Archwizard K’s Journey In The Cultivation World

Case 96: Divergent paths.

To become a deity.

During the five centuries for which Kierra had lived, this question had certainly come to her mind many times. If she could actually become a deity, what would it be like?

Would she have the power to shape civilizations as everyone knew them? Would she be able to merge continents, freeze ocean water, or cause a mass extinction with only her thoughts?

Perhaps.

Of course, with great power comes great responsibility, but Kierra was prepared to be a slacker god any day.

And... of course, the archwizard could already do all of the things she thought a god could, albeit with more difficulty. Truthfully, if being a god made those things easier, Kierra would readily embrace it.

However... the more she heard about divinity, the more she rejected the idea.

Being able to manifest anything into reality—this big selling point of divine power—was precisely what turned Kierra away. Sure, for those who had an absolute goal they must fulfill, walking on the path of the divine was certainly a good option.

Yet, Kierra was, at heart, a wizard.

A wizard wasn't a wizard just because they could cast spells. A wizard must be someone who lived their lives studying mana—someone curious enough to improve themselves through their experiments.

In a sense, it was closer to science.

If Kierra were to throw away her inherent passion for magical research... would she still be a wizard?

Certainly not.

Kierra wanted to remain a wizard. That was her identity.

'Besides...'

She just beat a god.

Sure, her odds were stacked in her favor, but she still killed a deity. Perhaps even that true pinnacle of magic, [Astral Oblivion], could only compete with an ordinary god. Perhaps.

Still.

Still...

Feeling her heart thumping as if rejoicing with her mind, Kierra smiled peacefully.

''...''

''...''

The wind blew.

In Wen Zhuwei's eyes, Kierra's image had never been this beautiful. Seeing someone like her, who was usually cocky, this honest with her emotions... it was as though she was a painting itself.

''Thank you, Heavenly Shura.''

As the archwizard stood up, Wen Zhuwei hurriedly called, ''W-Wait.''

''Hm?''

''Do you... plan to become a god?''

With a victorious smile, Kierra uttered,

''Nope. I don't need to be a god to beat a god.''

The opening of the gate between the two worlds was set to be three months after Angelica and Diamante arrived at the Central Divine Realm. 

During this period, the realm above would try its best to stabilize the situation before the guests arrived. No matter how powerful Kierra's group was, they couldn't cover all of the frontlines at once, so support was definitely needed.

Meanwhile, the crew at White Lotus was busy training. Under Angelica, who was somehow even stricter and crueler than Kierra, they spent most of their time drowned in suffering—either being exhausted magically or physically.

It wasn't until two weeks had passed that they finally got a day off.

Dragging their barely conscious bodies back to Kierra's 'house,' which they got the 'key' to a while back, only silence remained.

At this point, all they wanted was to take the archwizard's perfect body as a pillow and sleep for an eternity. Still, it would be five or potentially seven people hugging one Kierra, so it wasn't a very promising prospect.

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What was all this effort for anyway?

Upon entering the house, the first thing they saw was...

''Kgh...!''

''You idiot, that hurts! That hurts!''

''How about you stop burning me, hm?''

''No! You stop first!''

Somehow, one lady with sky-blue hair and one with candy-pink hair were wrestling on the floor, their fierce match leaving the furniture in disarray.

''...What in the world happened here?''

As they would soon find out, August and Diamante were fighting because... they had nothing better to do. Apparently, Kierra was currently 'locked in,'  so they couldn't try and bed her like before.

''Locked in? In what?'' Tian Yun inquired.

''It's a habit of her,'' August replied, sighing. ''Once she had set her goal on something, she wouldn't stop exhausting herself to achieve it.''

''Right, right!'' Diamante interjected. ''It looks like she's trying to push the limit of magic again. My wife is too powerful!''

The five looked at one another.

It was definitely strange. Kierra had only been interested in qi ever since she first came here, but now magic out of nowhere?

''You guys can admire her studious appearance, too! Don't bother her, though.''

The responses to Diamante's cheerful suggestion were pleasant.

''Why are you guys fighting, anyway?'' Mie Xieren blurted out.

Inflating her cheeks, the pink woman glared at August, ''I told this idiot that I would be better at reducing Kierra's stress, but she didn't listen!''

''No matter how you spin it, I am the better one here.'' August calmly refuted. ''Nothing beats a warm, nice backhug.''

''Huh?!?! You only want to hug her!''

''What would you do, then?''

''Napping on her lap! She told me I was similar to a dog, so that should help!''

Strangely, Diamante's argument was convincing. Perhaps August's reputation as a mean woman helped that.

Nevertheless, the crew ignored Diamante and August before walking to Kierra's room. Beyond the slightly opened door, the warm light of the table lamp illuminated the surroundings, casting a shadow of the person sitting before it onto the wall.

Kierra, now having her long hair tied into a ponytail, was busy scribbling on a piece of paper, her focused eyes shielded by a layer of glasses. 

For some time, all five of them were drawn to this rare sight of the archwizard.

Her little movements, like twirling the pen, furrowing her brows, or pouting her lips, all made for a perfect 'troubled beauty' image. Moreover, one look at the numerous mathematical and magical formulas written on the whiteboard suggested something deeply advanced.

She wasn't just any troubled beauty; she was a genius troubled beauty!

''...What are you all doing there?''

'''' Ah. ''''

Maybe it was too blatant.

So, one by one, the women trudged into the room. Like curious little squirrels, they popped up behind Kierra to see what she had written. Seizing the opportunity, some even dared to touch Kierra's bare shoulders!

''How did your training go?'' 

Nevertheless, Kierra asked, figuring out that she needed some rest, too. She had burned herself the last two weeks, so an hour or two to play would work.

When the answers were a bit ambiguous, the archwizard immediately understood what happened. 

''Did Angelica bully you?''

She turned around and took all five of them into her embrace. For a moment, a mother's warmth could be felt by this simple hug. Once the floodgate was opened, complaints after complaints poured out, yet strangely, none expressed any hatred toward Angelica.

''Good girls. You know what is good for you. That is admirable.''

So, a few dozen minutes passed by as Kierra quietly encouraged her harem. The crew felt as though they were babies being taken care of, but faced with Kierra's irresistible voice, they surrendered immediately.

''Hm?''

That was when one of them, who was resting her chin on Kierra's shoulder, noticed the paper that the archwizard was working on.

'The... eleventh mana circle...?'