If the second possibility were true, it was difficult to fathom: the rise and fall of a dynasty were monumental events that ought to have been chronicled in copious detail.
Yet now, far from any records, not even its name had survived.
Who was the founding emperor? How many years did the dynasty endure? How many Tribulation Transcendence cultivators did it possess? What caused its collapse? Why was there not the slightest trace of a record left behind?... None of this could be known.
Most critical was that final question; perhaps it shared common ground with the method used to erase the Immortal Fairy's existence.
"Fairy, when a celestial falls, is there any heavenly anomaly?"
The Immortal Fairy was taken aback by the question. "A celestial falling never happened in history, so who knows if there are anomalies... Oh, wait, no. I've died before."
"I don't know what happened after I died either. Probably not?"
The Immortal Fairy sounded rather uncertain.
"There are no anomalies," Yun Zhi answered in the Immortal Fairy's stead, much to Lu Yang's surprise.
How did Eldest Senior Sister know that?
Lu Yang did not pry into the matter. If a celestial's fall caused no heavenly anomaly, that meant a celestial could fall without anyone knowing about it.
Why hadn't the Four Ancient Celestials revived the Immortal Fairy?
Did they not want to revive her, were they unable to revive her, or did they simply have no idea she had fallen in the first place?
No, even if they hadn't known of her demise back then, over the course of three hundred thousand years they surely should have realized something had happened to her and that she needed resurrecting.
"Dwell on this no further." Yun Zhi did not linger long before the mural. She walked straight on, and Lu Yang and the Immortal Fairy hurriedly followed.
"The only text in these ruins is what is written on that mural. Since no answer can be found at this stage, wait until sufficient information has been gathered before considering it again." Yun Zhi cautioned Lu Yang not to fall into a dead end and trap himself in the problem.
Lu Yang listened obediently to Yun Zhi, nodding and putting the matter out of his mind.
"These ruins contain nineteen floating platforms. Though numerous, their layouts are largely identical, consisting of various buildings."
Eldest Senior Sister spread her hand, constructing a miniature model of the ruins in her palm. Eighteen floating platforms formed a defensive circle around the largest one in their midst, arranged in an orderly pattern as if conducting some sort of sacrificial ritual.
Upon the largest floating platform, pavilions stood in great numbers, likewise arranged in a protective ring around the altar at the very center.
The altar was precisely where the three were headed.
The more the Immortal Fairy looked at the layout, the more familiar it seemed. "Why does this sacrificial setup look just like the way they worshiped me in the ancient era?"
"Just like worshiping you, Fairy?"
The Immortal Fairy nodded and shared another piece of celestial secret history. "Yeah! After I became a celestial, didn't Immortal Ying Tian and the others shove a whole planet onto me?"
"They said that once you become a celestial, you have to have believers, since that makes it easy to display your great might and celestial dignity. I said that sounded like a huge hassle, but they said it was no trouble at all—they could design a sacrificial ritual process for me."
"The sacrificial method in these ruins is almost identical to what Immortal Ying Tian and the others designed. They told me the number eighteen carries special significance in cultivation. Nine is the ultimate limit, so eighteen is a double limit—the absolute peak of limits. This style of worship symbolized that I received eighteen kinds of blessings, which would grant me eternal life, neither waxing nor waning. It was the highest standard of sacrificial rite; none of the four of them ever had anything like it."
Lu Yang sucked in a breath of cold air. What immense prestige the fairy had! Four celestials joining forces just to design a sacrificial ritual for her, even explaining the design philosophy?
The Four Ancient Celestials were truly magnanimous, not minding in the least that the Immortal Fairy constantly caused trouble for them everywhere. Perhaps only with such a mindset could one attain celestialhood.
Lu Yang had an epiphany, yet felt something was not quite right.
Beside them, Eldest Senior Sister, who had been listening quietly to the Immortal Fairy's tale, wore an odd expression. "However, according to the veteran scholars' research into this sacrificial method, combined with ancient records, it is believed to be an obscure formation from the ancient era known as the 'Eighteen Hells Demon-Slaying Formation.'"
Lu Yang felt that everything suddenly made complete sense.
Upon hearing this, the Immortal Fairy ground her teeth, wishing she could take on the Four Ancient Celestials all by herself to let them know who the strongest celestial of the ancient era truly was. "Immortal Ying Tian and that pack of dogs! I treated them so well, yet they dared do this to me!"
'If you ask me, treating you like that actually showed remarkable restraint.'
Of course, he only voiced that thought in his mind. Lu Yang didn't dare say it aloud to the Immortal Fairy's face, fearing a beating.
"Right! It must be because before they became celestials, I beat them up too many times. And then seeing me condense an Immortal Dao fruit upon ascension, they got jealous of my talent and took the chance to get back at me!" The Immortal Fairy quickly found a reason within herself—attributing it entirely to being too strong.
The three reached the center of the altar. Standing in the very middle was a colossal, hundred-meter-tall celestial statue—the exact same gender-ambiguous statue of the Immortal Celestial Lu Yang had seen before.
It seemed this was the true origin of the Immortal Celestial statues. Only after seeing this statue had the founding cult master established the Immortal Cult.
At the celestial's feet lay an assortment of delicacies made from rare heavenly materials and earthly treasures; the lowest-grade ingredient among them was a five-thousand-year-old spirit reishi mushroom.
Likely due to the supreme quality of the ingredients, even after all this time, none of it had grown moldy or spoiled.
The Immortal Fairy wore a look of pure disdain, deeply dissatisfied with the Immortal Cult's practices. "How terribly unrefined, putting food right next to someone's feet."
These had been left behind when the Immortal Cult made sacrificial offerings here prior to their destruction.
The Immortal Ruins were of utmost importance to the Immortal Cult. Aside from the decennial prayers, major events such as appointing and removing cult masters, blessing cult masters, and backstabbing cult masters all took place here, carried out under the gaze of the Immortal Celestial.
"Let us proceed. According to the submitted reports, the interior of the statue holds a world of its own."
Yun Zhi led the two around to the back of the statue. Behind it was surprisingly concealed a door. Before the door floated mysterious symbols, constantly rising, falling, and swaying, sealing the door so that it could not be opened.
Yun Zhi sensed the strength of the mysterious symbols and judged that she could force it open, though doing so risked damaging whatever was inside.
"The founding cult master discovered several immortal treasures behind this door. He opened it by accident and took a few away, but when he tried to return for the rest, the door had already closed."
"He made numerous attempts yet still failed to reopen the door. In exasperation, he had no choice but to take the immortal treasures he had acquired, leave the ruins, and establish the Immortal Cult."
"The founding cult master spent a lifetime trying, yet could never open this door again. Afterward, successive generations of cult masters wished to open the door and take the immortal treasures to expand the Immortal Cult, but every attempt ended in failure."
"Even the veteran scholars were helpless, claiming this was a seal left behind by a celestial, which only a celestial could unlock."
"Fairy, do you know what these symbols mean? Can you open this door?"
A reminiscent expression appeared on the Immortal Fairy's face. "Why does this look like my kitchen door?"
"Look at that symbol—I wrote that one too. It means, 'Kitchen Area: Authorized Personnel Only.'"
Chapter 280