I got up, was instantly killed, what's there to say?

"I just finished a mission and got a message from Headmaster Theresa asking me to come support you," Ye Li shook his head helplessly. "They really don't give me a moment's rest."

"Long time no see," Raiden Mei smiled and nodded in greeting. "Your swordsmanship has improved again."

"It's alright, I guess," Ye Li rubbed his nose. "But what about you guys? Why did Anti-Entropy target you, and what happened to Himeko?"

"Himeko she..."

After Kiana and the others finished explaining the situation, Ye Li looked at the golden longsword in Raiden Mei's arms, his gaze complex.

"Xuanyuan Sword... Jilin..."

After a brief rest, everyone prepared to leave with the prisoners.

Just then, the sea water suddenly began to boil eerily.

Bronya was the first to notice the anomaly. "Honkai Energy anomaly in the ley lines?! This isn't a normal earthquake..."

Before she could finish speaking, the entire rock layer collapsed with a roar.

In the abyssal seawater, dark purple scales flickered with the oppressive aura of an ancient ferocious beast.

As the barbed maw swallowed the light of the sky, everyone saw the pair of molten-like vertical pupils.

It was the ancient ferocious beast recorded in the Schicksal database, the legendary Nine Nether variant—"Chi You."

"Hold on tight!" Ye Li's sword sheath erupted with purple qi, but it was still scattered by the violent currents.

In the last moment before his consciousness was swallowed by darkness, Raiden Mei vaguely saw the gem on the hilt of the Xuanyuan Sword resonate with the mysterious patterns on the giant beast's forehead...

Kiana felt as if she were sinking in the bottomless sea, her consciousness drifting in the darkness.

Faint calls reached her ears, as if through thick glass.

"Wake up! Kiana! Wake up!"

The voice grew clearer, tinged with obvious anxiety.

She felt someone gently patting her cheek, the warmth of their fingertips gradually bringing her back to consciousness.

"Mmm..." Kiana struggled to open her eyes, and the first thing she saw was Raiden Mei's worried face.

Her dark purple hair was a bit messy, and her usually gentle eyes were now filled with panic.

"Thank goodness, you're finally awake!" Raiden Mei breathed a sigh of relief, but then her expression turned tense again. "Kiana, Ye Li and Teacher Himeko are gone!"

"What!" Kiana jolted upright, a wave of dizziness almost making her fall back down.

Only then did she notice her surroundings.

They seemed to be in a huge cave, the walls of which were covered with some kind of bioluminescent tissue, emitting a dim red glow.

"I lost consciousness after that giant beast swallowed us," Raiden Mei quickly explained. "When I woke up, I found only a few of us here..."

Kiana then noticed Bronya examining something not far away.

As everyone was at a loss, the phantom of Jilin within the Xuanyuan Sword suddenly appeared and requested that they seal Chi You once more.

"Now, all that's left of my power is this. I'm giving it to you. Please, you must seal Chi You again..."

With a flash of golden light, Jilin's phantom disappeared.

Kiana and the others each received a piece of Soul Steel gifted by Jilin.

Relying on the power brought by the Soul Steel, Kiana and the others successfully reached a place with lower Honkai interference and managed to contact Theresa.

After some analysis, they decided to head to the presumed heart of Chi You.

Meanwhile, the scene shifted to Himeko.

Upon waking, Himeko looked around the unfamiliar environment with confusion.

Her memory was still stuck on being sucked into a glowing stone tablet, and she woke up here.

Little did she know that her memory was a whole major version behind.

Just then, the entire cave began to shake violently.

A low growl from some creature echoed from the distance, accompanied by the sound of clashing metal.

Her sharp intuition made Himeko instantly stand up. "Something's coming!"

Real World ————

The netizens were also shocked by the tight plot, and at the same time, they were worried about Kiana and the others in the video.

Of course, some observant netizens noticed the key points.

[Jilin and Chi You, aren't these ancient legends from our Dragon Country?]

[Adaptation is not arbitrary creation, and fictionalization is not baseless speculation. They even dare to arbitrarily rearrange historical figures. I really can't imagine what's coming next! Instead of watching this, why not follow my channel? In the second half of this year... cultural and sports activities will bloom...]

[The guy upstairs is advertising here, right?]

[No, is it just me, or did anyone else notice Ye Li's gaze at the Xuanyuan Sword was a little off?]

[+1, you're not alone.]

[+, based on previous plot points, Ye Li is also from Shenzhou, so could he have some connection to the Xuanyuan Sword?]

The video continued.

In a dark red cave, the tremors grew more intense.

From a distance came the grating sound of metal friction, accompanied by the low growls of some kind of creature, sending shivers down one's spine.

Himeko let out a low cry, her greatsword already drawn.

The blade glinted with a cold, sharp light in the dimness as she listened intently to the sounds coming from the darkness.

Amidst the cacophony, a familiar mechanical whirring could be faintly heard.

The sound grew closer, accompanied by the dull thud of heavy objects hitting the ground.

"This is..." Himeko's pupils contracted, "Anti-Entropy mechs?!"

Before she could finish speaking, three pitch-black mechs burst out from the passages in different directions.

But unlike before, the armor on these mechs was covered in strange biological tissues, as if they had been parasitized by something.

Seeing this, Himeko decisively activated the Nexus System of her 'Fusion Core Armor - Crimson'.

With a flash of blue electricity, Himeko felt her body fill with power, but also felt the immense pressure the armor exerted on her.

As a fully specialized enhancement system, the "Nexus System" had almost no safety features designed into it, which was why the Far East Branch listed it as a last resort.

Even so, when facing troublesome enemies, Himeko would not hesitate to activate this dangerous armor.

After all, if you're dead, you have nothing!

Shing!

Himeko swung her sword with both hands, unleashing a bolt of lightning, attempting to force back the mechs charging at her.

However, to Himeko's surprise, her attack only caused the mechs to briefly pause, nothing more.

Even after a few seconds, the gaps she had created in their armor began to close as the biological tissues writhed.

"It seems I've really gotten myself into big trouble."

Himeko thought grimly, "I can't hold back anymore. I have to activate 'Overload' mode!"

Just then, a familiar roar echoed from the distance: "You bunch of tin cans, that's enough!"

A sharp sword light sliced through the darkness, cleaving one of the mechs in two.

Ye Li's figure charged out from the passage, the sword in his hand emitting a cold, sharp gleam.

[Here he comes! The man has arrived!]

[You can always count on my husband Ye Li's rescue abilities!]

[Mech: I woke up, got one-shotted, what's there to talk about?]