Tenshu-kaku

Yae Village was empty.

There was no one in the shrine either. The daily necessities and furniture were still there, but he could not find any trace of what had happened.

"Sakura!" Feng Chen began shouting Sakura's name loudly in the shrine, even though no one answered.

He couldn't find her... Could it be that he had simply entered this world?

"System, this should still be Sakura Cycle, right?"

"That's right, but it has undergone a fundamental change. Yae Sakura's death left this world with only a rough outline—that is, these uninhabited houses and the surrounding scenery."

"Same things, different people..."

He knew Sakura could not return, but he would not give up even the slightest chance. Sakura Cycle was Sakura's memory, so he could definitely find Sakura's soul within it.

As long as he could find Sakura's soul, reviving her with the power of Honkai would not be difficult.

"Feng Chen! I finally found you!"

The little red figure flew onto Feng Chen's shoulder. Although Hiyori Maru wore a smile, Feng Chen knew it was not a genuine one. Her smile lacked its usual vitality.

"Hiyori Maru... I'm sorry, I..."

"I'm also very sad about Big Sis, but don't forget, this is Big Sis's memory—the world inside the box, Sakura Cycle! Since it has the word 'cycle' in its name, time in this world must flow in an endless loop. Big Sis will appear in this world too, so..."

Hiyori Maru realized her mistake, and her voice gradually faded. Five hundred years ago, Feng Chen had not been in Yae Village, while what endlessly repeated in Sakura Cycle was Yae Sakura's memories.

"What cycles through this world isn't my Sakura."

Feng Chen knew this all too well, but he did not point it out. He did not want to embarrass Hiyori Maru as well.

"Before Big Sis cured your poison, she already told me to take you to retrieve the Divine Key—Jizou Mitama once you came in. Now... follow me."

In the village's northwest corner (this location was determined by the game map. The shrine was northeast of Yae Village, while Takezuru Slope was to the north of the entire Sakura Cycle. To keep readers from getting confused, I specially moved the location here. Besides, after entering the Tenshu-kaku area, the Tenshu-kaku was indeed located somewhat to the northwest.), a massive tower appeared.

"I projected this Tenshu-kaku here specifically to store that troublesome Divine Key."

"Why make such a huge tower just to store a Divine Key? Shouldn't you put it in a treasure chest and bury it underground?"

Feng Chen stood outside the Tenshu-kaku and looked inside.

There was no one there. His instincts told him that this tower was definitely more complicated than it appeared.

"If you bury it underground, won't someone dig it up after a few hundred years?" Hiyori Maru rolled her eyes at Feng Chen, truly unable to understand what Big Sis saw in him.

"I can tell you're thinking something rude about me..."

"Nothing like that! Hurry up and go in!"

Hiyori Maru pushed Feng Chen with her tiny body, which could not even be called petite. Feng Chen had no choice but to walk inside to accommodate her.

As they entered through the main gate of the Tenshu-kaku, a purple wall of light passed over them, severing all contact with the outside world.

That included... the system.

"System?!"

Despite Feng Chen's calls, the system gave no response.

This Tenshu-kaku was truly strange. It could actually sever even the connection to Honkai.

"How strange..."

"Huh? What's strange? This was done to prevent anyone from sneaking in. Only those carrying my Honkai Energy signature can enter."

That explained it. Everyone's Honkai Energy was unique. The system had copied Feng Chen's body before, but it had not replicated his Honkai Energy precisely—only its purity.

"Then why do I have your Honkai Energy signature on me?"

"Because..."

Hiyori Maru did not need to say it. Feng Chen could guess.

Was it you, Sakura...?

"All right, let's go up. We can't stay depressed forever, can we? If Sakura were still here, she'd probably give both of us an earful."

Hiyori Maru could not understand how Feng Chen had adjusted his mindset so quickly. In her view, something like this would take a long time to get over.

"Inside the Tenshu-kaku, many dead soldiers were projected out of thin air by the Divine Key because Jizou Mitama emits Honkai Energy, so be careful."

"Projected out of thin air? How does that work?"

"Among the Herrschers, some are very skilled at manipulating Honkai Energy. They can even incorporate it into their abilities. As it happens, the Herrscher of Erosion is one of them. The Herrscher of Erosion did not have much contact with Honkai Energy, so that delicate method of manipulation can only be attributed to her talent. She can combine Honkai Energy with her own power, analyze and project anything she has eroded, and then turn it into a physical object."

"Then if we use the Herrscher of Erosion's power, wouldn't Sakura..."

"That's right! This might be Big Sis's purpose. I hope you'll do the same, too. After all, Jizou Mitama is one of the reasons Big Sis exists in this era. As long as Jizou Mitama remains, Big Sis will never truly die!"

"Let's go! Straight to the top of the Tenshu-kaku!"

Feng Chen carried Hiyori Maru in his arms and used Wind of Serenity, ignoring the dead soldiers on the lower floors until powerful dead soldiers appeared on the upper levels.

"What kind of dead soldier is this?"

The dead soldier before him carried several huge coffins on its back, and its eyes were covered with cloth. It gave Feng Chen a very strange first impression.

"That's a Summoner Demon. It can summon various types of dead soldiers, but there's a limit to how many. It also has a unique defensive skill. If you don't take it down quickly, it'll be troublesome."

Two coffins flew out and landed on the ground.

The coffins sank into the floor, and two dead soldiers were summoned.

One dead soldier held a longbow, while the other gripped a scythe.

"The one with the bow is a Ranger Mortal, and the other is a Guardian Mortal. They're both basic dead soldiers, but somewhat stronger than Ordinary Mortals. Be careful! The Summoner Demon has a powerful recovery ability. Once you kill one dead soldier, it can summon another!"

To capture the bandits, first capture their leader. Feng Chen summoned Blood Knight: Moonbeam, smeared his own blood onto the short blade, and threw it. The blade flew toward the Summoner Demon. If it had been an ordinary dead soldier, it would have died the moment the blade struck.

But the Summoner Demon was no ordinary dead soldier. It was publicly recognized by both Destiny and Anti-Entropy as the most troublesome kind of dead soldier.

Purple-black Honkai Energy formed a protective barrier around the Summoner Demon.

Then the barrier exploded, knocking the short blade away.

The Summoner Demon was one of the more intelligent types among the dead soldiers, and it reacted quickly to the dangerous aura carried by the blade. After all, with Honkai Energy at ninety-nine percent purity, only brainless enemies would fail to sense it.

The Ranger Mortal drew its bow and nocked an arrow, while the Guardian Mortal raised its scythe and leaped into a spin, stirring up a massive amount of Honkai Energy.