Immortal Paladin

372 The Celestial Wall

The spiritual boat glided across the sky like a silver feather, its hull carved from refined starwood and powered by a formation core only the Empire could manufacture. The Beast Court normally relied on spirit beasts or land-bound palanquins for long-distance travel, so Da Ji’s decision to borrow this from the Empire was… extravagant. Flashy, even. The moment we ascended into the clouds, every beast disciple stared wide-eyed, some smashing their snouts against the railings just to breathe in the high-altitude air.

Because Da Ji was feeling generous, she allowed the entire Beast Court delegation to tag along. The exchange program to the Heavenly Academy at Celestial Step City usually required sixty days of road travel. With this boat? Five days at most, with scenic sunrise and spiritual wind included.

The deck felt lively. Most of the beast disciples from wolf-eared twins, a doe-eyed girl with antlers, a fox boy with two tails, and a stout boar lad hovered around the edge of the Fifth to Sixth Realm. Ren Jingyi was the sole outlier. She looked like a teenager despite being Seventh Realm and over a century old, but with beasts… youthful appearances lingered long past their years. I supposed that was one perk of being ‘technically’ part-dog: no wrinkles at all until the Ninth Realm.

I glanced at Chen Wei. He leaned against the railing with an air of elegance that betrayed none of his grim origin.

Our supervisors stood together at the bow: Da Ji, looking unfathomably beautiful as always; Elder Zhu Bo, the ox scholar from the Heavenly Temple with thick spectacles perched on his bull-like nose; and Huli Jianzhu, the tiger martial artist whose every movement looked like she was ready to break someone’s spine.

As for me… I was stuck in the form of an adorable golden-haired high schooler with fluffy retriever ears drooping at every emotional shift. It was humiliating. Cute, apparently, but humiliating.

“Ahem, it isn’t like I am not enjoying it… ugh… yanderer spirits, leave me be!”

“He’s being weird again,” murmured one of the disciples.

“Don’t mind him,” added Ren Jingyi.

In beast society, Seventh Realm and below were treated like children, and those at Fourth Realm or lower were basically infants. That standard extended to the Heavenly Temple as well. Meaning half of us, me included, were considered toddlers in their eyes. Wonderful.

Still, this form had its perks. People underestimated me, so other cultivators tended to spill a lot of interesting information in front of me. I approached Elder Zhu Bo, offering a proper cupped-fist salute. “Elder Zhu Bo, may I trouble you with a question?”

“Ohohohoh! Of course, young pup!” The ox’s tail swayed behind him, nearly knocking over a passing boar disciple. “A healthy curiosity nourishes a bright future. Speak.”

“What do you think of the war?”

His thick eyebrows lifted, but he only laughed again. “Ohohohoh! No need to burden your small shoulders with such matters. The tides of war wash far above the heads of children. Focus on cultivation. That is all a young one must do.”

Meaning: he wasn’t taking sides, at least not openly. For someone affiliated with the Heavenly Temple, he felt surprisingly… harmless. The ox scholar’s neutrality was refreshing, but also suspicious. I didn’t dare attempt Divine Possession or Transcendent Heart on him. If he turned out to be a hidden powerhouse, he might notice. And if he noticed… well, I didn’t want to imagine my soul evaporating like burnt incense.

Besides, with the main body gone, I had to be careful. I couldn’t risk harming any of us six souls. Our agreement after the tavern meeting was simple: nothing hidden, no secrets. Human Soul even threatened to tattle to Alice if anyone concealed information.

And if Alice got involved… Even Asura would probably kneel. I swallowed.

The spiritual boat slowed down.

A massive, ancient, and impossibly tall shadow fell over us. I walked to the railing with the rest of the disciples, feeling the collective breath catch in our throats.

A cliff rose before us.

No… Calling it a cliff was too soft. It was a mountain wall, a continent-sized slab of light gray stone stretching upward so far it pierced the clouds and vanished beyond sight. The surface shone faintly, as if etched with runes older than the Hollowed World itself. On that impossible wall, staircases zigzagged like thin threads, carved so high that even with my Divine Sense, I couldn’t find an end.

Elder Zhu Bo spread his arms proudly.

“Behold, young ones, this is the Celestial Wall!”

The moment our feet touched solid ground again, the giant cliff loomed in full view. Now that we were closer, the Celestial Wall looked even more overwhelming. Its stone surface pulsed faintly, like a slumbering immortal breathing through a thousand layers of formations.

The Heavenly Temple had always been a secretive power. Even in the Empire, the most classified reports suggested that everything we knew publicly from territories, temples, sects, and armies was only half of their true influence. The other half was rumored to exist inside pocket dimensions, grand arrays, and ancient formations scattered across the Hollowed World.

The Celestial Wall was one of those formations, created by real immortals to hide the Temple’s core forces. Unfortunately, the only people who truly knew its nature were the ones behind it, and they weren’t exactly open to interviews.

Zhu Bo turned toward us with a proud smile and lifted his staff. “Young ones, this exchange program serves a crucial purpose. The Heavenly Temple opens its gates only to foster harmony among the great powers. Mutual prosperity stems from shared skills and knowledge. Treat this seriously. The relationships you build here may one day save your sects.”

Several disciples nodded earnestly. Others tried to look calm. A few whispered among themselves, throwing uneasy glances up the endless wall.

Da Ji stepped forward when Zhu Bo called out, “Elder Da Ji, please guard the center. Elder Huli Jianzhu, take the rear.”

The tiger woman cracked her knuckles. “Leave it to me.”

We started the ascent. The stairs wound upward without pattern, stretching toward a height that felt impossible. Zhu Bo led confidently. Da Ji walked in the middle, with Huli Jianzhu behind us like a striped guardian. I stayed close to Da Ji, Chen Wei, and Ren Jingyi.

About two hundred steps up, Chen Wei’s face turned pale.

“Un… I mean, young master… are we not too high?” he whispered, gripping the railing like it might flee.

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I blinked at him. “Chen Wei… you’ve been in outer space. This shouldn’t bother you.”

“That was different…” he muttered shakily. “I was unconscious half the time.”

Ren Jingyi puffed up her chest proudly. “Senior Brother Chen Wei, don’t worry! I’ll protect you!”

Da Ji immediately wrapped her arms around him from the side, her tail curling behind him in a protective loop. “Mommy will protect you too.”

“Mother—! Please!” Chen Wei’s ears turned bright red. “Everyone is staring!”

Everyone was indeed staring.

A wolf-boy whispered, “Is that… normal?”

His sister whispered back, “Maybe they have a very close… family culture?”

I covered my face. Ugh… so much for staying low-profile. Ren Jingyi, cheering them on, didn’t help either.

For the record, Chen Wei looked nothing like Da Ji. Her ears were distinctly fox-like while his were pointed like an elf’s. His features took after Chin Enlai far more with a sharp jawline, delicate brows, and a calm warrior-like air. Only their silver hair matched.

To outsiders, it probably looked like blatant favoritism. Cultivation-less boy with a fox elder mother? Suspicious.

But appearances deceived.

Chen Wei didn’t walk the conventional path. His cultivation belonged to the Transcendent Path. After everything he went through on the False Earth, the history he carried, and the blessings I gave him, attaining Legendary rank came naturally. Well, relatively speaking. Nothing about the Transcendent Path was easy, but I trusted him. That was why I agreed to let him join when Da Ji insisted.

I even made him use an Egress Skill Book. Worst-case scenario, he’d vanish from danger instantly. Ren Jingyi had one too.

We climbed for what felt like an eternity, yet none of us were tired. The air rippled strangely, and in the blink of an eye, the stairs ended.

We were suddenly standing on a vast plateau made of cloudstone. Behind us, the stairs vanished entirely. Where the path once existed, only endless clouds swirled as if nothing had been there to begin with.

I barely had time to take in the sight when a crushing spiritual pressure descended on us. It was calm yet immense, like a deep lake hiding an ancient beast. A Tenth Realm presence pressed lightly against our bodies, testing us.

A mirage split open before us, forming a ceremonial archway etched with wave-like patterns. From within its shimmering depths stepped a kindly old man dressed in robes dyed blue and silver. His long beard flowed like drifting mist.

“Welcome, young guests,” he said with a warm smile. “I am Lord Indigo Lake… Gatekeeper of the Celestial Wall.”

“Pretentious,” Da Ji muttered under her breath, but loud enough for every elder within three meters to hear.

The Beast Court elders stiffened. Lord Indigo Lake’s cheek twitched, the kind of twitch a man made when he was deciding whether to pretend he didn’t hear or smite someone on the spot. He chose the former, probably because this was supposed to be a diplomatic program.

Meanwhile, I pinched Da Ji’s arm.

She turned, staring down at me with the calm, smug eyes of a fox who knew I couldn’t do a thing to her. Then she patted my head.

I sighed helplessly.

Around us, disciples of various factions gathered in loose clusters. I spotted flags and robes from the Martial Alliance and the Union. A few independents were mixed in, too, with rogue cultivators with enough talent or luck to earn scholarships to the Heavenly Academy.

Lord Indigo Lake cleared his throat, switching to a grand tone. “A pity, truly… I see no disciples from the Grand Ascension Empire this year. In the past, the Sky Clan and the Seeker Clan would send their brightest to our academy. Even the previous Emperor held high admiration for us.”

No shit.

Nongmin himself complained to me that while the Heavenly Academy was impressive, it was also toxic. Too focused on ranking, prestige, and poaching disciples from other factions. He always said the academy shaped Celestial Step City into a picture-perfect, glittering lie to lure cultivators in.

Half the time, Nongmin sounded jealous, but knowing him, there was definitely truth mixed in.

Lord Indigo Lake wasn’t done. He lifted his chin and continued, “Such a loss. Truly, the Grand Ascension Empire has fallen from grace. Unlike the wise leaders of the Union, ever expanding their understanding of the world, or the noble clans of the Martial Alliance who maintain peace for the common cultivators, the Empire now follows a foolish emperor who knows nothing but war.”

The flattery hit its mark. Union elites puffed up with pride. Martial Alliance disciples smiled and whispered happily.

…Sheesh. There had to be a limit to kissing ass.

“Oh! Oh! Oh!” Ren Jingyi flailed her hand wildly. “Me! Me! I have something to say!”

Lord Indigo Lake visibly struggled with himself. But he forced a smile. “What is it, little one?”

“It’s not the Grand Ascension Empire anymore!” she said proudly. “It’s the Holy Ascension Empire!”

A few disciples murmured in surprise.

Lord Indigo Lake sighed with exaggerated politeness. “Ah, forgive this old man. I do try to keep up with current events.” Then his eyes sharpened and his voice dropped. “But no. I refuse to acknowledge this… fledgling power as anything but the Grand Ascension Empire.”

He released spiritual pressure focused entirely on Ren Jingyi. Her knees trembled, face paling.

Da Ji immediately wrapped cold qi around her and me, shielding us both.

“But why?” Ren Jingyi squeaked.

The old man’s voice echoed, resonant and sharp. “Because Emperor Nongmin, wise, learned, and born of true imperial lineage, is the final emperor of a noble house. As for this ‘Da Wei’…” His lips curled. “He is a nobody. A tyrant who annexed the Empire with brute force.”

I snorted.

Lord Indigo Lake snapped his attention to me, slamming more spiritual pressure my way. My skin prickled painfully, but compared to the things I’d faced, this was child’s play. I held my ground.

Da Ji tightened her protection, her cold qi forming a barrier that eased the pressure.

I bowed slightly and said, “Sorry, sorry. But… isn’t Nongmin also known as a tyrant?”

Gasps. Some stifled laughter. Ren Jingyi covered her mouth. Chen Wei stared at me like I’d lost my mind.

Lord Indigo Lake’s face twitched again, violently this time.

“No one is perfect,” he said stiffly. “But unlike the so-called Holy Emperor…” His eyes glinted with disdain. “At least Nongmin did not call himself a god.”

Ah. So that was the angle.

They planned to demonize me.

I never once called myself a god. The theology behind the Great Guard was built on the idea that the “god” and “demon” existed within every person. Becoming good meant nurturing the god in your heart; becoming wicked meant letting the demon take over. That was the whole point. Da Ji and Alice were the real architects of the faith. If anyone understood the doctrine best, it was the two of them.

Besides, “godhood” was a common concept in this world. Cultivators openly pursued it. Beasts achieved it. Enlightened monks achieved it. Sin-devouring monsters achieved it. Even wicked demons who terrified entire regions ascended to it through fear and power.

So being singled out like this was downright unfair.

“What’s wrong with that?” Ren Jingyi asked, blinking innocently. “And… did he really call himself that?”

Lord Indigo Lake went silent.

For someone at his cultivation, this had to be the first time such a simple question left him speechless. He couldn’t just lash out. Too many eyes. Too many talents. Too many political consequences, especially with Da Ji staring him down, looking fully ready to bite his head off.

It also helped that the Great Guard religion was wildly popular, thanks to the Guardians traveling around helping people every day.

Ren Jingyi took a breath and continued, her voice clear and honest.

“The Great Guard believes everyone is their own guardian. A guardian of their soul. If you fill your heart with malice, you drift farther from godliness… and hurt the god that lives inside you.” She tapped her chest. “Even I have a god in here. But I’m not perfect, so I’d feel ashamed to call myself a god. I want to be god-like first. That’s enough.”

Some whispers rose in the crowd.

She continued, “Everyone here has that same spark. It doesn’t matter your faction or your race. If becoming god-like is wrong, then why does everyone pursue cultivation to begin with?”

I stared at her.

This was the most eloquent I’d ever heard Ren Jingyi speak. I was honestly impressed… and ashamed. I knew less about the Great Guard than she did. And somehow, I was the “figurehead.”

But before the crowd could sway further, Lord Indigo Lake raised a hand.

“Child,” he said slowly, “your words are sincere. But misguided.” He lifted his sleeve, assuming the posture of a Daoist preacher. “In the teachings of the Dao, divinity is not a convenience or an inheritance of emotion. To tread the path of a god is to transcend karma and abandon mortal delusion. And in the sutras of the Buddha…” He began to chant softly. “…one must sever desire and empty the self. Godhood is not self-proclaimed. It is earned by relinquishing the very self you claim holds a god within.”

Ren Jingyi frowned slightly.

So they were pushing the theological attack.

Asura and Human predicted this months ago. The conflict with the Heavenly Temple would turn into a holy war. And now I could see it clearly that the Heavenly Temple was ramping up their slander, trying to twist the Great Guard into a heretical cult, delegitimize the faith’s popularity, and pave the way for a “justified” crusade.

Everything clicked together.

The Martial Alliance tensions. The spread of rumors. The “tyrant emperor” narrative. The selective history.

Ren Jingyi lifted her hand again.

“Can’t two things be true at once?” she asked quietly.

The plateau fell into momentary silence.

Even Lord Indigo Lake paused.