Herrscher of Erosion, the First Mission

Inside a crystal coffin lay the corpse of a woman whose abdomen had been pierced through. Her wounds were horrifying, clearly showing just how sharp the blade had been.

The divine armor on her body was shattered beyond repair. A dull, lightless scythe lay beside her, covered in dust; no one knew how long it had been since it had last been cleaned.

Benares, the Demon Dragon of Judgment, was guarding the crystal coffin, curled up for an afternoon nap.

Rustle, rustle, rustle—

Two broad leaves that concealed the entrance parted, and one dragon and two people slowly stepped inside. Walking at the rear, Qian Renxue could not help but feel stirred when she saw the corpse.

Hearing the movement, Bella opened her Dragon Eyes. Seeing that Lu Xueling and Queen had both arrived, she immediately lowered her head slightly and greeted them respectfully. "Queen, you're here."

Sirin raised a hand and stroked Bella's head, smiling. "You've done your duty well. Later, I'll have the humans reinforce you again."

"Thank you, Queen!"

Lu Xueling also smiled and patted Little Bella Dragon's head. Then he fixed his gaze on the corpse in the crystal coffin, his expression utterly calm. "Silver Dragon King, open the coffin."

The Silver Dragon King nodded indifferently. With a wave of her delicate hand, a cluster of silver light bloomed in her palm, and the lid of the crystal coffin slowly lifted.

Lu Xueling turned his head slightly and glanced at Qian Renxue's expression before asking calmly, "Do you want to avoid this?"

Qian Renxue took a deep breath. "No. I'm not that fragile."

Lu Xueling paused briefly, then found himself approving of her a little more. Time really could change a person greatly.

Once the crystal coffin's lid had been fully opened, Lu Xueling stepped forward and spread his palm. At some point, a hexagonal dark-blue crystal had appeared in it. Then he shoved it directly into the gap in Bibi Dong's abdomen!

"Is that the Herrscher Core?" The Silver Dragon King noticed Lu Xueling's action, and a trace of fervor was impossible to hide in her Dragon Eyes.

The dark-blue crystal sank into the corpse and quickly released a surge of Honkai Energy, beginning to restore her flesh and blood. It did not take long before her body was fully repaired, and movement finally came from within the crystal coffin.

"Mm... is this how I should say it? Hi, how~ does~ it~ feel~ to~ see~ me?"

"Bibi Dong" sat up from the coffin and gave Lu Xueling a seductive wink.

Herrscher of Erosion successfully awakened. The host may now use a portion of the Authority of Erosion. The Herrscher of Erosion's current strength is approximately at the early stage of the ninth realm in Douluo Star's power system.

A level 91 Titled Douluo? Not bad.

Lu Xueling coughed twice and said, "Erosion, change your appearance. That shell is rather ugly."

The Herrscher of Erosion said nothing. Her gaze swept over the Silver Dragon King and Qian Renxue before she let out a soft laugh. Purple light flashed around her body, and she immediately took on another appearance.

Except—

Qian Renxue's eyes went blank for a moment, because the second appearance this Erosion Lu Xueling had spoken of took was her dark self!

The Herrscher of Erosion giggled. "What's wrong, little girl? Don't you think you're beautiful?"

That tone.

Memories of being relentlessly teased by Dark Snow surged into her mind, and Qian Renxue felt her PTSD acting up!

"Ahem, Erosion, get up. Don't tease the little girl for now." Lu Xueling pressed his palm downward.

In front of him, the Herrscher of Erosion appeared rather obedient. "All right, My God."

Due to the characteristics of the Honkai God Simulation System, she was 100% loyal to Lu Xueling. In the Herrscher of Erosion's eyes, Lu Xueling was the Honkai God!

Wait, wait—

Qian Renxue caught something slightly wrong in Lu Xueling's words.

What did he mean by "don't tease her for now"?

Buzz!

Spatial Ripples spread outward as Sirin stretched and stepped out. Yet her gaze remained fixed on the faded Little Golden Mane across from her. The senses between Herrschers were truly sharp; the Herrscher of the Void and the Herrscher of Erosion stared at each other for roughly a minute.

In the end, Sirin extended her hand. "Welcome, Erosion."

Jealousy was deeply concealed in the Herrscher of Erosion's eyes, but she still responded to this good colleague. "I look forward to seeing how we will bring Honkai to this world together and offer it to My God."

"All right, ladies, it's time for us to go." Lu Xueling patted the shoulders of the two Herrschers, declaring the end of the pleasantries.

The Silver Dragon King covered her mouth and chuckled. "Then I shall see the five of you off."

Only after they had left the core region of the Star Dou Great Forest did the Silver Dragon King stop. Beyond this point lay the outer region, where humans often passed through.

To travel through the human world, they naturally could not use their original forms. Bella also chose to move about in human form.

Her gray hair hung down to her ankles, and her pupils were sky-blue. She had feather-like ornaments on her head identical to Sirin's. She wore a white, vest-like top, with a purple four-pointed star on her chest. Its hem was long enough to reach her knees. All ten fingers beneath her black gloves were entirely purple and covered by white armor. Below, she wore black hot pants and white thigh-high socks, along with purple high heels.

(Little Bella Dragon is quite the beauty too... ahem.)

"Stop." Lu Xueling raised his hand, and the footsteps of the three women and dragon behind him immediately came to a halt.

As he turned around, his first gaze fell on Qian Renxue. "We'll split into two groups. For at least the next year, we won't see each other again."

Qian Renxue did not shy away from his gaze. She bravely stepped forward. "What is my mission?"

Lu Xueling smiled and nodded. "It's simple, and I think only you can handle it."

"Please tell me."

Lu Xueling uttered five simple words. "Go undercover at Shrek."

Qian Renxue's pupils contracted slightly. "Shrek Academy? I remember Tang San graduated from there..."

"That's right. After Ten Thousand Years of change, it now holds the status of the continent's number one academy."

Lu Xueling looked toward the southeast of the forest, his gaze growing sharper. "You'll need to remain undercover for at least two years. Can you do it?"

So she was going back to her old profession.

Qian Renxue was silent for a while before nodding. "Yes! I can endure it!!"

Lu Xueling waved a hand and chuckled. "There's no need to act as if you're marching to your death. Erosion will be going with you as well, so you can look after each other."

Huh???

Qian Renxue finally understood what Lu Xueling had meant by "don't tease her for now"...

"What's wrong, Little Golden Mane? Are you worried your big sister won't be able to protect you?" The Herrscher of Erosion looked utterly innocent.

Qian Renxue: ...

Sirin took a bite of the century-old wild fruit gifted by the Silver Dragon King, then gave Bella a bite as well. Lazily, she asked, "Human, who or where is our target this time?"

"Westward, to the Sun Moon Empire that drifted here four thousand years ago."

Lu Xueling paused before adding, "And while we're at it, we'll take a little guy with us."

A palace-like structure stood before them, its golden glazed roof tiles gleaming brilliantly beneath the sunlight. With its golden roof and red gates, its antique style naturally inspired a sense of solemnity.

From afar, mist swirled about, and the tiled roofs stretched in every direction. The estate covered such a vast area that it seemed to extend beyond the horizon. Above its main gate, which stood five zhang tall, hung a plaque bearing three words: Duke's Mansion.

This enormous estate, occupying more than three thousand mu of land, did not belong to any city. Instead, it had been built alone fifty li northwest of Star Luo City, the capital of the Star Luo Empire.

At noon, the rear gate on the north side of the Duke's Mansion silently opened, and a small figure quietly slipped out.

He was a boy who looked eleven or twelve years old. His build was well-proportioned, and his simple gray clothes were neat and clean. He carried a small bundle on his back, while his short black hair made him look tidy and sharp. His handsome young face carried a resolute expression far beyond his years.

Gently closing the Duke's Mansion's rear gate, the boy took several quick steps before abruptly stopping. He turned to look at the Duke's Mansion, deep hatred filling his dark-blue eyes.

"Mother, watch over me from heaven. No matter how much effort it takes, one day, I will return and trample everything here beneath my feet. From today onward, I'll take your surname. My surname will be Huo. Huo Yuhao!"

After saying that, the boy gave the Duke's Mansion one last deep look, turned around, and left without hesitation.

He did not head toward Star Luo City to the southeast of the Duke's Mansion. Instead, he ran northward. His small figure gradually disappeared beneath the fierce noon sun. Though his body was slight, there was not the slightest sense of helplessness in his departure.