The pressure from Void Sovereign Hei Ming's divine sense still lingered in the air like a storm about to break, but I refused to show weakness.
I turned to the hundreds of desperate cultivators gathered on the star island and spoke loudly, my voice carrying across the crystal forests with the help of a simple sound-amplifying array I had just crafted.
"Void Sovereign Hei Ming wants war. Let him come. But first — I will fulfill my promises. Bring me the materials I asked for, and I will craft Tianhen Void Anchors for all of you."
The reaction was immediate and explosive.
Word spread across nearby star islands within hours. Cultivators from dozens of minor and mid-tier sects flooded our camp, carrying rare treasures in hopes of securing one of my protective bracelets.
A delegation from the Nebula Sword Pavilion arrived first — an elegant female elder at early Nascent Soul accompanied by twenty disciples. She offered a complete set of Nebula Sword Art manuals (peak Core Formation rank) and a thousand high-grade star crystals.
"Lord Ye, our pavilion is fleeing a dimensional beast tide. Please craft five bracelets for our core disciples. In return, we will grant you a permanent residence right on Nebula Star Island and introduce you to the pavilion master."
I accepted. In minutes, I crafted five exquisite silver bracelets, each engraved with my personal runes. The God Rock absorbed the Nebula Sword Art instantly, letting me fuse new sword techniques with my existing Imperial Dragon Sword Art on the spot.
Next came the Starlight Merchant Guild — a wealthy trading organization that operated across seventeen star islands. Their leader, a plump Core Formation merchant, bowed deeply and presented a spatial chest filled with void ores, time fragments, and star essence.
"Lord Ye, your bracelets are already being called 'life-saving divine artifacts' in the outer rings. We offer this chest plus exclusive trading rights with our guild if you craft twenty bracelets for our elite caravans."
Twenty bracelets later, my storage ring was overflowing with wealth. Star crystals, rare herbs, ancient arrays, and even a small starship blueprint.
Li Qing watched everything with shining eyes. At night, after putting Xingchen and Qinglan to sleep, she pulled me into our tent and rewarded me with passionate, grateful lovemaking.
"You're turning threats into opportunities," she whispered as she rode me slowly, her inner walls squeezing me perfectly. "My sovereign… so clever, so ruthless when needed, yet so loving to us."
I gripped her hips and thrust up hard, drawing out her sweet moans until we both climaxed together, bodies trembling in shared bliss.
The flood of requests kept coming.
A group of wandering void refugees offered a hidden map to an abandoned ancient ruin in exchange for ten bracelets. Another sect, the Azure Comet Clan, brought a complete manual on Star Dao comprehension and begged for fifteen anchors so their young geniuses could safely migrate to a safer star region.
Every bracelet I crafted brought new rewards, new techniques for the God Rock to devour, and deeper insights into Space, Time, and the fresh Star Dao.
By the end of the seventh day, I had crafted over two hundred Tianhen Void Anchors. My wealth had grown beyond imagination — millions of high-grade star crystals, dozens of rare manuals, three small starships, and several territorial deeds.
One particular reward changed everything.
The leader of the Starlight Merchant Guild returned with a grand offer.
"Lord Ye, your bracelets have saved hundreds of lives and made our guild richer than ever. As thanks, we gift you permanent ownership of Crimson Nebula World — a medium-sized life-bearing planet in the outer Starry Sky. It has stable spirit veins, abundant resources, beautiful floating islands, and defensive arrays already in place. No one will dare challenge your claim once word spreads that it belongs to the creator of the Void Anchors."
I accepted without hesitation.
With the combined wealth and the starship gifted by the guild, I moved my family immediately.
Crimson Nebula World was breathtaking — vast oceans, crystal mountains, floating islands covered in spirit forests, and a central palace complex built on a massive ley line. The planet's natural arrays made it naturally defensible.
I spent the first week reinforcing everything. Using the God Rock and newly acquired manuals, I upgraded the planetary defense arrays, added my own Space-Time stabilizing formations, and created a private inner sanctum where Li Qing and the children would be completely safe even if a Void Shattering expert attacked.
Xingchen ran across the floating islands with joy, swinging his wooden sword at imaginary enemies. Qinglan clapped her hands every time colorful spirit birds flew past. Li Qing stood beside me on the highest palace balcony, her hand in mine, the gentle curve of her pregnant belly visible under her robes.
"This is ours," she said softly, leaning her head on my shoulder. "A real home in the stars. You did this for us."
That night, after the children were asleep, we celebrated in our new royal chambers. Li Qing was more passionate than ever, her body moving against mine with deep, rolling waves of pleasure. We made love for hours — slow and intimate, then fierce and hungry — until she cried out my name again and again, her release pulling me over the edge with her.
Afterward, as she lay curled against my chest, I whispered, "This is only the beginning. Crimson Nebula World will become the heart of our growing power. From here, I will master more Grand Daos, craft even stronger artifacts, and prepare for the day Void Sovereign Hei Ming returns."
Li Qing kissed my jaw, eyes shining with absolute devotion. "And I will stand beside you every step. Our children will grow up strong and safe because of you."
Outside, the stars of the Crimson Nebula shone brightly over our new territory.
Inside, the God Rock continued to hum with satisfaction, already digesting the mountain of new techniques and Daos I had gained from the bracelet requests.
The powerful foe Hei Ming was still out there, watching, waiting for his chance to steal the God Rock.
But now I had a secure base, overflowing wealth, and a growing reputation across the Starry Sky.
The game had changed.
Ye Tianhen was no longer just a rising cultivator.
He was building an empire among the stars.