"Suddenly pulling you into this world was not my intention, but time is of the essence, so I had no choice." spoke the girl who called herself Minglin in a vast expanse of white space.

As they once again met due to various accidents, the master-servant duo temporarily suppressed the various emotions of reunions and their experiences in the previous world, and listened attentively to what others had to say.

Not to mention anything else, just the fact that this girl who called herself "Minglin" brought them into this world already indicated that she was someone significant.

This concept of a "world" wasn't unfamiliar to Aya and Tiran. The small world where the Abyssal Dragon and Kongming were in Mist Swamp initially should be the same kind of thing as where they currently were.

In other words, whether it was Aya or Tiran, the worlds they had experienced were essentially products of The Realm. However, compared to Kongming and the Abyssal Dragon's "Mountain and Sea" The Realm, Minglin's The Realm seemed more like a lively world indistinguishable from the outside.

Kongming had already surpassed the Holy Rank and reached The Realm level, but it seemed that Minglin's level was even higher than his.

"Before you speak, do you mind if I ask a question first?" Tiran stared at the pure white space in front of him. Although Minglin didn't appear, she felt that the other party was probably watching them there.

"...Go ahead." After hesitating for a moment, Minglin gave an affirmative reply.

"Are you a deity?"

"Eh?!" The first to react was Aya, and as a modern person from the twenty-first century and a staunch materialist, Princess Aya still had a sense of awe for deities. It was quite shocking to suddenly be told that the girl she was currently conversing with was a being similar to the dragon god she had believed in since she was a child.

"If by 'deity' you mean a term similar to 'immortal' or 'true immortal,' then... yes."

"Your straightforward response makes me somewhat skeptical..." Tiran stroked his chin.

"Hey! She's a god... ah, immortal? Anyway, the meaning is similar, right? Is she really..."

Aya suddenly felt like her understanding of deities was collapsing... But thinking back to the clear divine decree given to the Elf King by a certain Elf deity when they went to the World Tree, it didn't seem so impossible to accept.

"Relax, just leave it to me." Tiran gently patted Aya's head, calmly saying, "After all, this young lady once sent the Goddess of the Light packing in a hurry. Deity? Immortal? They are just powerful individuals beyond the norm."

"So, Minglin Immortal... Can I call you that? What brings you to us?" asked Tiran.

"Humans, oh, your name is Tiran Elysian," Minglin's tone sounded somewhat surprised, "You seem different from the humans I have encountered before."

"I brought you into this world because I need your help," Minglin continued.

"Help?" Tiran and Aya exchanged a glance, both showing surprise in each other's eyes.

Hold on a second, with their status as quasi-godly beings and influential figures protecting entire clans of believers on the Western Continent, would they earnestly be asked for help when they were still struggling at the entrance of the Holy Rank?

"Yes," Minglin's voice sounded a bit helpless, "To be honest, I can't solve this problem on my own."

The sky of Morninglight had completely lost its radiance. Before those accustomed to the moonlight shining on the sea could react from their surprise and comfort, dark shapes from all directions had already torn them apart.

The existence of the Sea Moon had been too long for most people to realize until the moment of being torn apart. But those pitch-black beasts had already ruthlessly declared, with their sharp claws and thick blood, that carefree days under the gentle moonlight were over.

"It's like a nightmare..."

On the city walls of Brookvale, Ayako stood with her hands gripping the battlements, gazing at the small area illuminated by fire at the foot of the wall and the restless figures in the distance shrouded in darkness, wearing a pained expression.

"Or rather, we were living in an illusory dream brought by the Sea Moon. The threat of the dark shapes has always been there. Once the radiance of the Sea Moon fades, they will reveal their fangs immediately."

Behind Ayako, Sayo held a sword, remaining vigilant. Even though Brookvale was a relatively safe place and the prosperous supplies illuminated the city at night, dark shapes still occasionally emerged from dim corners.

"Thank you, Sayo, for bringing the survivors of Seabreath here... and also Iwaryu." Ayako turned around to smile gratefully at Sayo.

"I did what I could, but the one who contributed the most to our escape is not me." Sayo maintained a calm expression, although he seemed a bit at a loss when meeting Ayako's gaze. "Iwaryu... seems to have taken quite a blow this time."

"Perhaps... he was too eager to prove himself? It's strange, even though it led to bad results, I don't really resent him." Ayako said gently.

Four days had passed since the sudden extinguishing of the Sea Moon, and it had been a day since Aya, Sayo, and Iwaryu arrived at Brookvale.

In the instant the High Priest was slain, his body was transformed into dark elements, commanding a gigantic dark elemental attack on them. Eventually, under Aya's bursting limit of Qi scales, they managed to temporarily stall the colossal dark shape, giving Sayo some time to command the bewildered guards due to the sudden reversal of events to immediately evacuate and lead the residents of Seabreath to safety.

The journey to Brookvale was not peaceful, despite carrying various light Yuans in advance, the group was constantly under attack. The firearms of the guards were not very effective against the dark shapes, unless it was a larger caliber cannon, so along the way, it was almost solely up to Sayo to swiftly move and kill with his sword.

It was impossible for one person to protect the entire group, and by the time they arrived at the foot of Brookvale relying on burning trees to provide light, less than half of the initial team that set out from Seabreath remained.

"So that's what happened later?"

Listening to Longjing's narrative by the bedside, Aya sighed. Indeed, as a deity, they could even continue the storyline for themselves.

"Is Mr. Aya awake now? That's great!"

The door of the room was pushed open, and Ayako, Sayo, and a man Aya had not seen before entered. Seeing Aya sitting up against the head of the bed, Ayako visibly breathed a sigh of relief, "Sayo said Mr. Aya passed out after repelling the giant dark shape, I was worried..."

"It's no big deal, just a bit dizzy." Aya raised his arm to stretch, easily jumping out of bed, "I'm fit as a fiddle."

"That's good."

The man standing behind Ayako and Sayo spoke, giving off an impression of a stiff and upright middle-aged man, exuding an aura of authority in his expression and presence.

And indeed, that was the case.

"This is... the Lord of Xigu Valley, Kong Linxi," Ayako stepped aside to introduce.

"Oh, um, hello?" Aya couldn't quite figure out why Ayako suddenly introduced this person to him, so he just instinctively greeted.

"No need to be polite, I'm just curious about the warrior who can surpass the Shadow Chasers in my niece's mouth, and didn't expect that she is also a lovely lady... Looks like Sayo has a competitor now."

The man subtly glanced at Sayo and Ayako beside him.

"Um... actually, I'm male."

"Huh?"

Huh? I'm the one who should be surprised? Uncle, could you please not completely destroy the strict and stern first impression you gave me with just one word?!

*Cough!* Kong Linxi pretended to cough twice and quickly changed the subject that was getting out of hand, "Actually, I came to see you for another matter."

"The current situation is frankly very bad. Xigu Valley has reached twice the limit of the population it can accommodate, and food will soon run out. Moreover, the shelter we can provide for refugees from all over is very limited, plus the Dark Shapes have cut off the roads, disconnecting us from all other cities—"

"In short, we hope to find a way to end this disaster."

Kong Linxi said, "I know the possibility is very slim, but Ayako said you came from the sky, and with your combat power to fight against the giant Dark Shapes... So I am curious about your background."

"Uncle?" Ayako looked a bit uneasy and glanced at Aya, wanting to say something but was stopped by Kong Linxi.

"I know this might come off as impolite, and my expectations might be unrealistic. But, I want to ask, Lord Aya, do you have a way to end this disaster?"

I see. In his eyes, I'm probably something like an Angel to the Goddess of the Light, a messenger of the gods.

Just a while ago, Aya could have just laughed it off and refused directly, but the problem is... he seems to really have a way to accomplish it now, and it must be done.

Recalling Ming Lin's words not long ago, Aya felt a bit emotional, being bombarded with tasks right from the start, leaving no time at all.

...

Flashback to a short while ago, in that pure white space.

"I hope you can stop 'me,'" Ming Lin said.

"I kill myself?" Tiran tilted his head.

"In reality, the 'me' talking to you now is not the complete Ming Lin, but a split part," Ming Lin sighed, "For some reason, my consciousness split into two parts, along with power, obsession... everything became divided."

"The world 'Dawn that will never come' that Aya experienced belongs to the other me. She... harbors extreme hatred towards humanity, but we cannot directly descend into our own world, so she erased the light from that world and created monsters called Dark Shapes to ensure that humanity forever lives in fear."

"I am probably her mirror image, although my memory is somewhat incomplete, but I hope to stop her. Even though I cannot descend as well, I have also interfered in her world."

"Sea Under Moon?" Aya's guess received a positive answer.

"When we split, she took away more power, while I used a part of my own power to create the Sea Under Moon, so I can only maintain my own world within a very small range, both in space and time. So even though her world is cruel, it is actually more real."

Tiran suddenly felt the gaze of the divine maiden named "Bright Scale" in the midst of that pure white.

"Although I have a little less power than the other me, it seems as a compensation, I have a bit more clarity. I hope to end this division."

"As for the specific method... first, you need to return to the worlds you were pulled into once again."