Immortal Paladin

Despite possessing powers that granted me near omnipresence, I found myself with less free time than ever before. The Hollowed World had grown too large, too complicated, and far too dependent on me.

My attention was constantly pulled in a hundred different directions.

There was the welcome party for Xin Yune, which somehow turned into a week-long affair despite everyone claiming it would be simple. There were my increasingly routine negotiations with the Four Horsemen on Tartarus, the prison Ox-Head had conveniently created to contain dangerous entities. Alice demanded a reasonable amount of my affection, Ru Qiu demanded an unreasonable amount of sparring sessions, and the Death Daughters were still trying to settle into their new lives. Whenever I found a moment to breathe, I had to scold my daughter for some new disaster, advise my disciple regarding the construction of his underworld, placate the Origin Faith, read through Records of the Age of Divinity, study the mysterious tower, and handle countless other responsibilities that seemed determined to multiply overnight.

Sometimes, I wondered whether becoming stronger had merely unlocked more work.

I rubbed my temples as I stepped into the recently constructed research palace standing beside the enormous tower. Scholars bustled throughout the building carrying stacks of notes, spiritual recording devices, and research materials. The atmosphere resembled a battlefield more than an academic institution. Researchers hurried between rooms while arguments erupted from every corner regarding theories, calculations, and observations.

”Please tell me somebody has good news for me today,” I said.

The scholars immediately avoided eye contact.

My heart sank.

Leading the entire operation was Peng Ru, a close ally and the aunt of one of my disciples. Before this project began, she had served as vice-principal of the imperial-authorized cultivation academy established in the Celestial Steps. The moment she learned an enormous mysterious tower had appeared in the Hollowed World, she nearly resigned on the spot to dedicate herself to researching it full-time. Da Ji had spent weeks convincing her to maintain her position while conducting research here simultaneously.

Unfortunately, academic curiosity was not the only reason she remained invested in the project.

”W-What?” I asked nervously as I endured her gaze.

Peng Ru stood across from me with folded arms and an expression capable of freezing oceans.

I knew that look.

Every single time I attempted to use my foresight to steer conversations away from certain topics, she somehow detected it and became even angrier. Specifically, she became angry whenever the conversation drifted toward her missing niece.

”You don’t need to look ahead to know what I’m thinking,” Peng Ru said flatly.

”I wasn’t.”

”You were.”

”I was only a little.”

Her eye twitched.

The last few times this had happened, she had unleashed a barrage of scolding that left even me feeling guilty. The truth was that she had every right to be upset. Her niece remained lost somewhere within the Greater Human Realm, and despite everything I had accomplished, I still had not retrieved her.

”I’m sorry,” I said honestly. ”I haven’t forgotten. Once things stabilize here, I’ll continue searching.”

Peng Ru released a slow breath and restrained her irritation.

The situation was simply terrible. The Hollowed World was facing too many threats simultaneously. Even sending a projection into the Greater Human Realm carried risks I could not ignore. Supreme Heart had once kidnapped me through one of those projections. The Binding Vow no longer circled my wrist, but I had no desire to discover what new method he might have prepared if I exposed myself again.

Fortunately, Peng Ru allowed the matter to drop.

”For now, we have a more immediate concern,” she said. ”There have been increasing reports of disappearances throughout the Hollowed World. Our latest investigations suggest the tower is responsible.”

That immediately captured my attention.

I recalled the reports. Missing persons cases had indeed increased recently. Most investigations had concluded that criminal organizations, rogue cultivators, or demonic beasts were responsible. In response, I had strengthened local law enforcement and expanded patrols across numerous regions.

Apparently, that had not been enough.

”The tower?” I repeated.

Peng Ru nodded and pushed several documents toward me.

”My team believes the structure is not a single construct. It is an amalgamation of interconnected dungeons. Every piece of evidence we’ve gathered supports this theory. Independent analyses, historical comparisons, spatial studies, and professional consultations all point toward the same conclusion.”

Professional consultations.

That almost certainly meant Joan.

When it came to dungeon studies, Joan was unquestionably the world’s foremost authority. The leadership position for this research project had initially become a fierce competition between her and Da Ji. Neither had accepted it in the end.

Joan had been occupied with Dave.

More specifically, Joan and Dave had been trying very hard to have a child.

I genuinely hoped whatever difficulties they were facing would be resolved soon.

As for Da Ji, most of her attention remained devoted to studying the Supreme Void, a subject so terrifying that even I preferred not to think about it too often.

That left Peng Ru in charge.

She might not have been the first or second choice, but she was still an exceptional scholar.

I could have simply activated the Ophanim and skipped directly to the conclusion of her reports. My ocular powers would have revealed every answer she intended to present before she spoke a single word.

Instead, I listened.

Researchers deserved that much respect.

Peng Ru glanced toward the entrance.

”Bring in the survivor who recently returned from the tower.”

The doors opened.

Several Guardians escorted a middle-aged man into the chamber. His clothes were torn, dirt covered his face, and his eyes darted around the room with barely concealed panic. He looked exhausted, malnourished, and deeply traumatized.

The moment he noticed me, he nearly stumbled backward.

I raised a hand.

”Relax,” I said gently. ”You’re safe here. Nobody is going to harm you.”

The man’s tense shoulders gradually loosened.

My Supremacy Trait was probably helping. People naturally felt reassured in my presence unless I actively suppressed the effect.

Peng Ru stepped forward and offered the man a seat.

”Please introduce yourself,” she said. ”Tell us who you are, what work you did, and where you were when the tower took you.”

The middle-aged man swallowed hard and gripped the edge of the chair as though it were the only thing keeping him grounded.

”M-My name is Pa Pi,” he stammered. ”I-I am a slash-and-burn farmer. My family clears forest plots, grows crops for a few years, then moves when the soil becomes exhausted. It’s not glorious work, but it puts food on the table.”

He took a shaky breath before continuing.

”I was preparing a new field when a strange screen appeared in front of me. At first, I thought I was hallucinating. Then words started appearing on it. It asked me a question. It asked whether I wanted my fate to be changed.”

The room grew quiet.

”I said yes., and then I woke up inside the tower.”

A collective murmur spread through the researchers.

Meanwhile, I sat there feeling an entirely different emotion.

The plot sounded painfully familiar.

Supreme Heart certainly had a type.

Before anyone could continue questioning Pa Pi, a deafening alarm suddenly echoed throughout the entire research facility. Crimson warning formations lit up across walls and ceilings. Scholars immediately jumped from their seats while Guardians reached for their weapons.

I activated the Ophanim as countless streams of information flooded my vision.

My expression darkened.

Across the Hollowed World, spatial rifts were tearing open without warning. Dungeons emerged in cities, forests, mountain ranges, deserts, and even beneath oceans. Creatures poured from those openings like floodwaters bursting through a shattered dam. Simultaneously, the enormous tower began releasing monsters directly from its surface.

The situation escalated from concerning to catastrophic within seconds.

I vanished.

Divine Step carried me from the research facility to the skies above the Hollowed World.

The moment I appeared, a translucent screen materialized before my face.

[TOWER OUTBREAK IN PROGRESS]

”...You’ve got to be kidding me.”

The scale of the invasion was absurd.

Even with my current cultivation, generating enough Divine Qi to annihilate every monster simultaneously would be difficult. If I still possessed the Hollow Star above my head, perhaps it would have been possible.

Unfortunately, perhaps it wasn’t good enough.

I immediately tapped into the authority of the Dark Veil. The world shifted. Space folded. Every monster that my calculations determined would cause the highest casualty counts suddenly disappeared from their locations.

Instantly, the monsters reappeared above me, casting their shadow below.

Gigantic draconic beasts tumbled from spatial distortions with wings stretching across entire mountain ranges. Towering giants with molten skin crashed through the atmosphere like living meteors. Swarms of winged horrors screeched as they fell, blotting out sunlight beneath forests of claws and teeth. Some creatures resembled twisted whales floating through the heavens. Others possessed dozens of eyes and limbs that seemed to violate every law of biology.

One enormous serpent alone cast a shadow large enough to engulf a city.

Thousands.

Tens of thousands.

Perhaps more.

I raised my hand.

”Final Adjudication.”

An enormous golden scale manifested above the heavens. The artifact dwarfed continents in scale. Its presence alone caused countless monsters to freeze in terror. And then the chains emerged. Golden chains wreathed in divine fire erupted from the scale and lashed across the sky. They tore through clouds and dimensions alike. Every chain sought judgment and condemnation.

Monsters exploded into ash wherever they touched.

Others were bound and dragged screaming toward the scale before being consumed by holy flames.

The heavens became an execution ground.

At the same time, Starshroud flowed across my body. My robes transformed into gleaming armor etched with countless celestial patterns. Obsidian plates interlocked around me while divine light radiated from every seam.

”There are so many of them!” Starshroud cried inside my mind. ”The entire world is lighting up with targets!”

Since she remained connected to the Dark Veil, she could perceive much of what I did.

Unfortunately, she was right.

Even as Final Adjudication exterminated thousands of monsters, countless more continued emerging from new rifts. Cities burned. Villages fled. Cultivators battled desperately against impossible odds. The destruction spread faster than I could contain it.

A familiar presence appeared nearby.

I turned.

Supreme Heart stood upon empty air as casually as though he were taking an evening stroll. Blue and gold robes fluttered around him. His irritatingly handsome face carried an equally irritating smile.

”Well, well, well,” he said. ”What do we have here?”

”An angry Paladin, that’s what.”

Silver Steel emerged from my pocket dimension. Divine Forge ignited across its blade. Without another word, I launched myself forward. Divine Step compressed space beneath my feet. One moment, I stood hundreds of meters away. Next, I stood directly before Supreme Heart.

Silver Steel descended.

Or at least, it tried to.

The sword stopped. My muscles strained. My divine strength surged. Yet the blade refused to move any closer to his neck. It felt as though an invisible force continuously redirected my arm away from him.

Supreme Heart sighed dramatically.

”I merely manipulated the distance between our hearts. If you cannot cut me down, it is because I am someone you cherish—”

”I DON’T CARE!”

Starshroud’s shriek nearly ruptured my soul. An eldritch blast exploded from my armor and slammed directly toward Supreme Heart. He disappeared. The attack passed harmlessly through empty space. A moment later, he reappeared behind me.

”Now that’s foul.”

I slowly turned toward him.

”What do you want?”

Supreme Heart folded his hands behind his back.

”You are an important piece in my plans, Da Wei. That is why I have come to negotiate. Agree to my terms, and I will cease unleashing monsters from the tower. Better yet, I will refrain from informing others about the location of the Hollowed World.”

His smile widened.

”You see, your Hollowed World will never be able to escape my sight. I will track it every time you try to hide or flee. The other Supreme Beings would be very interested in learning where you’ve been hiding all this time. Imagine what they will do to you if they get their hands on you!”

I snorted. ”Hey, don’t threaten me with a good time.”

Supreme Heart burst into laughter. ”Wonderful. Absolutely wonderful. Your bravery remains one of my favorite qualities. Unfortunately, there are times when one must bend and accept compromise.”

”This isn’t a negotiation,” I said flatly. ”You’re basically threatening me.”

His smile remained. ”If you think this is threatening, then you’ll be disappointed. I am actually treating you gently. The others would not be nearly as considerate.”

The amusement slowly vanished from his face. His gaze became dangerously serious. The shift was so abrupt that even I felt uneasy.

I narrowed my eyes. ”What do you want?”

For several seconds, Supreme Heart simply stared at me, and then he spoke. ”I want you to bear my child.”

I blinked, and then I blinked again.

”I beg your pardon?”

Had I heard that correctly?

1LOL.