Shining Star

"If you have not noticed quite yet, it was Ni Xuan who created this world. Although… I have tampered with it a little."

Xiao Jiantian stated as he looked through the window out of Floating Cloud City's premier Mighty Heavenly Restaurant. It resembled a pyramid with one hundred floors with each consecutive floor growing smaller but ever so lucrative. The one-hundredth floor was by far the most prestigious, where only God-Emperors or those with Xiao Jiantian's direct approval had ever taken foot.

"How did a being like you come to be?"

Jie Yuan inquired, not even taking a bite at the delicious pizza in front of her.

"Reincarnation… lots of it." Xiao Jiantian replied, casually sipping on his glass bottle of coca-cola. "I could tell you all about my lives if you ever had the time and desire for it. Although, I scarcely doubt you care that much at the moment. Now… as a dignified chef, it would shatter my prideful heart if you didn't at least take a bite."

"Very well… a bite and that will be all."

"With the way that you were looking at my lovely Mighty Heavenly pizza, one might believe that I dropped a turd on your plate and told you to eat it." Xiao Jiantian chuckled as he observed Jie Yuan taking a slice. "It might be new to you but there's a reason why people come across the entire universe to grab a bite. Well… that and to hopefully see my handsome face. I can't blame them, really."

Crunch.

Jie Yuan took the pizza's tip and chewed on it a little before swallowing. Her expression was… surprising, to say the least. The Devil Emperor's eyes widened before a little smile appeared, one which she hid with her hand.

"Are you alright? I don't recall putting poison in my pizza…"

"No… it is good food. Excellent, even."

"The whole pizza's yours." Xiao Jiantian chuckled, laying back on his mattress as he continued sipping on his drink. "Have as much of it as you want.."

Before long, Jie Yuan didn't have the look of someone who didn't want to be there. She ate up the entire pizza in traditional fashion, using a fork and knife. No less… the pieces she cut were rather small so she took quite a while. During that time, the two casually conversed about the Profound Way, how he united the four Divine Regions and later the topic came to what was outside of Primal Chaos.

"Did you… see anything outside of the Primal Chaos Dimension? Like, say, another dimension?" Xiao Jiantian wondered, stroking his chin.

"No… just an empty void of space."

"That does not necessarily rule out the existence of such things nor confirm them. Anyway, about your Devil clan, do you intend to reign them in or should I do the honours? If I could recall, my farm does need a few more competent workers."

"They have suffered for millions of years in the ruthless void, clinging to life for the sole purpose of vengeance as their fellow clansmen fell one by one… as their Devil Emperor, how could I stop them from venting their anger? I have the power but doing so would be..."

"I understand." Xiao Jiantian grabbed her hand and cheerfully smiled. "You must also understand that Primal Chaos is my domain, my land and my people. Your clansmen or not, I will not allow a single one of them to act wilfully around here. And so… if they have any pent-up anger to vent out, they will have to vent it on me!"

"..." Jie Yuan's frown relaxed as she realised that all of her deep scars had been healed, revealing a primordial beauty that the world had not seen in a long time. "Your healing would even put Li Suo to shame. No wonder… I'd like to ask one thing of you, in that case."

'The Heretic God had good taste in women.' Xiao Jiantian thought, taking a slight observation.

"Yes?"

"If it is within your power, restore the sanity of my clansmen. Given the opportunity… they can assimilate themselves into your new world."

"They will need their Devil Emperor…"

"If everything is as you say, we will find a place to settle down and live in peace." Jie Yuan subtly nodded, looking him in the eye. "You can continue ruling the universe… I truly have no interest in contesting you. Since my daughters are in your care currently, I'd also like to retrieve them."

"As you wish." Xiao Jiantian acknowledged, sighing a little. "I'm perfectly capable of bringing your clansmen to the light and in a rather short time at that. Regarding Mary and Emily… I love those sweet girls to death but it is only natural that they would return to their mother."

"It is settled then."

After Xiao Jiantian took Jie Yuan to Emily and Mary, he observed their reunion from a distance. Even though the split daughters didn't know quite yet… they felt the truth in their hearts. It was a beautiful moment that made him go over to give his own daughter a warm embrace right after.

…

One man stood before the edge of Primal Chaos, far away from any world. His long golden hair nonchalantly danced in the void as the man seemed to defy every one of the universe's laws. Or rather… he decided the law. His azure eyes were like luminous twin swords, sharp enough to pierce through anything that they looked upon.

With a wave of his hand, the Wall of Primal Chaos tore open and in came Jie Yuan's clansmen. All true devils of a bygone era, their might could have shaken the world if it were not for Him. Before the golden figure, they were as insignificant as ants. More accurately, they were unruly children who needed a good father figure in their lives!

Xiao Jiantian… he had plenty of experience in that regard! There was a reason why he was named the Xiao Sect's Daddy.

"Mo E… I see him… Mo E… Mo E… DIEEEEE!"

'Honestly, imagine your first name just being the letter E.' Xiao Jiantian scoffed, shaking his head as he observed all of the devils charge him. 'Someone must've taken their medication away.'

He dodged the ensuing true devils with ease, practically toying with them. Despite their superior number, they were too slow to surround him. Before long, the horde concentrated a massive wave of darkness profound energy. Xiao Jiantian stood still, observing it grow in strength and volume.

Then, once they unleashed it upon him, he kicked it back and chanted;

"I, XIAO 'XUANYUAN' JIANTIAN, KING OF ALL UNDER HEAVEN AND THE ONE TRUE SWORD GOD… HEREBY DECREE YOUR EXISTENCE TO BE FALSE!"

In a split second… they all vanished from existence. Nothing was left. Not a hair, not a trace of profound energy, not even dust… nothing at all. Xiao Jiantian scratched his golden hair, observing the result.

"I ought to bring them back…"

He flicked his fingers and reversed time itself, effectively returning them all to life. Immediately after, as if they didn't even acknowledge what had happened, they tried to attack him once again.

"Such pitiful things…"

Xiao Jiantian placed his left hand against his chest, drawing out a luminous azure blade. Within a moment, the luminous glow shattered, revealing the most terrifying sword in the universe. It was the sword that represented Xiao Jiantian's very soul!

The shining azure blade was three meters long yet elegantly thin with shining golden patterns inscribed across it. Clear as the sun, it radiated a tyrannical power that suppressed the universe itself. Its golden twisted, thorn-like, hilt resembled the hilt of a rapier… twisted, yes, but strangely beautiful. The handle was all white, representing his humble beginnings. The pummel was that of a kingly golden lion, shining with the same power as the blade.

He turned to the unruly children, grinning a little.

"Let us dance for a little… long enough for you to realise how futile facing this King is."

He stepped forward, commencing the most elegant and yet terrifying sword dance the universe had ever seen. Fire, water, earth, lightning, wind, light, darkness, time and space… all of these elements bent to his will, emerging across the battlefield.

Slash.

Slash.

Slash.

Never had the true devils been bullied to such a degree… and boy, did they learn who the King of All Under Heaven was that very same day.

~

As usual, she wore no jewels or pearls and nothing more than a simple and ordinary pure-white long robe. Her long black hair gently swayed with the wind as she meditated beside the most beautiful sight in the world. Primordial flora of all colours surrounded the goddess… and yet, when one looked upon her luminous azure eyes, everything else seemed so lacklustre.

"... Jiantian." She softly spoke, opening her eyes while her lips instinctively curled into a smile.

"Who else?" Xiao Jiantian smiled as he casually treaded forwards. Once he was within reach, he sat down beside her. He then raised an eyebrow and sighed.

"All you ever do is meditate… when you were trapped in that Forbidden Land of Samsara, it was understandable. But now…"

"I'm afraid that I do not have the same stomach for adventure as you do." Shen Xi chuckled, raising her hand to caress the side of his face. "This garden that you created serves all my needs perfectly. Other than seeing Wan Hu, I have no reason to leave it."

"And seeing me…?"

"You're here, aren't you?" Shen Xi placed her index finger on his lip. "Playing the Brahma Heaven God Empress' game of jealousy seems all too childish to me… at every move, she tries to one-up every woman around you. Her competitive nature… she must have learned it from someone."

"The very best." Xiao Jiantian smiled slightly, taking her finger away.

"Why don't you lay down here? I'm rather intrigued on the matter of the Heaven Smiting Devil Emperor…"

"I have no objections." Xiao Jiantian chuckled, laying his head on her lap.

He went on to explain what had happened; his so-called date with Jie Yuan, the reunion and how he humbled all of the true devils.

"I'm starting to feel old…" Xiao Jiantian admitted, sighing as he looked up at Shen Xi. "I could close my eyes and sun-gaze for days at a time. Sometimes… it's even difficult to wake."

"You're not that old!" Shen Xi chuckled, shaking her head. "Even with all your lives put together, you are still a great deal younger than me."

"And yet… I'd wager that I have experienced far more." Xiao Jiantian managed a smile.

"Fair enough… you likely have. From farming to ruling the universe, there are few things that you have yet to do."

"Mhm…" Xiao Jiantian nodded, rubbing his head a little. "For instance, I never thought I'd tumble with a dragon and yet here I am."

"You… never change." Shen Xi smiled, tilting her head as their azure eyes met.

"So…"

"So…" Xiao Jiantian countered.

"The Dragon God Clan does need a proper heir for this golden age."

"It seems that every one of my wives wants a child nowadays…"

"As someone who has seemingly endless vigour, it doesn't seem that you are taking those duties as earnestly as you claim." Shen Xi teased Xiao Jiantian a little, caressing the side of his face. "Don't you want a little Sword God running about?"

"... I want several little Sword Gods."

Xiao Jiantian replied, turning slightly around and pushing down Shen Xi.

~

… Not long after.

A heavenly child had come into the world, bearing a radiant head of gold and azure eyes. Oozing with primordial divine energy, the child was the first natural-born true god for millions of years. Even then, his existence was on a plane even higher than that. When Qianye Ying'er held him… her son, she felt overwhelming joy as tears flowed down her eyes and dropped all the way down.

"Ying'er…"

"Our son… our precious son… the heir to the universe, isn't he so beautiful?"

"Yes… he most certainly is." Xiao Jiantian nodded, embracing Qianye Ying'er. He, too, cried a little.

"Our son will be the one to uphold our ideals and carry them onto the next generation as the next Sword God. He won't make the same mistake that I did… we will make sure of it together."

"Mn… we will."

Although the golden prince Xiao 'Xuanyuan' Jianchen was the first of Xiao Jiantian's sons, he certainly was not the last…