Before Pef could fall and lay face-down on the Station's metal floor, a black-haired woman with a Power Word Gun at her hip arrived to catch her husband.

"I told you he will win." another goddess spoke softly as she descended to check on Pef's status.

"His energy is depleted, and his mind is completely exhausted. All his bones are fractured, massive internal bleeding, organs shaken and meridians are leaking. I cannot call this a win, only a lucky survival." Lady Lin muttered as she stepped away and lay her husband to rest in the Legion's headquarters.

Joining Lin and Lia, another goddess arrived beside the bed. The platinum-haired elf goddess touched gently Pef's forehead, and sent a wave of calming emotions toward her husband.

"So many Tribulations have strained his mind. It has been a very hard fight, much harder than his fight with Hualitep" Vela announced with a gentle voice.

Her soul was linked with Pef, so she felt everything Pef did, sometimes with not so pleasant consequences. Luckily for Vela, her mind was strong, stronger than a Tier 7 cultivator, despite her mere Tier 5 Realm.

"It wasn't just the fight. Pef was doing something else as well, but my Skill cannot find what. Our husband has too many secrets." Lia muttered as she sat down and shook her head.

"He also reached the last Star in Tier 7, just like Lara. He is barely 20 years old!" Lin exclaimed as she checked her husband's cultivation by gently poking him with her weapon. Having a Word Gun at hand was useful for things like this, and many others.

"Lara doesn't count, she just ate a cloud Dian Pill and reached the peak of Tier 7 without any problem. Which reminds me, we need more of those." Vela spoke with a wry tone, and poured some Godwine down Pef's mouth. Physical injuries weren't a big deal, but they still needed to get fixed for Pef's mind to recover.

Instantly converting the Godwine into regeneration, Pef indeed began to heal rapidly and soon he was healthy once more, at least in body.

A blue flame emerged from Pef's mouth and spun around, checking who was manhandling its user.

Forming a hand from its flames, the Icefire pointed at the Power Word Gun user. "Elf girl, you continue to heal the mind. Maker, you come inside." the flame demanded with an unyielding voice.

Taking the blue cold flame hand, Lady Lin vanished into Pef's inner world, while Lia just stared in surprise. Since when was Pef using an Alchemical Immortal Flame?

"Shoo!" the Icefire urged her while waving its hand.

With a grimace, Lia stepped outside, just in time to stop a cavalcade of worried relatives. "Pef is sleeping now, and Vela is healing his mind. Nobody must bother him."

Worried they might interfere even so, Lia flared her powers and covered the bedroom with a bright Light Barrier.

"Come on! Tell us something at least!" Aria demanded with a worried voice. A dozen heads nodded in concert.

"We don't know too much, right now. Pef seemingly had an agreement with the Taotie for a fight, and came out of that Violet Realm rather battered and tired. He also reached Nine Stars in there, so it probably was a tough battle." Lia explained in a calm voice, then eyed Lara and nodded towards her.

In a step, they both vanished and met in the middle of the void above the Shambala system.

Still carrying the White Tiger in her arms, Lara was for now undoubtedly the strongest in the family, and until Pef recovered, their strongest protector. Especially with her Tier 8 pet beside her. A spirit tiger formed beside Lady Lara, his eyes turning for a second towards the Mausoleum, before focusing on Lia.

"The Taotie is at Tier 9. Nobody can hope to defeat him, not even our amazing husband." Lara claimed in a certain voice, while her spirit partner nodded in agreement.

"This isn't what we thought. Pef, in this life is different. Smarter and wiser to a huge degree. He didn't go inside to fight a beast." Lia whispered as faint clues from her Oracle Skill formed into a theory.

"But he did." the White Tiger spoke while waving a claw.

"Not like that. I suspect this was about the Mausoleum, not its prisoner. Perhaps about the Jade Emperor. I cannot really say, because scrying gets muddled around the Taotie." Lia explained with a sad tone. Not to mention, Pef himself was hard to deduce in this life, his reasons and actions far more complex and intricated than the previous hack-and-slash warrior.

Lara exchanged a glance with her tiger, then nodded. "You are right. Pef is much smarter in this life. Anyways, I have to prepare for my Ascension, so I'll join the General in the Haze Gap. Plus, the little one needs to fight stronger enemies as well." the blue haired goddess said while petting the tiger in her arms.

Lia blinked in surprise, as she focused her senses on the real White Tiger. The small Godbeast was already in Tier 5, and was probably close to its next Ascension. After feasting inside the Mausoleum for as long as it could, the little tiger had probably ran out of things to Devour. And what else to do, than hunt goliths next?

"Alright then. Keep an eye on Wixtal as well. That guy will get himself killed, if he tries to kill each and every golith he sees, one at the time." Lia advised her sister goddess.

Lara smacked her fist on the silver breastplate and Blinked away, heading directly towards the distant Gap between the Great Realms.

She didn't need her Oracle Skill for her next deduction anyways. Lara was close to becoming the Legion's second Tier 8, and she even had a Tier 8 beast in tow, just like the General. Pef now had that powerful blue flame, and Lady Yue had a crazy strong Taotie.

'What can I do? I don't have a Word Gun or a Garden necklace, nor a beast or flame. Rejin has his Cauldron too. How can I hold the Light by myself?' Lia wondered in a despondent tone.

-------------

Back in the Mirror Realm, Gena Feng stretched her tense body, glad her fears were found untrue. By some miracle, Pef had indeed survived, and even grew in strength again.

And that Pef chopped off a limb from the Taotie was the icing on the cake. Not that it would bother the beast, as the limb had been regrown already, but it would establish a precedent in the monster's mind.

Next time, the Taotie wouldn't feel as certain when fighting Pef, even though he had his own Skills and abilities to use. The seed of doubt had been planted.

And if Pef managed to brew that wine...maybe he will share some with his gracious host in the Mirror Realm. Friends shared good things, right? Plus, Pef owed Gena for her help with forming his selves.

The Mirror wavered for a minute, then focused on a certain Dian Realm Soldier with nothing exceptional to show off. A mere Oracle Skill, and a natural essence of Light...barely Ascended via an Ascension Pill. Probably the weakest Dian Realm cultivator in this multiverse, if one were to care about the lower ranks.

'What? You want to give her a quest? Is it because she's Pef's wife?' the Mirror Goddess grumbled. Way too many people around Pef got lucky for some reason, mostly via the Mirror's meddling. Herself included, of course. It was only fair to receive a nice bonus from the Mirror, as its favorite user.

The Mirror shook and shifted to another universe, then focused on a certain thing covered in thick Darkness. 'I see, Light and Dark. You really like changing things, don't you?' Gena asked rhetorically.