C233 Mark of the Celestials!

The Ebon Star Sect, renowned throughout the Everlands, was a miraculous phenomenon.

Perched amidst the Nine Heavens, the sect comprised nine palatial structures.

Each palace, grand and solemn, rivaled the size of mountains.

Known also as the Heavenly Palace, these structures of the Ebon Star Sect floated in the sky.

The Nine Palaces Array, an extraordinary formation, was the pinnacle of seventh level arrays!

Legend has it that each palace within the Ebon Star's Nine Palaces Array contained a seal that served as the lynchpin to activate the entire array.

These nine seals, known as the Marks of the Celestials, corresponded to the nine palaces.

Regardless of the distance, as long as one was within the Everlands, Ebon Star Sect members could harness a portion of their corresponding palace's power through the Mark of the Celestials in their possession.

The power accessible to a Sigil Keeper varied, naturally, with their level of mastery.

As one of the three great upper sects of Euwrea, the Ebon Star would fully activate the Nine Palaces Array only during all-out war with the Land of Quiescence.

During such times, all nine Marks of the Celestials were required to be placed within each respective palace.

Otherwise, the nine Marks of the Celestials were dispersed.

Each Mark held profound significance for the Ebon Star Sect. To be entrusted with one, a member must have either earned deep trust from the sect, demonstrated exceptional abilities, or made significant contributions.

Only then would they be deemed worthy of possessing a Mark of the Celestials.

The Mark served as both a badge of identity and a testament to one's power.

Most Ebon Star cultivators wielding a Mark of the Celestials found that many issues could be effortlessly resolved by presenting it.

Whether in Aetherius, Euwrea, or even across various regions in the Land of Quiescence, the Mark of the Celestials consistently proved its remarkable efficacy.

In the southern reaches of the Land of Quiescence, esteemed organizations like the Order of Healing, the Skyreach Consortium, and the Artifact Sect, also held the Mark of the Celestials in high regard.

The Sigil Keeper, capable of representing the Ebon Star, the Sword Sect, the Sunlit Order, and other sects of equal standing, commanded immense respect.

The lower sects and the various empires of Aetherius approached with even greater caution.

Only the brazen demons and monsters from the Devil Palace and Shadow's Keep would dare to disrespect the Sigil Keeper and act with impunity.

Mei Qiurong was not well-known in Euwrea; Guan Xianyun and others had never heard of her. Thus, they were taken aback to learn she possessed the Mark of the Celestials.

When the Mark of the Celestials was revealed, and Loong Tianxiao retreated in defeat, Mei Qiurong stood tall and proud. It was then that everyone in Gloomhollow realized—Mei Qiurong might not fear the entity within the miasma, for she wielded the Mark of the Celestials!

With the Mark of the Celestials present, who could challenge its power?

"I beg the Guru's forgiveness!" exclaimed a cultivator from the Empire of Dawn, gazing at the Mark of the Celestials before kneeling and bowing his head in a soft plea for Mei Qiurong's pardon for his earlier hesitation.

"Please, Guru, overlook my foolishness!" he implored.

Following his lead, the others who had pledged their loyalty to her, yet hesitated at Yu Yuan's words, became increasingly frantic, bowing in reverence.

Many among them were not significantly weaker than Mei Qiurong in terms of power or experience, and were indeed much older.

Yet, in the presence of the Ebon Star and the Mark of the Celestials, they could not muster the will to rebel, instead begging for Mei Qiurong's mercy with the utmost humility.

Meanwhile, Guan Xianyun, Zanas, and a few other cultivators who had merely observed from the sidelines fell silent.

If it were merely the Ebon Star, they might not have been so wary of an obscure cultivator.

But with the appearance of the Mark of the Celestials, everything changed.

Mei Qiurong's past obscurity was irrelevant; possessing the Mark of the Celestials, she undoubtedly held a unique and esteemed position within the Ebon Star.

Such a Mei Qiurong was certainly not to be taken lightly.

After a brief hesitation, Guan Xianyun whispered to Zanas, "The Mark of the Celestials has been revealed; we should abandon our plans against the Poison Master. Furthermore..."

He gestured above his head and continued, "Even if it escapes its magical prison, it's unlikely to overpower Mei Qiurong, who possesses the Mark of the Celestials. We'd be wise to distance ourselves and claim ignorance of the entire matter."

Zanas sighed deeply and nodded in resignation.

They had assumed that with the combat prowess of three at the Lunar Spirit level, they could have their way in the Serpent Spine Mountains.

After all, Shi Yuxuan, the current leader of the Sacred Hands, was merely in the late stages of the Lunar Spirit Realm, a level they matched in both rank and power.

Who could have predicted such a series of unforeseen events?

Now, not only had a member of the Ebon Star Sect emerged, but he had also produced a Mark of the Celestials!

The dynamics within Gloomhollow had shifted in an instant. It was no longer the domain of those shrouded in the poisonous mists, beyond their full control.

"Yu Yuan, is it?" Mei Qiurong's Lunar Spirit, which had paused the Maelstrom of Oblivion's rotation for a moment, now appeared unusually at ease after she revealed the Mark of the Celestials. "I'm quite intrigued."

At the mouth of the cave, Yu Yuan felt the three souls of heaven, earth, and man suddenly become immobilized.

He didn't experience the sensation of being whisked away instantly.

From this, he deduced that Mei Qiurong's curiosity was piqued; she wanted to learn something through him.

The Maelstrom of Oblivion was a fearsome force. Should his three souls leave his body and be caught in its vortex, they would likely be extinguished in the blink of an eye, leaving no trace behind.

In such a case, every memory imprinted on the earthly soul would be irretrievably lost.

Mei Qiurong would then be unable to glean anything further through him.

The Maelstrom of Oblivion was an art of Spirit Extinction, not Mindflay.

"I'm quite curious. You're clearly only at the Soul Awakening Realm, yet there's an unusual aura about your heaven soul," Mei Qiurong said, her eyes narrowing as she scrutinized him with her Lunar Spirit. "It doesn't add up. At your level, you shouldn't have been able to endure for so long."

Under the casting of the Maelstrom of Oblivion, not even those in the Subtlety Realm should be able to withstand its power, let alone those in the Soul Awakening Realm. The three souls of heaven, earth, and man should have instantly been torn from their mortal coils and sucked into the Maelstrom of Oblivion to be utterly destroyed. Yet, Yu Yuan had managed to endure for an unexpectedly long time.

She, who had unwavering faith in the Maelstrom of Oblivion, was baffled. How could Yu Yuan, a mere cultivator at the Soul Awakening Realm, still be alive? How could he manage to maintain the clarity of his spiritual wisdom, keeping the three souls of heaven, earth, and man anchored within his Mindscape? It defied all logic.

"Boom!"

In the midst of his speech, the Mark of the Celestials was released from his grasp once more, transforming into an imposing celestial palace.

"Dang! Dang! Dang!"

Three slender, jade-like bones struck the palace, emitting the sharp clang of metal on metal and casting forth blinding light before swiftly retracting back into the miasma cloud.

Initially, no new bones descended from the heavens.

Concealed within the miasma, after another fruitless attack, it seemed to realize that killing Mei Qiurong wouldn't be easy. With the Mark of the Celestials at her command, the swirling smoke and toxic smog couldn't even come close to her. Thanks to Yu Yuan's warning, Mei Qiurong, once his primary target, had become a significant challenge.

She appeared to be quite the formidable opponent to defeat.

"Loong Tianxiao, would you be willing to join me as a servant and become a counselor for my Ebon Star?" Mei Qiurong, with her dominant and heaven souls presiding, gazed coldly at the towering figure with a human head and dragon body. "I know a bit about your past and origins. I thought you had been crushed long ago. I believed you were dead, but to my surprise, you're still alive. And as long as you're alive, you have value to me."

The palace, manifested from the Mark of the Celestials, soared towards Loong Tianxiao. A radiant light, spanning tens of thousands of feet, burst forth from the palace, bathing Loong Tianxiao in its glow.

Gloomhollow was only so vast, and the space occupied by Loong Tianxiao was but a small corner of it.

In the land illuminated by the Mark of the Celestials, Loong Tianxiao's roar echoed as his form expanded, growing to nearly a hundred meters in length. His golden dragon scales shimmered brilliantly, as if they were tangible.

Immersed in the radiant light of the Mark of the Celestials, Loong Tianxiao shrieked in agony, his expression etched with humiliation. Clenching his teeth, he remained silent, enduring the torment of his spirited body.

"I'm asking you a question!"

Elsewhere, Mei Qiurong was adeptly handling two tasks at once. Using her Lunar Spirit, she interrogated Yu Yuan, "By what method did you refine your Heaven Soul? If not for its peculiar nature, the Maelstrom of Oblivion from my sect would have claimed your life countless times by now."

"The refinement of the Heaven Soul..."

A flicker of realization crossed Yu Yuan's face as he recalled the technique of Soul Forging through Enlightenment. He also remembered that after his escape from the Moonfall Sanctuary, he could continue to practice the technique simply by concentrating on it. Moreover, he could subtly connect with the four ancient black characters beneath the Soulforge Pool.

The Ebon Star's Maelstrom of Oblivion had failed to extract his three souls of heaven, earth, and man, precisely because his Heaven Soul was both peculiar and potent. It appeared to resist the pull of the vortex, maintaining the order of his spiritual wisdom.

In a way, his Heaven Soul seemed to possess the ability to slightly counteract the Maelstrom of Oblivion.

The Soul Forging through Enlightenment hailed from the Boulderdawn, once the fourth greatest sect in the Everlands for soul techniques before its fall. The Soulforge Pool was a product of their legacy!

A spark of insight flashed through Yu Yuan's mind. Taking a deep breath, he disregarded all distractions and began to practice the Soul Forging through Enlightenment, attuning himself to the Soulforge Pool.

In an instant, an intricate and profound soul connect was established between him and the four ancient black characters, bridging the distance through the air!

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