I hate it when I need to use a skill and realize I haven't trained it.
The same went for cultivation.
Hu Tao was always busy with her business, so her training time was naturally reduced.
If she had been like Beidou, with a super-strong defense, this mission wouldn't have been so difficult.
But there were no "what ifs" in this world.
"Go back? Little girl, where do you think you're going?"
"Now that you've come to my territory, don't even think about leaving. Just become a part of me!"
Countless tree roots and sharp, blade-like leaves, accompanied by the wind and rain, all struck at once.
This time, the opponent was trying to completely restrain Hu Tao, then seize her body and her spiritual blood.
The situation was incredibly critical. If she was completely bound, Hu Tao would be in a desperate situation.
However, at this moment, she made a decision that shocked everyone.
She threw the Hu Clan's heirloom, the Staff of Homa, onto the ground.
What is she doing? If she has no weapon, how will she fight?
In the Multiverse Mission Group chat.
Ganyu:Wh-what is she doing? She threw away her weapon! Is she planning to win with just martial arts?
Beidou:From the looks of it, it seems she wants to use this moment to train her Haki. But this is too dangerous.
If she weren't injured, she could still try. But in this situation… it was just too difficult. One wrong move and she could really die.
Keqing:I don't know if you've heard the legends about the Hu clan. Among the common folk, it's rumored that most people don't like to deal with the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
Keqing:Because that place symbolizes death and solemnity. It is a person's final resting place! Perhaps Hu Tao has a power we can't imagine.
In Liyue, Hu Tao had very few friends, because everyone knew she was the Director of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor and often had contact with the deceased.
Even when Keqing was a child, her elders had warned her not to get too close to the funeral parlor, because those people possessed unusual powers.
Ningguang:I have also heard this legend. But the Soul-Calming Art and her spirit companion should be Hu Tao's limit, right? If she had other powers, she should have used them long ago.
Yae Miko:I've also heard of this Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. A long time ago, when I came to Liyue, I was also curious as to why there were no wandering ghosts here. It was only later that I learned there was a family that was constantly guiding the dead to where they should go. And a girl with plum blossom pupils is not an ordinary person to begin with.
Kamisato Ayaka:So in Liyue, it's not the Kitsune spirits who send off the dead? This is the first time I've heard of this.
In Inazuma, the ones who usually did this kind of work were mostly the Kitsune spirits, the subordinates of the adeptus-foxes. So in Liyue, it was the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
Su Han:This is a question we should be asking Mr. Zhongli.
In fact, he also didn't know what hidden powers Hu Tao had. But from his understanding of her, this quirky girl wouldn't be fighting with the intention of dying.
Zhongli:The people of the Hu clan are indeed somewhat special. You should all just watch.
In the video, after Hu Tao threw away her weapon, she reached up and grabbed the ceremonial hat on her head. This hat was the symbol of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. The 75th Director who had passed it down to her had once warned her that the power within it could only be used in a life-and-death crisis.
Therefore, for the longest time, no matter if it was windy or rainy, Hu Tao would always ensure the hat was spotless.
"This is the first time I'm using this. I hope it can help this Director out. Otherwise, I'll really bring shame to the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor."
The insignia of the funeral parlor on her hat was removed.
Hu Tao then pierced it into the palm of her hand.
Crimson blood instantly soaked the token.
"By the order of the Hu clan's spiritual blood, I command the Yama Token to open!"
Just as the countless roots and leaves were about to pounce, an unimaginable power erupted from within Hu Tao's body.
A terrifying flame shot straight into the sky.
And those roots and leaves were all incinerated to ash in the sweeping wave of fire.
"No! What is this? What is this thing?!" The Tree Grandmother's voice was filled with terror.
The body that had been destroyed by the flames was giving her an unimaginably scorching sensation. She even felt her own soul trembling.
What is the identity of this young woman?!
The wandering ghosts within a hundred-mile radius of Lanruo Temple, sensing the power from the underworld, all knelt in that direction.
The power of Yama! All ghosts bow in worship!
And inside Lanruo Temple, the female ghosts controlled by the Tree Grandmother all fell uncontrollably from the air. They looked at the burning flames, their faces filled with terror.
Wh-what is this power? Why is it that just by looking at it, our bodies are trembling uncontrollably?
Hu Tao looked at the changes in herself and was also taken aback.
I didn't expect the power of this token to be so good. As expected of something this Director has taken care of for so long. But I have to end this battle quickly, or there will be trouble later.
The power in her body was being rapidly consumed. Hu Tao didn't know how long she could maintain this state, but it was predictable that a power unlocked by the token would definitely not last for long. She had to take down that evil tree demon within this time.
She hooked her foot, and the Staff of Homa that had been thrown to the ground flew back into her hand.
The next moment, Hu Tao vanished, her body wreathed in a wave of flame as she rushed towards the Tree Grandmother's main body, her speed so fast that no trace of her could be seen. Only a streak of fire could be used to judge her full-speed dash.
Sensing the danger constantly approaching, the Tree Grandmother also went into a frenzy, because she did not want to die.
At this moment, she unleashed all of her power.
Branches, roots, leaves, heavy rain, storms—all the techniques she could use were all unleashed.
And at this moment, Hu Tao, who was in this special state, seemed to be enlightened and finally understood the power of Observation Haki.
Although she was running at full speed, the attacks from all around her were clearly transmitted into her mind. She could even clearly feel every single leaf.
Is this the power of Observation Haki? Hu Tao was a little surprised, but her heart was still incomparably calm. She even felt that this was not like her at all.
Her figure was constantly flickering. Every attack from the branches only managed to catch a shattering butterfly illusion. Her real body had long since vanished.
After a few breaths, Hu Tao finally arrived in front of the towering giant tree. The stench of decay here was even stronger, almost choking to the point where one couldn't breathe. One could imagine just how many sins this thousand-year-old tree demon had committed.
"No!" The approach of the flame wave made the Tree Grandmother shriek in terror.
But Hu Tao didn't care, and instead, she transformed into a meteor and shot straight through it.
BOOM!
The tree, which was a full five meters thick, was blasted with a large, charred-black hole.
The scorching flames burned fiercely. The dark clouds that had been covering the sky finally dispersed, and the entire Lanruo Temple began to tremble as the ground shook. This was the effect of the tree demon's roots writhing, because its main body had been destroyed.
The flames burned fiercely, and even though the rain was still falling, it was unable to extinguish the raging fire.
In the distance, Hu Tao, her body surrounded by floating flames, looked on and said coldly, "Don't bother. This is a flame from another world. It feeds on yin and resentful energy. Water cannot extinguish it."
But the other party seemed not to have heard her words and continued to struggle in vain. The flames, however, began to spread, and in a short while, the entire giant tree trunk was engulfed.
At this moment, it was not yet dawn, but for the first time in a thousand years, Lanruo Temple was bathed in light.
After a while, the tree roots that had been hidden underground emerged from the soil, still entangled with countless white bones, a sight that made one's scalp tingle.
Fifteen minutes later, the Tree Grandmother finally stopped struggling. It seemed she was out of strength, or perhaps she had resigned herself to her fate.
Crackle. Crackle. Crackle.
The flames raged. And in that light, Hu Tao actually saw the tree demon's entire life.
In the beginning, she was not a demon, but had gained a muddled consciousness by listening to the monks chanting sutras.
It was just a pity that because of the chaos of war, the monks here, in order to survive, had also become robbers. The travelers who passed by this place were all killed by them, and their bones were buried near the tree demon.
As a tree, it was its instinct to absorb the power of the earth, and the blood and resentment of those people were also slowly absorbed by the tree demon. As the number of corpses increased, the tree demon also slowly began to change, until later, it became incomparably powerful and devoured those monks as well. And so, the Tree Grandmother was born.
"Sigh, it's all fate," Hu Tao said, putting away her weapon. She formed a mudra with her hands, a final rite to send off everything here. This was her habit as the Director of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. I hope that in your next life, you can be a good person.
At this moment, she also received the system notification.
[Ding! Congratulations on completing the 4-star Multiverse Mission. You have received a mission reward of 100,000 points.]
[Hint: You may choose to return immediately or remain for a short while.]
[Note: The maximum time you can remain is fifteen minutes.]
"Well then, it's time to go back," Hu Tao muttered to herself, but her body involuntarily fell backward. However, before her consciousness completely faded, she still managed to send a message to Su Han in the group.
Hu Tao:This Director has successfully completed the mission!
The live stream ended at the moment she collapsed in the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
The distant Su Han said to Mona, "I'm going to check on her."
"I'll go with you, and I'll bring some healing potions."
"Alright."
The two of them rushed to Hu Tao's home. When they arrived in the courtyard, they were met by Zhongli, who was walking out.
Su Han asked anxiously, "How is she?"
"Her body is fine, but activating that token seems to have some side effects," Zhongli said faintly.