With everything settled.
Inside the Supreme Great Sun Heavenly Palace.
Jiang Ding watched the guilty-looking Fusang Holy Maiden, his gaze fixed on her.
The Fusang Holy Maiden grew uneasy and gave an awkward smile.
"Thank you."
"Soft touch."
Jiang Ding was not angry. He meant it sincerely.
In his younger days, when he had lacked the strength to dominate the stars, the traditions of the human race had to be respected, and the Seven Kill Dynasty had to be suppressed with blood. Anything else would have put him in danger.
Even now, he had no license to act as he pleased, whether his impulses were kind or cruel.
Departing from tradition came at a cost, and he could not yet bear it.
But as a ruler, he had to maintain a positive image. He had to appear magnanimous. That meant someone else had to bear the cost and earn the resentment of countless people across the stars. That person could not be too low-ranking, either; without some autonomy, it would mean nothing—
As it happened, that person was the Fusang Holy Maiden.
She had the necessary standing. The status of the Fusang Sacred Land made it easy for the many Immortal Order Supremes to accept her intervention. Even if she failed, she could take a step back without forcing either side into a fight to the death. There would still be room to ease tensions.
"Pfft!"
"Your Majesty is too polite."
The Fusang Holy Maiden relaxed and smiled. "Your Majesty and I rise together and fall together. What is there to thank me for?"
"Yes..."
"What we need now is to hold steady. We must not change tradition or disrupt political inertia."
Jiang Ding spoke quietly. "Once I advance to Supreme, I can change the seven great star regions in