On the Inverted-Color Staircase, Freya and the others stared blankly at Ruby Mountain in the distance, thoroughly stunned.
Without relying on Yaxiu, and without any information at all, they had somehow stumbled upon a smuggling shortcut leading straight to the legendary realm?!
Even Xifulin did not know what to say. If the Veela had not insisted, she never would have agreed to join such a perilous adventure. Looking back now, without the Veela's obsessive, unyielding love, she might have missed this shortcut to soaring success forever.
Though it felt like judging things entirely by the outcome, Xifulin could not help wondering—was it just easier to rank up as a couple in this version of the world? Did the Void Realm favor lovesick fools? Should she find someone to love as well?
Yet she was already a Sanctuary sorcerer and might soon become a legendary sorcerer. In the entire Blood Moon Country, hardly anyone was qualified to pursue her, and the only person worthy of her affection was...
A figure rose in her mind, sending an immediate shudder through her. She shook her head frantically to banish the dreadful thought. Having the Veela as a teammate was torment enough; Xifulin had zero interest in deepening their relationship.
"Proceed with caution," Tamashi urged.
To prevent any spooky disappearance stories where someone suddenly went missing, the four held hands as they climbed. As Yaxiu would say, even if they died, there would at least be someone beneath them to cushion the fall.
Still, the path remained utterly peaceful. No monsters appeared to block their way, and no impassable obstacles arose.
After walking for a while, Freya suddenly asked, "Tamashi, Xifulin, are you two... losing color?"
It was not just the Black Crow and the little bat. Both the Veela and the Purple Moth were losing color to varying degrees. The former two were in worse shape, their lower bodies drained of nearly all color, while the latter two had faded only along their legs, making it harder to notice.
"Don't panic."
Annan squeezed everyone's hands. "The fading must be a trial mechanism of the Inverted-Color Staircase. But since we're fading at different rates, it means there are ways to alleviate it, or perhaps even replenish our color. This is definitely not an unsolvable mechanic."
Once the director of the Funeral Parlor and now the one manipulating the entire political machinery of Gospel, the Purple Moth, Annan, possessed flawless insight, oratory skill, and courage. Whenever the party encountered unknown dangers, she was usually the one who quickly restored calm.
After examining their surroundings for a moment, Tamashi soon discovered a clue: "Look at our inverted mirror images!"
Because Freya and the others were climbing straight up the Inverted-Color Staircase, their mirror images naturally walked straight forward along the Dream Staircase. When those reflections passed through the phantom-color mist, the vapors wrapped around them; however, because the four women's true bodies were in the inverted world, they were not pulled into the mist's illusions.
Among the four mirror images, Freya's and Annan's were enveloped by the thickest mist, and their fading was also the lightest. A causal relationship clearly existed.
Xifulin pondered. "The proper strategy for this smuggling shortcut is probably to let our mirror images catch as much mist as possible so we can proceed farther along the Inverted-Color Staircase."
After that, they detoured slightly to let their reflections collide with more mist. Sure enough, their fading was not only checked, but their color began to return. Compared to before, however, the newly replenished hues were brighter, more dazzling, and more dreamlike.
When the new color surpassed fifty percent of their bodies, Freya suddenly asked, "Do you hear him calling me?"
"Isn't that... cheering?" Annan said softly.
"I see him! He's right ahead, right ahead!" Tamashi tore her hands free from their grasp, spread her void wings, and flew frantically up the staircase toward the front.
Before Xifulin could grab the Black Crow, the Veela and the Purple Moth rushed forward one after another. Looking down, the little bat saw that because they had taken flight, their mirror images had accumulated far more mist on the Dream Staircase. She realized with a jolt that something was wrong.
"Stop! Come back! These colors... they'll bewitch us...!"
Xifulin gave chase with everything she had. Perhaps because the soul of the Blood Saint clan was incomplete, the mist's colors exerted less influence over her, allowing her to barely suppress the emerging auditory and visual hallucinations with miracles.
Freya and the others soon landed, standing dazed upon the steps. Though their expressions differed, all were beaming with genuine joy, clearly deep in the thrall of the illusion.
By the time Xifulin caught up to her teammates, the mist colors on her body had exceeded ninety percent. Gritting her teeth, she activated the miracle Gushing Blood on herself. The intense agony nearly caused her to faint, but it also barely suppressed the illusion's allure.
Contrary to popular stereotype, the Blood Saint clan feared pain intensely. It was only because their physiology had stripped away their sensation of pain that others assumed they were immune to it. Yet precisely because they went their whole lives without feeling suffering, once truly pierced by pain, they found it all the more unbearable.
In this world, no one was truly immune to pain—there were only those accustomed to it.
"Wake up! The Inverted-Color Staircase has mechanisms we can't overcome..." Xifulin's voice was weak and breathy. "Let's withdraw for now and make a comeback next time..."
Reaching out, she hugged the three of them, intending to unleash the miracle Return of Heart Blood.
This was an esoteric miracle passed down through the four major research institutes, castable only by Sanctuary-realm blood sorcery. It had only one effect: at the cost of severe soul injury, it forcibly returned a sorcerer from the Void Realm to reality, ignoring all regional restrictions!
This was the safety net that had emboldened them to explore the Dream Staircase in the first place—even if trapped in mist, they could forcibly break free from the Void Realm!
While this technique worked best on the Blood Saint clan, other races could use it as well, albeit at a steeper price. A famous adage in the school of blood sorcery stated that "blood is the currency of the soul." Blood sorcery could only affect flesh and blood at first, but once a sorcerer's realm reached high enough, even stone was made to bleed before them!
Freya and the others did not respond, allowing Xifulin to pull them into her arms. But when Xifulin activated Return of Heart Blood, she inevitably touched their souls—and was dragged into their misty illusions alongside them!
*
Blood Moon Country, Kaimeng Station.
In the waiting hall, Freya paced nervously back and forth before the train schedule board. She opened the light screen's contact list, but staring at the name, she did not dare dial.
Suddenly, an incoming call request popped up in the top left corner. Panic seized the Veela the moment she saw the caller info. Hurrying over to the mirror beside her, she checked her appearance, held her hands over her chest, and nervously answered, "Yaxiu?"
"Hey." Yaxiu's face appeared in the top-left box, seated aboard a train. "I'll be there in half an hour. You can head over to the station to meet me now."
"Mm-hmm!" Freya nodded vigorously. "I'm getting ready to head out right now!"
"Liar. I can see the station entrance right behind you," Yaxiu said helplessly. "Even if you get there early, I won't appear before you a moment sooner."
"I was worried there'd be traffic... and your train might arrive early... besides, it's not like I had anything else to do." The Veela stared at the tips of her feet, pouting as she mumbled, "You don't understand what it feels like to wait at all, Yaxiu..."
"I do, you know,"
Yaxiu said softly. "I want to hold you in my arms sooner too, Freya, but since I can't yet, all I can do is video call you first. Seeing you already waiting for me at the station actually makes me... really happy."
"That way, the moment I step off the train, I can see you right away. It's wonderful."
The Veela bit her lower lip, her eyes misting over, though a lovely peach blush spread across her skin. Leaning against the wall, her thighs rubbed together unconsciously, and she replied in a tiny voice, "Me too."
"See you in half an hour."
After the call ended, Freya remained frozen against the pillar, the flush on her skin refusing to fade. A moment later, she opened her light screen to search for nearby shops, her face turning awkwardly shy:
"There isn't even an underwear shop around here..."
*
Gospel, Yisu Imperial Palace.
Archons governing their respective territories, heads of family conglomerates, and royal ministers wielding authority across the six lands knelt in the grand hall, bowing in submission to their most benevolent, noble, and mighty sovereign.
"We pay our respects to the Holy Emperor! We pay our respects to the Purple Consort!"
Behind a curtain of heavenly light so brilliant that the ministers could not see through even as they strained to lift their heads, Yaxiu reclined languidly on the supreme throne, looking down at a sorcerer manual. Dressed in a shimmering lilac gown, Annan rested in his embrace. Whenever she turned her head, two amethyst earrings swayed gently, catching the light in an elegant gleam. Looking down upon the crowd, she parted her crimson lips: "You may rise."
The ministers stood one after another, though none dared look up. "Your Majesty, the urgent items currently on the docket are as follows: the Heavenly Wonder Construction Plan, the Heaven Secret Realm Construction Plan, and the Gospel Realm Welfare System Reform Plan..."
Annan reached out and stroked Yaxiu's cheek, as if asking for his input. Slipping his arm beneath hers, Yaxiu wrapped around the fullness of her chest and drew her closer, though his eyes remained fixed on the manual. "Haven't you been managing things wonderfully? If you like, keep handling it."
Annan let out a playfully reproachful hum and shifted into a more comfortable position in his arms. When her gaze fell back upon the submitted matters, the coquettish charm craving affection vanished from her face, leaving only the steady majesty of a ruler. Even with countless complex issues waiting to be untangled, her fighting spirit burned brighter than ever, brimming with eagerness to face the challenges and full of confident, far-reaching ambition!
*
Thousand Wishes Kingdom of Heaven, beside the Wishing Pool.
Two figures engaged in close-quarters combat at speeds invisible to the naked eye. With every second, sonic booms rippled outward, and with every instant, steel-like bone clashed against steel-like bone. The air seemed to take on solid form, snapping and wailing under their blows.
Suddenly, one figure slipped behind the other, legs wrapping around his waist like chains while arms locked his throat in a cross-strangle, pinning him firmly to the ground!
"My joint lock is set. You lose!" Tamashi said with ease.
Yaxiu said nothing, his fists striking backward relentlessly in an attempt to break Tamashi's lock. The Black Crow chuckled softly, shifting her posture to not only pin Yaxiu beneath her, but also use a reverse joint technique to lock his arms together.
"You've lost. Yield."
"Not... yet!" Gathering all his strength, Yaxiu bucked his hips upward to throw Tamashi off, but Tamashi instantly adjusted her stance, pressing him flat against the ground from the front without giving him the slightest chance to turn the tables, completely controlling his limbs!
"Yield!" Tamashi grew a little annoyed. "You lost!"
Yaxiu glared at her crossly, his face flushed red, refusing to utter a word. Tamashi twisted his elbow slightly against the joint. "Yield and I'll let you go."
Sweat beaded on Yaxiu's forehead from the pain, his body trembling, yet he still stared straight at her, refusing to give in. Tamashi's heart softened at once. Though she had no desire to hurt him, she had to win against this man: "If you don't yield, I'll bite you."
"Heh."
Hearing that scoff, Tamashi was so infuriated her stomach practically burned. Ducking her head, she opened her mouth and bit his neck. Having just finished fighting, both were drenched in sweat. When Tamashi bit down, she tasted salt, but mingled with the sweat was an indescribable scent—a scent that seemed to rise from her own body as well, the two blending into a curious reaction.
Tamashi released him, leaving a clear tooth mark on Yaxiu's neck. "Yield or not?"
Yaxiu merely glanced at her, not even deigning to speak.
Her teeth itching with exasperation, Tamashi pressed her entire body onto Yaxiu's, gently biting his earlobe and grinding her teeth against it. Only when the earlobe turned red did she finally let go. Looking down, she noticed a rosy, cloud-like flush spreading across Yaxiu's face, heat rising from his skin as sweat slid down the bridge of his nose onto his cheek. The sight left the Black Crow momentarily stunned.
After a pause, she asked, "Do you yield?"
"No."
For some reason, Tamashi felt a subtle itch spreading through her body. Because her hands and feet were busy pinning Yaxiu down, all she could do was rub against him like a snake, yet the more she rubbed, the more intense the sensation became. Yaxiu's shirt was pushed aside, exposing his well-defined collarbone. Tamashi leaned down and bit it, though her teeth exerted no force at all, her breathing turning shallow and quick.
A moment later, she lifted her head again. Even after hundreds of rounds of battle, the Deathcrow could maintain her body at its absolute peak, yet now her heart was pounding wildly, a blush rising on her cheeks.
"Do you yield?"
There was no threat left in her voice; soft and sweet, it sounded more like she was coaxing him.
"No."
Chapter 1029