The warrior's voice remained calm,

"But Shandora has the rules of Shandora.

To enter the Holy ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ City of the Sun and meet the High Priest, you must pass the Trial of the Three Oaths."

"Another trial?" Qingniao couldn't help but grumble from inside the ship. "Why do these sky islands all follow the same routine..."

Zi Yuan pressed down on her shoulder and shook her head, signaling for silence.

Bai Cheng's expression remained unchanged. "Please elaborate."

"The First Oath: 【Harm No Innocents】."

The warrior's spear pointed toward the golden sea of clouds below.

"Within the borders of Shandora, all living beings—whether intelligent races, cloud beasts, or flora—are protected by the Sun Covenant.

During your stay in Shandora, you must not proactively harm any non-hostile life.

Violators will be expelled from the sky island and forbidden from re-entering for eternity."

"Reasonable," Bai Cheng nodded. "We did not come here for slaughter."

"The Second Oath: 【Steal No Secrets】," the warrior continued.

"Shandora preserves the faith archives and crystals of desires from countless civilizations from ancient times to the present.

You may consult the portions related to the truth you seek, but you may not privately copy, tamper with, or take away any unauthorized data.

Violators will have their memories sealed and related cognitions erased."

Leng Ningxue's icy eyes flickered slightly, but she said nothing.

"The Third Oath: 【Evade No Truth】." The warrior's voice became solemn.

"If you learn anything in Shandora that... might shake your own convictions or reveal truths you are unwilling to face, you must not avoid or deny them; you must face them directly.

This is the core of the covenant established between the Lord of the Sky and the first High Priest of Shandora. Truth stands above all else."

Bai Cheng fell silent for a moment.

Then, she looked up, the galaxy in her silver eyes resolute.

"We can take all three oaths.

But in exchange, I request that Shandora also provide an equal commitment.

You must not hide any information related to the Ancient Judgment, the Fall of the Divine Kingdom, or the Observer Council from us."

The leading warrior seemed to freeze for a moment, and then a very faint laugh came from beneath the helmet.

"An interesting request. Very well. Swearing by the name of the sun, Shandora will truthfully provide everything within your authority to consult."

He stepped aside and made a gesture of invitation. The golden bridge began to extend automatically, paving a broad road across the sea of clouds toward the giant golden city.

"Then, Inheritors."

"Welcome to the Shandora Golden Land."

"This is the lighthouse of sky island civilizations, the home of faith, and also..."

His voice drifted away in the wind, merging into that eternal, ethereal anthem.

"The Mirror of Truth that all who seek the truth will eventually reach."

The dawn moved slowly along the golden bridge.

The closer they got to the giant golden city, the more they could feel its majesty and holiness.

The city walls, a thousand meters high, were cast entirely from a golden alloy containing light energy, their surfaces carved with epics of the rise and fall of countless civilizations.

The city gates were two massive bronze doors carved with patterns of the sun and wings, which were now slowly opening inward.

The scene inside the city was even more shocking.

The streets were paved with white jade, and the architectural styles on both sides were distinct yet coexisted harmoniously.

There were spires reaching into the clouds, domed temples, floating hanging gardens, and even agile dwellings made entirely of flowing water.

The residents were not of a single race: there were Shandora natives with light wings on their backs, aquatic tribes with pale blue skin,

spiritual lifeforms condensed entirely from light, and even several docile cloud beasts resembling Qilin strolling through the streets.

When all the living beings saw the dawn and the twelve guardian warriors, they cast curious rather than hostile glances.

Some children even chased after the ship's shadow, letting out silvery laughter.

"This place... it's like a legendary paradise." Lu Duo leaned against the porthole, the street scene reflected in her emerald eyes.

"But paradises often come with a price." Leng Ningxue calmly pulled up the detection data.

"At three hundred meters beneath the city, a large-scale energy reaction has been detected.

It's not a weapon, but more like... some kind of maintenance system.

The peace of the entire city likely depends on that system."

Bai Cheng nodded. She felt it too.

That deep, warm flow of energy, like the pulse of the earth, radiated from deep underground, nourishing every inch of land and every living soul.

"It's the sun core," Elune's voice suddenly echoed in everyone's hearts.

This Guardian Spirit of the Pillar of Life had turned into a golden egg of light after entering the Gate of Light, attaching itself to Bai Cheng's Sword of Conviction to recover, and had finally regained some of its vitality.

"The foundation of Shandora.

Legend has it that it is an artificial sun co-created by the Lord of the Sky and the first High Priest of Shandora, capable of perpetually generating pure light and life energy."

"An artificial sun..." Yu Nian said thoughtfully. "No wonder the aura of life here is so rich."

The dawn finally docked at the Temple Square in the center of the city.

In the center of the square stood a pure white obelisk three thousand meters high, with a slowly rotating golden orb of light a hundred meters in diameter floating at its tip.

That was the surface projection of the sun core.

The twelve guardian warriors landed, and the leader took off his helmet, revealing a handsome, majestic male face with a sun pattern on his forehead.

"I am the Legion Commander of the Wings of Dawn, Helios."

He bowed slightly. "The High Priest is waiting for you in the Chamber of Truth. Please follow me."

He led the group toward the temple.

The temple doors opened automatically, revealing a vast starry sky inside.

It wasn't the actual starry sky, but a star chart simulated by countless points of light.

The star chart rotated slowly, with some stars shining exceptionally bright, connected by flows of light.

In the center of the star chart, an old man dressed in a simple white robe and holding a wooden staff stood quietly.

He had no light wings and an ordinary face, but his eyes were as clear as a newborn's, yet as deep as the ancient starry sky.

"Welcome, Inheritors of the Sky."

The old man's voice was gentle yet carried a soul-piercing power. "I am the current High Priest of Shandora, Aurora."

His gaze fell on Bai Cheng, and a ripple of emotion flashed through his clear eyes.

"The emblem on your forehead... where Judgment and Correction coexist.

The final gift from the Lord of the Sky has finally found its most suitable bearer."

Bai Cheng stepped forward and bowed. "Your Excellency High Priest, we..."

"I know why you have come."

Aurora gently raised his hand, and several stars in the star chart suddenly brightened, projecting 3D images.

They were scenes of the Thousand Tower Forest, the Fall of the Divine Kingdom, and the five Covenanters.

"Shandora preserves the records of all prayers sent to the sky by civilizations since the ancient war.

Your stories, your battles, your judgments... the sun core has witnessed and archived them all."