"Ling'er… when I fall, the stored energy in my dantian will sweep this entire basin clean. That is the only way to end this army."
Xue Yin pressed a trembling hand over her heart, her voice fragile yet unwavering. "But before that… I am glad I got to see you again. Grown. Strong. Alive."
She looked at the young woman standing before her—Xue Ling.
Her sister.
Her blood sister.
The one she had searched for across twenty torturous years.
And fate chose this moment—this battlefield, this impending death—to finally return her to her arms.
Not the reunion she dreamed of.
Not the reunion she envisioned countless nights.
But a reunion nonetheless.
Xue Ling stood frozen, staring at her with a mixture of disbelief, grief, and helpless rage.
"Senior Sister!" Zhong Chuke shouted, panic cracking his voice.
"Don't."
Xue Yin's tone cut through the air like frost.
"We already spoke about this. This is the death that awaits me… and I will not allow that vile king to live another breath."
She steadied her stance. The aura around her began to twist and implode inward.
=========================
[Ding… Xue Yin has begun preparing to detonate her dantian. Once fully charged, the resulting blast will annihilate all life within the basin. Immediate evacuation recommended.]
=========================
Yun Che glanced at the notification—and ignored it.
None of his companions stepped back.
Not even a single foot.
Jin Zhuo trembled, instinct screaming at him to flee, yet when he saw Yun Che standing firm, unfazed, he forced himself to remain.
Xue Yin turned toward King Alugang and his gathered forces, hatred simmering beneath her calm.
"Ling'er… if I am reborn, I hope I can return as your proper elder sister. Without regrets. Without this fate."
She closed her eyes, accepting the price.
Her final act.
Her final devotion.
Her life… for Xue Ling's future.
"Senior Master!!"
Both Yao Yao and Tian Xi cried out, spiritual energy flaring as they prepared to leap into battle. They would not—could not—stand aside and watch their sect mistress march to her death.
Xue Yin exhaled softly. A tired, resigned sigh.
This was her fate.
She had already accepted it.
She expected Xue Ling to turn away… to flee… or at least to reject the cruel truth unfolding.
But instead—Xue Ling walked toward her. Slowly. Deliberately.
Xue Yin turned to meet her, confusion flickering in her eyes—
—CRACK!
A crisp, brutal slap exploded across the mountain range, echoing off the cliffs like thunder.
The legendary Fairy of the Northern Mountain staggered sideways, hair whipping with the force.
She stared, wide-eyed, her cheek burning scarlet.
Her beloved Ling'er… had struck her.
Xue Ling stood trembling—her rage barely restrained, her tears completely unrestrained. Her voice cracked, but her fury burned hotter than her grief.
"Twenty years…" she whispered, before her voice rose into a scream.
"Twenty. Freaking. Years—I waited! I believed you were dead!"
Her hands clenched until blood beaded from her nails.
"I buried our parents alone! I endured the humiliation from that damned villa!"
Her body shook.
"And all this time… you were alive and well!?"
"Ling'er…"
Xue Yin gingerly touched her reddened cheek, trembling.
This… this was the first time she had ever been struck by the sister she cherished most.
Before she could speak again—
"Ah, the teary reunion of two sisters. This king is more than welcome—"
King Alugang sneered, stepping forward with mocking grandeur.
"Quiet."
Xue Ling didn't shout this time.
Her voice was low—cold—deadly.
She raised her palm.
BOOM!
A violent burst of energy exploded outward, sending the king and several of Alugang's soldiers flying like broken dolls. Dust spiraled. Armor shattered. Even the king staggered back, startled into silence.
The entire battlefield froze.
All eyes turned to Xue Ling—eyes filled with shock, fear, and dawning realization.
She wasn't the helpless lost sister anymore.
She wasn't the girl who suffered in silence.
She was Xue Yin's sister.
And she was furious.
The shock rippled across the battlefield.
Tian Xi and Yao Yao froze, eyes wide.
Even Xia Qingyue and Chu Yueli—beings of unmatched composure—stiffened at the force of Xue Ling's unleashed aura.
Zhong Chuke and Jin Zhuo could only stare helplessly.
This was not an aura anyone could approach, let alone calm.
Cang Yue simply lowered her head.
She understood.
Yun Che stood silently beside Nemu, watching.
Xue Ling's fury wasn't reckless—it was justified.
Not a single one of them could deny her right to explode after twenty years of buried agony.
Xue Ling's voice cracked the air:
"You expect me to forgive twenty years—TWENTY YEARS—just because you suddenly want to throw your life away for me?!"
Her aura flared again, snow lifting in a violent swirl.
"You think dying for me earns redemption? Forgiveness? That it makes everything disappear? I don't need your saving! I survived twenty years alone! I don't need an unfilial sister who abandoned me to suddenly play hero!"
"Big sister!"
Cang Yue stepped forward, distressed.
Her voice trembled—Xue Ling's words were too harsh, too cutting for a woman on the brink of death.
But Yun Che placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Let her speak," he said quietly.
"She's held this in too long. The pain doesn't vanish just because the reunion came at the wrong time."
Xue Ling's voice broke—furious, trembling, honest.
"The only person I ever had close to a sister… was the Third Queen, Lan Ying."
Her breath hitched.
"She died smiling. If I had this anger before she changed me… this reunion would've ended very differently!"
Xue Yin's lips quivered.
"Ling'er… I am—"
"Save it."
Her glare shut her sister down instantly.
"I don't want to hear excuses."
She walked past Xue Yin, step by step, toward King Alugang.
Without looking back, she spoke:
"Che'er."
Yun Che raised his eyes.
"You're the miracle doctor. I'm entrusting her to you. Do whatever it takes."
She inhaled sharply.
"Save this fool of an elder sister of mine."
Yun Che glanced at Xue Yin—still sprawled on the snow, face pale and mind shattered by guilt and shock. She was already pale from the poison. Expression so stiff that she couldn't even cry even if she wants to.
He nodded calmly.
"I need to examine the internal damage. But yes—I can save her."
Xue Ling closed her eyes briefly.
"Good enough."
She turned toward the king—her aura sharpening like a blade.
"I need an outlet for twenty years of suppressed anger. And this king—"
She pointed her Yubashiri at Alugang—
"—will make an excellent punching bag."
Behind her, Xue Yin reached a trembling hand toward her.
"Ling'er… please… don't—"
Xue Ling didn't turn around.
"Shut it." Her voice cracked.
"Once he saves you, we're going to have a long talk. If you disappear again, I will hunt you down and tie you up myself."
Her breath shook.
"You're lucky you're sick—or we'd be fighting right here."
"Ling'er… don't… please…"
Xue Yin's voice finally broke into a sob.
But Xue Ling stepped forward—toward the king—toward her rage.
She wasn't abandoning her sister.
She was fighting so she could face her.
From behind, Tian Xi and Yao Yao approached, eyes determined.
"We want to assist as well. Please…"
Yun Che didn't hesitate.
He flicked a small vial toward them—two Mark III XP Pills.
The girls exchanged a glance.
"What kind of pill is this…?"
"Eat it and find out," Yun Che replied.
They swallowed the pills.
BOOM—!!
Their auras erupted skyward like twin comets.
From First Level Sky Profound Realm—
—straight to the First Level Emperor Profound Realm.
No bottleneck.
No resistance.
Just raw ascension.
The surge shocked everyone.
Zhong Chuke nearly dropped his sword.
Even veterans across the battlefield froze in disbelief.
The Mark III XP Pill instantly raised anyone below Emperor Profound by ten full levels.
Xia Qingyue's eyes widened, lips parting in astonishment.
But she didn't reach for a pill Yun Che gave her. She understood his warning.
She was already at Grand Perfection Sky Profound Realm.
If she ate one now, she'd only leap five levels—reaching Fourth Level Emperor Profound Realm.
But if she broke through first…
She could absorb the full effect and ascend to the Fifth Level instead.
She made her choice.
She would wait.
Cang Yue quietly observed Tian Xi and Yao Yao ascend to the Emperor Profound Realm in a single breath.
But unlike the others, she didn't feel envy.
Her path had changed.
Ever since she awakened the Yin Lunar Ultimate Body, XP Pills no longer boosted her cultivation.
Instead, any such pill turned into pure Moon Energy, flowing into her meridians and refining her body from within.
Fifty percent of the pill's energy immediately strengthened her lunar physique—
the remainder stored as latent power Yuyun could convert into cultivation later.
She exhaled softly.
If she had taken the pill before the Moon Empress gave her the divine feather…
she would've broken into the Emperor Profound Realm already.
But she didn't regret anything.
Her body now possessed the strength of an Emperor Profound Realm cultivator, despite her cultivation still being Sky Profound Realm.
A blessing in disguise.
Her foundation was now ten levels stronger than the realm she stood in.
And that, to Cang Yue, was more than enough.
Yun Che turned toward a pair of elegant figures.
"Yueli-san. Qingyue."
Both Chu Yueli and Xia Qingyue straightened.
"The Wu Clan's shadow units are heading for the Lunar Blossom grand ark.
I need both of you to intercept them. Expect at least one Emperor Profound Realm assassin.
I am sure you two can handle it. Please..."
Qingyue nodded without hesitation.
"Understood. Let's go, Master."
Chu Yueli blinked, startled by how naturally she obeyed the boy's command.
She should've been annoyed since she never once obeyed a man. Just like how she only obeyed Mihawk.
She should've questioned why the Fairy of Frozen Moon of Frozen Cloud Asgard would follow someone so young. Just like her sister.
She should've wondered why she was even participating in this chaotic mess.
And yet—
Her newly implanted heart pulsed… warmly.
It reacted to Yun Che the same way it once responded to Mihawk.
A strange, unsettling familiarity.
Not love. Not affection.
Just a quiet, persistent warmth.
Like her heart recognized him despite the love and affection is for the other.
Ridiculous, she thought.
But the feeling refused to fade.
Perhaps it was fate.
Or perhaps Yun Che simply dragged chaos and excitement wherever he walked.
For the first time in a long while… her cultivation journey wasn't boring.
And the battlefield ahead would be perfect to test something she rarely got to teach:
Real combat.
Real killing intent.
Real life and death.
Qingyue needed this.
Before Qingyue could unfurl her wings, Yun Che stepped forward.
He moved close—so close that only Qingyue and Cang Yue stood within arm's reach.
A subtle ripple of spiritual energy masked his voice, isolating the sound to their ears alone.
He leaned in.
And whispered the words he had hidden from them since the day they met.
"Yuuki…"
Both girls stiffened.
"Yukihira Yuuki."
Qingyue's breath caught.
Cang Yue froze.
"Yukihira is my family name."
"Yuuki is my true name."
Qingyue's eyes trembled, widening in shock—
and something else.
Something softer.
He finally entrusted her with the truth.
But why now?
Why at this exact moment?
Before she could ask—
Yun Che smirked and tapped her forehead lightly with one finger.
"No questions."
He straightened.
"Not right now. Go."
Qingyue opened her mouth—
but Cang Yue spoke first.
"But… why now?"
Yun Che raised a hand, silencing her gently.
"Little Yue."
His tone softened, but the urgency stayed sharp.
"Handle the situation first. Also—do not use my real name openly."
Cang Yue blinked as he continued:
"I haven't told Little Fairy, or Yueli-san… yet."
He exhaled.
"I'm sure the former will be far too eager to know it. I'll tell her in private later."
Cang Yue pressed her lips together.
"This…"
"Just go."
Qingyue didn't argue further.
She nodded—firm, resolute—and unfurled her crystalline wings, cold light rippling off them.
Beside her, Chu Yueli watched with narrowed eyes.
She hadn't heard the whispered conversation…
but she could sense the weight behind it.
Curiosity flickered across her normally expressionless face.
Whatever Yun Che shared…
it stirred both her student and the Blue Moon Princess deeply.
Without a word, Chu Yueli unfurled her own wings and followed Qingyue into the sky—
her heart reacting strangely again, warm and restless.
"Let's move," she said coolly.
The two ascended into the sky, slicing through the air like twin comets—
one icy blue, one ethereal white—
heading straight toward the shadows lurking around the grand ark.
The frontline was set.
The countermeasures against the Wu Clan were already in motion.
Back on the battlefield, Yun Che lifted the unconscious Xue Yin into his arms and stepped into the VTOL aircraft.
"Give me the Divine Lady!!"
King Alugang roared as he hauled his massive frame upright—
—only for a furious fist to crash into his face.
BOOM!
He skid backward, boots carving trenches in the earth.
The king steadied himself, glaring at his attacker.
Xue Ling.
Her expression was murderous.
Her aura was suffocating.
Her beauty—pure, cold, untainted by charm or seduction—was the mirror of Xue Yin's own, but ignited by rage instead of allure.
"Your opponent is me."
Her voice crackled with killing intent.
"For daring to touch her… today is the day you die."
She raised her fists.
"I'm not in the mood for words. Don't waste your breath."
Inside the VTOL, Yun Che exhaled.
"Let's go, Nemu. They can handle the rest."
"Hai…"
Nemu nodded, sitting in the pilot's seat and powering up the system.
A few desperate soldiers lunged toward the VTOL—
only for Cang Yue to sweep her blade, a crescent arc of moonlight cleaving them apart.
Cang Yue eyes the VTOL from below. Yun Che just entrusted her his real name. As for why he say it now, she would ask him later. She decided to focus on helping Xue Ling first.
Others attempted to flank the VTOL from the side—
but the mounted minigun whirred to life, spinning into a lethal blur before unleashing a storm of bullets.
Dozens fell instantly.
The VTOL shot into the sky, blazing toward the northern mountain.
Behind them, Xue Ling charged forward, leading the assault.
Cang Yue, Jin Zhuo, Zhong Chuke, and the newly empowered Tian Xi and Yao Yao surged behind her.
Five Emperor Profound Realm experts against three thousand soldiers and a mad king.
More than enough.
========================
"Yuuki… Yuuki…"
Qingyue whispered his true name under her breath, each syllable rolling across her tongue like a forbidden prayer. It felt foreign, delicate, intoxicating—an intimacy she never expected, yet desperately craved.
He finally entrusted her with it.
Not Xiao Che.
Not Yun Che.
Yuuki.
Why now?
Why choose this moment—on the brink of war, with shadow units swarming the skies—to reveal something so sacred, so deeply buried in the marrow of his soul?
For two years she accepted the false name he wore like armor until the day he give hints that he had a true name.
She never pressed.
She never demanded.
But she wanted to.
She wanted to know the man behind the lies, the husband she never kept, the storm she could never catch no matter how fiercely she chased.
His talent defied logic.
His power dwarfed empires.
His mind outpaced even Nemu's flawless calculations.
His knowledge made ancient scholars look like children guessing at the stars.
What… what was he?
And how much more was hidden behind that gentle smile he offered her so freely?
Her breath hitched. Qingyue steadied herself mid-air, but her hand trembled ever so slightly.
Later.
She would ask him later.
She would ask him everything—
—once this battle ended.
Beside her, Chu Yueli watched quietly, eyes narrowed behind her veil.
Qingyue was composed even in the face of calamity.
Breakthroughs, revelations, danger—they rarely shook her.
But whatever Yun Che whispered earlier had rattled her disciple down to the bones. Yueli could see it in the way her profound energy wavered, in the flutter of her eyelashes, in the softness of her breaths.
They shot across the sky toward the Lunar Blossom ark, winds slicing past like knives of frozen silver. Qingyue's gaze was forward, but her heartbeat thrashed loud enough for her master to sense.
Chu Yueli exhaled sharply.
Why were they doing this?
Why were they risking their lives for a sect that wasn't theirs?
Why was she—an Asgardian Elder who once lived by cold detachment—rushing into danger at a boy's instruction?
Her logic resisted.
Her pride snarled.
Her discipline screamed that this was foolish.
And yet—
Her heart…
Her heart obeyed instantly.
Eagerly.
Devotedly.
Whenever she considered defying him, a strange ache coiled inside her chest.
Whenever she followed him, the ache dissolved into calm warmth.
Absurd.
She owed him nothing.
And yet…
here she was.
Following him. AGAIN.
Qingyue surged forward, determination flaring across her aura like a blade of moonlight.
Yueli clicked her tongue, half irritated, half dangerously amused.
"…That boy invites calamity wherever he walks."
But still—
she unfurled her icy wings wider, pushing herself to full speed.
No matter how she tried to pull away, her heart rebelled—tugging her back toward him.
Just like Mihawk once did.
Chu Yueli had long suspected something was wrong with this region… but only now did the truth take shape.
There were too many Thrones.
Back in the Blue Wind Empire, a single Emperor Profound Realm expert was enough to elevate a sect's prestige for generations. The great sects of the capital considered themselves blessed to have even one—two would make them legendary.
But here?
Here, Thrones walked the streets like common cultivators.
Even she and her sister, Chu Yuechan—unofficial Thrones who had never formally announced their breakthroughs—felt strangely… ordinary in comparison. Xue Ling's rise had already expanded Blue Wind's "legendary list," yet this land overflowed with hidden Thrones. The Wu Clan, the Zhu Family—either one had enough Emperor Profound Realm experts to topple the entire Blue Wind Empire.
A chill ran through Chu Yueli.
Is that their goal?
To invade the weakest empire simply because they can?
Is this how they produce so many Thrones?
Mulan's voice echoed in her mind—an old confession spoken only once:
Mu Che had created an elixir—something frighteningly close to Yun Che's so-called "XP Pills." Only the pure, untainted versions were ever given to Mulan, Jin Zhuo, and Jin Yuelian.
That alone explained their ascent to the Throne Realm.
But the rest?
The Wu Clan had ambushed Mu Che, seized the incomplete formula, and mass-produced a corrupted imitation. The false elixir forced an immediate breakthrough to the Emperor Profound Realm—but at a dreadful price: a permanent bottleneck that would cripple all future cultivation.
The Wu Clan never realized it.
Only the three who had consumed the true elixir understood the difference.
And yet—even a crippled Throne was still a Throne.
And the Wu Clan had created far too many.
Yueli exhaled slowly.
If we failed here, the Wu Clan marched on Frozen Cloud Asgard with all their Thrones… we would fall. Even Mother might not be able to protect everyone.
Maybe joining Yun Che's expedition wasn't just the right choice—it was the only choice to avert catastrophe.
As the ark sailed into the fog, the horizon suddenly split open with motion.
Dozens of smaller arks.
No—more than dozens. Too many to count.
Shadow units.
Sent by the Wu Clan to intercept, to kill, to erase every last disciple escaping the Lunar Blossom Sect.
Her fingers trembled.
If Yun Che hadn't sent them to the ark to help—if these disciples had fled on their own—whether they won or lost, the sect would have been annihilated.
Beside her, Xia Qingyue's eyes narrowed. She tapped the shimmering sigil between her brows—a result of the Tenteikūra spell Yun Che had inscribed into her mind. As long as he was within range, she could contact him anytime… as long as she didn't spam him, a strange foreign word Yun Che insisted she learn.
"Spam…" Qingyue mumbled, adding it later to the ever-growing list of mysterious English terms in her journal later. She would ask him for lessons once all this ended. Nemu had already teased her about her lack of vocabulary, and Qingyue refused to fall behind her rival in terms of intelligence.
But now was not the time.
The Sky Profound Realm attackers were descending. Her master would handle the Emperor Profound Realm leader—but if things turned dire…
Qingyue's hand drifted to the pill hidden in her sleeve.
If necessary… she would consume it early.
=========================
Far ahead in the darkened sky, more than a dozen smaller arks drifted into formation like hungry beasts circling wounded prey. Their lanterns glowed a cold, murderous red as they closed in on the massive Lunar Blossom ark—slow, deliberate, certain of the slaughter to come.
Every cultivator aboard those arks carried killing intent thick enough to choke the wind. None were Sky Profound Realm. They didn't need to be.
They had enough men, enough firepower, and enough cruelty to obliterate the ark and burn the Northern Mountain Fairy to ashes.
At the center of the fleet stood Wu Chang—the commander tasked with handling the "fleeing pests."
Fourth Level Emperor Profound Realm.
Arrogant.
Unchallenged in these mountains.
A man who believed his title alone determined the fate of sects.
"Surround the ark and ready the cannons!" Wu Chang barked, voice cracking like thunder. "When I give the word—fire. Leave nothing behind."
The surrounding arks groaned as their formation tightened, hulls scraping the wind. Cannons were rolled into position, runes flaring to life, charging with deadly profound energy.
Tonight, the Lunar Blossom Sect would be erased.
The few Sky Profound Realm fighters among Wu Chang's forces grinned savagely. Once the cannons blasted the ark apart, they would descend like vultures to finish the survivors—women who couldn't fight back, disciples who barely escaped the massacre below.
Slaughter was certain.
Victory was guaranteed.
And yet—
They were unaware.
Unaware of the icy wind sweeping toward them faster than sound.
Unaware of the killing intent hidden beneath gentle moonlight.
Unaware of the two figures streaking across the sky—silent, swift, merciless.
Two Asgardian fairies.
A half step Throne and a half step Tyrant.
Two calamities descending upon them.
Qingyue's aura shimmered like a rising moon.
Chu Yueli's presence crackled like a frozen storm.
Their arrival would turn the hunters…
into prey.
=========================
Moments later, the VTOL descended through the blizzard and touched down atop the icy peak, engines still humming with residual heat against the frozen air.
The instant Yun Che tore open Xue Yin's robes around her abdomen, his expression hardened.
Her dantian was flaring—violently.
Profound energy spiraled in unstable waves, rising and collapsing in rapid, dangerous pulses.
It was past the warning stage.
He had minutes.
Maybe less.
If he didn't begin treatment now, the parasite would rupture her meridians from the inside out.
He needed an assistant—someone to suppress the energy overflow while he extracted the parasite.
He opened his mouth to call Nemu—
—but she suddenly froze.
"Yuu-sama…"
Her eyes flicked skyward, pupils contracting.
"Several dozen Sky Profound signatures approaching. Fast."
Yun Che's soul left his body for a moment.
"…Can the world give me a break for once?"
Nemu clasped her hands calmly, awaiting instructions.
"What are your orders, Yuu-sama?"
Yun Che's right eye twitched.
"…Do you want to test that thing?"
Nemu tilted her head innocently.
"I could simply engage the VTOL's autopilot weapon sys—"
Ring.
A formation of Tenteikūra sigils spiraled around Yun Che's ear, glowing with soft bluish-gold light.
Qingyue's voice poured directly into his mind—urgent, steady, sharp as frost:
"Yuuki… numerous small profound arks approaching the Lunar Blossom Sect's grand ark.
They intend to attack."
Yun Che exhaled through his nose. Not because Qingyue casually used his real name but, the threat that approaching the Lunar Blossom Sect grand ark.
Of course they did.
He nodded briskly and turned to Nemu.
"Send the VTOL to support them. Drones are already deployed at Jin Watchkeep— So, we can only send the VTOL. Switch them to automatic defense mode."
Nemu blinked. "…Confirming. Yuu-sama wishes to handle Miss Xue Yin alone?"
"For now." He rolled his sleeves up, profound energy swirling around his fingers like restrained lightning. "I'll have to."
Nemu hesitated.
She glanced at Xue Yin, then at the darkening sky.
"…Understood. Deploying now."
Nemu tapped her gauntlet, and the VTOL's engines roared back to life. Snow whipped around the metal frame as it lifted off, hovering for a heartbeat before shooting toward the distant battlefield—toward where Qingyue and Chu Yueli had flown.
With a flick of Nemu's gauntlet, the craft shifted into remote-combat mode, its lights dimming as its deadly systems awakened.
Nemu remained behind.
So did Yun Che.
They had more urgent matters.
Yun Che carried the unconscious Xue Yin in his arms, her soft breaths uneven, her body trembling as unstable profound energy rippled beneath her skin. He rushed her into her secluded home on the peak—into the only room sturdy enough to contain what he was about to attempt.
He laid her gently onto the bed.
He didn't even sit before it happened.
BOOM—
A burst of shimmering green gas erupted from her body, swirling like misty enchantment, laced with traces of seductive power. It wasn't poison—but its effects were far worse. If any men were near, this charm mist would have reduced them to mindless beasts driven by lust.
Xue Yin groaned softly, her back arching as the charm aura spiraled out of control.
=========================
[Ding… Removing charm effect.]
=========================
A mechanical chime rang inside Yun Che's mind as his suppression system activated, pushing against the flare.
But the charm aura had already begun to affect her instead—her own profound energy folding inward, trying to devour itself.
Yun Che clenched his jaw.
Just like Xueli all over again…
If he didn't act now—if he didn't stabilize her before the suppressed energy detonated—Xue Yin wouldn't just die.
The entire mountain peak would go with her.
He formed ten seals in an instant, snapping them forward.
Sterilization arrays flared to life.
A transparent barrier rose between them and the outside world.
Cold wind, snow, and the seductive gas were sealed off completely.
Yun Che rolled his shoulders, eyes sharp and focused.
"Watch my back, Nemu."
His voice was calm, but the urgency beneath it was unmistakable.
Nemu stepped behind him, hands clasped, eyes glowing faintly with combat readiness.
"Yes, Yuu-sama."
With it, Nemu began her defensive plan as she stepped out of the house.
==================
Yun Che took a breath—steady, deep, controlled—and lowered his hand toward Xue Yin's abdomen.
The surgery began—but first, Yun Che needed to analyze Xue Yin directly.
Another wave of poison-cloud rolled out from her body.
It smelled… pleasant. Intoxicating. Like a refined pheromone perfume meant to soften the senses and lure the mind. Ordinarily, even a Throne would struggle to resist it. But with the system's filters in place, it barely brushed Yun Che's awareness.
Xue Yin's poison was no ordinary toxin.
It was a pheromone-enhanced poison, deliberately refined to magnify the effects of her body—one capable of dragging men into obsession, madness, or complete surrender.
Then—
Who are you… child…?
The voice echoed directly inside his mind.
Yun Che's eyes snapped up.
Xue Yin's stiff body hadn't moved, but her eyes—wide, lucid, and sharp—were staring straight at him.
She had broken through his sleeping Kidō.
"What—?" Yun Che frowned. "How did you—"
"I have my ways," she replied calmly. "You managed to knock me out with those odd eyes of yours… but it seems I underestimated you."
Her gaze drifted around the room, recognition dawning.
"…Why did you bring me here?"
"To my home…"
Her eyes narrowed.
"Why did you refuse to let me die?"
Yun Che didn't dodge the question.
"Your sister asked me to save you," he said evenly. "So I will. After that… you can face her yourself." He paused. "You two need to talk. Properly."
Silence lingered between them.
"It seems," Xue Yin finally said, "that you know my sister quite well."
"She's Cang Yue's guardian," Yun Che replied. "We met… under unfortunate circumstances."
Her interest sharpened.
"What kind of circumstances…?"
Yun Che allowed himself a faint smile.
"You should ask her yourself," he said. "I'm not spoiling it. She has plenty of stories to tell you."
Xue Yin studied him for a long moment—measuring, probing, sensing something deeper beneath his calm exterior.
"She might have hated me too much to tell me simple stories."
Yun Che shook his head lightly.
"Sis Ling might have been cranky back then… but she's sweet at heart. She'll listen to you." He paused, then added dryly, "Let her vent her anger on that king first. That way she won't be so mad at you."
Xue Yin's gaze sharpened.
"…Who are you, child?"
"I'm Yun Che," he answered simply. "I'm the one who's going to save you. Cure you. Return you to your former glory." His voice steadied. "I'm not letting Sis Ling's elder sister die on my watch."
A pause.
Then Xue Yin's voice echoed softly in his mind.
"Yun… wait. You resemble Mu Che greatly. Are you… the same person?"
"No," Yun Che replied without hesitation. "I'm not." He frowned slightly. "According to Jin Mulan—his wife—she said I look similar to him. But I've never been here. I've never met him."
"You are not him?"
"No. Never was." He hesitated. "Wait… you knew Mu Che?"
"Yes," Xue Yin admitted. "I did. He once tried to remove the poison from my body. He could only suppress it—the poison was too strong. He was a cripple and he didn't possessed the power to cure me." Her tone dimmed. "I heard the Wu Clan killed him. Are you truly not him?"
"No."
Silence followed.
"…I see," Xue Yin said slowly. "Perhaps you are his reincarnation. Or he who lost his memories?"
"No, Lady Xue," Yun Che said firmly. "I never was. I am just Yun Che—from Floating Cloud City. I trained and lived there my entire life."
Another pause.
"…I understand." Her voice softened. "Back then, Mu Che could only suppress the poison… but you believe you can save me?"
"I can see what's wrong with you," Yun Che answered. "And I have the strength to suppress—and remove—it."
"Mu Che had no profound strength," Xue Yin said quietly. "But he once told me this…"
Her voice grew distant.
"That he could only suppress the poison. And that one day… someone else would cure me."
Yun Che's heart skipped.
"…Wait," he murmured. "He said that?"
"Yes. He said he lacked the power to save me."
Yun Che fell silent, thoughts racing.
How… did he foresee this?
Just like he said someone would eventually come to translate the Domain Expansion book…
His gaze darkened.
This Mu Che—
He was far more mysterious than Yun Che had ever imagined.
She let out a soft, incredulous laugh.
"Yun Che… you are an amusing one." Her eyes lingered on him. "Tell me—how did you avoid my scented poison? How did my fragrance… my beauty… not affect you?"
"It doesn't," Yun Che replied honestly. "It smells wonderful, sure—but not enough to enthrall me."
Her pupils contracted.
"…You mean to say it truly didn't affect you?"
"Nope." He shrugged. "It smells good, but that's all. As for your beauty—well, I've seen Sis Ling's face, and my companions include women whose beauty could shame the moon itself." He glanced back at her. "So it doesn't really work on me."
Silence followed.
Then Xue Yin whispered, awed, "Amazing… a man not affected by my cursed cultivation art."
Her voice softened, something long-buried surfacing.
"You may be the one I have been seeking all along… a man who could live beside this curse of mine."
Yun Che coughed lightly.
"Uh… right. We can figure that out later." His eyes turned serious. "For now, I need to focus on curing you—so I can return you to your sister."
Her expression changed completely at that.
"…Ah. Yes. My Ling'er…" Her voice trembled. "If you truly can cure me, then I will be indebted to you." She met his eyes without wavering. "I will owe you my life. Just like I owe Mu Che for giving me a few more years to live to this moment. To see Ling'er once more."
Yun Che shook his head.
"Use it to stay with your sister this time," he said quietly. "Do that, and we're even. For me and Mu Che."
Xue Yin inhaled sharply.
"…Then your wish," she said solemnly, "I will grant it—as long as I live."
She closed her eyes for a brief moment.
"My life… will be yours."
And Yun Che turned back to his work—
because now, failure was no longer an option.
"Let's just focus on healing you," he said quietly. "Your skin is cold… and stiff."
"The effects of the poison," Xue Yin replied softly. "For years, I couldn't show emotion. I lived without reactions… without warmth." Her voice wavered. "Even when I cried, I still looked like a doll. A living doll."
She swallowed.
"I have lived cursed, painful years, Yun Che. I wanted to die—so Ling'er wouldn't have to see me like this."
Her eyes trembled.
"So she wouldn't remember me this way…"
Her breath hitched.
"But now… I also wanted to live."
Her voice broke.
"I wanted to see my Ling'er again. To see her, to cry with her."
She turned her gaze fully toward him.
"Please…"
"Save me."
==========================
[Ding… Side Quest Triggered: Save the Fairy of the Northern Mountain]
[Objective: Reunite the Two Lost Xue Sisters]
XP Reward: 550,000
SP Reward: 75,000
The Xue sisters have been separated for far too long.
Do whatever it takes to save her.
==========================
Yun Che nodded and formed the seals with practiced ease. A gentle wave of calming Kidō spread through the room, settling over her like warm snow.
"Sleep now, Lady Xue Yin," he said softly. "When you wake up… Sis Ling will be waiting for you. She might be angry but, at least... you two are reunited."
Her gaze lingered on him for a heartbeat longer, the tension in her eyes finally easing.
"Thank you… Yun Che…"
Her breath slowed.
The stiffness left her body.
And at last, her consciousness slipped into a deep, peaceful sleep.
Yun Che exhaled quietly.
==========================
"Looks like I will need to test it after all."
Nemu murmured this quietly as she stepped onto the roof of the small house, snowflakes catching on her lashes. She lifted her gauntlet, and a translucent blue system console unfolded in the air before her—a construct she had built herself, piece by piece.
Not the sleek, perfect version from Yun Che's original world.
Not the ultra-refined one in the System.
No—this one she forged from scratch, crafted to withstand the raw power and unstable laws of this world. A crude prototype, but functional. And deadly.
Yun Che's voice drifted from inside the house.
"Let me know the results."
Nemu nodded once.
"Yes, Yuu-sama."
She turned toward the outside, preparing the defenses—
—and froze.
Because they were no longer alone.
More than a dozen monks stepped from the swirling mist, spreading around her in a silent arc. Their robes bore the jagged mountain crest of the Hutu Mountains Sect—brutal killers known for hunting weakened cultivators.
They had come to ambush Xue Yin while she was vulnerable.
They found Nemu instead.
Their leader sneered, gripping his staff.
"There! The Divine Lady is inside! Kill her before she recovers!"
Their eyes flicked to the small house—where Yun Che had begun treatment—and then back to Nemu.
She did not flinch.
Instead, she lifted a tiny metal cube and lightly tossed it onto the snow.
Clink.
The cube unfolded.
Whirrr—CHHK—KRAAANG—
Metal plates snapped outward, mechanisms spun, gears locked. The cube expanded rapidly, rising and rising until a five-meter tower loomed behind her.
A large metallic orb pulsed at its peak.
Four metallic rings rotated around the main body, each one larger than the last as they spiraled downward—humming softly with gathering power.
The monks froze mid-charge.
"What… what is that…?"
"That tower… it wasn't here a moment ago!"
"Some kind of—artifact?!"
The monks froze.
"What… what is that thing?"
But Nemu ignored them. She knelt, sliding a rectangular battery core—dense with contained storm energy—into the slot beneath the tower.
Click.
The world lit up.
A surge of electricity roared through the rings—sparking, crackling—until arcs of blue-white lightning danced across the metal like living serpents.
The monks flinched.
"S-she's powering something!"
"Kill her! Quickly!"
One monk lunged forward—
—crossing the boundary of the tower's activation zone.
The battery core pulsed.
The rings aligned.
The orb above hummed with lethal resonance.
BOOOOM—!
A blinding lightning bolt exploded downward, striking the monk square in the chest.
He didn't scream.
There wasn't time.
He was charred black instantly—smoke rising off a corpse that hadn't yet fallen.
A Sky Profound Realm expert—reduced to ash in a single strike.
The remaining monks staggered back, eyes wide, legs trembling.
"W-What kind of demonic artifact is that?!"
"It shoots lightning! It's calling thunder from nothing!"
Nemu finally looked up at them—expression soft, almost apologetic.
She still couldn't bend lightning.
Her Haki wasn't yet refined enough to handle divine-grade elements.
But she could build.
And she had built something terrifying.
A device capable of channeling concentrated lightning strong enough to kill a Sky Profound cultivator on the spot.
A weapon from another world.
A Tesla Coil.
And this was only the prototype.
Nemu placed one hand behind her back, the other gently adjusting the output dial.
"Testing second shot," she murmured.
The monks panicked—
too late.
The crude prototype Nemu built was the first version truly capable of surviving this world's power. The system's original blueprint—designed for the physics of Yuuki's previous world—failed spectacularly the moment it touched profound energy. It could fire one bolt before blowing itself apart, unable to withstand the absurd voltage of this realm.
After all, the lightning here wasn't merely electricity.
It carried the power of Heaven and Earth—a Profound Lightning phenomenon born from the world's laws themselves.
They learned this during the great storm over the Imperial City.
During Cang Yue's awakening rampage.
Thunder clouds had swirled like a celestial beast waking from slumber, and bolts of Profound Lightning crashed down at random, shredding rooftops and carving deep lines into stone streets. Thankfully, no one died—but the danger was clear.
One day, someone would not be so lucky.
Emperor Cang Wanhe personally asked Yuuki and Nemu to find a solution.
Together, they invented a lightning-rod array unlike anything this world had seen. Ordinary lightning rods were useless—they needed something that could tempt Heaven's rage, something that released controlled negative-ion energy strong enough to attract and redirect the incoming Profound Lightning.
They built four around the city.
One in each great district.
And a final, reinforced rod atop the Imperial Palace.
After that, every stormbolt—no matter how wild—was drawn harmlessly to the rods.
The city's centuries-old calamity ended overnight.
But solving that problem revealed a far more terrifying truth.
When Yuuki and Nemu measured the power of a bolt they captured, the numbers nearly broke their instruments:
A normal lightning bolt from Yuuki's old world?
1 terawatt.
Already enough to kill instantly.
A Profound Lightning bolt from this world?
1,000 terawatts.
A thousand times stronger.
And that was just a basic white bolt.
What of the legendary purple lightning that only when breaking through in the higher levels?
Or the pitch-black lightning that forged the Purple Crystal Vein?
Yuuki felt a rare chill.
Being struck by Heaven's Lightning in this world would kill him, body refinement or not. His current durability simply wasn't enough.
If he wanted to survive a direct hit—
if he wanted to walk beneath tribulation lightning without fear—
he would need the power of the Lightning Seed.
He would need to make lightning obey him.
So, the twenty-second century produced batteries the size of a house—units capable of storing nearly 10,000 pentajoules of energy. A single one of those could power an entire planet for years.
To Yun Che, Blue Pole Star was a world overflowing with that same power—natural, untamed, and falling freely from the sky.
He would be insane not to harness it.
With Emperor Cang Wanhe's approval, he built five profound lightning rods across the Imperial City—each one feeding into a massive energy capacitor built directly under the Imperial Palace. All five drew the sky's violent profound lightning, storing it safely instead of letting it incinerate civilians. And with that, Yun Che gained something priceless:
A renewable source of Heaven-and-Earth lightning energy.
Using the lightning rods, he developed smaller, high-density cells capable of storing 1,000 terawatts in portable form charged via the massive battery. These were cataloged inside his system space after charging them, reserved for future projects that needed impossible levels of energy.
One of those prototype batteries was now powering Nemu's latest creation:
a Tesla Coil adapted for the profound world.
Nemu herself couldn't yet fight a Sky Profound expert—she was only Level 40. Even with attribute boosters she barely touched Level 50. Against higher realms, she would be crushed instantly.
So she built something that could fight them.
The crude system-version coil had exploded after firing one bolt—unable to handle the density of profound lightning. So she rebuilt it from scratch, modifying the materials, expanding the rings, reinforcing the core, and altering the discharge pathways until it could handle one thing:
A controlled, weaponized 1 TW profound lightning strike.
Just one of those was enough to char a Sky Profound cultivator to ash.
A monk stepped toward her—
The Tesla Coil pulsed—
KA-CHAA!
A lightning bolt tore from the orb, vaporizing him mid-step.
The remaining attackers froze, horrified.
"What sort of tower is that?!"
"It fires lightning bolts!"
Nemu adjusted her gauntlet, eyes calm.
The coil couldn't fire continuously.
The charge cycle was too heavy.
It required five full seconds to rebuild the 1 TW load before the next strike.
She tried designing a continuous-discharge mode, but the current prototype would overload and melt before the second shot even formed.
So she compensated with clever targeting.
Without complex computing arrays, she programmed the coil with a simple rule:
Shoot anything carrying metal.
Even a pinprick of metal was enough to flag the target.
It wasn't perfect.
It wasn't elegant.
But it worked.
Another monk lunged—metal beads at his waist rattling—
KA-CHAA!
Another flash. Another corpse.
Excitement flickered in Nemu's eyes.
For the first time since entering this world, she had built a weapon capable of killing cultivators far above her realm.
But she had to make every shot count.
Five seconds of vulnerability between each strike.
Peak True Profound Realm body.
More than a dozen enemies.
One mistake, and she would die.
And yet—
Nemu smiled softly.
"Testing… successful."
The system chime echoed crisply as the notifications stacked one after another.
===================
[Ding… Congratulations for eliminating a Hutu Mountain Monk]
[Ding… Congratulations for eliminating a Hutu Mountain Monk]
[Ding… Congratulations for eliminating a Hutu Mountain Monk]
[Ding… Host has leveled up]
[Ding… Host has leveled up]
[Ding… Host has leveled up]
===================
Nemu's eyes brightened with quiet satisfaction.
Level 49—just a hair's breadth from 50.
She had already wiped out an entire base on Wangya Island.
Now, these Earth and Sky Profound cultivators served as perfect nourishment.
She was approaching the Peak of Spirit Profound Realm.
Another monk tried to escape into the sky—
KRAK-THOOM!
A streak of lightning punched through him mid-flight, reducing him to a falling, charred husk.
====================
[Level 50 attained – Congratulations for breaking through into Earth Profound Realm.]
====================
Nemu smirked behind her veil, eyes narrowing with quiet satisfaction. She had always leveled slowly—not because she was weak, but because she spent the majority of her time inventing, learning, and perfecting every foundational discipline before pushing her cultivation further. Advancement came second. Precision came first.
But tonight?
Tonight she jumped twenty levels in a single battle.
Her opponents were Earth Profound Realm and Sky Profound Realm cultivators, and she had just annihilated more than a dozen of them. The experience points came pouring in like a flood.
She had already stepped into the Spirit Profound Realm back on Wangya Island—where she personally accumulated more kills than Yun Che himself using explosive arrows and the VTOL's miniguns. After that came the ambush during Cang Yue and Jin Yuelian's rescue, where she eliminated several initial Sky Profound cultivators using her crossbow drones' explosive bolts. Then came the current Watchkeep Zhu Family incident… and now the Tesla Coil massacre.
Each kill, each trap, each invention refined, all fed directly into her growth. Once that's done, she just cash all those XP points all at once.
Her lips curved slightly.
She didn't even need to dirty her hands to level up anymore.
She simply let her creations do it for her.
Panic erupted.
"She controls the power of the heavens! Run!"
"Cowards! Stand your ground!"
One clever monk noticed something the others missed.
He threw his metal weapons into the air—
and the Tesla Coil immediately discharged into them instead of him.
He dashed forward, closing the distance—
—but Nemu raised a hand.
"Bakudō #61: Rikujōkōrō."
Six rods of golden light slammed into the monk, locking his limbs in place.
The next coil discharge struck him squarely in the chest, killing him instantly.
The remaining monks froze in terror.
"W-what is that tower!?"
"Why is it obeying her!?"
"Who is that veiled fairy!?"
They stared at the towering device behind her—
a crude prototype, yet terrifyingly effective.
In this world of profound cultivators, none had ever seen a weapon that could command lightning like a living god.
If they entered the zone, they would be vaporized instantly.
If they stripped all metal, she would bind them and manually redirect the lightning shot.
Even at Spirit Profound Realm, she turned the battlefield into a deathtrap she alone could walk through.
The monks trembled.
More than a dozen of them had already been wiped out, and their deaths pushed Nemu's level all the way to 55, the rapid gain coming from the Sky Profound practitioners she had eliminated.
Suddenly—
A sharp fluctuation.
A sword wave cut through the air toward her.
Nemu's eyes widened. She instantly removed the battery from the Tesla Coil—the very core of its power. If that thing exploded under a direct attack, it would unleash enough profound lightning to incinerate everyone, including her. System-born or not, her body was still vulnerable to this world's lightning.
She flash-stepped aside just as the sword wave tore through the ground and shattered her Tesla Coil.
The crude tower collapsed in a burst of sparks and broken metal. Nemu frowned, displeased at watching yet another prototype destroyed.
Her gaze lifted to the sky.
A figure descended from above, radiating the overwhelming presence of a Throne. Far beyond anything she could handle.
He carried a long spear, its tip humming with profound energy. His armor gleamed crimson, matching the flowing red robes of his sect. His level—63. Her level—55. The gap was monumental. However, she had the
The man smirked as he landed.
"Well, well… a little flower that knows how to fight."
His spear lowered, killing intent flooding the air.
"Killing you will be a pleasant warm-up before we take Divine Xue Yin."
The monks behind him rallied, emboldened by the appearance of their leader.
"Do you think the Sky God favors you because you used that tower?" he sneered. "Hand over the Divine Lady! She will kneel before the Sky God and atone for desecrating our sacred mountain!"
More voices joined him:
"We of the Hutu Mountain demand the Divine Lady surrender!"
"By the Sky God's will—drag her out!"
"Purify our land!"
Nemu let out a steady, quiet sigh.
Without the Tesla Coil, she was nearly defenseless.
She needed five more levels before she could activate her boosted attribute mode safely.
But Yun Che was inside, treating Xue Yin.
She only had one task:
Buy time.
Nemu drew a katana from her inventory, the blade whispering as it left its sheath.
She had not awakened her Zanpakutō yet—Yun Che insisted she needed to reach level 70 before even attempting it. Only then could she awaken her Shikai and safely master Hollowfication. Until that day came, she would dedicate herself to sharpening everything else:
Her Kidō.
Her Flash Step.
Her attribute channeling.
Her control—so she would never be overwhelmed by the hollow within.
The katana in her hand was no ordinary weapon.
It was a Meitō Yun Che forged for her, designed entirely from the blueprint she had chosen and personally modified.
Shigure.
A simple, elegant katana with a green hilt and a matching guard shaped like a four-petaled flower—her favorite color, etched into steel. The blade itself was unadorned but flawlessly balanced. The sheath was more intricate: the upper half covered in a textured green pattern, the lower half smooth and white, decorated with circular motifs that glimmered faintly under the moonlight.
It fit her hand perfectly.
It fit her perfectly.
She might be under-leveled compared to the Throne descending from above, but she wasn't helpless. By channeling her attributes, she could temporarily push her combat power to match him.
But she needed at least five more levels to do it safely.
For now—
she would hold the line.
She would buy Yun Che the time he needed.
The Throne-level monk of Hutu Mountain leveled his spear, aura swelling with destructive force. Nemu inhaled slowly, calming her spiraling nerves. She had fought hollows. She had fought beasts. She had fought two cultivators in skirmishes where she relied heavily on Kido.
But she had never faced someone eight levels higher than her.
The monk smirked arrogantly. To him, the veiled girl standing barefoot in the snow looked like a porcelain figurine holding a toy sword. A mortal priestess playing warrior. Her aura was hidden, her presence impossibly quiet—so quiet it only amplified his contempt.
A thin katana.
No armor.
No visible cultivation.
To him, it was laughable.
"Such a pity, little fairy," he sneered. "I'll go easy on you if—"
He never finished.
Nemu vanished.
A burst of snow spiraled upward as she flash-stepped, reappearing at his flank.
Shigure arced downward in a clean cut.
The monk barely managed to bring his spear up to block—
and the moment steel met steel, his expression shattered.
BOOM—
The force behind her swing exploded outward, sending cracks through the mountain ice beneath them. It felt like he had just taken a direct hit from a fifth-level Sky Profound Realm cultivator.
Impossible.
He couldn't read her cultivation.
Her strength didn't make sense.
Her speed was unreal.
Nemu landed lightly, eyes calm behind her veil.
The monk snarled.
"Little fairy knows how to fight! The great Hutu Han will enjoy—"
He blinked.
She was already gone.
A soft whisper touched his ear:
"Shakkahō."
A red explosion detonated point-blank against his face.
KRAKOOM—
Hutu Han staggered back, charred skin peeling from his cheekbone. Rage surged through him as he tried to sense her—
but she was gone again, melting into the snowstorm.
Below, the remaining monks saw their chance and charged toward Xue Yin's home.
The moment their boots touched the ground—
BOOM— BOOM— BOOM—
A chain of explosions erupted beneath them. Screams tore through the cold air as half the assaulting force was blown apart.
The survivors froze, stumbling back in terror.
They had assumed the fairy only built a crude lightning tower.
They were wrong.
She had laid dozens of Kido mines into the battlefield—within the five minutes she had before they arrived. Earth Profound Realm monks, unable to fly, had no way to know where they were stepping.
Panic spread through the ranks.
The Sky Profound monks at the rear tried to escape upward—
but the moment one gained altitude, a strip of light shot from the darkness.
Bakudō 4: Hainawa. (Slithering Rope)
A glowing rope coiled around his torso, binding him instantly.
He didn't even have time to gasp.
A blue lance of lightning—pure, concentrated—pierced straight through his heart.
He fell from the sky, smoking.
Hutu Han's teeth ground together.
Earth Profound cultivators and Sky Profound elites took years of resources to train. Their supply of Wu Clan elixirs wasn't endless. Each death was a massive loss.
And tonight—
More than a dozen of his men were already dead.
All at the hands of a single, veiled fairy he had underestimated.
A girl barely stronger than a mere Earth Profound junior…
…who now stood before him, katana drawn, calm and unreadable.
His pride trembled.
This fairy was no fairy.
She was a Soul Reaper.
"You damn bitch!"
Hutu Han roared and lunged, spear crackling with violent profound energy.
Nemu didn't flinch.
With a flick of her wrist, she spun Shigure like a windmill, the blade whirling in a smooth circular motion. Snow spiraled around the rotating steel, gathering into a thin vortex that wrapped around her like a ritual dance.
She tapped the blade's spine with a single finger—
the spinning halted instantly.
Nemu whispered, almost gently:
"Hadō #58: Tenran. (Tornado)"
Air detonated.
A massive tornado-like blast exploded from the tip of Shigure, tearing through the snowfield with a shriek. The swirling column of force slammed into Hutu Han head-on, driving his spear into the ground and nearly taking him with it.
He held on—barely.
The monks behind him weren't so lucky.
The expanding vortex swallowed them whole, flinging their bodies off the mountainside like ragdolls. Screams vanished into the abyss as dozens of lives were erased in a single breath.
====================
[Ding… Host has leveled up]
[Ding… Host has leveled up]
====================
Above them, the remaining Sky Profound monks panicked and attempted to retreat into the air.
Nemu raised a hand.
Her voice was serene.
"Bakudō 4: Hainawa."
Golden ropes of energy shot upward, entangling wings, arms, and legs. Before they could scream, she switched her grip—her fingers glowing pale blue.
Thin arcs of lightning sparked along her arm to her finger.
Not profound lightning.
Not elemental lightning.
Kido lightning.
Precise. Controlled. Deadly.
She raised her hand.
"Hadō #4. Byakurai (Pale Lightning)"
Pew. Pew. Pew.
Each pale bolt pierced a monk cleanly through the chest, dropping them from the sky one by one. Their bodies burned briefly before turning black and falling lifeless into the snow.
Nemu exhaled calmly, her breath fogging her veil.
She had spent countless hours in the training room with Expert-class bots, drilling spell sequences, refining reiatsu control, and repeating kido incantations until they were as natural as breathing. Retsu's training had sharpened her instincts; the system enhanced her growth.
Her level was low…
but her skill was monstrous.
At the same time, she was fullflling a previous self dream. Due to her being an enhanced artificial soul. Her reaitsu was artificial so she cant properly used Kido. Now, she can learn and do anything she wants. Yun Che gave her the chance to be a proper Shinigami. Which she grateful to him and the heavens.
Hutu Han staggered upright, his charred face twisted in fury.
This was supposed to be an easy purge.
An injured Divine Lady and a few weak defenders.
But instead—
He had lost more than a dozen Earth Profound Realm monks.
Sky Profound cultivators were dying like insects.
His elite forces were being obliterated by one veiled fairy whose cultivation he still couldn't read.
His spear trembled.
"Arrgghh!!!"
Hutu Han's roar shook the mountain as he slammed his spear into the ground, but Nemu was already gone. His spiritual sense searched wildly—too slow. Too crude.
She erupted from beneath the snow like a silent phantom, fist spinning in a tight drill pattern before slamming directly into his jaw.
CRACK!
The impact hurled him across the slope, smashing him into the mountain wall hard enough to crater the stone.
Nemu hovered lightly above the snow, exhaling in a soft, controlled breath as she adjusted to the new surge of power coursing through her meridians.
Level 60.
Grand Perfection Earth Profound Realm.
In a single battlefield, she had leapt thirty levels since arriving in the Jin Province. The experience points were flooding in faster than she could process. Dozens of Earth Profound Realm cultivators, several Sky Profound Realm users, and the Tesla Coil kills had all been converted directly into her growth.
She allowed herself a tiny smile behind the veil.
So this is what rapid level progression feels like.
Now?
Now she could finally handle someone like Hutu Han properly.
"ARRGGHHH—!"
The monk staggered out of the crater, rage twisting his charred features. A violent red aura exploded around him, shaking the snow off nearby cliffs. His remaining men were dead—annihilated by the fairy he had mocked seconds ago.
And now he wanted nothing more than her neck between his hands.
Nemu remained still, poised, serene.
Her heart did not waver.
Her breathing did not break.
Her eyes glittered with quiet confidence.
Tonight… she would test something new.
Finally, the system unshackled the deepest function of her body—something uniquely hers.
If Retsu held the Essence of Yin and Yang…
Nemu held something far different.
Boosted Attributes.
This would be the first time she activated it in the real world.
A soft glow pulsed beneath her skin, her spiritual circuits opening like blooming lotus petals. Her aura sharpened—denser, heavier, more defined—while the air around her rippled with raw, unfiltered potential.
Nemu pressed her palm to her heart as the system whispered in her mind:
===================
[Boosted Attributes—initial activation.]
===================
Hutu Han clenched his spear, snarling as he charged.
But Nemu's voice was a whisper, gentle as falling snow:
"Now then…Let us test my true strength."