Chapter 14: The Shared Secret

Ao Yetian stood in the ancient cavern, the newly forged Quantum Matrix core humming with contained, dark-purple power.

He had the map, the fuel, and the freedom.

All that remained was the final, most personal negotiation.

He had instructed his three anchors—Xiao Ning'er, Ye Ziyun, and Yang Xin—to meet him at the Institute's oldest archives, a safe, neutral space far above the forgery he’d created.

When they arrived, their expressions were a mix of concern, triumph, and deep affection.

"The Sacred Family is in total disarray,"

Yang Xin reported, her eyes alight with the thrill of victory.

"They are selling assets to fund the Purifying Flow inscription, unaware they are cutting off their own roots. Your plan worked perfectly."

"My father is relieved,"

Ye Ziyun added softly, her gaze full of gratitude.

"He said the spiritual anomalies have ceased completely."

Xiao Ning'er simply looked at him, her unwavering trust evident.

"What is next, Yetian?"

Ao Yetian took a deep breath. He looked at the three women—the pillars of his victory, the objects of his twisted affection.

They were no longer batteries, but a shared responsibility he genuinely felt compelled to protect.

He knew he couldn't leave them to wait for the next catastrophe.

"The next step,"

Ao Yetian said, pulling out the CEO card and letting its dimensional power shimmer in the air,

"Is the truth you cannot tell anyone. I lied to Ye Zong, but I will not lie to you."

He explained the origins of his power: the dimensional tear, the card, the truth of his amnesia, and the necessity of the Quantum Matrix below their feet.

He told them that the chaos they were helping him fight was a symptom of him preparing to travel to other universes to find the key to his memories and secure the final, permanent safety of all realms.

"Glory City is safe for now, thanks to your sacrifices,"

Ao Yetian began, his voice taking on the measured tone of a true sovereign.

"But the spiritual energy of this realm is too weak. To truly protect this city, you need power far beyond the Legend Rank, power that exists in the other realms."

He delivered the crucial, final deceit, a lie rooted in the card's inherent capabilities.

"The CEO card is not merely a trading tool; it is a Master Key that governs temporal fields. The Quantum Matrix we built feeds it the power necessary to maintain this highest function. By activating the card for multiversal travel, it will automatically induce a Temporal Stasis Field that covers the entire city."

He looked directly at Ye Ziyun, knowing this would assuage her deepest fear.

"The Demon Beast Horde will not advance. Your father will not age. You can train for years in another universe, acquire true power, and return to an instant where you left, ready to defend your home."

The three women reacted with shock and disbelief, but the logic was compelling.

They had witnessed him create the impossible.

"You are asking us to abandon our home, even if temporarily,"

Xiao Ning'er stated, her eyes narrowed in contemplation.

"No,"

Ao Yetian corrected,

"I am asking you to invest in its future. Dimensional transit is dangerous. I need your purified energies to anchor the passage—not as fuel, but as a stabilizer for the journey itself. It must be a combined power."

He met their gazes, letting the raw, complex affection he felt shine through his calculated confidence.

"I need you not just for your power, but as my partners. You are the only people in existence who understand the true stakes, and I cannot face the truth of my past, or the powers of the other realms, without you."

The lie was perfect. The desire was real.

He needed their unique energies to ensure the stability of the multiversal jump, and he genuinely needed their presence to keep the twisted memories of his past at bay.

The choice, though framed as protection for Glory City, was ultimately a choice of loyalty to him.

Xiao Ning'er was the first to speak, her choice driven by the thirst for power and the opportunity for freedom.

"If I can return stronger, and free my family from the curse of their weakness, I will go."

Yang Xin, driven by ambition and the desire to study the CEO card's functions, gave a sharp, satisfied smile.

"If you can truly grant me access to the resources of the other worlds, I will manage your empire across the stars. This city is a small pond."

Ye Ziyun, driven by duty, looked back toward the City Lord’s Mansion one last time.

"If this guarantees my father's safety, and the defense of the city... then I will go. But you must promise we will return."

"I swear it,"

Ao Yetian confirmed the promise, settling like a binding oath.

"This realm is not yet done with us."

Ao Yetian retrieved the Ancient God Secret Realm Map.

That treasure would be their first objective in the new realm, a way to quickly secure funds.

He led the three women back down to the forge.

Using the Quantum Matrix as a massive power surge, he prepared the CEO card for its first multiversal transaction.

The air in the cavern crackled. The ancient TDG Formation screamed as it was forced to power a dimensional jump.

He placed the CEO card on the ground and then reached for the women's hands.

Xiao Ning'er's was warm, Ziyun's was soft, and Yang Xin's was firm.

Their combined, unique energies flowed into the card, acting as the perfect stabilizer.

[SYSTEM: TEMPORAL STASIS FIELD ACTIVATING. TEMPORAL LOCK: INITIATED.]

[USER: AO YETIAN. DESTINATION: AGAINST THE GOD REALM. ACTIVATE TRANSIT.]

The air tore apart, not with a gentle flash, but a violent, concussive wave of light and sound.

The last thing Ao Yetian saw was the terrified chaos of the cavern being ripped apart by a dimensional wormhole.

They were gone.

The TDG Realm remained, frozen in time, waiting for the return of its shadow savior.