The group wasn't focused on that.
They were more concerned about Mu Yang's mental state.
He usually kept his emotions hidden.
But faced with this scene, he couldn't hold back and unleashed a major move.
There was only one possible explanation.
The scene they just witnessed was, in all likelihood, real.
This time, Mu Yang didn't stay silent.
After all, he was the first to enter, and if he didn't say something, the others wouldn't know how to judge the situation.
Lumine asked, "Was everything we just saw… real?"
Mu Yang shook his head in denial.
He explained to the group that the scene resembled his experiences from a thousand years ago.
Similar, but not exactly the same.
"Lingyuan and Fujin's experiences don't count."
"But Changsheng was indeed wounded by that final sword, leaving her in her current state."
— — — — — —
Guinaifen sucked in a sharp breath.
"So that's why the white snake statue was split into five pieces."
[What's that about? I forgot.]
[Basically, Mu Yang didn't make it in time, right? The sword aura split into five—hence the five pieces.]
[…Damn, 'You're late again'—that's straight-up heart-stabbing.]
[Mental attack, terrifying as hell.]
Guinaifen pondered for a moment. "So those two were called Fujin and Lingyuan, huh."
"If Mu Yang himself debunked it, then the statue's retreat must be their real fate."
"It's hard to imagine how Fujin, a fish, ended up falling into that massive vortex."
[Too tragic, too tragic.]
[Abrasion's inevitable, huh.]
[More of this, I'm eating it up, hehe, hehehe.]
[Upstairs, you're already twisted, huh?]
— — — — — —
The group began to understand.
With this, Mu Yang's decision to strike wasn't surprising.
This domain was truly formidable, once again reducing their combat strength.
Lumine still had many questions, including who that noblewoman was and what else happened with Fujin and Lingyuan.
But seeing Mu Yang's current state, it was better to leave first and talk later.
Everyone understood this.
Only Itto was indignant. After hearing Mu Yang's story, he was fuming.
"Mu Yang, don't worry, bro. I'll open the door and teach her a lesson for you!"
"Hey, Boss!"
Itto pulled out his club, ready to give Clarisse a beating.
However, when he activated the switch,
what he saw wasn't a tea tree or a stone table.
It was an ordinary Inazuman household.
The house wasn't particularly grand or luxurious; the furniture was quite plain.
The only thing that stood out was two plates of beans on the table in the center.
Itto didn't get what this meant. He'd come in to fight and avenge Mu Yang.
What was with this house?
He turned to look at his teammates, but those outside were just as confused, unable to make sense of it.
How did they go from Liyue's grand landscapes to an Inazuman home?
The moment Itto turned his head, someone suddenly appeared behind him.
That person shouted, "Begone, evil spirit!" while grabbing beans from the table and throwing them at Itto.
"Waaah!"
Itto spun around, ready to swing his club, but when he looked, there was no one there.
"Was I seeing things? Was there someone in the door just now?"
"I saw it too."
The teammates' murmurs outside made Itto's hair stand on end.
He was most afraid of these fleeting, ghostly things.
He bolted out of the room at top speed, and the door closed behind him.
"N-No one was there, right? You guys saw wrong!"
He was trying to psych himself up—being that close to a ghost would've scared him to death.
Paimon suggested, "Why don't you open it again, then?"
Itto's face twisted with reluctance. "I… I… Fine, I'll open it!"
Rushing out too fast was his mistake, and he couldn't let that Flying Lavender Melon look down on him.
Open it, he would!
Itto activated the mechanism again, and the interior was the same as before.
An Inazuman home with two plates of beans on the table.
Standing at the edge of the doorway, he searched for that figure but couldn't find anything.
Just as he let out a sigh of relief, a jump-scare hit him.
[Holy crap, damn it, scared the hell outta me!]
[He's really spooked—look, he even mistyped.]
[That's a jump-scare?!]
Thankfully, it wasn't a ghost face that appeared but an ordinary Inazuman citizen.
A mustached man scolded Itto, "Baka! All you do is play every day, and you're leading our kid astray. Begone, begone…"
The person behind him kept shouting "begone" while throwing beans.
Itto was chased out again.
Yelan, watching Itto's disheveled state, asked Kuki Shinobu,
"They're all holding bowls with beans and throwing them at him—what's that about?"
"It's a bean-throwing ritual to drive away ghosts. The boss is a ghost, so they're using beans to chase him off."
Itto, still shaken, said, "That was way too creepy! Why'd it suddenly turn into an Inazuman house?"
Lumine analyzed, "Mu Yang opened it, and it was Chenyu Vale. Itto opened it, and it became an Inazuman home."
"Could it be related to the person who touches the mechanism?"
Paimon cowered behind Lumine. "This place is too weird. I'd rather believe it's haunted."
Kuki Shinobu stepped forward. "Open it again, and we'll know."
Itto's voice trembled as he shook his head vigorously.
"Whoever wants to open it can open it—I'm done."
He pointed at Paimon, who was hiding behind Lumine.
"You're next, huh? Your turn to open it."
It was that Flying Lavender Melon who told him to open it again!
Now it's your turn!
Paimon clung to Lumine's neck. "No, no! You guys open it… I'm scared…"
[What'll Paimon see if she goes in?]
[A giant heated iron pot?]
[Maybe two blonde sword-wielders charging at her?]
[Sustainer of Heavenly Principles, huh?]
Mu Yang looked at Paimon's reaction.
He was actually a bit curious—what would Paimon see if she went in?
Paimon had been acting awfully suspicious during this event.
It was his fault for spoiling her too much. He couldn't say anything to persuade her now.
If he hadn't been so soft on her, he'd have just thrown her in and been done with it.
"I'll do it," Kuki Shinobu said, stepping forward and touching the mechanism.
"Let's see what's inside."
The moment the door opened, even Shinobu, known for her steady composure, panicked.
It was still Inazuman in style.
But this wasn't the same room Itto had seen.
This was her home!
A middle-aged woman in traditional Inazuman attire turned around.
"Shinobu, still reading? Stop that and listen to your mom. Go become a shrine maiden at the Grand Narukami Shrine."
"This is a good job I found for you—it's definitely better than…"
[Oh, it's the mother-in-law, my apologies!]
[Damn, you're quick!]
[This mother-in-law's still got some charm, huh?]
[Mother and daughter? Why not both?]
[Legacy of Duke Wei.]
[Thief Cao, don't run, aghhh!]
This was the power of bloodline suppression.
Up until now, Kuki Shinobu had handled every unexpected situation with calm composure, but now she was completely thrown off.