My Celestial Ascension Chapter 988: Far From Being Powerless

A gloomy atmosphere hung over the town as Yuan and the others made their way toward the few shops that were still open.

One shopkeeper was selling fresh vegetables, yet not a single customer could be seen nearby.

Deciding to learn more about the situation without arousing suspicion, Yuan approached the stall.

"Oh! Finally, some customers!" the shopkeeper exclaimed with a bright smile. "Come, come! I have all kinds of fresh vegetables."

"I’ll take a little of everything you have," Yuan said with a friendly smile.

That way, he could naturally ask about the town’s situation while helping the shopkeeper make a sale.

"Of course! Give me a moment. I’ll pack everything for you," the shopkeeper replied happily as he began gathering the vegetables.

Taking the opportunity, Yuan asked, "By the way, I was wondering why the city looks so empty. Isn’t this supposed to be one of the busiest cities in the Lionheart Empire?"

"You must be from somewhere else," the shopkeeper replied while glancing at him. "Otherwise, you wouldn’t be asking that."

"You’re quite good at reading people at a glance, Shopkeeper," Yuan said with a smile.

"I’ve met too many people throughout my life," the shopkeeper replied. "It’s a skill I’ve picked up over the years."

He paused for a moment before continuing.

"About a month ago, an army of angels appeared across the continent. They’re searching for someone, but they’ve been incredibly aggressive and have already destroyed many cities."

"Since then, they’ve been appearing everywhere without warning. It became so frequent that people stopped going outside, fearing they might provoke the angels and suffer their wrath."

"Nowadays, we live in constant fear. We never know when they’ll appear and destroy this city as well."

Yuan and the others fell silent after hearing his explanation.

None of them had expected the situation to be this severe.

Yuan glanced at Valeria, Vanessa, Rose, Julie, and Ava. Worry was clearly written across their faces after learning what had happened to the continent.

"I see..." Yuan said with a bitter smile. "The situation is even worse than I imagined. Thank you for telling us, Shopkeeper."

After all, he and his companions were the very people the angels were searching for—the reason innocent civilians had been caught in the middle of the chaos.

"No need to thank me, young man," the shopkeeper replied with a kind smile as he handed over the bag of vegetables.

"Your total comes to fifteen silver and twenty-five copper coins."

Yuan took out a gold coin and placed it on the counter.

"I don’t have any silver coins with me. Keep the change."

"T-This is far too much..." the shopkeeper stammered, his hands trembling as he held the gold coin. "I can’t possibly accept this."

"It’s fine," Yuan said with a reassuring smile. "Consider the rest payment for the valuable information you’ve shared."

With that, Yuan and his group left the shop.

The moment they stepped outside, everyone simultaneously sensed several powerful auras approaching the city at tremendous speed.

"I’m sensing five beings with an aura similar to Selvarial’s," Long Yuyan said calmly.

"What?!" Selvarial’s expression instantly turned grave as she clenched her fists.

Dong! Dong! Dong!

A series of loud drumbeats echoed throughout the city.

In an instant, shopkeepers hurriedly shut their doors while pedestrians scattered in panic.

Seeing Yuan’s group still standing in the middle of the street with calm expressions, the vegetable shopkeeper hurriedly shouted,

"What are you all doing?! Run! Find somewhere to hide!"

Yuan gently placed a hand on the man’s shoulder and smiled.

"There’s no need to panic," he said calmly. "A few flies aren’t enough to threaten us."

"You should find a safe place to hide."

"We’ll take care of them."

However, the man became even more panicked after hearing Yuan’s words. His eyes widened in disbelief.

"Take care of them? That’s impossible! They aren’t humans—they’re angels, the servants of the gods!" he muttered in a trembling voice, his face turning deathly pale.

"Fine. Do whatever you want, but don’t drag me into your troubles," he said before hurriedly running away in fear.

"Typical of a mere mortal..." Long Yuyan chuckled softly, finding his reaction rather amusing.

"Well, we can’t really blame him," Yuan said with a faint smile. "He doesn’t possess the strength to stand against an angel. To ordinary people, they’re superior beings."

A short while later, Yuan and the others saw five angels hovering high above the city. Even from a distance, the hostility radiating from them was unmistakable.

"What should we do now?" Anna Grace asked, a sharp glint appearing in her eyes. "Should we eliminate them immediately?"

"Yuan, let me speak with them first," Selvariel said with a serious expression. "I want to know whether they’re acting on their own or following orders from Heaven."

"Alright," Yuan replied with a nod. "Go ahead. After all, they’re your people."

Selvariel immediately embraced him and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Thank you. I’ll find out why they’re attacking innocent cities."

As soon as she finished speaking, she spread her wings.

With a powerful flap, she shot into the sky and flew toward the group of angels.

The angels immediately noticed her approaching figure.

Their expressions instantly froze in shock.

"L-Lady Selvariel?!"

Their eyes widened in disbelief as they recognized her.

"But... how is this possible?" another angel exclaimed. "We all believed you died after confronting that human! How are you still alive?"

"Is my being alive really that surprising?" Selvariel asked with a cold scoff.

Then her expression darkened.

"What are all of you doing here? And what are these disturbing rumors I’ve been hearing?"

"Reporting to Lady Selvariel," one of the angels answered respectfully, "we received direct orders from above to locate the humans who committed the unforgivable sin of killing our gods and bring divine justice upon them."

Selvariel frowned.

"And what does that have to do with terrorizing innocent civilians? Burning cities? Killing people who have nothing to do with this?"

"His Lordship said that a few sacrifices are necessary to lure the sinners out," the angel replied without the slightest hint of guilt. "We’re merely carrying out his orders."

Then he looked at Selvariel with confusion.

"What happened after your disappearance? And what happened to your powers? Why do you seem so weak now?"

"A great many things have happened," Selvariel replied calmly.

"However... you’re wrong about one thing."

She fixed him with a sharp gaze.

"I’m far from powerless."

The moment those words left her lips, she released a portion of her aura.

A terrifying pressure descended upon the five angels, causing their expressions to change dramatically as their bodies trembled uncontrollably.