After eating the miniature dragon, Little Mortal stood there without saying anything.
The three were watching with the fear of him exploding at any moment or the dragon coming out of his stomach!
What even was the thing he ate?
Part of that dragon?
Was that a backup left inside the staff by that dragon to keep it safe if it was stolen?
At this moment, the Empress was the most scared,
Because she knew this kid was going to give the staff to her!
That thing's previous owner was the black dragon, whose size alone could make them faint, and the real problem wasn't how strong it was, but who its owner was.
That abomination was just a pet of someone else...
While the couple was thinking that it was stupid for them to try to play with a lion's tail, Little Mortal turned around, looked at the couple, and said,
"You two will be fine."
Then he looked at Shadow Scarlet,
"But you better be ready for the impact."
Shadow Scarlet didn't even think about whether he was messing with her or not; she gathered all of her spiritual energy in front of her to defend herself.
Seeing her ready, Little Mortal said,
"Alright, here it com—ROAAAAR—"
His sentence was cut off by the roar of a dragon coming from inside his mouth, but he reacted fast and covered his mouth with his hands.
His action was followed by a muffled sound of an explosion inside his body, 'BOOM.'
And a shockwave spread everywhere in all directions.
It was so fast that the couple didn't even have time to react before it passed through them.
But surprisingly, nothing happened.
Then it reached Scarlet, and in a moment, she was sent flying out of the hall and disappeared into the horizon.
When the shockwave passed through the capital, nothing happened, as if it ignored everything in its path.
...
Outside of the capital, a cultivator with black hair, eyebrows sharp as swords, and an extremely powerful aura was flying on his sword towards the capital.
He was the current Sword God, sect master of the Sword Sect, Rose's father, the same person who was supposed to become Little Mortal's teacher.
He had received an urgent message from the Emperor regarding the 12 sect masters and was en route to assist them.
When he received the news, he sneaked out of the sect, and only a few trusted elders knew about his departure, as this matter was too suspicious.
While he hoped he was not too late, he saw the previous Emperor flying towards him.
At the same time, he felt something and hastily made a wall with his sword aura around himself.
A shockwave hit him the next moment, and he was sent back in the direction he was coming from, disappearing into the horizon in an instant!
The old Emperor froze in midair, looking at where the Sword God's figure was a moment ago but was now gone...
He had been with his wife and the Emperor's son, watching over the garden with the sect masters secretly. Still, when he saw the dreadful scene of the demonic cultivator coming out, beating up everybody, and making them disappear, he thought it was better to rush outside the capital to stop the Sword God from coming!
If the two met and the Sword God questioned him, the old Emperor was sure that his old friend would disappear.
But even then, he suddenly got hit with a wave from an unknown source and disappeared into the horizon!
So he didn't waste time and chased after him!
...
In a jungle far from the capital, Lady Butterfly, a distance away from the big gate of one of the 12 sects, was standing, looking at the map in her hand.
This was the same copy that Little Mortal gave her.
It was highly detailed, and the first time she touched its surface, she discovered that it was also possible to zoom in and out.
While fascinated by the map and playing with it, she felt something, turned around, and raised her hand, as though she was going to say "stop."
And then, 'BAM', a shockwave hit her hand, and she retreated five or six steps.
She raised an eyebrow and wondered what it was.
She looked at the map in her hand, then at the direction of the shockwave, and thought to herself,
'That's the direction of the capital?
Was the matter happening over there that serious?
That little monster didn't blow up the whole capital, did he?'
Lady Butterfly felt nervous.
If the shockwave reaching here was this strong, then what about the places closest to it?
But when she looked around and saw the trees were intact, she frowned in confusion,
"How is it that I was the only target?"
...
Back in the capital, inside the hall, the couple looked outside, where Shadow Scarlet, this senior from the past, had disappeared.
Then they turned to the little walking disaster.
Dark blue smoke was coming out of his mouth, nose, ears, and even skin...
They could feel that it was spiritual energy coming out of him, but not the same kind as in the cultivation world—instead, a better kind that they couldn't absorb with their current strength.
Little Mortal scratched his head,
"Little Scarlet left in a hurry; she must have something important to do.
I mean, she has a whole organization to manage, so..."
And looked at the couple to get their confirmation.
The two secretly gulped and nodded,
"Yes, she had an urgent matter and left because of it."
Little Mortal wiped the non-existent sweat from his forehead and said,
"Alright, where were we?
Right, I was going to give you something to hit the terrorists with."
Then he looked around and saw that the staff had been thrown away too by the shockwave and was now stuck in the wall. He ran to it and took it out.
The Empress took a deep breath.
'Alright, this moment has finally come.'
"Here, sister-in-law, take this.
If anyone troubles you, hit their head with this purple orb at the top!"
The Empress was speechless.
The staff was too.
It was a unique treasure, known by many, not a random stick!
The Empress gathered her courage and said,
"Big brother, I don't want it.
It will solve my problem, but not my husband's.
Sigh.
If only there was a way for him to get promoted, we could hire more guards to protect the citizens all the time..."
Little Mortal asked in shock,
"Emperors can get a promotion too?
From whom?"
The Empress said,
"Who else?
Everyone's boss, the planet manager."
"Oh! You're right, that old man is the big boss around here.
I forgot about him because he wasn't in charge."
Then he frowned and said in a low voice,
"Do you want me to get rid of him so your husband takes his place?"
The Empress's eyes widened in fear.
The Emperor almost fell off his chair.
The old man in the sky trembled on his cloud bed.
All three of them believed this monster could send anyone to the afterlife if he wanted to, Heaven's Will included.
The Empress tried to clear the misunderstanding before it was too late,
"No, no, big brother, calm down.
What I mean is, if there was something that the planet manager needs, and my husband had it, then he could give it to him and leave a good impression, you know..."
"Like what?"
The Empress pointed at the small blue orb that was blown away to a corner,
"Maybe the small orb over there?"
Little Mortal frowned,
"That thing has a use?
I don't even know what that is.
But take it if you want."
The Empress was puzzled,
"Big brother, isn't that the item you need for your seventh condition?"
Little Mortal looked at the orb again and then pointed at the other blue orb, the big one, and said,
"What's that one, then?"
The Empress replied,
"I don't know."
Little Mortal looked at the Emperor, as if saying,
'You're the Emperor, you know everything, so answer.'
The Emperor, still in character, said,
"Your guardian token knows the answer."
He thought to himself, 'If that thing can find the little orb, it surely knows what other stuff was there, right?'
Little Mortal ran to his things on the ground (which the shock hadn't moved at all), picked up the token, and asked,
"Isn't that big ball the item you marked?"
The token's mechanical voice sounded:
[No, it's the small one.
The big orb is the ice parasite's energy source for his main planet.
It was absorbing the spiritual energy of the Blue Sea Planet, which was being guarded by his pet.]
Hearing the answer, Little Mortal's mood suddenly turned gloomy.
The couple could guess why.
That place was named Blue Sea, but it was now a lifeless land.
That orb probably sucked every bit of the spiritual energy from there, and with that dragon guarding it, only death was the fate for the whole world and the creatures on it.
Little Mortal picked up the big orb and said to the token,
"This is Sect Master speaking. Assistant Rose, do you hear me? Over."
And the voice of a young girl sounded from it:
"Loud and clear, over."
"Assistant Rose, please go outside the inn. Big Guy, you go with her too. I'm sending something to Assistant Rose's location, and I want you to catch it. Over."
After a while, the girl's voice sounded again:
"We're in position, over."
Little Mortal looked at his token, and a radar appeared.
He locked onto the dot belonging to Rose, threw the blue sphere in the air in front of him, and shot it like a ball.
The couple just saw it disappear into the horizon, like Shadow Scarlet, but this time through the ceiling after making a big hole...
"Alright, one thousand one, one thousand two..."
Little Mortal started counting.
After 15 seconds:
"Assistant Rose, please move away from the backpack.
Big Guy, be ready to catch the goods. Over."
The girl's voice sounded again:
"Roger that."
And after a while:
"Sect Master, the goods have been received. Over."
Little Mortal nodded in approval, turned to the couple, and said with a smug smile,
"She's my assistant. Did you hear how professional she is?
And her parents are both sect masters.
I mean, real sect masters, not like those savages."
The face of a certain girl appeared in the minds of the Emperor and the Empress.
How many girls named Rose, with both parents as sect masters, could you find?
Only one: the Sword God and the Snow Goddess's only child.
The only non-cultivator whom no one on the human side dared to look at, let alone have evil thoughts about.
'That's your assistant?
You redefined the meaning of "fitting in" to a whole new level, young man...'
After finishing the delivery, he picked up the small orb and gave it to the Emperor.
"Alright, if there's nothing else, I'm leaving. Just tell that old man not to forget about our deal."
But the Emperor stopped him,
"Wait, brother.
Now that there are no outsiders here, let's talk freely."
Little Mortal was taken aback,
"Alright, let's talk.
But, what should we talk about?"
The Emperor said,
"Let's talk about your guardian test.
How are things right now?
How many conditions are left?"
The Emperor had so many questions he needed to figure out before Little Mortal left.
Little Mortal became excited,
"Let me show you!"
And he pulled out his notebook and began reading:
"There are six conditions to become a guardian.
To be the strongest on the planet, you are in.
This one is already done."
The couple thought:
'So that's why Senior Scarlet was trying to become the strongest?
That's the first condition for this mysterious guardian position.
But with this little monster in the competition, who can even be the strongest?'
"2. Stop the world invasion at least once.
This one is done too. I was lucky, and the moment I came here,
I bumped into one. Can you believe it?"
Seeing his happy face, as if he were feeling lucky, the two were shocked!
'A world invasion?
When did that happen?
And he really comes from somewhere else?
Where is that somewhere else? The Immortal World?'
The Empress tried to show some excitement and asked,
"Big Brother, can you show us?
I want to see!"
"No!
No spoilers!
You're gonna see it in my Guardian Ceremony."
There will be a ceremony?
So serious?
He continued,
"3. Lots of strong Followers.
I already found ten thousand followers, but they are weak, so I'm working on them to make them strong!"
The two nodded.
With Rose as an assistant, ten thousand followers are easily found.
But the Emperor asked,
"Can't you just find ten thousand followers who are strong already?
I have a strong army here if you need."
Little Mortal rolled his eyes at him and said,
"Sure, do you have ten thousand men as strong as yourself?
And even if you do, I can't use them because I need a group of non-cultivators to help me with the 6th condition."
The couple was speechless...
Are you going to stay here for decades?
And who has so many resources for this many people to reach his level of power?
"4. Special force team for something secret.
You will know about it later.
I already assembled the team, too.
So I'm done with this one, too."
The followers are supposed to be as strong as the Emperor, and now there's a special force?
Doesn't that mean they're even stronger?
Did he catch some immortals when he was passing by the Immortal World?
"5. Have enough knowledge about the outside world and what you need to deal with after becoming the Planet Guardian."
"The world we're in is called a planet?"
Little Mortal nodded and provided them with an explanation of the planet, solar system, and galaxy.
The couple was dumbfounded when they heard it.
And this little kid was talking about it as if it were common knowledge.
The Immortal World, in his words, is just another planet!
Then, where did he come from?
But the Emperor remembered the past, when the sky was filled with flickering sources of light, and one day, three hundred years ago, all the lights except a couple of them suddenly disappeared.
From what he said, were they separated from their Main galaxy?
These concepts were too confusing for them.
"6. Make a positive impact on the world that everyone remembers you for a long time.
This one depends on my followers.
I am testing something on them. If it works—and it probably will—then I need to share it with all of the humans on this planet, and the 6th condition will be done too."
Now the couple felt uneasy.
The Emperor, who finally got some information out of him, asked,
"What is the plan? Can I help you?"
"Yes, yes, you can!
Let me tell you my plan first!
I'm gonna make everyone like plants!
Isn't that good? They can absorb energy from the sun!
Free food for everyone!"
The couple felt their hearts stop for the fourth or fifth time today.
The Empress hurriedly asked,
"Big Brother, you're going to change us into plants?"
Little Mortal gave her a sidelong glance.
"Why would I do that? I said like plants.
With the ability to absorb sunlight!
Sister-in-law, you aren't paying attention!"
"Sorry, Big Brother, I was scared for a moment."
Then the two sighed in relief and thought, If he can do such a thing, he will indeed be remembered, and the impact wouldn't be small.
But can he do that?
The Emperor asked,
"And the 7th condition that was added—will it be done with this orb when I deliver it?"
Little Mortal nodded.
"And you're going back to your followers now to continue with your plan?"
"I wish, but I need to go on a cleanup mission with someone.
I don't want these terrorists to ruin my plans again!
I was going to clean them up after my followers are strong enough, but look at them—they can't sit still!
So I'll go catch them now and take the cleanup scene later."
The Emperor's eyes lit up.
An opportunity to get rid of these sects?
How can I not use it?
"Brother, I saw you recording some scenes. I assume they're for the day of your Guardian Ceremony?"
"Yes, yes!"
"But the order of it is a mess right now, am I right?"
"You're so smart—yes, yes!"
"Then it's fine to make it a little messier but accelerate everything else for you, right?"
"Yes, yes!
We can make a mess!"
The Empress, hearing the conversation between the two,
felt like she was listening to two kids planning to start chaos behind their parents' backs...
"Brother, how about we take care of the sects while you're here?"
And he started telling him about his plan.
Little Mortal's eyes started shining from the epic scene the Emperor designed, and he started jumping around excitedly!
The Empress mourned for the twelve sects in her heart...
Outside the hall, the door opened, and the Emperor walked out to the garden.
He stood there for a moment, and a general appeared hastily, kneeling in front of him.
"Your Majesty, this subject is at your service."
This cool-headed general was a survivor of the extreme stress today.
He and the old couple from before were hiding close by all this time.
Then they saw the demonic cultivator going in and coming out not long after, beating up everyone, making all of the unconscious sect masters disappear, and going back again.
The old Emperor left at this point to stop the Sword God from coming here.
He felt he might get beaten up too and disappear.
The other party called these sect masters terrorists for some reason and seemed to have a big grudge with all of them!
A while later, two other people ran away so fast that the general and the old lady didn't dare to stop them.
They were the two shadow soldiers.
Then one more person was kicked out—they didn't even clearly see who they were—and disappeared into the horizon.
They just felt all three, especially the last one, were stronger than them...
The general felt the reinforcement the Emperor summoned this time wasn't here to play around.
The old couple felt that this little demonic cultivator might really be a lost member of their imperial family? He just changed 'color' from silver to black due to his evil path?
That wasn't unheard of, and when he came out before beating everyone up, he shouted,
'You lowly bandits!
Now you even dare to try to kidnap my sister-in-law,
The Empress of the Human Empire?
Outrageous!'
He even made all those high-and-mighty sect masters disappear for his sister-in-law!
Does that mean he was their son?
So the first thing the old couple did was send an order:
"Capture everyone related to these sect masters.
Elders, disciples, their businesses—everything!"
Our crazy son is back—let's go crazy with him!
And the old lady took the Emperor's son away and went to join the soldiers to lead the cleanup.
The only one left was the general, waiting here for the Emperor or any new changes that needed to be reported to the old imperial couple.
After hearing the report from the general, the Emperor only nodded.
The opportunity I saw—how could my parents, with more experience, not see?
"Listen to my order.
Gather the whole army outside the northern gate—leave the guards behind.
Let us meet outside the capital.
Tell everyone that some of you might lose control over your bodies for a short period of time, but don't panic."
The general, while not understanding what the last part meant, accepted the order and left immediately.
Back in the hall, Little Mortal, with dark blue smoke coming out of him, was eating cookies.
After each bite, light blue smoke would mix in.
The two different blue colors were separated, like water and oil.
The Empress, who felt they were friendly now, asked,
"Big Brother, why don't you sit on the chair?"
Little Mortal said with an annoyed tone,
"I can't. I'm too fat. Only my own chair can bear my weight."
The Empress looked him up and down and didn't believe what he said.
Your clothes are oversized, but even so, I don't see a fat kid.
And if you're so heavy, how can you move around without any sign under your feet?
Then she looked at his feet and said,
"Big Brother, where are your shoes?"
"Like I said, I am too heavy. Shoes can't bear my weight either.
I only have leather shoes that don't match my clothes.
It's better to be barefoot than to have a pair of shoes that don't match your style.
Right?!"
The Empress thought, If he really is that heavy, it makes sense.
Then she turned to the shiny objects on the ground and pointed at the pair of shoes among them.
"What about those?
They seem to be high quality."
Little Mortal paused.
"Oh, I almost forgot. I saw them in that big ugly guy's treasury, so I thought to myself—he's a dragon; what use do human shoes have for him?
Have you ever seen a dragon flying around with shoes on? Let alone human shoes."
Then, not caring about the Empress's answer, he started laughing,
as if imagining a dragon with shoes...
The Empress was speechless.
She knew intelligent beasts could change shape at a certain level of power, so they must be that dragon's shoes for when it was in its human form...
While she was thinking, Little Mortal went to the black shoes and jumped into them.
They were oversized at the moment so that he could jump in.
"Change to my size and turn into this model."
A picture of a pair of black sports shoes with red patterns emerged from the crystal.
However, the pair of shoes didn't change; they just vibrated.
"Then kick him out! Can't you see I'm your new boss?"
The Empress gulped nervously.
She didn't know what the pair of shoes said, but she could guess it was probably the same as the staff, so...
And the next moment, as she guessed, another miniature dragon came out and tried to open its eyes.
But this time, even faster than last time, the new boss ate it.
Little Mortal stood there for a moment, then turned to the rest of the shiny objects on the ground and muttered to himself,
"Can I use them like a bomb to beat up people with a power level of +90?
Nah, forget about it—I'll use them for something else."
Then there was a muffled boom again, followed by a shockwave.
The Empress, who heard what he said and felt the same spiritual energy from before passing by,
just wished for Shadow Scarlet to be far enough this time... and wished good luck to the other random people out there who were probably going to get hit by it.
But in serious thought, she found an interesting piece of information:
'So our power level is under 90 in his eyes, and this shockwave is effective against +90?
Is 90 the threshold between the cultivation world and the Immortal World?'
....
Far away from the capital, somewhere between the Sword Sect and the capital, the Sword God, while feeling dizzy,
came out of the rubble of a mountain wall.
First, he looked around in confusion, then came back to his senses, realizing his mind was in turmoil.
He didn't even know who or what hit him.
While he was wondering if he should go to the capital or not—
or if the capital even existed by now—
He saw an old man flying toward him, waving at him.
He looked carefully and remembered who he was.
He was the same old man from before who had waved at him before the shockwave hit him—the previous Emperor of the Human Empire, his old friend.
But at this moment, the same feeling from the previous time came again.
His hair stood on end, and he tried to defend himself like last time.
And then—BAM—he got hit with the same shockwave attack and went deep into the mountain wall.
The only thought he had before becoming unconscious was:
Old Emperor, is that you messing with me...?
In another direction, the same distance from the capital, the same scene happened to Shadow Scarlet.
But her last thought before becoming unconscious was different:
Senior, please stop it...
....
Back in the garden,
The Emperor was standing motionless.
His right hand, holding the small blue orb, was stretched forward,
as if giving it to someone—but there wasn't anyone else except him here.
After a while, a white mist started forming around the small orb, until it gradually turned into a cloud underneath it.
The cloud carried the orb upward, as if ascending to heaven.
Seeing the orb was delivered, the Emperor turned around and walked back inside the hall.
Back in the hall, he was going to tell the little monster that everything was ready,
But he saw him running around with a pair of black shoes with red patterns, shouting excitedly,
"Look at the speed, Sister-in-law!
I am ten times faster now!"
And the Empress, who was watching him running around with the speed of a normal three-year-old, was clapping in amazement,
"I can't even see you, Big Brother!"
The Emperor,
"-_-"