I cosplayed as the battle-damaged Azure Sparrow and got caught by the Immortal Boat!

The opening of the gates to the underworld was without any earth-shattering sound.

It was a double rune drawn in the void by the pale purple radiance flowing from Xiaodie's fingertips and the emerald green energy gathered in Fengjin's palm. Two powers, one carrying the lightness of dreams and transitions, the other containing the resilience of life and healing, intertwined to form a rotating, semi-transparent door.

The atmosphere emanating from behind the door made everyone present unconsciously hold their breath—it was the silence of death, but not a cold end, but a profound, expectant tranquility, as if all things had returned to their original state after shedding their physical forms.

"Keep up." Xia Die's voice was less languid than usual, more solemn. She stepped in first, her figure seemingly melting into the light and shadow behind the door. Feng Jin followed closely behind, casting an encouraging glance at Kong Bai and the others.

Blank took a deep breath and stepped across the threshold. Wan Di, Huang Di, and several silent but elite Tirispie guards entered in turn.

On the other side of the door, the scene was beyond imagination.

Contrary to expectations of a gloomy underworld or a desolate wasteland, there was instead a vast, boundless, and strange space comprised of countless slowly rotating pale gray nebulae and tranquilly flowing silver "rivers." These "rivers" were not water, but rather like frozen time or settled memories, winding through the nebulae and flowing towards the deep darkness at the edge of the field of vision. Faint whispers filled the air, like the murmurs of billions of souls in their slumber, yet not a single word could be discerned.

"This is the 'Channel of the River Styx'," Xia Die explained, her wings gleaming like mother-of-pearl in the light of the underworld. "It's a relatively stable, shallow layer of the consciousness of the dead. Further in, there lies the 'Abyss of Souls,' a place even I must tread carefully."

Feng Jin had already begun her operation. She pressed her hands together, and emerald green energy spread and took root in the surrounding space like roots, constructing a stable and vibrant protective barrier centered on her. When the edge of the barrier came into contact with the deathly energy of the underworld, it emitted a slight rustling sound, like plants growing, cleverly isolating the corrosive void from the outside world.

"I will maintain the 'Anchor Point of Life' to ensure that our presence here is not assimilated by the Underworld, and monitor disturbances in the deeper areas." Feng Jin closed her eyes and focused, her voice calm. "Xia Die will be in charge of 'Boundary Harmony.' Her power can make this area temporarily 'recognize' our existence, avoiding triggering the Underworld's autonomous defense mechanism."

Xia Die nodded, her body shimmering with purple light, creating a wondrous resonance with the pulse of the underworld itself. She was like a masterful tuner, minimizing the "disharmony" between the outsider and the realm of the dead.

"Well then, let's begin," said Arabi in a deep, muffled voice. The flute in his hand, made of unidentified bones and metal, seemed to react to the atmosphere of the underworld, trembling slightly.

Their mission was clear yet daunting: to search for "memory fragments" related to Xi Lian in the relatively safe surface region of the underworld.

That summer's deduction suggests that the essence of Xi Lian may have scattered into fragments of memory carrying intense emotions, drifting between life and death. These fragments may be attached to certain special underworld phenomena, lingering obsessions, or sediments in those silver "rivers of memory".

The Tirispians swiftly dispersed into several reconnaissance teams. Silent and efficient, their eyes flashing with data streams, they scanned for energy fluctuations, residual information, and anomalous structures. They were top hunters and intelligence experts, now searching the realm of the dead for their most elusive prey—the crystallization of emotion.

Blank, Wan Di, and Arabi form another core search team.

Blank attempted to mobilize her "blank" power to perceive. In this space dominated by "ending" and "memory," her power's response became exceptionally subtle, no longer a "covering" or "manifestation" in reality, but more like a delicate "resonance detection." She could sense countless subtle streams of information, chaotic, faded, and bittersweet fragments, like dust in the wind.

"Too many..." Blank frowned, feeling a wave of dizziness. "Almost every flickering glimmer could be a fragment of memory. How can we distinguish which ones belong to Xi Lian?"

"Emotional intensity, relevance, and... 'flavor'." Wan Di grinned, revealing a ferocious expression that was less of a smile and more of an instinctive reaction. As a conceptual entity born from chaos and strife, he possessed a beast-like intuition for "intense" things. He took a deep breath, as if tasting the air of the underworld: "Over there... there's a very strong 'sad obsession,' and... um... 'warm protection'? Mixed together, it's strange."

He pointed to a bend in a silver river where some particularly bright, firefly-like lights gathered.

Meanwhile, inside the scepter, in that moment, Xia's exclusive "Still Space".

Time flows drastically differently here, almost stagnating. Countless luminous geometric shapes and flowing data chains float in the space, with a complex, multi-layered energy manipulation platform at its center.

At that moment, Xia's illusory figure stood before the platform. In front of him floated several crystal fragments, faintly glowing, that had just been returned by the first group of Tirispionis—these were the "memory fragments" that had been initially collected and were suspected to be related to Xi Lian.

These fragments come in various shapes and sizes; some resemble teardrops, others petals, and still others are simply irregular polyhedrons. They radiate different emotional hues: a pale blue one shimmers with guilt and self-reproach; a warm yellow one contains tender concern; and a dark purple one is imbued with deep sorrow and confusion.

"Directly injecting energy or reorganizing matter is meaningless." Xia's voice echoed in the stagnant space, as if she were talking to herself, or as if she were conversing with some unseen wisdom. "Xi Lian's 'existence' has been erased from the level of 'existence' by a higher-level power. 'Resurrection' in the conventional sense is impossible."

His finger hovered over the data link, which wrapped around the fragments of memory crystals and began to perform extremely precise analysis.

"The key lies in the inherent characteristics of the destiny of 'memory' itself." At that moment, a glint appeared in Xia's eyes. "Memory is more than just recording. When memory carries sufficiently strong emotions, will, and proof of existence, it can itself become an 'anchor,' a force against 'forgetting' and 'nothingness.' Especially for an individual who may have a profound connection with the Star God of Memory, Fu Li..."

His deductions proceeded rapidly.

"We cannot reconstruct 'her,' but we can... 'invite' her back. Using these 'memory fragments' that carry her core emotions as a foundation, we will construct a powerful 'memory resonance framework.' This framework itself will become a powerful summoning array and temporary vessel that conforms to the rules of 'memory's' destiny and points to the concept of 'Xi Lian.'"

"The difficulty lies in," a complex multidimensional formula and risk simulation diagram appeared before Xia at that moment, "first, we need enough and strong enough core memory fragments to ensure the 'targeting' of the summoning is accurate, so as to avoid summoning distorted obsessions or irrelevant memory aggregates."

"Second, the stability of the resonance framework. Memory is fluid and fragile. It requires a medium that can simultaneously carry emotional energy, maintain information structure, and create a proper interface with both the underworld and the real world... Perhaps it is a specially treated 'spiritual element,' combined with part of the structure of the deduction array itself..."

"Third, and most importantly," Xia's illusory figure solidified slightly, displaying rare solemnity, "the summoning process requires an extremely powerful 'emotional resonance source' with a deep bond to 'Xi Lian' as a fuse and stabilizer. Otherwise, even if the framework is built, what is summoned may only be a mass of unconscious information turbulence, or it may collapse instantly."

His gaze seemed to pierce through the barrier of stillness, directed towards the underworld, and then towards the escalating ultimate conflict beneath the distant starry sky.

"Time... We need time to gather the fragments and refine the technology. But time in the outside world is accelerating towards a critical point."

The search continues in the underworld.

Following Wan Di's guidance, Kong Bai and Huang Di arrived at the bend in the silver river. Upon closer inspection, they discovered that the bright glimmers weren't drifting randomly, but rather slowly rotating around an almost transparent, humanoid silhouette. The silhouette vaguely resembled Xi Lian's form, yet it was empty and hollow, like a mark temporarily maintained by underworld energy, soon to dissipate.

"This is... a 'Thought Entity'?" Blank murmured, feeling a tightness in his chest. This was a brief projection left in the underworld by the intense longing of the living.

The faint light swirling around the object of longing were the most intense fragments of memory. One radiated admiration for "Teacher" (Nakashi Natsu) and guilt for failing to meet expectations; another was filled with warm protective feelings for "comrades" (possibly referring to others within the scepter, or perhaps something deeper); and yet another was imbued with deep sorrow and endless regret for someone "who could not be brought back."

Blank reached out, the power of emptiness at her fingertips gently enveloping the remaining crystals. This time, the power didn't penetrate, but instead resonated faintly with the crystals. She seemed to hear an extremely soft sigh, transcending life and death.

"These are all." Blank carefully guided and collected the few fragments of crystal into a specially made container that had been blessed with life-giving power by the wind violet.

However, at that very moment, something unexpected happened!

Xi Lian's ethereal form suddenly trembled violently, its empty eyes "looking" into the void. The silver river's flow accelerated abruptly, and more blurry, struggling images surfaced within it—not just Xi Lian's, but countless other fragments of souls that had sunk there. The tranquility of the underworld was shattered, whispers turning into cacophony of lamentations and howls.

"What's going on?!" Arabi immediately placed his flute across the front and looked around warily.

Xia Die's voice urgently came through some kind of mental connection: "There's a massive disturbance in the deep region! Some kind of 'absorbing' or 'devouring' force is affecting the surface! Feng Jin's barrier is under pressure! Return to the rendezvous point immediately after collecting the core fragments! Don't get caught in the memory vortex!"

The entire Styx Corridor began to tremble. More silver rivers surged, whipping up waves composed of fragments of memory. Some lingering entities of obsession were awakened, emitting silent shrieks. The communication channels of the Tirispians crackled with static and brief sounds of battle—they had encountered Netherworld Primals agitated by abnormal energy or berserk aggregates of memory.

"Go!" Wan Di roared, and chaotic energy surged on his body, forcibly creating a temporarily stable channel in the chaotic energy flow.

Blank shielded the collected fragments of crystals, and together with Wild Flute, they followed Wan Di, speeding towards the rendezvous point of the barrier maintained by Wind Violet and Butterfly. Behind them, the turmoil of the Underworld was spreading, and Xi Lian's lingering thoughts were completely dissipated in the vortex, while more fragments of memory crystals were swept into the unfathomable Abyss of Souls.

"This level of disturbance... is unusual." While maintaining the barrier, Feng Jin analyzed the energy readings. "It's like... some kind of powerful external intervention, or... something deep in the underworld has been 'disturbed,' causing a chain reaction."

The light on the butterfly's wings flickered, as it tried its best to reconcile the increasingly intense conflict between the realms: "We must leave as soon as possible. The 'rejection reaction' of the Underworld is intensifying. It probably won't be so easy to get back in next time."

As the last Tirispion retreated back into the barrier, carrying the marks of battle and more collected fragments of memory (some of which may have been damaged in the turmoil), Feng Jin and Xiao Die simultaneously unleashed their power.

The emerald green anchor of life burst forth with intense light, stabilizing everyone's coordinates of existence; the pale purple harmonizing power of the realm acted as a lubricant, reducing the pressure of the underworld on the "foreign object".

The door from which they had come reappeared at the center of the barrier.

Without hesitation, everyone rushed into the door.

Just as the door was about to close, Blank glanced back instinctively.

In the depths of the receding, turbulent underworld, in the direction of the abyss of souls where the silver torrent of memories surged, she seemed to glimpse an incomparably vast, indescribable "outline" composed of countless memories and wails, slowly and hungrily "watching" the direction they had left.

That is not any known star god or being.

Is it something born from the underworld itself? Or is it a "nothingness" that has been drawn here and wanders outside the concepts of life and death?

The door closed, cutting off sight and perception.

The frigid air of the real dimension rushed into their lungs, and everyone returned to the void platform near the Gate of Fate. After a brief silence, there was a flurry of activity as people were quickly taken stock and the spoils were collected.

The initial collection of memory fragments was completed, but the process was far more dangerous than expected, and the abnormal turmoil in the underworld cast a shadow over any possible supplementary collection.

At that moment, Xia quickly received the first batch of core fragments and related data reports transmitted back by the Tirispians. Within the stillness, his deduction speed increased once again.

"The quantity and quality of the core fragments... barely meet the minimum threshold for constructing a basic resonance framework," Na Ke Xia assessed. "But the stability and success rate are still insufficient. More fragments are needed, especially those key fragments that embody her 'will to survive' and 'self-awareness'."

"Furthermore, the disturbances in the Underworld... are a variable. The scale of the upheaval may be related to the balance of the concepts of life and death being affected by the battle between the Iron Tomb and the Emperor, or it may be related to 'us' themselves, who are trying to collect fragments of memories in the space between life and death."

He paused, his illusory gaze shifting to another observation interface, which displayed a scene on a galactic scale: the increasingly brutal and escalating conflict between the Emperor's golden army and the Iron Tomb's dark creations. Both sides were burning with power, rules were cycling through collapse and reconstruction, countless stars were reduced to dust, and physical constants were distorted at the edge of the battlefield.

"Wan Di, Ara Flute, Blank." At that moment, Xia's voice rang out directly in the consciousness of the three, calm yet undeniable. "The collection of memory fragments will continue with the Tirispionis Network as a priority, but it will take time and the risks are increasing. Meanwhile, the 'balance' in the outside world is swinging violently."

"Proceed to the edge of the main battlefield. Your mission remains the same: assess the shifting power between the Emperor and the Iron Tomb. While ensuring your own concealment and safety, when either side reveals a 'decisive disadvantage' sufficient to allow the other to completely suppress and crush them..."

Xia paused for a moment, as if weighing a crucial decision.

"...Intervene. Help the weaker party. Not out of morality, but to maintain the 'conflict' itself. We need this showdown to drag on as long as possible to buy the most crucial window of opportunity for our ultimate plan. At the same time, closely observe the nature of the power of both sides, especially the Iron Tomb—the 'small Iron Tomb' manifested in the Demogue Central and its connection, which may be the key to understanding its core."

"Remember, your guiding principle is 'balance.' Like dropping a drop of water into a pot of boiling oil, the goal is to create moderate, controllable chaos and restore balance, rather than setting yourself on fire."

A chaotic light of excitement ignited in Wan Di's eyes, filled with anticipation for participating in this level of disruption. Huang Di silently polished his bone flute, his gaze cold and focused. Kong Bai clenched his fist, glanced at the container in his arms that held the fragments of Xi Lian's memories, and then looked towards the distant energy storm that could be faintly felt even from this vantage point.

In order to fight for the hope of reviving Xi Lian, and for the "possibility" of breaking free from the shadow of the end as spoken of by her teacher (Na Ke Xia), she must fulfill this cold-blooded duty of "balance".

"Understood." Blank's voice regained a certain firmness, although deep in his eyes still lay the grief over Qingyuan's disappearance and the worry about the future.

The three-person team, equipped with the highest-level stealth gear and battlefield monitoring equipment provided by Tirispionus, quietly left the relatively safe observation point and stealthily made their way to the edge of the most tragic battlefield that devoured stars, determined the fate of countless civilizations, and indirectly affected their tiny hopes.

Within the stillness, Xia's phantom refocused on the memory fragments and complex resonance framework model before her.

The war in the galaxy is boiling on the outside, the secrets of the underworld are whispering in the depths, and in this narrow gap where time is frozen, a difficult technological breakthrough, a struggle against existence itself, an attempt to call back a ray of light from nothingness, has only just begun.

He extended an illusory finger and gently touched the fragment of memory that shimmered with a warm yellow light.

The remaining crystal glowed faintly, reflecting his inhuman yet serene face, which seemed to contain a faint sigh.

"Memory...please manifest again."