âHeh, son, you dashed her hopes, so thereâs no need to hold grudges. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. The heavens have already punished her,â sighed Emperor Taiyuan.
âSheâs already a thing of the past. Father, youâre the one Iâm worried about. You suffered for far too long.â Jiang Chen couldnât help but sigh.
âHeh. In fact, you did as well. You just donât remember it. Think about it. Youâve been trekking for hundreds of millennia on the road of reincarnation until you descended on Divine Abyss. How much pain and anguish do you think youâve endured along the way?â
âBut since I canât remember, Iâm not particularly distressed,â the young man responded with a hearty laugh.
The warm heart-to-heart between father and son was interrupted when the four sacred beasts and the Goldbiter Kingrats came forward.
Jiang Chen introduced them one by one and they showed his father due deference. He was a celestial emperor, on top of being the young lordâs progenitor.
âWonderful! Chenâer, youâve accomplished what I couldnât. The four divine beasts coexist in harmony and the Goldbiter Kingrats obey your orders. Many celestial emperors in the heavenly planes would dream of being in your shoes. Feel proud, you can stand tall among them!â
Taiyuanâs titled godkings also greeted their return in a most orderly and solemn ceremony, their applause lasting seemingly forever.
âTaiyuan Plane welcomes your return, Your Majesties!â
Crimsonwaters and Hoarfrost were the de-facto leaders. The former found Jiang Chen, while the latter rendered extraordinary services in rescuing their old liege.
The young lord spotted a familiar figure standing behind Godking Hoarfrost. He smiled gently. âSectmistress Han, I told you weâd meet again.â
She wasnât dressed as a widow for once. Instead, she was as fresh as a girl from next door. Shy from the sudden attention, she hid behind Godking Hoarfrost, too embarrassed to show her face.
âHaha, I remember this little girl. Chenâer, she went to a great deal of effort to save this father of yours,â remarked Celestial Emperor Taiyuan with a grin.
His son nodded, then faced Crimsonwaters.
âLord Crimsonwaters, my thanks for being the first one to speak up at the conference. You were the one to set the events in motion. Didnât I tell you weâd upturn Taiyuanâs fate as long as someone does? Thank you to all of you.â
The subjects of his gratitude included Crimsonwaters and the latterâs friends like Godking Righteous.
The five of them blushed so fiercely that the tips of their ears turned red. The princeâs recognition made them proud, but also a little afraid. To think theyâd once planned on making him Crimsonwatersâ successor! It was shameful to recall.
Having an august celestial emperor inherit a godkingâs seat? What a farce!
Ignorance was truly bliss!
After interminable upheaval, Taiyuan Plane was finally back on track. The restoration would take a long time, but what mattered was that the situation had bounced back. And the hidden mastermind, Godking Mirrorbloom, had been executed.
Several ambitious godkings harboring hidden motives had also been chased away, exiled forever from Taiyuan Plane.
Most of all, Celestial Emperor Taiyuan, the one whoâd once ushered the realm into its golden age, had returned, along with a sense of stability and security. Not only that, he also had a perfect successor in his young son. Things couldnât be any better.
......
The renovated Taiyuan Sky Palace had recovered most of its former splendor. Everything felt so familiar, as if all these years of suffering had been a fleeting dream.
Inside the palace, Celestial Emperor Taiyuan once again held an audience with his godkings.
Compared to the past, their number had dwindled by more than half. He couldnât help but be afflicted by sorrow at the sight.
âDearest subjects, it is true that We went against heavenâs will and altered the track of destiny by refining the Sun Moon Pill. But do ask yourselves this in your heart of hearts. If death was to take away your only son, would you idly sit by without lifting a finger?â
The crowd fell silent.
They were exalted figures, one and all, yet none of them was immune to emotion. The ways of the world were inscrutable. As godkings, they stood at the pinnacle of the cultivation world, yet they couldnât match a mortalâs fertility.
Siring one descendant was the norm. Only the luckiest ones were blessed with two or more.
Hence, heirs were extremely valuable for peak cultivators.
Had they been in the celestial emperorâs situation with the same capabilities, at least nine out of ten would have made a similar choice.
âYour Majesty, we were blind and let ourselves be swayed. It was only after the fact that we came to realize the value of what we lost! Without His Majesty on the throne, Taiyuan Plane has been in permanent decline.â Crimsonwaters exclaimed ruefully. âIn comparison, refining a Sun Moon Pill, going once against the will of the heavens, itâs little to speak of.â
âAlas, all is predestined.â Godking Hoarfrost sighed. âWe were short-sighted and were punished in consequence.â
âThe sin of going against the heavens is mine alone to bear. I wouldâve never involved the rest of Taiyuan Plane. I hadnât expected the situation to deteriorate this far.â Emperor Taiyuan grimaced.
Jiang Chen exclaimed, âFortunately, allâs well that ends well! Father, this is the Taiyuan Token. I formally return it to you. Your Majesty, please allow me to welcome your return with my fellow godkings and celebrate your second reign!â
He dropped on one knee and presented the creation token with both hands.
âChenâer, you should be the one to rule Taiyuan Plane at this stage,â his father replied, hesitating.
âHehe, royal father, Iâm not like Mirrorbloom. My heart yearns for greater skies. I long to create my own world and pioneer my own realm. At that time, our planes can ally with one another. Both of us will be celestial emperors. Wonât that be a wonderful tale?â
Moved, Emperor Taiyuan laughed out loud. âWonderful, worthy of my son! You can count on my full support! In that case, Iâll supervise this world for now. Perhaps we can merge our planes one day into the most celebrated realm in the boundless universe!â
The crowd followed suit and cheered boisterously.
Seeing the heroic atmosphere about the father and his son, the godkings felt an extreme sensation of security. Thatâs what a strong celestial emperor should look like, someone who can lead his people to glory.
In comparison, the previous musical chairs for the throne was an utter disgrace!