The Ruins of Jiuyou.
Ji Lin slowly opened her eyes.
The troublesome weight was gone, and her body felt incredibly light.
No, to be precise, she didn't even have a body. Instead, her consciousness was attached to a golden sword.
The Xuanyuan Sword.
She couldn't help but recall the decisive battle against Chiyou.
The great sea was torn asunder, and the sky was stained with an ominous violet light, as if the apocalypse had descended upon Shenzhou.
Cangxuan and Danzhu had sacrificed themselves with their own blood to resist the calamity.
Ji Lin, too, was sealed at the bottom of Jiuyou, forced into an endless battle in the dark, hellish corridors.
Eventually, Ji Lin was also corrupted, transforming into the slaughter-obsessed Black Ji Lin.
But even then, a sliver of clarity remained in her mind. She finally managed to separate her "pure consciousness" from her "eroded consciousness."
The pure consciousness was the Ji Lin of now, but it was far too weak to contend with Black Ji Lin. Thus, she could only detach from her body and attach herself to the Xuanyuan Sword, awaiting a destined person from a later generation… only to be met by Ye Feng.
Originally, Ji Lin had vaguely seen three brave warriors and had intended to bestow the Xuanyuan Sword upon them.
But before she could even manifest, she was pulled into Ye Feng's world.
Ji Lin sorted through her thoughts. The Xuanyuan Sword floated in mid-air, its tip making a full circle.
The tunnel was dim and wide, lined with jagged rocks and dotted with pinkish-purple crystals. The air surged with dense Honkai energy.
"…I believe I have returned."
"It is truly as Ye Feng said… my consciousness traveled between two worlds."
Ji Lin thought back to her experiences in that other world.
It truly felt like a dream.
She learned of "Red Kite's" current situation, which was a joyous thing.
She also found a way to resurrect Cangxuan and Danzhu, which was another joyous thing.
Two joys overlapped, and this double joy brought even more joy. She should have obtained a dream-like time of happiness.
However, the situation was not so optimistic…
Ji Lin rubbed her shoulders. Although the weight on her chest was gone, she could still feel a phantom ache and soreness.
"That person is very dangerous," Ji Lin whispered.
Moreover, she had promised him three things.
Although she could refuse if they touched her bottom line… Ji Lin still felt a slight sense of unease.
"What's done is done… No matter. First, I must find Cangxuan and Danzhu."
If what Ye Feng said was true, the formation core containing their souls must not be destroyed under any circumstances.
◇
At this moment, Ye Feng's world welcomed an unexpected guest.
She was a woman as cool and clear as the moonlight, standing aloof upon a watery reflection of the moon.
She wore a blue battle dress, her aura sharp and indifferent.
A single ribbon of blue silk simply tied back her flowing, pale blue-white hair. Her figure was long and slender, exuding the noble sanctity of a goddess that could not be violated.
Her face was as beautiful as the moon, but her eyes were covered by a black blindfold embroidered with a silver moon pattern, adding a touch of tantalizing mystery to her ascetic appearance.
"Jingliu."
She was from Honkai: Star Rail, of the Xianzhou's "Cangcheng." A member of the legendary "Cloud-Quintet" and a peerless sword master, she was known by the venerable title "Transcendent Flash."
"Now this is something new."
Ye Feng's hand caressed Jingliu's ice-jade-like face.
He fell into a brief moment of contemplation.
Immediately after, he "sensed" something.
This was his world; naturally, he could comprehend all of its "principles."
For every three new maps he opened, an additional person from an "otherworld" would be added.
Up until now, besides the original "St. Freya High School" map, Ye Feng's world had opened three new areas: Senba Academy, the Elysian Realm, and Jiuyou.
Therefore, Jingliu had appeared here.
She was already captivating in her official art, but now that she was here in the flesh, Ye Feng truly understood what a female sword immortal was.
Ye Feng removed the crescent moon blindfold covering her eyes.
The black cloth slipped off like blossoms falling to the ground.
Her eyes had an ethereal, sky-blue quality.
Her aura was cold, her figure peerless.
Her ice-jade face, her well-proportioned shoulders, her lofty snow peaks, her slender waist—every part of her was beautiful, without a single flaw to be found. Her pure and holy aura made one feel unworthy of even approaching her, let alone defiling her.
Especially those fair, tender legs in her classical battle boots; they looked extremely firm and smooth.
Perhaps due to her years of swordsmanship, they gave off an impression of fluid power. If one were to hoist those legs onto their shoulders, they would surely suffocate from happiness.
The woman, as pure and ethereal as moonlight, suddenly had her long eyelashes tremble slightly.
She was about to "awaken"!
An idea sparked in Ye Feng's mind, and he added several status effects to Jingliu.
Jingliu slowly opened her eyes.
Though Ye Feng was right in front of her, she could not see him.
Jingliu simply thought that, like all the other times, she had fallen into an illusion brought on by her Mara-Struck state.
"Have I… come here again?"
Jingliu suffered from the "Mara-Struck" state, an affliction of longevity on the Xianzhou.
Being Mara-Struck not only caused physical changes but, more importantly, affected the mind.
Jingliu had long since surpassed her limits, perpetually hovering on the brink of being fully consumed by the Mara.
Her mind was constantly assailed, never knowing a moment of peace.
Sometimes, like today, she would fall into an "illusion," where she would endure the corrosion of hatred and fury.
The inhuman, negative emotions born from the depths of Jingliu's heart would manifest as black hands, seizing her heart and squeezing it tighter and tighter until her sanity evaporated… turning her into a monster of vengeance.
But today seemed a little different.
Jingliu felt the "black hands" from the depths of her heart, but they were being unusually gentle.
They roamed the edges of her body. She could even feel their fingertips brushing against her skin, which produced a tingling, numbing sensation.
"…What is happening?"
A strange feeling spread through her body.
Before she could even think, Jingliu, shrouded in darkness, felt her wrists being seized, yanked upwards, and pinned against a wall.
Her toes couldn't help but point downwards.
In the darkness, her jade-like arms were exposed—pale and shimmering, like lotus roots emerging from water, like white jade warming. Their curves were soft, beautiful, and captivating.
A masterpiece of art, these arms were flawless and gleaming, truly an embodiment of icy skin and jade bones, capable of bewitching the soul.
Jingliu held her breath and focused her mind, trying to "slay" this wicked thought, only to find she couldn't muster the slightest bit of strength.
"…Truly perfect."
Ye Feng commented, his voice gentle.
But to Jingliu's ears, it sounded like the clashing of a thousand swords.
Her emotions wavered—something she never would have imagined happening.
"The illusions produced by the Mara have a consciousness of their own?"
Unheard of!
In all her past Mara-Struck episodes, she had never encountered such a potent inner demon.
At that moment, Ye Feng held the peerless sword immortal with one arm while his other hand moved with unhurried grace, as if preparing to open a treasure box to admire the gem within.
Ye Feng's hand glided gently over Jingliu's arm, feeling its softness and crystal-clear quality.
As expected of the arm of the Xianzhou's sword master. This immortal hand, which had held a sword for countless years, was so utterly flawless.