"I want to do this. Don't ask if I can, and don't say whether I should."

"Just because I want to."

"Alright."

Yawen agreed readily:

"So, what would you like to eat when you get back?"

"If it's a regular day, then braised chicken with potatoes. If it's morning, a bowl of beef soup, spicy soup, and fried buns with deep-fried dough sticks. For lunch, marinated noodles with chicken, and in the evening, I'm probably starving by the time I get home, just give me a bowl of hot dry noodles with a pineapple beer or Jianlibao drink, how does that sound?"

"Alright."

Yawen noted it down and waved her hand at Li Aozi:

"Remember to change your boots when you come home."

"Of course, I will."

Li Aozi smiled and turned around, his expression serious.

After walking a few miles, Li Aozi entered a patch of woodland.

With no one in sight, he took the opportunity to reach behind his neck, scratching several times until he felt a cold, hard sensation. He quickly grabbed hold of it, his veins standing out on the back of his hand, gritting his teeth, and gave it a powerful pull outward.

"Ah—ugh!"

Splurt!

A large amount of bodily fluid splattered on the ground. Li Aozi gasped for breath, looking down, and opened his palm, revealing a small red and black secret key lying quietly within.

"It's not over yet."

A flash of crimson passed through Li Aozi's eyes, but as the secret key was crushed in his hand, the last trace of red also dissipated.

"It's not over! They are still controlling my life!"

But this time, he was no longer bound.

Because the one standing here was no longer the cannon fodder deity Leoz.

But the real mortal, Earthling Li Aozi from Starry Abyss.

"In the end, you succeeded in liberating yourself."

Li Aozi looked up, surprised, and said:

"Is it you?"

An aura-filled man with flowing garments stood before him. Seeing Li Aozi's reaction, the man smiled:

"It's me, and more than just me."

With that, he waved his sleeve, and several humanoid forms appeared on the ground out of thin air.

"Hey! Nomi, tuck your legs, you're poking my ribs."

"You get off me first! And Dialan, stop playing dead, you're the sturdiest, get up." 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

The three of them bickered for a while before finally standing up from the ground.

"Phew... What a long journey, even farther than the Primordial Abyss. I almost thought I'd have a chance to die at Arstala's hands, but it crawled right out, how boring."

The short-haired woman with moon-white hair patted the dust off her body and turned her head to look at Li Aozi.

She paused for a few seconds, then smiled:

"And, long time no see, handsome little beauty."

"Yo, Nelia." Li Aozi greeted.

"No, this time it's really Nomi."

Nomi shrugged and said:

"It's strange, you've changed so much, but I recognized you at a glance—is it because I also have Arstala within me?"

"You're also Arstala's host?" Li Aozi was completely unsurprised: "Maybe there's some resonance, like how the True General can directly find me—no, should I call you, Fairy Lord now?"

"Doesn't matter." Fairy Lord said indifferently: "I know what you intend to do, but before that, with just the resources you currently have, it's not enough."

"What do you mean?"

"The Six Great Main Gods have revived. I know you killed all the corrupt Secret Councilors from the Outer Realm along the way and obtained the knight's shield sword, but that's not enough. You're facing the Six Great Main Gods and Gaia; they won't, like the creator, disregard their lives and let you slaughter them."

Dialan explained.

Li Aozi frowned:

"This is really troublesome... If Tanzimate was here, it would be great. I've killed Lai Anding before; I could kill another with one swing of my sword."

"Tanzimate has not yet been integrated, but during the integration process, we found you a substitute, here."

Rista Kacha took out a bundle, spread it on the ground, and began unwrapping the layers of fabric, revealing a simple-designed starlight long sword with a blue hilt.

"This is..."

Li Aozi was dumbfounded.

"This is your sword."

Fairy Lord said:

"The Divine Sword mastered by the [God of the Present World], with no extra effects, just the ability to deal pure and real damage."

"But what's the use of that?"

"Such power cannot compare to what this sword means to you."

Li Aozi picked up the starlight long sword and immediately began to wield it nimbly.

Although it had no neural link, the moment he touched it, he felt a connection of bloodline.

"This is my sword."

Compared to Tanzimate, this sword was clearly weaker but felt more dearly connected to him than Tanzimate's weapon.

"[God of Reality] Reylette bestowed this sword upon me before death, and granted 10752 its first name."

Li Aozi said softly:

"Now, I also give you a name."

"Stella... Star, the name of the stars."

"This is the Divine Artifact, Leoz's Star Sword."

Seeing Li Aozi so satisfied with the weapon, the others exchanged glances.

"A weapon alone is not enough; you are facing the Six Starry Abyss Main Gods."

Fairy Lord said, reaching into his sleeve and pulling out a small white wyvern, which immediately flew up, coiling around Li Aozi's wrist, its wings retracting to form a wrist guard.

"With this, you are the true complete form."

Li Aozi gently pulled on the wings of the wrist guard, and in an instant, countless silver-white, living flesh tissue spread from the guard, intertwining and merging, covering his entire body, wrapping Li Aozi from head to toe, forming a chrysalis and an egg.