After disappearing from Xiangling sight, Qiu Bai instantly teleported to the peak of a mountain.
He could sense a strange presence, a presence very similar to his own.
However, in his current state, pinpointing its exact location was difficult.
With a slight smirk, his body shifted and transformed.
In the blink of an eye, he had turned into a woman.
Her beauty was breathtaking, with lips like crimson clouds and cool, azure eyes that carried an air of detachment.
She wore a black-and-white long dress, and at her waist hung a Taiji symbol, emanating a radiant glow.
At this moment, the yin half of the Taiji symbol shimmered brilliantly.
Her long black hair was tied with a black-and-white hairband, and her bare jade-like legs and feet were exposed, exuding an ethereal, untouchable aura—like an immortal beyond the mortal realm.
She stood at around 1.7 meters tall.
Qiu Bai or rather, she now had fully assumed this female form.
This was one of the authorities of the Yin-Yang Archon.
Even Morax, her old friend had never seen her in this state.
She had only used this form once before, and normally, she disliked transforming into it.
The reason?
Her personality and perception would shift slightly.
"...For example, these two things on my chest."
"Uh…"
Qiu Bai awkwardly touched the two "slimes" on her chest, her cheeks tinged with a faint blush.
Even her voice had transformed, now sweet and melodious, like silver chimes ringing in the wind.
After scanning her surroundings, she took off into the sky, heading in a specific direction.
"Hmm… Am I sensing this correctly?"
After flying for a while, the enchanting woman stopped above a massive crater.
The area was lush with trees, and within the forest, animals darted about.
Her gaze fell upon the center of the crater, and she descended.
"...This is the place where I purified Azhdaha corruption all those years ago."
Qiu Bai extended her delicate jade hand, sensing the remnants of energy her brows furrowing slightly.
Before she could act further, the ground trembled.
Suddenly—
A blinding white light shot out from the earth, piercing through the sky at breakneck speed.
"You're not getting away!"
With a soft yet firm cry, Qiu Bai chased after the fleeing white orb of light at high speed.
As she closed the distance, she felt something—
That light orb…
It was nurturing a new Archon.
The chase continued into the high skies, but in the end, Qiu Bai was faster.
With her graceful hand, she snatched the white orb from the air.
The orb struggled briefly in her grasp before falling still.
Qiu Bai gazed at the light in her hand, her eyes flickering with realization.
"This is this the essence I lost when I purified Azhdaha a thousand years ago?"
"I didn't expect that after a thousand years, something just like me—a god—would be forming inside."
Qiu Bai floated in midair, extending her delicate jade-like hand as she carefully observed the orb of light before her. The cold moonlight bathed her elegant figure in an ethereal glow.
"Fortunately, it hasn't developed intelligence yet."
"Otherwise, I'd really have to become a mother."
She patted her chest in relief, grateful that such a situation had not come to pass.
But as that thought settled in, Qiu Bai froze for a moment—then, her cheeks flushed red.
"Become a mother? That's impossible. Impossible in this lifetime."
"Wait, what?"
She suddenly realized something.
"Why am I blushing? …So this form really does affect my personality, huh?"
Qiu Bai muttered softly, then turned her gaze back to the orb of light in her hands.
It had only been nurturing for a thousand years, after all.
And forming this kind of light orb had already taken several hundred years, so its instinct to escape was purely a survival mechanism.
"Since that's the case, I might as well absorb you back into my body."
She spoke calmly to the white orb in her palm.
Though her current strength had already grown tenfold compared to a thousand years ago, reclaiming a part of her lost essence wouldn't hurt.
With that thought, she took off, heading toward a remote, uninhabited wilderness.
Upon arriving, Qiu Bai stepped into a secluded cave, then sat cross-legged.
Extending a single jade-like hand, she began absorbing the orb's essence.
Dark and pale light flickered within the cave, illuminating its walls as time quietly passed.
By the time she opened her beautiful eyes, morning had arrived—the light orb had completely vanished.
She focused inward, sensing the changes within her body.
Not much had changed.
"Only about half of my strength from a thousand years ago, huh?"
Still, it was an increase.
"Even if it's just a sesame seed, it's still meat."
Qiu Bai smiled at the thought, then rose to her feet.
Stepping outside, the morning sunlight bathed her face.
She let out a deep stretch, feeling the crisp air of dawn.
"Now then, time to find the Traveler."
"Lumine is probably with that old man Morax."
With that in mind, Qiu Bai sensed the Traveler's location, then vanished in an instant.
Arriving near Lumine and Zhongli, Qiu Bai concealed her presence before walking toward them.
Before she even reached them, she spotted Zhongli, Lumine, and Paimon offering incense at a Statue of the Seven.
The statue reacted to the third type of incense.
Just before she stepped forward, she heard Paimon voice.
"Looks like the Geo Archon really likes the third incense, huh?"
Lumine nodded slightly and spoke to Zhongli beside her.
"I didn't expect the God of Geo to like this kind of incense."
"Could it be that the Geo Archon is actually a mature big sister?"
Paimon mumbled curiously.
After all, the third type of incense had a gentle yet long-lasting fragrance, lingering like mist, making it particularly popular among mature women.
Hearing this, Zhongli chuckled.
"Hahaha… perhaps."
"The Geo Archon has countless incarnations—maybe such a form truly exists."
He smiled as he explained to Paimon.
"Too bad we've only seen that giant dragon form. And…"
"I just hope the Liyue Qixing can find the real culprit."
Paimon frowned.
Zhongli simply crossed his arms and replied calmly,
"Let those in power worry about that. Our task is only to complete the send-off ceremony for the Geo Archon."
"So, that's another step done! What's next?"
Paimon tilted her head, looking curiously at Zhongli.
"Next is—"
Before Zhongli could finish speaking, a beautiful woman approached from the distance.
"Lumine, Paimon, Zhongli—you're all here."
Her sweet voice, paired with her jade-like legs and feet, along with a stunning ink-white dress, left both Lumine and Paimon momentarily frozen.
Paimon blinked in astonishment.
"Pretty big sister, do you… know us?"
She asked in confusion, gazing at the woman who was beyond beautiful.
Qiu Bai internally panicked.
"Oh no! I forgot to change back!"
"I was too focused on absorbing the essence yesterday and completely forgot about this!"
Feeling a bit embarrassed, she rubbed her nose, realizing that she had no choice but to play along.
Meanwhile, Zhongli, standing to the side whose expression rarely changed finally showed genuine surprise.
His golden eyes widened as he stared at the figure before him, who looked like a celestial fairy descending from the heavens.
"Uh…"
"I… I am—"
Seeing her hesitation, Zhongli calmly stepped in and explained,
"She is an old friend of mine. I've told her about you before, which is why she knows who you are."
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