Sitting at the helm of The Realm under the starry sky, possessing the Star God's Eye that can see through fate, the Star Tower should have been Xingjian's domain. However, as events escalated, Xingjian found himself becoming an outsider who couldn't intervene at all.

What made Xingjian feel both amused and exasperated was that as a sinner who had betrayed his legacy and participated in the creation of the divine plan, no one seemed to care about him now.

"At least it's not the worst case scenario." Xiang Ling had no intention of saying more to Xingjian. According to the person who called himself Kongming, mishandling the upcoming events would lead to a calamity of godly proportions, capable of destroying the city effortlessly.

Even experts like the Holy Rank and the Earthly Immortals, who had just stepped into the realm of laws, were powerful but appeared fragile in the face of such catastrophic events.

It was as if he had turned back into that child struggling to survive in the slums, able only to numb his heart and tell himself to be patient, with no room for resistance.

"Decree to all troops, open all four gates of Luojing, city guards, and imperial guards assist the Jiangdong army in maintaining order, allowing civilians inside the city to leave." Taking out a spiritual talisman, Xiang Ling issued the order to the subordinates inside and outside the imperial city to clear out and accept the rebel forces.

Her Jiangdong army was still cleaning up the aftermath and battlefield. Issuing the order to allow civilians to leave the city at this time would bring them great trouble. However, if the efforts to prevent the Silver War Maiden's attack from the Star Tower failed, the threat brought by the appearance of the True Immortals would be far greater than the current chaos.

Even a random area attack would cause dreadful casualties in the densely populated imperial capital.

"... Any small step forward is better than none."

Xiang Ling muttered softly to herself, then sat down to adjust the flow of her spiritual energy and her breathing. Regardless, she intended to stay here and await the final outcome.

"Silver War Maiden, can I trust you?"

...

Aya's consciousness once again woke from the darkness.

It seemed like from a long time ago, he had been trapped in one dream after another, as if embarking on a great adventure through countless worlds. There were all kinds of distorted and twisted scenes, some appearing normal but entirely different from the world he knew.

For example, wide roads lined with towering skyscrapers that unified by their clean glass facades, screens on the buildings playing bizarre scenes akin to magic crystal screens, various steel mechanical vehicles shuttling back and forth on the roads, and people's attire, demeanor, and language on the sidewalks were equally incomprehensible.

Navigating through countless surreal dreams, his consciousness moved as if in a dream within a dream. Aya couldn't even be sure whether he was still within a dream.

Yet, he sensed changes. In the latter part of the dreams, as the bizarre scenes became less twisted but more outlandish, the excruciating pain that felt as if his soul was about to shatter completely disappeared. Instead, his heart grew calm and warm, as if being held tightly in someone's arms with a comforting warmth just around the corner.

And then, he once again opened his eyes.

This time, instead of the endless wondrous journey, what greeted his sight was the jet-black dome akin to the night sky and the intricate and elegant array patterns surrounding him.

"Huh?"

After enduring the countless baptisms of dreams, Aya took a while to fully comprehend the current situation, with the chaotic memories in his mind slowly falling back into place.

This was the array that Yuan used to create gods, and then, I... have woken up?

The golden handcuffs that once restricted her freedom on her wrist had vanished when she lost consciousness. Now, Aya lay flat on the ground, taking a moment to feel the absence of the seals that had been placed in her mental sea, completely gone. But that wasn't all—

"What is this...?"

Among the sensations in her mental sea, apart from the disappearance of the seals, there was a mysterious golden mark. She lifted her hand slightly, and her body seemed normal with no peculiarities. It felt more like she had just had a peaceful, rejuvenating sleep, comfortable and full of strength. As her sense of control over her body returned, her other senses also sharpened from dullness to clarity. Aya sat up from the ground and looked around.

Apart from the ritual circle on the ground, devoid of any magic now that the sitting god had lost consciousness, well… her memories were still a bit fuzzy, but it seemed like Lady Tiran had come at some point? The magical nodes at the edge of the circle, the runes that connected to the earth ley lines, were all in a somewhat incomplete state, making Aya wonder what had happened before she woke up. Quickly scanning her surroundings—hmm?

Pause, backtrack a bit.

Aya rubbed her eyes to confirm she wasn't seeing things. A girl was standing slightly to her side, facing away, with silky silver hair cascading down her back like a waterfall. She had her head slightly bowed, with the lower half of her blushing face half-hidden under her hair. It seemed like she was holding a blue hair ribbon in her mouth. She gathered her hair with one hand and skillfully tied it up into a high ponytail with the other, after which her smooth as white jade back and shoulders were fully exposed, illuminated by the golden light of the ritual circle on the ground, exuding a captivating sheen. The delicate butterfly bones and the graceful curves down her spine to her perky hips were all visible...

Honestly, Aya had seen this scene before, often waking up in the morning at Gilliast Castle to catch a glimpse of Lady Tiran nonchalantly changing in front of the mirror without a care in the world. But never had the impression been as profound as it was this time. In the past, Lady Tiran would probably have noticed his gaze immediately and retaliated by throwing a pillow back at him with all her might—not that it would cause any major harm, but with the power of the Silver War Maiden, it was enough to make one dizzy for a while. So, usually, Aya would instinctively turn away in the first moment of seeing her.

Huh, why hadn't he ever thought Tiran's body looked this... beautiful when accidentally seeing it before?

At this moment, almost unwittingly, Aya didn't move his gaze away immediately, silently swallowing some saliva and staring fixedly at that flawless body like a precious jade. Within the frozen stillness inside the sitting god's chamber, only the soft rustle of fabric as Tiran put on each piece of clothing echoed around. She fastened the final button on her side, sighed in relief, and turned back around, catching Aya's slightly dazed eyes.

"Uh... hey?"

Aya scratched his cheek and gave a greeting, automatically preparing himself for the imminent beating, as sharing a room with Lady Tiran had already become a habit in such situations.

"You, you're awake," the princess hesitated for a moment, muttered quietly to herself, then shifted her gaze away.

What was going on?

Aya felt a bit lost, cautiously moved his already prepared-for-punishment head to look at Tiran.

No beating, that's unusual, right? Who are you really, Miss Tiran? Aya looked at Tiran suspiciously, but Tiran seemed even more guilty, subconsciously avoiding Aya's gaze.

"....Huh?"

Aya, feeling even more puzzled, got up and walked over. Just like her assessment of her body when she woke up, she felt energetic and confident, much like how her phone and power bank were fully charged when she left in the morning.

Tiran, on the other hand, seemed a bit panicked and immediately took two steps back. "Wait! D-don't come over here!"

"No, can you explain what's going on?" Aya chuckled, "Miss, I really can't make heads or tails of this."

"Nothing happened! Nothing at all!" The princess crossed her hands in front of her chest and declared firmly.

"...I find it hard to believe that nothing happened with that reaction of yours," Aya smirked, then advanced towards Tiran and questioned, "Why were you putting on clothes at the side? What were you doing before that?"

"Stop! Don't mention it! Don't ask! I said nothing happened!"

Suddenly, Tiran, like a cat whose tail was stepped on, leaped and pinned Aya down, firmly covering the younger dragon's mouth with her hands, muffling his words into muffled sounds.

"Mmm?! Mmmmmmmm! (Hey?! Covering my nose!)"

After struggling with Tiran for a while, Aya finally broke free from her iron grip. Breathing heavily, he wiped his sweat and looked confusedly at Tiran, who was hanging on him with both legs wrapped around his waist and anxiously eyeing her Silver War Maiden.

"So, what exactly happened? Oh, right, Yuan! I remember that guy trapped me here and then—"

Aya noticed that Tiran looked even more flustered when he mentioned this. With a sigh, she held her shoulders with both hands and said, "Alright, alright! I'll tell you, but no interruptions."

"Um... okay, go ahead."

"Yuan wants to place Minglin's soul into your body to create a new god, so I, for the sake of saving you from being overwhelmed by the massive information in Minglin's soul, used some special means...yes, that's it!"

Tiran summarized it in one sentence, blunt and straightforward. After finishing, Tiran looked somewhat uneasy and glanced at Aya.

"What special means...?"

"Don't ask again!" Tiran glared at Aya, held a finger to his lips, and said firmly.

"But..."

"No 'buts,' no more questions! No! Shoo!"

If you don't explain clearly, aren't you just causing more anxiety? A god's soul was inserted into the body! Aya recalled the fragmented and distorted dreams he saw when his mind was unclear, perhaps stemming from Minglin's soul.

But there were still some missing pieces in his memory.

But then, how did Tiran manage to protect her own soul? When did she acquire such advanced things... hmm?

As if a switch was flipped, Aya suddenly thought of something. Combining Tiran's reaction when he woke up and the brand in her mental sea...

"Hey... the method you mentioned wouldn't happen to be Dragon Knight, would it..."

"I said no questions allowed!!!"