บท 61: LX

Earlier.

"I want some good food…"

Long Yinping pouted, looking around the garden. She had eaten almost everything that resembled a fruit in her surroundings. Alas, that was not enough.

"You have quite the appetite for a little girl." Qianye Ying'er observed from the skies. "Aren't you afraid of eating too much?"

"I'm a dragon like daddy so I have to eat a lot to grow up big and strong like him. If anything, I'm eating too little. Since you're my caretaker, it's your responsibility to ensure that I am well fed. If daddy knew that you weren't doing your job… he'd be very upset."

"Aren't you just adorable?" Qianye Ying'er remarked, appearing before her and pinching the girl's puffy cheeks. "You must forgive me, little princess. I had not known you had an appetite considering your cultivation… at this stage you shouldn't even require food. I shall arrange a feast worthy of Long Ke's ilk."

"Not just me, though… the wood spirits too. They like to eat nice food." Long Yinping added. "And I want crystals too. Lots and lots of crystals and tasty pellets."

"Quite the demanding little princess. You remind me of your father…" Qianye Ying'er chuckled. "Do not fret, all of that will be arranged just as you wished within the hour."

…

As promised, Qianye Ying'er arranged an entire feast for the wood spirits and Long Yinping. As per Brahma Monarch God Realm's standards, the food was of impeccable quality to the point that it would benefit one's growth in the Profound Way. Although food was far from its general population's focus, there were still those few who sought perfection in other crafts. Putting them to work was rather simple for the Brahma Monarch Goddess.

"Yummy…" Long Yinping remarked, elegantly yet rather swiftly munching on every dish in her vicinity. The etiquette part naturally came from her mother… as for the wild and seemingly insatiable indulgence, well, it was very much reminiscent of her father. "Don't you agree, Miss Lingxi?"

"Certainly… everything here is delicious." Xiao Lingxi nodded.

"This has to be the best food I've ever tasted." He Lin stated, taking his time with the food in front of him.

Many of the wood spirits were delighted with the feast and enjoyed their time, lighting up the hall with their good spirits.

He Ling, meanwhile, did not even think about eating a thing.

After Long Yinping finished everything in her vicinity, she eyed the untouched meals around He Ling.

"Why aren't you eating?" She asked, tilting her head. "Don't you like nice food?"

"I don't want to eat anything that comes from the Brahma Monarch God Realm." He Ling replied, shaking her head.

"Why's that?"

"Because…"

"This grumpy wood spirit princess is simply not hungry." Qianye Ying'er interrupted, patting her shoulder as she appeared behind He Ling. "Feel free to take her share, my dear."

He Ling felt the pressure of the earth falling onto her for a second…

"Okay…" Long Yinping shrugged, swiping He Ling's dishes one after the other as she extended her arms. "More for me."

"Your grudge has nothing to do with her." Qianye Ying'er sent a transmission to He Ling, stepping away. "You would do well to remember that, wood spirit."

"You want to make a good impression on Lord Ke's daughter?" He Ling replied with a transmission of her own. "What use will it be when she finds out that you are the reason why she could not see her father for nearly a year? How you used him for your own benefit? It's no use pretending, Brahma Monarch Goddess."

"... Yet the truth will not come from you."

"It will come to light regardless."

Afterwards, Long Yinping visited the Brahma Monarch God Realm's treasury and had her fill… which wasn't small. When the form of a nine-headed true dragon feasted on mountains of crystals, Qianye Ying'er felt a deep sense of deja vu. To her, it was a flash of far simpler times. When she had complete control… when she almost had everything she could have ever wanted. When the entire universe was very much within her reach and she had found a man who could share the dream with her.

Now… it felt like a distant memory that was growing ever more so distant.

In a way, she had wished that her first meeting with Rokas had been… different. She envied the bond that he had with his wives for it had no obstacles. It seemed pure, perfect even. Even when it came to the Heavenly Slaughter Star God, Rokas seemed to be willing to put everything else to the side until he could accomplish his goal… while, for her, he didn't even seem to care too much if she had went with him or stayed in the Brahma Monarch God Realm.

She sighed, feeling a strangely heavy weight in her heart.

When Long Yinping finished, she fell into a deep slumber while remaining in her true form.

Meanwhile, Qianye Ying'er took out the silly oversized plush of Rokas and embraced it… leaning her head against it.

'How can I… reach you?'

The way he had put it, it seemed so simple… yet her becoming a good person was as difficult as a mortal scaling the heavens.

Rokas continued to be diligent in his training, swapping between mostly dual-cultivation, comprehension and sparring where he would practice his new tricks. His power had grown immensely over the years, reaching astronomical heights that would even begin to threaten the existence of the Primal Chaos Dimension. He, of course, knew that the Laws of his universe were not so powerful and the reason why the Heretic God had put a restriction on Yun Che… so when the time came to step into the Divine Master Realm, he stopped himself.

It was not his intent to collapse entire worlds just by existing. On the other end, it was not his intent to remain in the Divine Sovereign Realm forever. Something had to be done about the Universe itself… it needed uplifting, strengthening. The Laws needed to be refined. Yet, how could such a thing be done?

In one of his stories, it was Xuanyuan 'Xiao' Jiantian who spread his endless primordial energy across the Universe…

'Could I do the same?' Rokas questioned, stroking his chin. 'The event isn't exactly canon and Jiantian was a whole lot more 'divine' than I am at the moment. Though, theoretically, the surge of a more powerful, endless and beneficial energy should be capable of refining the Laws of the universe.'

[System: That would be correct… if the energy in its nature is gentle.]

'The gentlest form of energy would have to be Light Profound Energy…' Rokas thought, glancing at Li Suo. 'Even though I'm not all that great at it, I do have the origin of Light Profound Strength right next to me. I think that we can figure something out together.'

[System: You know, you could also take the Trial of Space and the Final Trial that would come after.]

'The Final Trial?' Rokas questioned.

[System: The Trial of Nothingness.]

'And what are the requirements for that, exactly?'

[System: Nine million nine hundred and ninety-nine thousand nine hundred and ninety nine hours dedicated to the Profound Way.]

'One off ten million, you mean.'

[System: Yes, that would be a shorter way of saying it.]

'That's… a good bit over a thousand years.'

[System: The trial's rewards are certainly worthwhile. Though, I would warn you, its length is not short. It would be akin to living a separate life.]

'Heh…' Rokas smiled slightly. 'I see… so that's the path forward in regards to my ascension. It seems like Aerion is truly an enjoyer of irony. So, would this separate life happen to be in the Primordial Era?'

[System: I can neither confirm nor deny that.]

'That… was an idea I wanted to explore with an alternate Xuanyuan Jiantian. It seems that I'll have the pleasure of doing so personally.' Rokas smiled as he began to think of all the possibilities. 'All the shards of the Ancestral Goddess… alive and well. All of the True Gods…'

[System: I forgot to mention the other requirement.]

'Huh… there's another?'

[System: Maxed confidant rank with Xiao Lingxi.]

'You gotta be kidding me.' Rokas felt like rolling his eyes, glancing at the System's interface. 'You're joking, right?'

[System: Of course. It would simply be far too difficult for you… you'd rather take your grudge to the grave.]

'Well, I'm a bit past all that… but, equally, treating her as a love interest when I only have the rewards in mind wouldn't sit right with me. She's a good person at heart.'

[System: She ain't your type is what you meant to say.]

'I don't need any more women in my life. Nor is it my desire.'

[System: I wouldn't be so quick to say all that-... yeah.]

The world froze completely… except for himself.

[System: I'm gonna go hide, kay?]

'Pussy.'

Rokas recognised this ability… and the System dipping out on him supported his theory.

A black-coated sword emerged from thin air and went straight for his head.

In that instant, he dodged and evaded its sharp edge by a mere fraction.

As the sword flew further ahead, it was grasped by a shadow and flew right back at him.

Clang.

Rokas had withdrawn the Heavenly Demon Saber and met the figure head on. Their blades clashed, unleashing a thunderous explosion of power that shook the surroundings. The figure withdrew temporarily, only to strike in the next instant. Rokas once again managed to block the blow.

Clang… clang… clang.

The precision of the shadow was perfect, forcing Rokas to be constantly on the defensive and leaving no room for a counterattack.

'She is frighteningly good…'

Her style grew with intensity as her figure flashed across the field, striking him at all angles. There would be several feints in there too… none of which Rokas fell for this time.

"You've improved." She remarked, grinning slightly as she withdrew a dagger. "How will you fair this time?"

She threw it straight for his head.

He shifted his head slightly, evading the blow… however, like a boomerang, it turned to the back of his head and flew right for it. Meanwhile, the shadow went to strike him directly with her blade.

Rokas didn't even bother to look at the dagger, condensing his suppressed profound energy and having it tear a hole through space. Now, instead of flying for his head, it simply vanished. Or so it seemed.

It reappeared right in front of Rokas, flying for her head while he aimed for a slash to her side.

"Not bad."

In the end, she blocked the dagger while drawing another sword to block the main strike. Rokas withdrew and formed two additional sets of arms, giving a trident to one arm, a rifle to another and a heavy sword to the other two.

"Interesting… you might even excite me."

She spinned her blades by their hilt, charging right in.

The rifle fired first. A condensed bullet of fused elemental energy flew forwards in an instant. Her eyes widened, glowing red as she cut it in half. The next was the long heavy sword, swinging down. She simply dashed to the side and continued on with precision, focus and speed quite unlike anything he had seen before.

The trident and heavenly demon saber struck at once, from separate sides in a perfectly coordinated sequence.

As they were about to converge on the shadow, it flashed behind him and struck… at air.

He had shapeshifted into a tiny dragon, dodging her blade completely… or so it seemed. She shifted her blade to aim at him again. He shapeshifted into a colossal dragon, leading to her only cutting a tiny part of the bottom of his tail.

"I suppose expecting you to fight fairly would be foolish."

She sheathed her blade and changed the scene around them in an instant.

Rokas transformed back to his human form and clothes beamed himself right after. Helaena chuckled, turning away.

"What's the point of having so many advantages in battle and not using them?" Rokas questioned, shrugging his shoulders. "Even then, I was being quite conservative."

"Mhm… and yet, I only used my blades. Who was truly conservative between us?"

"You do have a point." Rokas nodded, looking around. He realized that his surroundings were very… modern. It was a decently large apartment that had a cozy feel to it. "You took me to your crib this time? I thought it would be more medievalish."

"Taking you to the Divine Court would be quite ill-advised… especially with the way my relatives tend to act. No, rather, this is a world that I created to perfectly replicate the one you used to live in. Currently, we are in central London."

"..."

Rokas went straight for the balcony, looking upon a sight that he thought he'd never see again. While the skyscrapers were hardly as impressive as the colossal buildings he had seen in the Primal Chaos Dimension… they brought a feeling of home. Though he didn't live in the central area, it certainly brought a sense of nostalgia for he had been there quite a number of times.

He breathed in the polluted air.

"Fucking hell, this place stinks." Rokas chuckled as he looked down at the dirty River Thames. Upon closer inspection… despite it being the middle of the day, there were no people. "You didn't replicate its inhabitants, did you?"

"That would break a rule or two." Helaena replied, shaking her head. "The family reunion you seek can only be attained through your deeds."

"I see…" Rokas' face appeared sad for a moment as he looked down on the empty streets. It was so close yet so far. "I suppose Aerion never wants me to have things easy."

"Your journey with your current universe is not yet at its end regardless. Having the ability to switch between the two would only distract you. You may even abandon one in the favor of the other… an act that would set you back and perhaps prove fatal."

"Are they well…?"

"Yes, even better since you left."

"..." Rokas smiled. "That sounds rather cruel… but if that's true, I'm glad."

"I'm gonna look around for a bit."

He expanded his wings and flew out of the balcony.

"Of course."

First, he went to look around his crib and felt a deep sense of nostalgia. Following that, he saw a couple of landmarks around the country before going to his homeland. In Lithuania was where he truly felt his heart shake a little as memories of his early childhood and later vacations came to him.

"Such a small land…" Rokas observed from above, seeing it in its entirety. "It's so strange being able to teleport from one end to the other."

From the coastal town of Palanga to the city of Trakai and its beautiful castle to the capital where he was born to his grandfather's house, Rokas immersed himself in the land he once called home. The sights had almost brought a tear to his eye.

"It's small wonder why you kept true to your name…" Helaena remarked. "I understand that sense of pride in one's heritage for I feel the same way regarding Dragonstone. Even if it is a meager place compared to the Divine Court… that is my place of birth and where I feel at home. I believe it is important to remember where one came from."

"I'd like to see it someday." Rokas went into his grandfather's stash and found the rifle he used to practice with. Alongside that, the rather harmless sets of bullets… relatively harmless. "Dragonstone, King's Landing, Highgarden… hell, I want to see the multiverse. Though, there's nothing quite like this place to me. One day it is my hope to show my children and wives where I came from. I bet they'd be a little bit disappointed."

"Heh… yes, this is quite a humble land even in Earth's standards. Though, you have a rich history that has spanned many years. There is some pride to have in that."

"This creation of yours… it's quite detailed." Rokas observed, walking from one room to the other. "It doesn't feel like anything is missing. Then again, it has been too long since I've been here."

"I made certain to be meticulous when it came to the places you hold dear."

"... I must thank you in that case."

Rokas paused in the room where a large white tiger sat, staring at him. Of course… it was not a real tiger. He used to hug it every time he entered the room and used to talk to it when he was even younger. It was a gift that his father had won for him. To the side of the room where several family photos stood alongside other memoirs, there was one of him in his youth sitting next to the tiger.

He turned to the photo, looking into every little detail. Due to the camera flash, his eyes were quite red. Other than that, he had a sweet and confident smile with short brown hair. It was a genuine smile… one that would grow rarer as the years passed until his rebirth.

"You had some cute baby photos, soft muffin."

Helaena stated, leaning against the wall as she held a photo album in her hand.

Rokas joined her and looked through the photos. In almost every single one, he saw his mother right by his side. There were a lot of silly ones… especially one where almost his entire face was full of chocolate. The more pictures he saw, the more his heart was moved.

"... You're quite cruel, you know." Rokas took a deep breath, glancing away. It took a lot for him not to cry… even a little. "As much as this is a blessing, it is even more of a curse."

"How so?" Helaena questioned, tilting her head. "I am reminding you of the things that are worth striving for. Didn't you say that you wanted to repay your mother's efforts… and regretted that you could not? It is certainly possible."

"Growth. My growth." Rokas recalled the System's words. "Isn't that right?"

"Mhm… and you are on the right path."

She took out something that caught his immediate attention. A relatively big silver chain with a silver cross on it. He recognised it rather swiftly… for it had adorned his neck from the moment he had been given it.

"Is that…"

"This is no replica, either… this came right off your neck." Helaena raised it, holding the chain in her right palm. "Though, you were never much of a Christian, were you?"

"It was difficult to believe in something that I could not see." Rokas admitted. "But… sometimes, I would pray out of principle when I felt like I needed guidance. It didn't hurt to do so. The reason why I wore it, however…-"

"It's quite 'drippy'… as your generation would say."

"You sound like a grandma saying that." Rokas chuckled, shaking his head. "No, it was because my mother had given it for my sixteenth birthday."

She stretched her arm out more, almost pushing it into him.

Naturally, he reached out and grasped the chain. As he did so, her hands surrounded his… holding his hand rather tightly. He raised an eyebrow.

"Keep charging onwards… for the dream you have is not quite as far as you believe it is." Helaena's veil made it hard to make out any expressions. Although, her tone truly sounded sincere. "There will be a day where you can go wherever your heart desires. A day where your will bends reality itself. A day when you will truly stand at the pinnacle of all existence…. I believe that day will come should you seek it out.

"Though… to reach that point will not be swift nor easy. However, you knew that already."

Rokas nodded, watching as Helaena let go. He grabbed the chain, unlinked it and circled it around his neck. Finally, he linked it again and moved the cross around the chain so that it fell at the center.

'Life is a journey, in the end…'

Suddenly, he recalled a moment of the past. When he was just a boy and the thought of death had suddenly disturbed him.

"Mom… won't there be a day when you die and I'll be alone?"

"... Why should you have to think about death, my sweet boy? You're still so young and you have a whole lifetime ahead of you."

"But… I'm already ten. Isn't that like ten percent of my life… over? I'm getting old. I… don't want to lose you."

The thought had even made him begin to cry.

His mother chuckled, shaking her head as she wiped away his tears.

"You won't be dying anytime soon, neither will I. Your life is just starting. You should live to enjoy every moment. But… death comes for everyone, no matter how it happens. It could be an accident or just old age. Death is a part of life, my sweet boy. By the time I'm gone… you shouldn't be alone. You would have friends, a wife and even children of your own."

"But… I don't ever want to lose you."

"Nor do I… but nothing can be done about it."

"Hm…" He pouted.

"Go to sleep now… it's getting late." She kissed his forehead. "I love you."

"I love you more."

"No… I'll always love you more."

The image faded as Rokas held the cross close to his heart.

As he looked around, he realised that he was back in the Eternal Heaven Divine Realm.

'I'm going to reach you someday… I promise.'

…

"You're rather terrible at flirting, big sister. You're gravely lacking in the seduction factor despite your good looks."

Helaena turned to see one of her sisters, the very image of Qianye Ying'er with lilac eyes.

"What makes you assume I was flirting?" Helaena scoffed.

"You never go out of your way to talk to any men. If anything… you kill any that dare so much as stand in your vicinity. Though… a boy with brown hair, really? It's quite like dirt. Even more amusingly, he has the ability to change it yet keeps it as such. Heh."

"Visenya, you should mind your own business."

"Are we getting a brother-in-law in the family that isn't actually a brother?" Daeron Targaryen, Aerion's second son joined them. "I never thought I'd see the day, hahahahahaha."

"Where are you fools coming from?"

Before long, all six of her eldest siblings had shown themselves.

"I thought you intended to marry your blade, Darksister." Rhaenyra chuckled.

"Even if you were to like a man, I thought it would be more like a barbarian type of character." Naerys added.

"That Rokas fellow has grown on me." Jaehaerys nodded, putting up a thumbs up. "Go for it, big sister! I believe he would make the court a more colourful place."

"... Look at my baby sister, all grown up." Aurion, the eldest of them all, pat her head while laughing warmly. "You're becoming more of a woman, hahahahaha. Shouldn't it be about time you learned to cook? Chebureks… was it? It's no secret he loves those."

"Earning the way to his heart through food… hm, that would likely be effective." Daeron stroked his chin. "Why not learn to sing too? Turning your sharp dagger-like voice into a soft, angelic, tone would certainly go a long way. After all, this fellow seems to appreciate the finer qualities in art."

"Honestly, taking off your veil should do the job." Visenya added. "I doubt any man could reject a Goddess of House Targaryen… especially a man of mortal origin."

"I'll murder you all…" Helaena frowned, stepping away. "When did I ask for any of your advice? For now, I merely wish to guide him on the right path as father intended… but only loosely did so himself."

"Uh-huh."

None of them looked convinced.

"Hmph, I don't need to bother further with any of you."

Helaena vanished from their sight.

"How amusing." Aerion himself appeared right after. "Helaena has rather bad 'rizz', wouldn't we all agree?"

"Father… you've been spending far too much time around the youngsters." Aurion chuckled. "Although, I'm more surprised that you would give him your blessing."

"For a challenger to be acquainted with a daughter of the present Transcendent Being…" Jaehaerys remarked. "That certainly happened once before."

"The daughter in question being Helaena is further irony." Daeron added. "It almost feels… fated."

The siblings all paused for a moment, turning to their father.

'Will the wheel spin for another time?'

Aerion wondered.

'If so… a prospect will finally complete his true purpose.'

"What… why the long faces?" Aerion chuckled. "You think that fallen SovereignOfHeaven could ever triumph over me? He has long since lost the ability to write reality. If anything, this is just sport and his best position will be as a God in my pantheon."

Though… he secretly hoped for a true battle.

One that would make him feel the thrill of it all again.

…

As years continued to pass by… the day had come.

"Rokas…"

"Hmm?" Rokas turned to Xia Qingyue, unable to hide his smile as he looked upon his wife. "What is it, my dearest?"

"... I'm with child." Xia Qingyue stated, smiling as she looked down at her stomach.

"Really?" Rokas blinked, his eyes widening as joy filled his heart. "I had really begun to think…"

"I promised you, didn't I?" Xia Qingyue raised her hand, touching the side of his face. "It will be a son, I'm certain of it."

"It doesn't matter to me either way… I would love any child of mine with all my heart." Rokas bent his knee, taking a closer observation. When he sensed two energies… one especially small, his eyes lit up. He placed his head against her stomach and smiled as he closed his eyes. "Ping'er will have a sibling after all."

"Mn…" Xia Qingyue nodded, patting his head. "Our son."

The mutual joy that this moment had brought them didn't need any grand words… for it was so great that no words could ever truly describe that feeling.

From the moment Rokas stepped out of the Eternal Heaven Divine Realm, his golden eyes burned with a certain clarity. He released his truly endless profound energy, letting out a roar that shook the entire Primal Chaos Dimension. With one singular wave of his hand, he carved through space itself and appeared above the Star God Realm.

He was in the mood for a unique entrance… stretching out his hand and disrupting the Absolute Star God Barrier.

[Now Playing: Valhalla Calling, Cover by Jonathan Young.]

'Oh… I like this.'

He created a viking longboat and unleashed his profound energy, forming an entire sea of pure water that spread all over the centre of the Star God Realm. At the head of his sea was the longboat, from which he stood mightily to the side of its dragonhead. At his command, the music spread to those around him.

"Valhalla calling me… oh-oh-oh… to pluck the strings of destiny… oh-oh-oh"

Rokas' longboat crashed through the first barrier with ease, shattering it upon contact.

"Valhalla calling me… valhalla calling me."

His voice carried charisma and would ease any ally's mind, raising their morale. However, before him were no allies… only enemies. The Star Guards around him were truly terrified and did not even dare approach the sailing boat. As he sailed forward, right into them… they simply flew away and made way.

"Sails a' swaying on the crimson rivers. Blood and glory in the fighting fields. Shields a' shatter into splintered timbers… irooon and steeeel."

"Stop him… what are you fools doing? It is our duty to stop any and all disruptions!" One of the head Star Guards commanded, drawing his sword as he flew right in. "I don't know who you think you are-"

Woooosh.

Rokas turned to him and the sea slapped the Star Guard to the side.

"Fires are rising and the bells are ringing. Glory, take us into Odin's halls. Golden glimmer and the sound of singing. Asgard's call!"

"Ooooo-oh-ohhhhhh!"

"The echoes of eternity!"

He kept singing along, breaking through the other barriers with hardly any effort. In the end, he had breached into the main hall… his longboat shattering right through the gate. Its remains fell across the hall as every eye turned to him.

Along the prow of his longboat, Rokas stood rather nobly… wearing a full set of Teutonic Knight armour. His white cape fluttered with the wind as he looked around. On his head was a black winged greathelm, one that tended to inspire a sense of fear. Before doing anything else, he withdrew the Heavenly Demon Saber… which, at this very moment, took the form of a crossguard blade. It resembled Anduril, intentionally so.

He swung it like a boomerang, aiming to strike one Star God after the other…

Despite sensing the danger, the first Star God in line remained loyal to the ceremony and did not dare to flinch.

He was sliced in half… as the sword continued to spin like it hadn't lost even an ounce of momentum. If anything, it seemed to spin even faster.

In complete fear and terror, the rest of the Star Gods swiftly left their posts and Rokas' blade returned to him right after. Even the Star God Emperor had moved from his own ceremony.

The barrier collapsed completely… freeing both Jasmine and Caizhi.

[System: Considering you're Lithuanian, wearing Teutonic Knight armour is quite… ironic. That and you just had a Viking song as your entrance.]

'Silence… drip is drip.'

Rokas took off his helmet, holding it at his side.

He turned to Jasmine who had an eyebrow raised.

"You look surprised to see me, my princess." Rokas' wild brown hair swayed rather favourably, making him appear all the more dashing. "Did you not think that I would uphold my promise?"

"I'm more so surprised by your choice of entrance…" Jasmine smiled slightly, looking around as his sea continued to flood the main hall.

"Tis but a drop of water, my lady."

"Long Ke…" Xing Juekong's eyebrows twitched. "How dare you…"

"Long Ke?" Rokas tilted his head. "Unfortunately, he took his lunchbreak and will be away for a short eternity. You lot are dealing with Rocky on this fine night."

"Tch…" Xing Juekong clenched his fists so hard the bones in his hands were on the verge of cracking. "You bastard… I was meant to ascend… I was destined to be a True God!"

"So, Jasmine." Rokas completely ignored the Star God Emperor. "I got a piece of irony to serve the Star God Emperor… are you interested?"

"What would that be, precisely?" Jasmine grinned slightly.

"Why don't you go right along and stand where the Star God Emperor was standing."

"What…-" Xing Juekong's eyes widened.

Rokas raised his hand and distorted the space around the Star God Emperor, essentially force choking him. After that, he dragged him to the centre of the 'ceremony' where Jasmine and Caizhi once were.

"My subordinate Star Gods… reform the Absolute Star God Barrier for your great Star God Emperor! Remember all the great things he did for you, his beyond brilliant leadership, his wisdom, all the favours that he bestowed upon you… let all the power within you flow towards making the mightiest barrier possible!"

Rokas grinned as they all bent his Divine Authority.

Xing Juekong's face grew more and more distorted as his heart, soul and body shook with boundless fear.

This… was not his plan at all.