Rise of the Cosmic_Emperor

"But..." Ford began but Rita was not yet done.

"We're Hal's backbone. We're his support and we are there for his goals and his goals are grand.

Taking it easy won't cut it.

Besides, if there is one thing that is clear to us all, it is that things with Hal have never been slow. He possesses cultivation and strength that no youth his age should have.

He has plans that no sane youth should have and yet, we know it is an achievable dream.

He was away for a year but now that he is back, he is sure to have gotten even more strength."

"He's back?" Edvard asked the question that was on the lips of anyone who was not Hal's woman or sensed his return.

Eyes were directed at Selina who was sure to have sensed Hal's return.

"Yes he's back" Selina confirmed while Karmen watched the proceedings as though she were bored.

Rita continued,

"Things will continue to proceed on his end and for now, we will have to proceed as well.

We are only just about to guarantee that we spread the faith to the whole of Cruz county.

While that is indeed progress, it is not enough progress.

We can't slow down.

At least not for now.

For the past year, while he was away and Selina could not consult with him, we have acted as we believed he would want.

Now that he is back and has not given the order to slow down, I believe we should continue as such"

Rita would not let them slow down.

If things went according to schedule, it could still be a few months before they had the Cruz county totally submerged in the faith of the Sapphirine prince and she saw no wisdom in slowing down because of a threat that was not paramount yet.

Besides, she was certain that by the time they got the attention of the Duchy capital, they would either not have to battle or have the strength to battle.

Even right now, she was almost at the mid-stage of the Cosmic Aurora realm while many Barons or Baronesses like the Baron of the Kirsten Barony were still at the Comic phenomenon realm.

Only the County capital could possibly prove a threat to them as they were now but by the time they have a showdown with the capital after having gotten control of all the baronies under them, there was no way Victory would not be theirs.

Eventually, the same principle would most likely be true for the Duchy capital.

She, Karmen, Lillian, and Olivia had practically cleaned up the heaps of gold and blue gems within the tomb, and only the two who had come with Lucile had actually gotten more than them.

Harold and Jared had only picked enough to not look as though they had been idle while their master was behind the crystal door.

A majority of the wealth that had been in that hall had been packed into the spatial rings that Rita had gotten as spoils during the battle royale.

In terms of wealth, Sapphire city, and by extension (or primarily depending on how you look at things) the Sapphirine cult was not lacking.

They had more than enough to get the resources they needed to improve themselves long term.

"Well done," Hal told her telepathically and he sensed the pleasure she felt from his words before he pulled himself out of watching the proceedings.

There was no need for him to intervene.

Rita had said what he wanted to be said and the cult proceeding with their quest of corrupting the county was what he wanted.

The Sapphirine cult was his seed of corrupting progress in the Silva Duchy and so far, since he left the city, he had planted seeds in two other Duchys.

One of them is the Doxon duchy and his seed is his control of the Doxon family which would eventually transition into control over the Doxon Duchy.

The other was the Dreg Duchy and his seed there was the Silver moon sect who were all tied to him by contracts.

He could go about sowing seeds, Duchy by Duchy but he was considering just doubling down on those three Duchys and once he had control over them he could use them together to take over the others.

After all, the Doxon, Silva, and Dreg Duchys were the closest to the Imperial city, and control of them, to him, translated into eventual control of the Imperial capital.

Hal freshened up and only when he was done did he pass information to his ladies in regards to how to use the key to enter the Harem space whenever they wished and from wherever they were.

Of course, as an [Upset Victory Package], this was not the only application of the Infinite keys and Hal would come to understand this later especially when it became time for him to find his way to the Dystopian continent.

When the three ladies woke up, Emily and Amelia refined the essence they had gotten from Hal with their bodies absorbing the energy greedily. Missing the feel of the essence in the system.

Over the past year, both mother had daughter had seen improvement in their cultivation by making use of scripts that Emily had gotten from the tomb.

Emily had advanced to the early stage of the Cosmic semi-saint realm while Amelia had advanced to the peak of the Cosmic Phenomenon realm.

There was no guarantee that they would have any more breakthroughs in the coming years (without Hal's intervention at least) but this level of improvement was to be admired.

As for Sassy, she just had her first time with her master and while she did not grab him and seek constant contact with him, it was clear in the look in her eyes that she was aware that their relationship had changed.

Not a change to overly change things but surely one that would increase, and rightly should, increase Hal's possessiveness of her.

***

Hal spent just one more day in the Doxon Duchy and he did not visit the Doxon Family once. Rather, he spent time with all of his ladies who were in the Sensual palace along with Sassy who got wilder with intercourse the more times she engaged in the act.

When they left the Duchy together the next day, Sassy was not curled around his wrist in a miniature serpent form and entered the teleportation building with her human form and Hal paid for her to be transported along with him.

For the first time, Sassy experienced moving through the void and when she was out of it and at their destination, she was with her master and like him, she refused to give her name and only had her image taken.

They were in the Royal District which was home to the Royal Academy and as Hal looked at the Royal Academy, he smiled to himself.

He had never really seen the use of being a part of the Academy and he still didn't.

His Dao would require unorthodox means and he could not rely on the knowledge of elders or predecessors which was basically all that the Royal Academy had to offer.

How was Hal to know, as he and Sassy boarded a carriage to take them to the Academy, that he was about to face trial?