"She's a descendant of the Death God from the Otherside—one of the undead. Her true strength should be close to the Heaven level, or perhaps already at it. But to capture me, she sealed over ninety percent of her power. Right now, she's only at mid-Spirit level," Chu Lian explained once everyone had calmed down a little, finally speaking about the shadow's origins.
"Though in terms of strength she's about the same as Satsuki, her racial talent is something far beyond our reach." She cast a glance at the white-haired girl who had just sheathed her blades and continued softly, "Members of her race are born with an innate stealth ability equal to the strongest form of Ghost Concealment. The more powerful ones can even move freely through space—walking between time and space itself as if strolling across solid ground."
Hearing this, the white-haired girl immediately understood why Chu Lian had looked at her earlier. Clearly, her own Ghost Concealment was merely a weakened version of that creature's natural gift.
"Their true forms shift between the real and the unreal. They only become corporeal when attacking a tangible target. Otherwise, they remain in spiritual form, striking directly at the soul and mind. If one's spiritual strength is insufficient and they lack defenses against soul-based attacks, their soul will be torn apart."
As Chu Lian spoke, she recalled that day in the Jiuzhaigou forest—the moment when the undead's scythe had swung at her. If not for her having Remilia-sama's Dignity as a divine protection skill, her soul might have been reaped by that weapon.
"Their scythes aren't just for cutting souls, right?" Cai Ya asked cautiously, glancing around at the still-shaken girls.
"Yes. The scythe's function goes far beyond that. It can extract a person's soul and temporarily seal it within the blade without harming the victim's body. Think about it—once your soul is taken, wouldn't your body be left completely at another's mercy?" Chu Lian's voice was as gentle as possible, but even so, Cai Ya and Liu Yanran shuddered.
Only Li Xiu'er, also without combat ability, remained calm. Perhaps it was because she knew that if she were attacked, someone would surely come to save her.
"Even more terrifyingly," Chu Lian continued, "their scythes can send a person's soul directly to the underworld, where time itself washes away their memories—turning them into puppet souls under the undead's command." She sighed softly after saying this.
"To deal with enemies like them, the best way is to force their bodies into material form. Otherwise, physical attacks are almost useless. Even energy attacks can be avoided, as they can leave their current location before the strike lands. They're very troublesome opponents."
"Unless your attack carries a special property that can ignore their form and strike their essence, your best option upon encountering one is to run. Though they're spirits, they can't pass through everything—they still have form and boundaries. So, in theory, they can be escaped."
At this point, Chu Lian finally understood why that undead had let her go that day. So it was because she sensed that the Void Greatsword's 'Deathblow' could harm her core essence. What a cunning creature—keenly aware of her own limits.
Still, why had she come today to tell Chu Lian about those three enemies' traits? That was something Chu Lian couldn't quite figure out.
"She wasn't lying, but don't take her words at face value. I can feel there's something hidden behind them. Be careful—things might have changed," Ayase's serious voice echoed within Chu Lian's spiritual sense, warning her to stay cautious.
"Changed, huh?" Chu Lian murmured softly. Yes, perhaps things truly were shifting in ways even she couldn't yet see.
But no matter how complicated it became, there were some matters the others didn't need to know right now.
So Chu Lian stood up and said, "Don't overthink it. She's gone. Let's just focus on what we need to do. With Tina here, she won't dare show herself again."
Hearing Chu Lian's words, the girls finally remembered the other hero who had just scared off their powerful foe. Yet when they saw Tina idly licking her paw, looking cute and harmless, they could hardly believe that this little creature—who had always seemed like a pet to them—was capable of such power.
Even for those who had seen Tina's combat form before, such as Kurosaki Satsuki, Chu Chu, and Li Xiu'er, none had ever truly grasped how terrifying she could be. To them, Tina's role had always been that of a mascot.
But this so-called pet had just forced an immensely powerful enemy into retreat with nothing more than a single glance. How strong was she, really?
As they thought of this, the hands that had been reaching out to pet Tina froze in hesitation midair. None of them dared to touch her now.
Tina looked up at their reactions and found it dull. With a light spring of her four paws, she gracefully leapt into Inori's arms, rubbing against her stomach before closing her eyes lazily and dozing off.
Inori couldn't help but cover her mouth and laugh softly. Stroking Tina's fur, she said, "Tina, you scared them."
Unlike the others, Inori—who had fought alongside Tina—knew exactly how powerful she was. If Tina ever fought seriously, aside from Chu Lian, none of them here could be her match. Even Inori herself, before she had fully mastered her own void powers, wouldn't have been able to go against her.
Tina let out a soft meow, expressing her indifference to such matters. After rubbing against Inori a couple more times, she breathed in the faint scent that was so different from Chu Lian's, then slowly drifted back to sleep.
"Alright then," Chu Lian said, glancing at everyone before looking at Tina in Inori's arms. Rubbing her forehead, she asked, "You girls really don't want to take a bath? If not, I'll go with Inori first…"
"You two go ahead. We'll go later…" The girls exchanged looks, unable to decide, until Cai Ya finally spoke up for them.
"Alright then. I'll leave Tina here—don't worry about her." Chu Lian understood that they were still shaken. After all, the undead's powers and the things she had revealed were enough to leave anyone unsettled. Without a proper rest, it would be impossible for them to relax.
Gently lifting Tina from Inori's arms, she placed her into Chu Chu's hands before taking Inori's hand and leading her toward the bathroom.
Cai Ya and Chu Chu watched their backs as they left. Their eyes flickered with unspoken thoughts, but neither said anything. Now wasn't the time to compete. Only when they could be of greater help to Chu Lian than Inori could they truly earn a place by her side.
Yes—after everything that had happened, their mindsets had shifted. They now understood that strength was what mattered most. Only by standing on their own feet could they hope to reach higher.
"Lian, are you sure it's alright to provoke them like that?" Inori whispered as soon as they entered the bathroom.
"Inori, if I don't give them a bit of a push, their outlook won't change so quickly. It's for their own good. There's too much danger around me—if they can't accept that from the start, I don't know if they'll be able to keep walking this path with us later on," Chu Lian said softly, lowering her head as she undressed.
"You're right. The road we're walking is filled with too many unknowns." With a quiet hum, Inori unzipped her pink dress, letting it fall gracefully to the floor. Removing her undergarments, she stepped lightly into the bath as it filled with warm water, closing her eyes as she sank in.
Chu Lian neatly gathered both their clothes, putting them into the washing machine, then placed their intimate garments in a fresh laundry basket before sitting by the edge of the tub. Watching Inori's head resting just above the water's surface, she felt her earlier tension ease away.
After a few moments, when the bath had filled completely, Chu Lian opened a new bottle of bath liquid and gently applied it to herself. Then, squeezing out another handful, she stepped into the tub beside Inori and said, "Inori, let me help you…"
Inori opened her eyes to meet her gaze and nodded softly. "Mm." Then she stood up, revealing her full, graceful form before Chu Lian.
Chu Lian, unfazed, moved her hands and began to softly apply the bath liquid along Inori's skin.
By the time they finished bathing, nearly half an hour had passed. The girls sitting in the living room no longer looked as anxious or uneasy as before—finally, they seemed fully relaxed.
"Hm? You're not nervous anymore?" Chu Lian, wearing only a simple white lace nightdress, looked surprised as she walked to the sofa and asked.
"Once we figured it out, there's nothing to fear. In fact, I'm happy to have encountered another world in this lifetime. You mentioned the cultivation world before, but it never felt as real or impactful as actually experiencing it ourselves." This time it was Liu Yanran who spoke, her face tinged with a rosy blush, her tone full of genuine excitement.
The others all nodded in agreement beside her, as if they had rehearsed their response together.
Chu Lian had no idea what they had been talking about while she and Inori were in the bath, but it seemed they had truly come to terms with it. Even if their thoughts had gone in some strange direction, at least it was better than letting fear consume them.
"Well then, I'm going to sleep first. You all should get some rest soon too. Tomorrow we'll be heading to Hollywood, so make sure you're not too tired to enjoy it." Tilting her head, Chu Lian looked at them for a moment, and after confirming that they weren't lying, she spoke softly.
Then, taking Inori's hand, she headed into the bedroom, leaving the others exchanging looks with one another. Perhaps it would be better to tell her later why they were all so happy—otherwise, she might just faint from shock.
"There are three bathrooms here. Let's divide them up. I'll go with Xiu'er to Big Sis's," Chu Chu said quickly, seeing the others still dazed. She gently placed Tina down on the sofa before grabbing Li Xiu'er's hand and rushing off toward the bathroom Chu Lian had just come from.
"Too slow…" Cai Ya muttered under her breath when she saw them disappear, then took Liu Yanran's hand and headed toward another bathroom. Their change of clothes was already there anyway—no need to go back for them.
"So… who's going first, you or me?" Ruriko Nana asked the remaining two girls, since it would be awkward for all of them to bathe together.
"You go ahead," Lux Lyle replied, still preferring to bathe alone and not particularly concerned about timing. Kurosaki Satsuki was even simpler—she always waited until everyone else had finished before taking her turn.
Seeing that, Ruriko Nana didn't insist. She went back to the bedroom, grabbed her change of clothes, and disappeared into the last bathroom.
Some time later, as Chu Lian lay in bed facing Inori, the two quietly breathing in each other's scent as they drifted toward sleep, she suddenly heard a soft whisper: "Lian… can I sleep beside you?"
Hearing the voice, she opened her eyes to see a girl standing by the bedside. Nodding gently, she said, "If you're scared, then come sleep."
The girl softly murmured an "Mm," then climbed into the bed, wrapping her arms around Chu Lian's waist. Pressing her face against Chu Lian's back, her breathing slowly grew calm and peaceful…