The cave exit was a hole in a cliff face. Emerging into the bright sunlight, Kiana couldn't help but sigh in relief.
"The sun feels so good."
Ling Feng looked at the cave entrance. This was likely a hidden passage on land leading to the Nine Nether Realm, not necessarily an exit.
So... why had they gone to such lengths to dive into the deep sea to enter the Nine Nether Realm?
Never mind, this passage was below the cliff, making it difficult to find.
"Brave boys and girls, the seal has been broken, and the monster will soon awaken. I will bestow my final power upon you."
"Please... you must seal her away."
As Ling Feng and his group stepped out of the cave, a girl's voice suddenly echoed in their ears. The content of her words left Kiana and the others bewildered.
Kiana: "Huh? Whose voice was that just now?"
Sagiri: "I don't know."
The others were equally confused. Ling Feng glanced at the Xuanyuan Sword Mei was holding and then said.
"Let's get out of here first."
*Bang! Bang! Bang!*
Mechs landed heavily from the sky. Their blue optical sensors flickered, and their weapon systems activated, locking onto Ling Feng and his group.
Among the many mechs, a yellow one was particularly conspicuous.
"Herrscher of the Abyss?"
Although Kiana's written test scores were always poor, she knew an unusual amount about combat.
The Herrscher of the Abyss was an enhanced model of the Herrscher of the Abyss series mechs, developed by Dr. Einstein.
A warship was also in the sky.
"I advise you to release me..."
*Thwack!*
"Shut up! It's not your turn to speak. If you keep making noise, I'll throw you into the sea to feed the sharks."
Xing tried to protest further, but Kiana impatiently gave her a whack on the head.
After a stern warning, Xing quieted down.
The Xuanyuan Sword in Mei's arms emitted a dazzling golden light and began to shake violently.
A golden glow condensed into the form of a young girl in golden attire, holding the Xuanyuan Sword.
"What is that?!"
Xing screamed.
"Everyone, get to my side!"
Ling Feng suddenly shouted. Though he didn't know what was happening, Kiana and the others immediately moved to his side.
Seeing everyone gathered, Ling Feng immediately unleashed his Zhenqi, forming a protective shield around them.
A strange roar echoed, and a colossal creature leaped out of the sea, engulfing the entire island in a single bite.
After a dizzying spin.
"Where are we?"
"According to the analysis, we are likely inside a giant beast."
Welt replied to Mei's question, closing the virtual display.
Ling Feng stood a short distance away, releasing his divine sense to scan their surroundings. He suddenly felt a slight disturbance from the Xuanyuan Sword.
The Xuanyuan Sword floated in the air, emitting golden light. The girl who had suddenly appeared reappeared.
"Young warriors, this is indeed inside the body of the great beast Chi You."
"I apologize for dragging you into a battle that should have been mine."
"This is all the power I have left. I entrust it to you. Please, seal Chi You once more."
With that, Ji Lin raised her hand and pointed. A gem on the hilt of the Xuanyuan Sword shattered into pieces, which were then infused into Kiana and the others' weapons.
The golden greatsword slowly landed on the ground, and Ji Lin had vanished.
Ling Feng knew that Ji Lin's residual soul attached to the sword had dissipated into the world.
"Huh... was that a holographic projection just now?"
"Bronya's detector indicates it was not a holographic projection. Although Bronya is reluctant to admit the existence of unscientific phenomena, Bronya believes it was what is commonly referred to as a 'ghost'."
"W-w-w-what! That's... scary."
Kiana shuddered, suddenly feeling a chill at the thought of seeing a ghost.
In her understanding, ghosts were terrifying things.
"Kiana, calm down. That was a good ghost. Didn't you notice that your weapon's energy index significantly increased after she infused the Xuanyuan Sword's gem into it?"
Sagiri said, holding up her dual pistols.
Welt had reactivated her detector and was analyzing the gem.
However, the results were limited.
"The internal structure of this gem cannot be analyzed under current conditions. Further analysis will only be possible after returning to St. Freya Academy."
"However, it is speculated that this gem is likely 'Soul Steel'."
Everyone nodded. They were familiar with Soul Steel; it had been discussed in class.
Of course, there were exceptions, like Kiana, who looked utterly blank.
"Kiana, didn't they mention it in class? Soul Steel is a super rare metal discovered by Schicksal from all over the world."
"I... I of course know that."
*Sigh*. The others placed their hands on their foreheads. Who would believe her?
"Alright, we need to notify Headmaster Theresa, but Chi You's massive body is blocking the signal."
"We need to find a place where Chi You's body density is lower; we might be able to establish contact there."
"Yes!"
"By the way, where's that little brat?"
"I don't know."
Inside Chi You, Ling Feng and the others set off to find weak points.
The concentration of Honkai energy within Chi You was extremely high, severely interfering with signals and distorting space.
Myriad shattered floating islands drifted in the air, with an endless abyss below.
There was, however, an energy similar to a teleportation array that allowed them to move between the floating rocks.
*Slash!*
Ling Feng swung the Xuanyuan Sword, severing the body of a Cannonade-class Honkai Beast.
The dense Honkai energy around them had already spawned countless intertwined Honkai energy crystals.
In this environment, it was not surprising to see Honkai Beasts emerge; it was normal.
"Mmm..."
As Ling Feng and the others were en route to a weak point, Himeko, who had been unconscious on Ling Feng's back, slowly opened her eyes, a look of confusion on her face.
"Ah! Himeko, you're awake."
"Kiana, this is... I remember being sucked into a wall, and then I don't remember anything else."
"Himeko, let's briefly explain our current situation. After leaving the Nine Nether Realm, we were swallowed by the great beast Chi You."
Ling Feng quickly and concisely explained the situation. Himeko struggled to get off Ling Feng's back.
But Ling Feng stopped her.
"Your condition is very poor right now. Rest well, leave the rest to us."
"I know my physical condition. I can fight. Let me down."
"No, you know your current condition, and so do we. If you fight again, your body might completely collapse. You will stay on my back."
This was the first time Ling Feng had been so forceful with someone. Although Himeko wanted to struggle, she was too weak to break free.
She had no choice but to give up the idea of fighting on the ground and remained quietly on Ling Feng's back like a young girl.
"Let's continue. The detector indicates that the weak point in Chi You's body is at that location."
Outside, before Himeko and Ling Feng's group lost contact, Theresa had already boarded the Hyperion with a support force and headed to the incident site.
They were still fifteen minutes away from reaching the airspace above the Nine Nether Realm.
However, their communication signal suddenly disappeared midway, causing Theresa some anxiety.
In such a situation, most of them were presumed dead.
"Hello, Theresa, can you hear me?"
"Yes! That's great. You're alive! Is Himeko alright? Why did your signal suddenly disappear?"
"You might not believe this, but we are inside the belly of the great beast Chi You. We can't leave here on our own. We need your support."
"Understood! When we lost contact, I had already ordered the Hyperion to head to the battlefield. We will arrive in 15 minutes."
"Understood."
After hanging up, Himeko looked at Ling Feng and the others. Ling Feng was leading Kiana and the group in destroying Honkai crystals, which were like monster spawners in Minecraft.
Fifteen minutes later, Theresa contacted everyone again.
"Himeko, the Hyperion is now directly above you."
"Find cover. I will use the Hyperion's main cannons to blast through Chi You's body."
"Then, you will exit through the breach."
"Understood."
As Theresa was about to hang up, Kiana suddenly called out.
"Wait, Theresa, we've been feeling violent tremors. Is Chi You moving?"
Theresa paused slightly, glanced at the optical projection of Chi You on the display, and nodded.
"According to the detector's readings, it is indeed moving."
"Although it's not fast, it will reach the continent of China in three hours."
Himeko was worried. If Chi You landed, it would cause immense destruction. In ancient times, if not for Ji Lin and others sacrificing their lives to seal it, China would have been lost.
"Then won't the cities on the mainland be in danger?"
"Theresa, can the Hyperion's main cannons stop it?"
Ling Feng listened to their conversation and remained silent. He knew Chi You's strength; it was the strongest Judgment-class Honkai Beast in history, no weaker than Benares.
If Chi You were given time to develop, it could even challenge a Herrscher.
It was even possible for it to become an existence like the Sea Herrscher in a certain parallel world.
If it couldn't be sealed or stopped, he planned to use his trump card.
At this stage, if he used the Zero Rated Power of the Ex-Tiamat Judgment, he had a high chance of killing Chi You.
On the Hyperion, Theresa expressed her helplessness.
"Chi You's body is too massive. Only the main cannons can inflict effective damage."
"However, the Hyperion's main cannons can only fire twice, and we have no idea where to aim to stop this monster."
Welt and Bronya exchanged a glance, and Welt said.
"Headmaster Theresa, according to the detection data from Bronya and myself, there are two massive Honkai energy reaction points within Chi You's body."
Theresa immediately understood their meaning.
"You mean, those are hearts? But Chi You's body tissues are blocking the detection signals, and I can't pinpoint the heart's location from here."
"We can go to those two locations and bombard the inner wall of Chi You, causing its surface to vibrate. Then, the Hyperion can fire its main cannons at that location."
"That's feasible, but then you would be in danger again..."
Kiana said indignantly, hands on her hips.
"What nonsense are you spouting~ Theresa, we are Valkyries, how can we abandon our mission for our own safety~"
Ling Feng really wanted to raise his hand and say, "I'm not a Valkyrie."
Not because he was afraid, but... he wasn't a Valkyrie!
"Alright, let's begin the operation. The target is Chi You's heart."
After Himeko announced the operation, the group set off towards their target. The Honkai Beasts and MANTISes blocking their path were easily annihilated by their coordinated attacks.
Soon, Ling Feng and the others arrived before a giant crimson crystal. Its extremely pure color indicated it was one of the areas with the highest concentration of Honkai energy.
"Alright, Bronya, Welt, prepare to bombard the inner wall and notify Theresa."
"Understood."
Bronya prepared the Rabbit's artillery, while Welt switched her sniper rifle to energy cannon mode.
Charge~ Fire!
Outside, on the Hyperion, Theresa received the "signal" and immediately ordered the main cannons to adjust their trajectory and charge.
*Boom!!!*
After sending the "signal," Ling Feng and the others quickly retreated.
With a roar of the cannon, a beam of super-energy pierced Chi You's outer shell and struck the crimson crystal.
The crimson crystal held on for a moment before shattering.
Seeing that it was safe, Ling Feng and Himeko returned to inspect. Through their readings, Chi You's internal Honkai energy flow was slowing down, and the communication system had temporarily been restored.
Kiana suddenly found a piece of Soul Steel among the crystal shards. What was different was that the Soul Steel was engraved with ancient Chinese characters.
After taking a photo and sending it to Fu Hua, everyone followed suit and dealt with the other "heart."