Chapter 622 - 621: Celestial Divine River

Chapter 622: Chapter 621: Celestial Divine River

"Finally, it’s sealed again."

Yi Tianyun gazed at the Divine Rune before him and exhaled deeply. Though he hadn’t obtained any Treasure on this trip, he had at least learned quite a few things. Besides, he also gained a good amount of Skill Level and experience, so all in all, it wasn’t bad.

The most crucial part was learning about the Demon Fiends. If they were to burst forth, finding out only then would be a true disaster. To face such terrifying demons without any preparation... who could possibly withstand that?

Once the seal was in place, he shoveled the dirt back in, burying the site once more. The process didn’t take long, and soon the ground was filled. On the surface, there was no trace that it had ever been excavated.

’It should be fine for now.’ Yi Tianyun’s gaze turned cold. His biggest worry now was the Celestial Nether Divine Kingdom. They were the only ones who knew about this, and he couldn’t rule out the possibility that they would send more people over.

The Celestial Nether Divine Kingdom likely learned of this from the Flying Heaven Divine Kingdom. Although the Flying Heaven Divine Kingdom was no more, it must have left some records behind.

Those records probably mentioned a great Treasure in the Mortal Realm, which was in reality a seal suppressing a demon.

Regardless, the Artifact Spirit was down there. Unless a Saint King Stage expert came in person, anyone else would be swatted to death with ease. And for the time being, Saint King Stage experts couldn’t descend to this realm.

’As for reasoning with them, that’s probably impossible. Would they even believe me if I told them there’s a demon inside?’

Besides, the Celestial Nether Divine Kingdom already held a grudge against him. ’Set aside our hatred and join forces to fight the Demon Fiends? Not a chance.’ Yi Tianyun would never agree to that. A leopard can’t change its spots; it was as simple as that.

’If I worked with the Celestial Nether Divine Kingdom, I’d probably get stabbed in the back and not even see it coming.’

When it came to the Celestial Nether Divine Kingdom, he had only one thought: annihilation!

"Designate this area as a forbidden zone. Don’t let any disciples come near," Yi Tianyun said to Bai Yulian, who was standing beside him.

"As you command, Great Emperor," Bai Yulian replied respectfully.

"If someone does manage to break in, and they are too powerful for you to handle, just let them be. You all are to hide immediately. Don’t throw your lives away over this," Yi Tianyun instructed.

Bai Yulian was taken aback. She had expected Yi Tianyun to order them to resist to the death, but instead, he told them to flee when necessary. However, she didn’t question it and simply agreed, "I will follow the Great Emperor’s instructions."

She was very clever and knew what to ask and what not to. Since Yi Tianyun hadn’t elaborated, she wouldn’t press the issue.

Yi Tianyun nodded. He had his reasons for not explaining the situation to Bai Yulian. The fewer people who knew about this, the better. ’If someone does break in, a Saint King Stage Artifact Spirit will be waiting for them. I wonder what kind of surprise that will be?’

After giving a few brief instructions, Yi Tianyun prepared to leave. Just then, Yu Shiqian, who was standing nearby, mustered her courage, walked over, and asked, "Great Emperor, may I go with you to the Celestial Cloud Empire?"

"It seems you’ve made your choice." Yi Tianyun cracked a smile. ’Having Yu Shiqian join my faction is an excellent development, of course.’

"Yes. You opened my eyes to so much, Great Emperor. I want to stand on a higher stage, to see what lies beyond!" Yu Shiqian’s beautiful eyes sparkled with hope and a yearning for a brighter future.

"No problem. Take this Token and travel to the Celestial Cloud Imperial City. Someone there will arrange for your induction." With a flick of his wrist, Yi Tianyun materialized a Token containing a wisp of his Divine Thought, which would convey his message.

"Great Emperor, you’re not returning?" Yu Shiqian asked in surprise. She had assumed he was heading back and that she could travel with him.

"I’m not heading back just yet. I still have things to do, so you’ll have to go on your own," Yi Tianyun said with a smile. "With your cultivation level, you’ll have no trouble reaching the Celestial Cloud Empire."

"Yes, Great Emperor..." A flicker of disappointment crossed her beautiful eyes, but it was gone in an instant.

’She’s a promising talent,’ Yi Tianyun thought, ’but not so much that I’d personally escort her back.’ He had far too much to do to linger here any longer.

He then departed alone. Yu Shiqian watched his retreating figure and murmured to herself, "I will work hard. Only with strength can I be free from all humiliation..."

Her change of heart was mainly driven by what she had witnessed with the Demon Celestial Mansion. She had been abandoned by the elders of the White Lotus Prefecture before, and she learned then that when faced with a power far greater than her own, all struggle was futile.

After careful consideration, she had finally chosen to walk this path!

After leaving, Yi Tianyun didn’t head for the Netherworld but instead made for the passage to the Celestial Realm. From the memories granted by the Celestial Rock Town Ancient Stele, he had a general understanding of the Three Realms. The information wasn’t exhaustive, but he at least knew of the crucial locations.

If he could reach the Celestial Realm through this passage, he certainly wouldn’t mind ascending from here.

After flying for some time, he soon arrived at the location of the passage to the Celestial Realm—the Celestial Divine River!

Upon arriving in the area, the first thing that greeted his eyes was a wide, long river—or rather, it was more like a sea. A boundless expanse of water stretched out before him. The only thing that set it apart was a column of seawater in the center, surging endlessly upward. It looked just like a river flowing toward the sky!

The water wasn’t cascading down from above; it was gushing upward from the sea’s surface. A casual glance might fool one into thinking it was flowing down, but the truth was it was being drawn upward, as if by some immense suction.

Looking up, there was no end in sight as it pierced straight through the clouds.

This was the Celestial Divine River, the path to the Celestial Realm. However, ascending was no simple task. One had to swim up! Flying was useless; a suppressive force would ground anyone who tried. Without sufficient strength and cultivation, it was simply impossible to make the ascent.

Much like the passage to the Netherworld, one had to pass a trial to successfully ascend.

Of course, for those with powerful cultivation, the journey was incredibly easy. Those with weaker cultivation could only struggle their way up, little by little. It might seem like the current would push one upward, but in reality, a single loss of control would send them flying back to the bottom, forcing them to start all over.

’Looks like the passage is temporarily closed...’

A dense mist drifted all around. It looked like an ordinary fog, but it was easy to become disoriented within it. The crucial issue, however, was that the passage was currently closed. Even if he swam into the Celestial Divine River, he wouldn’t be able to reach the Celestial Realm.

This was quite a restriction, similar to the passage to the Netherworld, where at certain times, conditions would arise that made passage difficult.

The Celestial Divine River was even more restrictive than the passage to the Netherworld. ’The path is completely closed. How am I supposed to ascend now?’

’Looks like I’ll have to wait a while if I want to ascend. No wonder people were able to descend from the Celestial Realm before; they must have come down when the passage was open,’ Yi Tianyun thought, shaking his head.

The Celestial Divine River opened roughly once a year. The wait wasn’t excessively long, so the timing was still quite manageable.

It was just that the window for this year had already passed. If Yi Tianyun wanted to ascend, he would have to wait until next year.