100\% DROP RATE : Why is My Inventory Always so Full? Chapter 535 - Celestial Dominion

With the most pressing matters concluded, Lucien sought out Eirene immediately.

He found her in the central office, maintaining her characteristic composed demeanor.

Lucien wasted no time in stating his purpose.

"Sister Eirene," he began, "Sister Vivian and I will be departing for a period."

Further explanation was unnecessary. Eirene possessed an exceptional ability to grasp the essence of an intention before it was fully articulated.

"I will manage affairs in your absence," she responded simply.

Vivian, standing beside Lucien, offered Eirene a look of sincere gratitude.

Eirene's gaze momentarily softened as it swept over the pair.

"Exercise caution," she advised. "Both of you."

Lucien offered a faint smile. "We will."

Eirene gave a single, decisive nod.

"I shall maintain stability here."

That was sufficient.

With their farewells exchanged, Lucien and Vivian departed.

•••

They traversed to the Middle Continent via the Covenant of Pathless Sovereignty.

Upon arrival, the Middle Continent unfurled in its vast expanse beneath them.

After a brief observation, Lucien procured the coordinates provided by Seran, synchronized his senses with the indicated direction, and then proceeded with Vivian.

As they journeyed onward, the landscape grew increasingly peculiar.

The very atmosphere underwent a transformation, becoming notably purer.

The environment exuded a profound beauty.

Vivian remained silently by his side.

Her hand had long since tightened its grip on his sleeve, though she seemed unaware of her own action.

Then, they arrived at their destination.

A barrier, colossal and imposing, stood before them.

It manifested as a wall of golden law, seemingly etched across the world by beings who once commanded peace not as an aspiration, but as an absolute right.

Lucien halted his advance. Vivian did the same.

The barrier rendered sight impossible.

Their senses brushed against its surface, only to slide away, as if the barrier itself courteously rebuffed any attempt at comprehension through lesser means.

Lucien extended his hand, pressing his palm against its surface.

It possessed an unyielding solidity.

The Celestial Race had once reigned as supreme arbiters and peacekeepers of the Big World; naturally, their self-imposed seclusion would be absolute, not partial.

Vivian's grip on his arm intensified.

Lucien turned his head, meeting her gaze.

In that exchanged look, the years separating their childhood from the present, all the fear, hesitation, and the lingering ache of past absences, passed between them in silent understanding.

Lucien offered a subtle nod.

He then retrieved the Void Disc once more.

Directly teleporting into a sealed domain would consume an excessive amount of Qi. It mirrored the difficulty he faced when forcing entry into the hidden goblin world within the void.

However, this situation presented an even greater challenge.

The Celestial barrier was demonstrably older, purer, and significantly more potent.

Lucien perceived this immediately.

Despite the formidable nature of the obstacle, he did not hesitate.

Turning to Vivian, he instructed, "Sis. Activate your Wings of Atonement and Halo of Absolution."

Vivian grasped his meaning instantly.

If the Celestials perceived their arrival adorned with the symbols of sacred authority, rather than attempting to infiltrate covertly, there was at least a possibility they would not be immediately classified as intruders.

Vivian complied without delay.

A radiant luminescence unfolded behind her.

Her wings opened, shimmering with a pale brilliance, while the halo formed above her head with quiet solemnity. The instant it materialized, the surrounding atmosphere transformed, becoming purer and undeniably linked to the sacred lineages of the Celestials.

Lucien exhaled softly.

He then activated the disc.

The energy drain was instantaneous.

A colossal quantity of stored Qi was consumed by the teleportation.

The Void Disc vibrated in his hand from the sheer force of the expenditure, and then—

space itself folded.

The barrier did not shatter; instead, it yielded precisely enough to permit the passage of the impossible.

Lucien and Vivian vanished from the presence of the grand golden wall—

only to reappear within the Celestial Dominion.

...

Both combatants froze, stunned.

The spectacle that greeted them was breathtaking, capable of arresting all thought.

The Celestial Dominion was nothing short of paradise.

Islands floated serenely through layered skies, like divine concepts made manifest. Rivers of pure light flowed between terraces constructed of crystal and luminous white stone. Enormous gardens flourished across suspended lands, where flowers emanated their own intrinsic radiance and ancient trees bore leaves resembling living gold. The very air was imbued with divine Qi, so rich and naturally dispersed that mere respiration felt like a restorative act.

Celestials moved gracefully through the heavens.

Some soared openly on luminous wings, while others traversed elegant pathways of light connecting towering structures and elevated districts.

Their cities were not densely packed in apprehension, unlike the settlements of lesser civilizations. Instead, they spread with an air of serene confidence, as if the very land had willingly offered itself to accommodate them.

Lucien surveyed the magnificent vista and understood immediately.

Lootwell was indeed grand.

However, this realm possessed an ancient magnificence.

This was a dominion sculpted by eons, not by rapid advancement.

At that precise moment...

Figures clad in armor approached them.

They closed in simultaneously, swift and without hesitation, descending from various points in a drill so ingrained, Lucien recognized a people who had never let go of vigilance, even within their paradise.

Lucien was braced.

He had already started to organize his explanation in his mind.

He even sent a glance toward Vivian, anticipating that she might require only a moment before matters became complicated.

But then, the unexpected occurred.

He sensed no hostility.

Not even a hint of restraint.

The armored Celestials came to a halt before them, observed them, and then the one leading them bowed his head.

"Friends," he announced, "we have been anticipating your arrival."

Lucien and Vivian exchanged perplexed glances.

Then they looked at each other.

Lucien felt more surprised than he was willing to display.

The world had forgotten him. So why would anyone within this secluded domain expect him?

Noticing their bewilderment, the armored Celestial's expression softened.

He appeared to be an older man by his demeanor, though not by any signs of decay. His eyes held the serene depth of one long accustomed to demanding responsibilities.

"Our leaders gave instructions before they entered their slumber," he stated. "They informed us that someone would arrive when the time was right. We were to await them."

That utterance gave Lucien pause.

The Celestial continued, "And our senses are quite sharp. We can discern intentions well enough to know when someone approaches with malice in their heart."

His gaze then fixed upon Vivian.

"And this young woman..." He paused, his voice trailing off. "She carries their resemblance."

That particular observation required no further elaboration.

Vivian's fingers gently tugged at Lucien’s sleeve once more.

He gave a slight nod.

Virel and Aniel.

The leaders of the Celestial Race.

Their parents.

Yet, if these Celestials had been anticipating a legitimate arrival, then another truth must also hold.

Something had gone awry.

The lead armored Celestial stepped aside, gesturing for them to proceed. "Please, come with us. I must apologize for receiving you in this manner. Once the Grand Barrier was fully erected, it ceased to be a portal we could control freely. It now responds only with great difficulty."

Lucien finally spoke.

"It is we who must ask forgiveness for our intrusion."

Then, recognizing there was no point in concealing their true purpose, he added, "As you have likely surmised, we are connected to your leaders. We journeyed here because we needed to ascertain their current state. How do they fare?"

The question immediately altered the atmosphere.

The surrounding Celestials seemed to deflate.

The primary guard briefly lowered his gaze.

"They still slumber," he replied softly. "Before they lost consciousness, they mentioned that someone would arrive. They expressed hope that those who came might possess the cure."

Lucien felt a powerful sensation constrict his chest.

He should have arrived earlier.

That thought surfaced instantly, yet was ultimately unhelpful.

But the more profound reality beneath it held greater significance.

They were alive.

If they remained asleep, then a connection could still be made.

That knowledge was sufficient to sustain hope.

The Celestials guided them further into their domain.

As Lucien and Vivian ventured deeper, Lucien couldn't help but survey their surroundings with heightened attention.

The expanse was truly vast.

Numerous races resided within this place.

Humans were among the most evident.

They thrived here.

The Celestial Race had provided protection, fostered their growth, and integrated them into the dominion's life without diminishing them into mere decorative beings.

Lucien observed children darting through sunlit courtyards. Human cultivators training alongside beings of other species. Families inhabiting spacious neighborhoods bathed in light and governed by serene order.

And he could feel a pervasive divine energy all around.

It emanated from the inhabitants as well. They had undergone a spiritual transformation.

Lucien recognized it instantly.

This beautiful, controlled, egalitarian paradise. This unwavering principle that true power, if it held any meaning, had to extend protection to others.

That described them perfectly.

It brought forth a flood of memories.

Their humble origins. Their modest estate. The days when life had been simpler, smaller, yet profoundly joyful. Their parents stood at the heart of that tranquility, exhibiting the same unshakeable resolve they had evidently brought to this Celestial domain.

Vivian was quietly weeping again by then, but she continued forward.

Before long, the Celestials led them towards a magnificent palace constructed from white crystal and living gold.

It was situated at the core of one of the most sacred elevated regions, appearing as if it had partially grown and partially been built, with walls that captured light like a frozen dawn and corridors that curved in accordance with the solemn geometry of divine law.

Within, the atmosphere underwent another shift.

The external beauty persisted, but now it deepened into an profound stillness.

They traversed a series of halls and winding corridors so intricate they felt almost like a labyrinth.

The silence intensified. The light grew softer. Even Lucien, who had entered prepared for the unknown, felt his own breathing gradually slow.

Then, the Celestials paused before a grand chamber.

Soon...

The doors swung open.

And Lucien beheld them.

Virel. Aniel.

Side by side, they were arranged upon jade beds, bathed in the soft, luminous glow of a ward-light. Their slumber was so profound, so tranquil, that for a heart-stopping moment, one might have believed nothing had befallen them at all.

Their visages were familiar.

Agonizingly familiar.

Though these beings were Celestials, not the mortal forms they once inhabited in the world below, the likeness was undeniable in the features that truly mattered. The delicate contour of their faces. The serene resting of their mouths. That peculiar, ancient kindness that seemed to emanate even from their unconscious stillness.

It was undeniably them.

Their father. Their mother.

Vivian was the first to break.

A sob escaped her lips before she could contain it.

Then, she moved, a desperate flight.

The Celestials offered no impediment.

By this juncture, the resemblance between their leaders and the female visitor had become too striking to disregard, and the raw grief radiating from Vivian's movements posed no threat.

She reached the beds and sank to her knees between them, her body wracked with tremors.

"Mother..." she breathed, her voice barely a whisper.

Then, with even less strength, "Father..."

Lucien halted several paces behind her.

He had believed himself prepared.

He had been mistaken.

For this was no longer a matter of abstract contemplation.

They were truly here.

Vivian bowed over them, her tears flowing unchecked.

Standing in that hallowed chamber, with the silent Celestials forming a circle around him, Lucien understood with a piercing certainty that he and Vivian had just attained something they had long ago consigned to the realm of the lost.

They had rediscovered their parents.

And now—

The arduous task of awakening them lay before them.