Chapter 344: Standing Up for His Girlfriend!
The End Beast's cyan magical outfit was actually not fully constructed.
From the pale calves upward, the outfit was incomplete, looking somewhat lazy, with large areas of bare skin exposed.
Yet in Black Keke's eyes, whether it was the fair skin or the cyan magical outfit, everything was pitch black—
A darkness that suffocated her to the point of asphyxiation.
Why is she here? Am I about to die? All my previous efforts were for nothing... What do I do now...?
Her mind was a chaotic mess, and her legs felt weak, but as an experienced Reincarnator, she quickly calmed down.
"Don't make a scene. Let's go back..."
Black Keke kept her expression neutral, speaking casually, yet her words were layered with nuance. The most subtle and hardest-to-understand implication was: Don't come out. Go back and stay sealed.
But clearly, her deep and delicate little thoughts were always ignored time and time again.
[Iris] merely pressed down with her aura in response.
Black Keke's body creaked and groaned before she collapsed, nearly merging into the pile of corpses.
Keke instinctively shielded Black Keke, along with her big brother, trying to stand in front of [Iris].
Though she didn't know why this was Senior Iris's face, Keke had already been a transformed Magical Girl for over three months—she was seasoned and wouldn't waver because of that!
"Your face? I'm sick of looking at it."
There was still some resentment in her tone, though no hostility, as she merely gazed coldly at Keke and Jiang Si.
"But seriously, why did it take so long this time? You used to kill them early, didn't you? If you keep dragging your feet, you'll end up accomplishing nothing again. My patience is running thin."
"I have my own plans. I don't need you worrying about me..."
[Iris] curled her lips and reached out toward Keke when suddenly her wrist was grabbed.
She looked up.
Jiang Si raised an eyebrow the moment he grabbed her wrist.
Because as soon as he took hold, the terrifying aura and power of the End Beast surged into his body in an instant.
That immense force pressed down on him, causing his right leg to buckle slightly—the bone snapped from the sheer weight, making it nearly impossible to stand.
Even though it wasn't intentional—just pure energy leaking out—
The moment they made contact, blood seeped from the corners of his mouth and ears. Yet Jiang Si's expression didn't change. Though his posture tilted slightly, he yanked hard on [Iris]'s hand.
Forcing her to tilt as well.
Black Keke stared up at Jiang Si in stunned silence. No one knew the terror of the End Beast better than her.
Forget about touching it—just standing still under the gaze of the End Beast was excruciatingly painful. Ordinary people would die on the spot.
Even Magical Girls couldn't survive; they would perish along with their true bodies under the End's gaze!
Yet now, even with half his body spurting blood under that terrifying power,
Jiang Si refused to back down. He even pulled [Iris] closer, forcing her to meet his eyes.
"Big brother!"
Keke immediately pulled out her magic wand, starting with the Buddha's Fury Lotus aimed at the End Beast!
But she was quickly stopped by Jiang Si's other hand.
"Adults are talking. Kids don't interrupt."
Keke stared blankly as half of her big brother's body, now a mess of flesh and blood, was gradually covered by golden dragon scales.
Even half his face transformed into a dragon's visage, with a hint of ferocity and majesty. That arrogance, which didn't flinch even in the face of the End Beast, was an unyielding pride deeply ingrained in his bones: "Are you planning to lay a hand on kids?"
[Iris] looked at his half-dragon face, seemingly intrigued. Then, instead of forcing herself upright, she stood at eye level with Jiang Si, meeting his gaze.
"You really are arrogant."
"The most arrogant ones are those who have no self-awareness of their own strength. Don't you think?"
The dragon's maw opened and closed, its voice a low rumble.
A mere ordinary human, standing equal to the End...
Black Keke watched the unbelievable scene, instinctively crawling behind Jiang Si.
Damn, this is way too reassuring!
To be honest, despite the earlier sweet talk—about how he was her big brother and all—it had actually made Black Keke's heart flutter for a moment.
She'd genuinely considered treating him like a brother.
But in reality, she quickly calmed down.
The power gap was too vast. While Jiang Si, as Simo Tu, was among the top fighters in the Witch Association, he was clearly outmatched when it came to the highest-tier combatants.
Only a love-struck fool like the Mirror Prince, who'd never seen the world in his century of isolation, would be so dazzled by Simo Tu.
And actually rely on such power.
Setting aside outliers like Shion and the End Beast, Jiang Si's combat ability barely matched second-tier Full Blooms like Iris.
In a real fight, the outcome was uncertain—this had been Black Keke's general assessment of Jiang Si all along.
The reason she valued him so much was ultimately because of his identity as Keke's big brother and his ambiguous connection with Shion.
Even now, Jiang Si's ties to the Azure Cloud Sect were still tangled and clearly unusual. Black Keke approached him hoping to leverage that relationship to learn more about Azure Cloud and get closer to Keke.
But now, looking at Jiang Si standing in front of the End Beast...
That tiny flutter in her heart had turned into a violent tremor.
Who wouldn't want to be a carefree little sister, hiding behind a big brother who could face the End Beast without dying?
She stared at the scene—one she would likely never see again—where two figures seemed to stand as equals, chatting casually.
Both she and Keke looked like little kids, completely unable to join in.
"Did you come out just to bully children?"
Facing Jiang Si's questioning, the End Beast slowly withdrew her hand and stepped back.
"Of course not."
Jiang Si, half-human face and half-dragon visage, still had golden blood flowing as he let go. "Better not be."
"I just wanted to see what kind of level this world's Keke was at in advance. If it's only this, looks like it's another cycle. So boring."
With that, [Iris] shook her head. "Do whatever you want."
She was about to leave the End's Domain when Black Keke immediately shouted, "You can't just let her leave like that!"
Keke instinctively stepped in front of her.
After all, in countless death experiences, Keke knew the terror of this entity. Letting her leave freely could cause unimaginable harm.
But Jiang Si just pulled them both back. "It's fine. She's just going to visit an old friend."
As the two sisters stood there stunned, [Iris] tidied her hair and countered, "Not really a friend. She doesn't know me."
"A one-sided friendship still counts as a friendship."
[Iris] looked somewhat surprised. "Is that okay?"
"Of course it is," Jiang Si confirmed. "And she'll accept it."
She nodded, then turned to leave, but glanced back at Jiang Si one last time. "No, I think 'worthy rival' is better."
Jiang Si didn't know why she thought that.
After all, a friend was always easier to talk to than a rival.
But he wasn't about to lecture this inexperienced, clueless beast on social etiquette.
He just let her go.
"Are you sure it's okay?"
Once [Iris] disappeared, Black Keke immediately asked with concern, "Just letting her leave like that? Even if it's just a clone, we can't just let its power run loose."
Jiang Si was a bit surprised.
He hadn't expected her to notice.
Yes, the [Iris] before them was obviously not the true body. Even a weakened original descending recklessly would be a massive disaster.
Instead, she was imitating his own Three Corpses, projecting a part of herself into the new world.
Though Black Keke wasn't strong, her perception was sharp.
So he replied, "It's fine. Shion is keeping an eye on her."
Black Keke's expression turned a bit complicated. "But even if it's just a clone, she shouldn't be able to leave the sealed place..."
"Because the name of [End Beast] now belongs to Shion." Jiang Si glanced sideways at Black Keke. "Can't you sense it? The target of that name has changed."
Black Keke was stunned for a moment, then immediately shouted, "End Beast! End Beast! End Beast!"
As she called out, a cold voice came from the sealed depths of the End's Domain. "What is it?"
Black Keke's heart turned cold.
That's right. Now, calling out the End Beast no longer summoned the eyeballs or that suffocating, deadly pressure.
Only Shion's immense mana!
"By taking the name of [End Beast], her true body can never truly descend into this world—the four conditions can't be met. But at the same time, the sealed ground can't fully suppress her power, because she's no longer the End Beast."
Black Keke muttered to herself, then glanced at the direction where Shion had responded, taking a deep breath. "So this is... Shion..."
Her words were full of deep fear and unease.
Unlike Black Keke, after [Iris] left, Keke's gaze was fixed solely on Jiang Si's face.
His half-dragon face was slowly returning to normal, but still covered in blood—eyes, mouth, all oozing crimson.
While Jiang Si was still explaining to Black Keke, Keke had already pulled out her handkerchief and started wiping the blood off her big brother's face.
"Big brother."
She called out to him like when she was little.
"Yeah."
His response was always the same.
"Does it hurt?"
Black Keke, who had been muttering, paused at Keke's question and looked at Jiang Si.
His face was covered in blood, but his expression was blank, revealing nothing. This guy never seemed to show any pain-related expressions.
It was so natural that sometimes it was easy to forget.
That steel-like body, which seemed capable of so much, was still flesh and blood—probably.
Pain still existed, right?
"It doesn't hurt."
Jiang Si's answer was casual, an instinctive response with little thought.
Most of the blood on his face had been wiped clean by Keke.
Back when they were kids, Keke had asked a similar question.
When he got hurt training or fighting, Jiang Si usually didn't want their parents to see—to avoid worrying them. But sometimes, he couldn't reach the spots that needed medicine, so he'd ask Keke for help.
Back then, she'd ask the same thing: "Does it hurt?" Then she'd gently blow on the wound, saying she was blowing the pain away.
But after he said it didn't hurt, Keke never pressed further.
"But big brother..." Keke's red magical outfit blazed like dancing flames as the elf-like girl lowered her head. "I think it hurts a lot."
"You didn't even fight." Jiang Si frowned, touched her forehead, then pulled her closer for a look. "Where does it hurt?"
Keke muttered quietly, "Just looking at you makes it hurt."
"Then don't look."
Black Keke next to them sighed helplessly, rubbing her forehead.
So if you don't look, it stops hurting, huh!
What a genius!
By that logic, if you have a headache, just cut off your head.
Keke closed her eyes, then whispered, "It really doesn't hurt anymore, big brother."
...
Then Black Keke suddenly snapped back to reality and interrupted the siblings' slightly ridiculous conversation. "Did you see Shion fight the End Beast?"
"Sort of," Jiang Si thought for a moment. "Shion told me about it."
"Who won?"
Keke immediately said matter-of-factly, "Of course Teacher Shion won—she took the End Beast's name!"
Black Keke shook her head vigorously. "Impossible. The End Beast let her have it on purpose."
"Teacher Shion is the strongest!"
"The End Beast is invincible!"
"Teacher Shion can kill the End Beast with one punch!"
"The End Beast can eat Shion in one bite!"
The two argued more and more fiercely until they both turned to Jiang Si, demanding, "Big brother, who really won?"
"A draw."
"Tch." Black Keke couldn't help flipping him off. Keke also looked disappointed.
Jiang Si didn't mind, continuing, "Shion told me not to worry. The End Beast is just going out for a while and will come back on its own."
Black Keke cleared her throat, then said seriously, "Heh. Anyway, you've seen how dangerous the End Beast is. You should know I wasn't lying—I really am fighting for the future of this world."
"So let's seal Shion away together."
—
In the New World, Beihai.
The Magical Girl Shion opened her eyes. Before her, Tiyana and Jiegeng knelt before the numerous spirit tablets of the Illusory Moon Cavern Dwelling.
Both of them were pointing at each other.
"Jiegeng started it!"
"Tiyana started it!"
Smack!!
They both covered their heads, not daring to speak another word.
Because this time, the commotion had gotten way too big. While there was no real property damage, the trouble it caused was immense. Especially since the moment Thousand-Pinweed broke free from her seal, she ran straight to Bingtang to complain. Word had it she even cried.
—Well, Shion had only heard that from Six Leaf. Six Leaf was still a kid with an underdeveloped brain and tended to talk nonsense. Whether she actually cried or not was up for debate, but Shion was happy to hear that Thousand-Pinweed had cried.
She decided to take it as the truth.
Bai Mei, on the other hand, was fine. Though she had cut her way out of the seal on her own not long after, she was more angry at herself than blaming Tiyana.
She felt that as a sword cultivator, being caught off guard by such a backstab was an insult to the title, and had gone into seclusion for intense training.
Bingtang was currently hitting Tiyana and Jiegeng with a bamboo stick, and Shion didn't feel like she should interfere.
"Tiyana performed well this time. She can be leniently dealt with..."
"Sect Master, could you please not interfere with the sect rules regarding punishment?" Bingtang, who had been hitting Tiyana for a while and was even starting to sweat, tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, barely suppressing the chill and sharpness in her voice to soften her tone for the Sect Master. "Before the ancestors, spoiling them too much makes it hard to manage the sect."
"Oh, oh."
Shion immediately nodded, then cast her eyes down, pretending not to see Tiyana's pleading look.
Even though Tiyana had contributed greatly to her own physical advancement by stealing the End Beast's power—and later, stealing the End Beast's name was partly influenced by that—internal sect affairs were something Shion, an outsider, couldn't easily comment on. It was already a kindness that she had tried to plead Tiyana's case in front of a furious Bingtang.
But despite being angry, Bingtang didn't actually plan to abandon either of them, not even stripping them of their true-transmission status.
If she really wanted to discard them, Bingtang wouldn't have gotten angry at all.
She'd just kick them out and be done with it.
As for Jiegeng, she had been abandoned because fusing with a Disaster Beast was too dangerous, and it was Bingtang herself who took her in. Since the disaster beast personality was the one who acted this time, she could be lenient.
But Tiyana, as a senior who had caused such a big mess and had long concealed her identity as a Weave Realm Traveler, Bingtang would not let her off easily.
Even if she didn't strip Tiyana of her true-transmission status, it was now changed to a nominal title. If she made another mistake, she'd be kicked out of the seven true-transmissions—and even out of Azure Cloud Sect.
Her salary, true-transmission benefits, and the like were out of the question.
From now on, she'd have to take on missions and work for money. Azure Cloud Sect wasn't supporting her anymore.
"If you really think you're a rogue cultivator, afraid of nothing, then throw away your Azure Cloud Sect disciple identity. Go do whatever you want. If I say a single word about your problems, I'll kowtow to you in front of the Azure Cloud ancestors and apologize!"
After saying that, Bingtang was so angry she coughed a couple of times. Qinghua quickly handed her a cup of tea, patting her back. "Don't be angry, don't be angry, Lady Bingtang."
She subtly shot a look at Tiyana.
After the scolding dragged on, even Tiyana's eyes were red. She didn't dare argue, only knelt before the spirit tablets, turned around, and slammed her head on the ground. "I really am wrong, Lady Bingtang."
Though Jiegeng was usually fierce and constantly threatening to crucify people, at times like this, when Tiyana was being scolded like a child, she was just grateful it wasn't her turn.
She knelt beside Tiyana, acting as obedient as could be.
But no one knew the torrent of curses she was unleashing on her second personality in her mind.
Her credit record had been completely drained by the second personality. And now it was her turn to pay off the debt. Was there no justice in the world?
"Shion..."
Bingtang instinctively called the Sect Master by name, then realized her tone was off. She immediately took a breath, softened her voice, and barely managed a smile, suppressing the anger radiating from Tiyana. "Sect Master."
Shion immediately jumped off the chair. "I'm here."
Little Yumo, hiding in the corner, pulled her hood tighter and smiled faintly.
Recently, the Sect Master had grown stronger and stronger, going farther and farther. It always felt a little distant, as if she were out of reach.
But now, with Lady Bingtang angry, and the Sect Master not wanting to provoke her, Little Yumo felt relieved inside.
The Sect Master was still the Sect Master. Always the Sect Master of Azure Cloud Sect. Always within their reach.
Qinghua chuckled. "Even the Sect Master bows to Lady Bingtang's..."
Before she could finish, Bingtang grabbed her by the ear. "Say one more word, and I'll delete all your game accounts!"
She then cleared her throat, slightly lowering her head, speaking respectfully. "Since the Sect Master feels Tiyana performed well, it wouldn't be right for me to arbitrarily kick her out of the seven true-transmissions and Azure Cloud."
Shion nodded repeatedly. "Well said."
Finding true-transmission-level Magical Girls these days was hard. The only candidate, Su La, didn't want to come.
Oh, and Iris. She could ask about that later.
"But letting her off so easily would make the sect rules seem too loose. The nominal true-transmission status and reduced benefits remain unchanged. Additionally, since she claims to be a Weave Realm Traveler, and the Weave Realm Travelers are causing trouble outside, we might as well let her atone for her sins. It will also let you, Sect Master, see if she's genuinely remorseful and loyal to Azure Cloud."
"Makes sense."
"After that, I'll leave Tiyana in your hands." She then turned around, and the warmth on her face instantly turned to ice. "Tiyana."
Tiyana shivered and spoke from her kneeling position, "I'm here, I'm here."
"Take the Sect Master to find your fellow Weave Realm Travelers. Tell her everything you know about them. No holding back. This is your last chance, understand?"
"Yes!"
Bingtang finally breathed a sigh of relief. She looked a little tired, but still smiled at Shion. "Then that's settled. I'll leave the rest to you, Sect Master."
"Good work."
Seeing the Sect Master responding like an NPC with only short phrases, yet somehow pleasing Lady Bingtang, Qinghua pouted and muttered to Yumo, "Being our Sect Master is so easy. Just saying 'well said,' 'makes sense,' and 'good work' is enough. I could do that too..."
"Only if you can beat the Sect Master."
"Heh. Just wait until my ultimate puppet is complete, then you'll see..."
But before Qinghua could show off her ultimate puppet, Yumo had already vanished like the wind.
Stunned, Qinghua looked at Jiegeng, who knelt motionlessly before the spirit tablets, and at Lady Bingtang, whose chill had returned after the Sect Master left.
An extremely dangerous aura welled up from the depths of her heart.
She carefully, stealthily tried to sneak out on tiptoe—
"Qinghua."
Bingtang's icy voice reached her. Caught, Qinghua grimaced bitterly, her mouth full of despair.
Qinghua was done for, meow.
"Did you finish the task I gave you yesterday?"
"Right away! I'll do it right now!"
—
The moment she left the Illusory Moon Cavern Dwelling, Tiyana was bawling her eyes out to the Sect Master.
"Sect Master, you have to stand up for me! Our ancestors are watching—I did all this to secure my true-transmission status, to satisfy the Sect Master. I never had any intention of betraying anyone..."
"Hard to say."
"I really didn't!"
Sniffling, she told the Sect Master everything she knew about the Weave Realm Travelers.
The story was simple. The Weave Realm Travelers had used the remnants of their worlds to weave together a new world. Their goal was to gather enough world essence, then use the newly emerging Full Bloom power to revive their own world—now one of the remnants—by overwriting the new world.
"So why didn't they act before? The new world has existed for a long time, hasn't it?" Shion asked curiously.
Tiyana sniffled. "They did act."
"They got kicked out of the new world by a Full Bloom."
"Never mind."
Shion's expression grew respectful. "So it was a Great Emperor suppressing a dark calamity."
In fact, many S-level Disaster Beast disasters and celestial invaders in the new world's history were the Weave Realm Travelers' doing. But the Full Blooms' divine power beat them so badly that they had to seal themselves away and wait for a future opportunity.
"But once they sealed themselves, it was permanent. What opportunity could there be? The new world rejected them. Every time they appeared, a Full Bloom would inevitably rise. They stayed sealed until now. When the new world was torn apart by the Mirror Kingdom, they got excited like a pack of starving dogs."
Tiyana had no affection for those people.
She had been driven out by them in the first place, and her own world had long been destroyed.
To be honest, the only reason she still wore the title of Weave Realm Traveler was to use the End Beast to achieve her own goals.
To pull off a big stunt for the Sect Master and secure her true-transmission title.
Not that she thought the inner sect disciples could replace her—true-transmission talent and strength were on another level. Especially her, a Cautious Cultivation Type.
Let's be real. Her ability to dominate lower-tier cultivators was far more reliable than other paths.
In simple terms, she excelled at beating up the weak.
But if the Sect Master was really dissatisfied, finding an outside Magical Girl to replace her wasn't out of the question.
It wasn't like the Sect Master had never done that before.
Of course, the essence of wanting the true-transmission title was wanting the Sect Master's recognition.
She didn't actually care about Lady Bingtang's punishment—well, it still stung a little.
But as long as the Sect Master recognized her, it was all worth it...
—
Not long after, when she followed the Sect Master to the void above,
Tiyana was stunned to find that the Weave Realm Travelers, who had been hiding in their resting place waiting for the right moment, had suffered countless casualties!
"What happened?" Tiyana rushed over to ask them. "How did it come to this? You can't die on me yet—otherwise, how am I supposed to clear my name? Get a grip! Become my enemy and the Sect Master's!"
As she frantically shook her former tormentors, she asked again, "At least tell me who did this to you!"
One of the Weave Realm Travelers, barely hanging on, grabbed Tiyana's shoulder with a vacant gaze, but still managed to speak a name in fear.
"Watch... watch out for..."
"Watch out for what? Spit out the main point, damn it!"
"Watch... watch out for... Iris..."
Tiyana tossed the Weave Realm Traveler aside. "Reporting to the Sect Master—this one's brain might be fried."
"Iris. Not bad."
Unexpectedly, the Sect Master gave that arrogant one a compliment. Tiyana blinked, then nodded. "Should we stop Iris?"
"No need."
Shion glanced at the remaining Weave Realm Traveler corpses. A few members were still alive. "Leave this to you."
"Huh? Just me?"
"Or would you rather go back to the Illusory Moon Cavern Dwelling and ask Bingtang for help?"
At the mention of Lady Bingtang, Tiyana immediately stood straight and said resolutely, "Leave it to Tiyana!"
—
After leaving Tiyana, it didn't take long for Shion to follow the trail and find the Magical Girl in question.
The one who had been systematically taking out a large number of S-level Disaster Beasts and Witches created by the Weave Realm Travelers—[Iris].
"I thought you weren't coming."
"Had some things to deal with."
She needed to keep an eye on Bingtang's temper to make sure she didn't get so angry that she actually kicked Tiyana out of Azure Cloud Sect.
"These."
[Iris] gestured at the corpses underfoot. "Consider them a thank-you. I cleaned up for you."
"Wasn't really necessary."
Shion led her to find Iris.
Though [Iris]'s aura could harm ordinary people, with Shion around, she could keep it in check.
"That magic of yours is quite interesting."
"It's called 'Severing the Three Corpses,'" Shion corrected. "An immortal art."
[Iris] nodded. "Very useful."
"I want royalties."
"How much?"
"The seat of the Corrupted Magic Lord."
"As long as you can take it."
They chatted briefly as Yumo secretly relayed Iris's location from behind, saving Shion the trouble of asking.
Just as they were heading straight for the Disaster Control Bureau—
"There she is! Right here, Iris!"
The sky darkened. A wave of Disaster Beasts, including S-level ones, mixed with Witches and leftover Magical Girls, surged toward Shion and [Iris] in an overwhelming tide!
The lead Witch was even sprinting, as if she couldn't wait. "Iris! I will never forgive..."
The heart-wrenching scream was full of blood-soaked hatred. The End Beast had crushed many Weave Realm Travelers on her way here. This one must have had family or friends among them. Now, she was roaring for revenge.
The Disaster Beasts, leftover Magical Girls, and Witches behind her were also howling, their battle spirit blazing!
Until all the Weave Realm Travelers saw Shion.
The lead Witch slammed on the brakes first, sparks flying in the air!
Those behind couldn't stop in time, all crashing into the lead Witch's back, forcing her to be carried forward even as she tried to turn back. They all ended up right in front of Shion and [Iris].
Thud.
She fell to her knees.
"Shion!"
The clamor behind them fell into dead silence.
The shouts and killing intent vanished in an instant. All the Disaster Beasts, Witches, and leftover Magical Girls went quiet.
Silent as a graveyard!
[Iris] tilted her head, slightly impressed. "Impressive. I killed so many of them, and they still wouldn't let up. They weren't afraid of me at all."
"Try a different look."
"Forget it."
Yumo peeked from behind, a little curious.
Was this one really that close to the Sect Master?
Shion didn't say much. She just snapped her fingers.
In an instant, all the Disaster Beasts, leftovers, and Witches in the sky were frozen solid, sealed!
"Yumo, send them all to Azure Cloud Sect for processing."
Yumo immediately summoned a gale, sweeping the vast glacier away. "Yes, Sect Master!"
[Iris]'s gaze flickered over Yumo again. "Very impressive Magical Girl."
"Just average." Though Shion said "average," her tone was satisfied. "Her only standout skill is mana control precision. Everything else is merely decent."
With that, Shion looked around.
No more signs of the Weave Realm Travelers.
Though the Weave Realm Travelers had caused quite a commotion earlier, the vanguard team had basically wiped them out without needing much help from the Magical Girls.
The petrified Magical Girls earlier seemed frightening, but anyone with slightly above-average power wouldn't have fallen for it.
At least within Azure Cloud Sect, the seven true-transmissions and Bingtang were largely unaffected.
But to cooperate with Shion's fishing operation, Bingtang had deliberately gathered the unaffected Azure Cloud disciples' whereabouts.
She wanted to see how many big fish were still hiding in Beihai and catch them all in one net.
Unexpectedly, before the new big fish appeared, the Weave Realm Travelers had already been beaten to a pulp by the ordinary citizens of South China, along with Xilan and the remnants of the old Witch Association.
Now, in desperation, they had gathered all their remaining Disaster Beasts, Witches, and leftover Magical Girls for a final, big push—
And ran straight into [Iris] and Shion.
Lucky them.
Shion could sense that Fengqin was fine, but she didn't bother asking about Fengqin's true nature. Fengqin had no value to her now.
Those trivial matters could be left to Bingtang.
—
"Welcome, Iris! Praise Iris! Lady Iris, peerless in the world!"
"Iris, Iris, you're amazing! Iris, Iris, you're the best!"
Near the Disaster Control Bureau, a crowd was marching, holding up images of Iris's Magical Girl form, shouting with fervent devotion.
Probably paid for, again.
Quite the spectacle.
"Iris has entered the fight! Iris is dealing damage! Iris is securing kills! Iris is unstoppable! Iris has become invincible!"
"Please, Iris, you've won too many times already. Other Magical Girls can't take it anymore. We, Iris's fans, aren't used to winning. Before this, we always lost. But now we've won too much."
"Thank you, Magical Girl Iris, for cleaning up the Weave Realm Travelers, pacifying the Disaster Beasts and Witches, and restoring peace to Beihai!"
"The invincible Iris, the strongest Iris, the radiant Magical Girl Iris!"
"Mortals cannot comprehend the realm of gods, just as you cannot understand Iris's power!"
Someone had quickly spread the news of [Iris] slaughtering many Weave Realm Travelers.
In just half a day, everyone knew. From South China to North China, people were parading in celebration, acting like some kind of fan club.
But the real Iris had no idea anything was wrong.
On her way here, she had indeed dealt with some Weave Realm Travelers and captured a few who had fled earlier.
The sight of her scared them so much they couldn't even fight.
Iris suspected nothing.
Now, she was showing off her spoils to everyone at the Bureau, even deliberately scaring the captured Weave Realm Travelers until they trembled. Then she laughed heartily.
"With the power of Full Bloom, victory is inevitable. Fear me, you villains!"
After that, she grabbed Qingluan's hand and said cheerfully, "The world finally recognizes my greatness and power! A diamond in the rough always shines. See, Qingying? I'm famous now!"
"In the Magical Girl Idol Project, Iris's character card will definitely skyrocket, getting tons of attention from Alliance-level donors and breaking into the top ten..."
Qingying just sighed helplessly. "The Bureau and Azure Cloud Sect are both building up hype for Shion lately. All the promotional resources are going to her. It's probably not your turn."
"Damn it. So my sworn rival is sniping me in the gacha pool too..."
Qingying looked at the cowering Weave Realm Travelers, a bit puzzled. "Even if you're strong, Iris, they shouldn't be this afraid of you. You're not as ruthless as Shion..."
"What are you talking about? I'm super ruthless when facing enemies!"
Full of confidence, Iris patted her chest. "Don't worry. The other Weave Realm Travelers will be scared to death when they see me."
Shion thought that was true—because the End Beast had used Iris's appearance to massacre her way through, scaring the hell out of many Weave Realm Travelers.
Watching Qingluan's relaxed demeanor made Shion a bit suspicious.
Was being an inner sect disciple this easy?
Meanwhile, Susan looked as busy as ever.
Was this Qingluan slacking off as a salary thief? She'd have to have Bingtang investigate her. Maybe even put her under double surveillance...
[Iris] watched Iris quietly from a distance, her expression unreadable.
Then she saw Iris on the Bureau's plaza, watching An Shiyu and Peony sparring.
"I have to show everyone my skills as a Weave Realm Traveler killer! Qingying, I'm going to spar too!"
The surrounding staff and fans immediately cheered and applauded.
The workers pulling the banners above quickly changed the electronic sign to: "Welcome Lady Iris to Show Her Power!"
But Qingying just rolled her eyes. "Can you not cause trouble? Little An and Peony are only Seedlings."
"I'll go easy on them."
"No."
"Come on, everyone's looking forward to it. Don't be a killjoy..."
Iris tugged at Qingying's hand, whining pitifully.
So [Iris] asked, "Why doesn't Iris just kill her?"
There was no resentment or anger in her voice, just pure curiosity.
Shion replied casually, "Too much trouble."
[Iris] didn't say anything else, just nodded and continued watching Qingying and Iris.
Shion finished discussing with Bingtang, then sensed Jiang Si's situation on the other side before looking down again.
The argument seemed to be continuing.
But after being pestered by Iris for a while, Qingying finally gave in and reluctantly agreed to Iris's request.
Iris immediately struck a victorious pose, hands on her hips, laughing smugly.
She exuded that aura of being number one in the world.
[Iris], who had been frowning the whole time, finally relaxed her brow and slightly curved her lips.
As if she was laughing along with Iris.
"Aren't you going to say hello?"
As Iris and Qingying headed toward the plaza in front of the Bureau, chatting and bickering, Shion asked casually.
She found it a bit strange that [Iris] kept staring at Iris.
But it seemed [Iris] didn't care much about Qingying. Earlier, Shion had worried that this creature might be jealous of Qingman being so close to Iris and pull some dirty tricks.
Now it seemed she had overestimated this beast.
It probably didn't feel jealousy. It just thought that if Iris was unhappy, she should go on a killing spree, and if she was happy, she should join in.
If it were a little weaker, she could keep Iris as a pet.
"No."
[Iris] answered bluntly. "We're rivals, not friends. Meeting now isn't the right time."
"So you just came to take a look?"
Over by the plaza, An Shiyu and Peony's sparring match was coming to an end.
Peony, who had made little progress, soon lost and de-transformed.
Then Iris made a flashy entrance, standing across from An Shiyu.
"Yes. Just to confirm whether, in the end, she will stand before me as I hope."
The End Beast didn't hide her thoughts, her gaze fixed on Iris. "What I admire is a Magical Girl who stands firm even in despair."
"Have you confirmed it now?"
"Not yet." The End Beast said softly, "To witness that brilliant miracle, I need to keep dragging her into the abyss of despair. Through countless trials and hammerings, only in endless despair and pain can I see the true beauty of a person, a Magical Girl. Don't you think?"
"Don't test human nature."
"Without testing, how can I tell?"
As she spoke, Iris had already started her duel with An Shiyu.
Little An, who had gradually stepped into Blooming and was mastering space powers, also had an innate talent for close combat—but in terms of realm, Iris had the absolute advantage.
However, as everyone knew, once the Flame Emperor got pushed to the limit, Old Yao would come out to fight in his place.
Iris was proudly showing off her strength, occasionally interacting with An Shiyu.
"Be proud. Your skills are decent, but still far from mine. Watch closely and remember. This is the power of the Bureau's strongest Magical Girl!"
It felt more like a training session.
Shion didn't know if An Shiyu had gotten angry, but Mujin definitely had.
Magical Girls who could reach Full Bloom were all exceptional talents.
Though they possessed the basic virtues of Magical Girls, Mujin was also an old Dark Supreme with a lot of pride.
Seeing Little An about to lose, she switched straight in and activated her Mental Landscape!
Iris's weakness was getting careless.
And carelessness leads to getting hit.
Caught off guard, Iris was still boasting to Qingying when she was pulled into the Spatial Heart Image. The space storm nearly tore her magical outfit apart.
Mujin was experienced. Once she got the advantage, she gave no breathing room, relentlessly pursuing Iris, aiming to knock her out of transformation and vent for her Little An!
The supporters who had been cheering for Iris fell silent.
The cowering Weave Realm Travelers, who had been hiding in the corner, looked up at the fleeing Iris being chased.
"Wait... were we wrong about her?"
"Why did she suddenly become so weak?"
"The pressure is completely different..."
Amid the muttering, a strange aura suddenly seeped into the Spatial Heart Image, causing a flaw in Mujin's spatial control.
A battered and bruised Iris seized the chance and immediately gathered mana to activate:
"Mental Landscape Expansion!"
Mujin's Mental Landscape naturally wouldn't be weaker than Iris's, but the problem was the huge gap in their realms.
Mujin's Mental Landscape was still a simplified version. Faced with a complete domain, she was pushed back step by step, nearly on the verge of collapse.
Shion glanced at the End Beast. "What are you doing?"
[Iris] looked innocent. "Nothing. Just a small mistake."
Yeah, right.
She was secretly using her power to help Iris.
So sloppy.
Just as Mujin's Mental Landscape was about to collapse—
Purple mana suddenly flowed in.
Mujin's Mental Landscape space was instantly strengthened several times over, even further completed, almost returning to its peak state!
Mujin, who had been resigned to defeat, lit up.
She shouted:
"I lack nothing now!"
She actually suppressed Iris in the Mental Landscape battle!
[Iris] immediately turned to glare at Shion. "That's way too obvious, isn't it?"
"You're the last person who should be saying that," Shion replied coolly. "I'm just making it a fair competition."
The End Beast immediately poured some power into Iris, letting her suppress Mujin again. "That's fair."
Shion didn't hold back, sending a surge of purple mana to support Mujin. "I don't think so."
Below, Mujin and Iris were locked in an intense battle.
Above, Shion and [Iris] were also locked in a fierce tug-of-war.
"Iris is my rival. I can't let her lose. That's my pride and bottom line." [Iris]'s tone suddenly turned serious. "Why are you helping the other side? You want a Seedling to beat my rival? That's too much. Are you even close to that An Shiyu?"
"She's my girlfriend, the one who confessed to me."
[Iris] paused mid-motion.
"Oh. My bad. You let go first."
"You let go first."
"You first."
"You first..."
Two beings capable of destroying the world, equally competitive, refused to back down.
Neither was willing to withdraw their power first.
Until finally, both Iris and An Shiyu's bodies couldn't take the immense pressure.
They both passed out at the same time.
The End Beast watched as Qingying carried Iris back to the Bureau's quarters. "Looks like a draw."
"Heh."
Shion didn't argue.
The confrontation settled for now, [Iris] glanced around Beihai again, looking a little bored, then walked away.
Shion followed her, step by step, out of the new world and into outer space.
The moon, the sun, the countless stars. And through the stars, the faint void visible, the passage leading to Chongxu.
[Iris] waved her hand again.
They returned to the sealed End's Domain.
Dragon Lord Shion, bearing the title of [End Beast], opened her eyes and looked at her.
"Is this enough?"
"No."
"Same here."
With that, the End Beast opened ten thousand pupils!
Stars inverted, realms bowed.
All the pupils collided and melded together.
Until finally, only a single eye remained!
Peerless power converged in that eye. In the depths of the pupil, galaxies died, past, present, and future swirled and rotated in chaos, the laws of time and space surged like angry tides. A will of even higher authority descended like a mountain, locking onto Shion.
Dimension reduction!
Even Shion's immense power was forcibly squeezed under this terrifying dimension reduction, collapsing from three dimensions to two.
All three-dimensional defenses were stripped away, leaving only a paper-thin, two-dimensional body, nakedly bearing the End Beast's light that could pierce all realms!
The light from the eye was not a direct attack, but through its gaze, it altered the two-dimensional image, gradually erasing Dragon Lord Shion from existence.
[Iris] tilted her head, holding her breath, waiting to see how she would break free.
Suddenly, snow began to fall in the End's Domain.
She looked up at the sudden snowfall—starting as a light frost, growing heavier and heavier until it became a blizzard, sweeping across the entire End's Domain!
In the wind and snow, even [Iris] could barely keep her eyes open!
She couldn't help but marvel, "What is this?"
Shion smiled proudly, her petite body standing firm like a mountain!
"The Divine Elephant Prison Suppressing Strength. The twentieth layer."
The deepest and most profound change of the Divine Elephant Prison Suppressing Strength.
"The Sacred, Great, Vast, All-Dominating, All-Ruling Mantra!"
Nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine runes appeared in the air, each carrying the power to overturn yin and yang, to twist heaven and earth.
The runes swirled, and heaven and earth were united in snow!
Too flashy...
The End Beast silently criticized but didn't say it out loud.
Then Shion raised her hand and clenched her fist.
Those runes coiled around her right fist, layering, resonating, and boiling billions of elephant forces. The supreme spirit of the past, the supreme power of the present, and the supreme battle of the future all merged into one punch.
Before this punch, all irrationality was crushed into rationality!
"Celestial Emperor's Fist!"
The Celestial Emperor's Fist, empowered by the Divine Elephant Prison Suppressing Strength, smashed into the barrier of the two-dimensional space!
Two-dimensional fragments exploded, merging into the falling snow, the world shattering like a broken mirror.
Yet the fist's momentum didn't diminish—it only grew stronger, like a beast breaking out of its cage, surging forward, slamming into the suspended giant pupil!
The world fell silent. Only snow remained.
In that instant, the eye seemed to shrink to the size of an ant, while the fist crashed into it like a towering mountain!
Cracks spread wildly across the eye, blood spurting.
Within the pupil, a thousand worlds shattered, galaxies died, stars dimmed, falling into an era of lawlessness. Then, in the midst of destruction, life suddenly rebirthed, giving rise to countless new flowers, laws reorganized, the Great Dao reconstructed...
Life and death cycled. This fist was not only destruction but also rebirth. Yet the new worlds and powers did not belong to the End.
They were invasive, belonging solely to Shion's Divine Elephant Prison Suppressing Strength!
A torrent of blood cascaded down from the eye like a waterfall, as if this pupil, which overlooked all realms, had shed tears.
The End Beast paused.
Her right eye slowly closed. A drop of blood trickled from the corner, sliding down her cheek, falling into the garden.
The blood drop on the petal looked like dew, but it pressed the flower down, unable to lift its head.
She touched her bloodstain in a daze, as if it were something strange and new.
"This is the first time..."
Before she could finish, Dragon Lord Shion shifted her fist. Her delicate, pale fingers turned into a golden dragon claw, fiercely gripping the depths of the giant pupil!
"Shatter!"
With a cold shout, the dragon claw tore violently!
Boom!
The giant pupil exploded!
Countless fragments flew, scattering back into thousands of starry pupils, filling the entire sky of the End's Domain.
Each eye was unharmed—some were surprised, some joyful, some sad, some in pain, some excited...
They all looked at Shion together, as if the punch had no effect at all.
In the wind and snow, Shion stood proudly, drenched in blood, her right fist still raised, emanating a terrifying aura of annihilation!
The [End] sat down, looking at Dragon Lord Shion's golden pupils, and nodded. "Enough."
Shion looked up at the sky. "Since you have the future you want, why don't you change it?"
The End Beast simply closed her eyes.
In the sky, the myriad eyes closed as well.
"I've already closed my eyes that see the future, granting the new world infinite possibilities. That's enough."
Dragon Lord Shion raised her head. On the coiled old tree roots, a leaf fell.
But one leaf stood out. It had been carefully collected, placed beneath the roots.
Shion picked up that leaf.
Inside that leaf was a world. The veins of the leaf recorded countless bits of information.
"Is that enough? Or is it all you can do?"
Shion turned the leaf. Inside, a massive white Disaster Beast, covered in eyes and wings, coiled around the World Tree.
As if it were devouring the entire World Tree from the roots!
"You tried to change the future, but in the end, you failed."
The End Beast opened her eyes. A murderous aura seemed to fill the air!
"Because you, too, have been recorded by the World Tree."
Shion handed the leaf to the End Beast.
"Once you're recorded, even you can't change the past or the future. Right?"