Xyrin Empire-Chapter 1360: All Right, Let’s Have a Chat
As I jumped off with Bingdisi, I thought to myself if this leap of faith was a bit too rash for someone as brave as me?
Alright, I know Void creatures can’t be killed. Father God explained a lot to me about Void creatures. According to the nature of the Void itself, a Void creature doesn’t possess the necessary conditions to be "destroyed." Meaning the Void has no "end," and thus Void creatures do not have a "termination state." This is a more complete form of immortality than life lacking the "death" attribute, so theoretically, any force weaker than the Void cannot kill a Void creature — but this doesn’t mean Void creatures can’t be injured.
Nor does it mean Void creatures can overcome any challenge.
Sufficient damage or unforeseen circumstances can cause us to "sleep," or be exiled back to the Void. This is the resurrection process for Void creatures, which is just a homecoming to rest. But for mortals, within their limited lifespan, this is death. I won’t forget the time seventy thousand years ago when I tower-dived and hung back home. Broadly speaking, I’ve never experienced death, but for anyone with a lifespan under seventy thousand years, I died once...
In the moment I jumped off with Sister Bing, I couldn’t help but start thinking about random stuff, while simultaneously using my power to protect Bingdisi beside me. Just as this female hooligan said before, Void creatures’ power transcends any realm concept, unrestricted by their environment. Even in this network space, I found my powers still easy to use. A Void Barrier, neither too burdensome for the network, surrounded us, warding off potential dangers of the Rift and enemies lurking in the shadows.
As I fell continuously, I began to contemplate life, considering whether some warm-ups like stretching exercises and limb movements should have been done before the jump, pondering the risks of such a leap. Of course, I quickly confirmed the Rift posed no danger to us. Both Bing sister and I were in normal condition, so threats from the Rift were excluded, allowing me to focus on thinking about life, my exam scores, my carefree times with Qianqian during our naughty kid years — of course, Qianqian is still a naughty kid — contemplating whether I should be nicer to Lilina, whether the feed I give Dingdang and that fox dog is nutritionally balanced, pondering why the hell this place won’t stop dropping...
"How are you feeling? Nothing uncomfortable, right?" I estimated that I’d be falling for a while longer, so I turned to look at Bingdisi, and was startled right away, "Whoa, are you preparing to summon your Saint Fighters?!"
Beside me, Bingdisi had entered an unprecedented state of full armor preparedness. In all the time I’d known her, I’d never seen her in such comprehensive battle readiness: not to mention the golden longbow in her hand, she, at some point, had donned a shimmering Holy Armor around herself — more like an ornate metallic battle skirt than armor, with thin layers hugging her body. The high-coverage half-body armor, covered in golden plates, did not at all impede this Goddess’s stunning figure. Her lower body is wrapped in layers of gold metallic battle skirt, which, discounting material, are reminiscent of an elegant long dress, making you wonder whether this is for combat or just for show. On this suit of armor, intricate decorative patterns catch the eye, mysterious runes continually emerge from the edges and dissolve in the air, from which I can sense astonishing Holy Power.
Despite the armor looking more decorative than functional, Bingdisi had never worn it in any previous battles, showcasing it here for the first time — I don’t believe it is just a decoration. Godly items don’t necessarily need practical elegance; their divine techniques are the determining elements of power, and this armor, unimaginable in how much divine technique Bingdisi must have poured into it.
At home, there’s also the brute force-only Dragon God who knows nothing but brute strength, possessing fighting skills only enough to throw a shield or bite down — that natural girl is limited by talent, likely having only practicality as her path...
The fully-armored Bingdisi was so splendidly stunning that it defied logic, with her inherent aura (silent mode), she now fully resembled a Valkyrie poised to punish the world with Holy Light and Flames, her longbow subtly moving, releasing golden flames from the arrowhead, leaving a long fog of fire in the air. I’d seen her fully armed under other circumstances, but even then, never this on alert, nor with visibly life-and-death combat armor — remember, this female hooligan rarely shows seriousness during battle. Most of the time, she charges with a brick, wearing that eternally non-combat-suited black satin long dress...
Has she sensed a life-threatening crisis?
I heightened my vigilance; although I couldn’t see any enemy, Bingdisi’s reaction certainly had a reason. Meanwhile, I couldn’t help but sneak a peek at Bing sister a few times, her glamorous wealthy-looking gear almost blinding me. If I had my Golden Armor right now, I’d surely wear it to join the atmosphere, despite how foolish it looked, I’d haul Bingdisi for a photo and post it on major forums, she’s just stunningly gorgeous beyond recognition — I wish she were mute at the same time, so she’d never open her mouth to ruin this image.
But keeping Bingdisi silent is as impossible as stopping Sandora from eating, as she gently raised her longbow, her hair swaying without wind, and spoke seriously: "Screw you! Come out if you’ve got the guts! I can’t not kill you, you son of a b—!"
— If I had realized earlier, I’d have wanted to pierce my own ears; Bingdisi, your hooligan self betrays your Golden Armor!
"Where’s the enemy?" I still looked around, finally unable to resist asking, although I knew I couldn’t match Bingdisi’s battle experience, theoretically, my perception shouldn’t be so dull. "And why haven’t we hit the bottom yet?"
"There’s no bottom, look up." Bing sister remained vigilant, indicating upward with her longbow, surprising me. I looked up and saw a bright, perfect circle above: the mouth of the cave we jumped from.
The distance between myself and that opening had never changed.
"I kind of understand what the Rift is now," Bingdisi frowned, "The Rift doesn’t mean there’s nothing here, nor is it an end to the network; just by entering here without jumping out of the network proves there’s livable space here — I’m not familiar with your network technology, but this place is very similar to certain dream planes in spiritual ability worlds, built by real creatures’ dreams. Without dreams, an external consciousness hindered by the dream plane is directly expelled to the real world, whereas here..."
"We’re not being expelled, so there’s still a network here," I replied casually, which I could obviously think of too. Truthfully, when jumping down earlier, I held a testing mindset: to see if the Rift was a network termination zone or something else. If this jump woke me in reality, then the Rift ends the network. If I truly fell into this Black Hole, then the Rift remains part of the network but hid some unknown "malfunction." "But how does this relate to our perpetual descent? And where’s the enemy you mentioned?"
"The Rift is likely something like a ’Black Celestial Body,’ incompatible, or lacking key attributes, unable to link with nearby normal space. Precisely due to missing key attributes, we’ll never reach the bottom — lacking the concept of temperature, a pot of water never boils. As for the enemy..." Bingdisi wrinkled her nose, as if she could sniff something in this phantom-lacking place, "Goddess intuition — I’m too familiar with this atmosphere; even if all your senses don’t detect danger, it’s lurking close by. Sometimes, don’t rely too heavily on tangible sensations. That requires experience."
Hearing Bingdisi’s last comment, I understood it was indeed a problem of combat experience. However, I also faintly sensed something off about the surrounding atmosphere: not precisely detectable danger, but akin to an animal leaving its territory, needing heightened caution, uneasy when not at home. I felt myself leave the Xyrin Apostle’s domain, potentially the source of this alertness.
Though the enemy hadn’t revealed itself, I believed the chaos in my senses was a major issue: that persistent descent feeling remained – yet, I hadn’t moved from my spot in the air. This wasn’t simply space weightlessness; it’s perceiving an imaginary pull, even if wishing to nullify this illusion, it’s impossible due to the fact the downward force doesn’t exist. Bingdisi remained calm, showing her experience despite my potentially overwhelming her in Void Power due to racial advantage – her seasoned wisdom is not something easily grasped...
"Damn, this constant falling is really uncomfortable, Chen, think of something." Bing sister lamented.
Me: "...Seeing your calm face, I thought you hardly cared about this illusion!"
"Nonsense, even a mosquito near my face during a fight annoys me, let alone in this ghostly place."
"Then what’s with your solemn expression?"
"Because it looks badass."
Me: "..."
"You guys are really interesting, spouting nonsense even in this kind of environment," just as Bingdisi and I were about to start bickering again, a sudden voice interrupted us, making both of us jump, "Do you have any sense of caution at all?"
The feeling of constant descent suddenly ended, and I was surprised at what was happening. Perhaps the situation in the Rift is somewhat different from the "Black Celestial Body"—but no matter what, it feels great to be on solid ground. Cautiously surveying the surroundings, Bingdisi and I finally saw the figure slowly emerging from the darkness.
Uh, an unfamiliar female, looked to be around twenty years old, with a physique and appearance that had nothing special about them, even the clothes were just an ordinary women’s Imperial Army uniform. If I saw her elsewhere, I’d probably immediately assume she was just one of the Empire’s female soldiers commonly seen in Shadow City.
However, in this place, forget about a living person showing up, even if a Meow Star Person popped out, Bingdisi and I would be on high alert—Sister Bing immediately drew her Holy Bow into a full moon shape, while I immediately created a dozen black Void Rifts around us: if a battle breaks out, these rifts will instantly erupt into a destructive Void Storm, enough to give anyone a hard time regardless of who they are.
"Oh my, starting a fight here would be a huge burden on the network." The woman across showed no signs of worry at all, even when facing such a rare violent combination in the Void, she remained calm. I was amazed to see her body and face slowly changing. Her originally short black hair turned into a smooth purple shoulder-length hair, then gradually transformed into long golden straight hair. Her appearance changed from an ordinary person to a cute little Loli, then into a mature and steady older woman, and finally settled into an image of a noble and elegant young lady. The transformation was so familiar that when she fully settled into an 18-year-old girl with long golden straight hair, wearing a black long dress and long black gloves, I suddenly remembered: this was the muddled appearance I encountered one day when a Xyrin appeared in Silvia’s little shop.
"Xyrin... no, it should be Xyrin from the other side..."
I said instinctively, my mind in turmoil. "Shock" and "expected" were two completely contradictory attitudes filling my mind, leaving me unsure of what to say next.
Though there wasn’t enough evidence yet, once a thought appeared, it could no longer be suppressed. This familiar shapeshifting process, this subtle "Rift," and the elusive attitude of the other party led to no other explanation. I forcibly suppressed my shock, thinking that Taville had actually gotten it right...
The Rift is related to the Fallen Apostles. Crossing the Rift leads to the Fallen Apostles’ Spiritual Network... but there’s definitely something wrong here, something that hasn’t been explained yet!
Indeed, what exactly is the Rift?! A passage? A wall? A shared network ghost space that neither side can cross? Without clarifying this point, we’re at a huge disadvantage: we know nothing about the other side, while they seem to know a lot.
"Damn it, my 24th sense is sharp," Bingdisi muttered, her arrow always pointing toward the opponent, "Hey girl, are you the boss of the Fallen Apostles? What’s going on here? What exactly are you here for?!"
"First, in terms of age, I should be calling you little girl," the "suspected Abyss Xyrin," locked by the Holy Light Arrow and Void Power, showed no change in expression, always maintaining that serene smile, even confronting Bingdisi, the aggressive female hooligan. "The Xyrin Apostle’s Spiritual Network is older than your history, and I’ve appeared earlier than you think—little girl. Second, Fallen Apostles? No one’s fallen; that’s just your wishful division. We are the Abyss Empire, and I am not the leader of this Empire—I am the Empire itself! Third, the situation here and my reasons for being here are not for you to ask. This is my territory; you are the Outsiders."
"An opponent to be reckoned with," Bingdisi maintained her Valkyrie demeanor, whispering, "She might be even more shameless than me, don’t underestimate..."
Me: "..."
Ignoring Bingdisi’s notoriously unreliable mouth, I felt the situation had reached its utmost weirdness: the New Empire and Fallen Apostles have been at each other’s throats for years, fighting countless bloody battles. As the highest leaders of each side, describing the relationship between me and Abyss Xyrin as bitter enemies would be mild—I had imagined various scenarios for a direct encounter with the "gentleman" of the Fallen Apostles, but each scenario involved a fierce battle. Yet...
We actually met face-to-face in such a situation, at such a close distance, in such a subtle place, and the surprising thing was, we’re even having a conversation. It’s downright laughable.
If I had to describe it, it’s like Stalin digging a wine cellar in his own backyard, only to find Hitler, carrying a shovel, climbing out from the other side of the pit after an afternoon of digging, and the other side is also digging a wine cellar... Anyway, my figurative language is what it is, you just try to get the idea.
"Bingdisi, put down the bow for now." I thought for a moment and glanced at the girl suspected of being Abyss Xyrin across from us, noting her calm and confident expression, and told Sister Bing beside me.
"Hmm," Bingdisi, though unwilling, responded softly, the Holy Light Longbow transforming into scattering light particles, and then she reached into her Personal Space and pulled out a Meteor Hammer. "At such close range, it’s indeed better to use a brick than arrows."
I nodded with satisfaction: "That’s better."
The Abyss Xyrin across from us watched us with a dumbfounded expression, which I estimated wasn’t entirely due to her calmness...
"You’re indeed the other half of Xyrin, aren’t you?" I asked, not sure whether she would respond, but still looking at her expectantly.
"Looks like the information’s accurate," to my surprise, she actually responded and showed no sign of hostility, but in any case, her willingness to speak was better than starting a fight without a word. That oddly elusive "Xyrin" sat floating in mid-air before us, "The part I lost ages ago has returned to its node matrix."
"Alright, since we’re meeting," I chuckled, pulling out a chair from my Personal Space to sit down, "let’s talk." (To be continued. If you liked this work, feel free to visit Qidian (qidian.com) and vote for recommendations and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read at m.qidian.com.)
