Goldy Ascendance: Limitless Celestial!-Chapter 49: Universe’s Favorite Punching Bag.

Three Days back.

The reason I had brought the "umbrella man"—though "Umbrella Guy" feels more fitting given his lack of dignity—was to confirm my suspicions. Sure, I was 99% certain, but that extra 1%? That was where Miari came in.

This little fairy of mine was anything but ordinary. As she hovered above the floating body, her wings flickered with light, casting golden ripples in the air like someone had shaken a jar of sunbeams. Her hands glowed with a shimmering radiance that seemed to hum with an otherworldly energy, illuminating the room with warmth. It was a sight that never failed to fascinate me, no matter how many times I saw it.

Then, without warning, Miari jerked back as if she’d touched a burning stove. A dark force exploded from the man’s body, like someone had unleashed a feral beast trapped inside him. The room shook, the air thick with the stench of malevolent qi.

But I was faster—before the force could do any real damage, I swept Miari into my arms, cradling her as we shot backward through the air, retreating from the blast. We landed gracefully across the room, my grip still firm around the tiny fairy as the storm of energy dissipated almost as suddenly as it had appeared.

And then... silence.

Everything returned to normal, as if the violent eruption of dark energy had never even happened.

"Master..." Miari’s voice was soft, but I could feel the tremble in it. I gently set her down, watching her with concern. "That power... I know where it comes from."

My eyes widened. Could this be...?

"Where, Miari?" I asked, stepping closer, my eyes scanning her for any injuries. Thankfully, she seemed fine, though her wings still fluttered with unease.

"It’s the... Divine Realm!" she declared, her voice trembling as if just speaking those words brought danger upon us.

"The Divine Realm?!" My sister, Yue Linxi, leapt to her feet, shock written all over her face.

"Yes," Miari confirmed, her golden light dimming as she gazed at me, her eyes wide with worry. "Master, we shouldn’t get involved. Not right now. There’s more at play here than just some demonic and righteous sect scuffle. The Divine Realm’s power... it’s beyond anything we should meddle with."

I felt a wave of tension run through my body. The Divine Realm? That was leagues beyond my current concerns. If the power that erupted from this man was connected to that realm, we were treading on dangerous ground. The kind of danger that would have the Sky Above Realm’s royal palace getting involved. As much as I enjoyed playing the part of the meddling hero, this was way above my pay grade.

"I agree," I said, nodding to my sister. "This is something Mother and Father need to handle."

Miari fluttered up to my shoulder, her wings no longer glowing as brightly. "We should leave this to them, Master. For now, let’s keep a low profile."

I smirked. A low profile? Not exactly my strong suit, but I knew when to avoid trouble—especially when it came with a "Divine" label. Still, the fact that we had caught the attention of someone, or something, powerful enough to unleash Divine Realm-level energy meant that trouble was already sniffing around.

"Thank you, Miari," I said, patting her on the head gently. My mind wandered back to that ominous eye watching us from the heavens. Who—or what—had been keeping tabs on us during the fight?

After the unsettling discovery, I decided it was time to drop the umbrella man—Umbrella Guy, no, make that "Mr. No-Shadow"—into sect confinement. There, Father, Mother, and Split Sword awaited, ready to handle the heavier issues. But first, there was the matter of explaining everything.

As I entered, the room was already filled with familiar faces. Elders Han and Wei were seated at the head of the table, looking like they were about to break into one of their classic debates. Long Zhen and Bai Lifen had joined the meeting too, though I was certain they were just there for the free snacks.

"Ah, Phaelo! You’ve done it again!" Elder Han’s voice boomed before I’d even made it through the door. "Your discoveries are like the guiding hand of destiny itself! The heavens have clearly chosen you as their favorite child! I can sense it, I can feel it—fate is tied to your every step!"

I had to fight the urge to roll my eyes as Long Zhen muttered under his breath, "Yeah, sure, ’fate.’ Or maybe it’s just his ridiculous luck."

Elder Wei chimed in, "Ah, but is it luck, or is it perhaps a deep connection to the cosmos? A bond with the universe that we mere mortals can only dream of understanding?"

"Or," I added, "it could be that the umbrella man here just doesn’t know how to keep a low profile."

Long Zhen, clearly tired from the earlier fight, let out a groan. "You sure we weren’t fighting an entire realm back there? I swear, I haven’t felt this exhausted since that time I mistakenly entered the Vermilion Forest thinking it was a nice picnic spot."

Bai Lifen gave a weak chuckle. "Right? I thought we’d get a breather, but nope, straight into sky-realm cultivators with more issues than a theater troupe. My clothes still smell like burned tar after that last hit."

Elder Han, completely ignoring their complaints, continued. "Indeed, it is as I suspected! The umbrella—er, Mr. No-Shadow—was but a tool of greater forces! And Phaelo, in his infinite wisdom and gallantry, has once again brought us closer to unearthing the truths of the cosmos!"

"Or, you know, just a random guy I found trying to kill us," I muttered, though I couldn’t suppress a grin at how much fun Elder Han was having.

Elder Wei, always the more pragmatic of the two, raised an eyebrow. "And the dark force that erupted from him? Have you considered what that might mean for the sect?"

"Oh, probably just an ominous hint that we’re all going to get sucked into a battle between realms," I said casually, "but hey, that’s tomorrow’s problem. Right now, I think we should focus on not getting blown up again."

Bai Lifen leaned forward, his tone laced with sarcasm. "Yeah, let’s not do that. Blowing up once a day is more than enough excitement for me." 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

Long Zhen nodded in agreement. "Amen to that."

The laughter that followed was exactly what we needed to break the tension. Even Miari, who had been silent through most of the discussion, relaxed slightly on my shoulder, her wings flickering with a faint glow.

"Right," I said, taking a breath, "now that we’ve established I’m basically the universe’s favorite punching bag, let’s figure out what to do next."

Elder Han, of course, had a million theories, each one more ridiculous than the last, while Elder Wei tried to keep him grounded in reality. Long Zhen and Bai Lifen threw in their usual sarcastic remarks, and soon the room was alive with the sound of lively debate, laughter, and even the occasional food fight between Long Zhen and Bai.

As for me? Well, I was content to sit back and enjoy the show. After all, this was my life—chaotic, unpredictable, and filled with people who made it all worthwhile.

Now, if only we could figure out how to deal with Mr. No-Shadow before the Divine Realm came knocking at our door...