The gods were astonished by our sudden grand entrance and stepped forward one after another, bowing their heads and cupping their hands in respect. "Friend white, congratulations on concluding your seclusion today!" God Master Bata came forward to greet us. "Our savior has finally arrived. We old fellows can finally let the heavy stone in our hearts drop," God Master Atu added with a smile. "My apologies for causing all the God Masters so much worry. This junior must first apologize to everyone," I replied, bowing in return. "Oh, friend white, you absolutely must not! You are now the supreme sovereign of all gods; we cannot bear such a gesture," God Master Lengba waved his hands frantically.
"Mr. white? Mr. white!!" Kui Yi disregarded all decorum and rushed toward me, locking me in a tight embrace as she wept bitterly. "I missed you so, so much, Mr. white~" "Sigh. Back when I emerged from seclusion last time, the time I had to suppress my energy was running short, so I couldn't go see you, leaving you to wait in agony," I said, gently brushing back her stray hair. Beside us, my two wives felt a bit awkward and disgruntled, but they couldn't say much at a time like this, which left me feeling rather embarrassed as well.
"Haha, the romantic debt you left behind truly ran us ragged," Lian Kong finally spoke up. "My deepest apologies to everyone; I had my own unspeakable difficulties. Let us first bring the fallen deities back to life." With a single thought, I cast my divine law. All the gods who had been killed by Kui Yi were fully resurrected, and the destroyed temples were instantaneously restored to their pristine states. The reborn deities materialized one by one inside the Star Lotus Temple. "Sigh, it seems everything has finally come to an end," Ao Tian God Master remarked, stroking his beard.
I gently pushed Kui Yi back a bit and bowed deeply to all the God Masters to atone for her sins. "Kui Yi has committed heinous crimes. Today, I apologize to all the deities on her behalf, and I hope you can find it in your hearts to forgive her. I will take her away with me, and she will no longer bring calamity to the cosmos." "Excellency white, you are being far too polite! First, allow us to congratulate you on smoothly concluding your seclusion. Since everything has been restored today, we shall no longer press the matter. We only hope she turns over a new leaf in the future," Yi jie God Master rushed over to support me. "A woman of such fierce temperament is indeed difficult for our universe to accommodate. Since friend white wishes to take her away, we naturally welcome it," God Master Perseus said helplessly.
"You must be the benefactor who saved our world back then. Please forgive our delayed hospitality; my name is Xinya, and I have now wed Lian Kong. Thank you once again for your salvation. Though I do not know your past story, this older sister truly loves you with a profound devotion. I wish you all endless happiness in the future~" Xinya stepped forward to chat. "And these two are...?" she asked, looking at Enis and Suōshā.
"It is a pleasure to speak with you for the first time, Miss Xinya. We are both Hubby's partners," Enis explained. "Oh, so that's how it is... Excellency white, you are quite the playboy, aren't you?" Xinya shot me a look of pure disdain. "Er... Hahaha..." I scratched my head awkwardly. "After all this time, it turns out this whole agonizing ordeal was caused by your romantic escapades, you smooth-talking heart thief," Zisen God Master said with a straight face. "I am truly sorry to everyone~ My most sincere apologies once again~" I bowed deeply to the gods once more. "Forget it, forget it. Since everything has returned to how it was, we'll just treat it as having a bad nightmare. I never expected a guy like you to actually be such a ladies' man," God Master Lulu said with a huff.
"You should apologize to the gods too. We were both in the wrong," I urged Kui Yi. "In the past, this humble girl was blinded by her desperate longing and lost her sanity, causing harm to the Lord Deities. I beg the Lord Deities for your forgiveness, and please do not blame Mr. white. All of this started because of my mistakes; if there is to be punishment, please punish me~" Kui Yi also bent down to offer her apologies. "Let it go. Since everyone has been brought back to life, let this incident pass," God Master Yinjia waved his hand in reply. "Then we shall trouble our friends no longer; we will take our leave now," I said with an apologetic smile.
"Leaving so soon is a bit too rushed. It's rare for friend white to finally finish his seclusion and for all the God Masters to gather in the Star Lotus Divine Realm. Let my wife prepare a family feast so we can all share a gathering," Lian Kong suggested with a laugh. Seeing as everyone was free, they all agreed, and we walked into the grand hall chatting and laughing.
Enis and Suōshā went along to help with the cooking, and Kui Yi was dragged along by Xinya to help out as well. The rest of us gods sat in the grand hall, happily recounting the events of the past few centuries, completely tossing Kui Yi's rampage to the back of our minds. Half an hour later, the four women entered the hall carrying a magnificent feast of vegetarian delicacies, setting the dishes and pouring wine for the deities.
At the head of the hall, Lian Kong raised his glass to give a toast: "For our first cup today, let us toast friend white's successful emergence from seclusion! For the second cup, let us toast the universe being restored to normal, to the joy of all living things! And for the third cup, let us welcome all our dear friends to my divine realm. Let us enjoy a drink together. Cheers!"
The banquet began. "This food tastes wonderful~" God Master Guohan praised as he sampled a dish. "That specific dish was made by Kui Yi's own hands~" Enis chimed in. "This... Haha... It seems tasting fine cuisine requires passing through the gates of life and death first," God Master Guohan laughed wryly. "Ahem, to be able to taste a delicacy handmade by Miss Suōshā makes this old man's temporary death entirely worthwhile," Yi jie God Master said as he ate.
"This lady refuses to just be a diner; next time, you have to teach me how to make this too," God Master Lulu said, dripping with envy. "Of course, you are more than welcome to visit Eden often in the future," Suōshā replied with a warm smile. "Come, my friends, let us not part until we are drunk today!" Lian Kong stepped down from his divine throne, raising his cup to join the revelry. "Cheers!" I raised my glass in response.
After we had eaten our fill and finished the wine, everyone stood up to bid each other farewell. "You're welcome to come visit again next time, everyone~" Xinya said with a bright smile as she saw us off. "Goodbye everyone, we shall gather again whenever we have leisure time~" I led the three women in a final farewell, and together, we returned to our familiar home in Eden.
Perhaps, in the span of an existence of infinite length, we too will eventually follow in the footsteps of the Original God. But aren't all things in heaven and earth part of a continuous, cyclical journey? Truths are constantly overthrown and rebuilt, yet they eternally fall back into similar dead ends... stretching onward into infinity.