A Storm Approaches

Berry, I...

Ssh...

Are you all right?

Yeah.

Get some more sleep. I won't leave, I'll be right here when you wake up.

It's okay. We should get down the mountain and head to the village.

You wanna go back? There've been roars coming from there for days...

I was thinking, if we could make it home and grab our weapons...

And with your strength, you'll find a way out.

No one's going to save us no matter how long we stay here anyway.

...Let's go then.

Take it easy.

Watch your step.

You're not fully recovered. Are you sure you can do this?

I'm okay. It's just a few scratches.

Don't push yourself too hard. We still have to save some strength for those Filthoids.

Take that sword with you. It might be helpful one day.

Keep yourself safe. I'll take care of these Filthoids.

Is this place... a temple?

...Yes.

Someone once left that flying ship here.

And... a "key."

Listen, thrust your sword right in there.

Like this?

Is this your idea of "accurate intel," Randy? You gave me your word.

The soldiers did their best with the Filthoids. These are indeed unforeseen circumstances. But we did find something valuable on this island today...

Alchemical tools she has used and an airship with a Legion serial number on it.

You realise we're looking for "No. 0," not this useless junk, right?

We've been searching for over a decade... But our maritime unit intercepted several of the villagers' vessels. They might be able to dig up some...

Were those gunshots?

Randy.

Yes, ma'am!

...That's how it happened.

The Filthoids attacked you "for no reason" after you came here, and you managed to open the hidden path "by chance"... Is that really your story?

We're telling the truth! Let her go!

...!

Chief Sibylle, we've checked her spinal structure and confirmed that...

She's the "No. 0" we've been looking for.

...!

Fortune has finally smiled upon me.

Take her back.

As for her...

Remember... Vita, you must remember...

Your power... the power of Resonance...

If you wish to save all this...

Hang in there! I got you...

Berry!

Give it up, No. 0. Even the toughest blade has its breaking point.

Come back with me, and you'll live, so will this kid you care so much about.

Otherwise, she will...

...Give me your word.

Hmm?

I'll go back with you, but you have to promise to let her go.

Give me your word! Or, you can take two corpses back!

Perhaps I wasn't clear, This is not a negotiation, it's an order.

...Berry.

...?! You...!

Get out of here, and live.

No...!!

Quick question, Vita. The "three quick blinks" means...

I've got this, Berry. Three quick blinks means...

"Even if left all alone, you should be brave and live on."

"Until the day we meet again."

Run!

You can't get away!

Quest failed. Try again

Quest failed. Try again

This is my first time in the Cocytus Province. Is this how the people here show their hospitality?

I don't want to bother you, I just want to... strike a small "bargain."

I'll pay you whatever you want, and all you have to do, well, it will be a piece of cake.

The ship is at the mountaintop. After a short break, we'll push on.

...Can't believe we'll be saying goodbye to Purgatorio Island soon.

...You creatures just can't give us a break, can you?

But up until now, there has been no answer. Only endless flowing quicksand covering my vision, and...

him.

No...

Don't... take her...

No chance we're leaving by sea. Guess we'll have to count on that thing...

Listen, there's actually another "ship" on this island, up in the mountain ruins.

A ship... on the mountain?

Yes, a "ship" that flies. Now follow me.

Remem▇▇... ▇▇, you must ▇▇▇...

Your ▇▇... the power of ▇▇...

▇▇▇ wish to ▇ all this...

Wait, I can't hear you...

This is my first time in Cocytus Province. Is this how the people here show their hospitality?

I don't want to bother you, I just want to... strike a small "bargain."

I'll pay you whatever you want, and all you have to do, well, it will be a piece of cake.

Say, Su Yi, my Little Minion and I have been Honorary Learners of Jishu for a long time now, and we still don't know a single thing about our glorious past!

I heard our sect used to be amazing, like, worthy-of-the-Demon-King's-backstory amazing! So? What happened? Tell me, tell me!

"Honorary Learners," huh... Let me guess, Master Gongshang tried to rope you into being his disciples? Figures.

Well then, as your shijie, that's "senior fellow apprentice" in the Huaxu tongue, I'll give you the full story. Alright, listen up!

So, how much do you know about the origins of the Nine Chapters of Dafeng?

Ooh! I know! It was someone amazing... named...

Hmph. Trust the Xuanheng Sect to hog all the credit.

Uh-uh, no clowning in class!

Ah! Little Minion, when did you get back!?

What, you get to hear the lecture from our shijie and I don't? That's hardly fair.

Haha, sure, have a seat. Now... where were we? Ah, yes. Back in ancient times, Filthoids ran rampant and war never ceased.

How could the people of Huaxu be freed from the blight of Deterioration and the endless scourge of war? Ju and Yang, the forebears who founded this realm, wrestled with that question for many years.

At last, the Nine Chapters of Dafeng were born, ushering in centuries of peace across Huaxu.

But this miraculous art that shielded the realm was not Yang's work alone. The founder of our sect, Ju, played an indispensable role.

You may know that Yang possessed a rare gift: by burning incense, she could sway and command the Filthoids nearby, soothing them so they would no longer harm anyone.

But how could such a gift be made permanent, and even magnified?

To find the answer, Ju journeyed far and wide, reaching even the foot of the Tower in distant Elysium, where he embarked on a grand adventure alongside your Hyperborean forebears... Ahem. I digress.

In the end, Ju did find the answer. He returned to Huaxu, gathered manpower and resources, and began work on a vast, unprecedented endeavour.

When it was finished, Yang, Ju, and many forebears of the Loongcions gave their lives to that great work, binding Yang's art of Incense forever into the fabric of the world. Thus, the Nine Chapters took root.

Legend has it the device still rests above the Hall of Adjudication, though its inner workings and ingenious craft have long been lost to time.

Were it not a forbidden place, barred to all but a chosen few... I would give anything to see it with my own eyes.

After Yang and Ju sacrificed themselves, Taihao and Zhuyin took up their will, ruling Huaxu together ever since. The sects they founded, Xuanheng and Jishu, stood shoulder to shoulder in guiding the realm.

Back then, Jishu's rosters were as thick as tomes, and our coffers overflowed with research funding. Not like now, scraping by, counting every coin... ah, those were the glory days.

So the Jishu Sect really did have its golden age... How did it all fall apart?

Su Yi, you just said Zhuyin was honoured as a guardian god, but now it's seen as a harbinger of disaster. Is that tied to Jishu's decline?

Ha, quite sharp, Vita. I'm impressed.

After the Battle of Shuli, the Xuanheng Sect kept most of what happened under wraps. The full truth survives only in our direct line... so listen closely.

In the old days, though Xuanheng and Jishu ruled Huaxu together, our beliefs were far from the same. The Nine Chapters weren't so rigid then, mortals and gods could govern side by side.

We in Jishu weighed all things by the measure of the heart; Xuanheng, by the letter of unbending law. Case after case, our differences grew, until friction became constant.

In the end, all that tension boiled over, and the Battle of Shuli erupted.

Where Crowsong Hollow now lies was once a vital research hub for us, until the war reduced it to ashes.

No one knows exactly what happened. What is known is that Xuanheng suspected Jishu of plotting rebellion and sent troops to investigate, and somehow, it spiralled into a war from which none returned.

When the news broke, the whole realm reeled. The Nine Chapters had been forged to keep the peace, yet such a calamity had come to pass. It was unthinkable.

Xuanheng decided it was unbridled emotion and suspicion that had stripped people of reason, shattered order, and sparked the war. The heart itself, they declared, was the seed of all disaster.

And so, they sealed our guardian, Zhuyin. From that moment, the Nine Chapters began to lose their balance. Taihao grew cold, bound themselves ever tighter to rigid edicts, and turned a deaf ear to mortal voices.

The Jishu Sect came under heavy suppression, and much of our knowledge and craft was branded taboo. Even though society still relied on the Hall of Craft's techniques to fuel industry, they were shackled by prejudice and bound in constraint.

Some Jishu disciples, disillusioned by the Nine Chapters' rigidity, broke away and fled with the Drifters, seeking refuge in these mountains. That was the earliest form of what we now call the Outer Peaks.

Mhm... that about sums it up. So, any questions?

I see... so you caught glimpses of this history through Zhuyin's memories.

When heart and principle fall out of balance, the ruin that follows knows no end... Perhaps the turmoil we face today is proof Xuanheng's measures went too far.

Yes. The master who built the Labyrinth of Yanyin left behind his notes. This may serve as the key to the truth behind the Battle of Shuli.

If his account is true... the Jishu Sect never sought rebellion. On a fog-choked dawn, with the earth's magnetism in chaos, a mechapuppet malfunctioned, and both sides took it for a first strike.

Centuries of persecution and tragedy... all born from a single misunderstanding.

By now, even the truth holds little sway. Some rifts of the heart are not so easily mended.

Oh my... I didn't realise I'd gone on so long. In any case, whether grand or fallen, Jishu Sect's glory days are just that now, days long past.

What matters is the present. I've a mountain of tasks waiting, no time to wallow in nostalgia.

Go on, get to what you need to do. And if there's ever anything you don't understand, come find me. I'll gladly share what I know.

Huh? The floating slates just reformed... exactly like in the painting! Amazing!

"With ingenious craft, the world unfolds in myriad forms." I've heard of this miraculous technique, but to see it here, with my own eyes...

Honestly... if we weren't so pressed for time, I'd lock myself in here for half a month, studying every last detail before leaving!

So this is the prototype of the mech-bird... brings back memories. When I was a child, I'd copy its form from picture books again and again, dreaming of riding it through the skies.

Climb on, Vita. It'll carry you to the next destination.

A tower built entirely with mortise-and-tenon joinery... the craftsmanship is extraordinary.

Su Yi, there's something written on that stone stele up ahead.

Say... why would your forebears go to all this trouble, building an entire underground palace just to stash something down here?

Must be something very valuable.

Mm... Historical records suggest the Labyrinth was built decades after the Battle of Shuli.

The Battle of Shuli... I've heard it mentioned a few times, but I never really knew what it was.

It was the battle that brought about the Jishu Sect's downfall, and the beginning of the Nine Chapters' corruption. I'll tell you the full story another time.

We're closing in on the final truth... which is exactly when we can't afford to let our guard down.

Aaaah! Little Minion, why are they ganging up on us!? Aren't they supposed to be enemies!? This is really bad!

They're not actual Bi'an, but mimic mechapuppets built in their likeness. Stay sharp!

The second symbol has stirred... which means the prophecy is already in motion.

Zhiliu... what exactly are you after?

Been away for decades, and the saplings by the gate have shot up so tall!

Ha! Back then I'd be scrambling up and down them all day, staging cricket battles with the other kids, poking the geese just to see them flap, then legging it for my life when they came after me...

Heh... wonder if anyone here would still know my face.

I have only confirmed that a descendant of the Wuqiongzang Sect resides in this village. Their exact identity remains unclear.

Truth be told, I've no clue either. Best start asking around. Good luck.

Why us? Wouldn't it be quicker if you asked? You're the local here. Don't tell me you're shirking again.

Not this time... Ahem, you'll see.

Why'd she turn all frosty the second she saw you?

Who knows. Maybe it's 'cause I spent half my childhood chasing her chickens around.

Oof... sniffing around like this won't get us far. Let's just go straight to the village chief.

The last seal... it's giving way. Soon, the truth of everything will come to light.

Zhiliu... when you chose this path, what were you thinking?

Zhiliu, would you make yourself a sinner for all eternity?

The grace of Heaven, and the ordinances wrought by your forebears, would you, a mere mortal, presume to defy them!?

Turn back now, before it is too late!

Stop! You must go no further!

Would you truly see the grand design of millennia end by your hand!?

Zhiliu, is your mind truly set?

It worked...!

The statues along the way are all shattered, Zhiliu must be just ahead!

Intruder... can you withstand Heaven's wrath?

...What is this place?

...All things bear the yin and embrace the yang; from their union is wrought the concord...

...Fill a vessel unto brimming, and it spills; whet a blade to utmost keenness, and its edge shall not endure...

Of all the places you could've gone after things calmed down... I didn't think you'd come here.

You're going to his grave, aren't you?

...So, my shifu has already told you. How meddlesome of her.

And yet... it was her meddling that allowed this turmoil to reach a clean resolution.

Ever since that day... whenever the rain fell at night, I could not sleep. I would close my eyes, only to hear the endless drip of water in my ears.

In those nightmares, I was always back in that cave... staring into the cold, unfeeling eyes of those people. And so, I stopped trusting anyone.

I chose to seize control of everything, to scheme and calculate each step... for I could only bear to face the truths I wished to see.

Vita... perhaps you still resent me. Had I trusted you more... would it be easier to meet your gaze now?

Hah... listen to me, drowning in useless "what ifs."

...And without even realising it, we have arrived.

Hey there, ever heard any stories about the Wuqiongzang Sect?

No...

Ah! Papa says I'm not supposed to talk to strangers. Are you strangers?

Haha! We've been chatting for a bit already, that makes us friends, not strangers.

So, where's your papa now?

He went out early to chop wood. If you've got questions, ask Mama, she's over there drying incense.

Excuse me, do you happen to know if there's a Wuqiongzang Sect recluse living in this village?

Wuqiongzang? Can't say I've heard of that... though we do have a few teachers here good with numbers and divination.

We're looking for the type who might fiddle with coins and tortoise shells for augury. Does that ring a bell?

...Kezhou!?

Uh... ahem. Hey, Sister Xiangyun, how've you been? How's the family? Your boy's gotten tall...

Go home and do your homework, now! Don't go picking up bad habits from the likes of this man.

I've nothing to say to you lot. Criminal's get... don't bring your bad luck into our village.

Hi, Uncle Li. It's me. Mind if I ask you something?

...Kezhou? You've grown... shoulders broader too.

After all these years... you've finally come home.

Just here on business. Need to ask something for a friend, we'll be gone before you know it.

That's not what I meant... ah, never mind. What do you need?

Do you know of a Wuqiongzang Sect recluse living here?

You mean Hermit Jingyuan? Across the broken bridge, near the cliff edge.

Oh! That's the one patch I always steered clear of.

I was a real rascal as a kid, scaled every wall, nicked every loose tile, turned the entire village inside out... except that spot. Every time I went near it, I'd blank out and end up nose-down by a stump.

If that's Wuqiongzang turf, well... that explains it. Thanks, Uncle Li, we'll get out of your hair.

...Wait.

Hm? What is it, Uncle Li?

After we drove your family out... I've carried that guilt ever since. How have you been all these years?

Ah, don't fret over that. I'm doing fine, eating well, sleeping sound, living free. My old man's got a big heart, he wouldn't hold a grudge either.

...Your father was a good man.

A real shame... and I still regret not standing up for your family back then.

Hey, don't say that. You helped us a lot, brought food and water, did what you could. My mom and I have only ever been grateful.

Dwelling too much on the past will only steal your years away. Take it easy, Uncle Li, and save me a seat at your 100th birthday celebration!

Right, now we really do have to go. Next time I drop by, I hope to see you still full of beans.

Huh? The floating slates just reformed... exactly like in the painting! Amazing!

"With ingenious craft, the world unfolds in myriad forms." I've heard of this miraculous technique, but to see it here, with my own eyes...

Honestly... if we weren't so pressed for time, I'd lock myself in here for half a month, studying every last detail before leaving!

So this is the prototype of the mech-bird... brings back memories. When I was a child, I'd copy its form from picture books again and again, dreaming of riding it through the skies.

Climb on, Vita. It'll carry you to the next destination.

A tower built entirely with mortise-and-tenon joinery... the craftsmanship is extraordinary.

Su Yi, there's something written on that stone stele up ahead.

Say... why would your forebears go to all this trouble, building an entire underground palace just to stash something down here?

Must be something very valuable.

Mm... Historical records suggest the Labyrinth was built decades after the Battle of Shuli.

The Battle of Shuli... I've heard it mentioned a few times, but I never really knew what it was.

It was the battle that brought about the Jishu Sect's downfall, and the beginning of the Nine Chapters' corruption. I'll tell you the full story another time.

We're closing in on the final truth... which is exactly when we can't afford to let our guard down.

Aaaah! Little Minion, why are they ganging up on us!? Aren't they supposed to be enemies!? This is really bad!

They're not actual Bi'an, but mimic mechapuppets built in their likeness. Stay sharp!

The second symbol has stirred... which means the prophecy is already in motion.

Zhiliu... what exactly are you after?

Been away for decades, and the saplings by the gate have shot up so tall!

Ha! Back then I'd be scrambling up and down them all day, staging cricket battles with the other kids, poking the geese just to see them flap, then legging it for my life when they came after me...

Heh... wonder if anyone here would still know my face.

I have only confirmed that a descendant of the Wuqiongzang Sect resides in this village. Their exact identity remains unclear.

Truth be told, I've no clue either. Best start asking around. Good luck.

Why us? Wouldn't it be quicker if you asked? You're the local here. Don't tell me you're shirking again.

Not this time... Ahem, you'll see.

Why'd she turn all frosty the second she saw you?

Who knows. Maybe it's 'cause I spent half my childhood chasing her chickens around.

Oof... sniffing around like this won't get us far. Let's just go straight to the village chief.

The last seal... it's giving way. Soon, the truth of everything will come to light.

Zhiliu... when you chose this path, what were you thinking?

Zhiliu, would you make yourself a sinner for all eternity?

The grace of Heaven, and the ordinances wrought by your forebears, would you, a mere mortal, presume to defy them!?

Turn back now, before it is too late!

Stop! You must go no further!

Would you truly see the grand design of millennia end by your hand!?

Zhiliu, is your mind truly set?

It worked...!

The statues along the way are all shattered, Zhiliu must be just ahead!

Intruder... can you withstand Heaven's wrath?

...What is this place?

...All things bear the yin and embrace the yang; from their union is wrought the concord...

...Fill a vessel unto brimming, and it spills; whet a blade to utmost keenness, and its edge shall not endure...

Of all the places you could've gone after things calmed down... I didn't think you'd come here.

You're going to his grave, aren't you?

...So, my shifu has already told you. How meddlesome of her.

And yet... it was her meddling that allowed this turmoil to reach a clean resolution.

Ever since that day... whenever the rain fell at night, I could not sleep. I would close my eyes, only to hear the endless drip of water in my ears.

In those nightmares, I was always back in that cave... staring into the cold, unfeeling eyes of those people. And so, I stopped trusting anyone.

I chose to seize control of everything, to scheme and calculate each step... for I could only bear to face the truths I wished to see.

Vita... perhaps you still resent me. Had I trusted you more... would it be easier to meet your gaze now?

Hah... listen to me, drowning in useless "what ifs."

...And without even realising it, we have arrived.

Huh? The floating slates just reformed... exactly like in the painting! Amazing!

"With ingenious craft, the world unfolds in myriad forms." I've heard of this miraculous technique, but to see it here, with my own eyes...

Honestly... if we weren't so pressed for time, I'd lock myself in here for half a month, studying every last detail before leaving!

So this is the prototype of the mech-bird... brings back memories. When I was a child, I'd copy its form from picture books again and again, dreaming of riding it through the skies.

Climb on, Vita. It'll carry you to the next destination.

A tower built entirely with mortise-and-tenon joinery... the craftsmanship is extraordinary.

Su Yi, there's something written on that stone stele up ahead.

Say... why would your forebears go to all this trouble, building an entire underground palace just to stash something down here?

Must be something very valuable.

Mm... Historical records suggest the Labyrinth was built decades after the Battle of Shuli.

The Battle of Shuli... I've heard it mentioned a few times, but I never really knew what it was.

It was the battle that brought about the Jishu Sect's downfall, and the beginning of the Nine Chapters' corruption. I'll tell you the full story another time.

We're closing in on the final truth... which is exactly when we can't afford to let our guard down.

Aaaah! Little Minion, why are they ganging up on us!? Aren't they supposed to be enemies!? This is really bad!

They're not actual Bi'an, but mimic mechapuppets built in their likeness. Stay sharp!

The second symbol has stirred... which means the prophecy is already in motion.

Zhiliu... what exactly are you after?

Been away for decades, and the saplings by the gate have shot up so tall!

Ha! Back then I'd be scrambling up and down them all day, staging cricket battles with the other kids, poking the geese just to see them flap, then legging it for my life when they came after me...

Heh... wonder if anyone here would still know my face.

I have only confirmed that a descendant of the Wuqiongzang Sect resides in this village. Their exact identity remains unclear.

Truth be told, I've no clue either. Best start asking around. Good luck.

Why us? Wouldn't it be quicker if you asked? You're the local here. Don't tell me you're shirking again.

Not this time... Ahem, you'll see.

Why'd she turn all frosty the second she saw you?

Who knows. Maybe it's 'cause I spent half my childhood chasing her chickens around.

Oof... sniffing around like this won't get us far. Let's just go straight to the village chief.

The last seal... it's giving way. Soon, the truth of everything will come to light.

Zhiliu... when you chose this path, what were you thinking?

Zhiliu, would you make yourself a sinner for all eternity?

The grace of Heaven, and the ordinances wrought by your forebears, would you, a mere mortal, presume to defy them!?

Turn back now, before it is too late!

Stop! You must go no further!

Would you truly see the grand design of millennia end by your hand!?

Zhiliu, is your mind truly set?

It worked...!

The statues along the way are all shattered, Zhiliu must be just ahead!

Intruder... can you withstand Heaven's wrath?

...What is this place?

...All things bear the yin and embrace the yang; from their union is wrought the concord...

...Fill a vessel unto brimming, and it spills; whet a blade to utmost keenness, and its edge shall not endure...

Of all the places you could've gone after things calmed down... I didn't think you'd come here.

You're going to his grave, aren't you?

...So, my shifu has already told you. How meddlesome of her.

And yet... it was her meddling that allowed this turmoil to reach a clean resolution.

Ever since that day... whenever the rain fell at night, I could not sleep. I would close my eyes, only to hear the endless drip of water in my ears.

In those nightmares, I was always back in that cave... staring into the cold, unfeeling eyes of those people. And so, I stopped trusting anyone.

I chose to seize control of everything, to scheme and calculate each step... for I could only bear to face the truths I wished to see.

Vita... perhaps you still resent me. Had I trusted you more... would it be easier to meet your gaze now?

Hah... listen to me, drowning in useless "what ifs."

...And without even realising it, we have arrived.