After the business event of the Haoyan Consortium concluded, Gu Hao returned to his small courtyard. Tian Li, accompanied by Lin Xiaotian and Tun Xiaotian, followed him there.
Tian Li smiled and said to Gu Hao, "I never expected that the master of our Haoyan Consortium would actually be engaged to the Sovereign."
Gu Hao smiled as well. "I honestly had no idea I was betrothed to the Sovereign. Before I left, my Ancestor Gui gave me five engagement letters, and I haven't even opened them to take a look until now."
"Oh, impressive! Five engagement letters? Don't you want to take a look?"
"Honestly, it doesn't really matter whether I look or not. I call the shots in my own life."
Upon hearing this, Lin Xiaotian and Tun Xiaotian chimed in, "Young master, you really should take a look—at the very least, so you know who they all are. Otherwise, if Ancestor Gui finds out you aren't fulfilling the engagements, she's going to break your..."
Gu Hao shot them a sideways glance. "You two talk way too much..."
"I think you'd better take a look," Tian Li added. "Otherwise, if you run into any of these five fiancées without even knowing it, it could easily lead to awkward situations. And if the Ancestor Gui they mentioned finds out, you're really going to be in for it."
"Sigh, what a headache."
Gu Hao took the five engagement letters out of his spatial ring and opened them, instantly freezing in shock.
Seeing this, Lin Xiaotian and Tun Xiaotian hurriedly crowded around, but the moment they caught a glimpse, Gu Hao snapped the letters shut.
Tian Li, however, was quick-witted and agile; with a swift grab, she snatched the engagement letters away.
She opened them, hastily closed them again, and quickly handed them back to Gu Hao.
Sensing something was amiss, Lin Xiaotian and Tun Xiaotian lunged forward to grab them, but Gu Hao quickly tucked the letters away.
"Come on, young master, is a few engagement letters really that big a deal? Let us see which family's young lady these are."
"These are my engagement letters. What gives you two the right to look?"
"We're just curious! If we take a look, who knows—maybe we'll run into the young madam someday and we can help protect her!"
"Do you two really want to see?"
"Yes, we do!"
Gu Hao figured they would find out about these engagements sooner or later anyway, so he might as well let them see.
He retrieved the five engagement letters and placed them on the tea table. "Go ahead."
"You're really letting us see?"
"Really. I've taken them out. Look if you want; if not, I'm putting them away."
Lin Xiaotian and Tun Xiaotian hurriedly pressed their hands down on the letters. "We're looking, we're looking!"
The two of them opened the letters. "Xu Kunlun, Sovereign of Kunlun Country... why does a female sovereign have a man's name?"
"Tian Li, daughter of Tian Kui, Governor of the Heaven Realm Bank..."
The two of them were utterly shocked, and only then did they realize why Gu Hao and Tian Li hadn't wanted to let them look just a moment ago.
"Young master, eldest miss... turns out the two of you are betrothed! This is truly destined."
"Wei Lan, Sovereign of Wei Kingdom..."
"Luo Qian, eldest miss of the Luo family in Luo Kingdom..."
"Ji Yun'er, daughter of the Prime Minister of Ji State..."
The two of them handed the engagement letters back to Gu Hao, then bowed deeply to both Gu Hao and Tian Li. "Congratulations to the young master and the eldest miss."
Gu Hao was momentarily stunned, while a blush instantly spread across Tian Li's face.
Gu Hao looked at Tian Li and said, "I had no idea we were actually betrothed."
Too embarrassed to speak, Tian Li lowered her head.
Seemingly recalling something, Gu Hao asked, "Tian Li, did you already know about our engagement?"
"I suppose you could say I knew."
"What do you mean, 'suppose you could say I knew'?"
"I mean, before I left, my father mentioned a few things to me, and the engagement was one of them. He told me I had to get along well with you."
"That Tian Kui—oh wait, I mean Tian Kui, my prospective father-in-law—he sure knows how to keep a secret."
"You can't blame my father for that. You're the one who wouldn't look at your engagement letters, so who else is there to blame? Besides, you never once brought up the engagement after coming to Zhongzhou, so it's not like my father could have brought it up out of nowhere—he had no idea what was on your mind."
"Fair enough. It really was my fault..."
"Also, Xu Kunlun is my absolute best friend, and you're engaged to her as well. That leaves me completely clueless as to what to do!"
"Well, what should we do? Should I call off the engagement with Xu Kunlun?"
"We certainly can't do that! If Xu Kunlun found out, she'd hunt me down and kill me. Sigh, I suppose we'll just have to let nature take its course. But there is one thing: as of today, the two of us have fulfilled our engagement. Right now, you are my husband. No matter how the other four turn out, I was first—so I am the primary wife."
Having said that, Tian Li lowered her head again in embarrassment.
Lin Xiaotian and Tun Xiaotian were always eager to stir up trouble. They bowed deeply to Tian Li and chimed in, "Greetings, First Madam."
"Get lost! What business is this of yours?"
Lin Xiaotian and Tun Xiaotian chuckled.
"Alright, my identity and the matter of the engagements must be kept strictly confidential. Now, Lin Xiaotian and Tun Xiaotian, escort Tian Li back."
"Understood."
"Well then, I'll be going..." Tian Li stood up and left the small courtyard, escorted by Lin Xiaotian and Tun Xiaotian.
Watching them leave, Gu Hao leaned back in his chair and muttered, "Ancestor Gui, oh Ancestor Gui, why on earth did you hook me up with so many wives?"
"What's wrong with that? Is having lots of wives a bad thing?" Suddenly, the voice of the System rang out.
Gu Hao was startled, but quickly regained his composure.
"Xiaoxiaotian (System), what do you mean by that?"
"There are bound to be arrangements dictated by the mysteries of fate."
"Psh, I can say that much myself. Is there any point to this?"
"Of course there's a point! In the future, you're going to be a grand figure in the universe; how could you possibly have only a single wife? You need a whole crowd of wives and concubines so you can properly propagate your descendants."
"Do you take me for a stallion?"
"Hehehe..."
"Hey, by the way, Xiaoxiaotian, ever since you woke up, you as a System haven't really helped me do anything useful. Are you just some useless piece of junk who's all talk?"
"What are you talking about?"
"It's been eighteen years! What on earth did you bind yourself to me for? Up until now, it's just been chatting. What do you think of yourself?"
"Then what do you want?"
"What can you give me?"
"I can give you anything. But you are already a Heavenly Venerable, the absolute ceiling of this world. In terms of cultivation and realm, there's nothing left I can give you. However... I can give you a sword..."
"A sword? What do I want with a sword? This world is all about thermal weapons; you're handing me a cold weapon—are you playing with me?"
"Kid, looks like you don't understand a thing. Do you know that this sword is the supreme weapon of the entire universe? Thermal weapons are mere ants in front of it."
"Oh, really that powerful? Hurry up and give it to me..."
Before he could even finish speaking, a sword materialized and hovered right in front of his eyes, radiating a terrifying aura that sent a chill through his bones.
"I've restricted the level of this sword to the Milky Way Heavenly Venerable grade, which is just right for you to use."
"This sword can even be upgraded?"
"Of course! This sword is called the Heavenly Sword; with a single strike, it can destroy everything..."
"So badass? Awesome!"
"This sword will automatically upgrade as your cultivation level rises. When it reaches the highest level in the universe, it can destroy the universe with a single strike."
"Damn, what a treasure!"
Gu Hao reached out and grabbed the Heavenly Sword. A flood of information surged into his mind as he carefully savored it—it was too formidable. The Heavenly Sword had voluntarily recognized him as its master.
"Put it away quickly, before it disrupts the Heavenly Dao around here."
"Oh."
Before he could even store the Heavenly Sword into his spatial ring, it transformed into a streak of light and vanished straight into his Danhai.
"This..."
"What 'this'? The Heavenly Sword has a life of its own; it needs to be nourished by your Danhai."
Gu Hao directed his divine sense toward his Danhai. The Heavenly Sword was suspended within the universe of his inner world, radiating a faint golden glow, and he could sense that the sword was thoroughly enjoying itself.
Whenever Gu Hao wanted to use it, just a single thought was all it took for the Heavenly Sword to instantly materialize in his hand.
"By the way, what did you say it would disrupt just now? The Heavenly Dao?"
"Oh, every world has its own Heavenly Dao, and everything operates according to its rules. Otherwise, it's very difficult for a world to develop."
"Does that mean there are immortals in this world?"
"Of course there are, but they aren't something someone at your current level can interact with. Actually..."
"Actually what?"
"Actually, since you are already a Heavenly Venerable, according to the regulations of the Three Realms—Human, Immortal, and Divine—you've long been eligible to ascend to the Immortal Realm."
"The Immortal Realm? Where is the Immortal Realm? How come I haven't felt it?"
"Because I've shielded your cultivation realm, so the Heaven Immortals have no idea you exist, and you can't sense the existence of the Immortal Realm either."
"Oh... is that how it is... Well, that's fine too. I still have some things I need to take care of in this world. I'll worry about that after I'm done..."
"Also, I'll gift you a token..."
"A token?"
"It is the Heavenly Venerable Token, a symbol of your status. Whether it be immortals, gods, ghosts, or monsters, upon seeing this token, they must revere you as the supreme sovereign. Otherwise, they will suffer heavenly retribution and be utterly destroyed, body and soul."
"Is it really that formidable?"
"But this is merely a symbol of your status and belongs to external power. I hope you still rely on your own solid cultivation and strength to become the Heavenly Venerable of the Three Realms, rather than depending on external forces or clever little tricks. If you do that, you'll never get far."
"I understand. This Heavenly Venerable Token doesn't actually do all that much for me anyway. To make a stand in this universe, without your own strength, you'll sooner or later be beaten to death..."
"I'm very glad you see it that way. Take a look at your Danhai."
Gu Hao looked into his Danhai and saw a token of unknown material floating above the Danhai as well. The aura it emitted was even more terrifying than that of the Heavenly Sword. "Awesome! I feel like the Heavenly Sword is actually a little scared of the Heavenly Venerable Token, haha! Oh right, can you give me a few more Heavenly Swords? I want to give them to Lin Xiaotian, Tun Xiaotian, my Mother, Elder Sister, and Tian Li."
"I can, but they won't be Heavenly Swords; they'll be Carefree Swords, which belong to the divine grade. Their power is second only to the Heavenly Sword, though your Mother, Elder Sister, and Miss Tian Li won't be able to use them just yet because their cultivation hasn't surpassed the Great Vehicle Realm and Divisional Spirit Realm. They can use them once they reach the Earth Venerable Realm."
"That works, that works..."