Aldrian greeted King Darius, Prince Martis, and Princess Xena, who had come to attend his wedding. They arrived together with his avatar, which had informed him earlier that they were ready to be teleported.

Aldrian then teleported them to the outside of the palace, which left them completely shocked. Not only had they crossed a distance that would normally take a year by interstellar vessel, but they had arrived instantly before the grandest palace they had ever seen.

The moment they appeared, they were greeted by the rich heaven and earth energy. They could only speechless in amazement at what they felt and saw, as they were guided by the avatar toward the throne hall.

They truly felt like country bumpkins in this case.

After Aldrian greeted them, they bowed to him.

"We greet Your Majesty, Aldrian the Great," they said in unison.

Aldrian smiled. "Please, be at ease and do not be too formal with me. I would feel bad if, after all this time, you still look so distant."

King Darius and the others smiled at his words.

"Well, we cannot simply cast aside decorum when standing before the great emperor whose name has spread far and wide. It would not be appropriate if we were overly casual with you."

Aldrian let out a soft sigh, then smiled again. "Alright then. Let us talk somewhere more comfortable." He guided them toward one of the guest rooms.

As they walked, Princess Xena looked at his back, her heartbeat quickening. She was mesmerized by how different Aldrian’s bearing was as an emperor. The moment she saw him on the throne, she could not avert her gaze from him.

She then heard her father release a sigh.

"I’m truly speechless in amazement, Your Majesty. This is truly an amazing place, worthy of someone like yourself. After all this time, I feel like a frog in a well. The palace is truly magnificent and beautiful." He commented, which made Aldrian smile.

"Please visit the palace often, Your Majesty. Besides me, my family would also like to speak with you about many things. After all, I have already told them about you and your family," Aldrian replied.

They then met Sylphia, which stunned the three of them, especially Princess Xena. Sylphia greeted them with a gentle smile.

’How beautiful... truly worthy to become Aldrian the Great’s wife.’ Princess Xena thought after seeing Sylphia’s face. Even she had to admit that she felt inferior in that regard.

Although Sylphia was only at emperor stage, she possessed a special aura that made Xena unwilling to underestimate her.

As one of Aldrian’s wives, and someone who lived in this palace, she could not be an ordinary emperor stage cultivator.

Sylphia followed them to the guest room, as she already knew about them from Aldrian’s stories, and she wanted to hear directly from them about the time when Aldrian visited their world.

They then arrived at the guest room, and before long, they were already conversing with one another. King Darius also gave them his wedding gift, which was a great elixir for cultivators at pseudo immortal stage. It could support their cultivation.

The elixir was one of the treasures of the Gardum Kingdom.

Aldrian inwardly wanted to refuse the gift, as it was far too valuable to be given so lightly. He already possessed many more powerful elixirs, so he felt that it would be better for King Darius and his family to use it themselves.

However, it would be impolite to refuse a gift that had already been prepared for him, so he accepted it in the end. He would repay this gesture in his own way later.

When their conversation came to an end, King Darius was about to look for a place to stay, but Aldrian had already prepared accommodations for them within one of the luxurious pavilions inside the Guardian Palace.

They gladly accepted it, and just like that, they became special guests who would be staying within the Guardian Palace.

---------------------------------

Three days later, the long-awaited day finally arrived. The streets were filled with celebration and packed with people. Screens showing the main church of the Heavenly Direction Church had been spread across the empire, allowing everyone to watch the wedding live.

The Heavenly City, where the main church was located, was even more crowded, especially with nobles from various origins. They came from many different worlds, from the nearest ones to distant star clusters that required months or even years to reach.

Many of them had already been staying within the empire when the wedding announcement spread, which allowed them to attend the ceremony now.

It could be said that this wedding was even grander than Aldrian’s previous two weddings, as far more guests from other worlds had arrived.

While waiting for the ceremony to begin, the guests interacted with one another. Even those from worlds that had never come into contact with each other before were now able to meet, building relationships and new connections.

Inside the church, all of Aldrian’s acquaintances were already waiting. His family members were seated in their respective places, with the exception of Sylphia and Baek Jimin.

As the sun rose higher in the sky, a carriage suddenly arrived and stopped outside the church, right at the edge of the red carpet. The luxurious carriage bore the symbol of the church along with the papal flag.

The people did not need to guess who it was, as it was obvious. The moment the carriage door opened, Pope Claudius stepped out and walked toward the church. He was not wearing his grand papal attire, but instead a more casual yet still formal outfit.

He was dressed in a white suit, which caused those who saw him to widen their eyes in surprise. This was the first time they had ever seen the pope wear something other than his papal robes.

The populace realized that the pope was taking on the role of a father figure for the Saintess. That meant he would not be the one leading the wedding ceremony, and that role would fall to someone else.

Pope Claudius walked through the aisle with a touched expression he could not hide. His nose was slightly red as he held back his tears. He could not believe that the time had finally come for his daughter to get married.

He arrived at the VIP seats, where all of Aldrian’s grandfather and grandmother’s family were already waiting. He spoke with them briefly before continuing toward the platform built inside the church, where a special seat had already been prepared for him.

Aldrian’s parents were already seated on the platform in the same row as him, facing the guests.

Not long after he took his seat, a figure appeared from the back of the platform.

The figure was Cardinal Daniele Valentino. In the past, he had been Cardinal Carsius’ rival for the position of pope.

The moment he appeared, the boisterous voices of the crowd gradually fell into silence.

After stepping onto the platform, Cardinal Daniele swept his gaze across those gathered inside the church before opening his lips.

"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the ceremony we have all been waiting for. Once again, we will experience the joy of love between two beings who will pledge themselves to one another. This ceremony will unite them under an umbrella that will shelter them until the end of time."

"The umbrella called marriage, blessed by the heavens, is not merely a symbol, but also a commitment shared by those beneath it. It signifies that they are ready to take a step from which there is no turning back, a step to walk side by side for eternity."

After his words, a carriage bearing the symbol of the Absolute Ruler approached from the distant sky. All gazes turned toward it, and a sudden sense of reverence and worship rose within their hearts.

A few moments later, the carriage landed outside the church, right at the edge of the red carpet. Then, the door finally opened, revealing the figure inside.

Aldrian stepped out from the carriage, displaying his figure clearly to the world. Countless people had already seen him wearing the white and golden imperial wedding suit he wore when he married Sylphia.

He wore the same suit and the same hairstyle, with his long red hair tied into a ponytail. Yet they still gasped in amazement at his charm and handsomeness. It felt as though his presence had risen once again, and his appearance had only grown more refined with maturity.

They believed it might be the result of his increased strength after entering seclusion. They did not know just how powerful he had become, when even in the past he had already performed many absurd feats.

"To the brightest star and eternal light, we greet Your Majesty, the Great Emperor!" countless people shouted in unison before all of them lowered their bodies in reverence. Many even prostrated themselves.

"Rise," Aldrian said, and all of them raised their bodies.

Aldrian then continued to walk forward. He could see his family, all showing joyful expressions. Arderivan was in Eleine’s arms, his gaze wandering around with curiosity.

He smiled warmly at them, then his gaze shifted to Pope Claudius. The pope was almost in tears, yet he held himself back as his eyes locked onto Aldrian.

Aldrian decided to approach him, and Pope Claudius stood up to receive him.

"Your—"

"No, do not call me that. Call me as if I am your son," Aldrian said in a low voice.

Pope Claudius was stunned, but then he smiled and nodded. Without hesitation, he placed his hand on Aldrian’s right shoulder.

"Aldrian, please take care of Angelica. I now entrust her to you."

Aldrian’s expression turned solemn as he nodded.

"I will, Father-in-law. I will take care of her. I will become her everything, and I will never disappoint you or her."