Underground, the sky here was a slightly dim red. As far as the eye could see, it was a sea of crimson. Stalks of blood-red Equinox Flowers swayed their slender forms gently in the surroundings, making a rustling sound that was exceptionally beautiful.
Fujino and Pure Fox's attention was drawn to this field of Equinox Flowers as soon as they arrived. Fujino bent down and extended a finger to gently tease the nearest Equinox Flower. The petals of that Equinox Flower moved slightly to touch Fujino's hand, as if responding to her, appearing very spiritual.
"What an interesting child." Fujino revealed a smile. This Equinox Flower before her already possessed a bit of spirituality, which was rare in this newly evolved Higan. Thus, Fujino decided to give this Equinox Flower a gift.
A trace of pure power, as thin as a strand of hair, was transmitted through Fujino's finger into the Equinox Flower. The slender body of the Equinox Flower began to tremble violently. Although it was just a tiny bit of power, the energy contained within was terrifyingly immense for the current Equinox Flower. If it didn't absorb it quickly, the energy would just go to waste.
Although the Equinox Flower's current intelligence wasn't as high as Pure Fox's, the instinctual feeling told it that it must enter dormancy as soon as possible to absorb this massive power.
Suddenly, the Equinox Flower gave another violent shake, and a long, thin red petal drifted down, landing in Fujino's hand.
Fujino looked at the petal in her hand with some surprise, but then she showed a faint smile and said softly, "I understand, little one. Go ahead and absorb it. I'll wait for the day you come to find me. Don't make me wait too long, or I might forget you by then."
The Equinox Flower's body trembled violently once more. Then, threads of red energy erupted from its stem, wrapping its body into a cocoon. The surrounding Equinox Flowers suddenly swayed their bodies in unison, the rustling sound continuous, as if they were celebrating something.
"Fujino, why did you do that?" Pure Fox looked at the Equinox Flower that had turned into a small blood-red cocoon, her pale gold eyes full of confusion. In her view, the Equinox Flower was just a flower with some intelligence. Although she was a bit surprised that among so many Equinox Flowers, only this one had birthed a bit of spirituality, in Pure Fox's eyes, it was just that and nothing more.
While surprising, it wasn't anything too rare. It was too difficult for flowers to cultivate into Yokai, and even harder for them to gain any significant power. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it was as difficult as ascending to heaven, especially in this era.
In all the time Pure Fox had lived, it wasn't that she hadn't seen flowers that had birthed intelligence. Some were even more talented than this Equinox Flower before them. However, those that could grow to become Yokai were simply too few, and those that could become powerful were even rarer. There might not even be one in a million. Even for a special Equinox Flower, Pure Fox didn't hold much hope.
The experience of a flower cultivating into a Yokai and becoming powerful was different from that of ordinary Yokai; it was far too arduous. Their original bodies were too fragile. Even if they became Yokai, their weak strength made them nothing more than food—actually, not even that, because eating wild fruit was better than eating them; they weren't even enough to fill the gaps between teeth.
Though it wasn't to say all were like that, as some had even become Great Yokai with quite decent strength. However, even so, few Flower Yokai could reach that level. As mentioned before, there might not be one in a million. Their weakness in the early stages led them to become prey for other Yokai. To become strong, they had to grow, and that was too difficult for Flower Yokai. Their growth time was also different from gas-type Yokai; their unique nature meant the time they required was several times that of other Yokai, and most died young on the path of growth.
But now it was different. This Equinox Flower had received Fujino's gift. It would be hard for this Equinox Flower not to become a Yokai now, and it was practically reaching the heavens in a single bound!
Pure Fox roughly estimated that if the Equinox Flower absorbed all the energy Fujino gave it, it could reach the level of a Great Yokai. This was the stage where it could take human form. This was directly skipping hundreds or even thousands of years of cultivation time. For any Flower Yokai, this could be considered a massive gift.
"This little one will give us a surprise in the future," Fujino laughed. Then, a burst of power sealed the petal in her hand before she stored it into her space.
"Alright, we should go. Someone is already waiting." Fujino smiled and rubbed Pure Fox's little head. It felt very comfortable, and Fujino was already becoming a bit addicted to it. If Pure Fox were to leave in the future, should she find another fox? That future Yakumo Ran would be quite good. She's a Nine-Tails after all; hugging her to sleep at night should be very comfortable, and when winter comes, she could even be used as a fur scarf. It's simply a great value!
The yet-to-be-born Yakumo Ran didn't know she was already being eyed by the current Fujino. However, Pure Fox in Fujino's arms suddenly felt like her position was being threatened. She immediately curled up her body and leaned tightly against Fujino's chest.
Walking forward, a wide river appeared in Fujino and Pure Fox's eyes, and in front of the river, there were several figures waiting there.
"There really are people." Pure Fox curiously sized up the figures in the distance and asked, "Are they the people Fujino mentioned who rule Hell?"
"No, the ones who rule Higan are currently busy. These people are just the Yamas responsible for this region," Fujino explained softly. The current Higan had just finished evolving, and a vast number of reincarnators still needed to be judged by the Yamas from various sides. It could be said they were busy every single moment. When Fujino came to Hell, those people wanted to put down their work to welcome her. Fujino was the Creator God of this world, and the entire Higan was evolved from that one drop of Fujino's black and white blood. Therefore, the entire Higan belonged to Fujino. Welcoming their master was naturally what they should do, but Fujino refused and just let the relatively free Yamas nearby come to welcome her.
"Creator, welcome to Higan." Seeing Fujino, one of the women leading the group waiting by the river walked up to Fujino and bowed respectfully. The other women also bowed in unison and said respectfully.
"Rise." Fujino said flatly. Looking at the leading woman, she suddenly felt she looked familiar. One should say she looked like a certain person; that long green hair was very conspicuous in this dark red Higan.
"What is your surname?" Fujino asked curiously.
The green-haired woman was slightly stunned, then replied, "Reporting to the Great Creator, I do not have a name. Currently, everyone in Higan is identified by different titles or positions."
"In that case, how about I grant you a name?"
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