It's been five hours since the eradication of the ancient families; the news spread like wildfire as everyone in the Immortal Realm became aware of the being called the One Above. The extermination of the ancient families brought both joy and despair; for those who the ancient families were oppressing, hearing of their demise was equivalent to fulfilling their greatest wish, but for the majority who succumbed to their rule, it was an introduction to despair.
The ancient families were a pillar of command in the Immortal Realm, and their powers were something even the Immortal Gate dared not underestimate. But despite being as powerful as everyone fared them to be, they still got eradicated, meaning there was someone even more powerful than the ancient families combined. Such realizations caused many powerhouses to fall into depression.
But another news that began spreading was, 'Why didn't the Immortal Gate interfere?'
Although the Immortal Gate and the Ancient families are separate entities, they still have the common goal of protecting the Immortal Realm. So why did they allow one of their major strength pillars to be exterminated? Could it be the Immortal Gate knew of the One Above?
Suspicions rose from the cultivators at the Immortal Gate as they questioned the neglecting actions of the Immortal Gate. Fortunately for the cultivators, they would never have the pressure of knowing how ridiculously powerful the enemy was and how idiotic it would have been if the Immortal Gate intervened. If that had happened, the exterminated ancient families would have been the least of their worries.
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Athos Realm
The Athos realm was cheerful as the cultivators celebrated in numerous branch cities of the Athos tree; they laughed and drank tons of rum as they sang songs of victory. They had celebrated for the past five hours, yet there seemed to be no end to their celebration. Most of them were honestly celebrating for themselves; if they hadn't made the life-changing decision of serving the One Above, then they wouldn't be in their current position, or even worse, they might have ended up being his enemy, which is the one thing anyone would dare not even imagine.
Far up the Athos tree, lady Marine, the Bored Immortal, the Jian Ancestors, Jun Moxie, Jun Mulan, and the hundred-plus regional leaders sat in a huge dining hall as they feasted. The cultivators had shocked faces as they ate numerous foods which smelled and tasted otherworldly. There were desserts, ancient beast meats, and wines that tasted mystical and extremely nourishing as the cultivators could feel their cultivation potential increasing upon every consumption.
On a high sitting stand in the dining hall, not very far from the cultivator's table, Patrick and his three wives sat with a full table of godly beasts, heavenly meals, and precious wines situated before them. Raleigh stood behind Patrick. Patrick and the three Goddesses have only been drinking for the last five hours as they watched a hundred-inch-wide hologram displaying the battle from the last day. The scene was quite vibey as the cultivators ate while watching their previous battle on a hologram.
A while later, Patrick had a final sip of wine from a diamond cup. Setting the cup on the table, Patrick rose; seeing the One Above rising, everyone else in the hall stood. He then spoke.
"It seems the hectic battle yesterday had made you all quite famished, seeing as the food on the table is almost finished."
The cultivators laughed as they realized what Patrick meant. They had been eating for a while now, but it wasn't because of hunger but rather the magical effects of the meals, which greatly nourished their souls and significantly increased their cultivation potential. But still, Patrick's words were funny.
"You must be wondering what happens now, as the ancient families are gone, and the Immortal Gate hasn't made any moves yet. But first, I want to reward you all for making the wisest decision in your lifetime."
Patrick spoke and looked at lady Marine as he nodded; lady Marine nodded back as she understood what Patrick meant; she then waved her hand as numerous space rings appeared before each cultivator. The rings shone with silver brilliance as they hovered before the cultivators, their reflecting lights liting the cultivator's faces. Fairy Marine then spoke.
"Inside each ring contains trillions of god-level treasures, cultivation manuals, and cultivation resources that will last you forever. The rings also have self-protection, attack countering, and space-escaping features, protecting you from anything or anyone. And last but not least, as per the orders of the One Above, you are all naturalized citizens of Athos now; you are welcome to use any facility, resource, or privileges as citizens of Athos.
Fairy Marine waved again as numerous pentagon-shaped green pendants appeared before the cultivators. The green pendants hovered before the cultivators as they instantly attached themselves to the cultivators' clothes. Fairy Marine continued.
"These are your citizenship badges; you can use them to enter or leave Athos, and they also document all your actions. If any citizen of Athos commits any crime, they will lose their badge and citizenship and be punished to the extreme extent of the laws set by the One Above. Similarly, the more merits you accumulate, the more rewards you shall receive at the end of every cycle."
Fairy Marine's words were like harmony to the cultivators. Hearing they were now citizens of Athos and could live here, they expressed exuberant faces; some couldn't help but tremble with excitement. The abundant amount of essence alone was something anyone wouldn't want to get away from; just being in Athos for a few hours had made most of them break through in cultivation realm stages and even cultivation realms. So being granted citizenship was equivalent to becoming citizens of a utopia.
Suddenly, the Bored Immortal Jun Moxie and the regional leaders all went on both knees as they bowed towards Patrick; they screamed in unison. The Jian ancestors didn't bow as they were already citizens.
"We are eternally grateful to the One Above!"
Patrick nodded satisfyingly as he spoke.
"Very well, since everything is handled, I shall leave you all with your celebrations. And one last thing, you all can keep the power of being unkillable while being citizens of Athos."
With Patrick's last words, he, his wives, and Raleigh left the scene.
Hearing Patrick's last words, the cultivators expressed with widened eyes and opened mouths as they exchanged gazes; they were happy. They had personally experienced how reality-shattering the power of being unkillable was; even after fighting cultivators that were realms beyond them, they were still unscathed. So getting to keep this power alone would have been the greatest reward in their existence. And as long as they maintained their citizenships, they would be unkillable forever.
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