Chapter 500: Bob

[Congratulations Bob, you have been granted sapience by the Origin of Rebirth]

Bob became aware for the first time. Like the big bang, his new consciousness rippled through his body as all the million individual nodes became connected into one single being. They all pulsed in sync as he had his first-ever thought.

"I'm hungry."

There was a lot to unpack here. First, who was I? Apparently, he had a name... Bob.

"Bob hungry."

No wait. "Bob is hungry."

He, the great Bob, was hungry. Why was he great? He decided he was. As for hunger? Why was he hungry? What did he usually eat? How could he eat? Wait, why was his name Bob?

So many questions. Thinking was hard, which made Bob even hungrier.

[You are being promoted to a General Class Ent. Please stand by as your cultivation level is raised, your cognitive processing speed is enhanced, and basic knowledge is imparted to you]

There it was again, the words that had greeted him upon his awakening. He could not read, yet he seemed to understand the meaning behind the words.

Bob was about to become even greater. That made him happy.

Why was he happy? What was happiness? Bob did not know, but he jiggled with excitement. Who knew thinking could be so much fun? His consciousness began to feel heavy as information flooded in. It was all so foreign and fascinating as he sifted through it.

[Raising cultivation level from Soul Fire Realm (approx.) to Nascent Soul Realm 7th Stage. Please stand by]

[Absorbing surrounding Qi]

Bob began to feel warm and satisfied, and his world brightened ever so slightly.

[Absorption rate too slow. Increasing input]

[Absorption rate of surrounding Qi is too slow. Switching to divine energy for a faster ascension rate...]

[Absorption rate too slow. Increasing input]

[Absorption rate still too slow. Increasing input tenfold]

Bob began to feel warmer. Although it wasn't enough to be fully satisfied, he was happy. He was finally starting to feel full. He wasn't sure how much time had passed, as he had never experienced the flow of time before, but it had to have been a while, as he had time to sift through all of the new information he had been granted.

[Due to the immense amount of divine energy within your soul, the manifestation of the Primordial Force of Absorption, also known as the entity 'Bob', has been recognized by the heavens as a demi-divine entity]

"Oh," Bob said. That seemed like a good thing, but he wasn't sure.

He then felt his body being moved somewhere. It was colder than before, and he could feel a wind caressing his outsides. From the information, he knew he was likely 'outside' and there was a 'cold gust.' However, for now, worrying about the outside was too daunting a task. He still had so much to ponder over and discover about himself first.

[Prompting a maximum-strength heavenly tribulation, please stand by]

"A what now? Maximum strength?" Bob quivered in fear. What if it hurt?

[Tribulation has begun]

Bob waited, yet nothing happened. All he felt was a slight tingle.

Doing the slime equivalent of a shrug, he went back to studying.

***

Ashlock was starting to feel bad for the populace of the surrounding cities. When living next to a typical noble family or even sect, a Star Core Realm ascension would be a once-in-a-lifetime event for a mortal, let alone a Nascent Soul Realm one.

But over the last year, there had been more ascensions than he could count, and the one Bob was experiencing was almost on the level of Nyxalia's ascension in Desolark City, formerly known as Nightrose City. The sky was a sea of enraged golden eyes that were doing their absolute best to obliterate Bob by raining down endless divine lightning. Compared to the typical ascension that felt more like a test, Ashlock had no doubts that the heavens were trying their absolute best to kill Bob, and he had to simply watch them try.

After Bob had almost drained his entire Inner World of all his gathered divine energy, his system had informed him that the amount of Qi Bob required to ascend was on another level that only the heavens themselves could provide, which led to the current situation.

Bob casually basked under the heavens' wrath, alone with no cultivation aids, formations, or assistance, and glowing like molten gold, yet otherwise unfazed by the heavens' attempts to smite him down.

It was honestly quite badass. Ashlock suspected that gods far more powerful than he still suffered through tribulations even after making the required preparations, yet Bob didn't care. He was quite literally built different.

"How is the populace reacting to the news?" Ashlock asked Diana as he saw her return to Red Vine Peak while keeping a careful distance from the flashing lightning. She stopped beside the other powerful members of the sect he had posted on Red Vine Peak, ready for Bob's inevitable awakening.

"Quite well, the populace is apparently loving the story," Diana said, showing him the newspaper in her hand. On the front page, a giant title read: The All-Seeing Eye welcomes a new General—Bob the Unstoppable Surge.

Below was an article providing vague information about Bob and the recent rise in strength within the Ashfallen Sect, along with updates on the situation with the Beast Tide and other matters. After the Night of Reckoning and the spread of misinformation, Ashlock came up with the idea of starting a newspaper to share updates with the populace more easily.

"Good," Ashlock said. Of course, with Bob draining his Inner World of divine energy, he decided to make use of this spectacle of his ascension to farm some more divine energy and sacrificial credits. He utilized the newspaper to ensure people's awe of Bob's ascension was directed toward him, allowing him to reap some benefits from the headache and destruction Bob had caused so far.

"There's also an article about Tartarus's grand opening to the public in here," Diana said as she flipped the page. "Vendors and a select few from the sect will be allowed in first to set up their shops, and the cultivators will test out the staircase to make sure everything is working as intended. Oh, that reminds me, Tiberius was wondering if a branch of the Eternal Pursuit Pavilion could be built inside Tartarus."

"Huh, Tiberius? Do you mean the Celestial Warden? Wait, did he and Nox finish their... whatever that was?"

Diana nodded. "It seems they figured things out and are dating again."

"How—" Ashlock began, but then remembered Nox's dryad form and suddenly couldn't blame the man. "Never mind. Did Nox approve of his request?"

"It seems she is on the fence and awaiting your answer."

"Then no."

The abruptness of his refusal seemed to catch Diana off guard, but she nodded in understanding. "I thought so. Allowing an organization that belongs to the Celestial Empire so deep into our sect is a bad idea. I'll let him know the bad news."

"Bad news for him, but I'm sure Nox will be fine with my answer," Ashlock said. He suspected Nox was lonely, which was why she had accepted Tiberius's advances. Allowing him to basically move in after she had spent so long avoiding him felt like too big a step. If Nox had asked him to allow it, he would have considered it. He wasn't one to interfere with his sect members' personal affairs, and while Tartarus was a pocket realm under the Ashfallen Sect, it was entrusted to and controlled by Nox. In a way, she had the final say.

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

[Bob's cultivation realm has reached the Nascent Soul Realm 7th stage]

[Tribulation has reached its zenith and will soon collapse]

Two system messages appeared in his mind, warning him it was time.

"Everyone, get ready, the tribulation is about to end."

His words seemed to strike a sense of seriousness into everyone present, and he could hardly blame them. It was somewhat horrifying watching a being shrug off such a brutal-looking tribulation like it was nothing.

Larry floated forward, the air around him bending to his Monarch Realm level cultivation. Kaida's tongue flicked out nervously as the Celestial Ink Dragon rechecked the runes engraved on his scales to ensure he was ready to deploy an immense containment formation at a moment's notice. Zephyrine was also here, watching with interest. Diana was holding a sleepy Maple in her arms and took to the skies. He had gathered them all here, as any one person trying to fight Bob was a fool's errand, as the heavens were experiencing. The only way to win was to blast him with as many different Qi types as possible.

"Are you sure this creation of yours will be loyal?" Zephyrine asked. "Because if a soul brimming with that much divine energy goes supernova, nothing within a ten-mile radius will continue to exist."

Khaos was the one to answer, her voice carrying the chill of the void.

"A General's loyalty to the Overlord is absolute."

Zephyrine side-eyed Khaos, who had returned a few days prior from her deep investigation into Stella's pocket realm. Apparently, things were going well, and he had no need to worry.

But when it came to Stella, he found it impossible not

to worry. Even if people called him overprotective or too doting, he would conquer the stars if he needed to for her. Which sounded nice in concept, but Stella really had a talent for making him act on his claims.

While he was lost in thought, the tribulation overhead began to wind down as the heavens finally gave up on their worthless attempts to smite the golden blob. Tensions rose as the dust and chaos settled.

Deciding to use Anubis, he had the shadow lich cautiously approach the inert slime. Once Anubis stood before Bob, it was obvious just how much the slime had grown by how it towered over the already tall shadow Ent like a building to a human. If he had to guess, Bob was over twenty meters tall now and almost as wide.

"General Bob, can you hear me?" Ashlock said through Anubis. "It's Ashlock, your—" he paused, searching for the right word, "—creator."

It felt terribly weird to admit he had created a lifeform, at least one as grotesque and monstrous as Bob.

The slime did its equivalent of turning its head as it seemed to curiously take in the world around it. It moved ever so slightly, inspecting the grass and rocks around it, before finally acknowledging the existence of Anubis.

Posturing as if it were about to try eating Anubis, Ashlock asked again, "Bob, can you hear me?"

Looking past Anubis, Bob stared straight at Ashlock's trunk. It was fascinating how expressive the slime could be without a face.

Everyone tensed.

"It's me, Ashlock. Your creator—"

"Father?" a childlike voice filled with wonder asked, dispelling the tension right away.

"Um," Ashlock didn't know how he should respond to a Primordial Force calling him that. Yet at the same time, it was hard to refute, as it was technically correct. That was if one ignored the fact that the whole process had been handled by his system and not him.

"Are you my Father?" Bob asked again, lurching forward and almost crushing Anubis in the process.

"I am the one who gave you sapience," Ashlock confirmed, "so in a way, I suppose you could refer to me as father, though a term like creator or Overlord is more appropriate—"

"Father!" The still sparklingly bright molten gold slime yelled excitedly as it surged toward him like a tsunami with immense speed, "Bob is hungry!" His body morphed into the perfect concave shape for a hug.

None of his sect members seemed too keen to get between them as they all postured to the side.

"Should we stop him, my Lord?" Khaos asked hesitantly.

"No, stand aside," Ashlock said as he watched the incoming tsunami of slime and sighed. One menace of a daughter had been enough, and now the universe had conspired to give him a son who was shaping up to be more of a challenge.

Ashlock's immense trunk trembled, and his canopy rustled ever so slightly as Bob attempted to hug his vast trunk. While it might have seemed wholesome from an outside perspective, Ashlock felt a sudden drain on his Inner World and noticed Bob's golden body dying black from his desolation Qi.

That's when he realized what Bob meant by being hungry. His own child, who was also supposed to be his General, was feeding off him. "Get him off," Ashlock said, and everyone present worked together to pry the golden jelly off his trunk. Yet, despite Bob being a cultivation realm below a few of them, he put up quite the resistance. Kaida's scales floated into the air, and a spatial containment formation manifested around Bob.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the formation began to rapidly degrade and weaken as Bob took on a purple hue. The Primal Force of absorption wasn't one easily contained. Perfect for the battlefield, less so for family disputes.

Just as he was wondering what to do with Bob, a tiny voice in the back of his mind seemed to be calling out to him. Curious, he focused on it and realized it was coming from the Eternal Realm.

Panic instantly set in.

"System, use Progeny Dominion on that offspring. I need to see what is happening."

***

Stella had enjoyed a rather quiet few months in the pocket realm. Despite initially being adverse to spending a long time away from Red Vine Peak, the time had gone surprisingly quickly. This was likely because she had ended up in a more populated and lively pocket realm than she had been expecting, and she had even made friends. Khaos's surprise visit had also helped stave off the homesickness for a little while.

Sitting under the demonic tree in her front lawn that she had grown, she was surprised that in a few short months it had grown to a considerable height, providing adequate shade from the chaotic spatial storm overhead. Out here, it was usually peaceful and quiet—a perfect place for her to continue her cultivation. Being on the cusp of the 7th stage of the Nascent Soul Realm, she was incredibly happy with her progress thus far.

However, that peace was true for most days.

Today was special. The front lawn was alive with activity—tables covered in food, gifts, and more surrounded her, alongside smiling cultivators from all walks of life here on the Citadel. Nobles mingled with some of Kael's Rift Born friends and enjoyed the festivities.

The occasion? Her 18th birthday. She had planned to return to Red Vine Peak before such a day arrived, but at least here on the Citadel, it was January. She had been here for almost an entire year—or something like that. It had all passed in a blur with how much cultivating she had been doing. She was simply going off the calendar. She wouldn't have bothered at all if not for Kael insisting she do something and offering to organize everything.

With a lilac drink of unknown ingredients in hand, she leaned against the tree and looked up into its scarlet canopy while reminiscing about the old days. "I wish Dad were here," she muttered, and she didn't miss the slight flinches from a few of the nearby Tessellate family members who overheard her words. She wasn't dumb. While she was a little confused as to why they went to such lengths to please her, it was obvious that the Tessellate had deemed her a threat and were doing everything they could to accommodate her. They had even extended an invitation for their council, which she had swiftly declined, to their shock.

A chance for more meetings? No thanks.

'Should I call your dad for you?' the tree she was sitting under asked by rustling its leaves.

"I'm sure he's busy..." Stella said, but trailed off. What could Ash possibly be busy with? All he did was sleep all day after defeating the Beast Tide. "Actually, yes, could you call him for me?"

The Tessellate family began to move closer to her from many angles, nervousness shifting in their expressions.

"Your Highness," Thalos Tessellate said with skin-crawling politeness. "Is your father going to be coming here?"

Stella laughed and shook her head. "He can't come all this way."

Thalos nodded. "For someone of your father's stature, I'm sure it's difficult to move around without creating waves."

"Yeah," Stella said, not correcting his misunderstanding. Ash was a tree. He couldn't move even if he wanted to. She looked down into her cup, unsure if Ash was even able to contact her, considering the distance. That's when her eyes widened as she felt an immense presence traveling through the ground beneath her. It hadn't even been a few seconds, yet he was already here?

Everyone else at the party noticed it a moment later as the demonic tree exploded with divine golden flames mixed with the promise of ruin from desolation Qi.

"Stella! Is everything okay?" A voice erupted from the tree without care for anyone who dared to listen to the hundred voices overlapping. The weight of a divine being suffocated the surroundings as Ash was in full panic mode.

Stella facepalmed. "Yes, Dad, I'm fine," she said, ignoring the fact that he had blown her cover by using her 'real' name, not that Stella would ring any bells for the people on the 6th layer. "I just wanted to invite you to my birthday."

"Oh," Ash said, his tone oozing with relief. "I thought you had slaughtered another pocket realm and gotten yourself in trouble again. A birthday, huh? Has it been that long?"

Stella bobbed her head. "It has Dad, at least for me." She crossed her arms and jokingly said, "Do you have a present prepared for me?"

There was a pause. "You know what, I do actually."

His tone was... suspicious to say the least.

Stella raised a brow. "Really?"

"Yeah, it's around twenty meters tall, golden, and loves hugs."

A desolation portal began to tear overhead, shocking the daylights out of everyone present. What Ashlock was doing so casually was the entire purpose of the Citadel—to find someone who could create portals between layers of creation.

Stella, however, was more concerned about this strange-sounding gift.

"Can you tell me more?" Stella asked as she narrowed her eyes at the desolation rift.

"Okay, okay, one last hint. He's also your brother."

"Brother?" Stella was perplexed. "Janus is coming to visit me? But he isn't gold."

"No, it's not Janus. Say hello to your baby brother—Bob!"

"Huh?!" Stella was baffled as the sky darkened and an immense mass fell through onto her front lawn. The golden abomination jiggled as it loomed over all while the desolation rift continued to circle above it like a portal to hell.

This thing was supposed to be her sibling? Just what kind of sick joke was Ash playing on her?

Bob looked around at the festivities as everyone stumbled back in terror.

"I'm hungry," Bob said in a childlike voice that didn't match his appearance at all. He sounded cute and huggable. He reached out with a tendril and began devouring the food for her birthday party.

Stella glared at Bob.

Bob stared back, food suspended in his tendril.

"Put it down," Stella demanded.

Bob didn't move.

"I'm your big sister, you have to do as I say," Stella said seriously.

Bob's entire body rippled and seemed to shrink somewhat. "Okay..." he put the food down.

"Good," Stella said, grinning. "An obedient baby brother. Not the gift I was expecting, but one I'll accept nonetheless."