"You're still alive..." the Imperial Army Commander remarked as Pef stepped out of the Indigo portal, into a rather deserted portal area, and a different one from the departure portal.

Pef blinked in confusion, then looked back to see the portal wink out. He pointed at the place. "You mean, because the portal was colored in Indigo?"

The Tier 5 Base Commander chuckled sadly. "No, but perhaps that's the reason. It has been 6 months since you entered the Mausoleum. And it's true those that did survive past 3 months were inside the Indigo Realm. They were all also Universal Gods...which you are not."

'I remember we left before those 3 months ended, did we not?' Pef asked inward.

The glove hesitated for a long minute, which didn't bode well. 'Time is a complicated domain, and few Tier 7s barely manage a few percentages of Time Dao Mastery. As for Tier 8s, I do not know, but they might be able to manipulate time just as easy as space.'

"Have you seen Lady Yue exit as well? She has indigo eyes and hair, quite easy to recognize. We met inside the Mausoleum and reached Indigo realm together." Pef asked instead, while untying the fold anchor from his belt.

"... Keep it. We lost tracking with it after the first 3 months anyway." the Commander refused with a dismissive voice.

Curious, Pef strained a little and shifted the fold anchor into the glove compartment, something that had been impossible to him only a few months before. Then he raised his eyes at the Army officer. "Lady Yue?"

"Somebody came to pick her up." the man answered while shifting his eyes to the side.

"... Lady Yue married me during our adventures, and I might get vindictive if I find out someone is playing games..." Pef answered in a deceptively soft voice.

"...The ship she left on had Shin Admiralty markings. But, in 3 months they may be anywhere, even another universe." the Commander muttered with an embarrassed tone.

"Perhaps it's for the best. You have a pretty universe here, it would be a shame if something were to happen to it, right?" our hero said in a jovial tone, while glancing around the fragile space station.

"Now, don't go making threats here! The Imperial Army..." the Commander shouted, somewhat aggravated by Pef's words.

But Pef just smiled. "The Imperial Army will devote all their resources to locate the kidnappers and my wife. Lady Yue is also a Veritas Legion Soldier now, with all the privileges that entails."

That tidbit held the Commander for a moment, as he went over the implications. While the Legion wasn't now the power it used to be, they were still a force to recon with. Especially their Legion Captains, who carried the monstrous Word Guns. Conflict with Legion never ended well for the other side, and it was a well-known axiom of the multiverse that the Legion always won. Lose some people, even armies, but they did always win in the end.

"I assure you, we will start a mass search, but if this was a plot...it may be too late." the Commander argued as he began sending orders down the line, and request up the command chain, even a class 3 warning towards the High Command.

"I would start with those Autumn sect, three of their Saints tried to abduct Yue in the Orange Realm." Pef added as he walked away, heading towards the nearest auction house.

He would need to sell some high tier beasts and their cores, as a war was always expensive.

And a war was coming, he could sense it already. Whoever these Shin Admiralty guys were, they were not a Tier 3 Elder in some backwards sect.

His warnings towards Yue about her indigo aura were proven prophetic after all. High tier divinities were involved in this scheme, at least a Tier 6 to counter her grandfather and hide their traces.

'You know, there have been more than 3 days. The odds of finding this Soldier alive are...' the glove whispered as Pef sat down to sell his wares in the auction house.

'The odds are 100 percent, my orange glove. I am no longer a young boy, to lose my wife to some random beast. We will find her, and then kill everyone involved. Correct?' he declared in a harsh tone.

'...You have the right spirit, Soldier. But you are 100 times too weak to fight a Tier 6 God.' the glove warned him in a level tone.

'Yes. I do need to ascend to the next tier. Options?' Pef asked a bit more reserved.

The glove scanned the station for any useful cultivation aid. 'Level 53 bazaar, there is someone selling a Universe Pill. They are very strong though.' the glove replied while marking the location onto Pef's inner map.

"Here, my lord. 34 billion spirit stones, as agreed." the auctioneer said and offered him a storage ring.

Pef picked up the ring and made it vanish into the glove box. "A pleasure trading with you. I might be interested in buying any info you have on the Autumn sect and the Shin Admiralty."

The trader's eyes glinted with greed. "The Imperial Army just bought this same info for a huge sum. Interesting times ahead, wouldn't you say, my lord?"

Pef just grinned and waved good-bye. "The Army, huh? Thanks for the info." he whispered as he walked out of the auction house.

He wouldn't need to buy the info anymore, as the Army should share it for free now. That is, if they wanted someone to stop the goliths before they ate this pretty universe.

In a few minutes he located the pill seller in the bazaar, a shady middle-aged man dressed in grey robes with a purple cauldron on his lapel. Probably the symbol for an Alchemist.

"Oh, a customer? And a Galaxy God as well. Not too old either...see anything here that interests you, fellow Daoist?" the alchemist asked with a wide grin, while glancing directly at his glove. And there were indeed few cultivators that could even detect the glove as a powerful artifact, or remember they saw it.

Pef nodded politely while examining the wares, his coresenses scanning jars and bottles filled with mysterious pills and liquids, as well as shrunken beasts preserved like fruits, rare fruits preserved in void canisters, and an assortment of jade slips and dried plants.

"Well met, High One. Do you need spirit stones, or other things?" Pef asked in a low voice, as he noticed the noise of the bazaar vanished.

"Polite as well, huh? But then your Legion glove would be able to warn you. And to think not even the Tzi-Base Commander noticed me, for centuries..." the alchemist muttered, seeming somewhat surprised as his eyes focused on Pef's belly.

"You see my scar then? Getting killed by a golith is not pleasant." Pef offered with a gentle smile, yet implying so much more.

The alchemist raised his eyes and stared at Pef for a minute. "Even if you could pay enough for that Universe Pill, it is not for sale. You're close to ascension anyway, less than a thousand years I'd say."

'Any advice?' Pef asked the glove, having reached the limit of his persuasion abilities.

The glove stayed silent, as it sometimes did when Pef fucked up really bad.

"I need a billion of those Universe Pills, fellow Daoist. Now tell me, how would you fare against a few goliths, face to face?" Pef asked instead.

The man's face shifted a little, losing his venerable demeanor for a second. "If your General didn't get surrounded with her Legion at the Haze Silin Gap, my Purple Cauldron guild would still be around, not scattered across the multiverse like refugees, those that lived anyway. Our entire universe was devoured by the damned goliths!"

'What?' Pef exclaimed inward, as this was news to him.

'Yeah, I would have told you sooner, but I knew you would react like this. And there isn't anything you can do for now. The General will be fine, the siege still holds even after 500 million years.' the glove said in a sheepish tone.

"You know, maybe you should do something about this, instead of complaining. I'm just 3000 years old, and did my best to ascend and help win the war. With your help, we could..."

Pef grumbled in an annoyed voice.

"A child! A child dares to admonish me?" the alchemist shouted and flustered.

"I have an army though. Trillions of soldiers at Sovereign rank and a few higher. What do you have?" Pef shouted back, pointing at the cultivation treasures on the table.

The Alchemist God tilted his head and observed Pef with a frown.

"Universe Pills require more than mere Spirit lotus seeds and Fire-dragon grass. You will need Pure Purple Jade and rare treasures that contain Heaven's Laws. And then you have to condense Heaven's Tribulation to refine it. There aren't any..." the alchemist complained with a sad headshake.

Pef grinned and held his palm out. "Oh, I thought it would be something hard."