I chose not to pursue the Project STIGMA's matter within the Imaginary Space, but chose to retreat first. I returned back to the Elysian Realm. Seele crossed her arms as she stared at the masked man in the distance. The latter was badly beaten and battered. I could see traces of her resentment from his wounds alone.
Veliona gave me a stare. We stealthily established a mental connection.
'Sorry.'
'Hmph. It's your fault.'
Her gaze isn't harsh.
'Seele is too volatile now. She's too crazy for you.'
Seele is no longer the shy girl from before. The seven hundred years of living inside a closed repeating time loop differed from a normal seven hundred years of normal life.
Her frustrations led to a strong obsession.
'I know. I will resolve it later.'
'Alright…'
The conversation took a second. Seele's body jolted as she looked at me with a tinge of embarrassment.
"He came here with ill intentions." She hastily explained. "I knew he wouldn't be convinced until he was beaten down so…"
Elysia, who was behind me, peeked at him.
"Kalpas? These are my guests~"
"..."
The broken half of his mask showed his bewilderment. In the end, he stood up and left silently.
"Do you want to stay here?"
I asked Miss Pink Elf beside me.
"I want to sit on the front seat~"
"If you say so."
I shrugged and asked the still embarrassed Seele to take her back into the Bubble World. This time, she possessed the memories of Elysia prior to her death. The entire Bubble World remained nestled within Seele.
My Dharma Avatar manifested behind me. Its hundreds of meters tall figure did not cause any disturbance to the Elysian Realm.
My supernatural powers have evolved to be a part of the Dharma Avatar—an aspect. The Dao of Clouds surged forth. The [Cloud Seeking Steps] ran swiftly, further complementing it.
A fraction of a second passed before we arrived in front of the torn imaginary barrier. Several people kept watch over it.
"Principal."
"Ahm? It's you…"
Theresa gained several centimeters of height, but aside from it, she gained nothing else. She remained stuck at the pinnacle of the Purple Mansion Realm.
"Will they be fine?"
She referred to Kiana and the others who chose to confront Otto.
"Don't underestimate her strength. She's stronger than you now, Prin… Overseer."
"..."
Theresa looked speechless and melancholic at the mention of that title.
"You must have come across her. Sirin."
"...Yes."
I immediately saw through Theresa's internal conflict when we arrived. I wanted to help her resolve this issue once and for all. In her eyes, Otto is her grandfather. No matter how much evil he had caused, his care for her will never be changed.
"You can mourn for him. That's the best outcome."
"..."
After patting her petite shoulders, I headed to Bronya. Seele and Veliona followed me from behind. I saw the place where Kiana, Fu Hua, and Sirin entered the Imaginary Space from.
Like the Sea of Quanta, the Imaginary Space is a chaotic place where two or more dimensional planes converge. Its mark on the three-dimensional plane is as bright as the sun above.
"Did the Overseer ask you about your growth?"
Bronya did not reply and looked at me strangely.
"How did you know?" She asked.
"It's her lifelong goal to grow up. How could she remain unmoved after seeing you?"
Bronya's physical changes are far too big to ignore. She and Theresa were once of the same height.
Now, Bronya is a head taller than her with mature features, to boot.
"I told her to temper her Tao Heart. She seemed very eager when she asked. I am afraid it will take a while."
"Not really. I am wealthy now."
Five years of gacha is not without any warrants. The number of spiritual artifacts, pills, spiritual plants, and treasures I gained numbered in the thousands. I can easily provide everyone with spiritual artifacts and plants that will counter the Heart Demon Tribulation. Anything that can be solved by money is no longer a problem.
After talking to Bronya, it was Seele who took my place. The sight of their "reunion" made me feel guilty. It was I who pushed her to live for seven hundred years in that damned loop.
Fortunately, talking with Bronya eased its drawbacks. Her Tao Heart remained stable. It means that these 'obsessions' aren't major. Resolving them would do.
We waited for a while until three figures emerged. Kiana instantly moved in front of me and locked me in a hug.
"Okay. My Tianium energy is restored!"
"You really wanted to show off."
I couldn't help but comment.
I looked around and received Fu Hua's gaze. I greeted her with a nod as she did the same.
"Here. Your assignments."
Kiana interjected and passed on a jade slip. I read its contents and got dazed for a while.
It actually is…
No.
That shouldn't be it.
Kiana's findings showed the changed environment of the Imaginary Tree. She noted the appearance of a spirit vein higher than the eighth grade, the Dao Integration Realm. It is at this stage that one goes beyond the eleven dimensions, digging further into thousands of other spatial dimensions. Its complexity can be described as "infinite".
The Imaginary Tree is only in eleven dimensions. The knowledge revealed in the game cannot be changed arbitrarily.
A sense of deja vu struck over me.
…
No way.
The honkai gave us immortal cultivation hacks. The enemies we faced, on the other hand, are fake cultivators of their respective stages. Herrschers possess Golden Core Realm authorities but are very weak in terms of frontal combat.
The Cocoon of Finality must have a limit. Meaning, our cultivation hacks might end anytime soon.
Now that the Imaginary Tree showed these changes…
Isn't it just a higher version of honkai cultivation hacks?
I pressed my excitement down. Now is not the time for it.
"Finish recharging soon. We need to confront your ancestor later."
"Hum."
I stood still while receiving the others' gazes. Our connection together is strong enough to manifest tangibly.
Bronya was about to say something when I felt its slight ominousness. It doesn't bring much harm. I am also curious about it, so I let it be.
"Did you two have sex together?"
"""..."""
Oh, goodness.
I should have prevented this from happening.
*****
A/N: A quick update. I increased the numbers of advanced chapters in my patreon. $10 tier went from 40 chapters to 50 chapters. $5 tier went from 10 chapters to 15 chapters. I got too motivated during our semester break that I wrote these excess chapters. If anyone's interested, feel free to check it out.