The decisive victory of Alexander’s Church of Light over the Great Elven King brought an unstoppable momentum to the rise of the Church in the magical plane.

Though the Great Elven King Alexander defeated was only one among many, and even his complete annihilation wouldn't overturn the Elves’ dominion over the magical plane, the Church of Light had undeniably showcased its formidable combat strength. From that point onward, no one dared to casually launch an assault against them.

Furthermore, this campaign saw the appearance of the Church’s angels, who slew the emissary of the Goddess of Nature. This significantly boosted the reputation of the God of Light, further fueling the Church’s expansion and attracting an ever-increasing number of followers.

Alexander’s triumph meant Liu Hui’s victory as well. His interests in the magical plane were finally secured, and these assets would only grow as Alexander’s territory expanded. Liu Hui’s protective endeavors for his investment in the magical plane had finally concluded with this success.

Having set aside his worries about the magical plane, Liu Hui finally recognized how utterly exhausted he was, body and soul. Despite not participating directly in that monumental battle across the day and night, he had been agonizingly tracking its progress. His pressure had been no lighter than Alexander’s on the front lines. Now that the result was in and the tension eased, the fatigue instantly crashed over him.

Though weary, Liu Hui was overwhelmingly pleased. He returned home, spoke briefly with Hu Xian’er, amused his daughter Sumei for a short while, and then, completely spent, finally yielded and went to bed.

Liu Hui was profoundly tired; the moment he collapsed onto the bed, he plunged into a deep sleep. He slept soundly and sweetly, unaware that during this very repose, some truly miraculous changes were beginning to unfold upon his body.

The next day, Liu Hui slept until he woke naturally. When he opened his eyes, he perceived something distinctly unusual about his physical state. Puzzled, he rose and stood on the floor, immediately understanding what felt amiss.

Since the previous year, Liu Hui had noticed his body becoming as light as a swallow, as if poised to take flight toward the heavens. Moreover, his skin had begun to grow fair, emitting a silent, sacred radiance and a mysterious pressure that commanded immense awe from his staff. As time passed, this inexplicable transformation continued to intensify.

After these initial shifts began, Liu Hui remained uncertain about what was happening to his body. Since the effects weren't drastically disrupting his daily life, he hadn't dwelled on the matter excessively.

However, upon waking this morning, Liu Hui immediately perceived a major alteration—one that was now significantly impacting his way of life.

Normally, even though he felt light as a swallow, he still needed to exert effort to jump upward to leave the ground. But this morning, Liu Hui discovered that his body had almost entirely shed its weight. With just a subtle thought, his body lifted, hovering in the air, capable of moving freely within the void.

“What… what is this? Is this flight?” Liu Hui was utterly dumbfounded the moment he realized he could float.

“But my cultivation level is barely at the Foundation Establishment stage of the Immortal Cultivation path—I should only be able to glide in the void. How can I fly?” Liu Hui was filled with suspicion and uncertainty, completely unable to rationalize the anomaly occurring within him.

With a flicker of thought, Liu Hui allowed his body to descend gently onto the floor. He approached a mirror and scrutinized himself intently.

“No way… not only has my skin gotten much whiter, but why am I starting to emit light?” Liu Hui gasped in shock. His skin turning pale was one thing, but glowing was something he found utterly incredible. Fortunately, it was daytime; if it were night, his home wouldn't need any lamps—he himself was a walking lightbulb.

Liu Hui immediately recalled the earlier changes to his body, but the magnitude of those past alterations paled in comparison to the present. Previously, his body had merely felt lighter; now, he could suspend himself in the air. Furthermore, his glow had been imperceptible to the naked eye before, but now it shone visibly outward. Except for whether the mysterious power capable of imposing spiritual pressure had increased, every other change in him had multiplied manifold.

Years of accumulated common sense screamed at Liu Hui that the situation was fundamentally abnormal. There was no logical explanation for it from any known angle; he must have encountered something strange—something he hadn't yet perceived—that was causing this physical metamorphosis.

Liu Hui felt a knot of frustration in his chest. While this change might not inherently be negative for him, to an outsider, he must now appear monstrous. Liu Hui had become fundamentally different from other humans, and if this continued, he would inevitably drift away from humanity. His distress stemmed precisely from this: if he had any choice, he wouldn't want any transformation at all; he simply wished to remain close to his family.

As Liu Hui lost himself in thought, he entered an unconscious state, causing his body to drift suspended in the middle of the room without him realizing it. Just then, Hu Xian’er pushed the door open and entered. She instantly froze, staring in shock at the sight of Liu Hui hanging in mid-air. Liu Hui, startled by her sudden appearance, snapped back to awareness and immediately dropped to the floor.

Hu Xian’er watched Liu Hui scramble up from the floor, her expression wavering between confusion and doubt. She asked, “You… are you my Water Buffalo?”

Liu Hui rose, brushing imaginary dust from his clothes, and forced a wry smile. “Xian’er, if I’m not your Water Buffalo, then who else could I be?”

Hu Xian’er said, still looking amazed, “If you are my Water Buffalo, how could you just float in mid-air like that? And your body is emitting a sacred light outward; I can even feel a faint pressure coming from you. Before me, you look like an immortal. If my spiritual energy hadn't been diminished, I might have instinctively knelt down and bowed when I first saw you.”

Hearing Hu Xian’er’s words, Liu Hui paused, then asked, “Xian’er, you don't doubt that I am your Water Buffalo, right? Tell me, do you truly feel that my body has undergone such a massive change—that to your eyes, I look like… like an immortal?”

Hu Xian’er scrutinized him again, still showing a hint of surprise, but she nodded firmly. “Yes, Water Buffalo, the feeling you gave me just now was that you were about to become an immortal. You are no longer a person of our world. Water Buffalo, do you know? I strongly dislike this feeling. I don't want to be separated from you.”

Liu Hui immediately began to comfort her. “Xian’er, trust me, how could I ever leave you all? Actually, I need to tell you that these changes in my body have been happening for some time now. Remember? You mentioned before that my skin was growing fair—my transformation likely began around then.”

Hu Xian’er had a sudden realization. “I remember now. You did start acting strangely around that time. But the changes then were so slight; they weren’t nearly as exaggerated as what you are today…”

Liu Hui sighed. “Xian’er, abnormal things started happening to my body then, and they’ve gotten progressively worse, but never to this extreme degree. I believe the reason I look like this now must be because of something that happened last night.”

Hu Xian’er asked, “You think something last night caused this? What exactly happened last night?”

Liu Hui shook his head. “Xian’er, please don't press me for the specifics, because I don't know myself what happened. All I know is that before last night, my body was fine. I woke up like this.”

Hu Xian’er looked at Liu Hui with concern. “Water Buffalo, even though I am no longer a cultivator after the destruction of my Violet Palace, I was once a Nascent Soul master, so I still have a good eye for people. When I was at the Nascent Soul stage, I began to touch upon the mysteries of space, giving me some insight into it. When I looked at you just now, I noticed the spatial energy surrounding you. Under the pull of this energy, you are likely on the verge of ascending to the heavens. In simple terms, what’s happening to you resembles a genuine ascension in broad daylight.”

Liu Hui was startled. “What? Ascension in broad daylight? Isn't that phrase reserved for when cultivators attain immortality? Why is it being applied to me? I’m just a rookie cultivator who recently reached the Foundation Establishment stage—how could I possibly ascend to godhood?”

Hu Xian’er said uneasily, “Water Buffalo, I don’t know why this is happening to you. But right now, I have a distinct premonition: you will soon leave all of us, soaring to the heavens to become an immortal. I know what I’m saying sounds absurd, but I can’t shake this ridiculous conclusion.”

Liu Hui was left speechless. Although Hu Xian’er had lost all her cultivation and could no longer cultivate, her keen spiritual perception and the insight of a supreme master remained. History proved that her judgments concerning cultivation matters had never been wrong. Considering the anomalies in his own body, Liu Hui began to worry. If things unfolded as Hu Xian’er predicted, he might actually ascend in daylight and become a deity.

He already felt increasingly out of sync with this world, as if the entire world were rejecting him. Furthermore, he slowly sensed a faint power emanating from the void, and under its subtle guidance, coupled with the world’s rejection of his body, it truly felt as though he was about to depart this world.

This sensation of imminent departure was definitely not the prelude to death from old age; it was the genuine feeling of ascending to immortality. Liu Hui became distressed. He did not wish to ascend, nor did he desire godhood, and certainly not the prospect of leaving his family and friends behind. Yet, some unknown force was steering him toward the path of immortality.

Liu Hui felt disheartened. “Xian’er, what should I do? I don’t want to become an immortal, and I don’t want to leave you all!”

Though Hu Xian’er was equally anxious, she began to comfort him. “Water Buffalo, don’t panic. We should be able to figure out a way to resolve this issue with your body.”

Liu Hui sighed. “Let’s put future matters aside for now, as talking about them is useless. I’m just worried about how I can face anyone in this state! If I’m not careful, I’ll float away, and my body is constantly glowing—I’m not a light bulb! What face will I have when people see me? My body emits a faint pressure, too. If I walk outside, no ordinary person will be able to withstand it; if they all kneel before me, what then? Won't they think I’m a monster?”

Hu Xian’er also felt a headache coming on. “If there’s truly no other way, you’ll have to take leave for now. Just stay home and observe for a period; perhaps your condition will improve over time.”

Liu Hui slumped in defeat. “I guess that’s the only option. I never imagined I’d have to take time off work for such a reason…”

Hu Xian’er said, “Water Buffalo, don’t be discouraged. I believe we can find the reason behind your current state. Once we pinpoint the cause, we can prescribe the right remedy, fix the problem, and your body will return to normal. Then, we can all be together again.”

Thus, with his body in an abnormal state, no identifiable cause, and a growing fear of being perceived as a monster, Liu Hui had no choice but to request leave and isolate himself at home to devise countermeasures for his physical metamorphosis.

Since Liu Hui had finalized and implemented the comprehensive management and oversight systems for the 'Starry Sky City' earlier that year, he had been gradually delegating his authority. His role was now primarily supervisory, making his recent workload quite light. Even with Liu Hui taking an extended leave, the operations of the Starry Sky City would not falter, as the system itself was managing the personnel, not the other way around.

After taking leave, Liu Hui stayed home day after day, daring to go nowhere. He hoped his strange condition would abate or vanish, or perhaps he could discover the source of the anomaly and neutralize it.

To his disappointment, as time dragged on, the strangeness within him showed no signs of easing; in fact, it grew more severe. As for finding the root cause of his transformation, there wasn't a single clue; why his body had become this way remained a complete enigma.

A month later, Liu Hui had completely lost control of his body. The force emanating from the void intensified, and the world's repulsion against him grew stronger. Under the combined effect of these two forces, a moment of inattention would cause the combined pull to yank him toward the ceiling, plastering him against it. Fortunately, he was indoors, with a ceiling above him; otherwise, who knew where Liu Hui might have been sucked off to.

The sacred white light radiating from Liu Hui also thickened considerably. He had become a genuine luminous body, visible even in daylight. Liu Hui also sensed that the imposing aura emanating from him had become so powerful that even Hu Xian’er could barely withstand it.

On one occasion, his young daughter Sumei ran into the room. The moment the toddler, barely over a year old, saw her father, she immediately fell to her knees, worshipping him continuously until Hu Xian’er rushed in, carried Sumei out, and the prostration finally ceased. Concerned after this incident, Liu Hui arranged for Sumei to be temporarily cared for by his parents to avoid such occurrences.

As for his other wives and Xiao Bao, Liu Hui dared not see them, uncertain what might happen upon meeting. Thankfully, they learned of his situation via phone soon after, lest they suspect he intended to abandon them. They too grew anxious, realizing how lost they would be if Liu Hui truly departed.

By this point, Liu Hui had come to accept the possibility that he was truly facing immortal ascension. Yet, this coveted opportunity for others was something he absolutely did not desire, for he had no wish to become an immortal! He had a wife and child, family and friends, and his ambitions were not yet fully realized.

Liu Hui deeply resented being forced toward deification by an unknown reason, compelled to leave this world when he wanted nothing more than to stay.

This realization brought immense dejection. That night, Liu Hui made a solemn decision in his heart. Tomorrow, he would summon his family, relatives, friends, and the high command of the Starry Sky City—he needed to start arranging his affairs after death.

Liu Hui did not want to take this step, but he felt compelled. The guiding pull from the void and the world’s rejection were growing stronger. He feared that even if he hid in his room, he wouldn't escape the drag of these two forces, leading to his complete dissolution into the void.

Having made this somber decision, Liu Hui found a strange calm settling over him. He drifted off to sleep while suspended near the ceiling of his room. It was at this precise moment that an immensely powerful, mysterious consciousness descended, entering Liu Hui’s mind and initiating a profound, magical dialogue with him.