Achoo!
Indra suddenly sneezed.
He frowned and could not help rubbing his nose.
What was going on?
He was the mighty Heavenly Emperor, the God of Thunder and Lightning, the Lord of the Heavenly Realm, yet he had actually sneezed.
Strange!
Could someone be calling out to him?
Indra guessed inwardly.
But he immediately shook his head.
As the chief god and Lord of the Heavenly Realm, if a believer erected an altar, kindled the Sacrificial Fire, and prayed to him devoutly, he could naturally hear it.
But if someone merely mentioned his name, it was nearly impossible for him to hear it.
Unless they had opened the Sixth Chakra among the Three Channels and Seven Chakras—the Third Eye Chakra.
The Third Eye Chakra was a symbol of wisdom!
After a god opened the Third Eye Chakra, whenever anyone spoke that god's name, the god would know. Even the act of mentioning a god's name was equivalent to praising that god, providing him with power.
That was merely a minor function of the Third Eye Chakra.
More importantly, the Third Eye Chakra could help the gods survive a kalpa.
The world's cycle consisted of four ages.
The Perfect Age, the Three-Quarter Age, the Half Age, and the Age of Strife.
Together, the four ages amounted to 4.32 million years, which could be called a Divine Age.
A thousand Divine Ages, or 4.32 billion years, made one day of Brahma, also known as a Kalpa.
This was one kalpa for the gods.
Shiva destroyed the world, bringing it to its end and total annihilation!
If they could not open the Third Eye Chakra, the gods would also be completely reincarnated. The karmic causes and effects of their previous lives would be settled, their respective ranks determined, and Brahma would create the world anew.
Thus, the realm of the Third Eye Chakra was End-of-Kala Cycle Reincarnation.
As for the final Crown Chakra, legend said it was the realm of Brahman-Atman Union.
Indra did not know what it was like either.
"Let me do the math!"
"If I fail to break through to the Third Eye Chakra, then as Heavenly Emperor, I only have a little over 4.31 billion years left to live!"
"Alas!"
Indra could not help sighing.
He was merely an ordinary person who could only live for a little over 4.31 billion years.
At that moment, rays of light shone down from above the Ocean of Milk, spreading warmth. Indra relaxed involuntarily and looked up.
Within the golden radiance.
Vishnu and Goddess Lakshmi sat upon a lotus and manifested there.
Their gazes were distant as they looked down, seemingly upon the gods, yet also upon the Asuras, encompassing all things.
Goddess Lakshmi shone with golden light as she followed Vishnu's gaze.
With just one glance, she saw Yashoda leaving alongside the Asuras.
"She is my sister, born from the Ocean of Milk."
"Husband, do you think she is beautiful?"
Goddess Lakshmi smiled softly.
Her dignified, beautiful face bloomed like a lotus, beautiful beyond compare. At that moment, it seemed as if she were the only one in the world.
"Of course she is beautiful!"
The corners of Vishnu's lips curled up as he turned toward Goddess Lakshmi and smiled.
Yashoda was an omen of misfortune, the goddess of poverty, also known as Alakshmi. She brought conflict, jealousy, hardship, ignorance, and negative power. Yet she was also Goddess Lakshmi's opposite, nearly sharing the same origin as Goddess Lakshmi.
In Vishnu's eyes, Yashoda was an existence similar to Lakshmi.
As beautiful as his wife was, Yashoda was equally beautiful.
Praising Yashoda was praising Lakshmi!
"Husband, then who is more beautiful, her or me?!"
Goddess Lakshmi blinked her lovely eyes and spoke playfully.
"Yashoda is most beautiful when she walks away with her back to me!
"And you, my wife, are most beautiful when you face me!"
Vishnu said with a calm smile.
The two looked at each other, and sparks seemed to flash between them.
The gods could not hear their words, but they could see the Lord and Mistress exchanging affectionate glances. Their feelings became complicated at once.
This was too much!
They were working so hard churning the Ocean of Milk, not so the Lord could flaunt his affection here.
"Phew, I smell the sour stench of romance!"
"How disgustingly lovey-dovey!"
Indra frowned slightly and could not help drawing in a cold breath.
By then, Yashoda had gradually moved away from the Asura army. Golden-Eyed Asura's heart surged with excitement, and he immediately strode forward, directing the Asura army to prepare before continuing to churn the Ocean of Milk.
Their Asuras had struck first blood!
They had already scored a small victory!
Next would come a medium victory by obtaining Amrita, followed by a great victory over the gods.
Golden-Eyed's eyes gleamed. He could hardly wait.
Indra also led the gods back to their positions.
"Just two hundred more years, and the thousand years of Power of Arduous Cultivation needed for my first layer of divine armor will be complete!"
Indra was also incredibly excited.
He could hardly wait either!
Once both sides were ready, they began churning the Ocean of Milk once more under the watchful eyes of Vishnu and Goddess Lakshmi.
Rumble!
Both sides seized Shesha's head and tail, continuing their great undertaking of churning the Ocean of Milk.
Mandara Mountain rumbled. The scales on Shesha's serpent body ground against each other like shifting tectonic plates, growing scorching hot. Countless fragments of earth transformed into mountains and fell from it, plunging into the Ocean of Milk with thunderous booms.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The Ocean of Milk grew ever denser.
One hundred years later!
Whoosh!
A silver-white radiance shone out from the Ocean of Milk.
"Something has come out!"
Golden-Eyed widened his eyes and saw a silver Moon Wheel slowly rise from the Ocean of Milk, instantly ascending into the air.
"Moon God Soma!"
Golden-Eyed's expression turned cold. He clenched both fists, producing a creaking sound.
"Even if you are the Moon God, I will tie you up!"
Golden-Eyed had just taken a step when he suddenly stopped. Looking upward, he could not help murmuring.
"Mahadeva?!"
A towering figure clad in animal hide and holding a trident appeared immediately after.
Whoosh!
The Moon Wheel rose and descended onto the figure's head, becoming an ornament of silver moonlight.
Vishnu merely smiled without speaking.
Indra looked up. The identity of the towering figure before him was obvious—it was none other than Shiva, the God of Destruction.
Shiva was the God of Destruction, the Lord of Innocence, and Mahadeva, possessing nearly a thousand titles.
He was generally called Mahadeva.
"Praise Mahadeva!"
Indra pressed his palms together and praised him.
The gods followed with their praises.
"Praise Mahadeva!"
"Praise Mahadeva!"
Amid the cries of praise, Shiva smiled faintly. A streak of silver light drifted from the Moon Wheel and descended among the gods, transforming into Moon God Soma clad in silver-white divine armor.
"Praise Mahadeva!"
Soma's silver armor fluttered as he offered praise.
Shiva nodded slightly, his body turning into specks of golden light before vanishing.
"Shiva came to interfere!"
"Damn it!"
Golden-Eyed Asura's face darkened. He clenched his fist and struck the air fiercely, causing the space over the Ocean of Milk to tremble.
"King, what should we do now?"
Vajra Body could not help asking.
"Keep churning! Next time will definitely be ours!"
"Next time for sure!"
Golden-Eyed clenched his fist, his voice firm and ringing.
Fifty years later.
Rumble!
A Chintamani Jewel, brilliant as a pearl, rose from the sea.
The instant the jewel flew out, the surroundings became incomparably bright, leaving everyone refreshed and exhilarated.
"A jewel? It seems this thing flew to Vishnu in the end!"
Indra tilted his head, unmoved.
He remembered that the jewel seemed to have flown to Vishnu on its own.
"This jewel is mine!" Golden-Eyed Asura's eyes also lit up.
Whoosh!
The next moment, the Chintamani Jewel flew into the sky and landed upon Vishnu's chest, shining brightly as an ornament there.
"Huh?!"
Golden-Eyed glared furiously.
Before you continue