Ethereal Prison, The Xianzhou Luofu
"Lady Fu Xuan… where are we going?" Huohuo shivered. By protocol, the Ethereal Prison had only six layers, its deepest level reserved for the most heinous criminals. Yet Fu Xuan pressed onward, stopping only at the frozen corridor's end.
"To witness history."
Fu Xuan placed her palm against the wall. Divinatory glyphs swirled around her, isolating them from reality. The prison itself was merely a gateway—no, a seal—for what lay beyond.
Huohuo's instincts screamed. Every cell in her body recoiled.
"Open."
Fu Xuan pushed. A bridge of starlight coalesced in the void.
Huohuo clung to Fu Xuan's sleeve, her tail manifesting nervously. "Pfft! Scared of a glorified jail? Back in my day—" The tail paused. Wait. This place reeks of something… older.
They stepped onto the astral bridge. Vines bursting with golden flowers bloomed in the void—beautiful, yet drenched in the cloying stench of Abundance.
"Why… here…?" Huohuo gagged.
"Remnants of Golden Blood." Fu Xuan tossed a severed branch into a shimmering pool ahead. Over centuries, she'd fed this cursed spring with slain Abundance spawn to sustain its power.
At the bridge's end stood an ordinary gate, piled high with ginkgo branches—trophies from Fu Xuan's hunts. Beyond it, a corpse entwined in vines floated atop golden liquid. The air thickened with immortality itself.
"Lady Fu… this is… high treason." Huohuo's voice trembled. Every law she'd memorized screamed death penalty.
"Correct." Fu Xuan smiled serenely. "Hence why you're now my accomplice."
"B-but I have congenital blindness! My tail guides me! I saw nothing—"
"Too late. We share this sin."
Huohuo wilted. Curse that xingyu bobo!
Aboard the Astrial Express
"Master-in-Law! I confess!" Qingque slammed her hands on the table. "I'm a double agent! Codename: Mountain-Piercer Sparrow! Everything was Fu Xuan's idea! Let me redeem myself by betraying her!"
Anming sighed. "Your 'loyalty' lasts as long as a limited-edition Diyuan Qiongyu set."
"Hey! The Hunt series No. 01/10 is a once-in-a-lifetime collectible!" Qingque straightened. "But fear not! I'll compose an 800-word love letter to Fu Xuan praising you! Flowery metaphors! Heartfelt confessions! Done in 10 minutes!"
As Qingque scampered off, Anming opened his messages:
Anming: Darling, ignore Qingque's slander. I'm innocent!
Fu Xuan: Oh? Define "innocent."
BOOM!
Silver Wolf's pixelated head hijacked his screen: "Cheater! Time to incinerate the seas—3… 2… 1!"
The phone erupted in smoke—yet emerged unscathed. Anming smirked at the "Qliphoth-Krieg Superalloy Limited Edition" logo. "Try harder, Silver Wolf."
Epilogue: Divination Chamber
Fu Xuan reviewed Qingque's hastily drafted ode to Anming—a masterpiece of pandering. She sipped tea, eyeing the Golden Blood pool's ripples.
Soon, my love. Even death shall kneel to our reunion.