Volume One: The Misty Immortal Palace Chapter 140: The Starry Sky Altar

Chapter 140: The Starry Altar

The five-colored cloud continued its forward flight. Spark harbored deep hostility toward the man before her, but realizing she was no match for him, she could not help feeling a surge of vexation. In particular, Palace Master Caixiang was notorious for practicing the arts of Yin and Yang harmony and his fondness for beautiful female immortals; falling into his hands would undoubtedly lead to a predictable fate.

While Palace Master Caixiang appeared cultured and utterly harmless on the surface, his narrow, elongated eyes made Spark feel entirely ill at ease. He slowly spoke, "To be frank, this palace master has seen countless beauties, but this is truly the first time I have encountered a girl as spiritually refined and peerlessly countenance- blessed as you. It is hard to imagine just how breathtakingly gorgeous you will be once you truly mature."

"To be frank, you talk too much nonsense. Can't you come up with a different line? It's not my fault that I look good," Spark shot him a sidelong glance and retorted.

"Hehe, very well. This palace master only asks that you come with me to Caixiang Palace and become my Dao companion. From then on, you will truly shed your mortal coil and attain a realm of cultivation that rivals mine. How about it?" Palace Master Caixiang asked.

"Absolute nonsense! Never!" Spark replied decisively.

At that moment, Xiao Shanshan also woke up. Seeing Palace Master Caixiang right in front of her, she scrambled backward in fright and came to Spark's side. Palace Master Caixiang made no effort to stop her; his gaze had never left Spark from the very beginning.

"Spark, have we... been captured by him?" Xiao Shanshan asked, looking alternately at Palace Master Caixiang and Spark.

"Yes, and he even wants to take us back to be his Dao companions. Bah, absolutely shameless," Spark spat in disgust.

"Dao companions?" Xiao Shanshan's eyes widened in sheer disbelief.

"He wants us even though we're this young? What a scumbag, robbing the cradle and the grave alike!" Xiao Shanshan covered her face, not daring to look at Palace Master Caixiang.

"Haha, Shanshan, you've learned some bad habits; you even know about robbing the cradle and the grave," Spark pointed at Xiao Shanshan and laughed.

"No I haven't, I just blurted it out... Oh dear, you're still laughing? Quickly, think of something to do! Do you really want to become his Dao companion?" Xiao Shanshan whispered anxiously.

"I have no choice either. We'll take it one step at a time. Perhaps Zhou Hao will come to rescue us," Spark winked at Xiao Shanshan.

"Hmph, you two are daydreaming far too much. Zhou Hao was captured by the Night Envoy and is on his way to the Night Palace, struggling to protect even himself. How could he possibly have the ability to rescue you?" Seeing the two good friends chatting as if he didn't exist—especially while still thinking of another man—Palace Master Caixiang felt an unnameable rage flare within him.

Seeing that Palace Master Caixiang was angry, Spark said no more. She and Xiao Shanshan sat huddled together on the other side of the cloud, keeping a vast distance from Palace Master Caixiang as if suffering from severe germophobia.

Meanwhile, on Zhou Hao's end, a situation was also unfolding. Elder Guo and the Green Snake had regained consciousness from their fainting spells and learned from Zhou Hao that Yu Nan had died for his sake.

"I was frozen by Luo Tianyi's dragon breath at the time, and my entire body was steadily freezing. Seeing the critical situation, Yu Nan had no choice but to give me her essence pearl, trading it for a sliver of survival for me," Zhou Hao said with sorrow.

"No, in my view, there is still a chance. Yu Nan can still be saved," Elder Guo stroked his beard and pondered for a moment.

"What did you say?" Zhou Hao was immensely shocked and directly grabbed Elder Guo's hands.

"Don't be so emotional. Listen to me finish." Elder Guo brushed Zhou Hao's hands away and slowly said, "The essence pearl is the repository of a sacred immortal spirit race's core essence and immortal power, and it contains a wisp of divine soul. Losing the essence pearl at most means the dispersal of immortal power, reducing one to a fallen immortal, but it does not mean death. You said Yu Nan lost her breath; I suspect it is because she was excessively weak and entered a state of suspended animation. We must awaken her."

Upon hearing Elder Guo's words, Zhou Hao nearly died of self-reproach. It turned out he had misdiagnosed her all along? Panic sets in when anxiety takes hold; seeing Yu Nan's body icy cold and devoid of breath, he had simply assumed she was dead.

"A sudden and drastic exhaustion of immortal power can indeed lead to death. Without an infusion of immortal power over a long period, suspended animation will turn into genuine death. Moreover, this infusion must be in large doses, ideally matching her native cultivation level with rare heavenly treasures," Elder Guo warned.

The next moment, Zhou Hao conjured Yu Nan's immortal body. The latter still lay quietly, as if she were merely asleep. Elder Guo checked her complexion and immediately understood: "It seems my speculation was not off the mark. She had previously been fighting while dragging an injured body, and finally gave her essence pearl to you, draining her immortal power to a terrifying extent. That is why you mistakenly thought she was dead."

"Elder Guo, what must I do to save her? No matter what rare heavenly treasure it takes, I will surely bring it back," Zhou Hao pleaded.

"You don't need to go searching. The purple-gold vermilion fruit on your body can save her. When it comes to rare heavenly treasures, the purple-gold vermilion fruit is one of the primary materials capable of refining the Nine-Turn Golden Elixir. Using it to awaken Yu Nan could not be more fitting," Elder Guo glanced at Zhou Hao and smiled beamingly.

Zhou Hao flicked his wrist, and the purple-gold vermilion fruit instantly appeared in his palm. He handed it straight to Elder Guo and said, "Then I leave it to Elder Guo. You must awaken her."

Elder Guo took the fruit and said, "Rest assured, this fruit will not only awaken her, but it can also restore her to her peak!"

With that, Elder Guo channeled his immortal power, refining the purple-gold vermilion fruit into pure spiritual essence and sending it into Yu Nan's mouth. Following that, he chanted incantations, spreading all five fingers wide to emit a brilliant radiance. The light shone over Yu Nan's entire body, aiding her in rapidly absorbing the purple-gold vermilion fruit.

Sure enough, a short while later, peaceful purple Qi was seen radiating around Yu Nan. A surging force spread outward, and her Greater Immortal aura pressed down upon everyone present, making it difficult to breathe.

"She seems... even stronger!" Zhou Hao gritted his teeth and persisted, but having been too close, his entire bones felt as though they were about to be crushed under the pressure.

At that moment, Yu Nan's immortal body slowly rose into the air, suspending herself. In a flash, her captivating eyes snapped open, blazing with a brilliant crimson light. All the purple Qi around her body was retracted, replaced by boundless raging flames, with every single strand of her long hair standing on end. At this moment, she truly resembled a Rakshasa of the fires.

"Yu Nan!" Zhou Hao shouted uncontrollably with excitement, overjoyed.

In mid-air, Yu Nan's crimson pupils revealed a look of confusion as she spoke, "Who are you? Are you calling me?"

"I am Zhou Hao. Don't you remember me?" Zhou Hao wore an expression of both confusion and awkwardness.

"I don't know you," Yu Nan replied flatly.

"What about him? Do you know Elder Guo?" Zhou Hao pointed toward Elder Guo nearby.

Yu Nan frowned and shook her head.

"No way! What about her? Green Snake, do you know her?" Zhou Hao opened his mouth, unwilling to give up, and pointed toward the Green Snake.

Yu Nan frowned and said with a hint of impatience, "I don't know her. I don't know any of you. Who are you people? Am I close with you?"

Zhou Hao was completely dumbfounded. He turned to Elder Guo and asked, "What is going on here? Why doesn't she remember anyone?"

Elder Guo pondered for a moment and said, "Since she is missing a wisp of divine soul, she has forgotten many memories. This is a normal phenomenon."

"A normal phenomenon? Then what can we do? How do we recover her memories?" Zhou Hao pressed on.

"They cannot be recovered. Those memories have already dissipated along with the divine soul within the essence pearl. Perhaps now she only remembers that she is the Fire Rakshasa," Elder Guo sighed lightly, expressing his helplessness.

Seeing the disappointment on Zhou Hao's face, the Green Snake spoke up slowly, "I don't think this is a big deal. As long as we spend some time with her, won't she be just like before?"

Hearing the three speaking and sensing no threat from them, Yu Nan leaped down from mid-air, stood alongside them, and said, "It seems you really do know me. Then tell me what you know about me."

Hearing this, Zhou Hao was instantly overjoyed and was about to speak when Elder Guo stopped him, pointing toward the south. "Palace Master Caixiang has arrived. Let's rescue people first."

"Right, let's hide and give him a surprise." Zhou Hao quickly led the Green Snake and Elder Guo to merge into the cloud vapor, but Yu Nan did not join them.

"Yu Nan, we'll tell you about your past later. For now, we must rescue our friends. Please come and conceal yourself with us," Zhou Hao called out anxiously to Yu Nan.

"Hmph, she is merely a peacock with one foot stepping into the Greater Immortal realm. Why would I need to hide or conceal myself?" Yu Nan responded imperiously, and the scene that followed caused everyone's jaws to drop.

Rumble!

The air exploded violently. Yu Nan traveled amidst fire, leaving behind a trail of crimson flames spanning a thousand miles across the sky above the clouds. She flew straight toward the direction of Palace Master Caixiang, while Zhou Hao, Elder Guo, and the Green Snake quickly followed behind, fearing accidents.

"Not good!" In the distance, Palace Master Caixiang sensed the dangerous aura immediately and prepared to turn around and flee.

Unfortunately, under the full-speed travel of a Greater Immortal—especially since the distance wasn't great to begin with—how could Palace Master Caixiang possibly have time to escape?

The five-colored cloud was blasted away instantly, scorched into vapor. Yu Nan was bathed in fire with flowing long hair, looking down at the terrified Palace Master Caixiang.

"Sister Yu... Yu Nan!" Spark exclaimed in surprise.

"Senior Sister!" Xiao Shanshan was overjoyed.

"You know me too?" Yu Nan asked, even more perplexed.

Upon hearing this, Spark and Xiao Shanshan exchanged glances, both dumbfounded.

Just then, Zhou Hao and the others caught up from behind and arrived at the scene, gaining a renewed understanding of Yu Nan's identity as the Fire Rakshasa.

"She has forgotten all of us; right now, she is only the Fire Rakshasa," Zhou Hao told Spark and Xiao Shanshan.

The Green Snake fixed her gaze on Palace Master Caixiang and threatened, "Palace Master Caixiang, if you don't want to die, release the turtle immediately."

"And Spark and Xiao Shanshan," Zhou Hao added.

Faced with the absolute, overwhelming advantage of a Greater Immortal's presence, even the most brainless person would know what to do. Palace Master Caixiang nodded repeatedly, "Understood, understood! This palace master will release them!"

He reached into his robe and produced a tiny, snoring, sleeping miniature turtle. Seeing this, the Green Snake quickly flew over and retrieved the turtle in her mouth. Spark and Xiao Shanshan also returned to Zhou Hao's side. Without another word, Palace Master Caixiang sensibly flew away.

Before absolute strength, all disputes were resolved so peacefully!

"Senior Sister, do you truly not remember me? I am your junior sister Xiao Shanshan," Xiao Shanshan threw herself into Yu Nan's embrace, leaving the latter somewhat at a loss.

"I am the Fire Rakshasa Maiden; I have no junior sister," Yu Nan shook her head and said.

"Then do you not remember that your name is Yu Nan?" Spark inquired.

"I don't remember," Yu Nan shook her head. "I only remember that my most recent memory is fighting a bitter battle with the Ice Rakshasa Maiden to find a Greater Immortal grotto-heaven sealing a Dragon King."

Hearing this, Zhou Hao felt a stirring within him. In his mind's eye once again surfaced the image of that cold female immortal who loved wearing pure white robes and carried an immortal sword on her back.

Su Qing, the Ice Rakshasa Maiden—what a pity that she had perished forever, never to appear again!

Zhou Hao walked up to Xiao Shanshan and recounted how Yu Nan had sacrificed her essence pearl for his sake. Watching her senior sister's blank expression, Xiao Shanshan could not hold back her tears and said, "Perhaps it is for the best, letting her forget completely. From now on, I will stay by Senior Sister's side so she won't be lonely."

"Since matters here are concluded, I am heading to the Sun and Moon Heavenly Capital next. What are your plans?" Zhou Hao looked at the group and asked.

Elder Guo smiled and said, "The place you are heading to will surely be fraught with trials and dangers. This old man loves peace and quiet; I might as well stay here in the Heluo Sect starry domain to spend my twilight years."

The Green Snake said, "Since the turtle follows Zhou Hao, naturally I will follow him as well."

Spark had already thrown herself into Zhou Hao's arms, smiling brightly as she said, "My plan is obvious!"

Xiao Shanshan remained by Yu Nan's side and stated, "I intend to return to Senior Sister's grotto-heaven to cultivate."

"Hey hey hey, that's wonderful! Count me in, I'll go to your senior sister's place too. I love living in Greater Immortal grotto-heavens the most. Having my purple-gold vermilion fruit tree planted in that grotto-heaven would be simply supreme!" Upon hearing the word 'grotto-heaven,' Elder Guo was overjoyed, clapping his hands like an excited old urchin and immediately joining Xiao Shanshan and Yu Nan's group.

"Very well, since that's the case, we shall part ways here. Until we meet again!" Accompanied by Spark, the turtle, and the Green Snake, Zhou Hao waved goodbye to the others.

"Shanshan, take care!" Spark hugged Xiao Shanshan to bid farewell before leaving.

"You must take care too, Spark!" Xiao Shanshan's eyes were moist as she forced a smile.

"Yu Nan... take care!" Zhou Hao cast a final glance at Yu Nan, who looked back at him and gave a calm nod.

Following that, the four of them surged into the sky!

"That youngster Zhou Hao possesses supreme talent and a resilient disposition. Perhaps he really will carve out a world of his own in the Immortal Domain. When we meet again, he will surely return as a king," Elder Guo stroked his beard, watching Zhou Hao and his companions gradually disappear into the distance, and spoke slowly.

"Senior Sister, Elder Guo, let us leave as well!" Xiao Shanshan's lips parted slightly, her white teeth biting her red lip. Her small figure appeared so lonely and desolate in the cloudy sky. Finally, the three transformed into three streaks of light and departed.

From this parting onward, truly, who knew when they might meet again!

Beneath the starry sky, two streaks of light—one crimson, one golden—cut through the void like arrows. They were none other than Spark and Zhou Hao, heading toward the Starry Altar; only by passing through it could they quickly reach the Sun and Moon Heavenly Capital.

Traveling at the speed of a Golden Immortal, it took just a day and a night to reach the location of the Starry Altar, and they were now steadily closing in. At that moment, the turtle finally woke up.

"Meow-ed if I know! You little Hao, that bastard Palace Master Caixiang treated me like that, and you actually let him go? If I had been awake, I would have beaten his human head into a dog's head! Turtle-grandpa here thought he was being sincere and truly wanted to discuss the Dao with me—bah, a beast in human skin who only knows how to pull sneaky tricks!" As soon as the turtle woke up, it cursed up a storm, wishing it could curse Palace Master Caixiang's ancestors down to the eighteenth generation.

"And you! Have you lost your mind? That guy bullied your husband like that, and as your wife, you aren't angry at all? Couldn't you have helped me teach him a lesson?" The turtle turned its ire toward the Green Snake, venting its frustration on her.

"Are you finished yet? This matter clearly falls entirely on your own head. Who drinks any wine offered to them? Why didn't you drink yourself to death? With such poor vigilance, you always boast of being peerlessly clever, but all I see is 'peerless'!" The Green Snake shut the turtle up with a few brief sentences, leaving it speechless.

"Fine, fine, it's all in the past. Saying any more is just closing the barn door after the horse has bolted." The turtle waved its little paw. At that moment, it was once again perched on Zhou Hao's shoulder, measuring less than a palm's length, while the Green Snake coiled around it, resembling the legendary Xuanwu.

"We've arrived. Ahead is the Starry Altar!" Zhou Hao pointed forward.

"Wowsers, how magnificent! A true Starry Altar in name and deed." Spark flew shoulder-to-shoulder with Zhou Hao, her piercing eyes reflecting the scenery ahead.

It was a four-sided pyramid as towering as a mountain, straddling the universe itself. All four sides featured steps that decreased in length step by step from bottom to top, leading to the high platform of the pyramid.

The Starry Altar!

"Let's go!" Zhou Hao and Spark exchanged glances, both wearing smiles as they flew directly across, heading toward the peak of the pyramid's high platform.

Soon, they arrived upon the high platform. At the center of the platform stood a three-tiered circular stage, entirely constructed from stones of nine different colors. Inscribed upon the third tier was an incomparably profound array.

The Green Snake used her tail to point at the circular stage and said, "As long as we stand on the highest circular stage, place an offering, and chant the sacrificial incantation, we can choose to go to any starry domain in the Sun and Moon Immortal Domain, provided the offering's value is sufficient for this traversal journey."

Zhou Hao thought for a moment and produced an item. "Though damaged, this is an Immortal King artifact. It should suffice, right?"

Everyone peered closely and saw a deep blue bead with its inner walls covered in dense, intricate cracks lying quietly in the palm of Zhou Hao's hand.

The Sea-Suppressing Pearl—a gift presented by Dragon King Luohai to his sister Luo Tianyi upon her promotion to Immortal King, a genuine Immortal King-grade artifact!

Zhou Hao and Spark then walked onto the three-tiered circular stage, entering the array. Zhou Hao flicked his wrist, and the deep blue bead landed upon the nine-colored stones along the outer perimeter of the array as he began to chant the incantation.

With a deep thud, the Sea-Suppressing Pearl was absorbed by the nine-colored stones, and dazzling immortal light erupted from the three-tiered circular stage. The surroundings of the four began to transform as a massive star map of the heavens and myriad domains materialized before their eyes.

On the giant map, the vast starry world of the Sun and Moon Immortal Domain was vividly depicted—endless star seas, endless star systems, billions of stars, countless starlight rays... all condensed into the view of everyone.

Stars resembled sand, galaxies resembled gauze, stars were strewn like chess pieces, and the constellations shone brilliantly. Occasionally, shooting stars streaked across the firmament, and amidst the movement of the stars, celestial bodies truly shifted and eras changed.

For a moment, everyone was spellbound, lost in fascination as they gazed upon the star map. Fortunately, Zhou Hao remembered their primary objective and immediately began searching the map for the location of the Sun and Moon Heavenly Capital.

"This Sun and Moon Heavenly Capital is the easiest to find. Not only is it vast, but it also has ten suns and twelve moons revolving around the capital's sky. The ten suns and twelve moons above the sixteen immortal palaces originate from them," Zhou Hao said as he searched.

Soon, he spotted that special starry region encircled by ten suns and twelve moons. There, the stars were like an ocean, exceptionally bright, truly living up to the name "Heavenly Capital."

"Found it! Let's go!"

Zhou Hao pointed toward the Sun and Moon Heavenly Capital. In an instant, a golden line appeared, connecting the Heluo Sect starry domain to the Sun and Moon Heavenly Capital—the disparity in their scale was nothing short of two cosmic poles.

The next moment, the teleportation array beneath their feet emitted a light as bright as daylight. The scenery before their eyes shifted rapidly, transforming the world. Countless starlight dots could be seen receding backward as they seemed to enter one unknown star system after another, witnessing a myriad of bizarre and colorful phenomena.

It was like a riot of blooming flowers dazzling the eyes; they were immersed in the starry domains of the heavens, with all things in the world laid bare before their eyes, changing in the blink of an eye—a millennium in a single glance. Zhou Hao's eyes were nearly blinded by the flashing lights, and the only scene he firmly remembered was seeing a female immortal of peerless beauty walking through the boundless space. She possessed long azure hair, ice-blue eyes, wore a pale, elegant blue-and-white robe, and strolled barefoot with leisure, a single step crossing an entire stellar system. What surprised Zhou Hao the most was that the female immortal seemed to be able to see him, blinking and smiling at him with a provocative air.

"Who is she?"