Zeonen, The Prince Of God Realm

***God Realm***

Pink-white petals showered from the sky. The gorgeous palatial structures of the Heavenly God Realm floated on blue-white clouds, basking under the dazzling radiance of the celestial sun.

Divine cranes and unicorns carrying guests and well-wishers swirled above the golden palaces, while elegant servants in gold and white received the visitors at the enormous gate.

Iris walked behind her father and mother, the War God Saros and Water Goddess Amara of the Beastly Realm, as they crossed the golden threshold.

'I must break up with Zeonen. He is weak and has no ambition. As the daughter of the War God, how can I be associated with such a spineless idiot!?'

She was the beautiful daughter of the Leader of the Heavenly Soldiers, and he, the son of the Heavenly Emperor, leader of the Gods. Coupled with his peerless appearance and noble aura, Iris used to think he was the perfect match for her.

That was, until she met Iblis.

Iblis was nothing like Zeonen. His aura was turbid, but carried an oppressive might. His appearance was a notch lower, but his eyes were like a twin of black holes, deep and dark, with the power to suck one's soul.

When she witnessed the ease with which he handled the Life Absorbing Specters in the Chaos Void, Zeonen Cosmo immediately lost the charming appeal that attracted her to him.

What was an enchanting face and a noble aura, when he didn't even have the ambition to conquer the Seven Realms?

Iris was only a hundred years old, the age of a 10 year old human child in the Mortal Realm, but she already knew what she wanted in life.

Compared to the Heavenly throne of the God Realm, the throne of the Seven Realms was more enticing and to her liking.

With a confident smirk, she raised her head and proudly strode into the Heavenly Court.

Wide and spacious, the golden pillars of the court stood proud and tall. Exotic engravings of dragons and phoenixes adorned the building, while a giant golden disk, with gold light glowing behind it in imitation of the sun, served as the Emperor and Empress's throne.

The open style of the golden structure gave the palace a panoramic view of the swirling blue-white clouds floating outside. As the rays of the celestial sun spilled into the vast hall, the screeching white cranes served as background music.

At this moment, the hall was filled to the brim and buzzed with energy. The Gods and Goddesses from the seven realms, with their sons and daughters, clasped their hands, and deeply bowed to the Heavenly God Emperor.

"Heavenly God Emperor Cosmos, our greetings!"

"Haha! No need for the formalities. Everyone, relax. Today is my son's birthday. As part of the coming of age ceremony, Heavenly Prince Zeonen will receive his own surname. How about you all help me come up with a surname for him? Your Heavenly Empress...ahem...she's unable to stick with one name..."

"God Emperor, are you purposely trying to aggravate me?" Empress Lutetia glared at her husband, her eyes sharp as knives. She couldn't believe he said that in front of the Realm Gods.

The Emperor's jovial countenance immediately cracked. "That..." His gaze shifted around the hall, seemingly seeking help, when his sight fell on a familiar figure. "Ah! Zeonen is here!I'll go and get him." Like an ant on hot coals, he jumped to his feet and swiftly descended the golden steps.

Grabbing his son's arm, Emperor Cosmos secretly released the breath he'd been holding. "Zeonen, what took you so long? Everyone has been waiting for you."

Exchanging knowing smiles, the gods and goddesses pulled their children and took their designated seats. The scene of the honorable Emperor enthusiastically leading his son onto the golden dais was amusing, but no one dared to laugh out loud.

Zeonen glanced suspiciously at his Father Emperor. The man was being disgustingly clingy, which meant...his gaze flickered to his Mother Empress, and when he saw the cold sneer on her visage, understanding dawned on his face.

"You're using me as a shield again, aren't you?" He expressionlessly questioned.

"So what if I use you as a shield? As a son, isn't it your duty to protect your Father Emperor when he's in danger?" Emperor Cosmos shamelessly snorted and stuck the young man to his side.

Sigh. Why was life so hard? He was the Heavenly Emperor, but before his wife, he couldn't help but tremble and cower behind his son...

And this stinky son...

The Heavenly Emperor's expression darkened with dissatisfaction.

Zeonen scoffed and ignored his Father Emperor. His gaze eagerly swept the hall as he searched for her figure.

Iris.

There she was, sitting between her father and mother, her black gems sparkling as if they contained countless stars within them.

They haven't seen each other for a while. He had been too busy training his divine skills and increasing his Celestial Energy.

After nearly two months of separation, the girl became more charming.

Zeonen smiled.

After his coming of age ceremony, he would have the qualification to ask for her hand. "Old man, begin the ceremony already. I don't have all day."

"You..." Emperor Cosmos felt frustrated.

Wasn't it bad enough he had to tuck his neck in front of his wife? Why did he have to listen to his son's orders as well?

"It's fine if you don't want to. We can just skip the ceremony." Zeonen nonchalantly added.

The Emperor's jaw twitched and his eyes flickered. After a few seconds of contemplative silence, he released a long sigh, resigning to his fate.

Who asked him to adore his wife and love his son? Now, he had no choice but to lower his head before them.

Emperor Cosmos smiled helplessly, the love in his eyes was unconcealable as he proudly addressed the crowd.

"Gods and Goddesses of the Seven Realms. Today is my son, Zeonen Cosmos's hundredth celestial birthday. After the surnaming ceremony, he will no longer carry the surname Cosmos. In the future, the Seven Heavens will know him by his new surname. As per tradition, the Heavenly Prince's Heavenly Princess Consort selection will also be held after the banquet concludes."

Instantly, excited murmurs and jubilation swept through the court. The Heavenly Princess Consort of the Heavenly Prince would be the next Empress of the God Realm.

The honor, glory, and authority she would hold among the goddesses would be the highest on the hierarchy.

Unfortunately...the position was already reserved.

At this thought, flames of envy and jealousy burned in the young females' eyes.

"Father, there's no need to hold a selection. I..."

"Zeonen, I don't want to become your Heavenly Princess Consort. I'm still too young to be engaged."

Right at this moment, the soft voice of a young girl resounded in the hall.

Zeonen froze. A hint of confusion flashed through his sapphire orbs as he turned to Iris in disbelief. "Too young? Didn't you say you couldn't wait to be my Princess Consort before?" When did she care about such restraints? And it wasn't like they would get married any time soon.

A dark frown appeared on Zeonen's face as it dawned on him that the girl was only making an excuse.

Iris's pupil's constricted. She had said something like that before. But now that she wanted to completely severe her relationship with Zeonen Cosmos, how could she admit to it? "I might've said it, but you know I'm not of age. How can you take my joke seriously? Besides, you...you still haven't made a breakthrough in your Celestial Path."

With these words, the hall fell in dead silence. The young females exchanged strange glances, baffled at this unexpected piece of news.

Iris Saros...she didn't want to become Zeonen Cosmos's fiance. Did the two have an argument, or was there something wrong with his Celestial Universe?

As these thoughts floated in their minds, the females' heated gazes immediately cooled. They deeply scrutinized the outstanding youth, their earlier envy and jealousy doused by the possibility of the Heavenly Prince having a cultivation problem.

Empress Lutetia's gaze frosted over. This girl of the Water Goddess had been lingering around her son for 4 decades. Directly or indirectly, she had hinted at wanting to become her future daughter-in-law.

Now, in front of the realm gods, she actually said her words were a joke!? What's more, by mentioning Zeonen's stagnant celestial energy, she was basically cutting off all his chances to find a qualified Princess Consort.

"If you're not of age, then you shouldn't have gone around making such jokes. The princes of the other realms might begin to question your upbringing." The words of the Empress were cold enough to freeze, sharp enough to slice.

Her displeasure was apparent to all.