After suffering eight defeats in a row, Bihua finally achieved victory. This kind of accomplishment, gained through hardships and tribulations, led to a gratifying outcome. The sense of satisfaction from this achievement was magnified!
Bihua was in high spirits, feeling the emotions of the Lone Wolf. This was the complex psychological journey of having to kill a close friend or relative to uphold duty and ninja vows. This sense of immersion was extremely dramatic for Adventurers, greatly enhancing their understanding of the characters and improving the adventure experience—it was a wonderful feeling.
Yet now, her mind was filled with questions. Why did Lady Butterfly go to such lengths, and why did she choose to serve Weiming Genichiro? Could the special power possessed by the Dragon Heritage Divine Child, Hirata Kuro, really turn around a declining country?
Although this battle had been won, too many questions remained unanswered. Bihua, not skilled in digging into the plot and intelligence, decided to leave these matters to Time Traveler.
She put her sword back into its sheath and was about to retreat when a strong sense of crisis struck again. The giant Buddha statue, over ten meters tall, in front of her collapsed with a thunderous crash, like a mountain of gold and a pillar of jade falling down.
Boom!
The massive tremor caused smoke to fill the entire Buddha hall and made the already precarious structure collapse. Just as Bihua's vision and perception were blocked by the smoke, she felt a blade pierce her body from behind.
"What's going on?"
The sneak attack came too suddenly. She had been pierced through the vital point before she could react. The huge samurai sword that pierced her was all too familiar.
"It's... Father Owl's sword!"
In the next moment, the giant blade was pulled out, and Bihua lost her support, falling to the ground. The wooden roof beams of the Buddha hall were breaking, and pieces fell one after another, burying her on the spot.
"Damn it!"
Bihua's vision gradually blurred, plunging into darkness. However, this time the word "Death" representing failure did not appear immediately. After a period of darkness in consciousness, she suddenly felt some of her senses returning to her body.
When she opened her eyes, she saw a young man in plain clothes rush into the sea of fire. This child was trying his best to move away the heavy wooden beams pressing down on him. Despite his hands being burned and bloody, he did not stop. This person was none other than the Divine Child, Kuro.
"Please leave..."
Bihua couldn't control her body. She guessed she was probably in a cutscene state at that moment. Kuro struggled to move a heavy charred piece of wood, his eyes filled with determination and concern.
"You stood up and fought for me... How can I leave you behind?"
What a foolish child. But how could a child possibly save her?
Everyone was searching for the Divine Child, and now that he had returned, he would completely lose hope of escape.
As Bihua had these thoughts, a small, scarred hand reached in and placed itself on Lone Wolf's right hand. Bihua could clearly feel the warmth transmitted by the young man.
Kuro whispered, "Lone Wolf... please live on with my blood..."
In the Eastern Land, every force, family, and even slightly wealthy merchant family would raise ninjas for their own use. For them, ninjas were just tools to be discarded decisively once they had no value.
Hirata Kuro was a noble Divine Child. He disregarded his own safety and tried to rescue a humble ninja. This act, regardless of its outcome, was enough to move the Adventurers.
Not only that, but Bihua, playing as Lone Wolf, was deeply immersed in these emotions. She knew that in the entire Ashina Country, the only person capable of sneaking up and assassinating her with that giant blade was Father Owl!
Bihua followed the ninja precepts and killed her teacher, Lady Butterfly, but was then assassinated by Father Owl, who had shaped her values since childhood. The impact of this series of changes was unimaginable!
However, Bihua, or Lone Wolf, did not feel much anger or sadness. She merely felt confusion, as if a belief she had held her entire life had suddenly been proven false and shattered. It wasn't until Kuro reached out to her that a new belief sprouted deep within her heart.
Bihua felt the change happening within her. From this moment on, the ninja she was playing, named Lone Wolf, might have a stronger reason to swing her sword—one that could transcend the ninja precepts!
**Adventure Ended!**
**You have obtained "Phantom Ninja Butterfly's Essence"!**
Bihua exited the Secret Realm and returned to Miracle City, but her emotions could not calm down for a long time.
"This is the best adventure I have experienced so far!"
When Bihua withdrew from the role-playing state, she felt incredibly moved and excited.
In the ten years since her debut, she had explored hundreds of Secret Realms and experienced nearly ten thousand adventures, big and small. Bihua could unhesitatingly rate this adventure experience as the best in her life so far.
Whether it was the scene, the visuals, the combat, or the plot—the twists, rhythm, and emotions were all extremely impactful.
It allowed Bihua to be completely immersed, as if experiencing a second life. This was a masterpiece—a Secret Realm that could be called a work of art!
In addition to the unique and complete experience, another crucial factor for Adventurers to evaluate the quality of a Secret Realm is the output it provides.
In this round of adventure, Bihua obtained an essence.
**[Phantom Ninja: Butterfly]**, Second Tier Character Essence...
When she displayed the essence, the Secret Realm Lobby erupted with excitement.
"Bihua the Great has dropped Lady Butterfly's essence!"
"Another Named Soul!"
"Oh my god, only one day apart, Miracle City has produced another Named Soul!"
"Too strong!"
Although Bihua was the leader of an Adventurer group, she had never obtained a Named Soul in nearly ten years. She had only been in Miracle City for two days and personally obtained one from the Secret Realm. The impact and shock of this were unimaginable.
Completely convinced!
Absolutely awed!
Bihua had not yet met Lord Qi Ji, but she was now extremely curious: what kind of existence was he? Did he have three heads or eight brains, or why could he create such an incredible, shocking magical Secret Realm?
Bihua had lived this long without sincerely admiring anyone. Now, however, she felt a strong admiration for the Lord of Miracle City!
Although she obtained a precious Named Soul, Bihua was still a contracted Adventurer of Tianyun City and could not use the power of Miracle City under these circumstances.
She couldn't help but feel the urge to switch jobs. Although changing affiliations would incur huge costs and consequences, compared to the joy and gains brought by Miracle City, what were they?
If she were a solo Adventurer, Bihua would not hesitate to apply for a contract with Miracle City immediately. Unfortunately, as the leader of an Adventurer group, she had to be responsible for her followers, so this matter could not be decided hastily. She still needed to discuss it at length with the Lord of Tianyun City and the high-level members of her Adventurer group.
At this point, the Ashina Chapter, Hirata Estate side story, had been completely cleared.
Although Bihua's adventure had ended, the topics and discussions brought by the Adventurers had just begun.
Black Stone Hammer King couldn't help but say, "Who was the guy who backstabbed Lone Wolf in the chaos at the end?"
Lone Wolf: "The smoke was too thick at the time; I couldn't see clearly."
Violent Little Chicken: "Although I couldn't see too clearly, that huge samurai sword... seems a bit familiar!"
Pig King: "Could it be..."
Bihua interjected, "No need to doubt! It's that dog, Father Owl!"
All the Adventurers were stunned.
"How could it be Father Owl?"
"Didn't he already die?"
"But why would he kill Lone Wolf?"
"Could the real mastermind behind the scenes actually be our Father Owl?"
"No way? He's clearly dead!"
"Not necessarily; don't forget, Father Owl is also a top ninja. If he wanted to fake his death, it shouldn't be difficult!"
---
The Adventurers had previously believed that Father Owl was a great loyal subject. Not only did he train excellent ninjas like Lone Wolf for the Hirata family, but he also fought to the last moment when the Hirata family suffered a great calamity.
Now, with Bihua's revelation, they realized that things were far from as simple as they imagined. The role Father Owl played in the Hirata tragedy was truly suspicious!
Curious Adventurers gathered together for a plot discussion. After Time Traveler compiled the information, he immediately presented a detailed guess.
"According to my investigation, I think the truth behind the Hirata tragedy is like this..."
"In the past, Sword Saint Ashina Isshin launched a war to reclaim Ashina Country, which originally belonged to the Ashina clan. However, the once invincible Ashina Isshin was old and frail, no longer as brave as he used to be."
"But the Inner Ministry's power grew stronger, once again eyeing Ashina covetously."
"Ashina Country was becoming increasingly weak, and its situation was dire."
"Therefore, Isshin's grandson, Weiming Genichiro, in order to protect the country, sought to enhance his strength by obtaining the 'Dragon Heritage Power.' However, Ashina Isshin and the Hirata family did not approve of using this power."
"Thus, Weiming Genichiro conspired with Father Owl and Lady Butterfly within the Hirata family."
"They colluded from inside and outside to plan an operation disguised as a bandit attack, aiming to control Kuro in the chaos!"
---
The Adventurers heard this and felt it made some sense.
Three Bamboo: "This 'Dragon Heritage Power' should have side effects; it might cost more than losing power. Otherwise, Ashina Isshin would have no reason to refuse to use it to protect his home and country."
White Crane Hermit nodded: "Looking at it this way, the reason why Lady Butterfly served Weiming Genichiro is because she and Weiming Genichiro are both 'radical factions' wanting to protect this country."
"So that's how it is? Then we have indeed wronged Weiming Genichiro."
"Perhaps he is not the villain we imagined!"
"Otherwise, why would he gain Lady Butterfly's recognition?"
---
"I still feel that there are many questions that cannot be explained!"
Wind in Sleep thought for a moment and said, "If that's the case, why would Father Owl send Lone Wolf to retrieve the Divine Child, only to backstab the son he raised for over twenty years at the critical moment?"
"That question hits the nail on the head!"
Time Traveler said: "When I explored the Hirata Estate last time, I discovered the Inner Ministry's exclusive ninja group, the Lonely Shadow Group. This is enough to prove that the Inner Ministry also participated in the Hirata tragedy!"
Lonely Swordsman: "That's strange; such a top-secret matter, even Ashina Isshin was likely kept in the dark. How could the Inner Ministry, as an external enemy, know in advance and send ninjas to stir up trouble?"
White Crane Hermit pondered for a moment and said: "Could it be that Father Owl secretly planned a double betrayal, assisting Weiming Genichiro in betraying the Hirata family on the surface while colluding with the Inner Ministry to monopolize the Dragon Heritage Power in the chaos?"
Discussing this, they felt the train of thought becoming clearer and clearer.
The Ten Kingdoms Chronicle Ashina Chapter plot is different from the Raging Tide plot chapter. The former plot is not presented intuitively, but is hidden behind various events and characters.
However, peeling back the layers during the plot discussion gave the Adventurers a full sense of participation—offering the fun and excitement of solving a mystery.
"The character Father Owl is very dangerous. Although I don't know why he did this, the Hirata tragedy and even the conflict between Lone Wolf and Lady Butterfly were all the result of his meticulous planning. He almost used everyone to achieve his ulterior motives!"
"That's too scary!"
"I even thought he was a good person!"
"Lady Butterfly may have always believed she was in the same camp as Father Owl."
"She used illusion to trap Kuro, probably waiting for Weiming Genichiro to arrive."
"When Lone Wolf broke into the Buddha hall attempting to rescue Kuro, Lady Butterfly had no choice but to engage in a master-disciple battle."
"This is an open scheme. Lone Wolf must obey the ninja precepts, and Lady Butterfly must take Hirata Kuro away. Even if they realize that Father Owl has a problem, based on their respective positions, they can only fight each other as master and disciple."
---
During the plot discussion, more Adventurers joined in. Everyone was captivated by the rich and complex characters and plot of the Ten Kingdoms Chronicle Ashina Chapter.
Bihua cleared her mind and was again greatly shocked. She was used to Secret Realm stories with simple structures, or even single-threaded ones that didn't require much thought.
Facing the unfolding Ashina Country, she felt her mind was inadequate. It was just the Hirata tragedy that happened three years ago, yet it simultaneously involved the open and secret struggles between countries and the competition and maneuvering of various forces.
Within these struggles were the choices made by individuals based on differing positions, beliefs, and desires—plus the mysterious Dragon Heritage Power. Various factors and multiple forces intertwined, producing many layers of interpretation.
Although complex, the context was clear. The plot was also very reasonable, making it hard not to be convinced!
Nancilia was also deeply attracted. The Adventurers' exploration progress had only reached the outskirts of Ashina Castle, and they were about to enter the main city and additional areas in the next day or two.
No one knew how many unimaginable and unexpected people and events were hidden in this mysterious land.
As the protagonist, Lone Wolf faced an array of experiences. Everyone felt a strong sense of anticipation!
At this moment, the Adventurers were only experiencing a fragment of Ashina Country, and Ashina Country was just a corner of this vast foreign world. Even so, it was already exhilarating and captivating. How many wonderful stories awaited discovery in other parts of this world!
This was truly remarkable, showcasing the strength of Miracle City!
This Underground City was destined to become unique and legendary!
---
At this time, Qi Ji was watching from behind the scenes. The Adventurers had cleared the Hirata Estate side story, defeated Phantom Butterfly, one of the two major early bosses, and were about to challenge another boss, Oniwa Gyoubu Masataka.
Although he knew from the outset that issuing city entry permits would welcome several new Adventurers with impressive skill levels, the performance of these Adventurers still exceeded expectations. Their presence significantly advanced the progress of the Secret Realm and provided valuable experience for others, helping them avoid many detours.
However, this wasn't a bad thing. The faster the Secret Realm progressed, the more good things would be produced.
Qi Ji decided to deploy the full version of Ashina Country as soon as possible, activate the Raging Tide competition mode, and prepare for the planning of more distant Secret Realms, which would require several months of construction and development in the future.
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