Chapter 102: The Return of the Crimson Lotus

Allowing Bammer’s headless corpse to fall, he waved his hand to summon Bammer’s divine essence, spatial ring, and the main divine artifact—a fiery red greatsword—before him. He dripped a drop of blood onto the spatial ring, but it failed to recognize its master. Realizing that Bammer must have had other avatars, he snorted coldly and crushed the spatial ring. Then he looked toward Byer with indifference and said, “Rest assured, I have no intention of killing you as well.”

Rest assured? Byer cursed silently in his heart. If he could truly feel at ease right now, that would be nothing short of a miracle. Yet the words did ease his tension slightly. A powerhouse like Qian Kun wouldn’t go back on his word lightly; otherwise, there would be no need for talk—he would simply strike without hesitation.

“Denington, Clementine, you all come over. If there’s anything to discuss, we’ll talk it over together,” Qian Kun transmitted to six other Great Perfectioners in the distance.

Denington and the others exchanged startled glances but hesitated only briefly before flying over. Although Qian Kun was formidable, several among them were Upper Gods of the Great Perfection stage and not so intimidated as to avoid meeting him.

After a moment, all six Great Perfectioners, except for the deceased Bammer, had gathered.

“Good, everyone is here. Let me tell you about the Red Diamond Crystal,” Qian Kun said calmly, looking at the eight Great Perfectioners present, including Lin Lei and Byer.

At his words, their eyes brightened. Indeed, Qian Kun seemed to know something about the whereabouts of the Red Diamond Crystal.

“First, the Red Diamond Crystal is not in my possession now,” Qian Kun continued coolly. “Second, if you want to obtain it, I have only one reminder for you. This reminder is the name of a place—Lionheart City. That’s all. You may leave now.”

With that, Qian Kun gave Gaia a subtle signal and led the way, flying back into the castle within the palace of Hevis City.

Seeing Gaia follow Qian Kun, the six Great Perfectioners exchanged knowing looks before simultaneously releasing their divine senses to investigate. Soon, they discovered a city on the Beast God Continent, its gate inscribed with the three characters “Lionheart City.”

“Beast God Continent? Let’s go!” Lin Lei raised his brow and led Beibei, rushing at full speed toward the continent.

Without hesitation, Denington and the seven other Upper Gods of Great Perfection transformed into streaks of light, racing toward Lionheart City at top speed.

***

Later, back in the castle, Gaia couldn’t help but ask Qian Kun with curiosity, “Qian Kun, what did you mean by Lionheart City? Where exactly did you put the Red Diamond Crystal? Why not just tell Lin Lei directly? Why make it so complicated?”

“The Red Diamond Crystal won’t be found by them so easily. As for why I didn’t tell Lin Lei directly... if he truly has the power, he will naturally obtain it. Otherwise, even if I handed it to him, it might bring him more harm than good,” Qian Kun said, shaking his head. “Anyway, let’s not concern ourselves with this matter. Whoever gets the Red Diamond Crystal has nothing to do with us.”

Gaia, silent for a moment, finally asked, “Qian Kun, you’re not thinking of staying in the Ocaron Plane for good, are you?”

“What’s wrong with that? What allure do other divine planes or the Supreme Plane hold for us? We already stand at the pinnacle of divinity. Masters are lonely; living secluded in a world of the weak, free and at ease, even the Main God can do nothing to us—how could that not be blissful?” Qian Kun shrugged and smiled.

Gaia laughed softly and nodded. “True enough! Before, I lived and fought for the Four Divine Beasts clan, exhausting myself for the family. Now, it’s nice to enjoy a leisurely life in the Ocaron Plane. Besides, with Lin Lei in the clan, my presence there matters little. Let’s just stay here, watch over these youngsters, and enjoy our peaceful days.”

“Gaia, thank you for understanding, and for staying with me,” Qian Kun said softly, pulling her into his embrace.

Leaning against him, Gaia’s cold face softened into a sweet and happy smile.

Elsewhere, guided by Qian Kun’s subtle direction, Lin Lei and the seven other Great Perfection Upper Gods soon discovered the Red Diamond Crystal’s location. Thus began a fierce contest for the artifact. In the end, with Lin Lei’s full power unleashed, Clementine—who had secured the Red Diamond Crystal first—had no choice but to concede before Lin Lei’s overwhelming might and handed it over.

Yet, having obtained the Red Diamond Crystal, Lin Lei found himself troubled over how to return to the Yulan Continent Plane.

In the Hevis City palace castle, Gaia, knowing Lin Lei had acquired the Red Diamond Crystal and had secluded himself to cultivate, grew curious. “What is Lin Lei doing? Why not just go to Hell and hand the Red Diamond Crystal over to the Lord of Destruction? Could he want to keep it all for himself? Even if he does, does he plan to stay in the Ocaron Plane forever?”

“Heh... Lin Lei probably does not intend to relinquish the Red Diamond Crystal. As for what he plans to do next, I believe we will find out soon enough,” Qian Kun said with a meaningful smile.

Days passed quickly—eleven in total. One day, Gaia, who had been closely monitoring Lin Lei, suddenly saw him tear open space and enter a spatial turbulence alongside Beibei. Startled, she sprang to her feet. “Has Lin Lei gone mad? What’s he doing? Self-exile?”

“No, no... Could it be that a Main God is waiting in the spatial turbulence? Who? The Amethyst Main God?” Gaia’s heart was filled with suspicion.

Qian Kun’s eyes gleamed brightly as he smiled, thinking to himself, “Lin Lei is truly about to rise! To become a Main God—that will mark the true beginning of his path as a strong one, his path to transcendence.”

Five thousand years passed in the blink of an eye. Lin Lei remained silent for over five millennia, while Qian Kun lived quietly within the Ocaron Plane.

In those five thousand years, the Hevis Empire became the deepest-rooted power within the Ocaron Plane, boasting a vast number of royal members. Every bearer of royal blood could become a Dragon-blood Warrior, easily reaching the Sacred Domain. Although ascending to godhood independently remained difficult, and Qian Kun and Gaia did not send them to Hell for ancestral baptism, three among the younger generation still managed to cultivate into gods.

Together with the dozen or so Mid-tier Gods who had originally come with Qian Kun and Gaia, and nearly a hundred Lower-tier Gods, this formidable strength ensured that even without Qian Kun and Gaia, the Hevis royal family could firmly establish its foothold, with no one daring to provoke them.

However, aside from Qian Kun’s occasional early appearances, he gradually ceased to show himself, leaving most of the younger generation never having seen him.

Only Gaia knew that for the majority of these five thousand years, Qian Kun remained in seclusion, spending less and less time with her.

“Qian Kun has been secluded for over three hundred years now. Why hasn’t he come out yet?” Gaia murmured worriedly, sitting in a recliner beneath an ancient tree in the palace courtyard, her gaze drifting toward the nearby palace.

Meanwhile, in a quiet, dimly lit, fully enclosed chamber within the palace, Qian Kun sat cross-legged in meditation, wearing black robes. A subtle yet powerful aura radiated from him. His skin shimmered with pale blue, fiery red, earthy yellow, and verdant green light—four hues intertwining and blending seamlessly.

Suddenly, the four-colored glow dimmed, revealing skin tinged with grayish-white. Qian Kun shuddered and abruptly opened his eyes. In that instant, a terrifying, surging aura burst forth from him like a primordial beast awakening, causing the surrounding space to tremble violently.