Lara watched her small tiger enter the Orange Realm portal and felt her heart constrict, out of worry.

"He'll be alright, Lara." Pef encouraged her, and gently drew the woman into his arms.

"I guess...can't help but worry. You do need to give him a pill. Why are you in control of most resources in this multiverse?" the blue-haired Soldier grumbled as she wrapped her arms around Pef's neck.

"Rejin exaggerates, my dear. There are trillions of universes in this Great Realm, each with their own wonders and secrets. What I do control however, is the pill maker and most of the Godbeasts that remain." Pef explained with a wry smile and a inward nod to his glove.

It was due to the Orange glove that he managed to turn Rejin into an ally, and the subsequent invasion of the Mausoleum by the Legion. And even the defeat and capture of the Desolate Beast.

Even now, the glove was set on its path of establishing a measure of control and soft power into the wide multiverse, by trade if not conquest. And this being a cultivator economy, that meant trading in rare but powerful cultivations aids, like pills or Blue Jade deflectors, or even cultivation methods entirely.

A chain of favors would bind his allies around him, and they would do it willingly as well. From the Serghoul to the Fay Godmother, then the Mirror of Samsara and the Taotie, and even the General and the Silent Monk to a small degree, various favors had been repaid in kind, while billions of cultivators had been converted into new Legion recruits, by trade or sword.

For now, the Devils were kept in check by the presence of the Taotie in the Pearl Sea at their border, although he doubted the Taotie would let himself be used as a weapon. He was simply too powerful to take direct action anyways, but as deterrent he served wonderfully.

And lastly, the Nine Shades Bamboo itself. Sure, the sapling of the World Tree was now far reduced after its fall, but if he could find anything to restore the Tree...

"My sisters want to take turns with you..." Lara whispered in his ear.

"And they will. But first, we will have our own honeymoon after rebirth." Pef answered sweetly as he stepped back into his quarters aboard the Mausoleum Station, with Lara still in his arms. He was a teenager again, with hormones and all. With a goddess in his arms, and a heart full of love.

It took the couple a whole month to rekindle their marriage, and both of them obtained another Star during this time. Mingling their Yin and Yang and also connecting deeper with their souls and hearts, created another miracle, as a new life appeared inside Lara after this.

Pef caressed her belly gently, and asked the glove to scan the small fetus. 'It will be a girl, but not a cultivator.' the glove said in a flat tone.

But the new father just shrugged. There were ways to make mortals into cultivators, but it was not a priority for a few decades. His daughter would decide for herself, once she had grown up.

Instead, he used the glove to transfer the Armor of Faith Skill onto Lara, which should help her survive the dangers of the multiverse better.

Then he kissed her forehead, and imparted the new cultivation method of the Eight Elements.

"Oh! This is great! I might even reach Tier 8 with this method." Lara exclaimed with enthusiasm.

"I sure hope so, my love. Not that Tier 8 is all that great, but it would help. Now go and meditate for several months, until your White Tiger returns." Pef urged her while slapping her bottom playfully.

"Yeah, yeah. Who else but my genial husband would discard Tier 8 that easily?" Lara muttered as she waved a hand to dress up and Blinked away onto the Legion Halo ring, although she was also eager to explore the new method.

With a inward glance at his Alchemy progress, and a bit of grumbling at a mere percent obtained in a whole month, Pef drew out the Alchemist.

"Lord Rejin, we do need those Universe Pills now." he demanded in a clear voice, as the Cauldron flew by itself to rejoin its user.

"...Errr. What cultivation method do you have, to reach Xian Realm? Does it work even further, maybe can allow me another Star?" Rejin asked after getting the report from his Cauldron.

"Yes, it does. Lady Kalima did gain another Star with it. Her seventh Star, if I'm not mistaken." Pef disclosed with a tiny smile.

"That's...good. Very good." the Alchemist murmured after the Cauldron confirmed the new strength of the Fay Goddess.

"So, pills now?" Pef proposed as he took out a jug of Divine Wine and poured a bit in pair of glasses.

"Of course. Your wife, Lady Lin has deposited an intact Godbeast with me." the Alchemist explained as the Cauldron grew larger and various ingredients and Godbeast organs flew into it from Rejin's hands.

Pef watched carefully, as did the glove and the Icefire flame, since the process of refining a Universe Pill was quite complex and detailed. For an aspiring Alchemist like Pef, this was a huge inspiration, now that he understood what Rejin was actually doing, if not every little trick.

After a few hours, Pef added his own Tribulation Lightning into the mix, and left the Cauldron to continue the process under its lid, while Rejin supervised the Green Immortal flame with careful eyes.

"I can already tell this batch of Universe Pills will be my best creation until now. Not only has my Alchemy proficiency grew, but also your lightning strength. We might even get a cloud-pill here." Rejin declared in a confident tone.

Pef nodded and began to speed up Time around Rejin and the Cauldron, turning years into days. Why wait a couple of years if the whole thing could be accelerated?

"Pef?" he heard a small voice behind him.

He used a new self to turn around, and saw Xie standing in the door of the Refining Hall, her eyes glued to the Cauldron, and more likely its contents.

"Come here, Xie." he asked his Tier 3 wife, and hugged her to his side after she arrived.

"You're really back." the woman whispered in almost disbelief.

"It was the blonde hair, eh? At least I'm not boring anymore." Pef joked at his new looks.

"I want a pill too!" his wife demanded with a flutter of her eyelids.

"Sure. I will work to push everyone in our family into Tier 5 at least, then into Tier 7 as soon as feasible. So how have you been?" he asked gently while his glove produced the relevant status page. Although numbers weren't as important as in his first life, they still gave a ton of information, and thus allowed him to make informed decisions.

"Well...I was quite depressed after you died in that blasted Gap. I thought I will never see you again." Xie whispered in-between tears and sobs.

"I was stupid. Hualitep is stronger than Rejin, and I went to fight him before I even consolidated my Tier 7 Realm. But I did wound him some, so it wasn't for nothing, at least." Pef murmured as an apology.

"You were an idiot. But luckily you still have your genius at cultivation. I bet you've broken all records to reach Tier 7 once more." Xie said with a faint praise.

Pef sighed and twirled Xie's purple highlights around his finger. She was still damaged, it was clear to him now.

"I have a friend, a Fay Goddess named Kalima. Would you accept a mission to study under her?" he proposed with a sad tone.

"Wait, the Fay Godmother? She is at Tier 8 right?" Xie perked up at once.

"She is very lonely though and her emotions were muted, likely by some trauma in the past. I want to send the Elf King there as well, and probably Misty and Paragon too. But you would be the highest ranking Soldier." Pef explained in a gentle tone.

"Oh? I see, another wife eh? Still same old Pef, despite the new skin!" Xie laughed and elbowed Pef in the ribs, only to regret that instantly. Pef was rather durable now.

"Possibly, if she heals herself. You will also have a pair of Tier 7 Godbeasts to fight as long as you want." Pef enticed her further.

"Really? Can I tame one and keep it as a pet?" Xie asked with a more joyous voice.

"Can you?" Pef threw back with a smirk.

"You're the best, hubby!" Xie exclaimed with a happy tone, and hugged her husband tightly.

See? This wife of yours if very simple.' the glove added ironically.

'The Desolate Beast has quite a few eyes. Xie will have to push through her trauma, if she wants a Tier 7 pet.' Pef explained his reasoning, while his hands descended on Xie's back.