The First, Second, and Third Frames: Consequences [Bonus Chapter]

"You dared to practice using the power of space-time destruction without even condensing your source?" Bishop Anthony’s eyes were wide with disbelief as he pointed at the Heavenly Emperor, seemingly at a loss for words.

The others, standing in a row and enduring the lecture, gnashed their teeth in silence. The recruitment had been too swift, and since their own people were incapable of soul-searching, they wished he had shown a bit more integrity.

Sang Sang glanced at the motionless Heavenly Emperor. She noticed that although his head was bowed, he was blinking and signaling at her, which made the corners of her lips curl upward. *I thought he had turned over a new leaf, but it turns out he’s just trapped by Uncle Kane’s Holy Light restraints and wants me to save him? Serve him right! Not that I have the power to do so, but even if I did, I wouldn’t.*

"Still smiling!" Bishop Anthony snapped. "The Heavenly Emperor is reckless, but you certainly played a part in the space-time collapse and vibration. You even dared to use your domain to cover it up once you were exposed! Do you think you’ve become a god and can easily pacify space-time tremors?"

Sang Sang whispered, "The elasticity of space-time is the strongest among all laws, and its recovery capability is equal to that. As long as the power of space-time destruction is controlled, the primary space-time will automatically freeze and smooth out the collapsed area."

"Sophistry!" Bishop Anthony raised his voice. "You were lucky this time; the point of origin for the collapse was small, and the resulting destructive power was mild enough to be contained before it spread. Had it been a larger space-time, never mind your Interstellar City—even if it were just the size of the planet you live on—it would have shattered your domain into pieces. I guarantee the largest fragment wouldn’t have been bigger than your palm."

Sang Sang lowered her head. "I will be careful in the future. This time, I knew the collapsing space-time was small, so I acted only because I was confident."

"So it *was* your doing. You were the one who caused the small space-time collapse, weren't you?" Bishop Anthony waved his hand. "Stay in the temple and do not go out for the time being."

Sang Sang was stunned. "But I still have my internship."

Bishop Anthony replied, "You already have the Danxia Painting Realm as a guaranteed faith zone. Starting tomorrow, go and intern with the selected Saintess. I heard you chose the Hundred Flowers Saintess. If you covet another’s origin of gestation, then follow her closely and seek enlightenment. We will proceed with opening new faith zones once this current storm blows over."

Sang Sang could only nod obediently. Fortunately, this was already part of her planned itinerary, just moved up a little earlier.

The Heavenly Emperor, however, was in a miserable state. Bishop Anthony felt that Kane alone could not educate him properly, as the boy still had the leisure to experiment with self-study. He decided to send him to the training base for Judgment Knights, where the top young geniuses from across the entire star system were gathered. If he had that much excess energy, he could focus it on his classmates.

The two were to be separated starting tomorrow. Knowing how close they were, Bishop Anthony didn't have the heart to deny them a final moment together. After scolding each of them, he let them return to the Red Leaf Interstellar City.

"Children these days—the greater their potential, the harder they are to manage. You can’t be too lenient, nor too harsh. Even Aslan lied to me for their sake," Bishop Anthony muttered, shaking his head as he watched Sang Sang and the Heavenly Emperor chasing each other into the distance. Keeping those two together was a recipe for disaster. The Heavenly Emperor was untamable, and he had assumed Sang Hongye was more obedient. It turned out she only listened with her ears; her own ideas were no less stubborn than his. They had answered him perfectly well moments ago, yet the moment they turned away, they were back to flirting using the laws of space-time.

Had Sang Sang known what Bishop Anthony was thinking, she would have cried foul. It wasn't flirting; she was disciplining the Heavenly Emperor. Tomorrow they would be heading in different directions, and there was still much to do. If she didn't show him the consequences now, he would surely turn the world upside down next time.

"Your Majesty, Bishops Qi Ning and Rong Guang have both sent inquiries regarding the recent space-time tremor. How shall we respond?" the second assistant asked in a low voice.

Bishop Anthony pondered for a moment. He first turned to Kane and said, "Go to my third storage room, take the Ruin Gun, and give it to Sang Hongye. Then, give the Timing Disk to the Heavenly Emperor." He then provided the answer to his assistant: "Just reply that the children were ignorant and channeled space-time power into the Ruin Gun, causing a small-scale collapse. Fortunately, with the Timing Disk present, no actual damage was caused. Tell them I will invite them for a drink in a couple of days. As for the others, the Main Brain did not issue a danger alert, so what are they poking around for?"

"The Ruin Gun to Sang Hongye? The Timing Disk to the Heavenly Emperor? Based on their energy fluctuations, Sang Hongye’s attributes lean toward defense, and the Heavenly Emperor’s toward offense," Kane confirmed.

"This isn't a gift exchange; we aren't catering to their preferences. It is precisely to strengthen Sang Hongye's attack and the Heavenly Emperor's defense," Bishop Anthony frowned slightly. "This tremor affected most of the temple; it’s impossible to hide. But that is fine. By conquering the Danxia Painting Realm as a faith zone, Sang Hongye’s space-time laws have already attracted attention. If news of her ability to cause a space-time collapse spreads, it will deter those who harbor ill intentions."

He sighed and added, "I didn't want to expose the Heavenly Emperor so soon, but since he won't cooperate, there is no other way. Aside from keeping the true tempering records confidential, let him do as he pleases. You cannot hold such a genius too tightly; too much pressure will either ruin him or turn him into an enemy. The final record in my core files is twenty times. This high figure is credible enough to be believed, yet not so exaggerated as to terrify those old monsters into trying to wipe him out."

When Sang Sang and the Heavenly Emperor returned safely, the others, who had been terrified by the massive commotion, rushed to comfort them.

Little Dragon Lord hugged the Heavenly Emperor in surprise. "Heavenly Emperor, it’s so good that you’re still alive!"

Green Bud rushed over as well. "Yes, yes! I thought you were done for."

White Thorn crossed his arms and said with the air of a little adult, "I even guessed that Uncle Kane would dismantle you into parts and suppress you for several centuries to smooth out your rough edges before letting you return."

Little Dragon Lord and Green Bud nodded repeatedly.

Before the Heavenly Emperor could even land, the three little ones pounced on him. He had been touched, thinking he should go easier on them when he beat them up in the future, but the next second he was fuming. "You little brats, stand still!"

While the Heavenly Emperor chased the little ones, the atmosphere elsewhere was quite harmonious. Sang Sang took Duo Duo from Tom, patted his head, smiled at Little Jin, and listened to everyone chattering away.

Tom was unfamiliar with Bishop Anthony and was particularly worried about Sang Sang, who had been taken away. "Uncle Kane said the accident caused quite a stir. There’s a lot of discussion on the Star Network, with everyone asking what happened and why those who have condensed their source felt a dangerous warning of heart palpitations. It seems quite serious; even the Universe-level powerhouses who rarely appear have been drawn out. Were you punished? Minors shouldn't be sent to the Judgment Tribunal, and if it's just a fine, we have plenty of money now, so don't worry about that."

Hu Yang was calmer. "The accident happened in our private Interstellar City and didn't spread outside. Although the space-time tremor alarmed many, Bishop Anthony came personally, so surely nothing bad happened, right?"

Ye Xiu smiled and answered for Sang Sang, "You are overthinking it. It might even be a good thing."

"I also don't think it's a bad thing, it’s just that my rest time is gone. Starting tomorrow, I have to go intern with the Hundred Flowers Saintess," Sang Sang sighed, then reminded the Heavenly Emperor, "Tomorrow you are heading to the Judgment Knight training base. Take advantage of the rest of the day to pass the interview for your guardian knight, otherwise, don't complain if the person Senior Pearl chooses isn't to your liking."