"GROOOOOO!!"
The sea surface rolled. The waves rose dozens of meters high, fierce as if wanting to swallow the sky. Every step Chiyou took on the water was like a tsunami, its roar causing the reefs to shatter, sweeping the entire ocean into an unstoppable fury.
But even before this natural disaster, Celestial Jingwei still advanced with absolute calm. Her white Chinese dress fluttered in the sea breeze, her sharp eyes unwavering in the face of the monster before her. A tsunami rose up like a giant wall, but she only raised her fist.
BOOM!
A punch tore the wave in half.
BOOM!
Another punch, the hurricane was shattered into countless sparkling water droplets that flew everywhere.
Immortal Jingwei did not delay, her figure flashed in the misty water. Like a spearhead charging straight at Chiyou, she exploded in speed, unleashing a series of punches and kicks like a storm that struck the monster's gigantic body. Each punch was like a thunderbolt, creating a sky-shaking explosion. Rumbling sounds rang out one after another, Chiyou's body trembling as if it was being repeatedly slammed into an unyielding steel wall.
As she finished her series of attacks, Immortal Jingwei leaped up, her right leg swinging high above her head. In an instant, the sea became calm.
BOOM!!!
Jingwei's axe kick struck down like thunder, followed by a terrifying sound as Chiyou's head was slammed straight into the sea. The entire surface of the water below shook violently, water columns shooting up like hundreds of waterfalls. Such a huge monster, yet Jingwei had knocked it face down with just one kick!
But Chiyou was not easily defeated.
Its dark purple eyes flashed with a ghostly light. The rough, rock-like skin trembled, and Honkai energy flowed along its body. A thunderous roar rang out, and immediately after—
BAM!!!
Chiyou swung her giant arm, which was as thick as a thousand-year-old tree, and struck Celestial Jingwei. The impact was so violent that she was like a bullet being sent flying, shooting through the air at a terrifying speed. But Celestial Jingwei did not panic. She curled up in the air, using the inertia of the blow to change her direction, and then immediately launched a roundhouse kick from below!
BAM!
Chiyou's chin took the brunt of the counterattack. It roared in pain, but did not falter. On the contrary, a huge amount of Honkai energy gathered at its mouth. In just a few seconds—
It fired a powerful Honkai Beam straight up into the sky!
The deadly energy was as bright as the sun, the heat radiating from it burned the air, creating an electrolytic reaction. The black cumulonimbus clouds rolled together, and lightning intertwined in the sky as if wanting to destroy everything.
But a calm voice rang out.
"Do you think you are the only one who can control the lightning?"
Queen Xuan Yuan stepped out, her jet-black hair and ochre-colored dress seemed to reflect the lightning in the stormy sky. In her hand, the Xuan Yuan Sword glowed.
And as the first bolt of lightning struck, she did not dodge—but raised the sword.
BOOM!
The lightning was lured into the sword like a lightning rod, all the power of the lightning condensed in the golden blade. Queen Xuan Yuan smiled coldly, her eyes flashed with the look of someone who held supreme power.
The sword spun in her hand like a mesmerizing dance. Then in a breath—
She spun in midair, the Xuanyuan sword drawing a golden arc.
Her ochre-colored dance clothes fluttered in the wind, the Xuanyuan sword in her hand glowed.
She jumped high, spun, and then swept her sword down.
BOOM!
All the thunder and lightning returned and struck Chiyou like a storm.
Chiyou was sent flying dozens of meters. Lightning flashed all over its body, and the sky echoed with a painful roar. The Xuanyuan Queen did not hesitate any longer, she raised her sword high.
The sea seemed to reflect her sword, the icy light emitted from it, covering the entire battlefield.
Xuanyuan then plunged the tip of the sword into the water, her loud shout resounding throughout the battlefield:
"My sword, turn into ice—freeze the enemy!"
The shout was like a verdict.
The sea surface moved once more, a cold air flowed through everything. A new layer of ice appeared, spreading from the sword, sealing each piece of water, each wave.
The sea surface roared, giant ice pillars rose from the depths of the ocean, wrapping around Chiyou's great body. The fierce water instantly froze, forming ice chains that tightened every joint on his body. Coldness spread through every inch of his skin, the Honkai veins burning beneath his scales like a stream of lava.
****
Despite being frozen, Chiyou's fighting spirit still burned fiercely. The Honkai energy coursing through its body surged violently, as if screaming in defiance. Its eyes flashed with a strange, eerie light, and then—
—BOOM!!
The ocean roared as a terrifying tremor erupted from Chiyou's struggle to break free from its icy prison.
The shockwave caused massive cracks to splinter across the ice, making the frozen surface sway like ships caught in a violent storm.
—CRACK!!
The thick layer of ice shattered explosively under a force of pure, unrestrained power.
Then, a towering column of steam erupted into the sky, engulfing the midday sun in a dense fog.
From within, a colossal shadow slowly emerged—Chiyou still stood tall, its body now resembling an erupting volcano. Its skin had cracked apart, revealing glowing crimson fissures that pulsed like molten lava. The heat radiating from it distorted the air, causing the seawater beneath its feet to evaporate, forming massive rings of steam around the monstrous beast.
But the most terrifying thing—was its eyes.
Twin orbs of deep violet glowed ominously, devoid of any trace of reason. They were filled with madness, violence, and an insatiable thirst for destruction.
At this moment, Chiyou had ignited its own life force to surpass its limits, transforming itself into a living thermonuclear bomb.
Yet, it cared nothing for its own survival.
A Honkai Beast is not born to live—it is born to destroy.
And now, the only thought left in its mind—was to annihilate everything before it.
BOOM!
Chiyou raised its head and opened its mouth...
A blinding pillar of energy ignited within its throat. But this time, it was no longer an ordinary Honkai Beam.
This energy had become warped, twisted by Chiyou's self-destructive power. If the original Honkai Beam had been a pure stream of light, then this one was a deep crimson, pulsating with unstable plasma that crackled like lightning. Its temperature exceeded 3,500°C, capable of incinerating any living being into ashes upon contact.
It aimed directly at them.
ZAP!
The space trembled as the beam shot toward the figures standing on the ocean's surface.
Celestial Jingwei immediately sprang forward, her gaze sharp as a blade. But even she could not take this attack lightly.
She shouted—
"Fuxi! Nuwa! Deploy the barrier!"
Without hesitation, Fuxi and Nuwa activated their powers.
Glowing rings of light appeared in the air, stacking upon one another to form a dense, layered shield. The barrier radiated a brilliant glow, like the sun itself—a sturdy wall standing between them and impending doom.
BOOM!
The plasma beam collided with the barrier.
A thunderous explosion erupted instantly, sending shockwaves rippling across the sky. The ocean below was blasted downward, creating a massive crater in the water for a brief moment. The barrier trembled violently, its surface warping, fractures spreading rapidly.
This is bad!
The attack was too powerful!
Celestial Jingwei clenched her fists, preparing to intercept the beam if the barrier failed—
But then—
BOOM!!!
A crimson flame streaked across the sky!
It shot forward like a falling star, intercepting Chiyou's devastating plasma beam. As the two forces collided—
BOOM!!!
A blinding burst of light exploded outward, forcing back the monstrous energy storm unleashed by Chiyou.
A colossal shockwave swept across the battlefield, dispersing the steam and heat that had engulfed the area. And then, immediately after—
BOOM!!!
A fiery meteor descended from the heavens!
The ocean trembled violently as a massive column of smoke and debris erupted from the impact site. Towering waves, hundreds of meters high, surged outward like walls of water.
As the dust settled—
They saw him.
A lone figure stood at the heart of the impact.
Long, flowing crimson hair billowed like an eternal flame. A fox-shaped mask concealed his expression. But what stunned everyone—was the burning red aura swirling around his body.
It radiated an eerie brilliance, with tendrils of energy twisting and flickering like the flaming tails of a celestial fox.
The man simply stood there, yet the overwhelming presence he exuded seemed to distort the very space around him.
Who was he?
Celestial Jingwei, Fuxi, Nuwa—they had no idea.
But then, a familiar voice muttered in disbelief.
A voice filled with hesitation and shock.
"…Jiang Zhu?"
The one who spoke—was none other than Empress Xuanyuan.
That name echoed across the battlefield, carrying with it uncertainty. A question unspoken, a memory long buried.
The masked man remained silent, unmoving. Behind his mask, his eyes held a deep, unreadable gaze—one that recognized this battlefield all too well.
And perhaps—he knew Xuanyuan better than anyone.
...
The air above the battlefield was still turbulent.
The aftershocks of the previous collision had not yet subsided when another strange event occurred right before their eyes.
Pfft!
As if a light had been stifled, the body of the man with the fox mask suddenly split into two. A faint stream of energy spread through the air, leaving two figures standing side by side, completely separate.
One of them looked tired and chaotic, that person was Jiang Zhu—a person wearing simple clothes with long, flowing red hair, but now lacking the usual neatness, in favor of a disheveled, sloppy appearance without any order.
And it seemed that he clearly had not yet adapted to the sudden fusion and separation.
The other person was the complete opposite—Feng Yue, mysterious and calm, with slightly messy white hair and a fox mask covering half of his face.
The fox mask hid his true expression, but his demeanor was strangely calm.
Xuan Yuan slightly narrowed his eyes.
What was going on?
From the beginning, she didn't even know Jiang Zhu could do this.
And then—
"BLEGHH!!"
All eyes immediately turned to Jiang Zhu.
The physician who always had an elegant demeanor… was now vomiting on the ground like a drunken Russian drunkard!
"What a horrible experience!! I'm so dizzy!! Oh shit!! Urghh!! BLEGHH!!"
His words were completely opposite to the image of a physician.
Jiang Zhu staggered, trying to maintain his balance but to no avail. He was still in a state of shock from the fusion just now.
The girls on the battlefield looked at the scene with expressions of not knowing how to react.
Didn't this person always maintain a calm demeanor when standing in front of Queen Xuan Yuan, being careful with every word and every gesture?
Where did his dignified medical image go?
At that moment—
"Tsk! Tsk!"
A lazy tone rang out from Feng Yue.
The mysterious man standing beside him, crossed his arms, shaking his head sarcastically.
"This guy is so bad~ I can't believe this is the same person who convinced me to help."
He glanced at Jiang Zhu who was struggling like a fish that had just been pulled out of water, then leisurely snapped his fingers.
"In this state, each fusion only lasts for 10 seconds. Sigh… bear with it, my friend."
He chuckled, a smile that carried a hint of evil and amusement.
"Didn't I tell you that asking me to help is like making a deal with a demon? Hahaha~"
"Ugh… If you were a demon, I would have been swallowed up from the very first day…..Urghh, Bleghh!!"
Jiang Zhu grabbed his head, his face pale as if he had just experienced a nightmare.
Feng Yue curled her lips slightly, thinking quietly.
(Perhaps people in this era have never experienced motion sickness or airsickness before, so they react so violently… Fusion with me is even lighter than a roller coaster.)
However, his gaze remained calm as he looked towards Queen Xuan Yuan—the only person on the battlefield who did not show any signs of confusion.
She said nothing, just silently observing the two of them.
Then, very slowly, she spoke:
"…Jiang Zhu, explain yourself."
That tone of voice did not carry any obvious emotions, but it was as sharp as a knife.
And at that moment, even though he was struggling to vomit, Jiang Zhu knew that he could not avoid this question.
****
—A few minutes ago—
"A devil's deal?"
The cold autumn wind blew through Jiang Zhu's fiery red hair as he turned to look at Feng Yue, the mysterious man with white hair and a fox mask covering half of his face.
In the distance, the battle between the Xuan Yuan group was still going on.
On that battlefield, Queen Xuan Yuan—the woman he never wanted to lose—was still fighting alone against the monster Chiyou, ready to sacrifice herself to protect everyone.
And he, a medic, could do nothing but watch from afar.
No, he could not accept this.
A rare determination flashed in Jiang Zhu's eyes as he looked straight at Feng Yue.
"That's fine."
He took a deep breath and continued.
"Although it's a bit rude since I'm the one asking for your help… but how do you plan to help me with that body?"
Saying that, he raised his hand and pointed at Feng Yue's body, which was sometimes real, sometimes illusory, translucent and flickering like a will-o'-the-wisp.
Although it looked like a human, Feng Yue was clearly not an ordinary being.
"That's why I said it was a devilish contract."
Feng Yue shrugged, his tone slightly teasing.
"I'll lend you my strength… but you have to fight with your own body."
"Huh?"
Jiang Zhu was stunned.
But he didn't have time to wonder.
He immediately tried to pretend he understood, because Xuan Yuan was still fighting alone out there.
"Then how can I borrow your strength?"
Feng Yue looked straight at him, her eyes hidden behind the mask slightly narrowed as if she was reading the thoughts of the person in front of her, as if she knew that Jiang Zhu was just pretending, but in fact, he didn't understand anything. However, Feng Yue didn't pay much attention to that.
And then he smiled lightly.
"It's easy. You just need to perform a ritual dance with me."
"A ritual dance?"
Jiang Zhu looked back at Feng Yue with a puzzled expression and asked.
"Yes. You just need to imitate my actions in the opposite direction. Although it's a bit complicated, this is to respect tradition."
Jiang Zhu stared at Feng Yue, his eyes filled with disbelief.
...What the hell? Dance!?
... Right at a critical moment like this!?
This crazy guy... is he really serious about helping me?
But he didn't have time to doubt, so Jiang Zhu reluctantly accepted and listened to Feng Yue's words, no matter how absurd they were.
And so, the two of them started dancing.
Every movement was in sync, reflecting each other like a mirror.
The steps were spinning, the arms were raised... and finally—
The two of them stood side by side, their hands raised in opposite directions, looking from afar, the pose had formed a large V shape.
"Fusion!"
-FLASH!!.
The light burst out like the halo of the rising sun.
Then, Jiang Zhu and Feng Yue's bodies gradually merged into one as their shadows magically intertwined.
-Boomm! Chirpp!!
And then....
When Jiang Zhu opened his eyes again, everything had changed.
He immediately felt a huge surge of power running through his body.
But what was even more terrifying was...
"What the hell is this form?!"
Jiang Zhu screamed, running around in panic like a headless chicken when he realized that his body now looked completely different, after looking at himself through a puddle of stagnant rainwater from last night—
Currently, he had long red hair that fluttered like a yasha, wearing a sunset-red energy cloak that emitted red energy streaks like a fox's tail, and the power within him was burning like a newborn star.
And above all, on his face, a fox mask had been attached to it without him knowing, and then a voice rang out in Jiang Zhu's mind
"Calm down, my friend."
After saying that, the energy fox tail slightly stretched out and tapped his head, and Feng Yue's calm voice continued to resound inside Jiang Zhu's mind.
"We have very little time right now, so I'll control a part of your body to get to the battlefield as quickly as possible."
"Hey! Wait—"
Before Jiang Zhu could react, his body moved automatically.
His two feet slammed into the ground, ejecting his body from the ground, creating a huge explosion of energy—then his body shot straight up into the sky like a cannonball, crossing the midday sky at a terrifying speed.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA—!!!!"
The feeling that Jiang Zhu was experiencing right now was no different from someone riding a roller coaster for the first time, and it was even more terrifying because Jiang Zhu was flying at a speed comparable to a supersonic jet.
The wind howled loudly in his ears like the roars of wild beasts.
The sky before his eyes blurred from the terrifying speed.
And just as his body was rushing towards the battlefield like a bolt of lightning—
BOOM!!
He smashed into Chiyou's attack, and…
Blowing it away with ease.
—
Now, back to the present—
Jiang Zhu after vomiting nonstop after the sudden fusion. Right, Queen Xuanyuan told him to explain the situation.
So he tried to calm his mind to begin his explanation—a story so absurd that even Fu Xi and Nu Wa couldn't keep up.
Ritual dance?
Fusion?
Talking fox mask?
…What the hell?
The atmosphere became awkward as no one understood a single word of it.
Both Queen Xuanyuan and the others were staring at each other dumbfounded after hearing this
They kept taking turns staring at Jiang Zhu's struggling face and then looking at Feng Yue's cold but smiling face, trying to digest what they had just heard.
But at that moment—
"GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!"
Chiyou's roar rang out, tearing through the air.
The ground shook, and the sea water surged like a waterfall.
The chaos instantly swept away any conversation before it could become more awkward.
There was no time for such nonsense.
And then, the battle—
Continued.