Muscle split; blood sprayed—
the sight was frightening.
Watching from the side, Yuanmie clapped and howled with glee, thoroughly enjoying himself. As Goku's body crumbled little by little, Yuanmie felt euphoric. At last this hateful man would end before his very eyes—violently and miserably.
But as time passed, although Goku looked increasingly battered, the vital force within him did not fade. It surged like an ocean. Yuanmie frowned, a bad feeling rising. Looking closer, he jolted—
his own Destruction Law and the Destruction already lodged in Goku were annihilating each other as they fought, both being erased.
At the same time, a world-shaking aura erupted from within Goku. Bathed in divine light, his shattered body began to knit together at astonishing speed—stronger and more powerfully sculpted than before. As his wounds closed, his presence mounted higher and higher—terrifyingly so.
Yuanmie stared, dumbstruck, then sprang to his feet and roared, "A… breakthrough? You've got to be kidding! Goku—you bastard—you've tricked me again!"
---
Yuanmie was hurt, frustrated, helpless—and full of regret. Why did I posture? Why sit and watch? I should've smashed him the moment I could. Now, not only had he failed to kill Goku, he had helped him—neutralizing the internal Destruction threat, letting him heal, even letting him devour some of Yuanmie's law to glimpse a higher order and break through.
What else could he do? Run.
Since his unsealing, Yuanmie had done little else, and the thought made him want to cough blood.
'I'm the avatar of Dimensional Evil—the final boss of the multiverse! How did I become such a walking tragedy?'
Muttering curses, he slashed a hand through the air. A black vortex opened, and he dove in without hesitation—vanishing. He swore he wouldn't show off again until he fully recovered. Every time I flex, I get wrecked. At this point, he'd need years to mend.
Goku, meanwhile, stood sheathed in red flame, aura earth-shaking and ferocious.
He did not try to stop Yuanmie. Even freshly healed and newly advanced, he knew he could not keep Yuanmie here. Cornering him might only provoke a suicidal counterattack—and that would be dangerous even now.
"So this is the second stage of Super Saiyan God… Impressive."
Goku murmured to himself, then threw a punch. Air convulsed; spatial ripples boomed; a slice of the world collapsed.
"Stop… If you keep swinging like that, my world will be destroyed!"
The goddess's voice floated from far off as she flashed near.
"Sorry for making such a mess of your world."
Goku rubbed his head, abashed. His aura ebbed like a turning tide; in an instant he looked ordinary again, as if nothing like the godlike figure from moments ago had ever existed.
The goddess gazed down at the lower realm and sighed. It was already in ruins, and the lingering aftershocks had not faded; they still chewed at reality. It would not be long before the world unraveled entirely. She longed to repair the broken spacetime, but it was beyond her. The remnants of power Goku and Yuanmie had unleashed were not something her laws could erase.
Goku looked down—and his brow tightened. The realm below was collapsing at terrifying speed. Xiao Li, the High Priestess, and Xiao Pixiu—waiting for his return—were on the verge of perishing with the world.
He did not hesitate. With a flick of his hand, space rippled; in the next breath, Xiao Li, the High Priestess, and Xiao Pixiu appeared before him.
Finding themselves in an unfamiliar, empty space—void beneath their feet—Xiao Li and the High Priestess blanched, though their composure kept them from crying out. Xiao Pixiu chirped, sprang into Goku's arms, and nuzzled him in delight.
Only then did the two women see Goku at their side, joy brightening their faces. "Goku—"
Their eyes turned—and both froze.
"Goddess…"
Shaken, Xiao Li dropped to her knees and bowed deeply.
"You are the Tears of the Goddess I left in the mortal world," the goddess said, a hint of surprise in her voice before she smiled gently. "No need for such formality. Since Lord Goku has chosen you, stay by his side from now on."
"Y-yes, Goddess."
Xiao Li nodded obediently—but her expression matched the High Priestess's: stunned. Their goddess had called Goku… Lord?
"Loulan's High Priestess pays respects to the Goddess," the High Priestess said, trembling with excitement as she bowed. Never had she imagined she would behold the goddess's true face.
The goddess inclined her head, looked again toward the ruined realm, and sighed. "It seems the only way to repair this world… is to rebirth it."
"Goddess, what happened? Why has the world come to this?" the High Priestess asked anxiously. If the world perished, wouldn't all humanity perish with it?
Goku had been about to rescue Chi Lian and the others as well, but when he heard the word rebirth, he paused.
"An invader from another universe came earlier," the goddess explained. "Though Lord Goku drove him away, their battle pushed my world past its limits."
"An invader? A god from another universe?"
The two women, stunned, turned to Goku. Their hearts pounded. He truly was a god—stronger even than their goddess.
"What do you mean by rebirthing the world?" Goku asked. That was what interested him.
"The world's destruction can no longer be stopped—so it must be reborn. After rebirth, it will still be this world—the same people and things, the same identities, the same fates… yet not exactly the same. The timeline may drift; paths may fork. You could call it the original world—or you could call it another parallel space born of rebirth."
'Another parallel space… Damn. You mean the animated timeline of Qin's Moon?'
Goku's eyes lit up. He had not expected his presence to bend the world this way. All the better. He had been wondering how to handle the heroines of the film continuity versus the animated one; now he wouldn't have to wrack his brains.
The goddess wove her laws. The shattered world below contracted to a single point and rested in her palm. Xiao Li and the High Priestess gaped—one graceful motion, and a world lay in her hand.
Perfect laws flowed. Chaos reassembled. In the goddess's palm, a world evolved—and was reborn.
---
Night in the city was bright as day; the stars glittered overhead. Crowds Ebbed and flowed along the avenues, and even at this hour the streets were alive.
Before a splendid pavilion, rows of luxurious carriages stood in a line. Onlookers pointed and whispered; many gaped at the wealth on display.
But most stared at the grand, elegant building itself with naked longing—and, just as plainly, resignation. They longed to step inside that threshold, a veritable paradise for men—
yet the final single step might as well have been an unbridgeable chasm.
Only the powerful and privileged were admitted. Common folk could only linger outside, watching and envying in silence.
This was Fei Xue Pavilion—famed not only in Yan but across the realm—because it was home to the most exquisite song-and-dance artist in Yan: Xue Nu. Her beauty could dim moon and flowers, topple cities and kingdoms. But only the mighty could enter this place.
Tonight was special. Xue Nu herself would perform. To witness her dance and behold her face was the dream of nearly every man—but without rank or standing, one could only yearn from the street.
Amid the bustle, an imposing man appeared—his manner of arrival so strange that no one noticed he was there. Not "no one cared"—no one perceived him at all.
He gazed at Fei Xue Pavilion and allowed himself a faint smile. "Interesting… I didn't expect the reborn timeline to drop us here. Well then—seeing Xue Nu's famed dance with my own eyes doesn't sound bad at all."
It was, of course, Goku. As for Xiao Li, the High Priestess, and Xiao Pixiu, he had already placed them within his own world. He was here to steal a beauty's heart—hardly the time to bring an entourage.
He strolled toward the entrance. The guards stared past him, vigilant for interlopers, never realizing someone had just walked right by them unseen.
Inside, the pavilion's luxury and dreamlike beauty barely caught Goku's eye. His own Dragon Palace put this to shame a thousand times over. Only Xue Nu herself merited his attention.
The hall was hushed—
only a gentle xiao melody drifted through the air.
Moonlight poured down upon the Flying Snow Terrace at the center pool, turning it ethereal.
Bud after bud rose from the water and slowly unfurled; light shimmered across the lake like stars—a vision of wonder.
A woman as if stepped from a painting rose from the terrace, revealing a face beyond compare. Holding a jade flute, she stood with quiet poise, serene and tranquil.
Wide sleeves and a flower-like skirt traced the lines of her graceful silhouette; the cool hues of her dress set off her remote, airy elegance to perfection.
Delicate ornaments—light in color and exquisite in shape—adorned her without the slightest vulgarity, lending her a touch of ethereal purity. A shade more would have been gaudy; a shade less, too bare.
She was perfect—beauty that stole the breath and seized the heart. Every movement tugged at the soul. The moment she appeared, the hall fell so silent one could hear a pin drop. Faces went slack, dazzled by her radiance.
She lifted the flute to her lips; breath like orchid, tone like moonlight. The music spread slowly, as if washing dust from every heart.
Goku glanced around and shook his head. The so-called nobles wore vacant, greedy looks. Do they understand music at all? Obviously not. They were entranced only by Xue Nu's face.
Goku knew little of music, yet even he found the melody beautiful—and listened, for once, in earnest.
_____
T/N:
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