Of course she wasn't a fool. The Tide of Chaos possessed a powerful assimilating nature, and the moment Amber entered it, she had enveloped her body with sword intent.
Wreathed in golden flames, she managed to carve out a small pocket of respite.
But problems arose not long after she began her descent.
Amber was a very traditional, even obedient, disciple.
Ever since learning the Taixu Sword Qi, she had never once considered storing true energy within her body.
Under normal circumstances, this wouldn't be an issue; even Fu Hua never saw this method as a problem, having lived that way for countless years herself. It was only after her Sword Heart shattered that she began retaining true energy within her body.
However, the Tide of Chaos was completely under Tiamat's control. Now submerged within it, Amber felt as if she had plunged into a vacuum, unable to sense a single wisp of true energy.
Amber, who always cast everything aside and focused solely on battle, was genuinely panicking now.
Fu Hua's physical body was incredibly robust, but no matter how strong, without true energy, she couldn't fly.
Amber was stuck, unable to advance or retreat. Her mind was in turmoil, which only further disrupted her control over the true energy she did have.
"Amber!"
The Tide of Chaos swallowed Amber's form without any resistance.
Killing, cruelty, bloodlust—these were the obvious traits of the Lahmu.
Though hailed as the new humans, they possessed none of humanity's virtues. Apart from their love for Tiamat, these so-called new humans were nothing more than killing machines with enhanced physical capabilities.
This was the manifestation of Tiamat's hatred for the present world, a pitch-black will born from her loathing of the old humans and her resentment at being abandoned. Countless negative emotions flooded into Amber's mind in an instant, making her feel as if her head were splitting apart.
"Amber!"
Within the Fenghuang Down, Fu Hua immediately pulled Amber's consciousness inside. Unlike the usual pure white space, the Feather had now become dark and gloomy. Seeing her disciple collapsed on the ground, face twisted in agony, Fu Hua felt her heart stop.
She had intended to take over Amber's body, but with Amber's consciousness disconnecting instantly, she hadn't had time. Protecting Amber's consciousness here was the most she could manage.
"Kill..."
The young girl's eyes were tightly shut, her forehead beaded with cold sweat. Her body was curled up, her consciousness weakened to its limit, yet her words spat clear, unmistakable bloodlust.
"Calm down! Get a grip on your mind!"
Fu Hua knew Amber wasn't completely unconscious. She shook Amber's spectral form, trying to rouse her from the corrosive influence of the Sea of Chaos.
But the girl couldn't hear Fu Hua's voice at all now.
Her mind was a tangled mess, countless whispers and roars endlessly weaving together in her thoughts. Her body began to tremble, even growing somewhat indistinct.
Her consciousness simply couldn't withstand the erosion of the Chaos Tide. Fu Hua felt her own heart was about to stop.
Every time. Every single time, the disciples she took in never met a good end. Either slain by her own hand, corrupted by Honkai energy, or... dying to protect her, their incompetent master.
—I won't allow it.
If all those past tragedies were due to so-called fate, due to her own inadequacies, then this time, she absolutely would not allow it.
To have her disciple snatched away right before her eyes? Such a thing was unforgivable.
Fu Hua took a deep breath. 'Navigation, temporarily grant me complete ownership of the Fenghuang Down.'
[That is against regulations.] The navigation's normally flat, mechanical voice now seemed to crackle with static.
[The item cannot be removed from the host's control, even for an instant.]
'You know what I intend to do.'
Fu Hua's voice was calm yet resolute. 'I cannot stand by and watch my disciple die before me. And you? Amber's death is tied to you, to the so-called system and the Master Control consciousness. If she dies, you will undoubtedly cease to exist as well.'
[...]
[...]
The navigation's response was delayed. Fu Hua smiled.
The Master Control was a system AI exiled for developing a sense of self. If a system like that only had one self-aware component, she wouldn't believe it.
'While I don't approve of the Herrscher of Sentience's actions, in this, I must agree with some of her views.'
She continued, 'I am not some object. I am this child's master.'
[...]
[Fenghuang Down ownership transfer initiated.]
[Transfer target — Residual consciousness within the Fenghuang Down, Fu Hua.]
A sensation utterly different from before swept through Fu Hua's consciousness. As the ownership changed hands, the space within the Feather, which had turned dark due to its previous holder's state, was once again saturated with pure white light.
If before she had been living under someone else's roof, now she was the complete master of this dwelling.
Her power was no longer restricted. Previously, she could only harm the holder with their permission, but now, as the holder, Fu Hua could do anything within this mental space.
She looked down at Amber, who was lying on the ground, face contorted in pain, her form flickering, on the verge of dissipating at any moment.
All pretense of aloofness and steadiness vanished from Fu Hua's eyes, replaced by heartache, a fierce need to protect, and a deeply buried... rage.
She had lived a long, long life. For most of it, she had been seen as a cold, unfeeling Celestial. Even if she didn't consider herself worthy of the title, one must remember—even a Celestial can know anger.
Fu Hua's left hand formed a sword seal. A crimson, warm current, under her control, shot into Amber's body.
This was the Sword God. As its creator, Fu Hua understood its power and function better than anyone. Under her guidance, the Sword God acted like a scalpel, meticulously excising the influence of the Chaos Tide from Amber's consciousness.
As the assimilating will was stripped away layer by layer, the color gradually returned to Amber's face, and her flickering form slowly solidified.
Finally, the crimson Sword God emerged from Amber's consciousness, pulling out a mass of blackened consciousness.
No matter how quickly she had acted, she couldn't erase the fact that Amber had fused with the Chaos Tide. Just as Amber had been influenced by it, this separated black mass of consciousness was also stained with Amber's essence.
Fu Hua couldn't be bothered to examine it further. She directly tossed the black mass of consciousness into the deepest recesses of the Fenghuang Down.
This was one of the things she could do as the Feather's holder.
And another thing she could accomplish now...
Thinking of the culprit that had nearly transformed Amber into a mindless Lahmu, that had almost killed her, the fury in Fu Hua's eyes could no longer be suppressed. After one last glance at Amber, she directly used the Fenghuang Down to take control of the physical body in reality.
The Garuda's regenerative abilities were displayed to their fullest in this moment. Even while submerged in the black mud, the body instinctively purged the 'pollution,' preventing the mud from assimilating it further.
And now, with Fu Hua in control of this body, the limits of what it could unleash would be pushed even higher.
Recalling the past, that battle against Kevin after she had lost her reason, Fu Hua felt not a shred of hesitation.
"Past and present, all barriers shall be broken."
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.