Chapter 1743: Chapter 1600: Heading to the Heavenly Palace (Part 2)
Where exactly is the Mysterious Heavenly Palace, and is it an independent space?
Such doubts had always lingered in Chu Muâs mind.
The Good and Evil Queen had not outrightly revealed the location of the Heavenly Palace, merely mentioning to Chu Mu that not just anyone could enter it.
The Heavenly Palace was enigmatic and ancient. Even the White Sea God of the past could not destroy it, hinting at the immense power of the beings that resided within.
Chu Mu knew that Yu Suo hailed from the Heavenly Palace, but he didnât know why this woman wanted to go there.
He recalled a fragment of Yu Suoâs memory, where she stood at the edge of the Dark Cliff. When she jumped into the Endless Abyss, a brief flash of countless human figures appeared along the cliffside.
What exactly happened, Chu Mu couldnât discern. This journey to the Heavenly Palace would probably unveil the mysteries of this womanâs origins.
The Heavenly Palace must be an extremely dangerous place, and Chu Mu didnât really intend to let Princess Jinrou risk accompanying him to such peril.
Unfortunately, the moment Princess Jinrou heard that Chu Mu was venturing to the Heavenly Palace, she was even willing to let go of her various prejudices toward the Good and Evil QueenâŠ
Her curiosity and thirst for knowledge were beyond Chu Muâs control.
After lingering in Guangyue Palace for a few days, during which the Good and Evil Queen helped Chu Mu refine the dark aura within him, they prepared for their journey.
The Good and Evil Queen was about to ascend to the Tenth Rank. Though the dark aura could enhance her cultivation, it ultimately belonged to Chu Muâs body. She merely processed and purified it before returning it to Chu Mu, giving him a significant strength boost in the process.
On the tenth day, Chu Mu had completely suppressed the Demon Flame within him. The black and white energies were now balanced, with no further signs of disruption.
For Chu Mu to refine this dark energy on his own would have taken several years. Knowing the Good and Evil Queen had a solution, he hadnât expected the process to take only ten days, with the added benefit of improving his strength in the process.
âŠ
Once the Demon Flame was under control, the trio began their journey to the Heavenly Palace.
The majority of humans relied on their Soul Pets for flight, but interestingly, all three of them could fly on their own.
From Struggle Capital, they flew toward the World Ridge. Given their collective speed, it wouldnât take long to reach the colossal mountain ranges that divided the two human continents.
âWhere are we going?â Princess Jinrou asked.
âThereâs a place called the Ten Thousand Dragon Abyss. Have you heard of it?â Yu Suo continued to fly as she spoke.
âYes.â Princess Jinrou nodded.
âAbove the Ten Thousand Dragon Abyss lies the Heavenly Palace.â
Above the Ten Thousand Dragon Abyss? Chu Mu recalled that the Abyss symbolized the highest heavens in the worldâsurely, it must be the Third Layer of Heaven!
âIs it just one palace up there, or are there many people who reside there as well?â Princess Jinrou asked again.
âYouâll know when we arrive,â Yu Suo replied without elaborating further.
âŠ
The World Ridge stretched endlessly, vast and majestic. The three flew higher than the clouds, looking down upon the World Ridge, which resembled a colossal dragon sprawled across the land.
This was Chu Muâs first time reaching the Ridge Mountain Range. In terms of sheer size, it was only slightly smaller than the Human Continent.
These mountains were the domain of the Beast Clan. Looking down, one could see all manner of strange, massive beasts moving across towering peaks. In the high skies, flocks of winged demon beasts often soared in formation.
For some reason, when Chu Mu gazed up at the blue sky, he felt as though the heavens here were higher than those above the Human Land.
The soaring peaks werenât always belowâthe sudden emergence of sky-piercing summits among the clouds emphasized their enormity. As the trio flew above the apex of one such giant peak, keeping that altitude brought them face-to-face with yet another titanic mountain, so vast its summit seemed to vanish into eternity, imposing an overwhelming sense of pressure.
The Ten Thousand Dragon Abyss signified ten thousand of these ever-ascending peaks. In ancient times, when the Dragon Race still represented the strongest of the demon beast species, every peak of this immense abyss would be alive with clusters of dragons soaring and swirling. Now, however, it lay eerily silent.
A sigh wafted from the Fox Elder. âIt used to be teeming with life.â
âYou talk as if youâve lived for tens of thousands of years,â Chu Mu quipped.
âIâve only read about it in the records left by the Demon Race. Young Master, do you know which Dragon Race is the strongest in this world?â the Fox Elder asked.
The question stumped Chu Mu. He had encountered the Martial Cloud Dragon, a near-Undying Legendary Level creature at the Tenth Rank, capable of reaching Immortal-level strength. Yet something told him it was far from the strongest of the Dragon Race. Somewhere in the highest reaches of the Ten Thousand Dragon Abyss, there had to be undiscovered, peerless dragons.
âSsshhhhhhhh~~~~~â
At the mention of dragons, Little Thunder Dragon grew visibly excited.
From within Chu Muâs Soul Pet Space, it cried out, hoping to be summoned.
Chu Mu hesitated; it wasnât that he disliked the creature, but it was notoriously lazy. Summoning it would only result in its miniaturized form, perching plumply on his other shoulder.
It often made Chu Mu suspect that he himself was the mount for Little Thunder Dragon and Little Mo Xie.
âAll right, all right, stop whining.â Seeing Little Thunder Dragonâs insistence, Chu Mu relented, uttering the spell to summon it from his Soul Pet Space.
In a flash, the dragon emerged in its ten-meter form. Princess Jinrou eagerly flew onto its back, casting a playful smile at Chu Mu.
Sparing effort was an unwritten rule for those traveling above the thin-air peaks, so Yu Suo decisively claimed her spot as well.
Soon, the well-rested Mo Xie climbed onto the Little Thunder Dragonâs head, cutely stretching like a small cat while nesting atop its forehead.
With an expression full of reluctance, Little Thunder Dragon beat its wings. Had it known this would happen, it would have preferred staying asleep in its nest instead of taking on this thankless taskâŠ
âYour dragonâs current strength should allow it to reach the highest parts of the Ten Thousand Dragon Abyss. Once weâre really there, weâll have to tread carefully. That area is guarded by some Dragon Race sentinels,â Yu Suo advised Chu Mu.
âAre they guarding the Heavenly Palace?â Chu Mu asked.
âYes, you could say that. Iâll let the Dark King lure them away later. Itâs best not to alert the guards; otherwise, we may have no way out,â Yu Suo warned.
With powerful strokes, Little Thunder Dragon ascended higher into the Ten Thousand Dragon Abyss.
Gradually, the color of the sky began to change. The mesmerizing blue gave way to a realm of cold, shrouded darkness.
The fierce winds screamed in their ears as the jagged peaks below loomed with harrowing sharpness. Unknowingly, Little Thunder Dragon had already brought them to extraordinary heights. Looking down, the once-vast ridges and valleys now appeared as mere folds on the ground far below.
Yet the mountain peaks stretched on. The Fox Elder had mentioned that the Ten Thousand Dragon Abyss housed ten thousand layers of peaks. By this point, Little Thunder Dragon had perhaps only ascended slightly over half the distance.
At this altitude, winged Immortal-level creatures could barely manage to thrive. It wasnât yet the true extreme high-altitude domain.
As they continued their ascent, Chu Mu could feel the oppressive atmosphere of the surrounding space, saturated with deathly stillness.
Looking up, an increasingly massive Red Fire Sun loomed above. Its light seemed insufficient to illuminate the chilling void, as its heat radiated onto a world cloaked in nihility.
âThereâs nothing here,â Princess Jinrou remarked.
âCorrect. After the last dragons that resided here were killed, this place became desolate,â Yu Suo responded.
âThe last dragons? Why call them the last? Were the dragons exterminated?â Princess Jinrou asked.
âIt wasnât exactly extermination. They simply became unsuited to survive in this era. The entire race went into decline. Humans have their cities, Demons their jungles, the Sea Race their vast oceans, and Beasts their mountain ranges. But the Dragon Race lost their true sanctuaries⊠In this world, there have always been creatures that peaked during their time, only to face extinction after thousands of years of evolution, metamorphosis, and mutation. Ultimately, they were supplanted by species better adapted for survival. There remains only one race and one place that can truly stand eternally unshaken and unchanging,â Yu Suo said with a calm yet reflective tone.
Princess Jinrou gazed at Yu Suo, keen to learn the answer from the look in her eyes.
Yu Suo also glanced at Princess Jinrou, extending her hand slowly to point upward.
Princess Jinrou immediately realized what Yu Suoâs gesture meant. The resilient, eternal existence she referred to was none other than the Heavenly Palace they were about to approach!
âOh, right.â Yu Suo seemed to recall something and turned to Chu Mu. âLittle Thunder Dragonâs mother, the Azure Sky Hidden Dragon, came from the Ten Thousand Dragon Abyss. It was⊠Iâve lost count of how many years ago, but it was one of the survivors from the last batch of dragons killed.â
âIt came from here?â Chu Mu was taken aback.
From the Ten Thousand Dragon Abyss to New Moon Land, that journey would span half the Beast Clanâs territory and most of the Human Lands. At that time, the Azure Sky Hidden Dragonâs strength must have been around the Dominator level. To traverse such a vast distance must have taken it countless years of flight.
âSsshhhh~~~ Ssshhhhhhhh~~~~~~~~~â
Even Little Thunder Dragon seemed to understand Yu Suoâs words, letting out cries of sorrow.
As Chu Mu heard its cries, a pang of grief struck his heartâŠ
The Azure Sky Hidden Dragonâs memories were fragmented. After escaping from the Soul Covenantâs enslavement, it had instinctively tried to return to its homeland.
However, it had flown toward Henghai instead.
This meant that the exhausted Azure Sky Hidden Dragon had forgotten the path back to the Ten Thousand Dragon Abyss. It had even chosen a direction completely opposite to its homeland, ultimately laying to rest in the boundless oceans and infinite skies.
(To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please visit Qidian () to vote for it with recommendation votes and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m. to read.)
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