The Heavenly Martial Empress Returns: An OP Xianxia Returnee LitRPG

Chapter 194: Last Day

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It was our last day in my Inner Realm after these long eight months. I would’ve happily stayed even longer, but a day into eight months was quite literally the limit of how much everyone could handle without suffering from more Time Dilation Deficit or… well, turning them insane.

Despite most people never being capable of “sensing” the flow of Time Essence, it’s there, and when they are within an area where it is greatly warped or disturbed, they will slowly grow more nervous and unease, and when it is for months after months, even an open area like my Inner Realm might feel very tight for them; they need to “breathe” the normal Time Essence outside.

It is just the nature of most beings, although that didn’t apply to Typhon, who I raised here for many years in a few hours outside, allowing him to rapidly and fully mature into the new Beast God of Elios.

Nonetheless, the kids have grown more than enough. Thanks to their quick growth plus the special Growth and Development Acceleration Formation engraved into their bodies, I’ve managed to help them grow quite a lot.

Orion and Athena are almost as if they were seven years old; meanwhile, Rainbow Eyes and Kalana should be almost as if they were five but are four by now. though their bodies are much larger and taller, so they look almost the same age as their siblings in appearance.

Apparently that’s just how big the orc and primal human kids can get—very surprising and amazing, if I say so myself.

Today, as the last day, and as everyone finished their preparations to walk out of the Inner Realm, I glanced at my four children, gathered together in front of me.

We’ve shared quite a lot of great memories together, and I’ve made sure to give them a good childhood. I’ve combined both a strict mother’s teachings, but I’ve also made sure to make them happy, spoiling them quite a lot.

At least they’re a bit down to earth and have learned good morality and what’s right and wrong. They’re strong, very strong, and they could become a serious threat to many innocents if they were to ever grow up to become corrupted people that abuse their powers.

Therefore, I taught everything they had to learn about morality and the righteous way, while also giving them various tests.

I had even let them enter a special tower I made, where they were faced with many problems they had to solve through critical thinking and their own idea of what was justice and morality, and what was right and wrong.

I would say they did fine; they took several tries to get it right though, but… I believe they at least know they shouldn’t hurt or kill people for fun, abuse their powers against innocents, or try to steal from others… who don’t deserve it.

Who deserves punishment, of course, are the “bad guys” evildoers for a lack of a better term. When they see someone abusing another person, take care of them in various means; it doesn’t have to be direct physical contact; just an intimidating aura could take them out, making them faint instantly.

I tried to make sure they don’t misunderstand things, like seeing a father screaming at their child; they’re a bad parent, but that doesn’t mean they deserve to be smacked or killed, and they… I think they learned everything just fine for now.

Why did I put so much pressure into their learning of what was right and wrong? Well, as I said before, because of their monstrous strength.

Although it is wonderful for me to have four more future Venerable-level or even further above allies with me, if they become corrupted or end up going the demonic path, they’ll instead become lethal foes and… I don’t really even want to consider that, but their strength will have to force me to step in if I ever see them using it for the wrong cause.

Although a little mischief here and there is expected, it’ll receive small punishments, so I’ll allow that… pranks and such, as long as they don’t escalate out of proportions.

Nonetheless, because of how they had learned things so well and developed so quickly, I decided to finally give them their “graduation gifts,” as I would like to call them.

And what are these?

Well…

FLUOSH!

My System Scarf, now having grown so long and majestic by assimilating my energies and powers and evolving even further, was ready.

Using my fingers with Soul Blade, I cut four pieces off the “tail end” of my System, it struggled a bit though; it seemed to experience some sort of pain.

“Sorry, but it had to be done.”

After I was done, the four fragments rapidly floated in front of me, resembling transparent, golden pieces of cloth.

They slowly took forms as I shaped them with my Primordial Aura, turning them into golden candies this time.

Why?

Because unlike other systems, which I was wary of and only wore externally, this one had been modified and transformed by me, becoming an extension of my power now.

Therefore, I am sure it can be eaten as a pill, so my babies get the better and upgraded version without any of the soul-parasitizing deal.

If anything, their Souls will become even stronger, which is what I’m aiming for.

One of Orion’s greatest weaknesses was that he had never trained or cultivated his soul properly, so he was very susceptible to attacks that targeted the soul.

I’m talking about the one from the future, as the Orion from the present will suffer no such weakness with this.

“Mama, what’s taking you so long?” Orion wondered, tilting his head. “What’s that?”

“Candy?” Athena wondered. "Oh, I know! They’re pills! The pills that cultivators make, right?”

“Is that so?” Rainbow Eyes was confused. “Hmm, they look like the honey candies that Auntie Mursha makes sometimes!”

“Yeah, mommy’s honey candies are the best!” Kalana nodded. “Oh! Are you done, mom?”

“Yep! All done, my dears.” I nodded, petting their little heads and kissing their foreheads one after the other. “You’re all so precious and lovely; Mama would hug you for eternity if she could!”

I hugged them tightly, showering them with my love.

“Ugh, mom, you’re too warm!” Orion cried; he didn’t like being hugged.

“Hehehe! Mama!” Athena was a mommy’s girl though; she happily hugged me back.

“Hmmm, I want the candy already.” Rainbow Eyes said. “Gimme, gimme!”

“Mama, I want to kiss you too! Mooch, mooch! Cute mama! Hehe!” Kalana always found me "cute,” maybe in comparison to Mursha, who was so large.

“Good kids.”

I quickly stood back up, showing them their gifts.

“These are special candies infused with the power of my System,” I explained. “I am sure I’ve already explained to you a couple of times what the System is, right?”

“Umm… An alien from another world!” Orion said. “And it’s evil, and it eats people’s souls, right?”

“It is a power from the Tower that arrived on Mama’s world and many other worlds, right?” Athena said. "Also, it seems to give power to people, but it also drains their mana and parasitizes their souls for the evil gods to take over as avatars!”

“Well said,” I nodded. “You two have studied well.”

Orion got the gist of it, but he explained it quite roughly; at the very least, Athena paid more attention to classes; she’s a bright and intellectual girl.

“Uh, is the System the thing everyone has?” wondered Rainbow Eyes. “Even mommy, the aunties, grandma, and the other disciples… But not us!”

“Yeah, because it would hurt us or try eating our souls, right?” wondered Kalana.

“Yes,” I nodded. “I didn’t want you to grow dependent on it either. Helping you level up and develop skills would’ve stunted your growth outside of the system,” I said. “Even now I have second thoughts if I should really give it to you yet. As your power is enough, you can reject the system however you want…”

Indeed, my children can reject the force of the system upon them like I can; they’re already at that level, which isn’t something easy; not even the other Gods of the Tower could reject the System Integration.

They’re beyond most Gods by now, super-powered children that take a long effort to teach!

“But I also don’t want to exclude you from its benefits,” I said. “I’ve taught you very well, but there’s a long road where you’ll still continue to improve even further. The System will become your aid; it’ll improve your growth even further, but don’t be dependent on it, alright? The Skills, Stats, Titles, and Powers you gain from it… Don’t rely too much on them; combine them with your techniques and abilities innate to your bodies instead. See the system as a weapon you wield, not at the source of your strength.”

“Okay, I get it,” nodded Orion. “Don’t worry, mom!”

“Yeah! Something like a system won’t control me or something, hehe,” Athena waved her long white hair with a slight amount of pride.

“It’ll be a good weapon, heh!” Rainbow Eyes was getting ready.

“I will be careful then,” Kalana nodded.

“Very well,” I said. “Here, each one of you eats a single candy. It’s sweet and tastes like honey.”

They took the pills and ate them; they were crunchy and flavorful. As I’ve synthesized them to be palatable for children, bitter-flavored pills won’t do after all.

“Hmm, tasty—Eeek?!”

Orion overreacted the most as he felt the power of the System flow through his entire body, and then his soul.

“Uwaaah! There’s something ticklish in my soul! Mama help meeee!”

“C-Calm down! It’s not going to hurt you…”

I calmed him down, petting his head as he hugged my legs.

Despite being their big brother, he sure is a crybaby sometimes!

“Uhm, it felt weird, yeah! But I’m fine now.” Athena was calm through it all. “Ooh! What’s this? The system? It’s like that computer thing!”

“Ouch, ouch!” Rainbow Eyes also complained a bit. “It’s so weird! When will it stop?! Argh- Oh? It’s fine now.”

“Uuuggh… I think I’m going to puke…” Kalana groaned a lot as well. "Mama, what was that? Did you give us poison?”n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

“I-It’s not poison, my god! I would never do such a thing to you four; it is the system! It felt a bit weird, I suppose, I didn’t expect you to be so sensitive to it…  But it’s fine now; I’m so sorry if it scared you. Come here.”

I hugged them a bit to comfort them; they had been a bit too scared about it, more than I would’ve wanted to.

I gave them chocolate and cereal bars to cheer them up, and while they happily snacked on them and felt happier, I asked them about what they could see.

“I see the big window thing,” said Rainbow Eyes. “Is this the System?”

“Nam, nam…” Kalana was eating two cereal bars with chocolate. “Hmm, yeah! I shee the shame twing!”

“Don’t talk with your mouth full, dear,” I reprimanded her slightly. “Orion, Athena? The same?”

“Yeah!” Orion said. “The numbers are annoying to take into consideration though…”

“But we were already taught all about numbers from mama,” said Athena. “Don’t be lazy, Orion!”

Then Athena showed me.

“Right, I got a lot of skills too, mama. Like ten! Am I great?” she asked.

“I also got around ten…” Orion said. “I think.”

“Me too!” Rainbow Eyes said.

“Why do I have twelve?” Kalana wondered.

“Okay, okay, calm down, one at a time,” I laughed. “I guess everyone started with lots of skills right away. Some of them are my direct gifts! But others have developed out of your own innate powers, techniques, and abilities. Now let’s see what they are. Also mind that the stats of your system don’t fully represent your current power but are an add-on, like equipping a piece of armor.”

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