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"Ah, my apologies for Shiva’s rudeness. As you can see, he never changes," Vishnu sighed, forcing a smile across his four faces.

"Hmm, my apologies as well. Shiva has a forever young heart, after all. Hoho," Brahma, an old man with three heads, a long white beard, and golden skin, added with a gentle laugh.

Shiva, Vishnu, and Brahma sat on slightly elevated thrones, as they were the three leaders of the Architects of Cosmic Rhythm Pantheon.

"Please forgive Shiva. He is... well, he is simply like that," sighed a tall woman with pale white skin. She was the warrior goddess Durga, riding a lion and wielding divine weapons in her ten arms.

"Hmmm! Hohoho, that is exactly how he is!" laughed a giant elephant-headed god. Ganesha sat rotund and jovial, surrounded by sweet fresh fruits, eating merrily as he spoke.

"I wish he could behave more properly. Honestly, all of you are too forgiving," sighed a white-robed goddess with four arms. Saraswati carried a veena and was accompanied by her swan, surrounded by musical instruments.

On the other side of the great chamber, a council of dragons chattered and gossiped about the disrespect and misconduct Shiva always displayed during these meetings.

These great divine dragons formed the Heavenly Council of Dragons, known as the Guardians of the Tenfold Bloom Pantheon.

Among them, their most respected member spoke. He was a giant red-scaled dragon carrying divine golden torches, surrounded by ever-changing rings of divine flames, and wearing a great crown of gold and rubies upon his head. It was the Great Heavenly Lord, Zhulong.

"That is quite alright, Elder Tennōryū. Thank you for offering to retell the ten tales once more," Zhulong nodded respectfully as the old white dragon settled beside him. "Now, everyone, I am pleased to see we have all gathered. Today, however, this will not be another boring meeting. So I would advise Lord Shiva to please pay attention."

"Hmm?" Shiva raised an eyebrow and glared at Zhulong after stealing an apple from Ganesha’s pile and taking a loud bite. "What is it, red snake?"

"Red snake...?" Veins bulged visibly on Zhulong’s forehead, but he sighed and forced himself to remain calm. "Yes, this is a very important meeting. Some of you may already know about a certain someone from the lower realms who has been causing quite the ruckus, correct?"

"Lower Realms?" a gentle voice asked. Within the tranquil area where many Bodhisattvas sat, a female Buddha spoke. Her voice brought instant calmness to everything around her, even slowly settling the chaotic heart of Shiva. With a beautiful moon halo behind her head and carrying a water jar, Kannon looked quite curious. "Oh, you mean her?"

Kannon’s water jar stirred. A splash of bright, transparent water transformed into an image of a woman with long silvery-white hair and red eyes battling the Egyptian Gods.

"It is her," Zhulong nodded. "The one known as Maria! An Outer God Seed planted by the detestable Council of Outer Gods!"

"Tche! And that little bug is coming here?" Kali asked angrily. "Perhaps we should greet her with all our might and show her how wrong she is about this world?"

"Hold on, Lady Kali," a True Immortal spoke from among the Great Divine Immortal Sect of Daoist Gods.

In fact, he was the greatest figure not only in his own council but in the entirety of the pantheon alliance.

His figure resembled a great ancient emperor. He wore robes forged from stars that glowed like green and white jade, a crown made of bright colorful jades, and a long, glistening beard that made him look like a deity among deities.

When he spoke, nobody uttered a word. Even Shiva closed his mouth for a moment and glared at the old man.

He was known by many titles: Primordial Heavenly Lord, The Universally Honored One of Origin, Celestial Venerable of the Primordial Beginning, and Primeval Lord of Heaven.

His aura alone forced the weakest gods to close their eyes when he spoke. His almighty authority resonated through the surroundings and warped space itself. Mortals facing his mere words would instantly explode and die.

He was the greatest being of the Tenfold Realm and the creator of the Immortal Path of Cultivation.

Yuanshi Tianzun, the Jade Emperor.

"G-Great Lord of the Jade Purity Heaven...! Of course, please speak," Kali said, trying hard to remain humble. The sight almost made Shiva laugh, forcing him to cover his mouth.

"Thank you. I have already received a message from the Great Creator and the Six Archangels," the Jade Emperor spoke with a calm, jovial smile. "The Great Creator has spoken his decree along with his six divine children. She and everyone with her must be eliminated. The destruction of the lower worlds is proceeding as scheduled, but she is trying to defy fate by climbing the tower and aiming for its summit."

"What?!"

"Is she insane?"

"What sort of foolish woman is this?"

"Outer God or not, she cannot even compare to those monsters. She is merely a young child before them."

"Does she truly believe she can put up a fight against our Great Creator?! Hah!"

"How outrageous. It almost makes me want to let her go just so the Archangels can slay her pitifully."

The gods began speaking over one another, filling the great chamber with chaos. The moment the Jade Emperor opened his mouth again, however, everyone fell silent.

"There is a reason she must be stopped here on Vedas," the Jade Emperor continued. "Maria aims to climb higher, so we will block the gates with our strongest gods and disciples. Our goal is to prevent her from ever trespassing into the Tenfold Realm and to trap her here. Her ultimate goal is to destroy the tower and kill our Great Creator. It is a foolish act, but because she is an Outer God, it carries a certain weight within fate. We cannot lower our guard."

The gods gossiped among themselves once more. They sounded slightly more concerned now, yet still confident in their combined power.

"Understood, Great Jade Emperor," Zhulong spoke.

"I agree with your decision," Brahma said.

"Fine!" Shiva nodded.

"Very well," Mahavairocana, the tallest of all the Bodhisattvas and exuding vast cosmic energy, nodded with harmonious golden radiance.

"We swear to work together and stop the monstrous Outer Goddess from breaching into the High Heavens and the Garden of Eternity, Eden, at all costs!" Kannon declared, lifting her jar high.

"I’m going to fight her!" Shiva smiled widely, laughing. "I bet a dance with that monster will be quite fun, don’t you think, Kali?! Ah, I bet you’re already pissing yourself, huh?"

"Is that any way to speak to your consort, you stupid idiot?" Kali roared, raising her hand to strike him.

However—

FLAAASH!

A bright beam of golden celestial energy pierced the ceiling and landed in the center of the chamber.

The Jade Emperor, whose eyes had remained closed, opened them as he faced the True Celestial Entity before him.

The being was so radiant it was difficult to discern clearly. He had long blonde hair, pure white skin, eight white feathered wings, and many golden halos floating above his head. He wore white robes and golden armor while carrying a long golden spear.

His immense power silenced every god in the vicinity.

An Administrator.

An Archangel.

One of the Creator’s direct creations.

"The Outer God is about to breach into the Tenth Realm," he spoke with clear concern. "I have set over a hundred Celestial Barriers, yet she is rapidly destroying them. I recommend you begin preparing immediately. She will be here at any moment."

Nobody spoke. They could not.

The only one who could was the Jade Emperor, the only non-Archangel close to this entity’s realm of power.

"Understood, oh great guardian of heaven."

"One more thing."

The Archangel pointed his hand at the Jade Emperor and fired a beam of light that pierced straight through his chest.

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