what kind of trial could this be? It wouldn't be as simple as just protecting a carriage.
Surely something was going to happen, it had to be an attack, maybe multiple. Would they have to brave the harsh landscape? Will they come across terrible weather?
Ming Yue wasn't sure what to expect.
She looked back at the carriage and her eyes widened in shock when she saw someone sitting on the roof.
Her hand moved swiftly, reaching for her sword and pulling it out halfway before a voice came from inside the carriage.
"Feeling hungry, my friend?"
It was the voice of a man, it was kind and happy.
The carriage window opened and he peeked his head out, looking up at the roof.
"You can't just sit there the entire time, come down and have something to eat", he said aloud.
The man even held out a bun, outstretching his arm to give it to the figure on the rooftop. As for his "friend", he did not move, sitting with his legs crossed and his sword in his arms.
His demeanor was much colder compared to the man in the carriage.
"I'm fine, there's no need to give me anything, Minister Wang. I am only here to guard you on your journey to the capital", he said to him.
The minister looked at him and sighed, putting the bun away.
"Alright, if you say so."
He retreated into his carriage only to open the door and walk over to the driver's seat. From there, he climbed up to the rooftop with a grin on his face.
"Like I'm going to let the one and only Sword Emperor sit in silence. Come on, tell me about your adventures, Master Jing!"
With Minister Wang taking a seat on the rooftop, Master Jing moved back, giving the minister more room to get comfortable.
"I don't think there is a need to do such a thing. Besides, it is dangerous for you to be out here. You're still being targeted after all", he told the minister.
However, Minister Wang waved his hand and shook his head.
"Heh, things shouldn't go wrong. There are multiple decoy carriages on several routes. On top this that, this path is one that is known by very few. Furthermore, I have you, a renowned expert by my side. I have nothing to fear here. But you must tell me a few stories, I'm dying to know a few! And with a story, there must be a drink."
While asking this, he took out a gourd and two cups, handing a cup to Master Jing.
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