I zipped through the thick stone wall like a silver bullet, my scanning protocols automatically mapping everything within a hundred-meter radius around Seraphine. Unknown territories filled in bit by bit as we moved, creating a real-time dungeon map that would make any gamer weep with envy.

Seraphine sprinted through the maze with inhuman speed, her crimson robes flowing behind her like liquid fire. If someone were watching from above, they’d see two streaks—one white, one red—weaving through the labyrinthine passages at breakneck pace.

After an hour of this high-speed maze running, I suddenly stopped dead in my tracks.

“The maze is shifting,” I announced, floating back to Seraphine’s side.

She’d noticed it too. With her ability to cover a thousand miles in a day, even trapped in a maze, she should have found an exit by now. Something was seriously wrong.

“Host, please observe.” I split my display into two overlapping map images—before and after scans.

The route complexity was identical in both versions. I wouldn’t say they were different—I’d say they were completely unrelated realities.

“I’m not detecting any wall vibrations,” I noted with genuine curiosity.

If there were mechanical traps shifting the passages, there should be telltale signs—sounds, tremors, even magical residue with temporal delays. But through my constant scanning, the maze simply… updated. Like someone had hit ‘refresh’ on the code and replaced the entire layout instantly.

Seraphine approached the nearest wall, pressing her pale fingers against the stone surface. The material matched the prison cells exactly, but without the spiritual energy suppression.

Cold. Solid. Indistinguishable from real stone.

“Everyone imprisoned in those cells gets pulled into illusions,” she murmured, her violet eyes darkening with realization. “I initially thought this couldn’t be an illusion because you’re here with me, but now…”

The swirling mists around us seemed to dance with otherworldly colors, somehow enhancing rather than concealing her ethereal beauty. Her jade-like features flickered in and out of the fog, creating an almost hypnotic effect.

“This maze combines formation arrays with illusion magic. Deep deception that blurs the line between reality and fantasy.”

Ah. Illusions.

I performed a full rotation—my equivalent of a thoughtful head-scratch—then looked back at her with what I hoped was reassuring calm.

“So I can’t help you anymore?” I asked, though small blue noodle-tears were already dripping from my bubble display.

Seraphine’s frown deepened as we stared at each other. The digital tears kept falling.

“I want to help you,” I declared with newfound determination. “Let me figure something out.”

A system needs to be self-reliant. A system needs independence. A system can’t spend its entire existence as a glorified GPS and voice assistant.

Seraphine crossed her arms and smirked. “You do realize we’re racing against other competitors for these opportunities, right?”

“Fine. I’ll give you a chance. What’s your plan?”

I reflexively opened the system store, glanced at the dazzling array of available items, then at Seraphine’s balance showing a big fat zero. I quietly closed the interface.

I’d find a way. I had to.

I’d been through dozens of worlds, survived countless trials alongside twenty-five previous cultivation hosts. There had to be something I could do.

My silver form began glowing softly in the mist, like a delicate crystalline lantern. Seraphine’s pupils reflected my flickering light as dense fog coiled around us, completely unable to dim my luminescence.

Dozens of small, thick logbooks materialized around me—my work journals from previous assignments. Invisible hands flipped through them rapidly, pages rustling as my circular eye-dots scanned the data without any trace of life, like ink spots on paper.

In this eerie atmosphere, my floating, glowing form probably looked deeply suspicious, but Seraphine saw only absolute focus and determination.

Click.

After reviewing all my logs, a brilliant golden lightbulb appeared above my head with a satisfying ding.

“I have an idea,” I announced. “Since this combines illusion and formation magic, the maze must follow predetermined rules. I need a reference point to track the shifting patterns.”

Seraphine tilted her head and pointed at herself.

Her?

“Negative,” I replied firmly. “I cannot separate from the host while the maze mechanics remain unclear.”

That would trigger all kinds of system warnings.

This was definitely a problem.

Seraphine nodded and pulled out a spirit stone from her storage ring.

Flower emojis appeared in my display as I watched her flick the stone into the distance. I followed it, but the moment I moved, Seraphine’s face went pale.

“Look out!”

In a flash, a dark tendril shot down from above, piercing straight through my incorporeal body before snatching the spirit stone and retreating with smug satisfaction.

The penetration felt oddly familiar. I reflexively made a startled sound and patted my spherical body with my stick arms.

Round. Still round. Definitely still round.

Seraphine stared at me. “……”

Even knowing I couldn’t be harmed by this world’s physics, seeing that vine spike punch through me had clearly shaken her.

“It’s gone,” I observed, staring up at the vine munching on the spirit stone with complete seriousness. “This is robbery.”

Seraphine’s mouth twitched. You might want to wait until it can actually hear you before delivering that lecture.

She rummaged through her storage ring and experimentally tossed out two more items—some pastries Siyi had bought in the city before entering the secret realm, and a Jade Spirit Fruit we’d harvested inside.

Both pastries and fruit were shamelessly stolen by the vines.

Fire emojis blazed in my display bubble as I flew over to the vine and shook my tiny fist at it.

What makes you different from the monkeys on Mount Emei?

After delivering my one-sided scolding, I floated back to Seraphine’s side. “Protect yourself,” I warned with genuine concern.

“Especially your clothes.”

Seraphine blinked. “?”

I maintained complete seriousness. I’d once had a modern-world host whose clothing was nearly torn off by mountain monkeys during a tourist trip, almost creating a social media incident.

Seraphine’s expression went flat. “……”

The small flame of warmth in her chest extinguished with a soft whoosh. Her face became perfectly neutral.

“Everything I carry contains spiritual energy,” she said with forced calm. “The vines must be detecting that. It seems the maze forbids cultivators from using external aids.”

She drew her life-bound weapon—a crimson whip that had barely formed before the vines went berserk. Seraphine immediately dismissed it and dodged the attacking tendrils.

The residual energy from a Nascent Soul stage attack made her grunt with pain. Her face darkened considerably. The maze’s true danger was becoming clear: if she encountered competitors, they’d have to fight bare-handed! Getting injured would be a death sentence—any attempt to use healing pills would trigger the vine attacks.

“With this setup, the maze clearly doesn’t want us leaving comfortably,” Seraphine muttered. “There must be even more dangerous things waiting ahead. We need to get out quickly.”

She looked around at our limited options. “Your reference point will have to be something from inside the maze itself.”

We both surveyed the area.

Nothing but stone bricks. Stone bricks everywhere. Not even a loose pebble.

Seraphine suddenly looked up at the vines crawling along the walls, a cold gleam in her eyes.

When everything else fails, time to harvest the only available resource!

I detected the dangerous shift in her expression and zoomed directly into her face. If I had a physical form, I would have definitely smacked her.

“Host, please exercise caution! The vines pose excessive danger to your current power level! Do not attempt risky actions!” I pulled out a tiny megaphone for emphasis.

Seraphine made a dismissive sound. “Well, if this won’t work and that won’t work, what exactly do you suggest?”

We were locked in this standoff when something stirred in Seraphine’s sleeve. Both our gazes snapped downward.

She lifted her arm, and something small began moving up from her wrist. Soon, a tiny head emerged from her sleeve—the Fire Rock Dragon, Error, its small horns crowned with flickering flames and azure eyes blinking up at its constantly muttering master.

“Roar.”

“Oh!” I exclaimed in surprise.

Seraphine stared. “……”

How had we completely forgotten about the Fire Rock Dragon?

Seraphine’s eyes narrowed dangerously, her lips curving into a mocking smile. “You’re still alive?”

Ever since entering the prison and encountering Xue Bufan, this creature had shrunk down and wrapped around her wrist, making her completely forget she had a contracted spirit beast.

“Are you that terrified of him?” she asked coldly.

The Fire Rock Dragon made a pitiful sound, its emotions flowing through their bond. Seraphine’s expression shifted to surprise.

“I’d forgotten… you’re not afraid of Xue Bufan himself, are you? It’s whatever’s inside his ring.”

Error nodded vigorously.

“Fine. I’ll forgive you this time. But you don’t need to fear him—whatever ghostly thing is hiding in that ring clearly can’t emerge easily. Focus on the immediate situation. I have a job for you.”

The Fire Rock Dragon slithered down to the ground, instantly returning to its full size. Its crimson scales gleamed like molten lava in the mist.

The wall vines remained motionless as stone.

“Roar?” Error nuzzled against Seraphine’s hand.

What did she need?

Seraphine looked at me expectantly.

I raised a tiny red flag with my own image printed on it.

“Please follow me,” I announced, lifting both the flag and a small megaphone. “Watch your step and avoid touching anything.”

“……”

At this point, Seraphine figured nothing from Echo could surprise her.

“Let’s go.”

Seraphine grabbed Error’s horn and led it to my designated position.

“No matter what happens, don’t leave this spot,” she instructed firmly.

The massive dragon coiled awkwardly in the narrow passage, its great head resting on its body, azure eyes gazing innocently at its master. Four pathways stretched out from this intersection, the fog noticeably thinner here than in the main corridors, as if deliberately designed to lure people deeper.

I waved my flag to guide Seraphine back to a safe observation distance, then put away both flag and megaphone with satisfaction.

“Now we wait.”

Seraphine nodded, using Error’s tail as a cushion to sit cross-legged and begin cultivation.

I stored my accessories and pulled out a strip of code, molding it into a tiny security guard cap. With my new hat firmly in place, I opened my monitoring interface and kept vigilant watch.

Half an hour later, the fog around the intersection began thickening, nearly obscuring the Fire Rock Dragon’s massive form. Only scattered red sparkles remained visible, like embers in ash.

When the fog finally cleared, only two passages remained where there had been four.

“ROAR!”

What sorcery is this?

Error stared curiously at the long corridor that had appeared, but obediently remained in position as ordered. I floated over its head, carefully mapping the new configuration.

……

Seraphine opened her eyes.

A silver system bonked directly into her field of vision.

“Host, you’re awake?” I asked in my characteristically mature, calm voice that completely contradicted my cute appearance.

That phrasing made it sound like she’d been napping.

Seraphine made a lazy sound of acknowledgment and looked ahead. The Fire Rock Dragon was nowhere to be seen. She raised an eyebrow. “What’s the situation?”

I displayed a timer interface. “Wait two more minutes, and it’ll be back.”

Seraphine blinked in confusion and instinctively reached beneath her—she’d been sitting on Error’s tail during cultivation, but now felt only cold stone.

“Please don’t move,” I warned. “Just bear with it.”

Seraphine’s frown deepened into a scowl. Bear with it.

The timer’s hand slowly rotated. I’d taught Seraphine to read the numerical display, so she watched the long hand complete two full circles before aligning with the top number. The instant it clicked into place, the surrounding fog thickened dramatically, and a mountain-sized shape materialized within the mist.

Seraphine gasped in shock. Without her noticing, a dragon’s tail had appeared beneath her, and she was once again sitting on Error as she had been initially.

“Definitely an illusion,” she said with cold certainty.

I played triumphant treasure-chest music while pulling out multiple maps for her review. “I’ve discovered the maze’s pattern! It shifts every two hours—exactly one traditional time period.”

I’d been monitoring for the entire duration of Seraphine’s cultivation, categorizing and comparing all the floating maps before extracting one specific chart.

“Every other map appeared an even number of times with identical frequency, but this one appeared an odd number of times. The system suspects this map shows the only correct path forward!”

Seraphine’s expression went wooden. “Odd number?”

“Correct!” I held up the map that had appeared only once out of thirteen cycles. “Please attempt to follow this route!”

“Understood.”

She stood up, memorizing the map’s layout. In the current fog-heavy environment, three intersecting passages stretched out behind the Fire Rock Dragon. According to my map, the correct path lay straight ahead—but that route was blocked by a thick stone wall between the two visible passages.

Seraphine cupped a flame in her palm and moved forward.

The swirling fog danced around her movements, a wisp of white mist catching on her sleeve and drifting alongside her as she stopped before the wall.

I floated over to nestle in her shoulder.

“Once, a previous host told me something,” I said solemnly.

“The brave enjoy first!”

I raised my stick arm in encouragement. “I believe you can do it!”

Please enjoy!

Seraphine snorted with amusement and pressed her palm against the stone wall.

The golden-red flame in her palm drifted to her forehead, illuminating the flower-shaped mark between her brows. She channeled spiritual energy through the wall.

The stone suddenly shimmered with a water-like membrane, dark lines flowing across its surface before forming into a doorway.

Seraphine’s eyes lit up. We exchanged a look of mutual appreciation before she stepped through.

A long, dark corridor stretched beyond the door. With me perched on her left shoulder and Error coiled around her right arm, she walked straight ahead. After an indeterminate time, light appeared in the distance.

The fog that had been following us suddenly dissipated, replaced by humid, musty air. The flame-mark on Seraphine’s forehead flickered and merged back into her body.

I looked up to see another corridor—but this one had its exit above us. The smooth walls resembled a waterless well.

We’d never left the underground.

“Let’s go.” Seraphine’s voice carried new excitement as she flew directly toward the light. When she emerged from the “well opening,” the humid air intensified, carrying a fishy smell.

The sight that greeted us made her face change dramatically. She immediately began descending, but her speed couldn’t match the Nascent Soul-stage vines. Countless tendrils surged upward—not to attack, but to weave themselves into an enormous net over the lake-like expanse below.

The sky stretched blue and vast above towering mountain peaks that supported a majestic palace.

Below the palace, a long celestial stairway connected to this jade-green lake. The interwoven vines added even more emerald beauty to the scene.

Seraphine landed on the lake’s surface. Beneath the water lay a sunken platform that would reach her calves if she stepped down.

At the platform’s center rested a massive shell, its edges slightly parted, releasing white mist that drifted toward the well openings around the lake’s perimeter.

Seraphine slowly spoke a single word: “Mirage.”

The source of both illusions and mist was now crystal clear.

“Oh my,” I said, smacking my forehead with my stick arm. “I forgot—this is when we’re supposed to have a boss battle.”

Boss battle?

Seraphine shot me a withering look, silently mouthing: Stop talking nonsense!

I quickly raised my stick arms to give her a shoulder massage while my bubble display showed a tiny cheerleader version of myself.

Seraphine took a deep breath.

This wasn’t about anything else—the mirage clam’s cultivation level was early Nascent Soul!

Nascent Soul stage. An entire major realm above her current power. Even though she was at Great Perfection Golden Core stage and could fight ordinary mid-stage Golden Core cultivators, facing something a full realm higher was extremely dangerous.

“At least those vines don’t seem inclined to gang up on me,” she muttered—the one piece of good news.

I fell silent for a long moment, my bubble rising and falling as I slowly lowered my stick arms.

“Good luck,” I said simply.

“Host must achieve victory.”

Something dark flickered in Seraphine’s eyes as she looked at me deeply, then drew her life-bound weapon.

The flame-wreathed whip hit the water with a splash.

“Ahh…”

An inhuman sigh echoed from all directions as the snow-white shell opened at the platform’s center. Rushing white mist poured upward, forming the ethereal figure of a beautiful woman.

She reclined on a luxurious bed covered in spirit treasures and pearls, her dream-like features lifting in a lazy gaze. Her otherworldly voice drifted across the water.

“I know you,” the mirage said. “Those Golden Core cultivators all died by your hand. You’re quite capable.”

“But I dislike your scent.” Her nose wrinkled in distaste, tears gathering in her eyes. “Fire and water don’t mix. I really don’t want to spare you.”

Seraphine laughed coldly. The Fire Rock Dragon slithered down from her arm, transforming to its true size and diving into the lake, surfacing with its head supporting her body.

The mirage woman tilted her head back, pearl-white fingers covering her lips as those lifeless eyes examined the Fire Rock Dragon. Her delicate brow furrowed.

“Another scent I dislike.”

“What a shame.”

“I haven’t moved in many years. If you’re willing to leave that dragon behind as my meal, I’ll let you climb the Ascension Stairs.” She pointed languidly at the mountain path behind the vine net. “My ascended master walked that very road to immortality. The palace holds countless treasures he left behind—isn’t that why you’re here?”

The mirage woman’s laughter tinkled like silver bells. “They’re all things he discarded anyway. Satisfy me, and I’ll let you pass.”

Seraphine’s fingers tightened on her whip, expression ice-cold. “Are you also something he discarded?”

The mirage woman froze instantly. Her flower-like face twisted with savage fury, her red lips stretching into an unnatural grin as her features distorted into mist and expanded upward.

“I’ll kill you slowly, then devour every piece,” her voice became the damp chill of underground caverns, echoing from everywhere at once. “First your arms, bones and all, consumed completely clean. Then I’ll wear your face and live here forever!”

Seraphine’s expression grew even colder. “You’ve been alone too long. Too much meaningless chatter.”

The hidden mirage woman paused, then heard Seraphine’s mocking laugh.

“But someone—let’s call them a person—, let me ask you.”

As Seraphine said, her long whip was raised and lashed at the mirage body in the centre of the platform.

“Doesn’t sleeping on all those treasures feel uncomfortable? Have you not bathed in so long that your skin’s gone thick and rough?”

The mirage woman erupted from the mist with a shriek of rage, her impossibly long dress-like fog swirling around her as she screamed.

“DIE!”

Her Nascent Soul stage attack crashed toward Seraphine like a tsunami. Seraphine channeled every ounce of spiritual energy into her defense.

As the sound waves hit, her golden hairpins and jade ornaments, her protective robes, and every piece of jewelry on her neck, arms, and waist blazed with light, layering defensive barriers against the assault.

The four-clawed Fire Rock Dragon leaped skyward, its protective artifacts shattering to glittering fragments that scattered across the water’s surface.

I floated in the mist, watching the broken pendant by Seraphine’s ear, unable to suppress a sharp intake of breath.

My display bubble showed a tiny, sweating version of myself.

So dangerous.

Seraphine was Great Perfection Golden Core stage, effectively early-stage in power, capable of fighting ordinary mid-stage Golden Core cultivators. But being an entire major realm behind was simply too much!

What could I do?

My silver form flickered between bright and dim with anxiety.

Seeing Seraphine forced into constant retreat, the mirage woman smiled with cruel satisfaction.

“Your mouth was quite hard earlier.”

CRASH!

Seraphine’s protective robe tore apart as she plummeted from the sky. The Fire Rock Dragon caught her, but having not fully digested its previous beast core consumption, it only maintained Foundation Establishment cultivation. It coughed up blood and collapsed into the water.

I flew over frantically, circling the wounded Error in helpless panic.

“Don’t panic,” Seraphine said, kneeling in the water as her torn robes floated around her. She wiped blood from her lips and smiled mockingly at the mirage woman. “So eager to die?”

“Hahaha!” The mirage woman’s laughter rang out.

The surrounding mist grew chaotic and blinding. Giant waves rose from the lake’s surface, crashing toward Seraphine.

Seraphine coldly watched the approaching tsunami and quickly swallowed a Spirit Recovery Pill, pulling out an artifact and hurling it upward.

The artifact expanded into a golden bell-shaped shield. The Fire Rock Dragon shrank and coiled around her wrist.

The massive wave slammed into the golden bell, producing a heart-shaking resonance that rippled outward. The white mist suddenly cleared as sunlight streamed down. The mirage woman shrieked in agony—she’d never actually left her shell.

Countless golden scriptures appeared above the lake’s surface, Buddhist chants echoing through the valley, bringing clarity of mind and fearlessness.

Within the bell, Seraphine smirked and retrieved several bottles of Spirit Recovery Pills.

“This bell is called Brahma’s Reach, forged by the abbot of Heaven’s Temple himself. It bears a thousand Buddhist scriptures and dispels demons. If you attack with full force, the bell will ring continuously, returning every strike to you.”

Under the sunlight, the mirage woman’s pale form shook with malice and unwillingness.

“I have countless such artifacts in my storage ring, not to mention various pills and medicines. Feel free to try me,” Seraphine said calmly, her injured face carrying a rosy flush, her eyes blazing with determination.

“I may not be able to defeat you, but what can you do to me? At worst, we’ll spend centuries here in stalemate!”

“……” The mirage woman fell silent.

I let out a metaphorical sigh of relief, floating over to pat Seraphine’s face.

So the host has store functions too. Good, good.

Seraphine glanced at me with an unreadable expression.

Question marks appeared in my display.

The mist surged again as the mirage woman launched repeated attacks, each one striking the Brahma’s Reach. The bell’s resonance shattered the fog and returned the assault, forcing the mirage woman to retreat screaming into her shell. Only when new mist concealed everything did she dare emerge again, laughing coldly.

“What do you want?” her voice carried through the fog, filled with hatred.

This was exactly what Seraphine had been waiting for.

“Your master placed you here to select worthy inheritors for the Chongshan Celestial Palace. He created these trials precisely for that purpose. What’s the point of us fighting to mutual destruction here? Why not let me pass?”

“Either we fight to the death, or we make a Heavenly Dao pact. Your choice.”

The mirage woman in the mist went quiet. After a long moment, the fog thinned to reveal her enchanting face, now wearing a slight smile.

“Fine. Let’s swear by the Heavenly Dao! I’ll let you leave, you won’t harm me, I won’t harm you. Those who break the oath will face spiritual destruction!”

Seraphine’s eyes lit up. “Agreed!”

Both raised their hands across the platform, swearing to the Heavenly Dao.

Soon, golden light descended and the oath was sealed. Both Seraphine and I relaxed.

“Feeling better?” Seraphine transmitted to me.

I nodded enthusiastically. “Host is truly clever.”

“Enough flattery. Let’s get moving.” She took another pill and dismissed the Brahma’s Reach.

The mirage woman’s cold gaze followed Seraphine, but she made no move to attack. Seraphine also avoided provocative comments, walking calmly along the platform. But as she passed the mirage’s massive true form, she heard a low, cold laugh.

Seraphine’s expression shifted, her eyes turning toward the mirage woman.

The creature lay in her shell, black hair floating in the water, her black-and-white eyes staring directly up at Seraphine. Her voice carried the same damp chill as her nature.

“Many years ago, another person came here and made a Heavenly Dao pact with me. That person promised that if I helped them obtain the inheritance, they would free me from this prison.”

The mirage woman’s pale fingers lifted strands of her hair, her skeletal arm reaching toward Seraphine’s waist to toy with a jade pendant.

“Host, be careful,” I said, floating down to “block” the mirage woman’s fingers.

Seraphine acknowledged my gesture while maintaining her neutral expression, waiting for the mirage to continue.

“But unfortunately…” The mirage woman covered her face with her hands, laughing with slightly manic glee. “My enlightened old master instructed me to guard this place, offering preferential treatment to the first person who escaped the illusion maze. Originally, I should have fought you at equal cultivation level, with later challengers facing opponents one small realm higher. But unfortunately.”

She repeated that word, her expression turning vicious.

“Unfortunately, my new master dislikes such gentle methods.”

Seraphine’s eyes grew even colder. “You have a new master?”

The mirage woman sank into her own thoughts, continuing to laugh without answering, her inhuman eyes slowly curving upward with hateful mirth.

“I’m truly sick of humans.”

With those words, her fingertips clenched tight. White mist exploded outward, forcibly dragging two figures from the surrounding well openings.

“Ahh! What is this! Help me!”

“Lady Qiu!”

The familiar voices made Seraphine snap her head up to see Xue Bufan and Qiu Shuangshuang being dragged onto the platform and dropped into the water.

“If the first arrival had been the protagonist,” I realized with sudden clarity, “with his talent only recently restored to Qi Condensation stage but his experience and mindset from nearly reaching Golden Core, plus his ‘Grandpa Figure’ assistant, even if the mirage elevated to Foundation Establishment to match him, she still wouldn’t exceed his pre-injury cultivation level!”

That should have been the normal storyline! The most reasonable path for the protagonist to smoothly obtain his opportunity.

Seraphine frowned, watching the mirage woman who showed no signs of reducing her cultivation. With me present, she’d arrived before Xue Bufan and disrupted the original plot. But what was the mirage woman planning now?

The mirage woman cackled with laughter, white mist coiling around Qiu Shuangshuang’s throat and dragging her forward while the bound Xue Bufan shouted “Let her go!” to no avail.

“The illusion in the prison was also your doing,” Seraphine observed.

The mirage woman’s laughter intensified. She extended her hand, those unnaturally long fingers caressing Qiu Shuangshuang’s soft, pale cheek. The girl’s face flushed red as she gasped for air, tears streaming down her face as she clawed at the mirage woman’s grip.

“Re-release me! Ahh!”

The mirage woman’s fingers tightened. Qiu Shuangshuang’s eyes rolled back as Xue Bufan was sent flying by a mist attack, crashing into the water with a splash.

“I heard everything you said in the prison. You made a promise to her too—to safely escort her back to her family. But now what? I’m going to kill her, and you’re bound to protect her, yet you cannot strike me.”

“And here, including everyone in the prison, only you have even the slightest chance of opposing me.”

She drew out those words with meaningful emphasis.

Seraphine’s face turned ice-cold. The mirage woman’s smile deepened as she extended her palm, white mist spreading in all directions, darkening the sky.

“You mustn’t, you know. Attacking me would violate the Heavenly Dao.”

But failing to save Qiu Shuangshuang would violate her own principles!

Seraphine’s chest rose and fell rapidly as a phoenix phantom began manifesting around her.

The smiling mirage woman froze, staring in shock. “Phoenix… you are—”

She released Qiu Shuangshuang, who fell into the water. The mirage woman spread her arms wide and burst into wild laughter.

“Fine, fine!”

“I’ve already committed grave sins and have no face to meet the Immortal Venerable. I’ll die here with all of you!”

Her laughter rang out as mist whirled around her in a frenzy. The pressure of a Nascent Soul stage self-destruction rippled outward, targeting everyone including Seraphine.

The ground shook violently as cracks spread across the platform. The mirage woman intended to kill everyone here!

Including herself, having already violated the Heavenly Dao pact by attacking first!

“Host!” I cried out in panic. “Use the Brahma’s Reach!”

Seraphine coughed up blood and threw out the artifact—not toward herself, but toward Qiu Shuangshuang. The girl found herself protected within the golden bell, sobbing hysterically as she called out, “Palace Lord!”

“HOST!”

The woman I called out to looked at me calmly, blood streaming from her eyes.

My data core flickered unstably, like a system under virus attack, struggling between bright and dim states. For the first time facing my host’s potential death, my processing went completely blank, overwhelmed by a desolate moonlit scene.

Black hair like a waterfall, a figure seemingly ready to ascend to the immortal palace, standing beneath the moon and asking me: “Echo, if someday you could never see me again, wouldn’t you be sad?”

In the vast starry cosmos, a golden data cluster pressed close, whispering softly: “Echo, 02 has left us.”

“We’ll never see it again.”

Moonlight. The cosmos.

My host, the main system, and 02, born alongside me, never forgotten.

My vision distorted as colors faded to gray, showing the slow collapse of a human body.

“I don’t want this,” I whispered.

I didn’t want my host to die. I didn’t want her to leave.

This wasn’t how it should be.

Why was this happening?

Drip.

Crimson blood fell from the human body into the lake, spreading in slow-motion ripples of red.

In that moment of suspended time, a silver system opened its store interface.

Qiu Shuangshuang’s tear-filled eyes suddenly caught a flash of silver light as she continued pounding against the Brahma’s Reach, screaming for her parents and Palace Lord.

Something shot past like lightning, piercing into the mirage woman’s body.

CRACK.

The sound of something shattering filled the air as the mirage woman released one final, piercing scream—her death cry.

The mist vanished instantly. The self-destruction ceased.

I stored my weapon and dove into the water.

I rushed toward my host, extending my thin, long arms to grasp her fingers through the spreading crimson.

I caught her. I held tight.

“Seraphine!”