"Th—this… what?!" Shaoyu stared, eyes wide.
"Leaving without my permission? That won't do, Xiao Li."
Goku's figure blurred. He appeared at Xiao Li's side and gently took her slender hand, smiling.
A faint blush colored Xiao Li's cheeks. She lowered her eyes and whispered, "I… I don't want to leave either… but…"
"That's enough for me."
Goku's smile deepened. He touched a single finger to the center of her brow. Instantly, divine radiance flared, enveloping Xiao Li and Xiao Pixiu alike. The law of life flowed and rewove itself; their fading bodies grew clearer, more solid—real.
Feeling the change, Xiao Li looked up at Goku in shock. "You… could it be…?"
"From today on, you are the real Xiao Li," Goku said softly. "From now on, stay by my side."
The revelation staggered her. Until now, she had merely borrowed the goddess's power to take human form—the Tears of Life, a necklace given shape. In truth, she had been nothing more than that pendant. But now… she had a body of her own. She was no longer an ornament—she was a person.
"Mm."
Xiao Li nodded, cheeks still pink. From this day forward, she would no longer be a necklace. She would live as a person—beside the one who had given her true life and a true future.
The High Priestess seemed to realize something; wonder flashed across her face as she stared at Xiao Li. Catching Goku's glance, she immediately held her tongue, though excitement trembled beneath her composure. If her guess was right… then the goddess truly existed.
At the same time, Xiao Pixiu chirped joyfully, leaping into Goku's arms and nuzzling him with open affection. Now it wouldn't have to part from him either.
"Since things here are settled, we'll take our leave. Lord Goku, until we meet again."
Gai Nie clasped his fists to Goku. When Goku nodded, he turned to go. "Tianming, come."
"Huh? We're leaving already? Can't we stay a few days?"
Tianming looked stricken.
"We still have much to do. We can't tarry."
"Much to do? Like what? Where are we going?"
"To a place very, very far away."
Watching Gai Nie and Tianming recede into the distance, Shaoyu hesitated, then bowed to Goku. "Brother Goku, we'll meet again."
"Take care," Goku said with a nod.
Shaoyu gave Xiao Li a quick nod and sprinted after them. "Tianming! Wait for your big bro!"
When the last of them had gone, Goku turned to the High Priestess with a playful smile. "Miss, looks like I'll be troubling you for a few more days—time to rest up and… recover."
"You're injured?"
The High Priestess studied him. After watching him obliterate the Bing Mo Shen with a single punch, he hardly looked hurt. As she met his gaze, her brows knit.
'Is he staying… because of me?,' her cheeks warmed.
"Then stay," she said at last. "You're Loulan's benefactor. You can remain as long as you wish."
---
Mist curled along the quiet cliffside. Goku gazed into the void, eyes deep as if piercing through to another world—misty chaos, boundless and unreal. At its center, a soft glow cradled the silhouette of a breathtaking woman, eyes closed, a Sleeping Beauty painted in light.
"The goddess… interesting."
A faint smile touched Goku's lips. He settled on a boulder and closed his eyes. "I should finish mending these wounds. Sovereign of this realm… I look forward to meeting you."
--
A solitary, imposing figure sat upon the lonely cliff. Overhead, it seemed as if the Milky Way spilled from the void, bathing the world—and Goku—in a silver cascade.
Runes of law wove and shattered and wove again around him. The force they released was so fearsome the very space of this world shuddered and warped, growing dangerously unstable.
Xiao Pixiu stood guard on the path, returned to its majestic true form, eyes keen as it scanned the surroundings.
Xiao Li and the High Priestess watched from nearby. Even at a glance they could see the space around Goku twisting violently. They needed no more proof of what he was: a god. But then—who could wound even a god? Shock upon shock left both women silent.
Boom—
A terrifying surge erupted to the void, rippling across creation. For an instant, the sky seemed to sink. The blast's aftershocks rattled the world.
Fortunately, a world-law pressed down from above, refusing to allow such power to sweep beyond this realm. It dissolved the force and bound the divine might within a sealed area. Still, within a hundred meters, the very fabric of space collapsed into black void.
Seeing the pocket of shattered space, Xiao Li, Xiao Pixiu, and the High Priestess blanched. Anyone else would have been annihilated outright.
They stared, eyes wide. Even with their steadiness, the sight left them dazed. The figure from legend—a god—stood before them, real as day.
Goku's form grew hazy and radiant, encircled by clusters of light. Law-runes braided and broke and braided again. Within each rune seemed to sit a tiny god, emanating vast might—shattered, reborn, and shining anew.
Each time a patch of skin ruptured, new runes replaced it, and his body knit whole again.
He was healing—and undergoing nirvana. Death and rebirth cycled through his flesh. With each pass of the laws, his body strengthened—unyielding and godlike.
Unseen, an ancient Dao unfurled—vast, distant. In ruin he sought life; within rebirth he sought higher law. Goku was careful, meticulous, scrubbing away the residual Destruction Law raging within him.
He discovered that this supreme, higher law was maddeningly difficult to learn and command. Even as a Sovereign who had fully grasped the laws of an entire world, it felt awkward and obscure. This would not be solved overnight.
As he erased more of the destructive power, he found his own laws grew less effective against what remained—the hostile law grew resistant, and their mutual erasure slowed.
"It seems I'll need to absorb the power of other realm-Sovereign to raise my law's grade," Goku thought with a sigh. He withdrew his law power, wrapped the lingering Destruction Law to keep it from spreading, and ended the technique. Peace returned—and the broken space healed visibly before their eyes.
"L-Lord Goku… are you all right?"
The High Priestess approached, voice a touch stiff. She was speaking to a true god—how could she not be nervous?
"Wait here a moment. I'm going to meet someone."
Goku did not answer directly. He nodded to them, touched a finger to his brow—and vanished.
With his wounds knit, he could use Instant Transmission again.
---
Endless void. Misty chaos coiled and drifted; there was nothing else. No sound. No change.
Only at the center of that emptiness did light glow—like a cocoon around a peerless woman, warm and gentle. Life poured from her presence, soothing the heart.
A figure flashed into being. Goku took in the lady within the nearly transparent cocoon, a spark of admiration passing through his eyes. "As expected of a goddess. Even asleep, your beauty is unmatched."
Black hair floated without wind. Her serene features radiated a springlike warmth and boundless compassion that inspired reverence. The pale skin beneath her flowing white dress gleamed like moonlight—pure and sacred.
A moonstone graced her brow, starlight twinkling there, setting off her flawless face with otherworldly grace. The bands at her shoulders stirred of their own accord, adding a mysterious, ethereal charm.
Even in slumber, this supreme goddess was so moving that one could not summon a single impure thought.
Goku had seen many beauties—but never one so breathtaking, so suffused with presence. One glance, and anyone would gasp: This is a goddess.
For once, he found himself lost in a daze—unprecedented for him. He had never blanked out simply because someone was too beautiful. That only proved how extraordinary she was—beauty within and without, the rarest in the world. One look, and the heart sank, willingly, into devotion.
"Damn… this is what a true goddess looks like," he murmured at last, honestly impressed.
As if sensing him, the goddess's brows trembled. After an ageless sleep, her eyes opened—
and the world dimmed against their radiance.
Her bright gaze shone like twin black gems, limned with the soft, lazy charm of a girl just waking—doubly enchanting.
She turned, slightly puzzled when she saw Goku. This was a space of her making. Without her leave, who could appear here without her noticing?
"Hello, my goddess. A pleasure to meet you. I'm Son Goku—call me Goku," he said politely, though his tone carried a hint of teasing.
Moonlight gathered back; the goddess stepped fully into view. Goku's eyes lit up.
The space around them glowed with auspicious light and drifting mist. Wrapped in moon-bright radiance, the goddess stepped from the cocoon. She wore a moon-white gown; divinity shimmered over her skin. A delicate fragrance lingered in the air, intoxicating and serene.
_____
T/N:
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