Soul Stripping, the Starry River Scalding Hot.

Even long afterward, she would still recall that scene from that day.

The man's face was blurred by the torrential rain, but he seemed to be gazing intently at everyone's faces, as if engraving something in their minds, his expression gentle.

Finally, his pupils shimmered with iridescent light, leaving behind only a gentle tenderness, aside from the utterly harmonious stillness, for the girl whose lotus flower had extinguished and transformed into a red string on her fair wrist. He revealed a smile that could be clearly seen even through the rain.

At that time, Fu Hua couldn't understand what had happened, but she subconsciously knew that the person was doing something far more dangerous than the genetic modification.

Before they could react or struggle, an inexplicable force seemed to turn the entire world upside down and distort it. Everyone present was like a piece of a Rubik's Cube being constantly moved. After the dizziness subsided, they found themselves in a region thousands of miles away.

A quick glance at the surrounding facilities, and the massive warship resembling a city within the enormous cavity, reveals that this is the secret space where Ark Project is being implemented.

Her expression was dazed, and the only thing that remained in her hazy consciousness was the image of the boy's lips parting as if they were about to move.

What exactly did he say?

The girl held the bouquet of Abyss Flower that still existed in the world, embracing it as if it were a priceless treasure. Her eyes, which seemed to sway like the Qinghai Lake, were lowered, and thick fog gathered into rain within them, eventually turning into cold tears that fell, hanging down to the illusory petals, then meandering to the ground, shattering into silver flowers.

If you know you are about to lose something you absolutely cannot lose, yet you are powerless to do anything about it and can only watch helplessly as the worst outcome unfolds before your eyes.

Is there ever a moment when one would be willing to trade their soul for the devil, no matter the cost?

Distance.

Mei gazed at the scene just as the boy had described back then, and murmured:

"But there is only one person in this world who has the right to make a deal with the devil."

She parted her lips, a hint of self-deprecation in her expression:

"The Soul Scale"

Australia's main city.

The heavy rain is still falling.

Carole paused slightly, her gaze remaining fixed on the man's previously empty, half-closed eyes and pale face.

But a delicate and gentle light emerged in the girl's eyes, coloring her pupils and slowly focusing. She looked at the pair of golden eyes looking at her, and her lips, which had been pale, were now pursed and had returned to their original crimson color.

Suddenly, the other person's murmurs echoed in my mind.

Don't die.

Shiyu Qiluo smiled and whispered in response:

"Hmm, I won't die."

"Um."

The two gazed silently at the now empty sky, where only a vast sea of clouds remained. A lingering warmth seemed to remain in their chests, dispelling the confusion that should have been there.

This warm and delicate power seeped into every part of his body, replenishing the previously lacking Honkai Energy, repairing the chain reaction caused by the loss of bio-energy, and reviving his body, which should have been completely dead, to its best state, as if he had been reborn.

They all had a deep and familiar impression of this.

This is... the lingering feeling after being healed by the Black Abyss White Flower.

In a daze, it seemed as if that person was whispering in my ear.

This won't be the last summer.

Fuxi stood in the main city of Australia, and heaven and earth seemed to freeze in time.

This is a special phenomenon that naturally arises from life forms that reside in the Ascended State and progress further on the path of dimensional ascension.

Like a tsunami, it resembled an earthquake.

It has nothing to do with the will to live, but is merely a chain reaction caused by natural laws and external interference.

This is what is meant by dimensional ascension.

From then on, it broke free from the laws and shackles of the world, erased the traces left in the Tree of Illusions and the Sea of Quantum, retrieved its own unique records, and then clearly separated itself from the life forms below, establishing another layer of spacetime concept.

This also applies to Su Qing'an, who at that time also entered the Ascended State, allowing his Manas consciousness to frantically approach his Alaya-Vijnana.

Fuxi and the people of the world are not on the same timeline, so her departure could not attract Mei's attention at all, nor could it be detected by any instrument.

Simply put, her existence can be viewed separately from the rest of the world.

From an objective point of view, time in the world has never stopped flowing, but the realm she occupies can reach the outer reality through the uneven index, resulting in a state that is infinitely close to the stillness of spacetime.

This is actually quite interesting; at least Mobius and Mei could glean many secrets from it.

In short, you can imagine it.

If there is no life in this Proper World that can confront it.

Fuxi could completely complete himself, given that all the humans in the world were devoid of self-awareness, and thus embark on the path of eradicating the Honkai Consciousness, while also clearing away all the branches and leaves on the remaining imaginary numbers until there was no trace of Honkai.

What she will ultimately become is entirely unknown.

If this evolution continues indefinitely, it wouldn't be surprising if the massive Honkai mechanism were to Honkai.

But that was not the ending Su Qing'an wanted. He yearned for a world where Honkai was not an option, but he was unwilling to achieve it through such means and at such a cost.

If the vision of ending tragedy must be achieved by creating tragedy with one's own hands, then there is no point in moving forward.

Before entering his Ascended State, the boy had already foreseen his final fate.

But Su Qing'an neither regretted it nor felt sad.

If Fuxi's existence was a butterfly effect triggered by his entry into the mortal world, then I, who should have long since returned to the depths of Nine Nether netherworld and perished, am now merely exchanging one life for another, with neither of us owing the other anything.

Upon closer examination, these two years, filled with pain, bitterness, sorrow, and sporadic moments of happiness, have already been a generous gift.

In Buddhism, the Manas consciousness has the ability to transmit information to the Alaya-Vijnana.

In fact, he was indeed able to communicate with Fuxi through his Manas consciousness.

But this ability can truly extend to unimpeded communication with any living being.

This allowed Su Qing'an to ignore the passage of time in the Proper World, cut herself into another realm, and communicate with Mei using her Manas consciousness, forcibly pulling this frail yet intelligent, almost demonic doctor into the same rhythm as the ascended life.

During this process, the boy also used the Black Abyss White Flower to directly repair the brain damage and physical lifespan that he had previously been unable to repair, restoring them to their original state.

At this point, the preparatory procedures have been completed to the best of one's ability.

Su Qing'an has only just ascended to a higher dimension, and this is the limit he can reach in a short period of time. It is impossible for him to manipulate his own spacetime axis as freely as Fuxi.

Otherwise... perhaps I would still have a chance to say goodbye properly, who knows?

Fuxi surveyed the surrounding area.

This area is now an abandoned region in Asia.

For both of them, distance itself has lost its meaning in the face of the concept of infinite expansion.

The sky is high and the clouds are light here, and the temperature is pleasant.

As far as the eye can see, there is a small, ruined eastern town that connects with this vast wilderness. It has become an Elysian Realm unique to the Honkai, where hordes of Honkai Beast roam freely. Apart from the ruins, it is the only scenery.

At this moment, all the Honkai Beast were annihilated under the overflowing [Purification] domain, and even any matter mixed with Honkai Energy was purified to the point of destroying its original structure, collapsing one after another and emitting a noisy roar.

Su Qing'an is not qualified to suppress Fuxi's abilities for long.

In fact, even if a higher-dimensional being were to come, it might not be able to forcibly contain Fuxi's [purification] domain.

It can be free from interference, and even be resisted.

However, it is by no means easy to do what was done before, directly stripping it of its right to radiate and forcibly suppressing it from the palm of one's hand.

Su Qing'an was able to do this simply because it was the result of the complete awakening and sublimation of the [Stigmata].

A saying applies here: only magic can counter magic.

Similarly, only the manifestation of the soul can deal with the manifestation of the soul.

However, Fuxi's [purification] was the product of the collective awakening and intertwining of countless souls, upholding the obsessions of All living beings.

Theoretically speaking, even if Su Qing'an possesses the same level of ability, his accumulated experience is far inferior, and he shouldn't be qualified to control [Purification] so easily.

By carefully recalling what elements the abilities awakened through the manifestation of the soul are related to, one can perceive the secret within.

Absorb all Honkai Energy phenomena and store or release them.

This was a product based on Su Qing'an's personality and nature, and even the concept of "thought" that he was unaware of at the time, but it was also closely related to the situation at that time.

That is, the Honkai energy within Murata Himeko's body is constantly eroding her life Honkai Energy.

It was precisely because Su Qing'an wanted to save Himeko, who was about to become a Zombie, even under those circumstances, that his abilities were biased towards that.

This is the most fundamental vision.

Just as [Purification] was born out of the desire to kill the Honkai.

The same was true not long ago.

The greatest pressure Su Qing'an faces is Fuxi, who controls the [Purification] domain and could potentially kill millions of people in a matter of breaths.

Faced with such a terrifying threat, he would naturally instinctively want to find a way to deal with this ability.

Otherwise, even if we can confront or even fight them, it would be meaningless if we couldn't protect the lives of the others.

Thus, under this extreme pressure...

Based on the gentleness and protective obsession inherent in the nature of [Nian], and combined with the keyword [Purification], the complete abilities of the soul after its manifestation have been shaped.

Simply put, the manifestation of the boy's soul, at the moment it was finally finalized, existed purely for the purpose of [purification].

The final outcome was also quite simple.

--At the cost of materializing and sealing one's own soul, one conceptually designates an enemy with an equivalent ability to enter a shared seal.

In other words, a one-for-one exchange is possible as long as the difference in levels does not exceed a certain range.

In addition to this ability, the ability to absorb Honkai Energy has also evolved and changed.

However, even if we disregard the fact that the concept of [one-for-one trade] also includes this ability, it would be meaningless for Fuxi to use it.

It's like trying to fight a swordsman who can't use magic with a weapon that counters magic; the special effects embedded in the weapon are just for show.

The girl's bare feet sank into the soft yellow sand. She tilted her head, her pale hair swaying, her exquisitely beautiful face remaining indifferent. Her pupils reflected the other person's distorted eyes, which had become indescribably alienated, like a colorful sea of stars interacting there.

Even without the indoctrination of knowledge in a similar manner, Fuxi still understood that he truly had very few members of his own kind.

So even though the other party was wrapped in an extremely repulsive shell, upon discovering that she could still glimpse an intimate sense of ultimate harmony, she still chose not to attack directly, but instead stated:

"This is the manifestation of your soul."

"Right."

What she was talking about was the bizarre "phenomenon" that was hindering her cognitive observation.

It was like a sea of stars and a galaxy spanning the heavens and the Milky Way, forcibly embedded in this space in a distorted manner. Dark cracks spread from the edges, as if some majestic creature was climbing on the shell of the sky and the earth.

If you look directly at it, you can occasionally see swirling stars within, which is extremely captivating.

In the conventional biological sense, these are his two eyes.

Assuming that initially it contained the Honkai that Fuxi greatly disliked, that aura that he disliked gradually disappeared for some unknown reason, and instead reached a more essential and special aura.

This bizarre existence, which cannot be defined by any biological category, is Su Qing'an at this moment.

He did not respond to Fuxi's words, seemingly unfamiliar with how to perform the action in this posture.

As a Soul Lifeform, he should have completely shed the physical form created by the Black Abyss White Flower and transformed into Soul State the moment he entered the Ascended State.

However, higher-dimensional life forms, independent of this other concept, can adjust the values of their own spacetime axis, allowing the human shell to defy logical norms and remain indestructible.

However, once the [Divine Kingdom] shatters and the Planetary-class embryo and the true self emerge, this outward appearance can only return to annihilation.

Vishnu and Chiyou's abilities have already merged during the process of genetic-directed sublimation, due to their compatibility. On the other hand, Brahma and Maheshvara have also reached the stage of ability interaction due to compatibility issues.

After being elevated to a complete framework, the four genes have already tended to enter a balanced cycle.

In order to replenish the missing nutrients and quickly reach full awakening, he had to break this cycle and begin to force himself to eat using his Gene Ability.

The consequences and costs are far-reaching; genetic modification has penetrated to the very level of the soul.

The resulting deformity lies not only in the outer shell, but also in the soul.

Within that twisted, apocalyptic star sea, vibrant colors writhed and folded, its colossal form constantly churning and surging, arcs of light roaring and raging like a raging sea. Merely gazing upon such a scene could reduce the rationality of any sentient being to zero.

This is a path to higher dimensions through genetic modification, only it arrives in a distorted form.

The throne within the Soul Hall descended upon the world, thorns and gold intertwined into chains, turning Su Qing'an, who appeared in his primordial form, into an immortal prisoner.

The boy's pupils were a riot of colors, the whites of his eyes stained pitch black. Part of his exposed skin seemed to be stained with the same color, gradually peeling away and turning into falling dust that fell into the embrace of this outer shell, causing a sudden ripple in the starry sea, as well as a burst of soft revelry and murmurs.

If we wait for this distortion to reach its end, our souls will be completely stripped away.

That was death in the truest sense.

For the first time, Fuxi revealed an emotion other than indifference, and she was puzzled:

"Why?"

We are both Soul Lifeform.

Both are beings that ascend to higher dimensions through a process of Ascended State and can travel to distant shores.

She understood deeply that unless that person was willing, this distorted hierarchy could not interfere with the soul that had already sublimated into Manas consciousness and was moving in a more distant direction.

Damaged? Peeling? Injured?

That's ridiculous.

To prefer being bound by things at this level, to step into irreversible damage and death, is simply incomprehensible and irrational.

The boy gazed at the distant town and whispered:

"I hate dimensional ascension, and I don't like this state."

"It's as if all memories, all emotions, and even everything that belongs to oneself are being submerged in something far greater. The human named Su Qing'an will be completely consumed here, his true self flowing away at an irreversible rate."

"Perhaps in a few minutes, I won't be myself anymore."

"So, before that... I want to do what I should do before I do it."

Looking into the distance, Fuxi saw a gentle gaze that didn't seem at all like that of a being who had ascended to a higher Ascended State and entered a state of metamorphosis. She stated:

"You possess human intellect and emotions, therefore you are unwilling to let them become my [compatriots]."

"But this is only temporary; it is the decaying, ancient version of you that needs to be eradicated."

A kaleidoscope of colors swirled in the girl's eyes. She stretched out her palm and whispered:

"Besides, you can't do it."

"Even without my deliberate [purification], the manifestation of your soul cannot suppress it."

Su Qing'an parted his lips and whispered with a smile:

"Then stay with me a little longer, Fuxi."

"Come and witness the moment when I become just like you."

Fuxi gazed at the sorrowful [humans] on the throne, like prisoners, watching the thorns and gold tear apart the Manas consciousness that longed for the other shore, watching the only kin in the world slowly fall into the abyss, and remained silent.

She had no reason to refuse.

Time passed by, second by second.

There was no fighting, no dialogue, no struggle, no surprises.

Su Qing'an's soul ascended to the Manas consciousness, it became increasingly fragmented, and the emotions and memories residing within it became increasingly scarce and sparse. He stretched out his fingertips and gently stroked the only scale in front of him, the whispers from the past vaguely recalling the past.

[What is your vision? Your sword strike was incredibly fast. If you had the specific skills to control Honkai Energy and the support of the Valkyrie armor, perhaps one day you could even use this sword to slice through a building.]

The boy lowered his pure black eyes, his lips slightly parted, and gave the same answer as before:

"Almost there, enough to sever the ties of time."

The Soul Scale slowly tipped.

On the downward-sloping end, the scorching Milky Way is contained.