Cultivating in Honkai!

Two thousand years of pure suffering. A selfless sacrifice pushing oneself towards eternal damnation.

For a moment, I saw a part of myself on her… or rather, them.

The artifact of the Previous Era, the tenth Divine Key.

A total of one thousand copies are made from the Herrscher Cores of the Herrscher of Domination. They turned it into a self-transforming weapon capable of granting someone ICHOR—and by extension, the completion of Project MANTIS.

The Xuanyuan Sword is special amongst the tenth Divine Key. It is the weapon once held by Shenzhou's Empyrean, Fu Hua.

Honkai…

Humanity truly suffered a huge disaster.

Fwooosh-!

The rising of the sea levels ensued. The small interference caused by my arrival awakened Chiyou in advance. It is akin to kicking a rusty lock. It will be destroyed in another year or so.

My arrival broke that rusty lock.

I thought for a while.

A strong yet controlled way to defeat Chiyou.

The [Nine Dragons Purple Qi] is not plausible. Its sheer length will reach two hundred kilometers. I can use it, to be honest. It's just that… I wanted to explore my power.

Seawater…

Sea…

Water.

A previous move popped up.

In Cocolia's orphanage, I used the [Life Extending Heavy Water] to carry my sword intent. It is very effective.

Sword cultivation has a purpose in each realm.

Sword Heart teaches one to forge a strong mental state/mindset.

Sword Nurturing Pagoda nurtures the sword with one's determination free of external worries.

Thunder-Like Sword points the way of decisiveness, to act as fast as a thunderclap, leaving one's faith onto the sword.

Sword Light Refraction tells one that…

Everything can be used as a sword.

…

I know what I need to do.

*****

Rumble-!

Pitter-!

Strong winds swept on the sea surface. It is followed by small raindrops causing countless ripples.

The skies turned dark. It is a recipe for a severe storm.

Just then…

Creak-!

Seawater began to turn into blocks of ice. No more than a minute later, everything within a hundred kilometer radius were frozen. Movements at the molecular level halted, causing heat to disperse and for all things to freeze solid.

A Herrscher's Authority on one hand; immortal cultivation on the other hand.

Shi Tian did not get swept by his current strength. He can still remember a power far stronger than this.

Instead, he looked up. His body did not get drenched by the rain. It is actively avoiding him. He is the one who messed with the weather in the first place.

Crack-!

Crack-!

…

Each raindrop caused cracks to appear on the ice block. The [Life Extending Heavy Water] are destructive to begin with. The acceleration brought by Earth's gravitational pull enhanced it further.

Shi Tian's eyes remained below. His [Encompassing Eyes] and [Sword Light Refraction] are feeding him information about the Xuanyuan Sword. He cared more about the story it has.

'...Heroic yet tragic. A noble person left to be forgotten by the world.'

It started on day one. His interactions with Kiana showed the world beyond the game. It is completely different to be able to talk with Kiana Kaslana, much less the people who sacrificed themselves for humanity's sake.

It caused his emotions to surge.

'Being forgotten… Disheartening.'

Shi Tian understood why there are two wills inside the Xuanyuan Sword. One of them is the soul of the original Emperor Xuanyuan. The other one is a dark version of herself, the one holding all of her darkest feelings—similar to a Seele's Veliona.

Rumble.

The dark skies reflected his current feelings.

'To show others another way… that is what I can do.'

The dark clouds are reflected in Shi Tian's pupils.

One of the condensed raindrops started falling. A flicker of five-colored light is present inside. It is so small nobody would have paid attention to it. Only extraordinary people can see the dazzling intent merged on it.

Sou-!

A loud whistling sound came as it contacted the ground.

Boom-!

Crack-!

Unlike other raindrops, it went past the ice on the surface. It caused one large fracture to appear. The deeper the raindrop went, the further the crack's length became.

It did not take long before the crack extended to the edges of the ice lake. Simultaneously, the raindrop touched Chiyou's white shell.

Hum-!

A bright aurora broke free.

Across all cracks, this light seeped out.

Buzz-!

BAM-!

The first to give up was the ice lake. Hundreds of cracks appeared instantly. The huge block of ice crumbled.

Splash-!

The surrounding sea water began to pour into the open space. The crumbling ice revealed Chiyou's huge body. It is laying dormant right below the oceanic crust. An entire portion of the sea was split open by Shi Tian's attack.

Chiyou's body bore a huge tear. The transcendent sword intent tore through its entire body. Any bit of its soul remaining also turned to ashes.

The skies cleared up. The intense rain stopped. Only the gurgling of the sea which filled the empty space could be heard.

Just like that…

The Xuanyuan Sword is liberated.

*****

Endless darkness;

Bound by duties;

One shall never meet;

The gentle sunlight's heat.

...

That was what she believed.

Two thousand years is a long time. The empress of Shenzhou, Ji Xuanyuan, willingly offered her life to prevent the beast from wrecking havoc. Along with her teachers, they banished it to the nine realms.

Her teachers died. She was left to safeguard the seals they gave their life for.

Still…

It birthed her doubts.

How long before being put to rest?

She shouldered the duty of guarding mankind. She placed her very life to pull it off. Her teachers left her alone.

How long will she…

…

Eternal solitude.

Victory is not within sight. Nobody came to put her out of misery. Nobody came to end Chiyou's life. She is destined to end miserably from the start.

The darkness on Ji Xuanyuan's heart gave form to another version of herself. The disappearance of her physical body did not hinder her natural stigma. Her dark version used it as a form of residence, accumulating more darkness as time passed.

The day the seals break down is the day they will break free.

Unfortunately, the world overturned their expectations.

A single strike of a sword fell the beast they kept sealed for two thousand years.

Chiyou's huge carcass was torn open. They saw the light of day.

It was then that someone descended from the skies.

His face is hidden in a veil of silver light. His cape fluttered as he stepped into the surface. His footsteps rang across the broken carcass.

Soon, he arrived in front of them.

The man emitted the exact same feeling as the 'sword' the two saw. It is formless and intangible, yet its presence rests on him.

"I ask of you, Your Highness. What is the sword?"

His calm voice disturbed Ji Xuanyuans' mind and broke her two thousand years of desolation.