Chapter 440: This Is Very Dangerous!
Luo Wusheng had more or less figured out what kind of backlash Miss Kirin was going through.
From his judgment, this seemed to be a form of role-playing backlash.
Except this "role-play" was completely mandatory, and the "roles" were assigned at random—bizarre, unpredictable personas that she would fully, wholeheartedly embody.
Actually, "role-play" wasn't quite accurate.
It was more like… she became entirely possessed by a new identity.
For example—right now, Miss Kirin's current role was that of a scholarly cultivator with a deep passion for research.
"——The nature of this space is quite peculiar," she murmured thoughtfully. "I've only seen descriptions of such 'one world containing many worlds' structures in ancient records. Such spatial techniques are beyond the reach of ordinary beings. After the Primordial Era, no similar methods have ever been documented."
"Moreover, the spatial barriers here are remarkably firm. Even someone at the Nascent Soul—or perhaps even Divine Transformation—realm would find it nearly impossible to break through, especially toward the outer world."
"However, this place was clearly not constructed as a prison. To draw someone into such a realm, one would need to first possess the 'key' to open it, then pay various costs to maintain the spatial connection, and finally, ensure the target is rendered incapable of resistance… I, for instance, was in a semi-breakthrough state, unable to move freely, when I was drawn in."
"Fascinating. It may have been the work of a Great Netherfiend with immense spatial talent. Perhaps, at its inception, this realm was meant to simulate the evolution of myriad worlds… but the creator never finished, leaving only these fragmentary dimensions."
Kirin's eyes shone with curiosity as she gazed around, her voice steady and analytical.
At the moment, she was still leaning lightly against the boy behind her—Luo Wusheng—and the two sat together atop a massive slab of jade.
Listening to her calm, scholarly tone, Luo Wusheng felt as if his very soul was being washed and purified by knowledge itself.
Heaven have mercy, finally, a version of Miss Kirin that could be considered somewhat normal!
Compared to the previous ones?
The "tyrant" template didn't even need to be mentioned, and as for the "daughter" template—every time she called him Daddy, Luo Wusheng could feel his liver ache and his lifespan shortening by several years.
Thankfully, the "daughter" phase was the easiest to deal with—she'd been satisfied after a short while of stargazing cuddles, and that was that.
Then came the 'fortune-teller' template—she'd drawn nine consecutive divinations for him, and every single one was "Great Misfortune."
Six of those were specifically "Womanly Disasters."
Ha. Womanly Disasters, huh?
How could he not have them, with things developing like this?
At this point, Luo Wusheng was certain that once Miss Kirin returned to normal, he'd be silenced on the spot.
Compared to that terrifying "We shall personally confer upon you the title of 'Consort Luo.'" or the repeated cries of "Daddy," the fact that he'd accidentally seen her face under the mask didn't even rank as a problem anymore.
'This level of social death… not even the protagonist could survive it!'
At least Little Yuli, even at her craziest, had never called him "Daddy"… and Miss Kirin's backlash journey had only just begun.
Who knew what other fatal identities might emerge next?
Luo Wusheng's emotions were tangled and exhausted.
Was his grand resurrection plan really going to start with getting smashed to death by the Empress herself?
'Forget it, I'll cross the bridge when I get there.'
For now, at least, he could finally take a breather.
The black flood dragon was dead. The primordial soul sealed within the artifact Demon Moon would, even without his interference, eventually dissipate over time. Once that happened, he could erase the Netherkin race imprint from it and completely escape this sealed realm.
After that, Miss Kirin should recover safely—assuming, of course, she didn't decide to kill him for "damage control."
All that remained for him was to wait until the Netherkin race chaos reached its endgame… and then find a suitably dramatic battle to die in.
Unfortunately, since he'd have to die amid the chaos, he probably wouldn't get to see the Daoist Sect Master's grand finale with his own eyes.
Watching the girl in his arms as she analyzed various complex spatial theories with a thoughtful look, Luo Wusheng couldn't help but let a faint smile tug at the corner of his lips—only to shift his gaze toward the fishing rod he'd tossed aside earlier.
That rod was nothing more than a decorative prop, crafted from jade he'd once collected, much like the fish basket beside it—both made purely to set the mood.
The fishing line, however, was special: it was made of material capable of channeling tribulation lightning.
The same material he'd once used to make black silk stockings for Bai Xiaoyao.
"Looks like I won't be needing this last resort after all…"
He muttered softly under his breath.
Miss Kirin's trump card had been so overwhelming that it obliterated the black flood dragon in an instant. His contingency plan had become pointless.
But just as he was relaxing, the girl in his arms suddenly stirred.
Was she changing roles again?
Luo Wusheng instinctively thought so—but then he heard her voice, calm and serious:
"…Something's off."
From the tone alone, Luo Wusheng could tell that Miss Kirin was still in her "scholar" persona.
Unless his luck was miraculously good enough for her to get two consecutive normal roles…
Following her gaze, he looked toward the still-open spatial rift ahead.
Beyond it lay a world tinted in azure hues—and the enormous corpse of the black flood dragon, a deep, jagged wound running across its back.
He hadn't bothered to close that rift yet.
A flood dragon's body was full of treasures—its scales, bones, tendons, blood, and even marrow were all invaluable materials.
To Luo Wusheng, it would've been a waste to leave them behind.
He'd even been thinking of bringing the dragon corpse out once he reopened a path to the outside world… maybe even use it to boost the morale of the Immortal Nation's side.
After all, the Netherkin Uprising had only just begun, and they'd already slain a Divine Transformation realm Netherkin—what better message could there be?
But suddenly, an uneasy chill raced up his spine.
Then he saw it.
A single golden feather pierced through the crimson spatial rift, forcing it open once more and connecting it to the azure space beyond.
And the aura surging from that feather made Luo Wusheng's scalp go numb.
"That's Ling Peng feather!"
The scholarly Miss Kirin immediately explained,
"Ling Peng was a descendant of the Golden-Winged Roc—one of the highest-ranking bloodlines among the modern Netherkin race. That feather likely belongs to him. The black flood dragon had already used it once before."
As expected, it really was the Netherkin race's new leader.
Luo Wusheng's mouth twitched. Yeah, that meant it was definitely an enemy.
"It's just a feather though, right? Shouldn't be too hard to handle?" he said, narrowing his eyes.
Beside him, [Phantomless 2.0] on the ground shifted form, transforming back into its cube-like state and spinning into his hand.
At full power, a direct strike from it could make even a late-stage Nascent Soul expert suffer.
If only he had enough flying swords to form a proper sword formation, he might even be able to force such an opponent to retreat.
But Miss Kirin shook her head.
"Ling Peng only possesses three completely golden feathers in total. With his cultivation, each one can temporarily manifest the power and consciousness of a Divine Transformation realm being once fully activated."
"Moreover, the black flood dragon's corpse still contains remnants of a restrictive seal. Though the dragon itself is dead, that golden feather can merge with its body—restoring physical resilience and overcoming its lack of defense."
Luo Wusheng's eyelids twitched hard.
He had suspected that the flood dragon's body might still harbor some hidden danger, which was why he hadn't touched it yet—planning to transport it whole once he left this pocket realm.
And now it turned out he'd just dug himself a hole!
"…It seems the restriction left on the dragon's body also acts as a tracking marker," Miss Kirin continued calmly. "That's how the golden feather found it and opened a linked spatial channel."
Then she blinked once, her expression shifting slightly.
"Ah. It's locked onto us as well."
Even without her saying so, Luo Wusheng could already feel it—a chill spreading from his spine all the way to his fingertips.
Within his field of vision, a faint shadow appeared above the golden feather—a pair of eyes, cold and predatory, locking directly onto them.
"Ascending… Immortality… Ascending… Immortality…"
The words, or perhaps the sound that wasn't quite words, carried across the rift and drilled straight into Luo Wusheng's mind, making his soul tremble.
The next instant, the golden feather seemed to liquefy, melting into a radiant fluid that dropped onto the black flood dragon's head.
The dragon's once-crimson, lifeless eyes turned to gold.
ROAR!!
Though still riddled with wounds and emanating pure death, the dragon corpse suddenly came to life, letting out an earth-shaking roar and hurling itself toward the rift that led to the pale-white space.
But it struck only emptiness.
The spatial fissure that had been open just a moment ago sealed itself completely in an instant.
. . .
"Huff… huff…"
Luo Wusheng gasped for air, his expression dark.
When facing the flood dragon earlier, he hadn't felt the full might of a Divine Transformation realm being—too many factors had dulled the pressure.
But this time, he'd clearly experienced it: the crushing aura, the killing intent that could pierce through the soul.
'So that's the Netherking?'
'Didn't it have consciousness? Why does it feel more like a beast that only knows how to say 'Ascending Immortality'…?'
Thank the heavens he'd acted fast.
Thanks to the Demon Moon he controlled, he'd been able to close the rift before that golden feather forced its way through.
And thankfully, he hadn't dragged the dragon corpse into the pale space earlier—otherwise that feather would've followed right in, descending upon them before he could even react.
Also, credit where it was due: Scholar-mode Miss Kirin had been the first to give him crucial intel in time.
So far, she was easily the most reliable version of herself.
"Hmm? Why did you close the rift?"
The girl in his arms suddenly tilted her head in confusion.
Luo Wusheng blinked. "…What?"
"Even if Ling Peng golden feather merged with the dragon's body and gained Divine Transformation realm power," she said earnestly, "there's still a one-in-a-quindecillion chance we could win if we work together!"
Her golden eyes gleamed with scholarly fervor.
"If we succeed, we could study the feather's structure up close! It's said that within the Netherking golden feather lies the ancient blood secret of the Golden-Winged Roc itself—this could be our chance to explore primordial knowledge!"
Luo Wusheng's mouth twitched violently.
At that moment, Miss Kirin radiated a kind of beauty unique to those who would gladly die for science.
He took back what he said earlier—Scholar-mode Miss Kirin was not as reliable as he thought.
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," he said, gently pressing down on her hand that was tugging at his sleeve. "That big bird is bound to show up again once the Netherkin race chaos escalates. When that happens, we can just kill its real body and study that. Isn't that much better than poking at a single feather?"
Miss Kirin blinked, then nodded slowly, muttering under her breath, "A safer kind of research…", as if seriously contemplating his logic.
Luo Wusheng felt utterly drained.
Even in this chaotic situation, he had to keep coaxing the unstable girl in his arms just to keep things from spiraling further out of control.
'Still… this can't go on forever. If that feather can open spatial channels, then this place might not stay safe for long.'
'No way am I risking my life fighting a feather,' Luo Wusheng thought grimly. 'Miss Kirin's current condition doesn't even count as combat-ready… The black flood dragon's already dead, and under normal circumstances, we'd have no reason to keep fighting anyway. The only smart move now is to avoid direct confrontation, get out of this place as soon as possible, and return to the mortal realm!'
'Good thing I haven't dismantled the escape route I prepared earlier for us to run.'
"So… what exactly have you been doing since just now?"
Luo Wusheng caught the two hands that had been wandering all over his body while he was deep in thought. His gaze met a pair of bright, inquisitive eyes, full of intellectual curiosity.
Miss Kirin, looking perfectly serious, replied, "You said something that made sense earlier, so I decided to conduct a safe research experiment."
"And what does that have to do with you suddenly undoing my clothes?"
Luo Wusheng rolled his eyes—but then froze mid-motion, a chill running down his spine.
Something told him the Scholar-mode Kirin was about to say something extremely dangerous.
"Of course, it's to study the special differences between men and women up close. I've never had the chance to directly observe such a thing before. The last time at the Imperial Pool—"
"AAAAHHHHHH!"
Luo Wusheng's panicked scream cut her off before she could finish.
The Imperial Pool incident was absolutely something he could not "know" about!
If the real Empress ever found out that her naive, innocent other self had "learned" something like that—and that he, Luo Wusheng, knew about it—he'd be lucky if his corpse wasn't nailed to the city gate!
His gut feeling was right again: Scholar-mode Kirin was, without a doubt, a menace in her own way.
'Seriously, what part of that counts as "research"?'
But before he could say anything more, the delicate hands in his grip suddenly went limp.
Miss Kirin closed her eyes.
'Changing roles again…' Luo Wusheng sighed internally. At this point, he was practically a veteran at dealing with her constant shifts.
But even as that thought passed through his mind, a surge of dread shot through him. His head snapped toward the far end of the pale space.
A jagged tear ripped open in midair.
From within it, a pair of jet-black claws emerged.
"Ascending… Immortality…"
The voice rolled out like it came from the depths of the Nine Hells.
The flood dragon's corpse!
'Already caught up? That fast?!'
Luo Wusheng's scalp went numb.
The girl in his arms trembled violently.
"S-so scary… sniff sniff… s-so terrifying…" she whimpered.
The hands he had just been holding broke free, then clung to him desperately. "Th-that Netherkin's coming for us! Are we going to die? Uuuu! I-I don't want to die yet!"
Luo Wusheng looked down at the girl sobbing against his chest, unsure what kind of persona had taken over this time.
Still, he wrapped his arms around her tighter, his expression steady and his tone calm as he patted her back.
"Don't cry… It's fine. I'm here."
As he spoke, he quietly stowed away everything else—including [Phantomless 2.0]—but kept the fishing rod in hand.
Then, with a firm pull, the fishing line retracted sharply, tearing open a long new spatial rift.
At the end of the line, where a bait should've been, there hung a faintly glowing orb—within which was sealed a flickering phantom of the black flood dragon itself.
Without hesitation, Luo Wusheng leapt into the new rift, holding Miss Kirin close.
The girl's crying softened, and she mumbled, "Then… great lord, you must protect poor little me…"
"If… if I make it back alive, then this humble one's body shall be yours to— mmmph!"
Her words were abruptly cut off as Luo Wusheng pressed her face firmly into his chest, silencing her.
<+>
<+>
<+>
<+>
<+>
<+>
Tn: I updated the story daily, but if you want to see more chapter of this story ahead of time, please go to my Patreon.
Latest Chapter: Chapter 571: To See or Not to See?[1]
Link: https://www.patreon.com/u93297024/posts/chapter-571-to-163855664[2]
[1] https://www.patreon.com/u93297024/posts/chapter-571-to-163855664
[2] https://www.patreon.com/u93297024/posts/chapter-571-to-163855664