One Hundred Thousand Years!?

Why was Fu Hua here? What had happened after she was swallowed by the pillar of light?

None of them knew, but seeing that she was safe, the Shrek group could not help but breathe a sigh of relief. Zhao Wuji especially so—if one of his students had been injured because of his negligence, he would never have forgiven himself.

Yet everyone still looked worried, because Fu Hua had not awakened even after eating Oscar's recovery sausage.

"Teacher Zhao, what should we do now?" Ning Rongrong asked anxiously.

Zhao Wuji pondered.

Tang San suddenly spoke up. "No matter what, we should leave this place as soon as possible. Others may have noticed the commotion and come looking. Let's find somewhere to recover first, then make plans afterward."

"Alright. Little San is right. Let's move quickly and leave this place first," Zhao Wuji said in a deep voice.

After receiving everyone's agreement, the Shrek group got up and left. Zhu Zhuqing carried Fu Hua on her back, Dai Mubai led the way, Tang San kept watch, and Zhao Wuji brought up the rear.

Before long, everyone had vanished from the area.

A breeze swept past, stirring the tender grass until it swayed and trembled, just like this continent, where undercurrents surged beneath the surface.

In the dead of night, a clear cry rang out. Scarlet feathers drifted down from the sky, only to dissipate before touching the ground. Sharp eyes swept over the forest below, and the bird tilted its head as though searching for something before spreading its wings and pursuing the direction in which the Shrek group had departed.

Flames—scarlet color, searing heat, blazing intensity. If used to represent a person, it would be the color of passion. Yet that was not the case for this person.

Scarlet eyes, silver-white hair, and an ancient scarlet dragon-patterned outfit so simple it seemed capable of covering only the essential parts.

Those who practiced martial arts should not concern themselves with clothing.

That seemed to be this person's famous saying.

Before Crimson Kite stood familiar buildings she had known long ago. Bamboo groves surrounded them, carrying an ancient air, with weathered bricks and tiles. This was the place where she had lived for countless years.

—Fuyun Temple.

Passing along the ancient path between the sides and walking past the guardian stone lions, the temple still looked exactly as she remembered it. Wasn't that only natural? After all, this was her memory space.

She had been swallowed by Ashbo's pillar of light, released her own seal ahead of time, transformed into Crimson Kite, defeated Ashbo, and then absorbed the Honkai Energy from Ashbo's body.

After looking at the Soul Beast, which had revealed its original appearance after being stripped of Honkai Energy, Fu Hua had fainted amid a violet-white glow. And now, she was in her own memory space.

"Was it that Soul Beast that had been invaded by Honkai Energy? But... why?"

Fu Hua did not understand. Just as she was thinking over her doubts, a voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Crimson Kite, you've finally come!"

The familiar tone, the familiar voice, and that familiar figure.

"Cang Xuan!"

"Sister, it looks like Crimson Kite is quite surprised to see us!"

The same face, the mischievous tone, and that little red snake always coiled around her body.

"Danzhu!"

"Hehe! It's really rare to see another expression on Crimson Kite's face!"

"Why? You two..."

"Crimson Kite, we are not the ones you should be facing."

Fu Hua frowned and looked past Cang Xuan and Danzhu, toward the figure quietly watching her from behind them—a young girl clad in a flowing celestial dress.

"Ji Lin."

"You... came."

"Why?"

Fuyun Temple was like an illusory realm in a dream, gradually fading from sight. Only the figures of Cang Xuan, Danzhu, and Ji Lin remained. Crimson Kite seemed to recall much, yet even more had been forgotten.

Those were memories of girls and girls.

The past of Ji Xuanyuan and Crimson Kite.

"I have always been waiting for you, waiting for the day you returned."

Ji Lin's hands were cold, like dark ice at the bottom of a thousand-year cold pool that would never melt.

Within her pale red eyes were attachment, longing, and a trace of love that could not be erased. The tear that slid from the corner of her eye carved itself deeply into Fu Hua's heart.

They gazed at one another, yet the words they could not speak could only become a protection, shielding her from all harm.

The phantom of the Xuanyuan Sword slowly replaced Ji Lin's figure. That golden gleam remained as radiant as ever. Sun, moon, mountains, rivers, and flowing waters surged across the sharp divine sword, yet none could compare to that single silhouette.

The girl who waited alone upon the cliff and faced danger alone.

Ji Xuanyuan, Ji Lin.

"We will meet again, at some point in the future. I will always wait for you."

The first light of dawn emerged, the night receded, and a new beginning came with a hazy past.

A faint ray of light shone into Fu Hua's eyes. Scarlet flickered within them, and an unfamiliar tear remained at the corner of her eye. Was it guilt toward someone, or sorrow for that blurred past?

"Ji Lin..."

Fu Hua let out a soft murmur, and Zhu Zhuqing noticed it immediately, calling for everyone to stop.

They laid Fu Hua on the grass and gathered around her, their gazes filled with concern. Yet suddenly, a dazzling golden light burst from Fu Hua's body, blinding them all.

When they opened their eyes again, only a barrier formed of golden light remained, firmly encasing Fu Hua within. They could no longer see anything else.

"Teacher Zhao, what's going on? She was clearly fine just now." Dai Mubai asked in confusion.

Zhao Wuji pondered. This looked rather similar to...

"It seems... very much like the process of absorbing a Soul Ring." Tang San spoke hesitantly.

"Absorbing a Soul Ring?" Everyone was startled.

"But we clearly didn't see her circulate her Soul Power to absorb a Soul Ring just now! And there wasn't even a Soul Beast..."

Ma Hongjun stopped himself. He had thought of another possibility.

He remembered that there had seemed to be a Soul Beast where they had departed from. Judging by its size, it had to be at least ten thousand years old.

"Do you remember how you arrived in the central region?" Zhao Wuji asked gravely.

Dai Mubai and the others shook their heads. When they woke up, they had already been there.

"Could it be..." Tang San said in shock.

Zhao Wuji nodded with difficulty, his expression bitter.

"Though I don't want to admit it, Fu Hua may be absorbing the Soul Ring of that Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast..."

"This..."

They were speechless, utterly speechless.

They did not know how that Soul Beast had been defeated, but it could never have been Fu Hua. Even if she could fight a Soul King one-on-one, there was no way she could defeat a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast on the level of a Titled Douluo.

There was only one possibility.

At that time, someone else had been in the Star Dou Great Forest, someone most likely connected to Fu Hua. Otherwise, how could she have survived that destructive pillar of light? And the person who saved Fu Hua had also saved them, while casually killing that Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast.

That person was very likely an Ultimate Titled Douluo. They did not need a Soul Ring, so they could only give this precious one to Fu Hua.

The reason Fu Hua had fallen unconscious was likely because she had absorbed a Soul Ring beyond her own limit. Perhaps her body had only now fully accepted the Soul Power brought by that Soul Ring, which was why this reaction had occurred.

Zhao Wuji rather generously filled in the blanks. He explained both what should and should not have been explained, and even convinced Dai Mubai and the others in the process.

It could be said that this explanation was extremely reasonable. Only in this way could they explain why Fu Hua was alive and why they had emerged unscathed.

Dai Mubai could not help sighing. "We really have that senior to thank. Otherwise, we would have... Haha!"

"Yeah, yeah! I never expected Fu Hua to have such powerful backing. We definitely need to cling tightly to her thigh," Oscar said lewdly.

"Get lost, Little Ao. She's a girl."

"Then I'll marry into her family. I'll be eating the finest food and drinking the strongest wine from now on."

"Haha!"

The earlier gloom was swept away, and everyone finally relaxed. Their faces were filled with smiles, and even their exhaustion seemed to lessen considerably.

"Don't celebrate too soon. A Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring is not so easily absorbed, especially when Fu Hua is only level thirty."

Tang San was the only one who remained relatively calm, but his words were like a bucket of cold water poured over everyone's heads.

"Uh! It shouldn't be that bad, right? Since that senior let her absorb it, they must have made full preparations!" Oscar said quietly.

"But she's here with us now."

"That's right. Little San is correct. We shouldn't celebrate too early. This Soul Ring cannot compare to the Man Faced Demon Spider Little San absorbed. That one only exceeded his physical limit by a little over a hundred years, while this one is a full hundred thousand years," Zhao Wuji said.

"No matter what, we should wait and see what happens to Fu Hua. If she successfully absorbs it, her combat strength will definitely soar."

At this point, this was the only thing they could use to console themselves.

Thus, Shrek's trip to the Star Dou Great Forest to hunt Soul Rings came to an end. Whether it was for Oscar and Fu Hua, or Tang San's unexpected windfall, they had all obtained Soul Rings suited to themselves.

Once Fu Hua woke up, they could set out for the academy.

Everything depended on Fu Hua!

The Soul Power drifting through the air continuously contracted, surging wildly into the golden cocoon. As it expanded and contracted like a heart, its rhythmic pulses tugged at everyone's emotions.

From time to time, violet-white silver light flashed across its surface before swiftly sinking into the golden cocoon. This repeated endlessly, like a tireless perpetual motion machine.

After passing through the golden cocoon, the Soul Power was filtered into an even purer form before flowing into Fu Hua's body. Pure golden radiance then emanated from her skin, forming a beneficial cycle.

It filtered continuously, refined continuously. Fu Hua's body seemed to be evolving into something purer, while the Honkai Beast genes that had once fused with her also seemed to be gradually awakening, elevating her beyond the realm of an ordinary human.

Her body was like jade, hard as stone, with defenses akin to a Soul Beast.

Against the backdrop of crimson and golden radiance, something slowly awakened upon her smooth back and extended to either side. Three sharp, enormous wing-tails of a distinctive crystalline blue, their joints clearly defined, formed a pair of massive Crystal Wings six meters wide.

They slowly wrapped around Fu Hua's body. Her bones crackled as they grew or shattered, and her body continuously lengthened, as though she were rapidly growing into adulthood. Only when she reached around 1.7 meters did it gradually stop.

Her face remained unchanged, her lips tightly pressed together, but her entire bearing had become even colder and more severe.

The first two Soul Rings suddenly appeared, circling Fu Hua in constant rhythm. The purple-white energy drifting within the cocoon gathered together, forming a new Soul Ring. It shimmered crystal-purple, while the silver-white remained unchanged.

Under its influence, the first two Soul Rings slowly began changing color as well, turning from yellow to purple, little by little being consumed.

Suddenly, the surging Soul Power stalled, having actually drained all the Soul Power from the surrounding area. Distant water could not quench immediate thirst; the path of evolution was blocked. The purple-white Soul Ring pulsed unwillingly before finally compromising in helplessness and stabilizing its Soul Power.

It quietly hovered at Fu Hua's side, while the first two Soul Rings also silently concealed their purple radiance and returned to golden yellow.

On the outside, the cocoon encasing her cracked open. Like a young dragon gnawing through its eggshell, it gradually sank back into Fu Hua's body, awaiting its next summons.

As the golden glow faded, crystal-blue bone wings were revealed. Flecks of crimson gradually spread across the pair of Crystal Wings, filling them with a dreamlike hue. After the golden cocoon came a red-and-blue crystal cocoon.

Zhao Wuji and the others were dumbfounded once again. This was the first time they had ever seen such a situation! Even Tang San had awakened after shedding his cocoon that time. Was this a cocoon within a cocoon?

Amid their confusion, this layer of cocoon slowly faded as well, revealing the curled-up girl within. It was Fu Hua.

PS: What was I going to say again? I forgot. Oh well, I'll add it later if I remember.

PS1: I remembered what I was going to say. It's about the story of Crimson Kite and Ji Lin—it's always been a mystery. People say it was with Lian Shan, but it somehow feels like Fu Hua to me (maybe I only recognize Fu Hua's face). So I put Crimson Kite and Ji Lin together. No matter what the official manga says, here it's Crimson Kite and Ji Lin (no arguments accepted).

PS2: A profound portrayal of a woman burdened with grave sins