In the direction he was looking in, the devilishly handsome figure of Prince Cassius materialized as the man seated on the centermost chair on the ship controlled by the Pureblood Vampyres of the Underworld gave a welcoming grin to this returning champion.
His number one rank had been taken by the monster that was known as Athena, but he retained the number 2 position as the Pureblood Vampyre clan showed off their power once more. This ranking also meant that they would be among the very few receiving many treasures and resources from the Celestials, and there was an irony in this situation for those who were really knowledgeable about secretive things.
"Did you have fun, O Great Prince?"
The gruff voice of an old Vampyre resounded as Prince Cassius returned back a calm look towards this monster at the peak of the Void Realm as beautiful attendants holding gracious curves led him towards a grandiose chair meant only for the Prince.
"Yes, I was even able to meet someone very interesting. Father would be most interested in talking with him."
A glint of surprise passed through the aged Vampyre as he asked in surprise.
"Oh?"
Prince Cassius nodded as he waved his hands and said.
"Let's get going for now, there are many things to discuss."
The attendants nodded as the aged Vampyre gave a look at the Prince once more before he moved the abundant essence in his body to steer the ship back where it came from, back to the Underworld.
Chapter 282 - A Heart Shaking Opportunity
In the large Interstellar Warship that the disciples and Elders of the Profound Astral Sect arrived in, a joyous atmosphere was spreading out as a celebration had started even before they returned to their sect.
Barring the few poor disciples that lost their lives, there was much more good news that lifted the masses from their mournful ponderings as they looked towards an even brighter future.
The future looked very bright, as the Shining Son, William, had been able to finish in the top 50 of all the beings that participated in the Infernal Hunt, showing his grandeur once more as he put their sect in the spotlight.
But even more shocking was the one they had looked down upon and called a Wastrel all this time, surprising every single being observing the progress of the Infernal Hunt as he actually clutched a position in the top 10!
This was an extremely shocking revelation, as the higher rankings would always be filled with Void Realm individuals that were among the best of the best. The euphoria of seeing a name of a disciple of their sect in the top 10 rankings from all the surrounding powers reached its peak when they saw the disciple himself in question, Crixus, teleport back into the ship with a vibrant Elder Spacewarp in tow.
"OOOH!"
Triumphant howls resounded across the ship as they welcomed Crixus with the enthusiasm of a close friend, completely forgetting that this was the same being they were bad-mouthing just a few weeks ago.
William was watching this procession of joy in the distance as a confused expression covered his face, still trying to wrap his head around the enormous change in opinions that occurred in just a few days.
Noah glanced at all of these changes in expressions and the joy from the fellow disciples when his observations landed on the sole remaining Celestial Disciple that teleported back into the ship just a few moments before him.
Athena stood in one of the central positions of the ship, her vibrant dark hair tied in a ponytail as she talked respectfully with an old man that held a wizened expression that showed the experience of hundreds of years.
Athena seemed to be reporting something as she nodded her head, her gaze leading the gaze of the old man as she turned out and looked directly at Noah.
The eyes of the wizened old man, the Celestial Grandmaster, landed on Noah up close for the first time as a shocking aura locked in onto his body.
THUMP!
He could feel his heart momentarily miss a beat as the eyes of the old man felt like bottomless holes that were drawing him in, where he would sink and never be able to come out for an eternity!
This feeling only came and passed momentarily as he found himself breathing heavily thereafter, Elder Spacewarp coming to support him from behind as he looked with perplexity and slight caution at the Celestial Grandmaster that had entered into their ship.
This event brought silence into the ship as everyone on it began feeling the oppressive aura of the newly appearing being that shook them to their very cores.
The Grandmaster's eyes shone with a gold light as he waved his hands, a golden light shooting out towards the position where Noah and Elder Spacewarp stood, another golden light covering his body and the body of Athena as all four disappeared from the Interstellar Warship.
…
The disciples watched on in shock as the other Elders shook their heads wyrily, waiting to see how this event would play out with the Esteemed Sir that had graced them with his presence and then left just as quickly.
In the Void of Space a few miles from the doorway leading to the First Hell where many sh.i.p.s were still anchored, a golden light bloomed as it formed into a protective circle that covered four beings.
The Celestial Grandmaster and Athena were looking calmly at Noah and the careful Elder Spacewarp who spoke first.
"How can we be of assistance, Esteemed Sir?"
The Grandmaster acknowledged Elder Spacewarp without replying as his gaze landed on 'Crixus', his face adopting a radiant golden light as he released a question that brought a tremendous amount of shock to both Noah and Elder Spacewarp.
"Young man. How do you feel about joining a cause for something greater than your wildest dreams?"
…!
---
Fate.
It was a tricky thing that many beings tried to grasp and failed.
Yet there were those who felt like they had brought fate under their control and had gotten increasingly proficient at it.
They spent their days predicting the working of fate and trying to bend it to their own wills to serve their proposed purpose.
Fate continued to be studied even now as many still felt that they had not yet uncovered everything there was about it.
In a particular Celestial Star where a certain Grandmaster had recently left, deep beneath it near a hidden location, a being chained down in a golden cage with numerous golden rods piercing through his body was laughing wildly.
"Ha! Haha! Hahaha!"
Raucous laughter was coming from this being whose body was badly mutilated as numerous golden spear rods pierced almost every single position through his body and nailed him in the middle of the shimmering golden cage.
If a being that was just involved in the battle against the Infernal Aberration looked closely enough, they would be able to notice that the spear rods that nailed this laughing being from every single direction were eerily similar to the spears that a particularly powerful Celestial Disciple had used to end the life of the Aberration. The only difference was that the spears nailing down this being in a golden cage had been skewering this prisoner for the past hundred years, and yet his life force continued to thrum strongly.
Even as blood leaked from his body constantly and was drained through a small hole at the bottom of the golden cage, he continued to show an abundant life force that did not seem anywhere close to ending.
"Hmm! You fools really think you can play with fate as you wish?"
The laughter from the skewered being died down as he asked a question to no one, and received no answer. His imprisonment had finally brought him some entertainment, as his power was able to confirm that events were unfolding in a manner he never would have even predicted, but they were unfolding too beautifully!
They unfolded in such a stupendous manner that the imprisoned being withstood the pain constantly being inflicted from the spears and could not help but start laughing.
"The thing that you are trying to push away. The thing that you are trying to prevent with the best of you
r abilities. You will find that it only accelerates its path towards you faster."
THUMP!...
The skewered being felt his heart beating stronger even after all these years as he smiled once again, having already been used to the pain of these golden rods a long time ago.
"Now we just wait for the passage of time."
In the solitary golden cage, calm returned once again as an imprisoned being settled down and continued to slowly bleed once more.
Chapter 283 - For the Greater Good
Noah glanced at the figure of the powerful being he confirmed to be the genuine Celestial that should have been the one pulling the strings behind the past recent events as his heart shook from the words he heard.
He had chosen to scheme and follow the route of a helpful disciple to maybe gain even more trust among the beings in the Profound Astral Sect that held close connections with Celestials, but he never imagined his actions would provide an opportunity as tremendous as this!
Yes! This was a tremendous opportunity!
His biggest headache had been how to exactly go about facing such an immensely powerful organization that was proficient in mysterious techniques and held an enormous amount of power and influence over many worlds.
There were uber-powerful beings spread out all over that were a part of this organization, and he didn't come even close to matching their power. He saw very few possible paths to tackle this problem, but he never expected the most dangerous one, and the one filled with the most opportunity and chances of success, would actually land on his lap after his single action in the First Realm of Hell.
He gazed at the Celestial and the striking Athena beside him as he calmed his beating heart and replied slowly.
"What exactly is Sir proposing?"
The Celestial nodded his head as he waved his hands, causing a circular projection of light to appear between them as numerous details became apparent. The protection was littered with many stars as the Celestial pointed to the regions that held numerous blinking stars.
"The Universe is wide and vast, and can be looked at as an extremely wide area that holds billions of stars."
He pinched his fingers as the circular projection zoomed in until yet another region littered with golden glowing stars appeared.
"In this particular area, the Light Expanse of our Novus Galaxy stands stably and peacefully these past thousands of years due to the guidance that we, the Celestials, have continued to provide."
History and understanding of the stars they were around in that Noah only had a glimpse of knowledge of from the many memories he had devoured over these past weeks were easily released from the Celestial's mouth as he continued, this time pointing to a region below the section he called the Light Expanse of the Novus Galaxy.
"Down here lies the Dark Expanse, a place filled with lawlessness as a collection of stars under the banner of an unstable Alliance reside."
Noah's heart beat even faster as he heard the mention of the Alliance once again, something that the Vampyre Prince had mentioned briefly during their first encounter when he spoke about those that stood against the Celestials.
"And this..."
The Celestial's face became grim as he pointed to the last section in the projection of the Novus Galaxy.
"...Is the Letalis Expanse that is filled with danger and death, a region occupied by dredges of the past calling themselves the Ancient Races- beings of terrible power that continue to slumber towards their own deaths."
The last words released from the Celestial's mouth held a tinge of wrath as he waved his hands and caused the projection to fade away.
"The Celestials maintain Order and Balance in the Light Expanse, and work to protect against any threats that point their fangs in our direction."
His gaze landed on Noah once again as he looked at him with an unshakable gaze that seemed to only be waiting for a single answer.
"Will you join the organization that only exists for the greater good of our Novus Galaxy, for the greater good of the Universe?"
Elder Spacewarp had been looking at this exchange with stupefaction as he turned towards 'Crixus' and slapped him on the back to reign in his focus. Noah used this chance as he changed his expression to that of determination and spoke out.
"Yes!"
A nod was released from the Celestial as he waved his hands and caused the appearance of a large black crystal.
"This Void Crystal holds the directions and coordinates towards the 7th Celestial Star. You will be given a variety of missions in the near future, with your first one being your successful arrival to the 7th Celestial Star after you finish your duties in the Profound Astral Sect. You can use any means at your disposal to complete this mission. I look forward to observing and nurturing your talent closely in the future."
A golden light shone in the Celestial Grandmaster's eyes as it went on to cover his body and the body of Athena, their figures beginning to glow as they were about to disappear. Athena turned her striking gaze towards Noah as she said a few last words.
"Thank you for your aid earlier. See you soon."
BLINK!
A millisecond later, their figures were gone as only Elder Spacewarp and Noah were left behind in the void of space.
Elder Spacewarp watched the dwindling golden circle that the Celestial Grandmaster had cast before as he quickly placed his hands on Noah's body, a purple protective circle with much less grandeur wrapping around them as he began to laugh raucously once again.
"Haha! A disciple of ours will be joining the ranks of Celestials soon enough, this trip held too many surprises!"
The Elder was extremely jovial as he seemed to already be imagining the wealth of resources and knowledge that their sect would be receiving from the Celestials as they would now have their own Disciple among them.
Noah, on the other hand, had thoughts that were too many to count as he absorbed the recent events as well as the clearance of information about the major players around him.
The Light Expanse that they were in.
The Dark Expanse that was under the control of an organization called the Alliance.
The Letalis Expanse where the Ancient Races resided.
All of this contained in the Novus Galaxy located on who knew where in the Universe.
In the midst of all of this, he, a being from a small blue planet located in an insignificant location in the Light Expanse- he was holding grand plans and designs for the future!
Chapter 284 - A Prized Technique
The next events felt like a blur to Noah, with his mind continuing to have clashing thoughts of how to move in the near future as he was led by the boisterous Elder Spacewarp back into the Interstellar Ship as it began its journey back to the World of Cultivation.
The Elder took his state as that of shock and surprise as he conversed with the other Elders and Crixus's father on the events that just occurred, causing the entire upper echelons of Elders that came on this trip to tremble with enthusiasm. This was especially so for Elder Baldwin, who had tears falling across his face as he grasped his apparently shaken son and celebrated with him.
In the cl.u.s.ter of stars they were in, in this Light Expanse, receiving the favor of the Celestials guaranteed safety and wealth for hundreds of years. The many Prime Worlds similar to the World of Cultivation knew this, and that was why they actively participated in the activities called upon by the Celestials like the Infernal Hunt in order to remain in good standing.
Having a disciple of their Profound Astral Sect be taken into the ranks of the Celestials was the greatest blessing that an organization of any Prime World could receive.
A celebratory mood was in the air as the Interstellar Ship traversed through the void of space and headed back to the World of Cultivation, the Elders and Disciples fully focused on the results of the Infernal Hunt and how their name would be spread across the Prime Worlds.
Very few were thinking of the fact that along with the brilliant Athena that
had left with the mysterious old man, there were four other beings that came in her group. Yet when the events concluded, these four beings were gone and seemed all but forgotten by those who saw them before. Their appearance came and went, not leaving behind anything of distinction as they were quickly forgotten.
The Interstellar Ship traversed through the skies for a few hours, and sure enough they could see the glimmering star that represented the World of Cultivation soon after. The Ship tore through the stratosphere and descended down towards the Stellar Sky Mountains of the Profound Astral sect as a grand procession was already waiting for them.
Elder Spacewarp had sent word to the sect master a long time ago about the momentous event that occurred with the Celestial Grandmaster, causing the secretive Leader of the Profound Astral Sect to leave his abode as he stood at the forefront of a few Elders to receive the returning champions.
"OOOOH!"
Resonant cries resounded as the Shining Son, William, returned with the Wastrel that could never be called that name again as he had shown his true genius during this trip and returned as a Core Disciple that they could only look up to.
"Crixus! Crixus!...Crixus!"
Chantings rang throughout the main peak of the Profound Astral Sect as a huge celebration that would go on for days began the moment the Interstellar Warship landed. The main attraction for the celebration was the Core Disciple that ranked in the top 10 of the recently finished Infernal Hunt, as well as the Shining Son, William, that continued to perform exceptionally well over all these years.
The celebration had begun and would continue for days, but the main culprit for it was in a completely different location the moment they arrived back to the main peak of the Profound Astral Sect.
Elder Spacewarp led Noah away from the initiated celebration as he followed the turning Sect Master who had acknowledged the returning disciples and went towards a location deep in the mountain peak along with other Elders.
There were many secretive and important things to discuss, and they could not be pushed back to waste time celebrating!
Infinite Mana In The Apocalypse c1-705 Page 117
