"I surrender! I surrender! Don't hit me!"
Though brief, those words endlessly echoed in everyone's ears.
Particularly because the speaker was someone whose lower half remained embarrassingly stuck outside the wall, magnifying the shock of the moment.
Especially for Ahri.
In her mind, the Upper Gods symbolized absolute power and authority. From her mother's descriptions, an Upper God could scorch seas and illuminate countless rivers with a mere gesture. Precisely because of that, young Ahri had imagined them as powerful yet mysterious beings.
Yet this one had effortlessly shattered every single notion she'd held about the Upper Gods.
And when the tiny white flag appeared from that exposed rear end, the absurdity reached a new height.
While Sora struggled to process the absurdity, Ahri distinctly heard the sound of something shattering.
It was the sound of an illusion breaking, of the exalted image of an Upper God crumbling irreversibly in her heart.
With actual deeds, this person proved that some ideas needed only a single moment to be utterly destroyed.
Perhaps because she noticed the silence outside—or maybe realized half her body was still exposed—under Sora and Ahri's watchful gazes, that rear end gradually withdrew back into the rock wall, followed by the small waving white flag.
Wow, so you realized the earlier posture wasn't comfortable and adjusted accordingly?
Momentarily speechless, Sora concluded that swiftly ending this comedic scene was the best solution.
With one decisive strike, Sora again cut into the rock, forcibly pulling out this embarrassment of an Upper God.
"Ouch!"
The wall rippled, spitting out a figure who landed squarely on her backside.
Holding her sore bottom, she suddenly recalled her current predicament. As she nervously glanced around, Sora (still a floating sword) and Ahri moved in closer.
Especially terrifying was the sight of Sora—a sword with no visible wielder—slowly approaching her.
Even an ordinary person would find such a sight frightening, let alone someone who chose surrender at the slightest provocation.
Thus, with Sora and Ahri inching steadily closer, the so-called Upper God suddenly rolled her eyes dramatically and collapsed backward, passing out on the spot.
Her fainting was so sudden that neither of them had time to react.
"D-Did this Upper…God faint just like that?" Ahri felt an odd disconnect between the title she spoke and the person lying in front of her.
How could someone faint immediately upon seeing strangers?
Just how fragile was this person's mental fortitude?
Sora, however, said nothing, circling slowly around this "Upper God" in his sword form, inspecting carefully.
And indeed, he discovered that this fellow was faking unconsciousness!
Exactly—though she seemed passed out, it was clearly an act!
Her eyelids twitched occasionally, clearly struggling between peeking out and fear of discovery.
How could someone be this cowardly?
This was the first time since arriving here that Sora had encountered someone quite so pathetic.
Even the most timid Foxian he knew—Huohuo—had more courage than this. Although terrified, Huo Huo had still faced and imprisoned a Heliobus directly.
Yet here was an actual Heliobus, behaving even more cowardly than Huohuo.
If these two ever met, they'd surely have plenty to discuss.
Sora quietly anticipated their eventual meeting, but since he still didn't fully understand the current situation, he first had to deal with the immediate issue.
He silently signaled Ahri to retreat a bit with him.
As silence returned to the surroundings, the figure sprawled on the ground finally steadied her breath.
They finally left! That scared me to death!
She celebrated internally, repeatedly chanting "victory" and feeling proud to have survived yet another crisis.
But just as she opened her eyes cautiously to survey the area, she saw a floating golden sword embedded with a book directly in front of her face.
"Oh, you're awake?"
"Ahhhh! A ghost!"
She instantly turned into a mass of pure white flames and fled at full speed.
After a round of chasing and teasing, this Upper God finally calmed down.
Her running, his pursuing—it was clear she had nowhere to escape. The scene perfectly illustrated her futile efforts.
When everything finally settled, the timid "Upper God" at last sat obediently with Sora and Ahri for a proper conversation.
"Wouldn't it have been simpler if you'd just talked calmly from the start? Why did you insist on running around wildly?" Sora hovered menacingly near her neck, openly threatening her.
On the verge of tears, she nodded repeatedly. "It's my fault—my fault entirely!"
Since the situation had finally stabilized, Sora proceeded to calmly exchange information with her.
And thus, he learned the name of this timid creature.
"My name is Feng Xi—I fled here from the Central Prefecture," she sobbed miserably. "If I'd known how dangerous this place was, I would've run off to the Vidyadhara territory instead."
Based on her collected intelligence, the Foxian territory posed minimal risk. Apart from Foxians, the only other species here were the Borisin imprisoned in the Isolation Prison. Neither race had methods to capture a Heliobus, so she'd confidently settled here.
Yet she hadn't expected that after only a few days here, someone would already hold a sword to her neck.
Upon hearing her name, Sora was momentarily speechless.
Her name had a similar meaning to his, yet it was in a different language—and their personalities even more so.
When faced with fear, although Sora's hands might tremble, he'd never actually been afraid.
In sharp contrast, Feng Xi didn't tremble—she simply fainted immediately upon seeing something scary.
Such similar names, yet personalities worlds apart.
Ahri also quickly noticed this: "Sora-gege, her name is really similar to yours!"
Sora?! Upon hearing this name, Feng Xi instantly fixed her gaze upon sword-Sora.
"Family!" she suddenly shouted excitedly, leaping toward him with open arms.
Sora swiftly dodged, causing Feng Xi to land awkwardly, hugging empty air.
"We just have similar names. That doesn't make us family."
Besides, isn't your definition of "family" a little too broad?
We're not even the same species!
"No, no, no—that's incorrect! As the saying goes, those whose hearts resonate are destined by fate. Our similar names surely indicate a deep connection!" Feng Xi shamelessly edged closer, casting hopeful glances toward him.
"Come, come—brother, where does your family live? Let's return home together and have a nice chat."
"I don't have a home." Sora stated flatly—this was simply the truth. He'd just arrived in this timeline, where would he even find a home?
Feng Xi momentarily choked on her words, but swiftly regained her bright smile. "Ah, I understand—you must be lodging temporarily with someone else. No worries, let's go meet your hosts together."
"My family doesn't exist in this world."
Again, Sora spoke nothing but truth; indeed, his family did not exist here.
"Ah…"
For a moment, Feng Xi had no idea what to say.
She'd unintentionally poked at Sora's wounds—not just once, but twice! How could she possibly comfort him now?
Why couldn't I just keep my mouth shut?
No wonder he refused to appear in human form, choosing instead the aggressive appearance of a sword.
Sora must have suffered greatly all these years, or he wouldn't need to assume such a fiercely defensive form.
Feng Xi's heart filled with overwhelming guilt. She was sure she wouldn't get any sleep tonight.
The atmosphere fell quiet. Feng Xi abandoned her earlier attempts at flattery, answering obediently and directly now. Perhaps those two short replies from Sora had hit her too hard, making her fully compliant.
Whatever he asked, she answered truthfully.
From this conversation, Sora gained substantial information.
First, Feng Xi turned out to be an unusual case among the Heliobi. The other Heliobi indeed possessed the tremendous strength described by Ahri's mother. Especially the current leader of the Heliobi—Xi—whose power was undeniably unmatched here.
Yet when Feng Xi mentioned Xi, her eyes flickered nervously, clearly hiding something.
Noting this, Sora didn't press further.
Beneath Xi was the current leader of the Vidyadhara in the Fangyuan Realm, who had pledged unwavering allegiance to Xi.
As for the Xianzhou humans, they'd become unusually quiet. This silence began after Xi killed their previous rebellion leader.
Feng Xi guessed that either the Xianzhou humans were biding their time, or they'd truly been silenced for good.
After covering these topics, Feng Xi's words turned mostly trivial. For instance, she mentioned an upcoming event called the "Heaven-Mending Creation," a ritual Xi would hold in the Central Prefecture, inviting all four realms to witness the spectacle.
Listening to Feng Xi's lengthy explanation, Sora suddenly realized something.
"You've told me all this information—but why haven't you mentioned the other 'Upper Gods'?"
Feng Xi had emphasized only one individual—Xi.
Other than Xi, she'd hardly introduced any other Heliobi at all.
This felt suspicious. Was she intentionally hiding something?
"Because there's no need…" Feng Xi rolled her eyes at him. "When the time comes, all other 'Upper Gods' will merge with Xi, becoming her strength."
"At that point, she'll become the sole remaining Heliobus—the only Upper God. Since that's already inevitable, why would I bother introducing the others?"
Only then did Sora remember he'd overlooked the Heliobi's ability to fuse together.
"And what about you? Why aren't you staying there?" Sora was genuinely curious. Why had Feng Xi specifically chosen to run off to the Foxians?
"Because I…was unwanted."
Feng Xi visibly deflated. "Since I'm always afraid, no one there pays me any attention. No one even noticed when I fled here."
As she spoke, she retreated gloomily into a corner, drawing small circles on the rock wall with her finger.
From behind, she appeared indescribably lonely.
Ahri and Sora exchanged glances, both sensing that Feng Xi was holding back something more.
Sora continued probing, carefully asking about the outside world. Since he'd been captured, his body was likely brought inside as well.
Hearing his questions, Feng Xi's eyes widened dramatically.
"You…you're that daring?! You defied Xi's orders and went outside?"
Oh? This was an unexpected find. Apparently, the Heliobi leader actively prevented others from leaving.
"But you were lucky to return safely. Please don't go out again, okay?" Feng Xi stared anxiously at Sora.
"Don't worry. I definitely won't," he reassured casually. "But when things from outside are brought inside, where do they usually end up?"
"Xi keeps them herself, of course. Those items will all be used during the 'Heaven-Mending Creation' ritual."
Wait—my body is going to be used as construction material?!
Sora's expression darkened. He didn't want to casually stroll past a building only to see his own face staring back at him from a wall.
Imagining such sanity-eroding scenes sent chills down his spine.
No, he had to hurry toward this Heaven-Mending Creation!
"You're really going? You…want to merge with Xi that badly?" Feng Xi asked, utterly confused by Sora's decision.
After Heliobi merged, their individual consciousness would fade. Weak ones would vanish entirely.
Yet Sora seemed practically eager to fuse with Xi right now.
She didn't understand; she was thoroughly baffled.
"I'll just go and have a look. Worst case, I'll see something interesting—maybe even witness the other Heliobi merging firsthand."
Sora obviously couldn't say he planned to reclaim some "construction material," even if it was technically his own body.
"Then…" Feng Xi gathered her courage after hearing his words, "Then I'll go with you to watch as well!"
"You?" Sora stared skeptically. Wasn't this coward terrified and desperate enough to escape?
Why would someone this timid suddenly want to tag along?
"Like you said—I'll go and witness how the Heliobi merge," Feng Xi's expression gradually turned resolute.
Sora felt clearly she was still hiding something, though it didn't seem directly relevant to him.
Just then, Ahri's little head poked between the two of them.
"What are you two whispering about so secretly?"
Startled, Feng Xi nearly leaped away, only relaxing upon recognizing Ahri.
Sora had no intention of involving Ahri in this matter.
Given Xi's immense status here, if conflict arose when reclaiming his body, Ahri might be endangered. Better to keep her out of it entirely.
"Oh, I was just discussing Feng Xi's name with her. Didn't you notice it's actually really similar to 'Xi'?"
Indeed, Feng Xi's name differed from Xi by only a surname. Without it, their names were practically identical—
Wait!
Sora suddenly realized something crucial, a spark of genius flashing through his mind.
His gaze sharpened suspiciously.
Could Feng Xi actually be Xi in disguise?!
Wasn't this a common trope?
The ultimate villain disguised as an ally, backstabbing the protagonist at a critical moment?
Was he also about to experience that cliché?
"W-w-wait! Actually, my original name was Feng Liqi…" Feng Xi stammered awkwardly. "I just changed it to sound better, I swear it's nothing suspicious!"
Feng Liqi… Sora mentally repeated it. Now that was a name matching her timid personality perfectly.
Fine then. Next step—head toward the Heaven-Mending Creation to reclaim his body!
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T/N: ERM UHHH HEH so surprise! guys Sora's original name was Wang Xi... but errrr I changed it... soooo uhhh WAIT I GOT IT!!!, Ahri says its really similar because Sora explained what his name signifies!! yep there we go easy and Feng Xi is an airhead so yeah