A Man Like None Other (Jared Chance) novel Chapter 5857

Jared straightened, a spark of hope igniting behind his weary eyes. This was exactly what he needed.

"Lady Aurora, what exactly are the celestials? Why are they so proud—so closed to every outsider? How vast is their strength, and what realm has their clan leader reached?"

Lady Aurora gathered her thoughts, letting the hush of the icy hall settle before she began.

"The celestials is no single bloodline," she said softly. "It is an ancient, sprawling alliance." They claim descent from primordial gods and demons. Their veins carry a spark of divinity, allowing them to master the laws faster than any mortal race and to live far longer. That blessing has hardened into arrogance. They view every other race as 'common'—as lesser beings. Within the clan, there are many branches. I was born of the Frost Deity Branch, masters of ice. There are also the Flame, Storm, and Verdant branches, each wielding its own dominion. Together, those branches elect a single emperor, aided by an elder council and the Celestial General Hall. The current emperor has ruled for more than 30,000 years. His cultivation is unfathomable—at least the Golden Immortal Realm.

Jared's breath caught. Golden Immortal Realm!

Jared's field of vision tightened, the world collapsing to a single bright pinprick as his pupils shrank in a reflex born of equal parts alarm and wonder.

He reviewed the cosmic hierarchy he had only recently memorized. Above the heavenly immortals stood the high immortals, and ascended beyond even them were the earthly immortals. Yet earthly immortals were themselves but stepping-stones. Beyond that impossible summit waited the golden immortals—beings who could roam an entire realm at will, carve out their own order, and found a lineage that might endure for epochs.

The thought alone sent a throb of pain behind his temples. In his current state, a single high immortal could erase him with a flicker of power. Golden immortal He dared not picture it—unless, perhaps, Mr. Sanders chose to intervene.

Regardless, Maxwell still had to be rescued. The man was a hall master of the Dragon Sect, and Jared would not abandon him to whatever cage the enemy had forged.

"The celestials' xenophobia is two-fold," Lady Aurora said, her voice edged with frost. "They cling to the arrogance of their bloodline, and they guard a stockpile of ancient secrets they fear the outside world might plunder. To preserve the 'purity' of their descendants, intermarriage is forbidden—doubly so for someone of my station. The rules they impose on a holy maiden would make even stone flinch. What happened to Maxwell is one tragedy among countless others enacted over the last century."

Jared wet his lips. "Then this Northern Abyss Celestial Clan—what of them?"

"My so-called Northern Abyss branch is a banner I raised after arriving on these ice plains." Aurora's smile held no warmth. "I gathered those who were discontent—or simply out of favor—and forged a faction of our own. Officially, we remain a subsidiary, obliged to bow to the main clan. In truth, our hearts drift elsewhere, and the clan elders know it. Your relentless advance today has surely reached their ears already."

A chill coiled in Jared's gut. If the main body of the celestials turns its gaze this way, we are finished.

Aurora read the worry in his eyes and waved it aside. "Calm yourself. Their pride will keep them idle for a time; they will fault my palace long before they lift a finger themselves. And I possess more than one hidden card. Even if they send envoys, I can bargain for space."

"What matters now," she continued, "is that you grow stronger. Your technique is boundless, tinged with the dragon's power, but your realm is far too low. Against a true champion of the celestials, you would be little more than a glowing ember in a blizzard."

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