Prestige

After circling in the sky for a while, Malegith's excitement subsided somewhat.

She gazed at Kang De, her exquisite face veiled in the blazing firelight of the phoenix wings, her smile filled with tenderness and joy. She reached out and gently stroked Kang De's cheek.

You may not understand what you've accomplished today, nor the significance of what you've done.

A single, glistening tear glistened in the corner of the former Phoenix King's eye.

This guy looks extremely serious now.

She whispered, "No one has ever done this before, no, before this, we didn't even believe that resistance and confrontation could go this far..."

The God of the Star Palace descended from the heavens, plundering the essence of countless Civilization. They possess power and secrets far surpassing those of the Mortal World. They regard mortals as ants, and their annihilation is swift and devastating.

All resistance is futile; the end of Civilization is destruction.

This is true of every era, every epoch.

But today, humanity's glory shines in the sky, and that crimson brilliance visible to half the planet is the magnificent transformation of the microscopic world and the radiance of the sun in the macroscopic world.

At this point, the Parrot could no longer contain the turmoil in its heart.

They were defeated rebels, reduced from noble kings to lowly beasts. Their long years of imprisonment and the untold sorrow and despair in their hearts had left them disheartened. Even with the appearance of Kang De and their unexpected acceptance of the Fire Thief's legacy, these losers had long since given up hope.

But now, the river of fate is flowing, and this Fire Thief from another world is displaying before her the supreme power wielded by the intelligent beings of that world.

The power of the Mortal World is enough to resound throughout the heavens and shake the Star Palace.

She wiped her eyes, on the verge of tears, her beautiful face making her even more pitiful.

Kang De gazed at her quietly, his gentle smile full of understanding and encouragement.

After a long pause, the Parrot sighed, "Damn, I've been trying to come up with a suitable dirty joke to perfectly express my current feelings and cover up my outburst of excitement... Damn it, I failed."

Kang De laughed, then shook the dazzling wings on his back, pointed to Malegith's phoenix wings, and tentatively said, "Wouldn't you like to bring Dairila along and fly with me?"

"Damn, that's a great pun!" the Parrot exclaimed, its eyes wide. "You're amazing!"

"A pun?" Kang De asked, bewildered. "What are you talking about?"

Malegith chuckled, reached out and wrapped her arms around Kang De's neck, pulling him close for a hug. She raised a delicate eyebrow and said playfully, "Really want to fly?"

She really does resemble Dairila, but their temperaments are completely different. Standing next to the Queen, they are like a mischievous and lively older sister and a serious and earnest younger sister, yet both are stunningly beautiful, like twin lotus blossoms. Now, this mature and beautiful older sister has her arms around his neck, lifting his chin, whispering in his ear with suggestive remarks and enticing proposals. What man could resist such temptation?

Kang De said, "I can."

"That's laughable! Don't try to take advantage of me." He said seriously, "Parrot, elves have long lifespans. By that calculation, Dairila is in her prime, about the same age as me, while your generation and age are far too different. Even by the lifespan standards of elves, you're definitely a BBA (BMW, BB, BB)! Aa..."

Before he could finish speaking, the Parrot twisted his hands behind his back and started spanking him.

The Parrot's eyebrows furrowed, and it gritted its teeth. "Wow, is it fun to deliberately court death?"

Kang De retorted angrily, "What else? You want me to say I want to fly and then you tease, mock, and ridicule me? You harass a virgin, that's against all reason! I, a true man, will fight you to the very end!"

Malegith sneered a few times, increased the force in her hand, and suddenly the Divine Ring of Stellar Authority shone brightly, the dense solar power abruptly repelling the Parrot's hand, Kang De hurriedly flew to the side.

The Parrot paused, not giving chase, and instead stretched its wrists, snorting, "You little rascal..."

Kang De paused, looked at the ring, and seemed to understand something. "This was sent by Dairila... Did you ask her to send it? The Crimson Scroll of the Sun God seems to have been activated by nuclear fusion. This ring has recognized me from the beginning. I just saw the phantom of Sura. I think I know her, and she seems to know me too... Is she...?"

His words were rambling and incoherent, but Kang De knew that the Parrot must understand.

Malegith looked impatient and said disdainfully, "I don't know, I don't know, what's it to me, pretty boy, hmph—don't mention other women in front of me!"

Just as Kang De was about to speak, the sky brightened again, and in the distance, a vast expanse of colorful starlight broke through the clouds and roared down towards the sea, which seemed to be the Broken Isles.

So Malegith and Kang De fell silent, gazing at the brilliant light and shadow, their hearts surging with emotion.

After a long pause, he asked, "Is this a fragment of the Starry Firmament Bridge?"

The Parrot, lost in thought, replied, "Yes, the Star Palace is used to connect the Mortal World and launch invasions. Through this bridge, they can unite the Mortal World with the Star Palace, allowing their armies to quickly descend to any corner of the world—they can invade the Mortal World with impunity, while we cannot reach their territory."

"Now that I have destroyed it," Kang De asked, "Can it be rebuilt?"

"I'm afraid it will be difficult, and even if it were possible, it wouldn't be something that can be accomplished in the near future." Malegith turned to look at Kang De, her eyes softening. "Moreover, even if the Starry Firmament Bridge is rebuilt, they won't dare to launch an invasion lightly—because they know that the Mortal World possesses a power that terrifies them, and they will weigh the consequences carefully."

Kang De pondered for a moment, "Easily... but they will come again."

"Yes, be fully prepared, summon your wandering companions, and gather your strongest forces," the Parrot replied. "They dare not easily set foot in the Mortal World, but they will not allow this invincible power to always point towards the sky—they will return, and when they do, it will be an unprecedented cataclysmic invasion."

Kang De remained silent, lost in thought.

This is only natural.

But the echoes of that apocalypse still lingered in my ears, appearing like a nightmare in my deepest dreams. The voice said, "Lower the Veil of apocalypse, for fate cannot be changed."

The lingering echoes of the apocalypse, the Star Palace's revenge, and that perfect Paradox that transcends time and space...

Kang De laughed.

"What?" the Parrot asked in surprise, "What are you laughing at?"

The Fire Thief shrugged and said, "Suddenly, I feel like there's nothing to be afraid of anymore."

The Parrot said disdainfully, "How dare you say such things so casually?"

Kang De proudly declared, "Who dares to kill me? Who dares to kill me?"

"..."

Malegith a smile.

She paused for a moment, then said softly, "Don't underestimate them. This time, the Star Palace underestimated them. They were too arrogant, allowing you to rush onto the Starry Firmament Bridge, resulting in a complete disaster. Otherwise, at such a distance, with the Star Palace standing in the crack at the edge of the world, you had neither observation equipment nor calculation mechanisms, nor dimensional power to enhance you. That nuclear spear should have been impossible to hit the Star Palace."

However, the situation at that time was extremely special. The Star Palace launched a war of extinction, activating the Starry Firmament Bridge to connect the Mortal World. The Star Palace and the Mortal World were in the same phase of the material world, which allowed the power of the Mortal World to reach this celestial palace—and the coordinates were extremely clear, namely the end of the Starry Firmament Bridge.

This means that Star Palace was afraid that Kang De would not be able to hit the target accurately, so he specially used the Starry Firmament Bridge to draw a straight auxiliary line.

Their long-standing arrogance fostered their pride, and they instinctively believed that the ants of the lower realm had no way of reaching the Star Palace. As a result, the nuclear flame spear pierced the sky, bringing their world-destroying mission to an end.

The Parrot whispered, "Next time it won't be so easy. They will be fully prepared, going all out and using all their resources to deal with you."

"I know," Kang De nodded. "Next time they come, we will be stronger than we are now."

Malegith and said, "So confident?"

Kang De looked at her with a smile, "You should know a little about true power."

The Parrot was momentarily dazed.

She recalled his days on the Holy Seal Archipelago, where Kang De was incredibly lonely, eager to confide in others, trapped in a foreign land with no hope of returning home, and surrounded by animals—how could he possibly maintain any secrecy?

Kang De spoke of many things about Earth, and the Parrot listened with the most fascination. Among the magical creatures, only Malegith had the deepest understanding of Earth—even more so than many, many people on Earth. She knew the history of that Civilization and what was there.

It's not just about strength, but also about ideas.

There is also the power of ideas.

She laughed and said, "What, are you going to start using technology to farm here? Or is it a dual-path project?"

Kang De nodded. "Not only that... The destruction of the Star Palace is a catastrophe facing the entire Mortal World. We should unite the forces of the entire Mortal World: the elves, the Empire, the Council, Goth, and many more..."

Malegith chuckled, "What, after what happened to the Broken Isles, do you still have expectations of those feudalists and imperialists?"

Kang De said calmly, "If they are unwilling to unite, then I will help them find a new group to unite."

The Parrot clicked its tongue and said, "That's the vibe."

Kang De gave a thumbs-up. "You know, I'm always very loyal."

In the distance, fragments of the Starry Firmament Bridge crashed into the sea with a deafening roar, shimmering in the sunlight. Malegith pulled him towards the surface, where Horus, A Fu, and Dong Tianming had been waiting for a long time.

Upon seeing Kang De descend, Dong Tianming rode a cloud to greet him, pushing aside mountains of gold and jade pillars, and bowed down in mid-air.

Kang De leaped closer and reached out to help him up. "You are Master Hong San, so you are my elder."

"The distinction between ruler and subject is a matter of propriety," Dong Tianming said in a deep voice. "I have a request—the hundreds of millions of people of Divine Land, the myriad beings under heaven, I beg Your Highness to lend a helping hand!"

Kang De turned his head, exchanged a smile with the Parrot, and they looked at each other.

"Old sir," Kang De helped him up, and said solemnly, "I've heard Hong San mention Cathay, but if you want me to fly to Cathay and drop some nuclear weapons to kill all the alien invaders there, I regret to inform you that that's simply unrealistic."

It's no longer realistic for the steel ship to try and repeat the same trick with rockets.

The world is probably in an uproar right now. Even if A Chuan and the Pentagon generals are slow to react, they should realize that they've been played.

Even the bigwigs of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council would be terrified.

Because some extraordinary force used some means to trick the planet's leading military power into giving away two thermonuclear weapons—with a total yield of 9.3 million tons.

These two thermonuclear warheads, one large and one small, are enough to wipe any city off the map, forever altering the world order and international landscape, and even tolling the death knell for Earth.

Therefore, if Kang De wanted to launch the Nuclear Light Lance again, it certainly wouldn't be as simple as it was this time.

Because he can no longer obtain nuclear warheads as easily as he could this time.

To acquire the ultimate deterrent and destructive power of this Earth, we must seek other methods—and each of these methods is extremely complicated and cannot be accomplished in a short time.

Even though he had expected it, Dong Tianming still sighed sadly, "Just as I thought."

If that dazzling radiation and the heaven-shattering spear of light could be released so easily, then Kang De would almost be a god. In fact, as one of only two eyewitnesses on the Mortal World side of this battle, Dong Tianming knew that the process must have been extremely difficult, especially the scene of Kang De enduring immense pressure and enemy attacks, piloting a steel warship into the sky, and finally releasing the unparalleled brilliance that ripped apart the heavens and earth. Such a scene was truly magnificent.

Dong Tianming had seen countless capable ministers in times of peace and famous generals in times of chaos in his life, but he had never seen such an outstanding person. At that moment, he even began to envy his apprentice.

To encounter such a wise ruler is truly a blessing for a subject.

But the Divine Land is collapsing, the dynasty is sinking—who can save it?

"But I will find a way to help Cathay."

These words echoed in my ears.

Dong Tianming looked up in astonishment.

The person in front of me was surprisingly young, but his smile was gentle, calm, and powerful.

The words spoken were not words, but an unshakeable mountain.

"Helping innocent people in distress needs no reason. Besides, as you have seen, the Star Palace's invasion has only been temporarily thwarted. They will surely return in the future. In order to resist this unprecedented extraterrestrial enemy, we must unite all forces that can be united, including Cathay."

Kang De said, "I will help you out of your predicament and defeat the evil and brutal enemy. Cathay should also repay this help and fight alongside us against the Star Palace. Is this proposal acceptable?"

Dong Tianming stared blankly at Kang De.

His eyes were open and pure, without deception, ambition, or greed, as if he were saying something that had been natural since the beginning of time—I help you, and you help me.

There is nothing else.

The old man sighed deeply.

He traveled across the ocean for decades, and today he has finally waited for this moment.

"... I couldn't ask for more."

He bowed again. "Dong Tianming, a humble stranger from a foreign land, and wish to serve under your command. I humbly request that you take me in."

Kang De quickly helped him up again. "I'm not saying this to recruit you, sir. You are Hong San's master, and I respect you—and let's make this clear first, although we want to help Cathay, now is not the time. You should know that Distant Harbor is currently weak and isolated, and I am still very powerless..."

Dong Tianming looked up at the still-shining orange-red aurora in the sky.

--I don't think so.

He bowed and said, "How dare I force you to do something you cannot? I only wish to use all my knowledge to help Your Highness establish a foundation and manage the country, so that the day when the army crosses the Yangtze River to restore the dynasty can arrive as soon as possible."

The stronger Kang De, the more means he has, and the more powerful his military force becomes, the sooner the day will come to aid Cathay — Dong Tianming understands this simple truth very well.

All the planning, scheming, and calculations accumulated over the years will soon come in handy.

However, besides this, he had other plans in mind.

After hearing about Kang De's deeds, he conducted some investigation and calculations and concluded that Kang De was definitely not from Cathay. Such a great man could not have been born in the decadent Divine Land of China, or rather, such a great man would never have abandoned his homeland to go into exile in a foreign land, much less have turned a blind eye to the suffering of his hometown.

As for where Kang De came from, that's not a secret he can explore right now. Dong Tianming is currently considering something else—there are some things that Kang De can leave unsaid, but Cathay cannot refuse to give them to him.

"Then, please guide me, sir." Kang De grasped Mr. Dong's arms with both hands, helped him up, and said earnestly, "Welcome to the team. Now, I must explain to you the first rule here."

Dong Tianming said solemnly, "Your Highness, please speak."

Kang De smiled. "No kneeling."

The old man suddenly remembered his disciple's awkward behavior when he saw Hong San again—upon reuniting with his master, he wanted to kneel down in a grand ceremony, but he abruptly stopped himself from kneeling.

It was not that he was disrespectful to his teacher, but rather that the monarch had ordered him never to kneel again.

In that instant, Dong Tianming seemed to understand something.

He murmured, "My lord has such great ambition."

--This mysterious, powerful, and excessively young lord forbade Hong San from kneeling, not because he looked down on the other party's previous servility.

He wanted to free the masses from having to kneel.

Just then, the Parrot hovering beside them chuckled.

Kang De glanced at her sideways—damn it, I've said too much to her before.

The Parrot stuck its tongue out at him. Kang De looked away and extended his hand to Dong Tianming: "Anyway, welcome to the team, Mr. Dong. Dong. Thank you for your consideration. Let's fight side by side."

The old man paused for a moment, then shook hands with Kang De.

--This is quite interesting, even more so than the time the late emperor...

Etc!

The sea breeze cooled his fervent emotions slightly, and Dong Tianming finally recovered from the shock and elation of witnessing the Nuclear Light Lance across the sky and the failure of the Star Palace's world-destroying attempt.

His expression became extremely conflicted.

It felt like I had lost something important.

Kang De asked curiously, "What's wrong?"

Upon hearing this, Old Dong revealed a constipated-looking smile.

I... I'm just a little sad...

He couldn't share his feelings with outsiders, much less with Kang De in front of him. There was no turning back now, nor was there any need to. Yet, he was still conflicted.

Dong Tianming, a peerless talent, rose to fame at a young age, attracting high-ranking officials throughout the capital. To persuade him to serve the country, the late emperor visited him three times with great ceremony. Thus, Dong entered the world, and the harmonious relationship between the emperor and his minister led to a prosperous era, a story that has been passed down through the ages and celebrated worldwide. Decades later, he crossed the ocean to a foreign land, where he finally awaited the arrival of his second monarch...

Then what?

Three thousand children? No.

The ten-mile-long flower-lined path, no.

He invited them three times, but they didn't come.

No, they did not perform the proper etiquette for disciples.

There was no pomp and circumstance, no rare treasures, no sincerity whatsoever.

On the contrary, it was Dong Tianming who made three or four trips back and forth just to see Kang De. He finally met him on the fourth trip and even awkwardly approached him to beg him to accept his work...

Now, with his initial enthusiasm waning and his excitement subsiding, Dong Tianming realized that he might have made a mistake.

He looked at Kang De, opened his mouth, but couldn't say a word.

Do it yourself...

I need to ask them for help...

How shameless!

He vaguely sensed that something precious inside him had shattered.

He didn't know what it was.

If we were to communicate with Kang De, the Kang De from Earth might give that shattered thing a very apt name.

--Sophistication.

Just then, a deafening roar of dazzling light echoed from afar once more. A massive fragment of the Star Bridge crashed into the sea, creating raging waves. Dong Tianming glanced at it and said, "That's the direction of the Broken Isles."

Malegith continued, "That deep-sea behemoth devoured the essence of the Yilan-Su'er Civilization, along with fragments of the Star Bridge and shattered remnants of the Star Palace, all of which ended up in the Broken Isles... all valuable treasures."

She laughed and said, "It's time to send a research vessel to investigate the wreckage."

Kang De nodded and said, "That must be mine... I'll send a fleet in and station soldiers there. It's time to gather experts and invite scholars. Next comes my favorite part: reverse engineering."

The Parrot whistled. "That could probably reverse-engineer a long line of corrupted technology."

Dong Tianming looked completely bewildered.

"But not tonight."

Kang De turned his head and looked at Horus, A Fu, Malegith, Dong Tianming... Tonight, the deep-sea behemoth was extinct, the Star Palace invasion was shattered, and things have finally come to an end.

Let's... go home.

￥￥￥￥￥￥￥￥￥￥

PS1: Update! Tomorrow's episode will wrap things up, revealing foreshadowing, leading into the following plot, and letting Kang De show off again—yes, I've already prepared a Linkin Park song.