Sword Rain Pool and the Ocean of Stars

The Law Angels were in no hurry to hunt down their Vice-Monarch of Heaven, for time was on their side, and destiny bowed before the stars. Their Monarch was about to take command of the starry sky. This was not some false canopy that could shroud only a single nation, nor a metaphorical description of conceptual laws, but the real, tangible, dazzling starry sky that had enveloped the mortal world for tens of millions of years. Countless stars and planets, the far shore of all light and darkness, were soon to become their Monarch's personal possession. Nature's feast, untouched by anyone since time immemorial, was finally about to welcome its first—and inevitably its last—diner. The Law Angels had once wondered why their Monarch remained in the seventh layer of the Void Realm, never sparing a moment to deal with the recalcitrant God-Leaders or bring the rebellious Vice-Monarch of Heaven home. Only now, as the stars illuminated the five nations, did they understand their Monarch's far-reaching foresight. Without question, the authority over the world lay hidden within the seventh layer of the Void Realm. The sooner their Monarch forged Her astral crown, the sooner the Throne of Heaven would welcome its first and last master. By comparison, whether it was those rabble of God-Leaders or the Vice-Monarch's reluctance to take up his post, these were trivial matters that could be dealt with later. No wonder their Monarch had cared nothing for the shattering of the Starry Canopy. With the real starry sky already in Her grasp, She no longer needed a false firmament to display Her supreme majesty. Once every star became their Monarch's eye, Her majesty would cast down from the starry sky to cover every shadow across the earth. Once their Monarch commanded the starry sky, the Vice-Monarch would have nowhere to hide. In fact, Sword Law already knew Yaxiu was in Gospel, merely lacking his exact location. Their Monarch had always been able to trace Yaxiu's whereabouts, because from beginning to end, Yaxiu bore the mark She had left behind. Even if he knew, he could not rid himself of it—deep within his iridescent supreme void wings lay a profound star mark, just as within their Monarch's supreme void wings lay a faint, iridescent sword mark. As long as their Monarch returned from the seventh layer of the Void Realm, everything would be fine; the Law Angels believed this implicitly. Therefore, when Sword Law and Star Law detected Yaxiu appearing in the Starry Country, they were not overly agitated, even though they could now pinpoint Yaxiu's exact location. Ever since the battle in the Star Bridge Hall, they had not dared underestimate this Vice-Monarch who had entered the divine domain less than a year ago. After all, even if Yaxiu could not beat them, couldn't he outrun them? Last time had been a premeditated ambush, taking advantage of Yaxiu's inexperience and unfamiliarity with world secret realms to trap him in the Sword Rain Pool and force a battle. But in reality, even in the Seven Heavens, unless it was an absolute necessity during an attack or defense, only a fool of an angel would blindly step into another's world secret realm. Although they could also use 'Swiftness' and 'Stealth' to trap him inside a world secret realm before he could react, neither was an area in which the Law Angels excelled. Among the past six God-Leaders, the Omniscient Weaver had been unparalleled at stealth and ambush, while none could surpass the Lord of the Endless Abyss in swift surprise attacks. In truth, the Supreme Lord of the Blood Moon, the Senluo Azure Lord, and the Lord of Joy all possessed distinct traits of their own. If anything, the Divine Lord of Stars was relatively 'monotonous'—She was renowned for unmatched slaughter. Yet which of the six God-Leaders wasn't a ruthless killer who had fought their way from the Knowledge Sea all the way to the Seven Heavens? To beat them in the domain of combat that every God-Leader excelled at until all of them acknowledged the Divine Lord of Stars as the strongest was enough to make one imagine just how terrifyingly ferocious this oldest God-Leader and first Supreme had once been. Influenced by the Divine Lord of Stars, the Law Angels rarely studied swiftness or stealth either. It wasn't that they couldn't muster miracles with similar effects, but using them against Yaxiu—who had recently crushed four primary combat angels and four support angels head-on—would be underestimating their future Vice-Monarch of Heaven far too much. The most likely outcome was that the moment they made a move, Yaxiu would open a Void Gate and slip away to roam north and south. Thus, when they saw Yaxiu appear of his own accord, the two Law Angels' first reaction was actually to freeze on the spot. Below stretched rolling hills, and in the distance a highway curved around the foot of the mountains toward distant fields. Rain filled heaven and earth, a curtain of downpour so heavy that not even the morning sunlight could pierce it. The firm horizon blurred, streams of rain flanking more streams of rain, as though heaven and earth were woven together by the downpour. Bathed in the dim world, Yaxiu, with his void wings unfurled, was dazzlingly bright. Silver, gold, rainbow, sword-hued, Prison Mutation, and iridescent tail feathers like a plume—he hovered quietly in midair, like the vibrant colors God had painted onto the world, with heaven and earth as his throne. He turned his head to look at the Law Angels, as if meeting old friends after a long absence. "Just the two of you?" "It's not that more Law Angels couldn't descend, but they must maintain the operations of the Kingdom of Heaven, especially with so many new changes occurring there after our Monarch attained the Supreme realm." Sword Law offered a wry smile. "We're usually quite busy too. Our Monarch doesn't keep idle hands." "How is it that even after becoming demigods you still have to work? I thought one would transcend and no longer be troubled by mundane chores," Yaxiu joked. "Sounds like the Divine Lord of Stars is quite the exploitative boss." "There is a quote in an economics text from the Blood Moon Country that I am rather fond of: 'Labor is the essence of man. The same holds true for sorcerers,'" said Star Law, clad in a blue-and-white ceremonial robe trimmed in gold. "Meaningful creative work is no worse than rest and recreation. Just as you, Mr. Yaxiu, will be responsible for governing this land and leading sorcerer civilization. Hard work is inevitable, but the authority and sense of accomplishment are likewise beyond compare." Yaxiu smiled faintly without answering. Sword Law glanced around, phrasing his words as a question, yet his tone was utterly certain. "The Sword Princess and the others aren't here. Are they undergoing their six-wing trials?" "You know we defeated the angels sent by the God-Leaders?" Yaxiu wasn't surprised. The God-Leaders' angels fell in defeat → world secret realms fell into their hands → the prerequisite conditions to become a God-Leader were met, triggering the six-wing trials. This chain of deduction was completely transparent to a God-Leader; Yaxiu and his companions had no way of hiding it. "Naturally. Though we arrived a step too late to support our Vice-Monarch, we had the privilege of discerning the peerless heroic bearing of our Vice-Monarch and your followers from the traces left on the battlefield. The petty scoundrels sent by those God-Leaders could only bring humiliation upon themselves before you," Sword Law said. "Furthermore, congratulations to Miss Silver Lantern on ascending to the peak of Senluo. We had originally hoped to ask Miss Silver Lantern to pass a message to our Vice-Monarch, but who would have thought she could already merge as one with Senluo? We couldn't find so much as her shadow." During the Senluo divine war, in order to increase her combat power, Silver Lantern had no choice but to permeate the world of Senluo. Although she had to bear the lingering Strangling Green curse as the price, she achieved her goal of virtually merging with Senluo. Later, Yaxiu (as Mirror Demon) merged the Sea of Blood and Mountain of Corpses into the earth of Senluo. Because Silver Lantern was already one with Senluo, as Senluo's vitality revived, she naturally benefited enormously. If she was once merely a rebel striving to hold back the collapse of heaven, now she was at least a gardener acknowledged by Senluo. Weise had known half a month ago that the Law Angels had visited Senluo, but before she could do anything, the Law Angels had already departed. Though her true body remained in Senluo, with her world authority, she could now conceal her true body within the world itself. If Senluo grew a little more flourishing and Silver Lantern grasped a little more authority, she could even call down natural disasters to punish intruders. "Has our Vice-Monarch already completed his trial, or did you not undertake it at all?" Star Law asked, somewhat puzzled. "Those scoundrels left behind four secret realms; surely Mr. Yaxiu wouldn't have failed to take even one...?" "Regardless of whether our Vice-Monarch has completed the trial, only by returning with us can you raise your kingdom of heaven and claim a seat in the Seven Heavens," Sword Law said earnestly. "I have no doubt our Vice-Monarch is the fastest-rising genius sorcerer in history, but the Seven Heavens holds not only four God-Leaders, but also the Supreme's dream kingdom. "Until now, our Monarch has never dealt with you in earnest—partly because She was unwilling, and partly because She was unable. But soon, the full, unreserved power of the Sorcery Supreme will pour down upon the mortal realm, and by then, no matter where you hide, there will be no escape. Yet if you take the initiative to step into the Seven Heavens, what you face will not merely be the Sorcery Supreme, but Her kingdom, Her angels, and the colossal foundation She has cultivated over millennia. "And not just you—the same goes for your followers." Sword Law spoke bluntly. "There will be no place for them in the Seven Heavens. Let alone allowing newcomers to establish themselves there, we are already planning to drive the other God-Leaders out of the Heavens. "But if you are the Vice-Monarch of Heaven, everything changes." He fixed his gaze on Yaxiu. "Our Monarch is fully committed to conquering the seventh layer of the Void Realm. The Seven Heavens will be placed under the Vice-Monarch's charge, and who enters will be decided entirely by your word." Though it was all bribery, times had changed. A few months ago, the Sword Princess and the others had merely been ordinary demigods, and Sword Law and his fellows had no authority to distribute world secret realms; at most, they could offer to make the Sword Princess and the others into Law Angels. As for whether Yaxiu could secure world secret realms from the Divine Lord of Stars to sustain his women, that depended on his own capability. Now that the Sword Princess and the others possessed world secret realms, the terms the Law Angels could offer were a tier higher—or rather, the punishment they could inflict was far more severe: as long as Yaxiu refused to serve as the Divine Lord of Stars' Vice-Monarch of Heaven, the Sword Princess and the others could forget about ever stepping into the Heavens for the rest of their lives! And yet... Sword Law looked at the expressionless Yaxiu and let out a dry laugh. "Though I doubt it will do any good, what if you actually came to abandon the dark for the light and were just waiting for a graceful way out?" "You stop here," Yaxiu said. "The Sword Princess's trial?" Sword Law grasped the answer in an instant. He exchanged a glance with Star Law and said seriously, "Regardless of the outcome, we will not take another step forward." "Thank you," Yaxiu replied with sincere gratitude. The rain gradually turned heavy and razor-sharp. No matter how wildly the wind howled, every raindrop plunged straight into the earth like a sharp sword. Bright starlight pierced the dark clouds, plating every drop of rain in gleaming radiance. Stars and rain mirrored each other, resembling countless points of starlight tumbling from the sky to form a mesmerizing rain of miracles, shattering upon the earth into a dazzling sea of stars. Only Yaxiu, standing in the midst of it, could feel the lethal peril beneath this beauty. He looked up at the brilliant stars beyond the veil of rain and asked, "What is the name of this world secret realm?" "Ocean of Stars." Holding his Star-Moon Staff, Star Law spread his six void wings without restraint. "Since our Monarch entrusted me with managing this secret realm, three thousand years have passed." Yaxiu remarked with admiration, "Ocean of Stars and Sword Rain Pool... Two world secret realms merged so seamlessly together. I imagine you two certainly aren't fighting independently, are you?" "Naturally," Sword Law said. "Even in the Seven Heavens, secret realms like the Sword Rain Pool and the Ocean of Stars that enhance each other are exceedingly rare. However, the last War of the Heavens took place a long time ago; perhaps the other God-Leaders have devised even more secret realm combinations in the meantime. "Although you defeated the primary combat angels of the other God-Leaders and your battle strength has surely improved by leaps and bounds since our last meeting, I truly advise against stubbornly holding out." Sword Law caught a raindrop, transforming it into a glazed star sword. His six void wings unfurled completely, shining in brilliant harmony with Star Law Angel. "First, none of your followers are by your side. Second... "You don't actually have a world secret realm of your own, do you?" Yaxiu smiled, then asked, "The shockwaves, sound, and light from our battle won't leak outside, will they?" "If the shockwaves, sound, and light could leak out, then you naturally could leave as well," Star Law said. "You can rest assured that we would never leave behind such an amateurish flaw." "That sets my mind at ease." Yaxiu breathed a sigh of relief and shook two swords out from his sleeves. "By the way, I wonder if you are aware of this intelligence—the secret realms of those angels concealed the avatar consciousnesses of their God-Leaders. Midway through the fight, the angels tagged out and let their God-Leaders fight in their stead. So not only did we fight a bloody battle against the angels, but we also had a direct showdown against the God-Leaders." Sword Law's expression remained unchanged. "Thank you for the warning, but do you think this intelligence can shake our resolve?" Yaxiu smiled and shook his head. "No. What I really wanted to ask is whether the Sword Rain Pool and the Ocean of Stars contain an avatar consciousness of the Divine Lord of Stars?" "Who knows?" Star Law replied. "Our Monarch gazes upon fate and the future, which is not for the likes of us to guess. Whether She is here or not, She has Her own reasons." Sword Law chuckled. "Vice-Monarch, what will you do if our Monarch does appear?" "That would be all the better. I look forward to Her taking your place to fight me. After all, that way..." Yaxiu cast off his cloak, his long hair billowing in the wind. The pride in his eyes gave Sword Law an inexplicable sense of déjà vu; for a fleeting moment, the silhouette of that red-haired girl seemed to overlap with his. "...I can give Her a proper thrashing for once."