The woman smiled and measured Pef from head to toe with a discerning gaze. "And...how much did you pay for her?"

Pef grinned and just began to repair and patch up his clothes and armor, which were rather frayed and riddled with holes. "Misty was very expensive. An Archdevil named Yama intended to drain her of blood for a special ceremony. So, not only there was a giant bid war involved, but a real war followed after I won the auction."

The Alchemist waved his hands as if to clear the air, coincidentally also fixing Pef's attire. "Nevermind the past, both of you. We have a great crisis right now, and you two need to figure out a cooperation plan, while the goliths and their armies are still re-organizing."

Pef sighed in acceptance as he swept around with his qi and coresenses. All over the battlefield, the golith armies were holding their ground, and replenishing their troops with the bodies of the dead, while the cultivators were trying to organize themselves in some manner of order. Various Fay and other species were deploying to plug gaps in the lines or were busy healing people, extinguishing fires or rescuing civilians from demolished buildings, or damaged ships and stations.

Then he brought up the glove menu, and analyzed his stats, comparing his former self with his newest achievements.

Veritas Legion Adjutant-User data file

Name: Pef Xi

Alias: Monarch, God, Veritas.

Rank: Local universe CIC, Legion: Soldier

OS: Standard Veritas Legion Indoctrination method: compatibility 3.14159 (adjusted for plug-in enhancements)

Race: Physical God, Tier 5 (improved +65%)

Body stats:

-Strength : 45 800. (Physical God bonus +50%)

-Agility : 51 200. (Physical God bonus +50%)

-Endurance : 33 650. (Physical God bonus +50%. Veritas Adjutant modifier +1000, Voidshield at 100 percent + 95000 )

-Intelligence : 378. (Veritas Adjutant modifier +1000)

-Wisdom : 206. (Veritas Adjutant modifier +1000)

-Charisma : 3490. (charm +33%)

-Qi reserves: 870 510 000.

Cultivation stats:

-Spiritual affinity: Water 100%, Sword 65%, Void 56%, Fire 11%, Wind 4%, Lightning 65%, Metal 9%, Earth 6%, Life 8%, Entropy 3%, Order 3%, Chaos 3%., Yin and Yang 1%, (Creation and Destruction under 1%)

-Core size: Universe. (Dantian 12.11 cms radius)

-Core inner volume: Universe. ( 1.7 billion galaxies, 1731 Avatars)

-Qi purity: 54%. (~1% trans dimensional injection)

-Soul Aspect: Silver. (Combat/Control/Command affinity)

-Soul defense: 46 700. includes +90% bonus (open meridians 1+11)

-Soul attack: 7700. includes +10% bonus

-Sword Ki abilities: 65%. (One with the Void: stage 9, 9100 controlled Voidswords)

-Water Dao abilities: 100%. (Giant Water Domain, ~800000 kms radius)

-Lightning Dao ability 65%.(Greater Lightning Domain, ~225000 kms radius)

-Fire Dao abilities: 11%. (Large Fire Domain, ~17000 kms radius)

-Void abilities: 56%. Blink radius: 13 light-years// 80 per sec, Voidsplitter skill 13%, Recall radius: 500 million kms, Voidshield 8%

-Voidsense, medium. Void palms, claws, swords and spears: ~9100 under control ( 52 000 total) - size: 87 cms each.

Divine stats:

- Qi sense: Universe range (~7 Billion light-years radius. Secure qi transmissions 30 million light years.)

- Coresense: Galactic. (~32 000 light-years radius)

- Telekinetic field: Large. Range 9 meters (Divine strings manipulation: 100%, Gravity generation: 75%, Quasi strings: 6%)

- Add-ons: Icesword rune, Autonomous Restoration Code: Reason.

- Sword intent: Large (Swordforce: stage 9, 65%, separation threads 17)

- Transmutation/alteration: Gigantic. (Water Mastery, fog and ice: stage 9, plasma: stage 7, condensation: stage 8)

- Divination: Medium/???. (danger sense, reflexive dodging, trans-dimensional injection)

- Heartforce: Large. (Diamond Heart stage 5. 11%, Heart of the Sword 0.3 %)

- Karmic luck: Average. (Minor reincarnation, trace memories, Realm allies, non-causal scars, protective tribulation)

- Logopedic Dao ability: Average: 51 words, (Devour Dao: Soul digestion stage 6, 41%, Soul restoration 24%, Autonomous Restoration Code: Reason)

- Mindforce: Greater: 98% (mind shield level 4, maze level 4, pulse level 3, flay level 2, memory read/write level 4).

- Extra abilities: water clone: stage 9, Ice wings, Ice armor, fire clone: stage 8, dojutsu: stage 5 (helix spike), Clone fusion stage 5.

To Pef's surprise, some areas had barely developed at all, despite his newest ascension, while others had grown immensely, much beyond what he could reasonably expect.

Also, the faint song that he heard while hurt and in pain was actually real, an artefact left behind by Reason, the Legion's Power Word Gun. She still cared, even if she left him for his father...

"How do you want to be called, my lady?" Pef asked while raising his eyes towards his host.

"You may call me Blade Fairy, young one. How soon can you fight another golith?" she answered on more serious tone.

Pef shrugged. "I can fight these things everyday, Blade Fairy. But they will run, once I damage them too much. I think I need to focus on the next ascension before I can kill them reliably." he said in a determined voice. A single fight had shown him that he still lacked in damage output and an effective weapon.

The Fay Goddess stepped much closer, and trailed a finger over Pef's newly healed wounds. "Hmmm. Perhaps Grandmaster Rejin is correct. Also, there aren't many Universe Realm Gods that can force a golith to retreat. They may not be true Dian Realm deities, but they are even stronger in some areas." she spoke while turning her head towards the purple-armored alchemist.

"It will be worth it, Blade Fairy. Plus, Pef Xi can pay half the price himself. He does have an intact Godbeast heart in his glove storage, and all its claws" Rejin spoke with a level voice, while continuing to help around and heal wounded people all over the galaxy.

The Fay Goddess gently raised an eyebrow, then glanced at the spot where the golith had been. "Do you agree, Pef Xi?" she asked mildly.

Pef wasn't certain what exactly he was agreeing to, but the glove insisted to say yes. So he did.

An ethereal wing covered Pef and he vanished, only to reappear beside the Blade Fairy, beside a water pond. All around, there were glamorous parks and dwellings set on mountain slopes overlooking the clear water pond. Millions of Fay turned towards the newcomer, their faces showing surprise and even anger. Probably there weren't many humans allowed in this place, considering that Pef didn't see any. Nor other species beholden to the Fay, like they had in their armies.

"Place your offerings into the water, young human. And do try not to cry again." the Blade Fairy demanded with a sharp voice, as a mist rose from the water and covered the surroundings, blocking the view around.

Pef nodded cautiously and carefully deposited the heart and claws into the pond, only to watch them dissolve and vanish. The Blade Fairy took out a jade box and tenderly extracted a single blue flower petal from it, then blew gently on it to guide into the pond.

The waters froze for a second as the petal floated over the pond. "Are you certain you want to make this sacrifice, my daughter?" the pond asked in a distorted voice, as if the water itself vibrated to produce those words.

"Nothing is certain, your Excellence. But...this is for Misty. No cost can compare." the Blade Fairy replied in a reverent voice, while kneeling in front of the water pond in supplication.

"Come closer, Pef Xi. The price has been paid, and the Covenant will be respected." the pond murmured in a deep voice while Pef stepped into the clear water and vanished. "As for suffering..." the voice continued as the waters froze solid.

The Blade Fairy shuddered visibly as she rose to her feet. "... He'll get over it. The boy is not the problem, your Excellence. The glove..."

"I see it, my daughter. I may have to breach the Gap and ask his General. But I doubt she can do anything about it. It was too late 500 million years ago, and it's too late now. Anyways...he made a golith run, eh?" the pond asked with faint humor.

"Indeed, your Excellence. And he became stronger during the fight, and even touched on the Heart of the Sword. Barely a faint touch, but..." the Blade Fairy whispered in a more impressed voice.

"I see. It took you five lives to reach that realm. You want another sword duel?" the pond asked in a probing tone.

"Mhm. One day, sure. Perhaps there will be someone that can defeat me. Rejin is here too, back to his boring alchemy." The Blade Fairy added with a faint smile.

A gentle breeze blew over the frozen pond, and the waters unfroze, the clear depths visible once more. "See that Rejin stays a while, while the boy ascends. Alchemy may be boring, but the pills are not. And we will need some pills to replenish our loses."

The Blade Fairy bowed deeply and then walked away, already considering how to make use of the Alchemist, and how to properly obey her orders. The Fairy Godmother was often hard to properly comprehend, as all Xian deities were. Their words rarely meant what you thought, and the meanings were often revealed much later, or even in a different life.

Now, she knew that she shouldn't have killed Rejin back then, no matter how fierce the sword fight had been. They have lost so much, just because of her pride.

This time, she had to be more careful. Not only Rejin was here, but the General could object violently.

And then, there was the glove. Sure it was tame right now, while worn by an approved user, but remove the user and the goliths would be the last of her problems. It even made it out of the Shambala Mausoleum, the dreaded place that ate Elder or Dian deities that dared to enter. And perhaps even Xian deities, if the former Supreme Archdevil really died in there.

Since then, Lord Mu Feng took charge of the access rights and kept a close eye on those that survived in the last Indigo Realm. The latest of which was exactly the young man that entered the pond and crossed into the Sacred Realm. He and his orange glove.