Chapter 1066: The Milky Way (Fin)

From where he stood in the depths of space, Xiao Nanfeng gazed into the cosmic black hole.

It resembled a colossal, world-devouring maw that rotated slowly as it swallowed everything in its path. Its terrifying gravitational pull consumed countless comets and clusters of meteors. Even a massive star was dragged in. Its power was both terrifying and domineering.

Only thanks to Xiao Nanfeng's immense strength and relatively small mass was he able to escape its gravitational pull. He belatedly realized that the battlefield where he had fought against the Superior was merely part of the black hole's outer perimeter.

"This truly is a terrifying place. Even its outermost regions are governed by fearsome laws of time. More dangers must lurk deeper within..." Xiao Nanfeng murmured.

He turned to the three infants beside him, wanting to ask them a question—but all they did was continue to gurgle. They couldn't yet communicate with him.

He dipped his head, hiding another smile, as he focused on finding a way back.

The vast expanse of deep space was filled with countless stars and infinite darkness. Using only his eyes, it would be impossible to locate the way home.

Instead, he shut his eyes and reached out with his senses. Soon, he detected the presence of his own golden dragon and the location of the giant nine-colored tree.

"Let's go home," Xiao Nanfeng said with a smile.

Wrapping the three infants in his protective aura, he shot off at high speed toward the distant void.

Even with his terrifying speed, it took nearly a year for him to return to his home planet.

By then, in the central plaza of Xuanhuang Hall in Yongding, a massive altar had been set up.

Six women stood atop the altar, leading the gathered officials in transferring the newly generated fortune of Dazheng to Xiao Nanfeng.

Xia Yu'er's heart suddenly thumped. "Yanzhi, my heart's suddenly beating so quickly..."

"Mine too!" the other women exclaimed.

As if sensing something, they suddenly raised their heads toward the sky. A meteor flashed by and quickly descended onto the planet.

The women immediately tensed, readying themselves for battle—only to sense a familiar presence.

"It's Nanfeng!" Xia Yu'er cried out.

The meteor came to an abrupt halt outside Yongding. A tremendous gust of wind burst outward in all directions. At the center of this whirlwind stood the man they had longed for—Xiao Nanfeng.

"Nanfeng!"

"Nanfeng!"

The women's souls trembled with joy as they rushed toward and surrounded him. They clung to his arms, his waist, and his chest, as if afraid he might disappear again.

"Welcome home, Heavenly Emperor!" countless officials cried out in excitement.

"Welcome home, Heavenly Emperor!" countless citizens echoed with joy.

Xiao Nanfeng exhaled deeply, feeling an overwhelming sense of contentment. He gently patted the women and said, "I'm back."

It was only then that the women realized they were being watched by countless onlookers. Their faces flushed red as they released Xiao Nanfeng—though Xia Yu'er and Madam Rouge stubbornly refused to let go. They each clung to one of his arms with radiant smiles on their faces.

Looking at the cheering citizens and officials, Xiao Nanfeng took a deep breath and proclaimed, "To all citizens of the Dazheng Empire, I, Xiao Nanfeng, thank you for continuously providing and transmitting fortune to me. Because of your collective efforts, I have defeated the leader of the Darkborn invasion force, ending our perennial suffering. We have won! From now on, we shall have eternal peace!"

His voice spread across the entire planet. Everywhere, citizens raised their heads in astonishment as they heard the Heavenly Emperor's words. Then, one by one, their expressions turned to ecstatic joy.

"The Heavenly Emperor has returned? He won!"

"His Majesty is invincible! Long live His Majesty!"

"Long live Dazheng!"

The blade of Damocles that had hung over their heads for so long had finally been dealt with. No longer would they be slaughtered by the Darkborn! The people's cheers rang out across the land.

The emotions of the people created a vast surge of energy that was absorbed by the giant nine-colored tree. It radiated dazzling light, as if celebrating this moment of victory.

At that moment, Xiao Nanfeng, accompanied by the women, descended onto the plaza before Xuanhuang Hall, where he received bows and congratulations from the officials. With a flip of his hand, he retrieved three swaddled infants from his world of the heart. The babies no longer gurgled but instead gazed around with wide, curious eyes.

The women stared in astonishment at the three infants, their expressions filled with surprise.

Xia Yu'er couldn't help but ask, "Didn't you go fight the Superior? Where did these babies come from?"

"I have to say, they look somewhat cute..."

The women murmured at each other as they pointed at the infants.

"They're the three Qing Grandmasters," Xiao Nanfeng explained.

"The three Qing Grandmasters?!"

Xiao Nanfeng briefly recounted what had happened within the cage of time.

The women shuddered at the dangers he described, their hearts filled with lingering fear. Fortunately, they had understood Xiao Nanfeng's distress signal. Otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

The three Qing Grandmasters, who now possessed the minds of infants, were entrusted to caretakers.

Xiao Nanfeng's triumphant return brought joy to the entire world. The people of the empire immersed themselves in celebrations for months before finally settling back into normalcy.

Within a few months, the three babies had grown to the size of three-year-old children. They had developed at an astonishing rate. Though their bodies remained small, their expressions were wise and mature—they had fully recovered their past memories.

Inside a grand hall, the three Qing Grandmasters gave Xiao Nanfeng complicated looks.

The Yuqing Grandmaster sighed. "We owe you our lives."

The Taiqing and Shangqing Grandmasters nodded. Not only were they thankful to Xiao Nanfeng, they were also shocked and overwhelmed by his strength. How could he defeat the Superior even without having drawn on his nine-colored tree? That was unbelievable!

Xiao Nanfeng smiled. "If the three of you hadn't held off the Superior and bought me time, I wouldn't have been able to succeed. This victory wasn't mine alone but rather a result of our collective efforts."

The three Qing Grandmasters frowned before shaking their heads. With that one battle, they had settled their karmic debts with their home planet. They had no desire to form new ones.

The Yuqing Grandmaster continued, "Would you tell us how you achieved such strength?"

The Shangqing Grandmaster added, "As the Superior mentioned, your physical body was so strong as to destabilize the harmony between flesh and soul. How did you manage to undergo a spiritual advancement?"

The three Qing Grandmasters sought guidance from Xiao Nanfeng. The path of cultivation was treacherous, and following behind a trailblazer could very well save them from many mistakes.

Xiao Nanfeng, for his part, didn't seek to obscure the truth. "It was thanks to primordial purple qi."

He had already absorbed it all, and had no reason to keep it a secret. Besides, the Darkborn already knew of it. The three Qing Grandmasters had contributed more than enough to be worthy of that secret.

"Primordial purple qi?" the three Qing Grandmasters asked.

Xiao Nanfeng explained, "According to the Superior, primordial purple qi is a legendary treasure from the Milky Way Domain, with immense benefits for the soul. My primordial purple qi came from a purple crystal that the Ancestral Dragon brought back from the heavens—the same stone that became my imperial seal.""

The three Qing Grandmasters gaped in shock. They looked at Xiao Nanfeng with envy—had such great fortune simply fallen into his hands? His luck was truly incredible!

"Thank you for sharing this with us," they said with a respectful bow.

"No need to be so formal," Xiao Nanfeng replied with a smile. "Is this all you came here for?"

The three Qing Grandmasters shook their heads. The Yuqing Grandmaster said, "We came to bid you farewell."

"Farewell?"

The Yuqing Grandmaster continued, "Our karmic ties with our home planet have now been resolved. With you overseeing the planet, no major problems will arise. We'll be able to leave with peace of mind."

Xiao Nanfeng immediately understood their intentions. They wished to sever all lingering attachments. Now that they had repaid their debt to their home planet, if they remained here to grow and regain their strength, it would only create new karmic ties.

A different planet would create no such karmic entanglement, but their home planet was different.

After pondering the situation for a moment, Xiao Nanfeng asked, "Your cultivation is currently extremely weak. Where can you go? And how will you leave?"

The three Qing Grandmasters smiled faintly. "The cage of time caused our physical and spiritual cultivation to regress, but our worlds of the heart remain intact. As our memories recovered and our spirits were reshaped, we were able to reopen portals leading into them—they weren't significantly affected."

"So your world trees remain intact, and you can use them to absorb cosmic energy and regain your former cultivation?" Xiao Nanfeng asked.

The three Qing Grandmasters nodded once more, and the Yuqing Grandmaster continued, "Before we entered the black hole, we seized a starship of our own. We intend to head deep into the cosmos that way."

"You managed to take over a starship?" Xiao Nanfeng exclaimed.

Even he hadn't managed such a feat.

"We were lucky," the Yuqing Grandmaster recalled. "At the time, the Superior hadn't been paying attention. We seized one starship before she realized the issue and fortified their defenses."

"Do you have a certain destination in mind?"

"We intend to head toward the Milky Way Domain."

"Oh?" Xiao Nanfeng exclaimed in surprise.

The Yuqing Grandmaster explained, "While trapped in the cage of time, we were able to analyze and learn how to manipulate the starship to some extent. The Superior left a marker leading to the Milky Way Domain."

"Was that her intended destination, too?"

"According to the starship's internal records, the Darkborn are leading an army toward the Milky Way Domain right at this very moment. They're preparing to conquer it for themselves."

"Is that so?" Xiao Nanfeng narrowed his eyes.

"We plan to have a look for ourselves. During our journey, we'll take advantage of our world trees to absorb cosmic energy and regain our cultivation. By the time we arrive, we should be back to peak strength."

Xiao Nanfeng remained silent for a moment. After all, Earth was located in the Milky Way Domain, and he was worried for its safety.

"What's the matter?" the Yuqing Grandmaster asked.

Xiao Nanfeng shook his head, suppressing his worries. "It's nothing. Thank you for informing me of your plans. When will you be setting off?"

"Immediately," all three Qing Grandmasters replied in unison.

Xiao Nanfeng nodded. "Very well. Let me see you off."

The three Qing Grandmasters nodded again.

Before long, a giant starship appeared in the sky above Yongding.

The countless disciples of the Taiqing, Yuqing, and Shangqing holy lands, under the guidance of Zhang Lingjun, Xia Yu'er, and Lan Yaoguang, bowed to the three Qing Grandmasters for the last time. "Farewell, Grandmasters."

Xiao Nanfeng, the other Heavenly Empresses, and all the officials of Dazheng likewise participated in the ceremony.

The three Qing Grandmasters returned their bows, bowed once more to their home planet, and then looked up at the sky.

With a hum, the starship projected a beam of light that enveloped all three Qing Grandmasters. The three Qing Grandmasters slowly floated up into the starship as the light vanished and its doors sealed shut.

Then, it shot through the sky and into the depths of space before vanishing into the cosmos.

As everyone left, the women surrounded Xiao Nanfeng. Worry was evident in his gaze.

Madam Rouge asked, "Nanfeng, do you want to head to the Milky Way Domain, too?"

Xiao Nanfeng nodded with a sigh. "Despite having been reborn here, I am tied to my home planet by memories of my past life—a karmic bond."

Madam Rouge warned, "Without a starship, searching for the Milky Way Domain in the boundless cosmos would be like looking for a needle in a haystack. You wouldn't be able to find the way."

Xiao Nanfeng gazed at the colossal nine-colored tree growing beside them, his expression full of confidence. "I don't need a starship. Once the nine-colored tree grows stronger, I can use its ability to instantly teleport through space and reach the Milky Way."

As the evening breeze blew, the nine-colored tree swayed. It radiated dazzling nine-colored light as it grew ever more vigorous.