While I was in Mondstadt, I never imagined becoming a god.

The wind that rushed towards him as he fell scattered Yae no Miko's waist-length pink hair, and strands of hair brushed against Xu Chuan's cheeks, bringing a faint, sweet scent.

She instinctively reached out and grabbed Xu Chuan's collar, a rare hint of panic appearing on his usually composed face.

"This is too risky! What if there's something dangerous inside!"

"Don't worry, I'm here."

Xu Chuan's voice rang in her ears.

"If I can't even do something like this, how can I have the courage to face General Thunder?"

Yae no Miko looked up and saw the incredibly confident smile on his face.

That smile wasn't arrogant; it was a confident assertion that everything was under control.

His eyes remained clear and bright even as he plummeted, showing no sign of fear.

For some reason, the anxiety surging in Yae no Miko's heart gradually subsided with that smile.

Her tense body relaxed, and her grip on Xu Chuan's clothes loosened.

Just as the two were about to touch the barrier.

Xu Chuan suddenly burst forth with golden light.

Unlike his previous probing attack, this time he was serious.

Golden light surged from his body like a burst dam, turning the entire sky golden.

A series of solidified blades intertwined and rotated in a spiral, converging into a giant golden spear.

The spearhead, aimed downwards, plunged fiercely down towards the inverted, bright purple barrier.

Click!

The moment the golden light touched the barrier, a crisp, almost ear-piercing shattering sound echoed throughout the underground space.

The entire barrier exploded into a dazzling flower of light at the point of contact.

Immediately afterwards, countless spiderweb-like cracks spread outwards at a visible speed, like cracks spreading wildly on an ice surface.

Xu Chuan and Yae no Miko passed through the barrier with ease, as if they had only pierced through a thin sheet of paper.

The dark purple filth that had accumulated in the underground space for countless years was evaporated the moment it came into contact with the golden light.

Wherever the golden light passed, the decaying smell in the air was purified, replaced by a warm and clear freshness.

The golden fragments drifted and dissolved in mid-air, like a silent firework display.

The two landed vertically with the composure of strong individuals.

Xu Chuan's feet slammed heavily onto the ancient stone slabs, producing a dull thud. Spiderweb-like cracks erupted from the slabs beneath his feet, centered on him.

Yae no Miko straightened up from his embrace and took a deep breath to calm her heartbeat.

Before she could even speak.

A figure silently materialized beside the roots of a thunder cherry tree not far away.

Just as Xu Chuan said, she herself showed up.

She was a priestess wearing a white fox mask.

She was dressed in a red and white shrine maiden outfit, almost identical to the attire of Narukami Taisha Shrine.

A white fox mask concealed her face, revealing only a pair of calm eyes.

Her figure was somewhat ethereal, with dark purple mist faintly visible at her edges, as if it could be blown away by the wind at any moment.

"You two should not force your way in; this place is extremely dangerous."

The priestess's voice was calm, but tinged with a hint of helplessness, as if she were scolding two disobedient children.

"There's no point in saying all this now."

Xu Chuan patted off non-existent dust from his robes and said bluntly.

Scattered flowers left him speechless.

The way this person talks is so unpredictable that you don't know how to respond.

And at the moment I saw Hana Sanri.

Yae no Miko's pupils contracted sharply as she stared at the white fox mask, completely stunned.

Then, she excitedly broke free from Xu Chuan's arm and almost rushed out, taking several steps towards Hua Sanli.

But just as she was about to get close, she stopped abruptly.

"Fox Abode..."

She reached out, her fingertips almost touching Hana Sanri's sleeve, but stopped just an inch away.

No, you are not her!

In Yae no Miko's usually shrewd and cunning fox eyes, extremely complex emotions surged.

Beneath the white fox mask, Hana Sanri's eyes quietly gazed at Yae no Miko before her.

In my memory, there was that little guy who always slept on her shoulder.

A little fox who pretends to be pitiful when caught stealing fried tofu, and a little guy playing and frolicking around her.

They've grown so big already.

“You’re right, Divine Child.”

Hana-san's voice was soft and calm, "I am indeed not her,"

"Now I am nothing more than a filthy ghost possessing her memories."

Hana Sanri shifted her gaze from Yae no Miko to those beings tightly bound and suppressed by the roots of the Thunder Cherry Tree.

After the barrier shattered, the entire underground space was fully exposed to the public eye.

It was a huge underground cavern with no end in sight. Countless thick roots of the Thunder Cherry tree hung down from the dome, like a net that tightly bound a dark purple tumor in the center.

The giant tumor was several stories high, its surface covered with dark red, vascular patterns, and it slowly writhed with some strange rhythm.

Each contraction would expel a thick, almost tangible, foul odor.

Chapter 195 Hana Sanri Beneath the Mask (Bonus Chapter 7)

Around the giant tumor, dozens of warrior spirits were coalescing into shape.

They were clad in tattered armor, wielded rusty swords, and had dark purple will-o'-the-wisps burning in their empty eye sockets.

These were spirits corrupted by filth, awakened by the shattering of the barrier, letting out silent roars and brandishing their weapons as they approached the two.

"Now is not the time to talk about these things." Hana Sanri's voice became a little more urgent.

"Let's deal with these impurities first and perform the Divine Cherry Blossom Purification ahead of schedule!"

She had barely finished speaking.

A blinding golden light illuminated the darkness beneath the earth.

The light burst forth from Xu Chuan's body, like a miniature sun rising from the ground.

Wherever the golden light touched, the dark purple, accumulated foul air, like ice and snow being scorched by a raging fire, sizzled and dissipated at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Before the ghost warriors, whose bodies were shrouded in filth, could even get close, they were firmly suppressed in place by the golden light.

They let out painful howls, their armor crumbled inch by inch in the golden light, their weapons turned to dust, and their bodies vanished like smoke.

In the blink of an eye, a large clean area was cleared out of the entire underground space.

The golden light transformed into an arc-shaped barrier, protecting Xu Chuan, Yae no Shinji, and Hana Sanri within it, and the surrounding filth could not break through it no matter how it tried.

The power contained in the golden light can exert unparalleled suppressive force when fighting against these filthy evil spirits.

That is the purest and most yang life force, which is inherently the opposite of the filth, which is the most yin and most evil death energy.

"It's alright, it's just a minor issue."

Xu Chuan withdrew his hand, speaking casually as if he had merely swatted a few mosquitoes.

Yae no Miko turned her head and gave him a grateful look.

She nodded silently to Xu Chuan, then took a deep breath, suppressing her surging emotions.

Then, she turned around again, filled with doubt, and looked at the person in front of her who was both familiar and unfamiliar.

Hana Sanri met her gaze, a hint of bitterness appearing in her eyes beneath the mask.

"Call me Hana-sanri, Shin-ko."

Her voice was soft and calm, as if she were coaxing a lost child.

"Since you've inherited Lord Fox Palace's memories, why don't you..."

"Are you trying to say why I didn't go to Narukami Taisha to find you?"

Hana Sanri finished speaking, her tone carrying a knowing sigh.

Yae no Miko bit her lower lip and remained silent.

“My essence is no different from those warrior ghosts.”

"My existence here is entirely due to the Thunder Cherry Root System of the Divine Cherry Tree, which allows me to form a physical body by relying on the power of this filth."

"Once I leave this area covered by roots and lose the support of the filth, my body will not be able to maintain its form."

Hana Sanri explained calmly, as if she were talking about something that had nothing to do with her.

"Of course, the main reason is that I don't know how to face you."

Her voice finally showed a slight fluctuation.

"I, who inherited the memories of Lady Fox Palace, am ultimately not her."

“I can remember everything she did, every moment she spent with you, and her unfulfilled regrets before she passed away…”

"But I have no way to respond to your longing for her."

"Because I only possess her memories, not her soul."

Hana Sanri paused, her voice becoming even softer.

"If longing cannot be reciprocated, then it is better not to meet."

After receiving the answer, Yae no Miko remained silent for a long time.

She kept her head down, her long pink hair obscuring her face, making it impossible to see her expression.

Her slender fingers gripped the cuffs of her shrine maiden's robes tightly, her knuckles turning white.

But soon, she raised her head.

She stood up straight, shoulders relaxed, and chin slightly raised.

Composure and shrewdness reappeared on that delicate face.

She is no longer the little fox who used to cling to Fox Palace's shoulder and act cute.

She is the daughter of the Yae Goddess.

The chief minister of Narukami Taisha Shrine.

The retinue of the Thunder God, the pride of the Bai Chen clan.

Reason regained its hold and told Yae no Miko what the most important thing was right now.

Instead of reminiscing about the past and indulging in the complex emotions of reunion, we must resolve the huge hidden danger of Yingxiang Mountain as soon as possible.

“Hana Sanri.” Her voice regained its composure.

"Why is there no record of the Great Purification Ceremony of the Divine Cherry Blossom you just mentioned at Narukami Shrine?"

"It seems that since Lord Kitsai-no-miya passed away, Narukami Taisha has also experienced a break in its lineage."

Seeing that Yae no Miko knew nothing about the Great Exorcism of the Divine Cherry Blossom, Hana Sanri sighed softly.

That sigh carried regret, helplessness, and a touch of indescribable desolation.

"The Divine Cherry Blossom Purification is a ritual to cleanse the roots of the Thunder Cherry Blossom, and it needs to be performed once every so often."