Shenzhou's Past

After swiftly dealing with the mutated mech, Ye Li came to Himeko's side.

"Are you all right, Himeko?"

"I'm fine." Himeko wiped the sweat from her forehead. "By the way, how did you get here? What about Kiana and the others? How are they?"

Ye Li shook his head and explained everything. "We got separated after entering. I haven't heard anything from them either."

"Could they have fallen somewhere else?"

Himeko forced herself to stand, but a powerful wave of dizziness made her stagger again. "We have to find them!"

"Wait."

Ye Li caught Himeko as she nearly fell. "In your current condition, you won't be able to hold out long enough to find them..."

Rumble—!

A deafening boom rang out. The entire cave shook violently, and Chi You let out an ear-splitting roar.

As the cave shook violently, the scene shifted to Kiana's side.

"What? Those crystals were actually Chi You's seals?"

Kiana stomped her foot furiously. "We thought they were its heart and destroyed them."

"Regretting it won't help now, Kiana."

Raiden Mei comforted her. "Rather than wallowing in self-pity here, we should be thinking of a way to fix this."

"According to Bronya's scans, the place where Honkai Energy is gathering should be where Chi You's true heart is located."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Kiana grabbed her twin pistols. "We have to hurry and destroy it!"

The cave's tremors grew increasingly violent. Rubble constantly fell from above, as though the entire space were collapsing.

Kiana, Raiden Mei, and Bronya raced through the dim passageway toward the core where Honkai Energy was concentrated.

"Faster! We need to go faster!" Kiana urged anxiously as she ran.

She gripped her twin pistols tightly, her eyes filled with determination.

"Kiana, watch out ahead!" Raiden Mei suddenly shouted.

A massive fallen boulder blocked the passage ahead.

"Leave it to me!"

Bronya calmly raised her hand. Project Bunny 19C emerged behind her and blasted the boulder blocking their path to pieces.

The three continued onward without pausing for even a moment.

Meanwhile, Ye Li, carrying the unconscious Sin Mal on his shoulder along with Himeko, had already reached the place where Chi You's heart was located.

At the center of the cave, a gigantic, beating dark-red heart floated in midair. Countless tentacles formed from Honkai Energy coiled around it, emanating a suffocating pressure.

The instant Ye Li approached, a voice suddenly rang in his ear.

"Leave, one chosen by the gods. You and I are of the same kind, but if you insist on moving forward, then I will have no choice but to kill you."

Ye Li ignored the voice in his mind. Instead, he turned his head and looked firmly at Himeko beside him, speaking in a low voice.

"Himeko, this should be Chi You's heart. There'll probably be a hard fight soon. Hide here for now, and don't come out until it's over."

Himeko nodded. A trace of worry flashed through her eyes, but it was quickly replaced by calmness.

She swiftly retreated behind a nearby shelter, her figure vanishing into the shadows like a ghost.

Was this going to be a boss fight?

I'm looking forward to it. I can watch my husband show off his handsome fighting style again!

No, aren't you people concerned about what that mysterious voice said? Why did she say Ye Li was also one chosen by the gods, and that she and Ye Li were the same kind?

This is obviously foreshadowing planted by miHoYo's writers!

Master, I understand now! Based on the protagonist group's habit of betraying everyone, Ye Li will definitely betray them in the future too!

What the hell did you even understand?!!!

In the video, as Ye Li continued deeper inside, the entire cave began shaking once more.

Accompanied by the neighing of warhorses, a girl clad in pitch-black armor rode out from Chi You's heart.

The girl had the same appearance as Jilin, but her crazed expression made the difference between them obvious.

The black-clad girl's eyes glowed crimson, and the Xuanyuan Sword in her hand was wreathed in ominous black energy.

"Is this your choice? Still as ignorant and fearless as before!"

The corrupted Jilin let out a low roar and charged straight at Ye Li.

Ye Li did not respond. He merely drew his longsword coldly and met corrupted Jilin's attack head-on.

Corrupted Jilin's attack stabbed toward him with fierce Honkai Energy, but Ye Li simply shifted aside slightly and evaded the fatal strike.

His movements flowed as smoothly as clouds and water, as though he had already anticipated Jilin's every move.

With a light flick of his blade, he knocked the Xuanyuan Sword from corrupted Jilin's hand aside. Then he stepped forward, his sword flashing like lightning as it aimed straight for the Honkai core in her chest.

Corrupted Jilin roared and tried to counterattack, but to Ye Li, her movements seemed slow and clumsy.

Ye Li's blade drew a graceful arc through the air and effortlessly shattered the Honkai core.

"It's over."

Ye Li's voice was low, yet it carried an unquestionable authority.

Corrupted Jilin's body suddenly shuddered, and the crimson glow in her eyes began to flicker.

The black Xuanyuan Sword in her hand dropped limply to the ground as Honkai Energy rapidly dissipated from her body.

As the Honkai Energy dispersed, Jilin regained a brief moment of clarity. A bitter smile appeared on her lips.

"At last, I'll be freed from this long loneliness. Thank you..."

Ye Li's blade trembled slightly. He knew this was Jilin's final moment.

"Jilin, your will was never completely devoured by Honkai Energy, was it?" Ye Li asked softly.

Jilin nodded, the light in her eyes gradually fading.

"Yes... but I can no longer turn back... Ye Li, promise me... protect Shenzhou... and... fulfill your wish..."

Before she could finish speaking, Jilin's body turned into specks of light and dissipated into the air.

Ye Li finally lowered his sword. He stood there for a long time without moving.

Just then, hurried footsteps came from the cave entrance.

"Ye Li, we're here!" Kiana's voice rang out.

She, Raiden Mei, and Bronya had finally arrived.

"Ye Li, are you all right?" Raiden Mei asked with concern.

Ye Li slowly turned around. No emotion could be seen on his face as he merely nodded faintly.

"I'm fine... but we have to destroy Chi You's heart as soon as possible. Otherwise, it'll be too late for everything."

At that moment, Himeko also emerged from the shadows and joined the battle.

Kiana gripped her twin pistols tightly, her gaze resolute. "Leave it to us!"

They quickly charged toward Chi You's heart, preparing to launch their final attack.

However, the instant they approached the heart, the cave shook violently once again, and Chi You's roar thundered through the air.

"Watch out! Chi You is about to counterattack!" Bronya warned.

"Forget it! We have to kill it in one strike!"

Kiana raised her twin pistols, while Raiden Mei and Bronya readied their weapons as well.

"Together!" Ye Li shouted, and everyone unleashed their strongest attacks at once.

Boom—!

A massive burst of energy erupted against Chi You's heart. The dark-red heart began to crack apart, and the Honkai Energy rapidly dissipated.

PS: Tomorrow is the crucial verification period. Please add this book to your shelves and keep reading. Whether it lives or dies depends on this wave.

Oh, and a reminder: tomorrow's update will be at midnight.