Chapter 691: Flowing Starlight

Outside the entrance to the Celestial Remains…

There were more and more Martial Dipper Realm Ancestors gathering in the area, but the entrance to the Celestial Remains wasn’t showing signs of opening naturally.

Shang Bo, who was barely thousands of feet away, could feel the horrifying fluctuations from the many Martial Dipper Realm Ancestors. Despite being hidden by the formation and several layers of spatial barriers, he didn’t dare to move a muscle. He was afraid they would still be able to discover his presence through the multiple layers of cover.

Even though the Celestial Remains had been forcefully opened 2 times before and was greatly weakened, they only managed to do it with an external source of power. The others wouldn’t be able to force their way into the Celestial Remains if they were to only rely on themselves.

That was also why everyone was gathering around the entrance without any signs of trying to enter for themselves.

No one was willing to take the risk since they weren’t sure they would be able to open the Celestial Remains for sure.

Unless they had treasures similar to Kou Chongxue’s Abyssal Emptiness Talisman or the Void Crossing Boat like those in the second batch of people, they wouldn’t attempt anything.

Of course, in Shang Bo’s eyes, they were merely putting on a show. There should be several experts among them who had the ability to force a path into the Celestial Remains. However, they were clearly not willing to reveal those methods in front of the rest.

Without enough benefits, no one would be willing to help others for free. Of course, no one gathered there would leave even though the entrance wasn’t open.

…

After Lu Yingwu of the Lushan Sect and Hao Yun of the Great Observation Sect arrived, Huang Jinghan of the Yuanchen Sect was the third to appear. When their initial conversation concluded and other Martial Dipper Realm Ancestors arrived, no one spoke as they stared at each other in cold gazes.

Despite what they were doing, Lu Yingwu and Hao Yun who were the first 2 to arrive had a feeling that Huang Jinghan was actually happy to waste their time.

Just like that, half a day passed. During that time, the calm Huang Jinghan seemed to have detected other presences and he frowned slightly.

A moment later, the others also seemed to notice the change.

Someone muttered softly, “The experts of the Eternal Palace and Divine Capital Sect are here…”

“That might be for the best. Remaining outside the Celestial Remains isn’t the best choice. At the very least, they will take the lead and bring everyone to tear a spatial passage into the Celestial Remains. We can figure out the rest after we head in for a look,” someone else replied.

In terms of strength and prestige, no one present could surpass Huang Jinghan.

Despite that, he was clearly not intending to lead the others. Other than the occasional greeting when someone arrived, Huang Jinghan would remain silent at his spot.

Eventually, a pair of Martial Dipper Realm experts each arrived from different directions.

Solemn expressions appeared on the faces of those who were already there. In order to force the entrance of the Celestial Remains open, the Eternal Palace and Divine Capital Sect seemed to have sent 2 Martial Dipper Realm Ancestors each! They were clearly taking the matter very seriously.

…

“The remains of various structures would usually drift through the Celestial Remains and end up wherever…” Kou Chongxue’s Clone pointed at the debris nearby and muttered, “However, the remains of the Observatory have always been here.”

Shang Xia stared at the starry space outside the formless spatial barrier before looking at the scattered rocks and debris behind him. “Could it be kept here because of some sort of remnant restrictions or formations?”

“Perhaps… However, we’re not too sure about it either.” Kou Chongxue’s Clone shook his head before he continued, “Do you know why I brought you here? Star Essence would gather on the remains and I know it’s something you need… Of course, there might be other treasures hidden within.”

Shang Xia stared at the messy pile of destroyed rocks and wondered out loud, “How should we enter the remains of the Observatory anyway?”

“You can head in from anywhere you like. Remnant restrictions are everywhere and you might cause a chain reaction if you’re not careful. However, those restrictions are far too weak and they will pose no threat to you. There’s no need to remove them.” Kou Chongxue’s Clone replied.

With a helpless sigh, Shang Xia continued, “Looks like that’s the only way. I hope I can find suitable fate dipper essences here…”

“Heh, this is one of the least dangerous regions where most people would look for treasures when they enter the Celestial Remains…” Kou Chongxue chuckled.

As they conversed, they entered the messy remains of the Ruined Observatory.

“Did no one try to unravel the mystery behind those restrictions that were left behind?” Shang Xia asked. He could clearly feel the connection between the restrictions around him and when he stared at the messy glows around him, he felt his scalp going slightly numb.

Kou Chongxue’s Clone stepped onto one of the rocks at the edge of the ruins and said, “Someone might be able to do it, but no one is willing to do so.”

He pointed in a certain direction before gesturing at the dense world origin before speaking again. “It’s not as though no one had tried. Once the restrictions have been fully undone, this area will lose its special characteristics. The treasures that can be produced after several years of accumulation would no longer appear.”

Stepping past another rock that contained a portion of the remnant restrictions, he took another huge step forward. The dense world origin in his surroundings seemed to stick to his skin and he felt as though he was walking through some sort of viscous surface.

“You need to take note… After all, areas with dense world origin will usually produce…”

Before Kou Chongxue’s Clone could finish, the world origin beside him seemed to have disappeared. It was as though a giant rift in space appeared behind him to devour the world origin that was once there.

Raising his head abruptly, he saw Shang Xia also staring at him with a trace of shock in his eyes.

When their gaze met, Shang Xia laughed, “Patriarch Kou, did you say that these restrictions had something to do with how this place managed to gather denser world origin than the rest of the Celestial Remains? How is that possible”

Kou Chongxue’s Clone glanced at Shang Xia again before replying, “It might have something to do with the Origin Holy Artifact…”

“Origin Holy Artifact? What’s that?!” Shang Xia asked.

“It’s said that there are 3 important aspects to an Elysium. One of them is an Elysium Boundary Marker. It’s used to control the workings of the Elysium. The second is the heaven supporting Jade Pillar. It’s the key to holding up the space in the Elysium, and even though that’s its name, it doesn’t have to be a physical pillar. Lastly comes the Origin Holy Artifact. The item can connect the Elysium to the World’s Will. It can absorb world origin because of that and allow the Elysium to absorb heaven and earth qi beyond the area it covers. The heaven and earth qi will also be converted slowly…” Kou Chongxue’s Clone explained.

Shang Xia’s eyes widened in shock and he gasped, “Is it really so powerful? What’s the Origin Holy Artifact then? What about the other 2 treasures? Do they still remain?”

Kou Chongxue’s Clone chuckled in response. “Other than the core members of the 3 super factions, I’m afraid no one has ever seen an Origin Holy Artifact. According to rumors, an Origin Holy Artifact is a tier higher than a divine weapon! As for the other 2 treasures… The Jade Pillar is definitely no longer in existence if the Elysium has crumbled to this state. As for the Boundary Marker… If it's still in existence, the Celestial Remains wouldn’t have deteriorated into such a state where Martial Dipper Realm Ancestors can come and go as they please to search for treasures.”

“Wouldn’t that mean that only the Origin Holy Artifact is left and it’s in some dangerous region in the Celestial Remains? Is that what the experts of the Yuanchen Sect are looking for?” Shang Xia quickly connected the dots.

Kou Chongxue’s Clone nodded. “Most people who can enter can probably guess as much. However, the experts of the Yuanchen Sect are probably in such a hurry to make their move because they discovered where the Origin Holy Artifact is. At the very least, they should know how to lock down its location.”

“Would that mean that those who came right after us were experts of the Yuanchen Sect? Shouldn’t we be doing something and not let them take the Origin Holy Artifact?” Shang Xia asked hastily.

“Heh, how can an Origin Holy Artifact be taken away so easily?” Kou Chongxue’s Clone sneered, “Just relax. My true body is keeping an eye on them and your job is to locate suitable fate dipper essence for yourself. There’s no need for you to take part in anything else.”

“You’re right.” Shang Xia forced a chuckle and took another step deeper into the Ruined Observatory. He continued to use the Crimson Soul Tablet to suck up all the world origin in his surroundings.

All of a sudden, Shang Xia realized something. Kou Chongxue’s Clone seemed to let it slip… “Wait a second! The Celestial Remains is massive and even if the experts of the Yuanchen Sect enter, we might not be able to find them, much less keep an eye on them. Unless…”

Shang Xia turned to Kou Chongxue’s Clone and revealed a face full of shock. “... Unless your main body already knows where they’re going and hiding nearby! Wouldn’t that mean that you also managed to discover the Origin Holy Artifact?!”

Chuckling casually, Kou Chongxue’s Clone responded, “I knew I couldn’t hide it from you. Back then, my main body had to save your grandfather from danger when he mistakenly ventured into a forbidden region. There, my main body noticed the reflection of a giant bronze cauldron…”

“Giant bronze cauldron? Is the Origin Holy Artifact that giant bronze cauldron?” Shang Xia quipped immediately. He seemed to have processed what the clone said a second later and he continued, “You said that your true body managed to see the reflection of the cauldron… Did he not see the actual treasure?”

Kou Chongxue’s Clone replied helplessly, “That’s right. For it to be classified as a forbidden region, it has to be one of the most dangerous regions in the Celestial Remains. Not even my main body dares to venture too deep. He only tried to look around the outskirts and finding its reflection is already a matter of great luck. We’ll just have to see if the experts of the Yuanchen Sect head over to the forbidden region. If they do, that would mean that the actual artifact is located in there.”

As soon as he was done talking, he realized that Shang Xia was staring at him in an extremely weird way.

Feeling a little uneasy, Kou Chongxue’s Clone looked to see if there was anything wrong with himself before asking, “What’s the matter?”

“Patriarch Kou, disciple has been meaning to ask you this for a while now… Are you actually the main character of our Azure Origin World?” Shang Xia sighed.

A look of confusion appeared on Kou Chongxue’s Clone’s face. “What do you even mean by that?”

Half mumbling to himself, the words eventually left Shang Xia’s lips. “There have been so many Martial Dipper Realm Ancestors looking through this Celestial Remains in the past hundreds of years. No one knows how many times they’ve been here. However, they couldn’t even discover the presence of the Origin Holy Artifact. You came in twice and noticed its reflection… How are the other holy lands supposed to live it down?”

Kou Chongxue’s Clone couldn’t help but retort, “I only noticed its reflection. I can’t be sure…”

“What?” Hearing how the clone stopped talking suddenly, Shang Xia turned his head to look. He noticed a giant streak of starlight falling from above like a heavenly stream. It came from the depths of the Ruined Observatory, falling from the highest of the rock debris.