"If I'm going to devour an underworld, the world of Inuyasha is the closest... and the safest," Su Han mused.
Rather than sending other members with the Abyssal Star-Soul Tower, it was better to go himself. The world was lower in power, meaning there was zero risk of a backlash from that world's "Will." However, as night had already fallen, he decided to wait until the morrow.
Su Han returned to the Jade Chamber, choosing to spend the night in Shenhe's room. It had been a while since they had been intimate, and he missed her quiet presence.
Inside, the room was as sparse and elegant as ever—one blanket, two pillows side-by-side.
"You're back? Do you want to bathe?" Shenhe asked softly.
"Of course. It's been too long since we've shared a bath." Su Han picked her up, carrying her into the steaming waters. As they soaked, the tension of the day melted away.
"You've been exhausted lately, haven't you?"
"A bit," Su Han admitted, massaging her shoulders. "Ever since the missions hit Four-Star difficulty, the 'after-service' takes up an entire week. Managing the fallout, the new residents, and the rewards is a full-time job."
Shenhe leaned back into his touch, a look of pure comfort on her face. "What was the reward this time? I saw you leave the laboratory with a new artifact."
"It's called the Abyssal Star-Soul Tower. I'm planning to take it to Kikyo's world tomorrow to feast on the 'Nether Path.' If it works, I'll place it in the underworld beneath Wuwang Hill. I want to confirm something..."
"Confirm what?"
"The Borders of Teyvat."
Su Han knew much about this world, but since he had crossed over before the game's full story was revealed, some mysteries remained. He knew Enkanomiya was a border to the Void, but was the border under Wuwang Hill the same?
And then there was Alice, Klee's mother. The mysterious, ageless witch who was a pillar of the Hexenzirkel but never appeared. Yae Miko and Lisa had told him she was a restless elf with pointed ears, yet she hadn't been seen for years.
"Does she really trust Mondstadt that much to leave Klee there alone?" Su Han wondered aloud.
"It is strange," Shenhe agreed. "Lisa says that while they've met Alice's husband, they have no memory of him. It's as if he doesn't exist. If Alice is busy guarding the 'borders,' is her husband with her? Or is there something else entirely?"
They didn't dwell on the mysteries for long. By 10:00 PM, Su Han blew out the candles. It had been a long time since they had shared this level of intimacy, and they intended to enjoy every moment of it.
The Desolation of the Nether Path
The next morning, Su Han took Hu Tao, Sango, and Kagome to the world of Inuyasha. When Hu Tao learned they were there to "suck the soil" out of the underworld, she tilted her head. "Are we going to destroy the Nether Path? Won't the world collapse?"
"This world's cycle of reincarnation is already broken and fragile," Su Han laughed. "It won't make a difference."
Using the Tessaiga, he slashed the air, tearing open a rift to the Nether Path. The group stepped into a realm of absolute desolation. It wasn't a land of swirling souls as legends described; it was a barren wasteland of black earth and jagged, lightless mountains.
"This is it?" Kagome frowned. "It feels so... empty."
"We're on the outskirts. The real 'Underworld' is further in," Su Han said, a gentle wind lifting them toward the horizon.
They crossed rivers of filth and reached a massive cliff. Hu Tao pointed to a swirling black vortex in the distance. Beneath it, a mindless giant was systematically shoveling countless corpses into the abyss.
"Is that the 'Master of the Underworld'?" Sango asked, unimpressed. "He looks like a low-tier demon."
"He's remarkably weak," Hu Tao muttered. Having mastered Observation Haki, she could sense the giant's lack of true power. "I see the problem now, Su Han. If there was a real cycle of reincarnation, wouldn't Inuyasha's father have been reborn by now? A powerhouse like that just... disappearing? Something is wrong."
"But Kikyo was reborn as me," Kagome noted. "How did that happen if the system is broken?"
"The Shikon Jewel," Su Han sneered. "You think a mortal could create such a thing? The Underworld here is incomplete. It survives by 'devouring' the souls of demons to stay afloat. Reincarnation here is a fluke, not a rule."
"That's disgusting," Hu Tao snapped. "A world that eats souls just to exist? I want to smash it."
"Then let's do it."
The Tower's Hunger
Su Han threw the Abyssal Star-Soul Tower toward the vortex. As it flew, the small black trinket expanded into a thousand-meter-tall monolithic fortress.
BOOM!
The tower crushed the piles of corpses as it landed. Without needing Su Han's command, a black hole opened at the tower's base, and it began greedily vacuuming the surrounding soil and jagged rocks.
The mindless Master of the Underworld roared, sensing the intrusion. He lunged at the tower, but a shield of starlight repelled him. As the giant struggled, a beam of light from the tower's apex disintegrated him, sucking his spiritual essence into the spire.
"What a domineering artifact," Sango whispered. "It's getting stronger the more it eats."
"This is just the start. But it's too slow on its own. Let me help."
Su Han channeled his own immense energy into the tower. The suction force tripled. The very world began to shake as mountains of black earth were pulled into the Star-Soul Tower. For three hours, the feast continued until Su Han felt the spatial fabric of the Nether Path beginning to buckle.
"That's enough for now," Su Han decided, stopping the intake. He had a hunch that if he continued, the world might actually shatter. He needed to keep this world around for further "harvesting" later.
As they departed, the "Master of the Underworld" slowly began to reform from a cloud of black mist—a mindless reset of a broken world.
The Soul of Midoriko
Returning to the mortal realm, the group felt a sense of relief. The air of the living world was a luxury compared to the stench of the abyss.
"Where to next?" Sango asked.
"To the ruins of the Demon Slayers' Village," Su Han replied. "I have one more piece of business."
He had brought Sango and Kagome for a specific reason: to extract the soul of Midoriko. He didn't intend to resurrect the legendary priestess; he wanted her soul to act as the primary guardian of the Star-Soul Tower.
Midoriko's soul was perfect—powerful, resilient, and tempered by centuries of constant battle within the Shikon Jewel. In terms of spiritual strength, she was on par with Hanachirusato.
"A tower needs a master," Su Han thought, a faint smile on his lips. "And I have the perfect candidate."
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