85: "Emperor" position elevated

Star Calendar 99802, the fifth year of the Pillar of Leaders' total lockdown.

Once a bustling, open symbol of the Human Federation's power and glory, the Pillar of Leaders had now been transformed into an invisible interstellar fortress.

Invisible spatial fold force fields, like billions of layers of transparent cocoons, wrapped the entire core area. Their intensity was sufficient to make the Divine Thought of any Stellar Level expert feel like it was trapped in a quagmire, unable to glimpse even a fraction of what lay inside.

The usually bustling interstellar shipping lanes had long been cleared, replaced by the Xuntian Pavilion fleet patrolling twenty-four hours a day.

Like silent sentinels, their cold mirror surfaces reflected the distant starlight; any unauthorized approach would be analyzed, locked onto, and even annihilated within a ten-thousandth of a second.

The "Law of Silence" had been elevated to an unprecedented height.

All communications entering or leaving the Pillar of Leaders, regardless of Rank, had to pass through layers of filtering and encryption by the core main brain of the Jingsi Hall; any information involving specific internal conditions would be absolutely physically isolated.

This place had become the deepest point in the Human Federation's information black domain—only entry allowed, no exit.

Such unprecedented martial Law was not because of an impending foreign enemy, but to guard the most precious Treasure Trove since the birth of the Human Federation—four Innate Sun Bodies growing at a speed that defied understanding.

One year old, War God Peak! Two years old, Planetary Level early stage! Three years old, Planetary Level middle stage! Four years old, Planetary Level high stage! Five years old, already Planetary Level Peak!

This was the terror of Innate Sun Bodies, which had no Bottleneck before reaching Galaxy Level!

Yet the center of all this martial Law, or rather, the "source" and "focus" of all these changes, was living a life of nearly absurd leisure, completely different from the tense atmosphere outside...

Five years was enough to change many things.

For instance, Chen Jun's status.

If five years ago, the fawning of Stellar-level Experts towards Chen Jun still carried a bit of utilitarian "investing in the future" and anxiety about "fearing liquidation."

Then five years later, this fawning had been completely internalized, becoming an instinct from the bone marrow, the highest unspoken rule throughout the Human Federation.

All of this stemmed from the fact that those four little girls had clearly expressed their will right after birth, showing an undisguised, even "domineering" closeness and protection towards their father.

...

In the early morning, Chen Jun yawned, shuffled in his slippers, and slowly wandered to the "Stargazing Pavilion" in the manor, preparing to breathe in the fresh air that, even after being filtered by layers of force fields, still carried the expensive fragrance of negative ions.

Just as he sat down on the stone stool carved from "Ten-Thousand-Year Warm Jade Marrow" in the pavilion, a huge shadow loomed over him.

"Master Chen! You look great today! One look and I can tell you are blessed with great fortune, your longevity equal to the heavens!"

Great Emperor of Bedrock, Shi Yue, this tower-like man was currently holding a jade bowl larger than a washbasin, inside which rippled an amber, viscous liquid, emitting a strange fragrance that made one's pores relax.

A near-devout smile was plastered on his face, his waist bent extremely low as he steadily offered the jade bowl to Chen Jun.

"This is the freshly brewed 'Ten-Thousand-Year Earth Core Jade Marrow Nectar'. Old Shi here used my own life-source star core fire to calcine it for forty-nine days, removing all the harsh energy. It is the most nourishing! Would you like to taste it?"

Chen Jun didn't even lift his eyelids, just lazily let out an "Hmm," and picked up the matching spoon made of polished "Star Tears" from the side, scooping a spoonful into his mouth.

"The taste is a bit bland." He smacked his lips.

Shi Yue's expression turned serious, and he immediately said: "Yes! I've noted it! I'll double the ingredients tomorrow! No, triple it!"

This was already daily routine...

Shi Yue was responsible for Chen Jun's "breakfast nourishment," five years as one day, rain or shine, and constantly adjusted the recipe and heat according to Chen Jun's casual comments, striving for perfection.

A subordinate at Planetary Level Peak once didn't understand and privately asked Shi Yue why he was so servile to a Mortal.

Shi Yue just glared with his bull-like eyes, looking at the other person with the eyes of someone looking at a fool: "You know nothing! Just follow this Venerable's lead! This is called strategic investment! Understand?!"

...

In the afternoon, Chen Jun lay on a special rocking chair on the manor's lawn, squinting his eyes to sunbathe, with the battle in "Interstellar Candy Crush" in full swing on the light screen beside him.

Sword Venerable of the Nine Heavens, Li Qingshan, stood silently three meters beside him like a shadow without emotion.

Chen Jun felt his mouth was a bit bland, and his gaze swept over the fruit plate nearby.

The fruit plate was filled with top-tier Spiritual Qi fruits from various strange Star Domains, each one teeming with Spiritual Qi, their skins tough; ordinary War God Level experts would need to exert their full energy just to cut them open.

Chen Jun's gaze lingered on a "Purple Heaven Thunder-Patterned Fruit" covered in natural thunder patterns for less than 0.1 seconds.

"Swish!"

A Sword Qi so subtle it was almost imperceptible flashed by.

The skin of that Purple Heaven Thunder-Patterned Fruit was artfully and evenly sliced into thirty-six pieces, scattering around the fruit plate like petals, revealing the crystal-clear, thunder-imbued flesh inside.

The flesh was also precisely divided into eight perfectly identical slices, each one floating up and steadily flying to Chen Jun's mouth.

The entire process was silent, faster than the limit of visual capture, without even a drop of fruit juice splattering.

Chen Jun opened his mouth, caught a slice, and nodded with satisfaction: "Old Li, your craftsmanship has improved."

Li Qingshan was expressionless, but the sharp aura that had remained unchanged since ancient times seemed to soften just a tiny bit.

To him, being able to use this sword that had extinguished stars to peel fruit for Chen Jun was not a humiliation, but a kind of... glory?

He had once coldly said to the Planetary Level bigwigs who tried to imitate him: "Your Sword Intent is mixed and impure; are you worthy of being near Master Chen? If you disturb Master Chen, ten thousand deaths would not be enough to redeem you!"

...

In the evening, Chen Jun and Lin Wei were taking a walk in the manor to digest their food.

Master of the Sky-Patrol Pavilion, Chu Yueyao, this female Stellar Level expert who managed the Human Federation's supervision and intelligence and held immense power, was personally leading a team of maids to change Chen Jun's bedding.

She carefully held the "Calming Cloud Quilt" woven by Venerable Yuehua herself from the silk spun by "Star Dream Silkworms," and gently spread it on the large bed Chen Jun had, which was crafted from the branches of the "Fusang Divine Tree," smoothing out every wrinkle.

"Mr. Chen, Mrs. Lin," seeing the two of them, Chu Yueyao immediately stopped what she was doing, a flawless, slightly intimate smile appearing on her face.

"Is the 'Soul-Calming Incense' delivered today still suitable? If you feel the concentration is not right, I will have someone adjust it immediately."

Lin Wei was still not quite used to it, and quickly said: "Master Chu, just let the people below handle these trivial matters, how could we trouble you..."

Chu Yueyao, however, said seriously: "Mrs. Lin, that is where you are wrong. Mr. Chen and your daily life and safety are the Human Federation's top priority; how can it be left to others? I must confirm it personally to be at ease."

She turned to look at Chen Jun, her tone carrying a sense of seeking instruction: "Mr. Chen, what do you think of the thickness of this cloud quilt..."

Chen Jun waved his hand casually: "It's fine, just leave it like that."

Only then did Chu Yueyao breathe a sigh of relief, as if she had completed a sacred mission.

This was not an act.

For five years, everything used in Chen Jun's bedroom, from a cup of water to the bedding and furniture, had been personally overseen by Chu Yueyao.

There had been spies from hostile forces lurking in the Pillar of Leaders who noticed the birth of the 4 Innate Sun Bodies.

Because news of the lockdown could not be passed out, holding the idea of success or death, they tried to poison him by bribing low-level officials responsible for Chen Jun's daily necessities.

The plan was still in its budding stage when the entire chain of three hundred and seventy-one people, including two deceived Planetary Level officials, were uprooted by the Xuntian Pavilion and evaporated overnight!

Chu Yueyao used the most ruthless means to announce to all members of the Pillar of Leaders: Any existence attempting to threaten Chen Jun would be completely erased!

...

The ultimate certification of his status actually came from Yun Xi.

At a supreme meeting attended by all Stellar-level Experts, when discussing how to cultivate the four Sun Bodies.

A very senior Stellar Level expert, out of habit, proposed to "isolate" Chen Jun from the decision-making circle, believing that as a Mortal, he should not know or influence such core decisions.

Yun Xi, who had been silent, slowly raised her eyes, that pair of eyes that could see through the ages sweeping over the crowd calmly, and her ethereal voice resounded in the depths of everyone's Soul with unquestionable decisiveness:

"From this day forward, Chen Jun's status is equal to ours."

"Wherever the Human Federation's territory reaches, wherever its resources extend, and wherever its will points, Chen Jun enjoys the same authority as I do. His will is one of the Human Federation's supreme wills."

"This order is to be recorded in the Human Federation's Eternal Code, never to be changed for ten thousand generations."

Once the words were spoken, the whole room was silent.

Equal to the leaders!

This was not empty talk, but a formal recognition written into the Human Federation's Eternal Code, possessing the highest legal force!

From then on, Chen Jun was no longer just a "strategic resource" or a "living ancestor"; legally, he had become another "uncrowned emperor" of the Human Federation in substance!

When the news spread, the last trace of doubt and restraint in the hearts of all Stellar-level Experts completely vanished.

The attitude towards Chen Jun was completely upgraded from "fawning" to "serving."

Especially those Planetary Level bigwigs, they completely turned into "sycophants" from flattering him.

And the root of all this status came from those four little monsters growing at an unimaginable speed.

...

Another uneventful day...

Chen Jun had just finished "guiding" Dean Mo Heng on the latest project regarding "optimization of comfort for fully immersive gaming pods," and sent away the "profusely grateful" science dean.

He stretched, walked to the window, and cast his gaze gently toward the specially reinforced lawn in the distance.

[part:deepseek-chat]

His four daughters with Innate Sun Bodies were there, their very presence like four miniature suns of varying forms, illuminating and warping the surrounding space.

On the eastern side of the lawn, the five-year-old Yue Xi hovered half a meter above the ground. Pure, gentle solar radiance flowed around her, coalescing into a faint, shimmering golden halo behind her.

Her eyes were closed, long lashes casting shadows on her luminous little face, as if she were contemplating something.

Suddenly, she opened her eyes—eyes that seemed to concentrate the brilliance of stars—and looked towards a gardening robot not far away that was trimming a 'Starlight Tree.' The robot, its program malfunctioning, was flailing its arms, about to damage the trunk.

Yue Xi's small brow furrowed slightly. She extended a fair, tender finger and pointed gently at the robot.

A soft yet irresistible golden light flashed. The robot instantly froze, a stream of complex data flowing across its surface before the red light in its eyes winked out.

When they lit up again, they shone with a docile blue light. The robot resumed its trimming, its movements now several times more precise and orderly than before.

"Broken, fixed~" Yue Xi murmured in her childish voice, a hint of satisfaction appearing on her little face.

To her, purging the chaos from a program was as simple as wiping dust from a mirror.

Having done this, she seemed to remember something. Her small nose twitched, and in a flash—as if teleporting—she appeared beside Chen Jun, wrapping her arms around his leg.

"Daddy, up!" She tilted her little face up, her voice soft and sweet.

Chen Jun smiled and bent down to pick her up.

Yue Xi immediately nestled her head against the crook of his neck, taking a deep breath. The pure solar radiance surrounding her, as if alive, gently enveloped Chen Jun.

Sensing the faint, almost imperceptible thread of life force within Chen Jun, she happily squinted her eyes. "Xi Xi gives Daddy light-light!"

Chen Jun felt the warm, invigorating solar radiance nourishing him, seemingly capable of dispelling all weariness.

Although it was utterly useless, it made his heart incredibly happy.

This was his eighth daughter. One moment, she could casually purify machinery; the next, she clung to him like a little personal heater.

From the center of the lawn came a series of dull *thud-thud-thuds*.

There, Xuan Sha, with her fiery red hair, was perched on the neck of a fifty-meter-tall 'Planet-level Peak Training Puppet · Ultimate Model,' forged from special memory alloy.

Her small fists, wrapped in crimson-gold solar radiance and Battle Intent refined to its peak, hammered against the Puppet's hardest head armor like pile drivers.

The armor, capable of withstanding attacks from Planet-level Peak Experts, now resembled cheese melting under high heat. Clear fist imprints were left behind, and it could not repair itself!

"Big lump! Don't move! My daddy is resting!" Xuan Sha scolded fiercely in her childish voice while pummeling.

The Puppet's AI System seemed to recognize 'Chen Jun resting' as the highest priority command. It indeed froze in place, allowing her to 'abuse' it.

The manufacturer of the training Puppet, the 'Mysterious Tortoise Venerable' renowned for his defensive prowess, stood some distance away. Far from distressed, he looked utterly pleased, stroking his beard as he spoke to Marshal Xuanji beside him:

"Xuanji, Sha Sha's Fist Intent has truly inherited your legacy, even... surpassing the master! This destructive power, tsk tsk, I fear even my 'Indestructible Mysterious Armor' won't hold up against it in a few years."

Marshal Xuanji, arms crossed, allowed a rare smile to touch her coldly beautiful face.

Having tired herself out, Xuan Sha leaped down from the dozens-of-meters-high Puppet, landed steadily, patted her small hands, then charged towards Chen Jun like a little leopard, grabbing his other leg.

"Daddy! I beat that noisy hunk of iron quiet so it wouldn't disturb you!" She looked up, seeking praise, her ruby-like eyes full of 'praise me now' expectation.

Chen Jun looked at the fine beads of sweat on his ninth daughter's nose and her 'I'm the best' expression, unable to hold back a laugh. He ruffled her fiery red hair. "Sha Sha is amazing, Daddy's little guardian."

Xuan Sha immediately puffed out her little chest, brimming with pride.

On the western side of the lawn, Su Yuan, with her emerald hair and jade-green eyes, was squatting beside a cluster of the latest, highly unstable 'Quantum Entanglement Orchids' delivered by the Academy of Sciences.

These orchids could randomly emit particles affecting Mental Energy, making even War God Level experts wary of prolonged proximity.

Yet Su Yuan extended a small hand so pale it was nearly transparent, gently stroking a violently trembling petal on the verge of disintegration.

Within her jade-green eyes, countless intricate streams of data, like life runes, flashed past.

"Energy node conflict... here, here, and here... needs to be like this..." she muttered softly. From her fingertips flowed vibrant emerald-green solar radiance, seeping into the petal's structure like the most precise surgical scalpel.

In the next second, the previously near-collapsing Quantum Entanglement Orchid abruptly stopped trembling. Its petals became plump and stable.

The particle waves it emitted turned gentle and orderly. Even the plants in a small surrounding area began to grow wildly, flowering and bearing fruit.

"All fixed!" Su Yuan clapped her small hands and stood up.

Turning and seeing Chen Jun, she immediately toddled over on her short legs. Unlike her sisters who hugged his legs, she extended an index finger and pressed it against Chen Jun's arm.

A cool, comfortable, analytical flow of life energy entered Chen Jun's body.

"Daddy's body... is so strange," Su Yuan tilted her little head. Those complex data streams flashed again in her jade-green eyes, her small face full of focus and confusion.

"Readings show it's broken, empty... but the core seems locked... Yuan Yuan can't fix it, can't understand it..."

She withdrew her finger and sighed like a little adult. From her exquisite little pouch, she pulled out a piece of candy she had just 'optimized' with her ability, shimmering with rainbow light, and stuffed it into Chen Jun's hand.

"Daddy, eat candy first! When Yuan Yuan gets a little bit stronger, she'll definitely find a way to 'fix' Daddy and make him healthier!"

She clenched her small fist, her promise sincere, her gaze pure and determined.

Chen Jun looked at the 'candy' in his hand, imbued with such immense vitality that Planet-level Experts would fight desperately for it.

Then he looked at his tenth daughter's earnest yet troubled little face, feeling both moved and amused.

Being treated by his daughter as a precision instrument in need of 'repair' was certainly a unique experience...

At the edge of the lawn, Liu Qing, with her dark silver hair, was the quietest.

She wasn't as 'active' as her sisters. She simply stood there quietly, her small hands held loosely.

Above her palms, a sphere of pure dark silver energy was slowly taking shape, swirling with miniature galaxies within.

This was no ordinary energy ball. It was a 'miniature stellar core' she was simulating by using her own solar radiance to manipulate matter and gravity!

The space around her warped slightly due to the gravity of the 'stellar core' in her hands, bending the light.

"Here, density insufficient... gravitational constant needs adjustment..." Liu Qing's silver-grey eyes calmly observed the stellar core in her palm as she murmured to herself.

Her slender fingers moved slightly. The internal structure of the miniature stellar core instantly became more condensed and stable.

Seeming to tire of standing, her gaze swept over an inconspicuous grey stone nearby.

In the next moment, the stone seemed to be instantly disassembled and reassembled by an invisible force.

Behind Liu Qing, it transformed into a dark silver chair perfectly sized for her, with sleek lines and a metallic sheen. The chair legs even dug deep into the force-field-reinforced ground.

Liu Qing sat down contentedly and continued to fiddle with her 'stellar core.'

Only after finishing this did she look up towards Chen Jun, surrounded by her sisters.

She didn't run over. Instead, she extended a small hand and made a grasping motion towards the ground beneath Chen Jun's feet.

Chen Jun felt a slight tremor underfoot.

The soil in the small area where he stood had its Impurities instantly removed and compressed, its structure optimized, even embedded with a few fine threads of jade marrow capable of spontaneously gathering Spiritual Qi.

It had transformed into a warm, smooth piece of 'jade soil' with built-in 'Spirit Gathering' and 'massage' functions.

Only then did Liu Qing give a slight nod, a barely perceptible flicker of satisfaction in her silver-grey eyes.

For her, this was her way of expressing closeness—giving her father the best material environment.

Chen Jun felt the comfortable sensation and faint energy nourishment from beneath his feet. Looking at his youngest daughter sitting quietly on her self-made throne, commanding a 'stellar core,' his heart swelled with emotion.

These four girls: one was a purification repair technician and human-shaped power bank; one was a violent demolition crew and personal bodyguard; one was a life architect and specialist for difficult cases; one was a matter controller and the Federation's appointed engineer.

Their strength was absurdly powerful, their mental growth speed terrifying. Yet, their dependence on their father and their innocent childlike hearts remained exactly as they should be for five-year-olds.

Watching them gather around him, chattering, each vying to express their unique form of 'love,' Chen Jun's old father's heart felt immensely satisfied...

Chen Jun sensed the eternally flickering numbers.

[Remaining Lifespan]: 135 years...+10...+10...

His heart stirred slightly. Another week had passed, hadn't it?

Xi Xi, Yao Yao, Lu Lu, are you ready?

On the long, long road to immortality...

Glory!... How could it... come only from daughters... and not from oneself?