“Maximillius is dead.” Luthor’s expression was grim. This was a disaster, an absolute disaster. How the hell did the federation’s strongest expert die in a simple mission of capturing a nascent-soul cultivator!? It was as believable as his bodyguard dying by accidentally swallowing the toothpick that came with an olive! If he hadn’t seen the video footage himself, he wouldn’t have believed it. Of course, very few people saw the video. Upon discovering Maximillius’ death, everyone’s phones were confiscated from the streets near the internet café; their privacy was invaded, and the videos were deleted. As for the clips that popped up on the internet? Simple! The federation shut down the internet! Although there’d be temporary confusion and lots of anger towards the internet service providers, it was much better than the mass panic that would occur if people found out the guardian of the federation perished. Besides, when weren’t people angry at the internet service providers anyway? They were the perfect scapegoat.

“The most important thing is to prevent an attack from the coalition and the empire,” the head of homeland security said. “Luckily, we suppressed the news in time. Even if a few videos of the event leak into the empire’s and coalition’s hands, it won’t matter. They’ll suspect it’s a ploy to draw them out. Neither of the two will make a move, not when the other might attack them if they invade us. The worst-case scenario is if both the empire and coalition form an alliance to move against us. If that happens, it may be the end of the federation.”

Luthor rubbed his temples with his hands. It was all his predecessor’s fault! He was the one who insisted on sending those scouts into the universe. If they hadn’t discovered the Moon Lotus World, would all of this have happened? It wouldn’t! Maximillius would still be alive, there wouldn’t be a peak soul-seed criminal killing federal officers, and the existence of the illegal-substance dealers known as the Moon Lotus Sect wouldn’t be poisoning the citizens! Luthor exhaled and straightened his back. In the end, what happened had happened, and moving on was the only thing that could be done. “What actions should we take?”

“For now, we have to continue operating as per usual,” the head of homeland security said. “Luckily, Maximillius rarely showed his face to the public, spending the majority of his time in closed seclusion. As long as we pretend he is alive and in seclusion, the status quo should remain as is. However, with the empire and coalition hearing rumors of Maximillius’ death, they’ll likely probe us to verify the information. There is a riskier plan which involves creating a fake video of Maximillius and releasing it, but if the fabrication isn’t good enough, the empire and coalition will realize something is off.”

“Is there nothing we can do to seize the initiative?” Luthor asked. “If we remain in a passive position, it’ll only be a matter of time before the federation falls.” His forehead wrinkled. “Isn’t there anyone close to becoming a false immortal? What are all our soul-seed experts doing? Pump them full of spirit stones and force them to advance! The gap Maximillius left behind must be filled.”

“The closest person to advancing was Officer Andrew Stone,” the head of homeland security said. “But, as you know, he was brutally executed by Frost Butcher Rachel.”

“Is that what we’re calling her now? Frost Butcher?” Luthor asked. “Who comes up with these names?”

“I do,” the head of homeland security said. “Do you have a problem with my naming sense, sir?”

Luthor shook his head. “Forget it,” he said and sighed. “Anyone else? Surely there are some capable BAR pilots who are close to becoming a false immortal. What about the hidden masters who never show themselves but are actually extremely strong?”

“We’ve identified a few of those hidden masters,” the head of homeland security said, “but all of them turned out to be frauds. The strongest one was a golden-core cultivator. As for our officers, there’s no one capable of becoming a false immortal. If it were that easy, there wouldn’t only be three false immortals in the whole intergalactic society.” The head of homeland security cleared his throat. “Pardon me, I mean two, since one of them was turned to ashes due to unknown reasons.”

“Unknown reasons?” Luthor asked, his eyes widening. “You didn’t apprehend Elder Vremya after he disintegrated Maximillius!? Where is he now!?”

“With all due respect, sir,” the head of homeland security said. “Elder Vremya disintegrated a false immortal, and with his modified battlesuits, how the hell are we supposed to capture him? We’d be lucky if he didn’t go on a rampage instead! As for what he’s doing, he’s climbing the ladder in Game of Gods.”

“He’s playing a videogame?” Luthor asked. “At this very moment, ten minutes after he killed a false immortal?”

“We’ve been monitoring him ever since he entered the capital city,” the head of homeland security said. “Ninety-five percent of his time is spent on playing videogames. Four percent of his time is spent on miscellaneous hobbies such as calligraphy, painting, woodworking, and juggling. The remaining one percent of his time is spent on modifying battlesuits to sell to the army.”

At that moment, dinging sounds appeared from the president’s and head of homeland security’s bracelets. Their expressions flickered at the same time. Luthor was baffled while the head of homeland security looked grim. “Find out who it is!” Luthor said. “Whoever’s attempting to become a false immortal, we have to recruit them if they succeed! No matter what, we can’t let them join the coalition or the empire!”

***

Rachel’s brow furrowed. According to the perfected Moon Lotus Cultivation Technique, there was supposed to be a tribulation she had to overcome when she advanced. However, she had successfully become a false immortal, turning part of her flesh more spiritual than physical, yet the tribulation hadn’t arrived yet. What was going on? Was the information recorded in the cultivation technique incorrect? It had worked so far, but if it was all a ploy by the illusionary attacker from the very start….

[You can suspect anyone but justice! The tribulation forms in the sky. Currently, you’re deep underground, so it’s taking a while to get to you.]

Rachel glanced up. She climbed to her feet. Accompanying her actions, the air around her body froze as she moved. It didn’t seem like she had obtained the monstrous physical strength that her opponent had, but she had successfully converted her body into a technique. With her newfound strength, she could definitely harm the bastard who had nearly taken her life. She drew her sword and swung it, splitting the ground above her head. Afterwards, she channeled her spiritual energy through the gap. Her energy froze the moisture in the ground, causing it to expand. She repeated the process, widening the fissure above her head. After a few cycles, she could see the sky, which was covered in black clouds. Not only had she freed herself, but she had also created the world’s largest pothole in the process.

Without warning, a bolt of black lightning crashed down onto Rachel’s body. Horrendous pain invaded her soul. Images of her younger self appeared in her mind. From where she was positioned, she must’ve been kneeling, looking up at herself. Without mercy, the phantom image of her younger self beheaded her, sending searing pain into her neck. The image was replaced by her younger self smirking at her with her hand on the sword’s hilt by her waist. With a flash of light, Rachel’s younger self drew her sword and slashed off Rachel’s arm before stabbing the sword through her heart. With the second death, Rachel understood what was happening. She was experiencing what her opponents had felt moments before she killed them.

While the images of her past self brutally murdered her over and over again, lightning rumbled above. Rachel was barely able to raise her sword to block the lightning strike, but when she did, her weapon shattered. Blood leaked out of the corners of Rachel’s lips as her eyes turned red. What kind of shitty tribulation was this!? According to the perfected Moon Lotus Cultivation Technique, there were three more tribulations in total during the false-immortal stage. Were all of them going to be affected by her past actions like this one?

Ignoring the pain etched deep in her soul was impossible. In that case, she would use her pain to her advantage. When she was beheaded by her past self, she’d unleash a technique to defend herself from the lightning, amplifying her powers with her surging adrenaline! Of all the things to die to, she refused to die from herself! However, the lightning was really strong. It almost made her question whether or not she could survive. Almost. Who was she? She was Rachel, the strongest cultivator in all existence! She would never lose to some shit-colored lightning! Nothing would stop her rise to power! Nothing!