Huff—! Huff—!
A pair of delicate fists flew, whistling through the air, but Fu Hua's mood could not calm down no matter what.
"Guiding it is better than blocking it?"
The agile girl retracted her fists, letting her figure be swallowed by the vast white morning mist.
She knew everything Mobius had said in the Dream World, but she had been forcefully ignoring these two rational ideas all along.
The one involved is confused, while the bystander sees clearly.
When watching others trapped in a maze, it's easy to give advice, but when she became the one in the maze, it wasn't so easy to break free.
To wield the sword and sever the threads of love, or to guide rather than block.
It was truly a difficult choice.
And...
"Herrscher of Sentience, you won't just stand by and watch, will you?"
A girl with the same appearance as Fu Hua, but with a more flamboyant demeanor, appeared out of thin air, looking perfectly matter-of-fact in the face of Fu Hua's questioning.
"What else?"
"I am the other you, born with your obsessions."
"I say you're being pretentious. It's just some romantic affair between a man and a woman, is there really a need to be so dramatic?"
The Herrscher of Sentience looked completely unconcerned, showing no sign of shyness in response to the memories in her mind.
Hilarious, she had almost gotten bent over in the Dream World!
Mere shameful memories experienced by Fu Hua? They wouldn't be able to break her incredibly strong heart, which had been tempered through cultivation!
Setbacks make a Herrscher grow. As the omnipotent Herrscher of Sentience, her growth rate was naturally much faster than others!
Her power had already increased wildly, explosively, and ferociously. She was now ten, no, nine times stronger than her past self!
Fu Hua: "..."
Herrscher of Sentience: "I know you're pretentious, and I don't want to say much more to you."
"But since we only live once, even if we don't live wantonly, we should at least understand what we're pursuing, what we want, and what we'll ultimately get, right?"
"Treating these things like a flood or a monster will only cause you trouble and achieve nothing."
"Instead of doing that, I suggest you rush into that guy's room, pin him to the bed, and have your wicked way with him."
The Herrscher of Sentience continued on her own, "After you're done, then you can decide whether you need to develop things further."
"Herrscher of Sentience."
Fu Hua's voice came through.
"Hmm? What?"
Boom—!
A delicate fist, wrapped in a thunderous blast of air, almost smashed the Herrscher girl's entire head in.
The turbulent airflow rustled the two girls' gray hair, and the Herrscher of Sentience's figure reappeared several steps away.
"Hey! You hidebound old-timer, don't you know that could've killed me?"
Fu Hua's expression was cold. "It's better for you to be the one who gets killed than for a life to be created in my body."
In the eyes of the Herrscher of Sentience, Fu Hua's current expression was as if it were forged from cold ice, sending a bone-chilling coldness towards her.
Without a doubt, this woman was angry. She didn't want to become a sacrifice for the Herrscher of Sentience's ambitions, she didn't want to be the woman sent to the bridal chamber.
However, the gray-haired, red-eyed Herrscher of Sentience just sneered, "You hidebound old-timer, you think you can deceive others, but can you deceive me?"
"I was born from your obsessions. I have all your memories."
"There is no one in this world who knows you better than me, and no one who understands what you're thinking better than me!"
The Herrscher of Sentience's gaze was scorching, mixed with a hint of disappointment. "If you want it, go take it! It's not like Raiden Mei and the others would mind you taking a spot, and that guy has plenty of energy. Why not enjoy it!?"
"If you shut up now, I can pretend you were joking."
A joke. The Herrscher of Sentience feared nothing, how could she possibly be afraid of this old-timer's verbal threats.
She acted as if she hadn't heard.
"And don't try to fob me off with things like chastity and reputation."
"You're already over fifty-five thousand years old, and you were born in the enlightened Previous Era. These things are just excuses for you, purely because you're too cowardly to face your own heart."
The Herrscher of Sentience stared at Fu Hua. "Of course, no matter how much you agonize over these issues, there's one fact you can't change..."
"You've already been bent over!"
Tearing away all pretenses, the Herrscher of Sentience made Fu Hua face the one thing she was most unwilling to confront.
To prevent the Herrscher of the Void, who had obtained a second Herrscher Core, from completely controlling Kiana's body and wreaking havoc on Earth.
At that time, Fu Hua had let her consciousness pilot Fenghuang Down and rushed into Kiana's body.
As a result, while she was helping Kiana defeat the Herrscher of the Void, that unreliable Inner World Protagonist, not caring about the location, directly started fooling around with Raiden Mei and Kiana.
She was tragically framed by the Herrscher of the Void and had no choice but to use Kiana's body to experience the taste of being bent over.
This incident was a series of accidents; Fu Hua didn't believe it was of her own volition.
"That was just a misunderstanding!"
Herrscher of Sentience: "But you enjoyed it!"
"That was only to resolve the trouble caused by the Herrscher of the Void."
"You enjoyed it!"
"That was to prevent more people from getting hurt!"
"You enjoyed it!"
Fu Hua couldn't take it anymore. "Herrscher of Sentience, is that the only thing you can say?"
"Of course not."
The great Herrscher of Sentience shrugged. "But you still got bent over!"
"That wasn't my body!"
"See, aren't you admitting you've been bent over?"
As long as Fu Hua admits she's been bent over, everything else is easy to talk about!
This is the first step of a long march. From here, she will send Fu Hua to the bridal chamber!
—To fulfill Fu Hua's obsession.
The Herrscher of Sentience seemed to have forgotten the woman's rough treatment of her earlier and casually slung an arm around Fu Hua's shoulders.
The two gray-haired, flat-chested girls in close contact looked as harmonious as a pair of young brothers.
The Herrscher of Sentience continued, "Look, since you've already correctly recognized that you've been bent over, then all those things you're worried about are actually meaningless."
Having already been bent over, she was practically just a ceremony away from being sent to the bridal chamber.
This was why the Herrscher of Sentience found this person particularly pretentious.
If you want to kill, then go kill. If you want to screw, then go screw. There's no need to hesitate.
Don't give her any nonsense about a rabbit not eating the grass around its burrow. Look at that Inner World Protagonist; not only does he eat the grass around his burrow, but he's also turning everyone around him into cream puffs.
Fu Hua thought she could run away.
But in reality...
"Old-timer, give up the struggle. You can't escape anymore."
The great Herrscher of Sentience has seen through everything.
"Just like our unworthy grand-disciple, you've long been on that guy's hunting list. It's impossible to change that."
"Even if you go back to Mount Taixuan to live in seclusion, even if you disregard worldly affairs from now on, you will definitely be dragged out from some corner of the world by that guy."
"And you know very well, we are all human, and humans are social creatures. You can tolerate not interacting with others for a while, even long-term loneliness and solitude; but once you emerge from the cage of emptiness, you can never go back."
"You can't go back, and Kiana and the others have all been thoroughly bent over by that guy."
The Herrscher of Sentience was absolutely certain. "You can't escape!"
The last few words exploded in Fu Hua's mind like a clap of thunder.
This was the reality she had been unwilling to face all along!
Putting aside trivial matters like love, just the great task of fighting the Honkai made it impossible for her to leave the current Anti-Entropy organization.
She couldn't fight the Honkai alone; fighting the Honkai required the power of the Herrschers.
Having faced the Herrscher of the End, she knew just how terrifying that power was. No one could remain unscathed in the final tide.
Can't leave, must not leave...
Coupled with the fact that she had indeed been bent over by that guy in Kiana's body, Fu Hua, trapped by her current situation, truly didn't know what to do.
Could it be...
"Guide it rather than block it?"
Did she really have to, at fifty-five thousand years old, start a romantic relationship?
Wasn't that asking too much of her?
Fu Hua's eyes gradually glazed over, lost in thought.
The Herrscher of Sentience, who knew Fu Hua very well, secretly snickered, knowing that her recent efforts had taken effect.
But this person was still very pretentious and needed some grand-sounding excuses to overcome her final psychological barrier.
After a moment of thought, the Herrscher of Sentience suggested, "Old-timer, since you haven't figured it out yet, I won't bother you anymore."
"You can take your time thinking it over, but our unworthy grand-disciple is already troubled by love. As her grand master, you should at least go and show some concern, right?"
This sentence made Fu Hua feel that although the Herrscher of Sentience wasn't human, she was at least somewhat humane.
What annoyed her the most was this person constantly chattering by her side, determined to send her to the bridal chamber.
"I know. I'll go see Sushang."
...
The three-foot azure blade hummed softly.
The gracefully built swordswoman danced, her movements creating an elegant yet sharp trajectory between heaven and earth.
To a layperson's eye, Li Sushang's daily practice was undoubtedly a master's work, with its various techniques being exquisitely amazing.
But in the eyes of a true master...
"Sushang, your heart is in turmoil."
Li Sushang stopped her movements and looked at the newcomer. "Ancestral Master Celestial."
Her tone was not intimate, and even carried an obvious sense of annoyance.
With the skills of the Shenyun Realm, it shouldn't be like this. Even a state of mind as tranquil as still water should be able to easily control the distracting thoughts in one's heart.
But some things cannot be judged by common sense.
Just like the Honkai that threatens the entire world, and for another example, the human heart, human nature, and the emotions born from them.
Fu Hua, who had come here with a purpose, was particularly friendly to this unworthy grand-disciple. "Sushang, if something is troubling you, you can talk to me."
The Herrscher of Sentience was well aware of this old-timer's objective and would even mock her fiercely in such a situation.
But Li Sushang, a swordswoman who was only older in years, didn't see through Fu Hua's true intentions and even felt a slight sense of gratitude towards her grand master.
"Grand Master, I don't know how to say it."
"Is it because of him?"
"..."
Li Sushang nodded silently.
The one involved is confused, the bystander sees clearly.
Fu Hua couldn't figure out her own thoughts, but she was crystal clear about Li Sushang's situation.
This was clearly the look of someone deeply poisoned by love, to the point where it could be called a 'love tribulation' in her eyes.
If this were five hundred years ago, Li Sushang would have already been arranged a series of parents' orders and matchmaker's words, and would have been sent to the home of the man she fancied with great fanfare.
But times have changed, and using parents' orders and matchmakers' words to break the stalemate is no longer appropriate.
"Sushang, I think you need to take the initiative to make some changes."
Fu Hua said.
"Grand Master, what do you mean by that?"
As if something came to her mind, a sharp light appeared in the corner of Li Sushang's eyes.
If she says something nice, Fu Hua is still her Ancestral Master Celestial; but if she dares to give some shameless advice, then she will be a great villain who'd even ride her own master!
Shenzhou swordswoman Li Sushang possessed a flexible moral bottom line.
Fu Hua: "If you continue like this, you won't get any results."
She seemed oblivious to Li Sushang's thoughts.
"The customs of five hundred years ago are vastly different from now, and besides, you and he have already made a bet. There's no need to worry about it here."
"Ancestral Master Celestial, are you suggesting that I be more proactive?"
"No, he's busy dealing with the Herrschers and the Honkai, and temporarily has no time for romantic affairs."
Li Sushang: "..."
If that guy wasn't an animal ruled by his lower body, she might have believed it.
Dealing with the Herrscher of Domination was indeed his current task, but that guy also spent a considerable amount of his energy on Raiden Mei and the others.
Making those girls quite energetic as well.
To say he had no time to deal with his romantic affairs with her... it seemed that was actually true.
If he couldn't satisfy those thirsty Herrschers, the harm caused would be much greater than the consequences of ignoring her.
"Sigh."
Li Sushang sighed, but had to helplessly accept reality.
This world operated on such a realistic winner-takes-all principle; the victor could so easily have everything.
As for a common woman like herself, he had probably already forgotten about that matter, right?
"Change, huh..."
Li Sushang fell into deep thought, not even noticing Fu Hua's quiet departure.
"Perhaps it's indeed time to make some changes."
...
Theater of Domination...
"Gentlemen! The time has come to make this world feel pain!"
Hundreds of puppets sat silently in the theater like corpses that had lost all hope, waiting for the world to crush them.
If one were to look down from a high place, one could easily see that more than ten percent of the seats in this theater were empty, and had even accumulated a thin layer of dust over time.
Undoubtedly, the owners of these seats had all been vanquished in the real world, and had even implicated a considerable number of their own kind, turning them all into collectibles in the warehouses of the three major organizations.
But today, right now...
"The world will revolve around my will. Every step we take from now on will affect the direction of the world!"
The girl on the stage was extraordinarily small, but in the eyes of the other thousand, she was the direction guiding them forward.
"That's right! We are the mighty Herrscher of Domination, we are the victors of this world!"
Under the leadership of the Silver Wolf of the Urals, Bronya Zaychik, they will be invincible, and make this world submit to the iron hooves of the Honkai!
The impassioned words were like sparks falling into a pile of dry grass, instantly igniting a blazing fire in the theater!
It didn't matter that a part of the theater was destroyed, and it didn't matter that many of their comrades had died.
As long as they were still here, as long as they were still under the leadership of Bronya Zaychik...
"We—are the future!"
All the Herrschers of Domination are in place. It's time to let these pathetic failures meet their destined end.
These thousand Herrscher hearts, she, Bronya Zaychik, wants them all!
These Herrschers of Domination just need to charge on the front lines. The problems she, Bronya Zaychik, needs to consider are truly too many.
ε=（´ο｀*）））.
185