It wasn't until Cirrus let out that scream that the focus shifted back to it.
"Go on," Xing gestured.
"Before I begin... can I ask a question?" Huohuo timidly raised her hand, "Are General Teng Xiao and [ Flint Emperor ] really... evenly matched?"
Xing started repeating himself like a broken record. "Is it really a 50/50 chance?"
"Yes! Absolutely!"
"According to the records of the Ten-Lords Commission, Flint Emperor should have suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of that general named Teng Xiao?"
Cirrus snorted unhappily, "Human records will only boast about the general's military exploits!"
"It's a pity that although Da Heliobus Flint Emperor absorbed the power of countless Heliobus compatriots, he still underestimated the cunning of humans and was defeated by that general."
"After the decisive battle, Flint Emperor could no longer coalesce into a form, scattering into different [Spirit Fragments], which were sealed within the Matrix of Creation."
Xing understood. This Great Heliobus [ Flint Emperor ] seemed to have been utterly annihilated by the previous General Luofu, and it didn't feel like a narrow defeat, but rather like he was being thoroughly beaten by the Lightning-Lord...
Oh well, as long as it's happy.
"However, there are always exceptions. I thought you, Mr. Tail, had escaped and were living a carefree life..." Cirrus began to mock Tail again.
"Who would have thought you'd be subdued by this little fox girl! Aha ~ That's hilarious!"
"Subdue my ass! I'm like a tiger fallen into a pit, running into this little fox. What terrible luck!"
Huohuo tried to refute this by telling Xing and Botenis stories from her childhood.
"Hmm... are we having some kind of storytelling convention?" Botenis couldn't help but complain.
"When I was little, I saw a dying flame in some corner of Luofu... I felt sorry for it and put it on my Tail..."
"But... but I never expected that Mr. Tail would try to eat me! Luckily, the judges arrived in time, and I escaped."
"It's just a tiny snack that won't even fill a tooth gap; saying you'd eat it all would be an overreaction, wouldn't it?"
"The tears I've shed over the years when I regretted my decisions must have been the result of the foolishness that went into them back then..."
"Miss Huohuo is full of witty remarks!"
For some reason, Xing felt a mix of amusement and heartache upon hearing Huohuo's words.
Make one mistake, and you'll regret it for a lifetime.
Ah... I wonder if Ye Yan would ever be in this situation. I'll find a chance to ask him later.
"How interesting. It's a pity that Mr. Tail didn't succeed, otherwise, with this little girl's body, he might have been able to make a comeback and wreak havoc on the Xianzhou like [ Flint Emperor ]!"
Xing was very Curiosity, "Why does Heliobus want to challenge the general?"
"Reason? Does it necessarily need to be a reason?"
"If you want a grand, lofty reason—that the Xianzhou imprisoned the Ancestor of the Year Heliobus in a cage to power the Xianzhou, is that reason enough? If you want a simple, straightforward one—we just want to test our mettle against the general and see what the Xianzhou native are capable of."
"We, the Heliobus Clan, were originally carefree beings, but we were infected with the [disease of humanity] after coming into contact with humans."
"It's all humanity's fault, possessing such intense emotions and desires, that we can never return to the pure and innocent state of mind we once had."
According to ancient records, the movements of the Heliobus are like a swarm of bees—these fiery spirits can split and coalesce, exchanging information and experience with each other, and strengthening their power to defend against enemies.
Although the aggregated Heliobus can be considered as separate entities, they still have a hierarchy, just as the ancient superstition of the Xianzhou believes that humans possess the so-called three souls and seven spirits.
Some Heliobus are responsible for dealing with battles, while Heliobus are more involved in thinking and debating, and the strongest Heliobus is responsible for command and coordination.
Most of the Heliobus are unable to cooperate well because they have been tainted by human nature. Of course, there are also some powerful Heliobus individuals—such as [ Zulo ] and " Phantylia "—who possess extremely strong self-will.
Unfortunately, the former was sealed away, while the latter was promoted to a nightlight in a milk tea shop... to be precise, it became the personal nightlight of the [ Eternity ] Aeon, which is quite an honor.
Getting back to the main point, when such a Heliobus exists for a long time, it will erase its inherent differences and coalesce into an unbreakable whole. The Heliobus calls this process "fusion".
Those with Heliobus are extremely afraid to approach these elders, because being sucked into them is tantamount to losing themselves and dying.
By parasitizing, Heliobus absorbs and experiences the host's emotions, usurping their free will and acting arbitrarily.
When a spore-forming organism parasitizes Heliobus, it acquires the personality and behavior of its host. This causes individual Heliobus organisms to quickly develop increasingly strong individual wills, making it difficult for them to connect and merge with other Heliobus.
Cirrus was a relatively honest Heliobus, revealing his purpose in front of everyone and not forgetting to win over his fellow Sui Tail.
"So, I want to regain my freedom! I want to go back to the outer heavens. Mr. Tail, you don't want to reunite with the fragments, and you don't want to be Tail for the rest of your life, so why don't you come back to the outer heavens with me?"
"... It's easier said than done."
"You scoundrel, don't even think about getting anything funny. Mr. Tail is sealed by the judges of the Ten-Lords Commission; there's no escaping him... and you won't get away either."
Hearing Huohuo say this, Cirrus felt inexplicably angry. "That's not right! I've been getting beaten up inside her the whole time! And I still am!"
"Is it my fault?" Xing asked innocently.
"Indeed, from the perspective of life classification, you are closer to the word 'beast' than I am."
"Hiss... Have you Heliobus always been this aggressive?" Botenis grabbed a Cirrus. "Let me give you a piece of advice: your foul mouth will get you punished."
Cirrus: "Huh?"
Are you kidding me?! It's the victim here!
"Oh, silly child, that bottle of milk tea was obviously saving you! It was actually her body's automatic defense system."
"You recklessly possessed others, and even thought of exploring further mysteries. It's a miracle the Milk Tea Guardian didn't kill you."
"Hmm... As for the mask you mentioned, perhaps it's your conscience that's tormenting you."
As a rare, formless being, and an energy being without a fixed form, Heliobus, in a sense, immortal and indestructible, which is very close to [ Eternity ].
Botenis tried to fool Cirrus, saying it was a shame not to capture this big-eyed monster and put it in the warehouse as a decoration... Hmm, maybe we could consider using it as a nightlight?
Not only is it very unique, it can also attract more tourists to visit the Church.
Unexpectedly, Botenis' words made some sense, Cirrus hesitated, thinking it over carefully...
Bang!
The combination of milk tea and the mask kept hitting Cirrus, leaving her no time to think!
As Xing watched the Cirrus that occasionally flickered, and then glanced down at the hourglass necklace, a bold idea was born!