The moment Klaus and Ohema emerged from the rift, a completely different world with a whitish-silver with a more hue environment appeared around them.
Their surroundings had changed, and the air... ah, the air. Kent immediately felt a surge of heat come from his back as the Second Paragon Star diagram activated.
Klaus felt it immediately—the spiritual energy in the air began to flow into his body. But that wasn't all; he sensed something else.
< This feeling is just like when I used the Blood Star Moon Transformation technique back in the Demons' Abode. Senior, what do you think? >
[It seems your unusual physique is revealing its true nature. First, you awakened a new talent, and now, it has formed a connection to the moon, allowing you to absorb energy several times faster,] the senior said, and Klaus nodded inwardly.
His attention shifted away from the stares he was receiving and the formidable aura of ten people approaching him.
< At this rate, my first Star Core will form before I leave here,> Klaus thought with a smile, then began to survey his surroundings.
Below, he saw women either picking oranges or pulling weeds from the fields.
"How medieval," Klaus muttered as he glanced around, meeting the curious gazes of those using their senses to inspect him.
"They're all powerful warriors, Klaus. Don't underestimate them," Ohema cautioned, her eyes narrowing as she looked into the distance.
"Looks like we have visitors," Klaus said, smiling.
"Looks like it. Just don't do anything drastic," Ohema said before guiding them down. The moment Klaus touched the ground, he felt powerful auras locking onto him.
"Your people seem much more aggressive than mine," Klaus remarked.
"We're not exactly peaceful, given our living conditions," Ohema replied. "I'll explain everything later."
Anticipating that Klaus would want more details, she made sure he knew she would share the full story in due time. Klaus nodded, and then the ten figures arrived: nine Sovereigns and one Transcendent.
"Princess, welcome back from your journey," the Transcendent said, bowing.
The Transcendent was a woman, and, in fact, eight of the figures who came to greet Ohema were also women, with only two men present. This made Klaus realize why Ohema had said that hers was a matriarchal race.
"Elder Caelia, it's nice to see you again," Ohema said, then turned to Klaus. "This is my husband, Klaus, and I brought him to meet my family. By the way, is Mother around?"
The moment the surrounding women heard Ohema's words, their jaws dropped in shock. Clearly, they thought they had misheard.
The Princess of the Lunar Race had just announced that her husband was a human, and if that weren't unusual enough, he was merely a Grandmaster. Surely, they must have heard wrong.
"Princess, did I mishear, or did you just say this intruder is your husband?" Elder Caelia asked, narrowing her eyes at Klaus.
"Intruder..." Klaus muttered, amused by how they chose to address him. He wanted to respond, but perhaps sensing that Klaus's words would only escalate the situation, Ohema interrupted.
"First of all, he is not an intruder since I brought him here. Second, he is my husband, and I don't need your validation. Now, if you don't mind, we will be on our way," Ohema said, taking Klaus's hand.
Before they could move, Elder Caelia spoke again, halting them.
"I'm afraid I cannot allow this intruder to enter our home... I hope you understand, Princess," Elder Caelia said, narrowing her eyes further at Klaus.
Klaus, who was holding back laughter, felt Ohema's body shudder. He was now witnessing a new side of her—a side that seemed to become angry over something small it seemed.
Realizing he needed to step in before her temper flared, Klaus spoke up.
"You call me an intruder; why is that? From my point of view, you're the ones living on my moon, yet you don't hear me calling you intruders," Klaus said with a smile, stepping forward.
"Humans are not allowed here. Turn around and leave," Elder Caelia said, pointing at him.
"Oh... and what if I don't want to leave?" Klaus asked, still smiling.
"Then we will make you," one of the Sovereigns said.
The ten figures were the guardians of the region where Klaus and Ohema had appeared. While Ohema might be their princess, in their domain, they had the authority to act as they saw fit.
In their eyes, Klaus, as a human, was an intruder, and their duty was to protect their land from anyone who was not moon-born.
Klaus didn't say anything immediately. He first looked at Ohema and asked, "Do you mind if I scare them a bit? I promise I won't kill them." His question made Ohema raise an eyebrow.
"Are you sure?" she asked, worried.
"They're the ones you should be worried about." Klaus smiled, then turned to face the ten Moon Guardians.
"Although I'm not the violent type, I don't have much time to entertain your antics, so I'm going to put you all to sleep," Klaus paused. "Maybe you'll be able to resist somehow. It will all depend on your mental strength."
"Klaus, don't do anything extreme!" Ohema panicked as she sensed Klaus's cold aura seeping out.
"Don't worry," Klaus replied before a wicked smile appeared on his face.
Suddenly, his eyes turned red with hints of darkness. He raised his hand, about to activate the third face on the bead—the Face of Starvation—when suddenly, his surroundings flickered, and he found himself standing in a new place.
A garden, to be precise. But unlike the white field he had just come from, this place was filled with lush green plants, much like those on Earth. Their vibrancy and nourishment immediately calmed Klaus.
Then he sensed it. The rate at which energy was entering his body had increased dramatically this time. A few seconds later, he felt something forming in his soul sea, and his consciousness entered it instantly.
There, he saw his first Qi sea swirling with a reddish-green hue, exuding a much more potent energy that filled his body.
Suddenly, he heard a voice speak.
"Congratulations on your breakthrough, intruder." Klaus's eyes snapped open as he turned to see someone who looked exactly like Ohema. She had the same body shape, height, and facial features.
However, her dark-silver hair was even longer than Ohema's. Klaus immediately recognized who she was. The aura around her was more than enough to tell him she was several times stronger than both Ohema and Queenie combined.
[Brat... this woman is very dangerous. It would be in your best interest to be a respectful human instead of an arrogant Paragon,] the senior warned, making Klaus regard the woman with further caution before a small smile appeared on his face.
He moved forward, and when he was just a few steps away, he said, "Mother-in-law, isn't it a bit extreme to call your son-in-law an intruder?"
Ohema's mother narrowed her eyes, and a small smile appeared on her lips. "So, you are Klaus Hanson."
"The one and only," Klaus replied, his smile widening.