"Trianne… can bring me to where they are?"
"Uhm? Yes…"
She hesitantly glanced at Kiana before sighing.
'He can handle this.'
Shi Tian gave the two Deliverers one last time.
"Until we meet again."
He entered the Century Gate made by Trianne. Kiana followed forth, having no intention of being left behind. This was the tacit agreement between the two. She wanted to see who Shi Tian "met" in this world. Though it served as an invisible intimidation not just to Shi Tian, but also to Trianne.
Her heart hung tense at the thought of the confrontation between the two… three women.
One was Shi Tian's legal wife. An uber powerful Tuna Goddess who emanated power far beyond that of Titan's. The other was the infamous Imperator and her fearless Dux Gladiorum.
She could not help but glance at Shi Tian. The latter sensed her gaze and sent back a thumbs up.
'He's not leaving it all to luck, is he?'
Unfortunately for the naive Trianne…
He did.
While fully capable of teleporting elsewhere, Shi Tian chose to let Trianne do the work. He couldn't just take her away from Phainon and Cyrene, which would make it seem like he distrusts the two. It's just that personal matters should remain personal, whether they are a Pure Child of Anasrava or a doomed Deliverer of this world.
Before long, the trio arrived on a frenzied battlefield. Blood spilled like a pool, red and gold intertwining on the ground. The Black Tide creatures did not bleed, turning into ashes as soon as their lives were ended.
"The others…"
Shi Tian was about to ask when Kiana answered his question.
"They took your advice in mind. Only three used the forbidden art. If we hadn't discussed it prior to our arrival, they would have fought longer for that quota…"
He underestimated the others' will to help him. The [Nine Lives Burning Samsara Art] burns lifespan.
Shi Tian's partners all have high-grade spirit roots, whether it be innate or upgraded artificially. They also possessed two high-grade Tao Bodies based on their prior plans, making their lifespans far above the average. Still, lifespan is precious. Being able to live for hundreds of millions of years far outweighs the lifespans of most beings in this universe. They can use it for a lot of things, yet they willingly sacrificed it all for his sake.
As for why only three used them, it is their precaution against the Aeons.
Shi Tian's World Rendering Sword had already shaken the universe once. The appearance of three other powers at the same level as it is bound to make another scene. While they are not as proficient as him, leading to their strength being weaker than the theoretical limit, three is more than enough to deal with IX's fragmented influence.
"They all went home after that. Oh, they also mentioned sensing your presence elsewhere."
"Yeah…"
Thinking of the time he was woken up amidst Remembrance's influence, Shi Tian had to thank them again later.
Their chatter did not last long as two women stepped towards them. Both of them sported complex looks, their thoughts remaining hidden beneath their eyes.
When their sight caught the gorgeous white-haired Kiana beside him, their moods shifted.
"...It's been a long time since we last met, and the first thing I heard is you having a snobbish girl as your wife?"
Cerydra's words are as piercing as ever. Shi Tian shot a guilty look at her and Hysilens, especially the latter. He could not see what was going on inside her head. The Imperator who he teased every day was more above-board in her thoughts.
"That's just how Sin is. She's been snobbish since I met her."
"...Good. So you are defending her?"
He was about to say 'she's my wife, yes' when he stopped. He overlooked Cerydra's somewhat sour tone until now. He didn't know if it was because of their thousand-year parting or anything else, but that's not important for now.
Shi Tian thought of a better response.
"Don't worry. I will also defend you in front of her."
"...You still know where your loyalty lies."
Having pacified the moody Imperator, he set his sights to Hysilens.
"Sorry."
"..."
"I won't make any excuses. You can blame it all on me."
Kiana's star-like irises shifted between him and Hysilens.
'The time he apologized to me…'
It was very similar to what's going on now!
Only now did she truly understand how 'strong' a contender Hysilens was.
Her wild thoughts did not affect the awkward, almost freezing atmosphere between the two.
"Let us talk about that matter for later, Ghost Fry. You must have an important matter to come at this crucial moment."
She was expecting Shi Tian to back down, giving Hysilens a chance to reorganize her complex mood, but he did not give her that.
"No, let's talk about it now. Everything else can wait."
Snap-!
With a snap of his finger, the entire world came to a halt. Trianne sensed the familiar yet unfamiliar power coming off from Shi Tian.
'Oronyx? No, it's stronger…'
That serious thought swiftly flew away from her mind. Watching Shi Tian say one cheesy line after another, and then halting the world just so the two can have a proper talk, is the textbook romantic fairy tale she had seen before!
He walked over Hysilens, nodded apologetically to the Imperator, and pulled Hysilens over to the corner. She did not resist his touch, finding Shi Tian's adult form to be attractive.
'It was I…'
Her memories reverted to that night. Shi Tian caused trouble when he was blank-out drunk. It was Hysilens who found him sleeping on the street and pulled him over to his bedroom.
Unfortunately, she was also drunk after being forced to down dozens of glasses by Cerydra's Chrysos Heir army. She fuzzily thought it was her bedroom, hence she undressed and hugged him like the best body pillow there ever was.
That physical encounter is but a small prelude. What mattered the most was the suffering she had seen behind his eyes.
It was all too familiar… too similar to hers.
Finding a kindred soul who shared her worries, making her feel like she wasn't alone in this world…
It is the best gift she could ever ask for.
Looking at the guilty look Shi Tian sported, a sigh escaped Hysilens' lips. She could not bear, nor did she want, to see him suffer because of her.
"Regarding your wives, I heard there are quite a few…"