📖 Chapter 959 - Highest Status!

03 May, 2023

While the little fatty was gloating internally, Wang Baole remained seated within the palace hall. His expression was serene as he finished adjusting his breathing.

When his eyes opened, they were filled with bright light that seemed to illuminate the originally dark palace hall like a flash of lightning.

“I’ve taken a small step forward in the great circle of the Spirit Immortal Realm… More importantly, my divine soul has become more refined!” Wang Baole muttered. With the dense spiritual energy within the palace as well as the blessing of the world, Wang Baole’s cultivation base had managed to improve a bit over the past seven days, and he felt a sense of oneness across his entire body. More than that, he even had a feeling like he was a bowl on the verge of overflowing.

Although he didn’t understand his current state very well, he sensed that perhaps… he had really reached the true pinnacle of the Spirit Immortal Realm!

This pinnacle referred not only to the cultivation base, but also included his divine soul. To a certain extent, excluding external objects, this clone was already the same as his true body. Aside from the lack of a fleshly body, everything else was exactly the same.

“Once I reach the Planet Realm and merge back into my original body, my battle prowess… will far exceed anyone else in the same realm!” The light of anticipation gleamed in Wang Baole’s eyes. His aura surged, causing fluctuations to ripple throughout the palace hall. At that moment, a respectful voice came from outside the hall.

“My lord, the hour is approaching. If you have finished your cultivation session, may we enter? We’ve been sent to help you bathe and change your clothes.”

Wang Baole stood up after sensing his cultivation base one last time, waving his hand. The door opened, and three paper human cutouts walked in. All three of them had the appearances of women, with delicate and charming faces. They looked like they had walked right out of a painting. Moreover, there was a gentleness and warmth to them that hadn’t been present before. When they looked at Wang Baole, there seemed to be a hint of shyness in their respectful attitudes.

Wang Baole blinked.

‘Don’t tell me my charm has increased so much without me noticing? Even paper human cutouts are falling in love with me?’

Burying this shameless thought, Wang Baole coughed dryly and hurriedly spoke.

“No need for that. I heard the ringing of a bell just now. Is the ceremony about to begin?”

When they saw Wang Baole’s reaction, the three paper human cutouts covered their mouths and laughed. Their eyes brightened and one of them responded with a clear voice.

“Don’t worry, my lord. You are a distinguished guest of our Starfall Empire, so you will enter alongside His Majesty the Emperor at the ninth ring of the bell. The fifth ring hasn’t even arrived yet. If you appear early and have to wait there, it would be an insult to you.”

"Ninth ring?" Wang Baole blinked. Although he felt that entering alongside the red-lined paper human cutout was a good way to show off, he still couldn’t help but ask another question.

“What about my companions? After how many rings will they enter?”

“They can only enter after the fourth ring. They need to wait for you and His Majesty to arrive.” One of the women said with a smile. Then she stepped forward to help Wang Baole bathe.

Wang Baole hesitated for a moment, but in the end he didn’t refuse the three beauties’ help. However, their “bathing” was different from the bathing he had imagined. Rather than disrobing him and washing him in water, the bathing of the Starfall Empire involved sprinkling him with powder. This powder was very effective in cleansing his body, and at the same time left a light and refreshing fragrance behind.

As for “changing clothes”… the Starfall Empire clearly held Wang Baole in high esteem and had presented him with a special robe. This robe was made of paper, of course, but no matter how he looked at it, he was completely unable to tell that. In fact, it felt more like exquisite silk.

With the three women’s help, the white robe was quickly fitted on Wang Baole’s body. The stark contrast of the white robe against his black hair made him look elegant and handsome, and his aura seemed to integrate better with the world around him.

The bathing and changing clothes took a while, and by the time they were done, the eighth ring of the bell had just sounded. Finally, the three women bowed toward Wang Baole, eyes shining with anticipation.

“My lord, please come with us.”

Wang Baole felt very satisfied as he touched the robe on his body. In a joyous mood, he chatted and laughed with the three women as they led him to a pavilion in the depths of the palace.

Due to their veneration toward Wang Baole, the three beauties dutifully answered all his questions along the way. Thus, Wang Baole came to have a strong understanding of the ceremonial sacrifice to the heavens. He also gradually noticed that the direction they were headed in seemed to be the back door to the main palace hall.

According to what he knew, the Starfall Emperor would be presiding over the ceremony, and the ceremony would take place in the Falling Star Plaze outside the palace’s main hall. The Falling Star Plaze was extremely vast and could accommodate a hundred thousand people at the same time. Those with the qualifications to step into the plaza entered at different times according to their status.

The earlier they entered, the more they would have to wait. The Starfall Emperor would be the last to enter. Its entrance signified the official beginning of the ceremonial sacrifice to the heavens.

When his thoughts reached this point, although Wang Baole had some suspicions of his own, he couldn’t help but ask a question.

“We… are going to the palace’s main hall?”

“Yes, His Majesty is waiting for you there.” One of the women beside him replied with a smile and brought Wang Baole to the back door of the palace’s main hall. When they opened the door, he could see a small path, at the end of which was the main hall of the palace.

After seeing him off to this point, the three beauties didn’t continue walking. They bowed deeply to Wang Baole and didn’t rise, as if they had to wait for him to leave before lifting their heads.

Wang Baole hesitated for a moment. His expression slowly turned solemn, then he stepped past the door onto that small path. The moment he did, he immediately felt streams of divine sense sweep across his body; however, they dissipated as soon as they touched him. Just like that, Wang Baole walked without stopping until he reached the end of the path, and then… he stepped into the main hall of the Starfall Empire’s imperial palace!

He was close to the imperial throne, and he could see the entire hall from where he was. Although everything in the hall was made of paper, that paper was very colorful. At the same time, whether it was the huge pillars or the grand statues, the whole hall gave off a feeling of majesty.

Hundreds of paper human cutouts were standing in the hall, completely motionless. However, when they saw Wang Baole, most of them inclined their heads in a nod, with eyes full of gratitude and appreciation.

“Little friend, have you rested well?”

As Wang Baole’s gaze swept across the hall, he suddenly heard a gentle voice. Turning his head, Wang Baole saw the red-lined paper human cutout on the other side of the throne.

“Greetings, Senior. This junior has been cultivating hard for the past few days. Your kindness has been of great help!” Wang Baole cupped his fists and bowed.

“Good, good. Although cultivators like us rely on fortune, our mental state is also very important. Sometimes, the reason you can’t obtain something is just because of poor timing or lack of fate.” The red-lined paper human cutout smiled as it stood up and began walking. Its words immediately caused Wang Baole’s thoughts to turn.

‘There’s a hidden meaning in these words…’ Wang Baole thought for a bit before giving a tentative reply.

“Senior, in this junior’s hometown, we have a saying: ‘Everything you miss is for the sake of the best future’.”

As soon as he spoke, the red-lined paper human cutout stopped its steps. It seemed to think about those words carefully, then its eyes showed a strange light. Looking back at Wang Baole, it suddenly laughed.

“I look forward to seeing what your best future is!

“Little friend, follow me outside. The ceremonial sacrifice to the heavens is about to begin!” The red-lined paper human cutout resumed walking toward the outside of the hall. Wang Baole suppressed the thoughts whirling in his mind and followed it. As they walked side by side, hundreds of paper human cutouts followed behind.

Soon, Wang Baole and the red-lined paper human cutout walked to the gate of the palace. Because the palace’s main hall was at a higher elevation than the plaza outside, Wang Baole could see the center of the plaza with a single glance. There, there was a giant azure drum, three hundred meters tall!

This drum was filled with an aura of ancientness. Although he was too far away to see it clearly, Wang Baole could still feel the shocking presence it exuded. Just looking at it, Wang Baole’s heart pounded; it felt like he was seeing the vast starry sky, and all the stars and planets within!

It was precisely because this drum was so vast and shocking that Wang Baole didn’t even glance at the rest of the plaza. Densely packed into orderly rows were tens of thousands of figures!

He also didn’t notice that among the tens of thousands of figures, there were the figures of the masked woman and the other Chosen. Naturally, they couldn’t see him from their vantage point. Since he hadn’t appeared, the bell girl had an arrogant expression on her face, while the little fatty wore one of smugness.

But this arrogance and smugness would soon turn into horror… because at that moment, the bell rang for the ninth time, its sound reverberating through the entirety of Starfall City. Under the gazes of everyone in the square… outside the main hall of the palace, the figures of Wang Baole and the Starfall Emperor appeared side by side!!

With their appearance, the vault of heaven transformed!