To be honest, waiting for Xiang Ling to wake up beside her was truly agonizing, at least for Miss Tiran. The last time she had felt like this was the morning of the day when the college entrance examination results were released, sitting in front of the computer, heading to the restroom every three minutes.

And this time, the outcome seemed to be even slightly more important than the college entrance examination results. What if the one who woke up was the Demon King and not Xiang Ling? What a big loss it would be to have traveled all this way to save someone…no, to save a dragon, to have fallen for the forbidden fruit and then to be taken out by the new Demon King shortly thereafter?

As Princess Tiran solemnly pondered this question, she nibbled on her finger while continuously sneaking glances at Aya.

"I say, Aya, let's go find an inn nearby and book a room while we still have time," she suggested.

"Huh? Are you serious?" Aya, who had no clue about Princess Tiran's thought process, was taken aback.

"Of course, I'm serious! This lady doesn't want her impression of that matter to remain just about the pain if something were to happen while we are here!" Princess Tiran persisted.

"Ahem, now is not the time to discuss such matters…" Xingjian, who had been guarding below the pit in a formation, suddenly appeared at the edge of the pit upon hearing their conversation, helplessly interrupting them and sighing about how youth was indeed a wonderful thing.

"I am very serious… Is there something you need?" Princess Tiran inquired.

"Princess Xiang Ling has awakened."

Tiran and Aya exchanged a look and then both turned to Xingjian.

"So, based on your reaction, the outcome should be good, right?" Aya cautiously asked.

"I do feel a sense of relief," Xingjian glanced in the direction where the devastating strike of divine wrath had been unleashed during Xianling's rampage earlier, "at least… it didn't end up in the worst-case scenario due to my mistake."

The two of them saw Xiang Ling sitting in place looking a bit dazed after waking up in the pit.

Oh, and there were Kongming and the Demon Dragon watching the spectacle.

"Hey hey, Silvis, do all newly ascended gods go through this 'acting like a fool' stage? This old man suddenly became curious about your godhood moments," the Demon Dragon inquired.

"You are mistaken, Demon Dragon," Kongming chuckled, "Have you not adapted yet? Suddenly absorbing the soul of a divine being carries an overwhelming amount of information that is not easily accepted. This state may last for a few more days…"

"No, I simply find it somewhat unrealistic," Xiang Ling suddenly spoke up, startling both Kongming and the Demon Dragon.

"Miss Xiang Ling seems to have exceptional talent to be able to absorb the information from the divine spirit in such a short time."

"Your praise is undue," Xiang Ling shook her head, "I merely made a deal with Minglin."

"However… my power has indeed been enhanced."

Apart from other abilities, the changes in her body were quite evident. Although her outward appearance remained the same, after the purifying baptism by the divine spirit, Xiang Ling's body was already considered close to that of a divine being. The spiritual power naturally generated within the body from the jade palace and heart had qualitatively increased after being joined by the divine spirit, significantly boosting the power of spells and skills released under the same spiritual power output.

Her understanding of the laws had also deepened due to absorbing the memories of the True Immortal, to the extent that the effect of her 'domineering' might be something no one could resist.

As for other aspects, Xiang Ling had not been able to touch them yet, but with the guidance of Minglin's consciousness, it shouldn't take too long.

"Tsk tsk tsk, reaching the sky in a single leap, how envy-inducing," Tiran sighed, then swiftly changed the subject and embraced Aya like a plush doll, "But this lady has also gained something from this, so it's all good."

"Wow, there are so many people here!" Aya was caught off guard by Miss Tiran's unexpected initiative.

"More people means more fun, you know? Do you know how embarrassed I used to feel going alone to crowded places during various holidays to show affection with a dog? If not now, then when should I flaunt shamelessly?" Tiran chuckled and gave a thumbs-up.

On another note, this time, besides Xiang Ling, they were the biggest winners. Princess's goal – saving Aya and helping Xiang Ling contend for the throne to bring reinforcements for Milanía – was successfully achieved. Moreover, they both advanced to Holy Rank by recovering the damage suffered after the battle in the magitech kingdom, thanks to the soul enhancement brought by the dragon knight contract.

"Oh, by the way, you mentioned... Minglin? How is she?" Aya couldn't help but ask.

His impression of Minglin was still profound, especially the look of confusion and helplessness in her eyes when she rejected him as he tried to escape with her.

"Hey, you dimwit dragon, do you know you're showing concern for another woman in front of me?" Tiran pinched Aya's waist flesh a little grumpily.

"Ouch, that hurts... And Minglin doesn't really count as a woman, she's not even human..."

"Are you talking back to me?"

"N-no, I won't dare!"

Hmm... this doesn't feel much different from before.

"As for Minglin, she's currently in my spiritual sea." Xiang Ling pointed to his forehead. So far, Minglin hadn't fully integrated her fairy spirit with Xiang Ling. Instead, she performed an operation similar to opening floodgates to assess the best range for Xiang Ling to accept and refine her body with the fairy spirit. With Xiang Ling's genius, she could quickly grow to be on par with a deity.

However, according to her, if Xiang Ling and she didn't reach an agreement and forcibly merged, there was still a chance of success while fighting Kongming and being restricted by a spell formation, but the failure would result in a divine-level explosion.

"Gee..."

Listening to Xiang Ling's description, everyone present felt a bit embarrassed. Even Kongming couldn't guarantee his safety under a divine strike.

"At least we passed this time safely, right?" Aya broke the silence, somewhat dejected.

"Yeah, and we also got rid of that jerk Yuan. It's a reason to celebrate...?" Tiran's words trailed off as he suddenly noticed that Yuan, who had been impaled by Xiang Ling earlier, had disappeared.

"Where is he?"

A body doesn't just vanish on its own, and under those circumstances, it was unlikely that anyone could have moved a body without being noticed. Tiran and Aya were certain that no one had approached the core formation position inside the imperial palace during the time Xiang Ling was integrating with the fairy spirit.

"Our dear friend, as soon as the fusion started and everyone gathered here, had already gotten up and left on his own, probably using some concealment item to avoid detection," Kongming slowly revealed the truth.

In fact, while everyone else had their attention on Xiang Ling, he had kept an eye on Yuan's "corpse" until the guy got up unharmed, dusted himself off his clothes, and waved from a distance frantically signaling something without any worry of being found out.

"Dumbass…?" Kongming silently recited the gesture this guy made in his heart, the first time… no, the first time since reuniting with Yuan after ten thousand years that he wanted to take down this dear friend.

Facing each other cheek to cheek, mocking each other was acceptable.

Although Kongming also had the intention of knocking Yuan out first, at least trapping him and slowly figuring out what had happened to him in the past ten thousand years that allowed a human to gain a lifespan only a deity could have, it was clear at that time that the fusion of Xiang Ling was more important. Plus, considering their friendship from years ago, Kongming temporarily let Yuan go, allowing him to run away.

But… being ridiculed by an old friend always felt a bit unpleasant…

Taking a step back, getting angrier as he thought more, Kongming retaliated with a move, Starfall, shooting towards Yuan who had already disappeared from view.

…

"Wtf… he's not dead even after being hit like that?"

Tiran felt his worldview being shaken. This was more outrageous than the normal protagonist halo. It's like openly cheating without any explanation?

But in a way, it was also a good thing. At least this guy didn't die inexplicably, giving him a chance to extract the clue about "going home" that Xingjian had mentioned.

"Yuan... he is my dear friend, so I didn't go too far this time. But considering his involvement in both Milt and Xichu's incidents, I believe he will take further actions in the future. Next time, I won't show any mercy."

There was no hint of apology in his tone, but Tiran and Aya couldn't ask for more. Kongming had no obligation to intervene in the safety of the human world, his unexpected return to East Land this time was already a surprise.

Even if they ignored his goodwill and blamed him, they couldn't beat Kongming now.

"The events here have come to an end, so I shall take my leave."

Confirming that everything had returned to peace, Kongming decided not to stay any longer. He grabbed the fluttering demon dragon with his right hand, and with his left hand casually opened a distorted space portal. After bidding farewell politely, he left.

The remaining people watched Kongming leave and unconsciously breathed a sigh of relief.

After all, he was a demon king of The Realm level, despite his gentlemanly appearance, the oppressive feeling he emanated was quite real.

With the encounter with beings like gods and demons over, it was time for humans to deal with the aftermath.

…

While the Eastern Divine Land had just passed through a crisis unnoticed by most and welcomed the return of immortals after many years in the era of the Last Law, the Western Continent remained in its peaceful state.

Of course, this did not include several countries on the western coastal line of the continent.

During the month when Tiran's convoy left Gilliast Castle to cross the sea towards the East, the war situation in Milanía had undergone a tremendous change.

…

West Coast of the Kingdom, Pradelin Naval Port.

Centered around the naval port, the coastline extended one kilometer on each side, now filled with densely packed barbed wire, stakes, and trenches. Behind were a large number of temporary arrow towers and catapults made of round logs, as well as an open space for archers to fire, the road to the naval port had also been repaired for the rapid transportation of military supplies.

On the sea near the port, a flagship, six main warships, and more than a dozen small and large ships were lined up in a row, their ship-mounted cannons aimed at the horizon where the sea and sky met.

The Third Fleet of the Kingdom Navy is standing by in their position, ready for battle.