Chapter 5769: Critical Juncture Celestial Court, unlike its name, was a vast realm. Its main region awaited beyond the celestial river. Ancient temples and hallowed buildings stood tall among this endless world - the abodes of its emperors and gods. The celestial river separated the two echelons - soldiers and lower-ranking members could only stay on the other side. Rumor has it that long ago, the rules weren’t so strict. Back in the previous epoch, this core region was open to everyone with passageways and portals for mortals. Later on, mortals were not allowed, and the same for ordinary cultivators. This eventually applied to the various ranks within Celestial Court as well. Members of The People naturally weren’t invited to the core region. Only a few made it this far through fighting. Although War God Dao Lord was famous for having attacked Celestial Court numerous times, he couldn't make it past the river. First Vine was the first, going as far as challenging the three immortals of Celestial Court before leaving to start the age of the conquerors. Nightmoon came next to seek Sword Emperor who avoided her. Unlike the first two, Duality Master also visited the inner region, albeit on a sightseeing journey instead of looking for a fight. Instead of attempting to stop him, everyone treated him as an esteemed guest. Strangest of all, the reclusive founder and the three immortals of Celestial Court also appeared to see him. They never bothered to deal with assaults from the strongest cultivators yet thought that Duality Master was worth their time. This notion extended to the other apex cultivators such as Immortal Emperor Hao Hai, Nether, and Sword Emperor. When Nightmoon Conqueror made this to their gate, only Light-dragon Conqueror appeared to stop her. Therefore, it was inconceivable for a guest to receive such a grand reception. Only one other figure shared a similar privilege - Jiao Heng. However, the latter stuck around as a guest member of Celestial Court. Nonetheless, the strangest things always occurred around Duality Master so this was to be expected. The same thing happened in Imperial Field and all the other locations. He could befriend anyone, whether it be the strongest cultivator or a fameless junior. Meanwhile, a ship approached from the celestial river, pulsing with primordial light and deafening detonations. It contained a world of imperial auras, the leader being Demon Conqueror. They finally made it to Celestial Court. “They’re here.” The members of Celestial Court prepared for battle. “Boom!” The ship touched the shore and its passengers jumped off, embarking on the next step of the plan. “Zzz...” The primordial ship dispersed into particles that latch onto Demon and the others. “To formation!” Demon roared and emperors themselves marched like soldiers, acting as role models for the rest of the armies. They witnessed palaces reaching the stars along the way. At the center was a mighty fortress protecting a crystal palace - seemingly carved from one massive block of crystal. Waves of light pulsed from it and blessed the members of Celestial Court, improving their life force and battle prowess. A regular cultivator could turn into a giant capable of flipping the world. Celestial Palace - the core of Celestial Court. Everything else was built around it. It blessed the members, especially the ones who have been attached to its special ability. The latter could be teleported back here before certain death. Knowledgeable cultivators understood that this palace was the very key to Celestial Court - the way to control the treasure known as Elder Galaxy. There were five, no, four statues to the front. They towered and resembled four giants, seemingly taking up an absurd amount of space. There seemed to be a fifth but it could also be construed as a dao platform - slightly resembling a lotus platform but was too unsightly to be. Emperors and monarchs felt suffocated while looking up at these statues. Their faces were indistinct, purposely concealed by a supreme dao but still intimidating all the same.