"Yue"

When Gu Xiechen led the Netherworld Army from Helix Star Sector to reinforce the Gu family, Empress 7 Ming was hosting a grand banquet for Yafik's territorial governors.

Sensing the ominous aura of the Netherworld Army speeding above, Empress Fu Ya 7 Ming merely arched her brows with a faint smile playing at her lips. The external wars led by the Netherworld Army required no further concern from her - just as Gu Wu'chen never worried about internal logistics, their partnership was seamlessly harmonious: he managed outward affairs while she controlled the inner workings of the Netherworld Dao.

These days marked Yafik's National Day, commemorating ancestors who built the empire through blood and fire. The banquet welcoming territorial governors from every star sector across Helix Star Sector was an entirely appropriate gesture.

Modern-day Yafik encompassed the Helix Star Sector with covert influence radiating into dozens of neighboring sectors. Over a thousand high ministers resided in the imperial court alone, with tens of thousands more officials scattered throughout. Even planetary administrators overseeing single-star systems could only barely glimpse the periphery of the grand banquet hall, desperately vying for Fu Ya 7 Ming's attention while offering their most humble smiles.

Only territorial governors overseeing regions containing over a thousand planets were granted seats in the core chamber - hundreds of these high-ranking officials brought their spouses and family members, swelling the Yafik aristocracy gathering to over thirty thousand guests. Fortunately, the banquet hall was constructed through mystical arts with vast internal space, easily accommodating such numbers without feeling cramped.

After three rounds of wine, the revelers cheered as Fu Ya 7 Ming descended from her throne among attendants, personally offering salutations by administrative district and department. A cacophony of voices nearly tore the grand banquet hall apart as officials scrambled to honor their empress.

Following days saw Fu Ya 7 Ming receiving territorial governors in the Grand Audience Hall. With tens of thousands of planetary administrators, scores of star system governors, and hundreds of regional commanders - she convened collective audiences by administrative divisions rather than individually meeting every official. For seven consecutive days, ministers trembled under her regal presence, performing rituals with meticulous precision as even their eyes dared not lift to meet her gaze in the audience chamber.

Then came an unexpected moment when Fu Ya 7 Ming abruptly noticed a beautiful girl stealing glances from among the attendants of Helix's "Muyeh" administrative district:

"Fascinating... you belong to Muyeh province."

The entire hall turned toward the girl simultaneously. A middle-aged man beside her hastily bowed, stammering excuses about his wife's transgression before being reprimanded by the imperial prime minister. The official identified as Bolt - chief administrator under Oddstar System's planetary governor of Oddstar Kos (whose father had recently died and required three months' mourning period) - was swiftly explained to the empress.

Fu Ya 7 Ming examined Atimi with renewed interest, realizing beneath her youthful fifteen-year-old appearance lay a woman whose two-century-long marriage defied even Yafik's genetic enhancements. The girl's flawless complexion, vibrant energy, and ethereal beauty rivaled paintings come to life - an anomaly in their civilization.

"Your wife is remarkable," the empress remarked, bestowing a coral-stone bracelet as a gift.

Bolt nearly fainted with gratitude while envious glares ignited among other officials. Atimi accepted the jewelry with a smile carrying subtle disdain and cold superiority - as if mocking the gesture itself rather than the item's worth.

Sensing something amiss through her Buddha-dao attuned perception, Fu Ya 7 Ming suddenly lashed out with spiritual awareness toward Atimi. The girl's defiance manifested like a stone resisting water currents in a river.

"Who are you?" Fu Ya 7 Ming demanded sharply.

Atimi blinked in surprise: "My empress, I am Bolt's wife Atimi!"

The empress' smile turned frigid as she materialized the imperial governance terminal, inputting commands that revealed data discrepancies - no records of Atimi existed in any population databases despite her presence in the officials' marriage registry.

Chaos erupted among the court ministers while Bolt began experiencing memory lapses about his own wedding. With a graceful shrug and exhalation, Atimi released moon-like radiance transforming into a silver-armored goddess with six flowing celestial ribbons:

"Fate was cruel to me this time," she mused, "I had hoped to remain hidden longer in Yafik."

With a snap of her fingers, nine hundred girls identical to Atimi emerged from the crowd, merging their forms into one. "Through my thousand conjured marriages, I've mastered your empire's secrets," she taunted, as nine hundred silver-star formations materialized above.

Fu Ya 7 Ming unsheathed her Qi Hunyuan Seven Treasures Sword, deflecting the celestial assault while summoning the Green Lotus Kun Tian Flag to seal the chamber. "I am Bodhitibi - the primordial goddess of earth's awakening," she declared amidst swirling demonic winds consuming the hall.

"Ten Celestial Kings have already deployed their Absolute Arrays around Yafik's capital star," Fu Ya 7 Ming countered, conjuring thunderbolts against Atimi's mountain-levelling attacks. "You cannot escape this cosmic formation."

Atimi smirked and crushed a white pearl in her palm: "Akshemi is en route to rescue me now..."