The Spirit Blossom Realm was a peaceful world, safe from the war as it was deep enough in human territory that most demons had no way of reaching it. It had three continents in total.
One was ruled by the Barrier Godās cult, although the God himself hadnāt returned here in a long time as he was busy fighting in the war.
The second continent had the Fatekeepers, a coven of seers created so long ago that no one knew when it started. While they didnāt rule over the continent, their presence alone brought many strong cultivators there, to the point that the royal family of that continent did almost nothing without asking for their suggestions.
Finally, the last and largest of the continents was ruled by the Wood God.
Steelmind hadnāt met the Wood God before, and from what he had heard, the man was so old that he had started entering closed cultivation. No one knew of his status, as the god hadnāt publicly appeared in the past eighty thousand years.
The Fire God left Steelmind upon arriving in the world and decided to visit the Wood God before leaving.
Steelmind said his farewell and went to meet Steelheart on the Barrier Godās continent, where he had founded a small sect in a rural location.
Steelheart had grown physically older since the last time Steelmind had seen him, weaker as well. His wound to the spirit seemed to have taken a toll on him, but somehow, the man seemed happier than ever.
The two greeted each other as brothers, and everything seemed to return to the old days, as though the fact that they hadnāt seen each other in tens of thousands of years wasnāt true.
Steelheart introduced him to his wife, a fair old lady now with graying hair and a weak spirit. She looked even older than Steelheart, from what Steelmind could tell.
Then, he got to meet his goddaughter.
Steelmind expected to see a young girl that he would have to crouch down to talk to, but life wasnāt so simple. It had taken him over half a century to arrive here after receiving the news, and the news itself had taken a similarly long time.
As such, his goddaughter was now a young lady, over a century old. She was a beautiful young woman with long black hair braided behind her. Her clear blue eyes stared at him with a look of nervousness as well as curiosity.
"Greetings, senior. I am Shen Yaojia," the young girl bowed as she introduced herself. "I am honored to meet you."
Steelmind smiled. He was happy for his brother.
Steelheartās face was a sight to see when Steelmind told him the most important news. His wife and daughter were no different.
"You... are a god?" he asked.
"The first Artifact God," Steelmind said proudly. "I ascended to godhood a few years ago in the Sky Godās Palace."
Steelheartās face remained in shock for a long time before it changed again. "Hahaha! I knew it. I knew you would do it," he said. "Tell him, dear. I told you, didnāt I?"
"You did, dear," Steelheartās wife said.
Steelmind was taken aback. "You had already guessed I was going to become a god?"
"I had a feeling," Steelheart said. "They were planning on making different gods, and I have not heard of a single other artifact master besides you. So I was certain this day would come."
Steelmind didnāt know what to say, so he simply smiled. Having someone who believed in him so much felt nice. And it felt even better that he was able to stand up to those expectations.
Steelmind remained in Steelheartās sect for some years, spending his time with his friend and going around to see the Spirit Blossom Realm. In his free time, he helped his goddaughter with her cultivation base, quickly spoiling her.
The girl showed some talent in forging and seemed interested in it too, so after some thought, he decided to teach her. By the time he needed to leave and return to his work, the young girl had improved so much that he wondered if it would be wise to take her back to the Golden Dao Realm.
He brought up the topic with Steelheart and was immediately shot down.
"Iām sorry, brother Steelmind, but I do not wish to place our daughter in the dangers that we faced," Steelheart said. "I would rather she live a short but peaceful life in this world than a life full of war out there. Iām sorry, but I hope you will listen to my wishes."
Steelmind wanted to explain his daughterās talent, but in the end, he decided to accept his brotherās wishes.
"I shall do as you say, brother Steelheart."
It wasnāt long after that Steelmind needed to leave.
Steelheartās daughter seemed to have expected that he was going to take her along, so when she found out that she wasnāt going, she grew angry and sad.
"But I have the talent, father. Ask Uncle Steelmind. Heāll tell you Iām the best disciple heās ever found," the young woman said.
"Still, I deny it," Steelheart said, turning to look at Steelmind, as though reminding him of what had already been said.
Steelmind gave a solemn nod and turned toward his goddaughter.
"Iām sorry, little Shen, but you must stay here. You are far too young to be leaving your parentsā side," he said. "Continue learning what Iāve taught you. Iāll visit again when I can in the future. At that time, we can see if you can leave with me."
It took a while to calm the young woman, but once she was without anger, she nodded.
Steelmind said his goodbye to his brother, knowing it would likely be one of the last times he would see the man. He was sad to leave, but he did, as the war was intensifying and the Artifact God was needed at the front line to help motivate the soldiers with his artifacts.