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Qi Gong was wearing the same clothes that the Emperor’s Seat used to wear. A myeonryugwan with long beading threads was on his head, covering almost his entire face, and a ferocious Dragon was embroidered on his royal robe. He started dressing like this when he proclaimed himself as the second ‘Tian Shi Yuan,’ the heir to the Emperor’s Seat.

“I never allowed you to enter,” Qi Gong said, sounding tired and lethargic.

His tone actually also resembled an emperor from ancient times, but there was also a hint of annoyance in his face. Having followed Chang-Sun into the hall, Shi Lou, Tu Si, Dou, and Suo Guan stood awkwardly, refusing to dare look Qi Gong in the eyes. They were ruler and subjects now, not children of the Emperor’s Seat, who were equals.

Chang-Sun found the whole thing ludicrous. Although the Emperor’s Seat also called himself the king of <Purple Star Astrology>, he only used his authority when dealing with Heavenly Spirit demonic Celestials and Earthly Fiend monster Celestials.

When embracing someone as his child, the Emperor’s Seat didn’t try to save face or assert his dominance. Even though his children sometimes found it difficult to be around him due to his high position, he tried to make sure his relationship with his children was never authoritative. Unfortunately, Qi Gong didn’t seem to be doing the same.

‘Well, he’s had a problem with it ever since he was in <Purple Star Astrology>,’ Chang-Sun recalled.

While Chang-Sun was in <Purple Star Astrology> as the foster son of the Emperor’s Seat, he butted heads with Qi Gong the most. Because of his defiant nature, Chang-Sun always thought of Qi Gong, who valued authority the most, as an eyesore. On the other hand, Qi Gong didn’t get along well with Chang-Sun and his group for discrediting his father’s authority.

When Richardus started a rebellion, bringing down the Emperor’s Seat from the seat of ‘Tian Shi Yuan,’ Qi Gong could have thought that the Emperor’s Seat lost his seat because of his non-authoritative approach with his children.

Regardless of the reason, Qi Gong greeted Chang-Sun, an invader, as the leader and king of the <Troop>. That alone made it seem as if he wouldn’t voluntarily yield at all. However, that was what Chang-Sun actually wanted.

‘Submissive Qi Gong… Just thinking about it is gross,’ Chang-Sun thought. If Qi Gong acted that way, he would have thought that Qi Gong was scheming to backstab him.

“This is one of Father’s legacies for his children,” Chang-Sun said. The mention of their father made Qi Gong’s eyebrows furrow.

“How dare you call him Father after shoving him into a pit?!” Qi Gong gritted his teeth.

The lethargy in Qi Gong’s eyes was replaced by anger. He looked ready to spring to his feet from the throne.

However, Chang-Sun remained nonchalant. “I saw many things on the way over here. Buildings, roads, landscape, this Shi Yuan Castle… Everything looks exactly like the vacation home that Father always used to talk about.”

Whenever the topic of taking a break was mentioned, the Emperor’s Seat always talked about a vacation home.

“Someday, all this chaos will end, and peace will come. When that time comes, let’s have a picnic somewhere scenic and quiet.”

Due to <Purple Star Astrology> starting conquests everywhere, the Emperor’s Seat became so busy that he was swamped with work almost every day.

“I built a vacation home in a spot no one would be able to find. I’m sure you all will like it,” the Emperor’s Seat added.

“Where is this vacation home?” Was it Shi Lou or Suo Guan? One of his older children asked, wondering about the place that they had only ever heard about.

“It’s a secret. I want to surprise you all, so it’ll be no fun if I tell you where it is now,” the Emperor’s Seat answered, smiling mischievously and enigmatically.

All his children laughed happily and waited for the peace that would come someday, wishing to spend peaceful time with their father. They were neglected by the world all their lives, so the warm words of the Emperor’s Seat always gave them strength.

During his entire walk in the Shi Yuan Castle, Chang-Sun unconsciously realized that this was the vacation home that the Emperor’s Seat always talked about. A secret spot where no one would find. Definitely, no one would think that a vacation home was in one of the Seven Wonders. Chang-Sun wasn’t sure what the Emperor’s Seat had done, but the Incendiary Burial Whale was especially favorable to the <Troop> in particular.

‘I can’t agree that it has good scenery, though,’ Chang-Sun thought.

Their vacation home couldn’t remain as a vacation home. Since the Emperor’s Seat couldn’t keep the promise he made to his children, they chose this place as their hideout instead.

“So are you going to destroy this vacation home?” Qi Gong cynically asked.

Chang-Sun shook his head. “No, I want to preserve it using any means necessary.”

This place not only had their father’s touch but was also built for his children. Chang-Sun couldn’t just blow it up.

Thump!

Qi Gong slammed his armrest, his anger turning into fury.

Rumble…!

The castle—no, the entire Incendiary Burial Whale shook.

“You have a very eloquent way of saying bullshit. I don’t know what got into you that made you start calling him Father or say everything you’re saying now, but after all you’ve done—!”

“Qi Gong,” Chang-Sun interrupted, tossing something to Qi Gong. “Catch.”

Tap!

Qi Gong briefly considered destroying the unidentified crystal bead in the air, but he decided to catch it with one hand instead when he detected the thick energy of the Emperor’s Seat from it.

“… What have you done to Father?” Qi Gong noticed that the bead was made by extracting the Emperor’s Seat’s memories by force.

This kind of object could only be made when a subject was mentally vulnerable. Hence, coercive measures, like brainwashing them to cloud their mind and extracting their remaining memory after killing them, were often used to create it. It served as proof that the Emperor’s Seat was in bad condition, which naturally made Qi Gong furious. Surprised, the other children who followed Chang-Sun also put their guard up.

“Watch it and then decide if you want to get angry,” Chang-Sun firmly said.

“…?” Qi Gong furrowed his brows again, unable to read what was going on inside Chang-Sun’s head at all.

Chang-Sun could be scheming again, but considering he was almost done conquering the Incendiary Burial Whale, Qi Gong doubted the chance. Above all, he wished to know how his father was doing. Was the Emperor’s Seat going through any hardships in Bloodless Hell? From what he heard, the King of the Underworld was very rude, so was he persecuting him?

Almost all of Qi Gong’s emotions had been worn away, but if there was one left in him, it was his respect for the Emperor’s Seat.

Qi Gong contemplated for a long time. Reaching a decision, he immediately took action. Infusing his divine power into the crystal bead, he watched what the Emperor’s Seat witnessed, just like Chang-Sun. Afterward, he slowly put his hands off the crystal bead and closed his eyes, various emotions filling his mind.

When Qi Gong opened his eyes again, the fury in them was already gone. He looked at Chang-Sun with composure. The other children were anxious to know what Qi Gong saw, so when Qi Gong handed them the crystal bead, they hurriedly played the stored memory. It didn’t take long for them to fall into utter shock.

“What is it that you want to tell us?” Qi Gong asked, realizing that Chang-Sun had sincerely accepted the Emperor’s Seat as his foster father. Chang-Sun’s reason for visiting them wasn’t simply to conquer the <Troop>.

“Come with me.”

“What?”

“Don’t you want to get revenge for Father? <Purple Star Astrology> kicked Father out, Richardus put Father in that state, and this mysterious group helped Richardus. Don’t you want to destroy all of them with your own hands?” Chang-Sun held out his hand in Qi Gong’s direction. “Take my hand. Let me lead you all. As long as you remain here, you will never have hope.”

Qi Gong pursed his lips, wishing to say that Chang-Sun was wrong. If Shi Lou or the other children were the ones who said those words, he would have told them to shut up, but he couldn’t do that to Chang-Sun.

Although Qi Gong knew the state of the <Troop> most objectively, he denied it all this time out of concern for ruining their home, which they put so much effort into building. He believed that his father should have a home and family to welcome him when he returned.

“I know that your sense of responsibility as the eldest son is driving you to maintain this collapsing home and family, but are you just going to blindly hang on instead of moving forward?” Chang-Sun asked.

Shi Lou and the other children looked at Qi Gong, their vacant eyes filling up with fervor for the first time in so long. At that moment, Qi Gong realized that he had to make a decision—one that would seal the <Troop>’s future.

“… Fine. I’ll take that hand,” Qi Gong agreed, causing the other children to brighten up.

Chang-Sun nodded as if he was already expecting that answer. He was grateful to the Emperor’s Seat, who made it possible for his children to unite. Maybe he was just imagining things at this point, but Qi Gong even seemed less apprehensive.

“There is a problem, though,” Qi Gong continued.

“A problem?”

“You won’t be able to use this place anymore.”

“… What?” Chang-Sun’s expression was tinged with perplexity.

Qi Gong smiled bitterly. “I’ve tried exercising Celestial Cannibalism on the Incendiary Burial Whale several times, but as you can see…”

When Qi Gong pulled up his roomy right sleeve, Chang-Sun’s face darkened. His arm was covered with gray squirming ghosts.

The Anomaly was trying to take over Qi Gong’s body.

“... I failed and got infected instead. I don’t have much time left, and… I was left with only a few options in the situation.”

For some reason, Chang-Sun could already tell what Qi Gong’s decision was.

“The Incendiary Burial Whale will self-detonate in several minutes,” Qi Gong added.

“…!”

“…!”

“Qi Gong! Why would you do something so dangerous?!”

All the children except for Chang-Sun were appalled.

“You plan to disappear with the Incendiary Burial Whale after all your younger siblings escape.” Chang-Sun guessed. “Is there any way to deactivate the self-detonation command?”

“As far as I know, there isn’t. Half of my consciousness has already synchronized with the Incendiary Burial Whale, so the command I made the island perceive has become definite.” Qi Gong shook his head. He remained calm as he talked about his death. “So get out of here. Quick. It’s not too late yet. I know that there were almost zero casualties in this invasion. You now consider all the younger siblings as your own, don’t you? Take everyone and get out. I’ll be able to hold out until then.”

“Qi Gong!”

“Why would you do something like that?! Why?!”

The older children resisted fervently, and Suo Guan even shed tears. Some tried to bring Qi Gong with them by force, but he refused because the Anomaly had already corroded and eaten up the lower half of his body. All that was left was Qi Gong’s heart and brain.

“Instead of acting like your eldest brother even just once, I only ever scolded and yelled at you. I’m trying to act like one for the first time, so please take everyone with you. This is my first request as your eldest brother,” Qi Gong told Chang-Sun, trying to take Chang-Sun’s hand for the first time after all the conflicts he had against him, but…

“I refuse.” Chang-Sun climbed up the ninety-nine platform steps, walking past the shocked crowd.

Tap, tap!

Chang-Sun reached the throne. Still seated, Qi Gong was the one looking up at Chang-Sun now.

“You said that you’re our eldest brother, didn’t you? Then don’t give up. Keep taking care of your siblings,” Chang-Sun quietly said.

Qi Gong’s lips trembled. “… What are you going to do?”

“What do you mean?” Chang-Sun smiled faintly. “I’m helping you as your brother.”

Chang-Sun took Qi Gong’s hand, which the Anomaly had corroded, and poured energy into it. The Anomaly fiercely resisted, pushing Chang-Sun’s offensive away. Having no intention to lose, Chang-Sun’s Anomaly turned more vivid and clashed against Qi Gong’s, infiltrating the Incendiary Burial Whale’s consciousness.

A collision between two Anomalies. Chang-Sun would absorb Qi Gong’s and make the entire Incendiary Burial Whale his.

Woosh, woosh, woosh…!

―Devour an Anomaly? You might be the one who gets eaten instead.

An Anomaly was an abnormal phenomenon. Making a mistake while dealing with one could put even a Celestial in danger. It would only get unfathomably more dangerous if the Anomaly was one of the Seven Wonders, but…

‘Who can take over a consciousness where Odin is?’ Chang-Sun scoffed.

―You have a point. Hahahaha!

Chang-Sun trusted the depth of his subconsciousness realm, which was created after going through samsara six hundred sixty-five times. If Chang-Sun could entrap the Incendiary Burial Whale in that realm, his Anomaly would evolve even further, putting him one step closer to becoming an Outer Celestial.

‘You said that [Naglfar] is made from ghosts’ grudges, right? Let’s make one right here.’ Chang-Sun grinned.