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

Xu Chuan continuously channeled his power into her, using his own strength to serve as a temporary framework for her physical form.

"It'll be over soon, just bear with it a little longer."

Xu Chuan's voice remained calm and steady, but beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

This kind of extremely precise manipulation of the soul consumes a great deal of mental energy.

He carefully cradled Hana Sanri's remaining consciousness, guiding her little by little into the prepared fox mask.

The golden cloud patterns on the mask shone brightly the moment she entered.

The memories and will of Hana Sanri are firmly fixed in the magic circuit of the mask.

Each cloud pattern trembled slightly, emitting a soft buzzing sound, a sign that the spell was in operation.

When the last ray of light stabilized, Xu Chuan let out a long breath.

Xu Chuan looked down at his masterpiece, a satisfied smile appearing on his lips.

He could sense that an extremely weak consciousness was sleeping within it, as fragile as a candle flame in the wind, yet it truly existed.

Not as a vassal of filth.

"With this mask supporting it, and with my power continuously nourishing it..."

Xu Chuan held the mask up to his eyes and said softly.

"As long as you can maintain your memory and will, there is still a possibility of being reborn."

"Please remember your promise to me, Miss Hanahara."

Within the white fox mask, Hana Sanri's consciousness gradually descended into chaos.

It's a deep sleep that comes only after extreme exhaustion.

Hana Sanri's thoughts became fragmented, and pieces of memory floated in the darkness.

She seemed to see the cherry blossom tree at dusk again, and the little fox perched on her shoulder nuzzling her cheek.

Then, Xu Chuan's words seemed to come from above the water, piercing through layers of darkness and landing in the deepest part of her consciousness.

Is this the meaning of my existence?

She murmured to herself.

Before the answer could emerge, darkness completely enveloped her.

"Phew... the result is not bad."

Xu Chuan breathed a sigh of relief as he sensed that Hana Sanri's condition was gradually stabilizing.

Before this, he had been worried about one thing.

That is, Hana Sanri has existed as the embodiment of filth for hundreds of years, and what sustains her consciousness is the power of the abyss.

There is something even more important—obsession.

Complete the Divine Cherry Blossom Great Purification and protect this land.

That was the mission left to her by the Fox Palace, her only anchor of meaning for hundreds of years.

If the Divine Cherry Blossom Great Purification is completed and the obsession dissipates, will the memories, without the unification of will, simply turn into a pile of loose sand?

It now appears that his fears were unfounded.

Although Hana-sanri's will was weak, it remained intact.

Before her consciousness sank into chaos, Xu Chuan provided a new anchor point, tightening her scattered will once again.

"It seems this method is working."

Xu Chuan's confidence did not come from nowhere.

Thanks to his research on those who had lost their divine eyes, he was able to settle Hana Sanri so smoothly.

Those confiscated God's Eyes were suppressed by the Thousand-Handed, Hundred-Eyed God Statue.

What those people lost was not only the ability to drive elemental forces, but something deeper.

Desire and obsession can lead some people to lose their will to live and become muddle-headed.

Memory and will are the most fundamental qualities of a person.

That is why what he did just now was not simply to strip away the filth, but to awaken her desire and give her a new meaning to her existence.

This gives her a reason to continue existing after she is purified.

Without memory and will, the soul is merely an empty shell.

Even if you fill an empty shell with false memories, the other party is still just a puppet.

Like General Raiden, he possesses some of the memories from the Raiden movies and is able to perfectly execute the rules.

But she is not a bad movie, and she never will be.

Just like how Fox Palace is to Flower Scattering.

Hana-san-ri inherited the memories of Kotsai-gumi, but she is not a copy of Kotsai-gumi.

Over these hundreds of years, everything that "Hanasanori" has experienced.

Her choice and perseverance, fighting alone against filth every night in the darkness.

These are the core elements that constitute the person "Hanasanori".

Xu Chuan only wanted to save Hana Sanri, not anyone else.

Has she disappeared?

Yae no Miko's voice came from behind.

Xu Chuan turned around and saw the pink fox standing not far away.

A few withered leaves from the Guardian Forest clung to her shrine maiden robes, and she clutched the Kagura Bell in her hand.

"Not yet." Xu Chuan slightly raised the fox mask in his hand so that she could see the flowing golden cloud patterns on the mask.

"I have cleansed her of all filth, and temporarily placed her memories and will within this mask."

Xu Chuan walked up to her and took her hand.

Then, he activated the Spirit Binding Technique, transmitting the information he sensed to Yae no Miko.

She sensed it; something was indeed sleeping inside.

Extremely faint and tiny, yet it truly exists.

Like seeds buried in the snow in winter.

Will she come back?

"Perhaps one day in the future, you might see her again."

Xu Chuan's lips curled into a smile.

Looking at Xu Chuan's incredibly confident face, Yae no Miko felt a faint sense of anticipation rising in her heart.

"I really hope that day will come soon."

Yae no Miko said softly, her voice carrying a softness she rarely showed in front of others.

……

The Great Sacred Sakura Cleansing Ceremony has ended.

The filth at the foot of the mountain was completely removed, and the roots of the Lei Ying cherry tree regained their healthy luster.

The suppressed warrior spirits also dissipated.

Xu Chuan tucked the white fox mask into his waistband.

The two walked out of the underground space of Yingxiang Mountain, one after the other.

The sunlight outside was dazzling, and the sea breeze rustled through the reeds on the cliff.

Xu Chuan squinted, letting his pupils adjust to the light.

After walking for quite a while, he suddenly stopped.

He turned around to look at the pink fox following him at a leisurely pace.

"What, is the Divine Child afraid I'll run away?"

He raised an eyebrow, his tone slightly teasing, "Even if you're in a hurry to save your god, you should at least let him catch his breath."

Upon hearing this, Yae no Miko did not stop walking and walked straight to his side before stopping.

"Kage has stayed in the Pure Land of One Heart for so many years, there's no rush. But you're right about one thing: I left Narukami Shrine because of you."

"Because of me?"

Xu Chuan was taken aback, then pointed to himself, "What does this have to do with me?"

He carefully recalled his actions over the past period.

"During the Great Purification of the Divine Cherry Blossom, I learned something from the liaison channels of the guild."

Yae no Miko paused for a moment, then said, "The Tenryo Envoy has summoned diplomatic envoys from various countries to Inazuma Castle to pay homage to General Raiden."

"In reality, it was to use the general's power to give foreign diplomats a hard time."

So, you're worried about me?

Xu Chuan's lips curled into a smile, his tone slightly mischievous.

"On the contrary, I trust you completely."

Yae no Miko covered her mouth, her eyes crinkling with laughter.

Looking at that smile, Xu Chuan couldn't figure out what she was up to.

"Then why are you still following me?"

"The reason I'm accompanying you to Inazuma Castle this time is to find out the general's and Kage's condition."

"I can't just let you challenge a nation's gods without knowing what's going on."

"At the very least, I need to scout out the way for you first."

Xu Chuan was silent for a moment, then laughed.

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Divine Child."

Chapter 198 Tensions Rise

After the Great Purification Ceremony of Divine Cherry Blossoms ended.

With the filth completely removed, the roots of the Thunder Cherry Blossom regained their healthy glow, and the weight on Yae no Miko's heart was finally lifted.

After that, she followed Xu Chuan all the way.

But this priest clearly had no intention of returning to Narukami Taisha.

Upon seeing Yae no Miko beside Xu Chuan, Ayaka Kamisato couldn't help but be somewhat surprised.

Based on her understanding of this priest, he rarely stepped outside the territory of Mount Kagemaki, and would not easily leave Narukami Taisha.

Even if the three officials had something to ask of her, they would have to go up the mountain to pay their respects in person; there was no reason for her to come to them on her own initiative.

Why is today so unusual?

What puzzled Ayaka even more was that the relationship between the two seemed to have improved considerably.

Yae no Miko stood beside Xu Chuan, the distance between them being half a foot closer than that between ordinary colleagues. He spoke casually and naturally, without any of the previous formality and probing.

Even more so, Yae no Miko would occasionally glance at Xu Chuan out of the corner of her eye, and Ayaka Kamisato couldn't quite understand what was hidden in that gaze for the time being.

"Lord Kyoji, are you here to visit the Kamisato family because you have important matters to discuss?"

Her voice was respectful and proper, but her eyes held a hint of inquiry.

"It was just on the way."

Yae no Miko waved her hand, her tone somewhat languid, "I also needed to go to Inazuma Castle to take care of some things, and traveling alone would be too boring, so I asked someone to accompany me."

Xu Chuan turned to look at her, his lips twitching slightly.