“I am a flower that has been planted by the Celestial Emperor.”
Mandela was smiling, and as Mu Chen looked at her and heard what she had said, his face slowly stiffened. He looked so comical.
His heart was in turmoil, as he found it unbelievable. Although he had been curious as to how Mandela had such a deep understanding of the Ancient Celestial Palace, it had never crossed his mind that Mandela was a flower planted by the Celestial Emperor.
This flower was not a mere flower.
“Do you find it unbelievable?” Mandela smiled again. She gazed at the ancient hall between the spatial cracks and said, “My memory had been suppressed previously, but as I get nearer to the Ancient Celestial Palace, my memory is coming back to me. I have almost fully regained all of it.”
“What is your actual body then?” Mu Chen asked as he swallowed hard. He had finally come back to himself after a long while.
Mandela tilted her head and looked at him meaningfully. She then said, “You should be familiar with it. Can’t you guess it from my name?”
Mu Chen gasped, and with a stunned look, he said, “Your, your… is your actual body the Ancient Mandala Flower!?”
There was a Divine Flower in the Great Thousand World. This flower was ingenious and had spiritual intelligence. When it was fully grown, it was comparable to a Sovereign Divine Beast. In some ways, it could even be more powerful.
However, such a Divine Flower was rarely seen, and once it appeared, many top forces would be eyeing it. After all, if they could cultivate it, they might gain another Heavenly Sovereign.
Mu Chen finally understood why Mandela looked so strange. He remembered the Immortal Pages in his body on which the cultivation method of the Great Solar Undying Body had been recorded. There was a divine runes’ seal of an Ancient Mandala Flower on it.
Back then, Mu Chen’s spiritual intelligence would have been devoured by Nine Nether, and he would have been encroached upon by her if not for the divine runes.
It seemed that he had a predestined connection with the Mandala Flower.
“I have been formed by a bud that has dropped off from my actual body. In some sense, I am not a spiritual body as you think. I truly exist.” Mandela smiled and continued, “This is the wonder of the Ancient Mandala Flower. As long as we are not completely destroyed, we can survive in any other form.”
Mu Chen was stunned. Even those Complete Earthly Sovereigns would not have the capability to achieve this level of power!
“You are just a part of the flower, and you already possess the strength of an Upper Earthly Sovereign. May I know how powerful your actual body is?” Mu Chen immediately thought of this crucial question. If she had been a human being, she would have to be a Heavenly Sovereign in order to pass down the power to make one an Upper Earthly Sovereign.
Has Mandela’s actual body reached Heavenly Sovereign level?
Mandela seemed to have read Mu Chen’s mind. She shook her head and said, “When my actual body was at its peak, it was only at Complete Earthly Sovereign. After all these years, its power would have weakened. Fortunately, I have not wasted my time, and I should be able to make up for the losses and preserve my strength.”
“Complete Earthly Sovereign…” Mu Chen exclaimed. It was impressive enough. After all, it was rare to find a Complete Earthly Sovereign on the Tianluo Continent.
“When I was first separated from my actual body, I was extremely weak. On top of that, there was the curse in my body. My strength back then was only at Grade Five or Six. I am grateful to you. If not for you, I may have continued with my deep sleep in order to suppress the curse, let alone enhancing to Upper Earthly Sovereign. If I am not at Upper Earthly Sovereign, even if the Ancient Celestial Palace appears, I will not dare to be here.” Mandela looked at Mu Chen with gratitude.
Mu Chen scratched his head when he heard it. He did not know that he had been a great help to Mandela. He pushed the thought aside and asked, “Why will you not dare to come if you are not an Upper Earthly Sovereign?”
He sensed that Mandela was a little emotional as she spoke. “Do you still remember my arch-enemy?” Mandela asked flatly.
Mu Chen was suddenly enlightened and asked, “Are you worried about the Saint Demon King, Lu Yuan?”
Lu Yuan possessed the strength of an Upper Earthly Sovereign. If Mandela did not have the power to contend with him, Lu Yuan would deal with her the moment she appeared.
“What is his background?” Mu Chen asked with a grave look. According to Mandela, she and Lu Yuan come from the Ancient Celestial Palace. Why did they have a feud with each other? Why did Lu Yuan cast such a horrifying curse on Mandela?
Mandela squinted her golden eyes and revealed a fearful look. She said, “He is an Ancient Blood Dragon as well as the Celestial Emperor’s mount.”
Mu Chen was dumbfounded. Lu Yuan was the Celestial Emperor’s mount!?
How did the Mandala Flower end up in such a life-and-death fight with the Celestial Emperor’s mount?
Mu Chen found it unfathomable. Mandela and Lu Yuan belong to the Ancient Celestial Palace, after all!
“Back then, when the Celestial Emperor fought with the Demon Emperor of the Extraterritorial Race, he sealed off the Celestial Emperor’s Cemetery. There was a catastrophe in the Ancient Celestial Palace, but I did not know what had happened then. When I regained my spiritual intelligence, the Ancient Celestial Palace had been destroyed. Lu Yuan and I were the only beings with spiritual intelligence that had been left behind.
“When we were going around the palace, Lu Yuan suddenly attacked me and put the curse on me. I had no choice but to break away from my actual body and seal myself up. This was how I managed to escape from the palace.”
“Why did he do it?” Mu Chen asked as his expression changed.
Mandela furrowed her brows and then said, “All of the hall masters had died, and there were many treasures in the palace, especially those belonging to the Celestial Emperor. If one could get hold of them, he might have the opportunity to break through to Heavenly Sovereign. I think Lu Yuan wanted to keep the Celestial Palace’s inheritance to himself.”
Mu Chen nodded. It made sense. After all, the Celestial Palace’s inheritance could make one lose his mind. Lu Yuan was indeed ambitious.
“I will help you look out for your actual body in the Ancient Celestial Palace,” Mu Chen said. It did not matter if Mandela was now in her actual body or if she was just a part of it. It would do Mu Chen good if he could help her get back her actual body and regain her strength.
Mandela nodded. She was not surprised at Mu Chen’s reply. After spending time with him all these years, Mu Chen had gained her trust. If it were not so, she would not have told him her secret.
“Oh yes… can you help me take a look at this? Where did this come from?” Mu Chen suddenly recalled the mysterious Token Amulet that he had obtained from the auction. He took it out and showed it to Mandela. Since she was from the Ancient Celestial Palace, she should have some knowledge about it.
Mandela looked at the simple yet mysterious Token Amulet and pondered. After a long while, a strange light appeared in her eyes.
“Do you know what this is?” Mu Chen asked when he saw her expression.
Mandela did not reply but took the Token Amulet from him. After looking at it carefully, she gave Mu Chen a strange look and asked, “Where did you get this?”
“It is because of this that I am now at loggerheads with Xia Hong,” Mu Chen said.
“This is a good deal.” Mandela casually said, “You are in luck, and even I am envious of you.”
“What is this?” Mu Chen asked as Mandela made him even more curious.
Mandela stroked the Token Amulet, and after a long while, she said, “If I have guessed correctly, this is a Commander’s Seal.”
“A Commander’s Seal?” Mu Chen was excited.
“To be exact, this should the Second Hall Master’s Commander’s Seal to control his Spirit-Slaughtering Troop. This was his elite troop. During the Primordial Age, it even killed Earthly Sovereigns,” Mandela said.
“Spirit-Slaughtering Troop? It has killed Earthly Sovereigns before?” Mu Chen was exhilarated. He now knew why he had felt a familiar strange fluctuation from the Token Amulet. As he felt it again, he realized that it was the fluctuation of fighting spirit!
After a while, Mu Chen started to frown. Although the Spirit-Slaughtering Troop was powerful, it was from a millennium ago. The troop would have turned into ashes by now and could not be of any use to him.
When Mandela saw Mu Chen’s expression, she knew what he was thinking. After pondering for a while, she said, “It may not be so. The troops in the Ancient Celestial Palace used strange cultivation methods. After some of the warriors passed on, their spiritual energy merged into their bodies and turned into an instinct. Although they have no spiritual intelligence, they continue to exist like puppet warriors. They only take instructions from the Commander’s Seal. I believe they still exist in the Second Hall.”
Mu Chen’s eyes glittered, and he nodded. He remembered what Mandela had said. If he could enter the Second Hall, he would have to pay more attention. Even if he came across an Earthly Sovereign in the Ancient Celestial Palace, he would be able to take him on if he could control the Spirit-Slaughtering Troop.
Mu Chen became excited at this thought.
“When shall we take action?”
Mandela lifted up her head and looked at the broken space in the distance. She then smiled and said, “Five days from now, the space will be more stabilized. We will send you and the rest in then.”
Mu Chen nodded. He lifted up his head and looked at the ancient hall within the broken space and was burning with excitement.
After so many years, this day had finally arrived!
