"Hah."
In a stone chamber high in the cloud-piercing mountains of the Shenzhou continent, the cross-legged Hua forcefully exhaled a turbid breath. The deep purple energy, threaded with black lines, was clearly no longer simple Honkai energy; the Quantum aura contained within was exceptionally distinct.
"This is bad."
Hua's words referred not only to her own condition but also to the situation Shenzhou now faced.
The Monarch-class Honkai Beast "Taotie," a subordinate of Chiyou (of Jiu You), was rampaging across the northern lands of Shenzhou. To save the tribes there, Hua had chosen to go alone to eliminate it.
Normally, although the various tribes of Shenzhou were no match for "Taotie," it should not have been difficult for Hua to eliminate a Monarch-class beast.
But that was not how it played out.
By the time Hua rushed to the northern lands of Shenzhou, she encountered not one, but a total of four Monarch-class Honkai Beasts: besides "Taotie," "Hundun," "Qiongqi," and "Taowu" were also lying in wait. That's right, it was a trap specifically for Hua.
In her current state, her combat power was a far cry from that of the Empire's "Apostle." Furthermore, at this point in time, Hua had not yet created her own "Edge of Taixuan" sword style. On top of that, the injuries she sustained in the final battle against Finality had not yet fully healed (similar to Kevin's situation)...
Even by joining forces with Ji Lin, Danzhu, and Cangxuan, they had only managed to repel Chiyou, not slay him.
To simultaneously fight four Monarch-class Honkai Beasts, and in an ambush at that, the peril of the situation was self-evident. Just as "Chiyou" was only nominally Judgment-class, these so-called subordinates of his all had strength that could touch the threshold of the Judgment-class.
After a desperate battle, Hua successfully escaped the encirclement of the Four Fiends.
But during the time she was trapped, the situation in Shenzhou had undergone a major change—the Honkai Beast legions from "Jiu You" launched a full-scale offensive against various tribes from all directions. The clans led by the "Youxiong Clan (Ji Lin)" were completely overwhelmed.
Under such circumstances, Ji Lin proposed the "decapitation strike" plan: venture deep into "Jiu You" and slay Chiyou, the leader of the fiendish beasts, to eliminate the root of the problem.
And what came after that… was the story that unfolded in the Quantum Sea.
---o---
Clink, clink.
Hua picked up the "dolls" that were placed beside her in the stone chamber. These were not the figures sculpted by Danzhu, but rather the "parting gifts" the two sisters had left for their dear friend before they departed: miniature armed puppets made in their own image.
These armed puppets had very few combat functions. Even if used as processors, there were better versions to choose from in the deep mountain repository below: that was the place where they had awakened, a place that stored a vast amount of the Previous Era's legacy, including the [Fifth Key of God · Key of Dormancy].
The two dolls… were companions, meant to ward off Hua's loneliness for the untold years to come.
After learning the full story, Hua had dragged her exhausted body through "Jiu You" and even into the "Netherworld" in search of any trace of them.
But it was to no avail.
Without the help of [One Vehicle for a Thousand Worlds], and even though she possessed two Keys of God, [Grips of Taixuan] and [Fenghuang Down], Hua was still unable to delve deep beneath the chaotic and violent surface of the Sea.
In the end, she only returned covered in wounds.
As for help from Su… it was not time for the decennial "meeting," and who knew which world Su and [One Vehicle for a Thousand Worlds] were currently wandering. By the time he received her message, it would have been far too late.
Just as Hua was about to activate the dolls, to endure the pain and finish reading the "message" she hadn't been able to complete earlier—
"Hua!"
"We're back!"
From a position near the mountain's summit, Danzhu's somewhat goofy and cheerful voice drilled straight into Hua's ears.
"…"
"???"
---o---
"Simply put," Hua began, her right hand on her forehead as she vigorously rubbed her temples.
"An individual from an external civilization, who calls himself 'Yinglong,' the very one Su has been desperately searching for, saved you?"
"That's right."
Danzhu nodded emphatically.
"Whatever his motives may be, the fact that he saved the three of us is indisputable. His mastery over the [Authority of Death] absolutely surpasses that of Elysia when she held Abyss Flower. Such power… accepting it is far 'easier' than resisting it."
"…"
Hua had to admit that Danzhu was right.
She had just used [Fenghuang Down] to "scan" their minds. At least with her level of mastery over [Fenghuang Down], she could not detect any hidden manipulations, and what she saw and heard was no illusion.
Even their physical functions had been completely restored to their most perfect state, as if, well, they had returned to the age of sixteen. Although they appeared quite young, Danzhu and Cangxuan were in fact much older than Fu Hua… if one started counting from a baseline of forty-five thousand years ago.
"Hua."
Cangxuan, who had been standing beside her, spoke up.
"What are your thoughts?"
Hua was not skilled at communication. The vast majority of the thinking and planning details were handled by the two sisters: Danzhu would propose an idea, Cangxuan would supplement it, and Hua would make the final decision.
Simply put, Hua, one of the Thirteen Flame-Chasers, was in fact the leader of this three-person team.
"There are still too many things I don't understand."
"But this news, whether it concerns the 'civilization' or the 'Stigma Project,' must be discussed with Kevin and Su at the meeting."
Discussing it had little to do with Kevin, who had "surrendered his thinking to others."
But Su, who had seen thousands of worlds and was known as the "Enlightened One," would surely be able to provide useful advice.
"This is an unforeseen event, the likes of which has not occurred in tens of thousands of years."
"I imagine at the next meeting…"
"Those two will probably be shocked speechless."
The decennial routine meeting had now become as dull as a report session. Apart from the fact that all three of them were not very talkative, there was another, more important reason…
At times like these, the figure who was best at livening up the atmosphere would unconsciously appear in their minds.
---o---
"Speaking of which," Danzhu said.
"Did we forget something?"
Although the topic of conversation was quite serious, the feeling of surviving a disaster was, after all, exciting—especially now that the external pressure was gone.
"Lady Nüwa."
Ji Lin, who had been listening quietly on the side for a long time, finally had a chance to interject into their conversation.
"Lord… Yinglong, has probably been listening for a long time."
Unlike Cangxuan and Danzhu, whose bodies were merely reconstructed, Ji Lin's body contained the power of the Monarch's [Root Regression]. As long as he wasn't actively concealing himself, Ji Lin could vaguely sense his presence.
"It is of no concern."
A deep, resonant voice sounded in their minds. The giant dragon, coiled atop the mountain peak, slowly revealed its form from the void.
"Time is of little value to me. It matters not if you reunite for a while longer."