The long days of cautiousness ended. I decided to keep the formation's coverage throughout the Earth, though.
Formations consume spiritual qi. They would have required spiritual stones to operate, but due to the exceedingly high spirit veins on Earth, it operated solely on ambient spiritual qi.
The combination of ambient honkai energy that seeped into Earth's atmosphere created an exaggerated result. This scenario is akin to turning Earth into a Blessed Land for cultivation.
Most importantly, I sneaked in benefits to our base at Mt. Fuji. The spiritual qi concentration over there reached the peak of sixth grade. It reached the standards of a peak Divine Transformation Realm's dwelling.
Such abundant spiritual qi concentration sped up the birth of spiritual plants. Second and third grade plants already exist, though part of the credit comes from me.
The [Great Accomplishment] mastery of the [Xiutian Art] allows for the contracting of non-living beings such as artifacts and plants. It is different from contracting "partners" of opposite sex—they are the primary connections. The plants and artifacts can only be contracted through the secondary connections.
I formed some connections with plants and artifacts, allowing them to increase in grade with Tao Gifts. There are quite a few downsides, but I disregarded most of them.
Cultivation is cultivation. I wouldn't reject any sources of Tao Gifts.
I retracted my spiritual consciousness over the entire mountain. I managed to shake off Kiana's enthusiasm by asking for some private time. I need to set things straight with two people.
One of them is Seele.
"Why call me alone? Wouldn't Sister Kiana feel jealous?"
"I want to talk with you, Seele."
"..."
I did not look at "Veliona's" expression. We are currently in the middle of the clearing where all the tea and other leisure sessions occur.
The rustling of the thick leaves caused sunlight to penetrate. It coincided with the change in "Veliona's" eyes.
I turned around and faced her.
The extremely deep-seated obsession felt like it could materialize. I dare not imagine how Seele "lived" through these three hundred years.
"As expected. I cannot hide anything in the face of the true Brother Tian."
Her voice did not change much. Her tone, however, held an unconcealable hint of eagerness. It also lacked the lack of confidence Seele once had.
Seele, in Veliona's body, closed the distance between us. Our height difference is 18 centimeters. I grew up to 185 centimeters. She grew up to 168 centimeters. Nonetheless, her crimson-red pupils looked up at me.
The chains carried by her Stygian Nymph battlesuit rattled.
Through her eyes…
…
"Sorry. For everything."
"Hum? It wasn't your fault. It is mine." Seele's voice trembled. "Brother Tian should not blame himself."
Her face looked conflicted as she prevented her body from coming closer.
I could only nod at her words. It is not right to force my guilt on her. Seele understands it all too well given her current mental age. The fact that I wanted to accept her confession at first merely to placate her is not the right thing at all.
I came to realize that Seele is not just Seele. She already moved my heart long ago. It was me who made those shitty decisions.
"I will get you out of that loop. The problems with me… You don't need to worry about it either. I will make sure it never happens. I will reciprocate your confession... genuinely, this time."
Seele fell silent for a second.
"Ah…"
Her mouth opened in a circle. All kinds of conflicting emotions emerged in her eyes. I could no longer leave her be.
I stepped towards her and gave her a hug. What followed next is the habitual head pat I gave to her.
Instantly, Seele's obsessions and emotions manifested tangibly.
Hum-!
Buzz-!
Bam-!
It was far worse than my reunion with Kiana around two years ago. Seele's spiritual consciousness turned erratic as it swept through our surroundings. The tiles we stood on shattered. The ground cracked as it extended downwards.
Along with this rampage came her "transparent" emotions.
To put it into words…
'I love you.'
'I want you.'
'I need you by my side.'
'I love you.'
I love you.'
I love you.'
I love you.'
…
Looking at her manic, yandere-like outbreak…
I bravely faced it.
*****
For ten minutes, Mount Fuji's self-contained space experienced a huge turmoil.
"...It's that crazy girl."
Sirin does not know what to feel.
She managed to regain her strength and surpassed it. Kiana's promise and Shi Tian's welcoming attitude confused her greatly. One thing was for sure, however. She could no longer bring herself to fight against them again.
For two months… no.
For more than a year, she saw their earliest days together. Sirin developed a complex longing for it. Seeing she also had a chance to have it, her hatred towards Otto and humanity took the backseat.
Sirin practiced diligently for two months and reached the early stage of the Golden Core Realm. It is also the day her resolve grew stronger. She did not use up a treasure to resist the Heart Tribulation. Sirin relied on her own willpower to "wake up" and overcome it.
She still has a lot on her mind, but that served as a positive turn. She can live somewhat 'normally' amidst her "burdens" (i.e., massacre) and "confusions" (i.e., Kiana).
Naturally, she also came across Veliona. The latter's situation mirrored her own. Only, Veliona protected her counterpart, Seele. It is the exact opposite of what she did with Kiana. It further added to her "guilt" while highlighting Kiana's innately kind nature.
'But…'
The biggest issue Sirin faced, however, is her mental link with Kiana. She simply went crazy during each dual cultivation. Although not all thoughts are transmitted, Sirin got a huge glimpse on what really happens on the sheets.
"..!"
Her ears turned bright red at the thought of it. Her hips tensed as she brought them together. Heat traveled downwards, urging her fingers to touch her abdomen. She barely prevented herself from doing some questionable deeds.
Sirin could not calm down for a long time.
"Gluttonous. Lustful. Greedy. Is she really my other self..?"
Just then, she saw someone appear by her side. It is none other than the Herrscher of the End. Her bright golden eyes paired with her long-sleeved blue dress made her 80% identical to Kiana. Her biggest difference lay in her aura. It was otherworldly, cold, and scornful of everything else.
'Just like me… We end up like this around him.'
She watched as the former servant of the honkai disappeared.
'Being with him…'
Countless complex thoughts erupted in Sirin's mind yet again.