"Hiss~~~"
As he walked down a street in the Central City, Shane suddenly shivered while looking around with keen interest.
"Hmm?"
Held in Shane's arms, Lilith, who had been happily looking around, immediately tilted her head.
"It's nothing." Shane naturally noticed the questioning look in the small Goddess's eyes, patted her head, and muttered to himself, "Suddenly there's this mysterious chill, why is that?"
Shane fell into deep thought.
"Hee."
Lilith seemed to find this version of Shane amusing, she beamed with laughter.
Shane then pinched her cute little nose, as if venting a bit, and shook off the inexplicable chill in his heart.
"Probably just some troublemakers thinking of harming me again, oh well, I'm used to it."
As the saying goes, the more lice, the less itchy, Shane remained very calm.
Of course, whether he actually wasn't afraid or had already given up, only he knew.
Glancing at the sky, Shane pondered.
"It's already dark, those Demons should have finished their meeting by now, right?"
Then, he should head back.
"Alright, let's go back, Lilith."
Shane spoke to the small Goddess in his arms.
"Mmm, mmm!"
Lilith naturally had no objections.
As long as Shane was there, that place was her entertainment haven.
Therefore, Lilith felt no attachment to the scenery by the street.
Thus, the two of them began their journey back to the Supreme Castle.
Along the way, every single member of the Demon Clan knelt on the ground, muttering something to themselves with closed eyes.
That scene, resembling devotees sincerely praying, truly gave off a sense of déjà vu.
"Doesn't this make me look quite conspicuous?"
While walking with Lilith in his arms, all the Demons around Shane were kneeling, and he was the only one standing, making him look eye-catching no matter how you viewed it.
Fortunately, during prayers, the Demons kept their eyes closed, not opening them even when they heard Shane's footsteps, preventing Shane from attracting attention.
However, some already finished praying did occasionally throw Shane some odd glances.
Those glances, though not quite looking at him as an infidel, still resembled the gaze toward an outsider.
"Looks like they see me as someone out of place here."
Shane mused.
Meanwhile, Lilith seemed to feel a bit drowsy, her small head bobbing, resting against Shane's chest, soon falling asleep.
"Just like a child."
While amused, Shane tightened his hold on Lilith, shielding the young girl in his arms against the wind to keep her warm.
And so, under the dark night, Shane walked along the moonlit path back to the gates of the Supreme Castle.
"Eh?"
At this moment, Shane stopped in his tracks.
Because, a figure appeared at the gates of the Supreme Castle, as if waiting for him.
"Finally decided to come back?"
The little girl holding a pillow glared at Shane, speaking with a hint of annoyance.
Who else could it be besides Ai Yi?
"You were waiting for me?" Shane raised an eyebrow as he approached, speaking naturally, "Your meeting is finished?"
"Ah, it's finished." Ai Yi responded just as naturally, but as she looked at Shane, a hint of complex emotions occasionally flashed across her eyes.
Shane didn't notice this.
He just felt a bit wistful.
"Unexpected, right?" Shane said with a playful smile, "After just a few days apart, we ended up becoming engaged."
Who would have imagined this outcome when Ai Yi left with Lide and Milu back to the Demon Realm?
Shane felt it was quite a marvel too.
Who would have thought, upon reunion, they'd have decided to spend their lives together?
Such is life.
Of course...
"And whose fault do you think that is?" Ai Yi narrowed her eyes, staring intently at Shane, saying, "If you hadn't carelessly exposed your identity, things wouldn't have become so complicated?"
Shane needed to protest against what Ai Yi was saying.
"Do you think I wanted this?" Shane rolled his eyes and said, "Who would have thought an imperial concubine of the Emperor, a descendant of Ereiy, could actually use the Secret Treasure left by the Supreme God to touch Transcend Level power?"
In such a situation, if Shane didn't go all out, he would likely fall to Moro's final strike.
Rather than letting that happen, Shane naturally had to go all out and overcome the calamity first.
Ai Yi surely understood this point.
However, she still wanted to complain.
"I was just away for a while, and you encountered such a big issue. If I had known earlier, I definitely wouldn't have returned to the Demon Realm."
Ai Yi almost directly said, "You can't do it without me."
In response, Shane rubbed his nose resentfully.
"Who knew that with Lilith around, something so big would still happen?"
Shane felt helpless himself.
A Transcendent Level existence can practically dominate the world in seconds. With Lilith by his side, Shane never imagined trouble would come.
Moreover, his own power is formidable; he wouldn't fear opponents below Transcend Level.
It could be said that anyone knowing Shane's situation wouldn't think there could still be trouble.
Yet, in the situation where the opponent schemed unawares, both Shane and Lilith stumbled.
Who could be held accountable?
"Great Spirit Body?" Ai Yi knew it couldn't be blamed on anyone else, she could only frown and mutter to herself, "Even though I've heard the entire story from your mouths, I still feel a bit surprised."
It's an unavoidable thing.
"Throughout history, besides those of us born with qualifications to touch Transcend Level, only Heroes could break the Life Limit and enter Transcend Level; other beings simply couldn't cross in under the rules of the World's Principle."
"Even that guy from the Primordial Demon was born a half-demon with the qualification to touch Transcend Level, not breaking through by himself."
"Now, a Necromancer surviving through Anima's hand thousands of years ago actually created something capable of breaching the Life Limit. If such a being hadn't truly appeared and succeeded, I certainly wouldn't have believed such a thing possible."
At that moment, even Ai Yi was somewhat astounded.
"Well, it was just a trick." Shane shrugged and said, "The opponent succeeded by borrowing the power of the Supreme God's Secret Treasure, not by breaking through themselves."
"That's indeed true." Ai Yi thought for a moment and nodded in agreement, "Given it involves the Supreme God, anything unimaginable could be possible."
The title of the Almighty Goddess is not mere words.
In this world, nothing is beyond the Goddess's capabilities.
Even the World's Principle was a rule formulated by that true Goddess; the so-called Life Limit is just something she could manipulate at will.
If that Goddess hadn't already secluded herself in deep sleep, she might casually create a Transcendent Level existence.
The only one who could leave that Goddess helpless was the Demon King.
The Demon King's power was insurmountable even for that true Almighty Goddess.
Omni Potanssen was divided into the Human Realm, Demon Realm, and Divine World because the Demon King carved the world into three parts upon dying; his power caused consequences even the Supreme God couldn't interfere with, thus the true Almighty Goddess could only divide Omni Potanssen into three worlds, becoming the dwelling place for the Three Clans: God, Human, and Demon.
If the Goddess wished, she could instantly transform the owners of Great Spirit Bodies or half-demons into fully-fledged Transcendent Level existences, right?
Given that, it's no surprise her material form left in the world could help the Great Spirit Body take that critical step.
To the Supreme God herself, it might merely be an insignificant thing, but to others, it's a true treasure.
"Anyway, since there's another restless powerhouse in this world, we should be cautious too."
Ai Yi focused on Shane and issued a warning.
"Your identity is special, and you've had conflicts with those guys. They're certainly watching you from the shadows, so keep a low profile, don't disappear, or run around recklessly, understood?"
Clearly, for Shane's sake, Ai Yi was quite concerned.
But Shane, rather than being deterred, flashed a fearless smile.
"I'd actually prefer if they all jumped out so I could resolve it all at once."
As an avid reader, Shane had to say, the most annoying were those villains who only schemed in secret and didn't dare confront him directly.
Although mindless villain tactics can be rather idiotic, defeating them at least feels satisfying, doesn't it?
Just because you scheme in the shadows, you think readers would regard you as an intelligent and charismatic Boss?
No, a truly intelligent and charismatic Boss never appears; they launch various strategies before surfacing. Once they emerge, their momentum is essentially set; they confront head-on and eliminate opponents with a single stroke. That's an antagonist.
Those who appear mighty but scurry away in defeat, continuing to plot in secret, aren't intelligent or bold, but a hundred-legged worm refusing to die — simply annoying.
To resolve matters, Shane genuinely hoped those guys would leap out so he could settle the score and bring the book to a conclusion, avoiding accusations of dragging out the story...(mumbling)
Ai Yi looked strangely at Shane, as if she could see a sense of grievance from Shane.
Then, Ai Yi's gaze shifted, her eyes grew complex.
"Hey."
In the next second, Ai Yi suddenly spoke and uttered a bizarre sentence.
"Have you ever thought about who you are?"
Her words struck Shane dumb on the spot.