Pef nodded tiredly towards the Archdevil.

"We need to talk seriously, Lord Yamon. But not right now. Tomorrow?" Pef asked gently.

"I understand. That tribulation seemed horrifying and you must be tired." Yamon allowed gracefully and vanished.

With a Blink, Pef arrived inside his warship and promptly fell into a bed, dead tired.

Taking on the Tier 4 devil was rather reckless, and his qi was also depleted. Some sleep sounded great.

'Don't forget to allow your ascension to begin.' the glove reminded him.

Pef flicked the Ascend button and crashed into a deep sleep.

Inside his inner world, two identical women talked silently, without words or signs.

Pef's Avatar sat on the warm sand beside them, as the universe grew around him.

A dozen dwarf galaxies formed on the outskirts, and the qi concentration began increasing again, by an order of magnitude.

Aria watched her husband with worry and love, then ate another qi pill. "And there he goes, ascending once more." she murmured in a soft voice.

Strella leaned on her shoulder in support. "Isn't that good?" she wondered.

"Not always. And not for me. I haven't even reached Tier 3, and he's now a Tier 4 !" Aria grumbled in envy and admiration.

"And I'm a Tier 3 but you can easily beat me in combat." Strella muttered back.

"If you join the Legion, you'll be ten times stronger. Maybe more." Aria answered and poked her ribs.

Strella nodded. "I think I will. I am already three times stronger, just from your training. I want to fight Lasciel on equal terms!"

Aria smiled widely and hugged her sister wife. "Lasciel isn't a good target to aim for anyway. Lia would be. She had ten swords at Saint rank. Now she's a Tier 2 and has over ten thousands. When she crosses into Tier 3..."

"Oh! She sounds formidable." Strella said in agreement.

Aria nodded and glanced at the sky, which was ever so distant.

"I'm going exploring after we return. Perhaps I'll have some fortuitous encounters as well." the green haired goddess decided while her eyes remained fixed on the distant sky.

"So brave. What if you encounter someone like an Archdevil?" Strella asked curious.

Aria hummed deep in thought. "Pef killed an Archdemon at Tier 3. And then this Yama guy. I'll manage." she answered confidently.

Strella sighed and sipped more tea, then ate a qi pill as well. Free pills were great.

A rush of energy coursed through her veins, and she felt another meridian open. Her strength increased yet again.

On the sand, Reason caressed the other woman's head, growing her hair by a palm length, then formed an armor around her torso. 'You're a weapon, my dear. Made in her image.'

"Faith. It's a good name for you. Want to pair up with Aria?" Pef asked via his avatar.

The new woman shook her head in silence.

"No rush then. Tomorrow we begin organizing my Count territory. And then, we recover the ants and head home." he decided after some thought.

"Our home is not here." Faith spoke suddenly. Obviously, she meant the Legion.

"Yes. But the long way home starts here. Even a Tier 4 is a mere ant in the outer realms." Pef mused out loud.

"There is no Tier 5 you can kill here, for a fast Ascension." Reason added in a logical voice.

Pef nodded sagely. "Devouring qi. Tell me about it." he asked while holding out a devouring qi pill.

"It is the basis of the Legion cultivation. You keep what you kill. The stronger the enemy, the more of his Dao you absorb into yourself. Beasts have tiny bits of Dao, mainly aimed at survival and reproduction. But other races have much more." Faith said in a lecturing tone.

"How many Tier 4, for a next rank?" Pef wondered with a glance at the new weapon.

"A dozen, a hundred, a thousand? Beasts have too little." Faith explained gently and fell on her back, watching the sky.

The Avatar waved a hand, forming a stone pillar filled with inscriptions and arrays. "This isn't my knowledge. Must be from Yama, right?"

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Faith nodded silently.

"Good. What else do I need?" Pef asked turning towards Reason.

The weapon shook her head and sighed. "There are 3000 Great Daos, 81000 Minor ones, and 108 Supreme Daos. You have half of a Great Dao, and a few more at lower tiers. To touch the Paramita, and see the other shore...you need a dozen lives til Tier 7. Not a chance, for you. Perhaps Lin and Lia, if they are lucky. Maybe Lasciel, if her nature doesn't kill her sooner."

Pef nodded at her words. Being told he was an idiot wasn't new, but there was no choice.

"Then I go directly for Tier 8. Steal stuff from my kills." he decided resolutely.

"Void and Devour then. And Dao of Lighting I expect. You'll get billions of tribulations on that path. It will hurt." Faith replied with a pained sigh.

Pef nodded sagely. "Pain is okay."

Faith nodded as well. "Suffering is the nature of all life."

Reason glanced towards Aria and smiled. "She will reach Tier 5 first, I suspect."

Pef turned in surprise, watching Aria pet her black puppy knife.

"I don't mind. What about the fairy?" he wondered.

"Misty? She must have been here for so long..." Reason mused to herself.

"Hidden away?" Pef asked in suspicion.

"Obviously, just like this Drake kid. But fairies need their pond to cultivate. They wasted 500 million years..." the armored woman said in sad voice.

Pef blinked in surprise. Older than that Rock Worm?

"Misty, come here." he asked the fairy.

The fairy arrived at a slow walk, looking at him shyly. "Yes, Master?"

"I'm not your Master. We are the Legion. And the fairies are allied with us. You are home here." he explained gently.

The young looking fairy began crying, perhaps in relief.

"When can I see my sisters?" she asked between sobs.

"When we leave this universe, I think. It may take some time, but you can have fun or learn until then. Once we find a pond you will have cultivation again." he added in a soft voice.

"Can I learn these magic formations? They seem familiar." Misty asked while pointing at the stone pillar.

Pef glanced at pillar in surprise. "Sure. It will be slow, without memory jade."

"I have all the time in the world." Misty said with a wide grin.

Pef blinked in confusion.

"Our tiny fairy is time frozen. Whoever placed her here was a Tier 7 or higher." Reason explained with a knowing look.

"I want that!" Pef muttered in wonder.

"Paramita. Dying once is not enough, idiot!" Faith muttered with her eyes closed.

Pef sighed and fell on his back as well.

"Please sing something. Ascending takes so long." he asked while watching his stars fly farther way, so slowly.

Reason began singing, filling the universe with life and joy.

All over the inhabited planets in his inner galaxies, a trillion cultivators listened to her song and Ascended without any effort.

Some time later, Faith began singing too, joining her voice in perfect pitch.

On her bench, Aria ate another earth qi pill, and felt herself grow stronger. By the time the song ended, she had too Ascended into the next Tier.

"That's such a cheat!" Strella muttered in envy.

Sadly, everyone else was busy and didn't reply anyway.

Faith appeared beside her and poured some tea in a yellow cup. "Pretty devil. You love Pef?" the weapon asked without moving her lips.

Strella nodded in awe.

"Then welcome to the Legion, recruit Strella. And remember, without love...we are nothing." Faith spoke out loud and leaned to kiss her forehead.

In a minute, Strella began sweating in huge pain, as the Legion's cultivation began remodeling her genes and organs.

"It kinda hurts." The deviltress whispered softly.

"More than being tortured by an Archdevil for a million years?" Faith asked in a curious voice.

Strella shook her head in silence. "I can bear it. For a year, maybe." she answered after regulating her breathing.

Faith glanced at Pef and sighed. 'Lucky bastard.' she sent with a qi pulse, then flew away.

Pef smiled and leaned his head on Reason's shoulder.

Soon enough, the moon had another crater, shaped like an idiot.