After leaving Xiangling's sight, Qiu Bai teleported to the peak of a mountain.
He had sensed a strange aura—one eerily similar to his own.
However, in his current state, pinpointing its exact location was difficult.
A small smile played on his lips before his form began to shift.
A moment later, a stunning woman stood in his place. Her beauty was ethereal—delicate yet cold, with lips as vivid as the crimson peaks of Danxia and pale blue eyes that carried a touch of aloofness.
She wore a flowing, ink-white gown, with a Yin-Yang Taiji symbol fastened at her waist.
At this moment, the half representing Yin radiated with a dazzling light.
Her long black hair was secured by a matching ink-white headpiece, and her slender legs and bare feet gave her an otherworldly, untouchable grace—like a celestial maiden beyond mortal reach.
She stood about 1.7 meters tall.
Qiu Bai—or rather, she now—had fully transformed into a woman.
This was one of the powers of the Archon of Yin and Yang.
Even for her, this was only the second time she had entered this state—not even her old friend Morax had ever seen it.
Under normal circumstances, she preferred not to use this form. It subtly altered both her personality and perception in ways that made her uncomfortable.
"...Like these two things in front of me."
She glanced down at her chest.
"...Uh."
Qiu Bai hesitantly poked the two soft masses and muttered with a slightly flushed face.
Even her voice had changed—now sweet and melodious, like the chime of silver bells.
Shaking off the odd sensation, she took a quick look around before soaring into the sky in a certain direction.
"Hmm..."
"Did I sense that correctly?"
After flying for a while, the delicate-looking woman came to a halt above a massive meteor crater.
The area around the crater was overgrown with trees, and small creatures darted through the forest below.
Her pale blue eyes locked onto the center of the crater, and she descended.
"This is… the place where I once purified the corruption from Azhdaha."
Qiu Bai extended a slender hand, channeling her energy to sense the remnants, and immediately frowned.
Before she could take action, the ground suddenly quivered—and from the depths, a blinding white light shot out at astonishing speed, racing toward the sky.
"Not so fast!"
The woman called out sharply before giving chase, streaking through the air like a comet.
She could feel it—the light was nurturing a newborn Archon.
The glowing entity and Qiu Bai soared higher and higher, but in the end, her speed was superior. With a swift motion, she reached out and caught the white orb in her hand.
It quivered a few times before falling completely still.
"…Is this the essence I lost when I purified Azhdaha all those centuries ago?"
"I never imagined that after a thousand years, it would be nurturing an Archon like me inside."
Floating high in the sky, Qiu Bai carefully observed the luminous sphere resting in her palm.
Under the pale moonlight, her cold beauty seemed even more ethereal.
"Good thing it hasn't developed sentience yet."
"Otherwise… I'd have just become a mother."
She let out a relieved sigh and patted her chest.
Then, after a moment's pause, her expression froze.
Realizing what she had just done, Qiu Bai's face flushed crimson.
"...Absolutely not! No way! I'm not becoming a mother in this lifetime!"
But then she hesitated.
"…Wait, why am I blushing?"
"This form really does mess with my personality…"
She murmured softly, frowning at the orb in her hand.
It had only been incubating for a thousand years—not long by divine standards.
Even forming this light sphere had taken centuries, so its instinct to flee was entirely natural.
"…Since that's the case, I'll absorb you back into myself."
Qiu Bai spoke gently to the orb, her voice carrying a note of finality.
Her power had already grown tenfold compared to a thousand years ago—reclaiming a fragment of her lost essence wouldn't be a problem.
With that, she carried the orb to a remote wilderness, landing near a deserted cave.
Sitting cross-legged inside, she extended a single jade-white hand and began drawing in the primordial energy.
A radiant black-and-white light flickered within the cave as time slowly passed…
…
By the time the first light of dawn painted the sky, Qiu Bai's half-lidded eyes fluttered open.
The orb was gone—completely absorbed.
She carefully examined the flow of power within her body.
It hadn't increased much—perhaps half of what she had been a thousand years ago.
"Well, a gain is a gain."
"Even the smallest morsel is still meat."
With a slight smile, the woman rose gracefully and stepped out into the early morning light.
The golden rays kissed her face as she stretched, taking in the crisp morning air.
"Now then..."
"Time to find the Traveler."
"Lumine is probably with that old man Morax right now."
Qiu Bai briefly sensed Lumine's location before vanishing in an instant.
Suppressing his aura, he appeared near Lumine, Zhongli, and Paimon, approaching quietly.
Before he could reach them, he saw the three standing before a Statue of The Seven, offering incense. The statue reacted noticeably to the third type of incense they had presented.
Even from a distance, Qiu Bai could hear Paimon's voice.
"It looks like Morax really likes the third incense."
Lumine murmured to Zhongli.
"I never thought the God of Geo would have a preference for this kind of scent."
"Could it be that the Geo Archon is actually a mature older sister?"
Paimon wondered aloud, tilting her head in curiosity.
After all, the third incense had a soft yet lingering fragrance, resembling a misty haze—a scent particularly favored by mature women.
Hearing this, Zhongli chuckled.
"Hahaha… perhaps."
"The Geo Archon has countless incarnations—one of them may indeed take such a form."
He explained to Paimon with a faint smile.
"Too bad we've only ever seen that giant dragon form, and…"
"I really hope the Liyue Qixing finds the true culprit."
Paimon frowned.
"Let those in positions of power worry about that. Our only task is to properly prepare Rex Lapis' farewell ceremony."
Zhongli crossed his arms and spoke in his usual calm tone.
"Well, that's another step completed! What's next?"
Paimon tilted her head, looking at Zhongli expectantly.
"The next step is—"
Before Zhongli could finish, a stunning woman approached from a distance.
"Lumine, Paimon, Zhongli—you're all here."
Her sweet voice, paired with her elegant jade-white legs and feet, and a beautiful ink-white gown, immediately stunned both Lumine and Paimon.
They stood frozen, eyes wide in disbelief.
"This beautiful big sister… Do you know us?"
Paimon asked hesitantly, staring at the woman who was beyond beautiful—as if beauty itself had taken human form.
Oh no! I forgot to change back!
Qiu Bai mentally panicked.
I was too focused on absorbing my essence yesterday and completely forgot about this…
Feeling a bit awkward, Qiu Bai rubbed her nose. Now there was no turning back—she had to go along with it.
Zhongli, on the other hand, was completely caught off guard.
For the first time in thousands of years, a genuine look of surprise flashed across his face.
He stood there, eyes widening slightly, staring at the celestial figure before him.
"Uh…"
"I… I…"
Seeing Qiu Bai hesitate, Zhongli stepped in calmly to cover for her.
"She is a friend of mine."
"I've spoken to her about you both, so that's how she knows you."