579: He spared no effort in ruining his son.

The Ziwei Star Palace, the imperial halls profound and deep.

Bo Yikao, now the Wenchang Star Lord, stood before the towering gates of the Star Palace, gazing up at the ancient seal script characters for "Ziwei Enclosure" that shimmered with boundless starlight, his footsteps faltering slightly.

The vast pressure and the ceaseless rotation of the star Dao emanating from the depths of the Star Palace were far more magnificent than he had imagined while a Mortal, and even more... mountainous with paperwork.

The heavenly official who had guided him withdrew silently.

Bo Yikao took a deep breath, adjusted his brand-new Wenchang Star Lord ceremonial robes, and stepped inside.

Passing through corridors forged of starlight and crossing past countless busy immortal officials and divine officers carrying stacks of starlight documents, he finally arrived at the main hall of the Ziwei Emperor's palace.

The hall doors were wide open, devoid of the solemnity he had imagined for an emperor's court, and instead filled with a... frantic, hair-on-fire chaos.

Mountains of dossiers and Jade Slips nearly submerged the imperial desk, even spreading onto the floor of the hall, forming several teetering "little mountains."

Star charts, compasses, and talisman papers emitting various messages were scattered among them.

In the center of all this chaos, his father, the Ziwei Emperor, Marquis of the West, was buried behind the highest "mountain," revealing only a sleeve of his imperial robe embroidered with the celestial stars, and a hand gripping a vermilion brush, rapidly annotating a Star Domain patrol map that was fully a zhang long when unfurled.

"Ziwei Emperor, Wenchang Star Lord Bo Yikao, acting under imperial decree, has come to the Ziwei Enclosure to pay respects and listen to instructions."

Bo Yikao bowed at the entrance of the hall, his voice clear and steady.

The swiftly moving vermilion brush behind the imperial desk abruptly paused.

Then, with a loud clatter, the piled dossiers were knocked over, causing many to slide down.

Marquis of the West abruptly stood up from behind the "mountain," the hanging beads on his imperial crown swaying violently, colliding to create a delicate, tinkling sound.

He rounded the imperial desk, rushing to stand before Bo Yikao in almost a single stride; the wind stirred by his imperial robes knocked over another small stack of documents.

Marquis of the West gripped Bo Yikao's arms with both hands, looking him up and down.

The shadow of his crown could not hide the sudden redness rimming his eyes.

"My son..." Marquis of the West's voice choked slightly, "You have grown thinner... yet also clearer and more refined."

In just seven days, evil Mortal arts had claimed his life, his soul had undergone Ascension, and his divine radiance had been reshaped.

Bo Yikao's face remained gentle and warm, yet it had shed the last traces of the color and vitality belonging to a Mortal, presenting a jade-like clarity and tranquility.

That was the essence of a deity.

"Father..." Bo Yikao's throat moved slightly; a thousand words were stuck in his chest, and in the end, he only called out softly once more.

He could feel the immense strength in his father's grip on his arms, even a slight tremor.

Marquis of the West patted his shoulder heavily.

"That wretched Ji Fa! That rebellious son!"

"For his own selfish desires, he practiced such evil arts and harmed his own kin... He, he is simply..."

Marquis of the West's chest heaved, clearly furious, and he whipped his sleeve, the resulting gale blowing the scattered memorials at his feet into a rustling clatter:

"Enough! Do not speak of that wretch! He chose his own path, and he shall bear the consequences! The heavenly laws are clear, and there will be a day of reckoning!"

"My son, your death was well-timed! It came at just the right moment!"

Marquis of the West grabbed Bo Yikao's wrist and, without room for refusal, led him to the side of the imperial desk, pointing at the three highest "mountains of dossiers":

"Do you see? The Big Dipper Star Domain defense reorganization outline, the hundred-year inspection summary for the thirty-six thousand auxiliary stars under the Ziwei Enclosure, the draft for fine-tuning the celestial star tracks and re-examining the calendar..."

"And these, the summary of movements of demons and monsters from all directions, monitoring of abnormal Star Power tides..."

He reeled off a dozen items in one breath, speaking so fast that Bo Yikao could barely keep up.

"Your father is entangled in these mundane affairs, working day and night without rest; I cannot even squeeze out a moment to drink a cup of tea!"

Marquis of the West was heartbroken: "But it is better now! My son, you have arrived!"

"You are the Wenchang Star Lord, in charge of literary luck and official examinations. This coordination, reviewing documents, and assigning duties is exactly your specialty!"

Bo Yikao looked at the "three mountains" that nearly touched the starry dome of the hall, then looked at the undisguised, expectant gaze of his father, who was about to be liberated, and was momentarily speechless.

He vaguely felt that he had... jumped into a "divine pit" even deeper than he had imagined.

"Come, my son, sit!" Marquis of the West personally brushed away a corner of the imperial desk to clear a spot, pressed Bo Yikao's shoulder to make him sit, and stood to the side, pointing at the piled documents:

"Father will teach you how to work! Look...!!"

"These are daily inspections and star track calculations; they are tedious but crucial, concerning the timing of the Three Realms."

"You must carefully verify the data and calculate if there are any omissions."

"Use the cyan star-patterned seal for approval, and distribute them to the Left Privy Envoy Gao Youqian; have him coordinate the star officials below to carry it out, complete it within a deadline, and report the results back for review."

"And these..."

Marquis of the West explained quickly and in detail; clearly, these processes had run through his mind thousands of times, and now he was teaching everything he knew, eager to dump it all onto Bo Yikao at once.

He even pulled several imperial seals of different colors and patterns from some unknown corner and pushed them all in front of Bo Yikao.

"Did you remember the usage of the seals? Red for urgent, cyan for regular, gold for mobilization orders... and this main Ziwei seal must not be used lightly, except for major Star Domain changes or appointments of those at or above the Divine Lord level."

"There, try your hand first, starting from this 'mountain'." Marquis of the West pointed to the nearest pile, looking at his son with encouragement.

Bo Yikao looked at the dense array of star charts, documents, and seals before him, then looked up at his father's face, which was filled with the gratification and impatience of "finally waiting for my good son to inherit the family business," and for a moment, he did not know what to say.

He silently picked up an urgent report regarding "abnormal Star Power fluctuations in a certain part of the Southern Dipper Star Domain," composed himself, and began to read it carefully according to what his father had just taught him.

Marquis of the West watched from the side, unable to stop himself from clapping: "Good! As expected of my son!"

"You understand it immediately! Yes, that is how to approve it! You grasped these key points accurately! From now on, handle these just like this!"

He quietly stepped back a few paces, walked to a hidden spot behind the imperial desk, bent down, and pulled out a wine jar made of a translucent white material that was neither gold nor jade.

Marquis of the West held the wine jar as if it were some rare treasure, the smile on his face no longer containable.

He glanced at his son, turned around without hesitation, his imperial robes swaying gently, and just like that, holding the wine jar, he slipped out of the main hall of the Ziwei Emperor's palace with light, almost skipping steps.