Cultivating in Honkai!

Chapter 429: Old Illness Strikes Back

A strange sensation swept over me. My intuition kept repeating that the place I am in is the real world. I tried calling forth the power of once again, but to no avail. It’s as if my cries hadn’t been heard by anyone.When I tried to mobilize the spiritual qi inside my body, I realized a shocking thing.

I am currently at the early-stage of the Void Refinement Realm. My spiritual qi reserves are vast. If someone pits me against billions of my Foundation Establishment Realm selves, I would drown them to death with my spiritual qi reserves.

Now, my spiritual qi reserves seem infinite.

I tried to mobilize my spiritual qi. Gray fog emerged out of nothingness, remaining afloat atop my palm. Time soon went by. My output isn’t affected at all. The gray fog maintained the same size and shape as before. Only, its ‘influence’ grew stronger.

Strangely enough, my status did change. There are no changes other than the seemingly infinite spiritual qi. 

I set my sights back to the huge rift. It never stopped showing two different places. One was a world wrought with “Honkai”. I saw familiar characters like Kiana, Mei, and Bronya. Except for the fact that the Bronya of this world is flat-chested—a complete contrast to Bronya. The other place was where Artoria resided. If that isn’t Avalon, then I would have to assume it is the Throne of Heroes. It is a place where all ‘historical heroes’ are stored, waiting to be summoned through a mechanism known as the ‘Holy Grail War’.

Everything brings us back to one question:

Unfortunately for me, nobody else came inside this space. Time seemed stagnant. It gave off the same sensation as that of IX. However, it is different. This place is definitely not something created out of an Aeon’s power, more so the Imaginary Tree’s Paths. It leaves out immortal cultivation.

What’s strange is that it is different from anything immortal cultivation produced. It is mixed with another kind of power…

To be exact, it is the power that brought me to Nihility. My memories of that time are extremely vague. All I could remember is that the golden orb transported me to IX’s true body and dropped me there. What followed is that unforgettable experience that almost drove me to killing myself.

This rift…

It bore traces of the tribulation’s power. The very same tribulations that serve as my final stumbling blocks from achieving the . 

The second tribulation is related to creation; the third is for extinction. Barring any other possibilities, this rift is related to the third tribulation. I have already determined that the second would occur during my self-coronation towards the Dao Integration Realm.

Third tribulation, extinction, two worlds…

All sorts of possibilities entered my mind. I almost forgot about the swathe of gray fog gathering atop my palm. Its power continued to grow as time went by. The infusion done with unlimited spiritual qi is enough to manifest All Creation in ways I haven’t done before. Tampering with causality, existence erasure, and imposing limitations towards others are but a few of what it could do. It can change the past or make a certain future pre-determined. My small universe is merely scratching the tip of the iceberg.

All I did for a long time was to wait. Nothing changed in the end. The rift is there, and so is the growing power of All Creation at my palm. 

Since nothing happened for a long time, I need to find a way to escape on my own. Every test has its answer. As for who set it up, there are high chances it is my own future projection.

I looked at my palm, faintly grasping the answer…

*****

A very special event is known but to a select few.

It spoke volumes of how far he always forces himself to deal with the troubles coming their way. Out of all the major battles they had, the number of times he didn’t faint could be counted on one hand. It should have been the same this time. Everyone forbade the use of forbidden techniques. This is a campaign to see how far they could fare against the likes of Aeons.

The results are satisfactory. Twenty-two of them, when armed with eighth-grade treasures, could fight against four half-step Dao Integration Realm experts. Using forbidden techniques could increase their tolerance rate, allowing contention against the Aeons head-on.

Everyone got out first before Shi Tian. They saw the molecule-sized Zixiao Palace floating in the middle of nothingness. It took the concept of a Sumeru Mustard Seed, fitting an entire world within a molecular particle.

The twenty-one girls didn’t leave immediately. They waited for Shi Tian to come back. However, he didn't come back after ten minutes had passed. Kiana knew something went wrong and dove right back at the Zixiao Palace. She turned into a ray of light, bypassing the palace’s stairs. She forced its doors wide-open. At the end of the hall’s interior was Shi Tian.

Kiana’s heart sank as she looked in his direction. He lay motionlessly on the ground. Surrounding him was an extremely dangerous aura. His surroundings turned blurred like frosted glass.

‘What is it..?!’

She felt like a cat who got her tail stepped on. The phenomenon surrounding Shi Tian couldn’t even compare to the danger posed by all seventeen Aeons combined!

If there is someone capable of matching it, only that mysterious could. 

Kiana felt their head-on. It didn’t feel like she was facing a single enemy, but the entire world. They are a notch above the other Aeons. She had already designated them as the greatest enemy they would face…

Just as she was at a loss, other people barged into the palace. The fastest one was Sin Mal.

“What did…”

Her words came to a grating pause. The blurred environment surrounding Shi Tian threatened everyone who came close to him.

“Everything was fine when we left. Why…”

Kiana didn’t offer any answers to Sin Mal. Her mind sought answers swifter than the speed of light.

‘It’s not this world’s . Immortal cultivation…’