A Martial Odyssey

Yi Ping pushed open the sealed gate and a gray hallway greeted them. Towards the end of this hallway was a shimmering portal that could lead them to the next level!

Yi Ping took the lead as they walked nervously into this hallway even as the gigantic imposing heraldry gate slammed shut behind them. This was a one way passage now and no amount of force from the inside could possibly open the sealed gate now.

Everyone was praying hard that this would not lead to the Death Gate and it would be the Life Gate instead!

The entire party had taken three days of rest in the sanctuary hall of the Ancient Swords Pool without any troubles. The three days were idyllic and they spent the three days getting to know each other better.

The Ascension Goddess Ye Yin had found a new friend in Lie Qing and she had also become closer to Xingyue.

At the same time Lele had grown closer to Xingyue, Han Lin and Aiel.

And everyone now thought of Alice as less forbidding but she mostly kept to herself as she meditated, showing little interest in the Flawless Sword Energy Techniques and the Martial Emperor Unifying Theorem that got everyone excited.

As for the Flawless Sword Energy Techniques, only the Celestial Fairy Yixian, the Heavenly Temptress Lie Qing, the Joyful Goddess Lele and Dugu Yunzi managed to get pass the basic intricacies.

But Yunzi soon said, "Even though this Flawless Sword Energy is extremely formidable and may be suitable for me but with my present practice it is difficult to amalgam it into my Infinitude Practice and the Ley Negative Sword Energies. Moreover my Invincible Divine Force has not reached the desirable level for me to start practicing this type of sword energies technique and I may risk getting afflicted by the phenomenon deviation…"

The Celestial Fairy Yixian nodded gently, her melody eyes smiling at Lie Qing and Lele. "These sword energies techniques are too dominating for me so I don't think it is wise for me to practice beyond the first stage. Qing'Er, it seems that this intrinsic sword energies technique have some characteristics of your Pandora Sword Energies. Lele, what about you?"

Lie Qing nodded excitedly and she was beaming delightfully, "Actually my Pandora Sword Energies is based on the malevolent aura of the Perpetual Darkness and the level of expertise is based on the level of my Invincible Divine Force. Finally, I have found a clue to delve deeper into the mysteries of my sword energies techniques. Wonderful!"

The Goddess of Mercy was impressed that both Yunzi and Yixian were not tempted to attempt the intricacies of the Flawless Sword Energy. It was because few mortals, celestials or even immortals would resist this type of temptation. It was because everyone was gambling on that 1% chance to elevate their martial level!

Of course this had to do with the Celestial Fairy and Yunzi being more level-headed than the others too. Another reason was that the internal martial arts of the Celestial Fairy were too restrictive. As for Yunzi, she was well versed in the various martial arts of the fraternity and had trained herself selectively

She slowly turned to look at Lele while saying, "Indeed this type of sword energies is really too tyrannical. Less haste and more meditation is required to realize the full intricate understandings of this sword energies technique. You ought to exercise extreme caution. It is really a powerful skill."

Lele smiled, "The first sword energies level isn't too hard to master. But I doubt I can manage past the second. Only Yunzi and Lie Qing are true sword energy practitioners here."

True sword energy practitioners were sword energies practitioners that had reached the divine attainment of distant attack. Because there was always a huge loss of energy lost over a distance, this was considered a mystical level in the martial fraternity. A practitioner could generate powerful martial windforce with their martial power but martial windforce only had the advantage of upsetting the opponents' movements. Against a powerful opponent, it was hardly useful but was useful as gauge to estimate the practitioners' martial strength.

As for the Martial Emperor Unifying Theorem, only a practitioner who could perfectly balance their martial force could actually practice its basic foundation. It seemed that only Yi Ping and Ye Yin were the only suitable candidates!

Ye Yin was muttering, "Today I have finally understood the reason why my protégé master refuses to teach me the superior martial arts of the Ascension Sect. Sorry, protégé master…I didn't understand back then. I have blamed you and Shen Xingyue…"

At that time she simply did not understand why the superior martial arts of the Ascension Sect which numbered into dozens would be refused to her and instead her training was just the Purity Spirits and meditation exercises!

There were regretful sighs from the onlookers that they were actually letting such wondrous martial intricacies slipping past right before their very eyes. The martial theories of this internal art skill were really profound and astonishing!

At first glance, everyone had instantly understood that this Martial Emperor Unifying Theorem was an unifying theorem that encompassed a third of all the well-known powerful internal arts in the Three Known Realms!

Even though they could not practice the exact Martial Emperor Unifying Theorem, they were all excited to gasp the various intricacy formulas that were being displayed and began to exchange pointers on how to incorporate some of its profound intricacies into their own internal arts!

Almost everyone that is with the exception of Yi Ping and Alice!

Isa asked Alice with a baffled look, "This is such a good opportunity to improve our understanding of the internal arts. Moreover this divine skill belongs to one of the Heavenly Kings. Are you sure that you are not interested in it?"

Now that she had asked, the curiosity of the Goddess of Mercy was also aroused as she looked at Alice and Yi Ping. "What is wrong with the both of you? Don't tell me that practitioners of the Seventh Cosmos Positioning are all blind to the obvious?"

The rest of the group was all looking curiously at Alice and Yi Ping!

Alice sighed softly as she managed a weak smile, "It is not that I am disinterested. But I am afraid that if I were to take a look at these intricate formulas, I will only be distracting myself from reaching the pinnacle of my Mystic Stratosphere Divine Skill. I just need one little step to overcome it."

Isa smiled bitterly, "I remember that ten thousand years ago you have said the same thing. And until now, you still have not overcome that hurdle. Maybe the Martial Emperor Unifying Theorem can gain inspiration for you!"

Alice smiled sweetly, "That won't do."

Isa was a little surprised, "Why is that the case?"

The Goddess of Mercy asked, "Yes, why is that so?"

She laughed softly as she battled an eyelid at Yi Ping, "After all, don't you think we are now much closer after all these ordeals? And we are going to share…um…never mind…you are entitled to your secrets but if I say I am not going to fight you anymore, I surely mean it."

Isa nodded as she looked at the Goddess of Mercy and Yi Ping, "My honor may not have the reputation of the Goddess of Mercy but…"

She began to flush and she could find no words. How could she say it aloud in front of so many? In this area, she was really sorely lacking!

Alice smiled weakly, "Alright. I will say. This Martial Emperor Unifying Theorem is just the basic and cannot be comparable to the Martial Emperor Unifying Theorem that is renowned in the Immortal Realm."

Everyone else was startled as they looked curiously at her!

Isa was startled, "How did you know?"

Alice smiled weakly, "It is because during my venture into the Stellar Sanctuary, I have discovered dozens of epitome martial skills, including a copy of my Mystic Stratosphere Divine Skill. All these martial skills are just the basic foundation in its purest form. But if you want to push these skills to their most epitomes, the practitioner must spend time to further refine it."

Yi Ping nodded as he said, "The same skill won't be the same after hundreds of years. It is because countless practitioners have toiled with their sweats and blood to improve upon the same skill. Therefore Alice is correct, all these skills in the Stellar Sanctuary is useless for a practitioner of her level unless she is willing to spend the time to meditate upon it."

Alice laughed softly, "Not all are useless. The martial skills that are on the upper levels are almost perfect. Those are the ones that will be of interest to me…"

Isa blinked at Alice, "So that is why Alice isn't interested. She has already set her sights on the martial skills on the upper level!"

Alice protested weakly in exasperation, "Don't get me wrong. The Martial Emperor Unifying Theorem and the Flawless Sword Energy Techniques are comparable to the upper levels and are probably unique skills. I am really on the verge of overcoming the hurdle of my Mystic Stratosphere Divine Skill and I have to keep it as pure as possible. Therefore both the Martial Emperor Unifying Theorem and the Flawless Sword Energy Techniques are useless to me at this point."

The Goddess of Mercy raised her beautiful thin brows, "Is she hinting that her Mystic Stratosphere Divine Skill is even more superior to the Martial Emperor Unifying Theorem?"

Isa said coldly, "What else can it be? If she isn't so insolent, then she won't be Alice."

Alice quickly asked Yi Ping with a docile politeness before the others could ask her more, "Yi Ping, what about you? Why are you not interested in these two epitome divine skills? Surely your reasons are not the same as mine. Since you have already recovered your martial strength, it will be good for you to delve into the intricacies of these two divine skills to expand the scope of your martial knowledge."

Yi Ping rubbed his nose with great guilt before he looked up to laugh weakly, "Actually I can't read. I am just waiting for someone to teach me after you are all done…."

"...…"

The Universal Old Man groaned miserably, "You are such a disgrace to me, Yi Ping!"

The Heaveness Lingfeng was laughing alluringly, "Yes he is! He even needs me to translate his family secret skills for him. I don't even know if he following me because I have taken away his secret martial skills or he is simply following me just because he needs me to translate for him!"

Yi Ping was flushing with embarrassment and his ears were burning!

He answered weakly, "Lingfeng, there is so many people here…"

The Goddess of Mercy was so startled that she gasped, "Heavens! The Great God can't read?!"

Aiel tried to defend Yi Ping, "These characters are very ancient. Not many practitioners can actually decipher the entire passage…"

Lingfeng hummed coldly, "The intricate writing of the Stellar Sanctuary is such that the intentions of the writing will be understood if the practitioners exercise their will upon it. Only the unenlightened practitioners…"

As she looked at Yi Ping, she began to roll back slightly as she giggled jovially. "…and the illiterate is not able to understand it!"

Yu'Er tried to comfort Yi Ping, "Master Yi Ping…" but when she had heard the last sentence that came from Lingfeng, she too burst into jovial laughter!

Even Mei'Er was giggling and it was quickly followed by Lele, Yunzi, Ye Yin, Lie Qing and Han Lin!

Shen Xingyue pleaded with everyone, "We…shouldn't poke fun at Yi Ping….*laughing*" but she too, was rolling to and fro as she laughed jovially and there were beaming tears in her eyes!

Youxue was also laughing as she held her hands to cover half her face. She knew that she should not laugh but till, she could not help it. "Sorry…Ping'Er…so…if one day…if the Great God decides to give his edict, he has to deliver it verbally?"

Even Yixian could not resist a smile, "No Youxue, he will send you to deliver his edict for him!"

Han Lin covered her face as she giggled merrily, "So that is why he has in need of so many consorts. They are his messengers!"

What more should Yi Ping do or say?

He began to laugh along with them as he joked, "I really think that it is unwise for the whole lot of you to read into the Martial Emperor Unifying Theorem. It is causing everyone to have delirium!"

Back to the present…

As soon as they reached the middle of the hallway, a burst of shimmering light exploded in front of them as a humanoid giant with a lower body and head of a goat burst into view!

Its presence was absolute fearsome and its killing malevolent air was absolutely suffocating!

Han Lin was terrified from the sight of this monster that she stammered out, "Is this the death gate? My heavens…"

The Heaveness Lingfeng replied coolly, "No idea!"

Alice gasped as she took a step back, "The Bestial Emperor Satyr! Everyone be careful! This is the death gate!"

When everyone had heard that this was the death gate, their blood was drained from their faces!

The death gate of the thirty-eight floor. It must be an exceptional powerful monster!

Yi Ping had immediately charged forward in a frenzy as he unsheathed the Celestial Alice. With a powerful martial shout that exploded into three bursts of martial force around him, he had displayed the Asper Divinity as he leapt forward to slash at the Bestial Emperor Satyr with a thunderous explosive impact!

Despite the power of the Asper Divinity, the Bestial Emperor Satyr was only swayed slightly as it began to retaliate against the off balance Yi Ping with its claws!

While the attacks of the Bestial Emperor Satyr was astonishing swift, Yi Ping was even quicker as he flipped in mid-air as he split the Celestial Alice into two as he slashed furiously at its claws and chest!

The martial power of the Asper Divinity could only last a quick three blink of an eye. Without waiting for his martial power to dissipate, Yi Ping had turned his body again as he gave another mighty martial shout as he raised the two Celestial Alice to give the Bestial Emperor Satyr two imploding slashes, one blue and one red across its chest with the Heavens Encompassing Strike!

This time the Bestial Emperor Satyr was knocked back three steps and the monster seemed to be in terrible pain!

The red streak was the martial strength of the Kirin's blood that was in Yi Ping's body while the blue streak was the Pangu Intricate Energy, the Essential Righteous Energy!

With the martial power of the Asper Divinity, the martial power of two Heavens Encompassing Strikes, the exploding martial power of the Kirin's blood and the intrinsic energies of the Essential Righteous Energy, the Bestial Emperor Satyr bellowed aloud in maddening pain!

Yi Ping seized the opportunity to scurry back as he had to time his recover time even as the Bestial Emperor Satyr charged maddening at him!

The Celestial Fairy Yixian gasped aloud, "Yi Ping! Watch out!"

She had raised her Eternal Heavenly Tears to the eleventh level as she displayed the Absolute Defense Stance of the Divine Emerald Skill headlong at the charging monster!

Immediately there was a thunderous burst of explosion that shook the entire hallway as the terrifying Bestial Emperor Satyr was halted in its track!

The Bestial Emperor Satyr was so enraged that it shook its right fist to smash onto the Celestial Fairy Yixian!

The Heavenly Temptress Lie Qing had flashed next to Yixian and around her were eleven fast hovering blue wisps, "Allow me!"

Yixian smiled gently as she scurried back in the next instant, "So you have finally decided to display your true martial level."

At this very instant, the heavy fist of the Bestial Emperor Satyr had come down slamming upon Lie Qing with a burst of terrible explosive impact!

Yi Ping panted breathlessly as he shouted, "Lie Qing!"

"Don't worry." A melodic voice could be heard; it was Lie Qing!

In the next instant the dust cloud was already visible and a heavenly maiden that exuded a golden halo while being surrounded by eleven beautiful hovering blue globes could be seen with both hands on top of her as she halted the mighty fist of the Bestial Emperor Satyr!

She had displayed her Golden Impervious Body and the eleventh level of the Invincible Divine Force at the same time!

Lie Qing smiled weakly, "It is a little too heavy for me! Where are you?"

"I have heard you!"

All of a sudden there were multiple explosive slashes across the head and body of the Bestial Emperor Satyr!

It was Lele!

Her slashes were naturally more painful and afflicted more damage than Yi Ping even though it was much less powerful. It was because she had seized the opportunity to slash furiously against the Bestial Emperor Satyr with her wicked long black scythe and the Divine Echo at the moment it had just released its strength against Yixian and Lie Qing!

She had really timed her attack precision well unlike Yi Ping who had attacked when the Bestial Emperor Satyr's defense and martial strength was at its strongest. That was why it was able to withstand his attacks.

Just when the Bestial Emperor Satyr was bellowing painfully and in rage, Yi Ping had displayed the Asper Continuum and he was in front of the monster in the next instant as he displayed the Perfect Swordplay, slashing dozens of strikes upon the monster in a few blinks of an eye!

In that same instant, Lele had cried out. "Now! The Celestial Star Formation!"

A bursting dust cloud began to stir up from all around the Bestial Emperor Satyr as Lele, Yixian and Lie Qing were upon the monster in the next instant as they slashed furiously from all sides!

But this slashing was a synchronizing attack by the three maidens as they slashed furiously from bottom to the top without slowing down!

In three blinks of an eye, these three maidens had made over a hundred slashes while Yi Ping alone had made over forty slashes!

Finally there were another three burst of explosive impact that shook the entire hallway with a tremendous quake as the Bestial Emperor Satyr was struck fatally from three sides; it was the final pent up martial energies of the Celestial Star Formation!

At the same time Yi Ping had also released his pent up martial power with his newly gained Martial Emperor Unifying Force as he displayed the Asper Divinity, executing the Ultimate Heavens Encompassing Strike with the heavier Celestial Antonym Alice and the Asper Continuum with the lighter Celestial Synonym Alice!

The Ultimate Heavens Encompassing Strike was even more powerful than the Heavens Encompassing Strike that was displayed earlier and it was further enhanced by the Celestial Antonym Alice and the Asper Continuum!

Immediately the body of the Bestial Emperor Satyr seemed to cave in by the heavy strike of the Ultimate Heavens Encompassing Strike even as the multiple strikes of the Asper Continuum continued unerringly!

As Yi Ping still had a little martial strength when the Ultimate Heavens Encompassing Strike had just finished executing and the Asper Continuum had not finished striking so he struck the Bestial Emperor Satyr again with the furious martial power of the Ultrapowerful Force via the heavier Celestial Antonym Alice in another burst of tremendous impact!

The Bestial Emperor Satyr bellowed in an incensing rage as it exploded in a furious outburst of shockwaves as it dematerialized into nothingness, leaving Yi Ping, Yixian, Lele and Lie Qing panting breathlessly next to one another!

Immediately everyone rushed forward in a tremendous show of concern and support, "Yi Ping! Sisters, Ping'Er! Sister Xian'Er, Sister Qing'Er, Lele!"

The Goddess Celestial Alice was looking beamingly at Yi Ping, "So strong…"

The Goddess Isa was looking at Yi Ping with pride in her delightful eyes, "I wouldn't have done better on my own…"

Aiel, Han Lin, Yu'Er and Mei'Er were touching Yi Ping with small gestures as they checked him for injuries!

The Heaveness Lingfeng said exasperatingly to them, "Isn't that a little overkill?"

Shen Xingyue admonished them, "Do you know that I have almost suffered a heart attack in the first few moments!"

Lele panted breathlessly, "But…didn't you…all…agree to let us…try…the Celestial…Star Formation…with…Yi Ping…?"

Youxue moaned shockingly, "But that is the death gate's boss monster. I have almost lost my restraint and almost intervene!"

Lele protested weakly, "Don't! Once…the Celestial…Star Formation…is initiated…you may even….be hurt…by it…but look, nothing…serious has…happened right?"

Yunzi shook her head, "Why didn't any of you discuss further with anyone of us first…"

Lie Qing protested weakly, "The signal is for Yi Ping…to sound out the strength…of the monster first…"

She looked at Yixian, "Erm, since Sister Xian'Er has…already gone forward…so I have thought that…it is accordingly to our…earlier plans…"

Yixian smiled weakly as she inhaled a deep breath, "Regardless of plan or not, there is an opening from Ping'Er after his initial attack and the Bestial Emperor Satyr is already charging at him. I have to intervene quickly so I am not really thinking."

Yi Ping looked at Yixian with astonishment. It seemed that she had already regulated her vital breathing. Her internal skill was indeed impressive!

Yunzi sighed softly, "Ping'Er, you should have waited for just a little second. We don't know if we should intervene or not earlier!"

Yi Ping smiled weakly, "But…we have won…"

Lele murmured quickly, "It is all…thanks to the Celestial Star Formation!"

All of a sudden Lingfeng went forward and gave him a quick kiss on his face as she looked affectionately at him, "Right and looking quite pathetic!"

He was stunned as he looked blankly at her while touching his cheek…

Lingfeng flashed him an alluring look, "What's wrong? You want a hard kick instead of a tender kiss?"