I understood what Kiana wanted. It's just that I did not expect her to think that far.
I was about to reply when my entire head buzzed. My vision shook madly. I lost any semblance of sense of direction.
Helplessly, I stumbled down to the ground.
That's right.
The stacked forbidden technique…
Thud-!
*****
The tension from the battle made Kiana forget a lot of things.
Shi Tian used up the [Nine Lives Burning Samsara Art] to its fullest extent, sacrificing 1.5 million years of lifespan to temporarily attain the Divine Transformation Realm for ten minutes.
The condensation of the ultimate grade Spirit Root (Perfected Five Elements Spirit Root) led to the emergence of the high grade Tao Body, [Ten Lights Immortal Physique]. Coupled with the breakthrough to the Nascent Soul Realm, his lifespan was extended more.
Nevertheless, the backlash of having 1.5 million years of lifespan drawn away was something that could not be negated by these two. The burden borne by the body, soul, and mind would have killed someone else had it not been Shi Tian.
He turned into a nigh mangled corpse with injured soul, body, and mind. It was Kiana who wrapped him into a mummy and tended his injuries first-hand.
"He's alright now."
"Um."
Kiana brought him up to the Imaginary Space where she resided. Who knew Seele was actually sneaking nearby up until Shi Tian collapsed?
In the end, she also brought Seele over to her private space. Veliona left them alone for privacy.
"Thanks for helping him."
"Um. There's no need to, Sister Kiana. I… It was my fault he did not tell anybody else."
Guilt appeared on her face.
"He knew I would worry about it. That must have played a part in his decision."
"That sounds like him."
Kiana acknowledged Seele's understanding of Shi Tian. The seven hundred years of time loop wasn't for show.
"Don't think about it. We can ask him for compensation once he wakes up."
"Ah..?"
Seele blushed at the thought of her 'compensation'. Kiana, having seen it, knew well what her reaction meant.
"I-is it fine?" Seele asked.
"I mean, why not? Haven't we agreed about it?"
Kiana's statement filled her with joy. The matter regarding their romantic affairs concluded peacefully the moment they left that Bubble World. Seele could see Kiana's feelings—and her possessiveness.
The fact Kiana acknowledged Seele's feelings and shared Shi Tian with her spoke a lot about her.
"...Thank you."
"Don't sweat it. It's not like we will be the end of it."
"Ah..?"
"Your other self. My other self. That makes up two already."
"..."
Seele was baffled at first before it turned into realization.
What they like, their other selves will also like.
Unfortunately for her, things did not end there.
"There is also his Daoist Friend, Shenzhou's Empyrean. That crazy girl, Sin. Even Bronya might develop feelings for him, not to mention the Xuanyuan duo."
"Sister Bronya..?"
She was about to speak up.
But then, it all started to make sense.
Shi Tian is too kind to others.
Faced with such a perfect man, who wouldn't fall for him?
"So, the best we can do is to talk it out. All of us." Kiana solemnly declared.
The silent Seele came to a conclusion.
'Sister Kiana loves him too much… to the point she gave way to us.'
Looking at the sleeping Shi Tian, she understood what it meant to be the first girl to be with him.
'Love… I really love him too. If… If there are others… I won't mind it too.'
Shi Tian was destined to be surprised once he woke up.
*****
"Remember. The final goal is not to be one with the world. It is…"
...
...
...
I opened my eyes to an unfamiliar ceiling.
The first thing that assaulted my senses was the familiar floral scent. I looked beside me and saw Kiana using me like a body pillow. My spiritual consciousness extended to the room we were in.
A tall chandelier decorated the pure white room. Its walls and ceilings are carved with various artistic flairs. A faint chill emanated from them.
The spiritual qi present is concentrated enough for me to reach saturation in one go.
I recalled everything that happened.
After deciding to face IX alone, Kiana and Seele unexpectedly reached my side and gave their assistance. I managed to fully resonate with Origin, which led to it giving me that final push to condense the high grade Five Elements Yin Spirit Root. This, in turn, led to the fusion between my Five Elements Yin and Five Elements Yang Spirit Root, creating the ultimate grade Perfected Five Elements Spirit Root.
I used Origin to draw a trace of its power, ending IX's influence for good. The Core of Origin disappeared. Then, Kiana used her newfound powers to isolate Earth from other worlds. I vaguely recalled more than a dozen gazes from the Aeons. She had to use up the majority of the Cocoon's power for the barrier to hold up.
I collapsed after that.
That's right.
I am… fine?
I assessed my entire being with [Encompassing Eyes].
{Qi: Peak Nascent Soul Realm}
{Body: Peak Nascent Soul Realm}
{Mind: Peak Nascent Soul Realm}
What..?
I blinked twice and saw I wasn't mistaken. I sensed deeper into my soul and saw the [Chaos Furnace] filled to the brim with spiritual essence. This amount exceeded what I gained from the Herrscher Cores and tainted soul fragments I obtained from the Bubble World.
It dawned on me.
The forbidden techniques contributed to this, though the one-time experience as a Dao Integration Realm cultivator is its main contributor. No matter how much lifespan I will spend, I will never be able to survive after that. Origin carried that burden alone.
Moreover, the Void Refinement Realm mental power is also gone.
Nearly half of its power was lost when I utilized it against IX. The rest got turned into spiritual essences that could speed up my cultivation speed.
{Lifespan: 247,600,000}
Looking at the long line of zeroes under my lifespan, my jaw almost dropped.
The Dao of Permanence enhances one's lifespan fifty times. I can already live for 2.5 million years as a Peak Golden Core Realm cultivator. Breaking through the Nascent Soul Realm increased my base lifespan to 100,000. It goes up to one million years for Peak Nascent Soul Realm.
The Dao of Permanence's enhancement works up to the Void Refinement Realm. Meaning to say, I can live for 50,000,000 years at minimum. Then there was the [Ten Lights Immortal Physique] and Perfected Five Elements Spirit Root that enhances one's lifespan due to the power of All Creation. These two netted 200,000,000 years.
Subtracting the 2.4 million years I spent and the collateral damages they caused, it adds up to 247 million years.
…
Thank goodness I don't live in a cultivation world.
Mine is a special case, but thinking of hundreds, if not thousands of other cultivators reaching a fraction of my lifespan implies a lot of things. They have more time to go further in the road of cultivation. Powerful beings would have populated such a world. A lot of problems would have arisen in such a civilization. It's that, or the suppression of a "Heavenly Dao". That's the cliche.
Being in a non-cultivation world is my greatest cheat.
I can't help but think.
These techniques touches the threshold of a True Immortal. It is far beyond the likes of Aeons. If that isn't the case, the golden orb's origin goes deeper than anything I could think of
The questions for the future are fully unleashed. Both the Honkai and IX are dealt with. Earth has two hundred times the flow of time compared to the outside world.
So many unknowns are popping up in my mind.
I scanned my surroundings and saw Kiana sleeping by my side. Looking at the sleeping Tuna beside me, I felt assured.
At least, there will be others facing this unknown future with me.