The shattered brilliance gathered in the youth’s hand into a wisp of pitch-black ash, which then intertwined with other ash, and from this entanglement, a few shards of brilliance spilled out, swiftly disappearing again. "Her injuries are severe." A soft sigh came from Goya standing nearby. He Ao turned his head and saw Goya crouching down, looking at Lin Chichi, who had fainted on the small boat. Lin Chichi had completely passed out after grabbing He Ao’s hand, and it was He Ao who had brought her back to the small boat. Goya carefully examined Lin Chichi’s body, seemingly assessing the severity of her injuries. Then she raised her hand and pressed her fingers on Lin Chichi’s forehead, as threads of white brilliance continuously flowed into Lin Chichi’s body. "There is a strength," The white-haired girl looked up at He Ao, "that protected her vital parts." This was actually telling He Ao that Lin Chichi possessed a strength far beyond that of a normal person, and she was also confirming whether He Ao knew of this strength’s existence. In such a perilous environment, any unknown source of strength could become a dangerous ticking time bomb. He Ao nodded lightly, indicating that he was aware of the strength’s existence. Goya withdrew her gaze and asked no more, continuing to pour milky white brilliance into the young girl’s body. "Is her condition stable now?" He Ao asked softly, looking at Lin Chichi’s pale face. "There’s no danger to her life," Goya spoke quietly, "Her injuries are not severe, they are more a matter of physical exhaustion. She’ll recover with treatment and rest." As Goya’s brilliance flowed into her, Lin Chichi’s wounds began to scab over quickly, and her originally pale complexion gradually regained its rosy hue. "This girl’s willpower far exceeds that of ordinary people," Li Cheng watched the girl in deep sleep and said softly with emotion, "Her talent, will, intelligence, they’re all better than most Transcendents’. All she lacks is an opportunity." He Ao nodded lightly, then turned to look at the void behind him. Around them, the concentration of bubbles was clearly greater than in the outer layers, and the size of the bubbles was also larger. This meant that the entities behind the scenes had invested more power into this area, making it the core of the Bubble Space. As an ordinary person, Lin Chichi’s being pulled into this place likely meant that the ’despair’ she could provide far exceeded that of other people. Conversely, it implied that her will might also be stronger than that of ordinary people. Through the perspective of Super Memory, Lin Chichi’s soul strength was actually not weak either, belonging to the higher levels among ordinary people. Her high spirituality allowed her to hear the ’ravings’ from Higher Beings more clearly, and her strong will enabled her to withstand the underlying madness in the ravings, allowing her to maintain her own rationality. For Divine Beings, such a person was actually quite suitable to be ’The God’s Chosen’. Indeed, even while enduring the power of an ’Enchantment’ by a Maiden Puppet with an Angelic Tier Positional Grade, she still managed to maintain a high level of rationality. Even in her last moments, Lin Chichi did not hesitate to fight monsters mercilessly; her physical limitation was her body, not her will. He Ao watched the depths of the void, where the Maiden Puppet in the coffin was hidden. The Maiden Puppet’s abilities were akin to a ’converter’; within the range of her power, she could accept ’Sacrifices’ and then grant ’Grace’ to the sacrificer while keeping a portion of life force as a ’brokerage fee’. With Lin Chichi’s continual ’Sacrifice’ within the Bubble Space, the Maiden Puppet, whose power was originally exhausted, also received replenishment and had recovered quite a bit, at least enough to move freely. This was also the fallback plan that He Ao had left behind; if he arrived one step too late and failed to enter the Bubble Space in time, the Maiden Puppet would act to rescue Lin Chichi and buy He Ao some time. Amidst his contemplation, Goya’s treatment was completed, and she withrew her hand, slowly rising to her feet. At that moment, He Ao again extended his hand, revealing the entwined black ash in his palm. Instantly, the attention of both Goya and Li Cheng was drawn to He Ao’s hand. Next, it was time to forge a passage to the deeper layers. They did not know what the deeper layers looked like, but they knew, the closer to the depths, the more dangerous it would become. At this point, they had no further retreat. The power emanating from the Eye of Truth in He Ao’s palm, the pitch-black ash danced in his hand, an invisible connection sprouted from the ash and stretched into the depths of the void. This was the connection of the ash to the entities providing the power from behind the scenes. He Ao surged the power of the Eye of Truth into the ash in his hand, forcefully activating all the power within the ash. In that moment, the ship on which everyone was situated began to tremble violently. Layers upon layers of illusory visions gathered around the small boat, with mountains and oceans flashing by outside the ship like fleeting glimmers. In that instant, the small boat seemed to have traversed thousands of kilometers, yet at the same time, it appeared to have not moved from its original spot at all. After an indeterminate amount of time, the fleeting glimmers and brightness around them finally quieted down, leaving behind only pitch-black silence. Goya twisted her head, looking to the side. A massive, fiercely burning sun, brimming with surging heat, swept past them in the blink of an eye. He Ao’s gaze swept over the giant sun, while also observing the surroundings. Similar fiery orbs were burning intensely in the pitch-black night sky, filling the entire expanse above. And ahead of them, a huge planet, covered in gray cities, had already appeared before them, growing increasingly larger. He Ao softly cautioned. The already violently quivering boat shook even more intensely. In a flash, the little ship entered the planet’s atmosphere, slicing through the still void and, with its friction against the surrounding air producing scorching flames, crashed into a sprawl of buildings. He Ao reached out and quickly grabbed Lin Chichi, preventing her from being thrown out directly. The seemingly about-to-disintegrate boat suddenly shattered, turning into a chaotic glow, and once again converged into the pitch-black ashes in He Ao’s hand. Above their heads, the pitch-black coffin disappeared into the void like a streak of light. At this time, Li Cheng and Goya also came back to their senses after the violent jolting of the impact. "Is this the deep zone?" Li Cheng, carrying a wooden case on his back, raised his head and looked around, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. Beside him, Goya also picked up the magic wand in her arms, looking around with a measure of caution. A floating airship sped past over their heads, and a bustling crowd walked along the streets. The sky was clear blue, with not a cloud in sight. Neon lights lit up the classical wooden signs, the shops on both sides of the street were filled with the overlapping sounds of hawking, and in front of some small shops, queues were lined up, while others were deserted. Birds flew across the sky, and sparrows landed on the wooden eaves. The faux-wood clad street-sweeping robots emitted beeping alarms as they shuttled through the crowd, continuously cleaning the floor and picking up trash. Gigantic floating airships hovered above the street, hanging colorful posters. People were laughing as they passed through the streets, chattering away in a language that the newcomers could not understand. After a while, Li Cheng broke the silence with some confusion, speaking slowly, "It seems to be some kind of ’pedestrian street’? But they don’t seem to see us?" The group had just made such a commotion, yet these bustling individuals seemed as if they hadn’t noticed at all, carrying on with laughter and conversation, and not a single person even turned to glance their way. Only the passerby would unspokenly detour around them before continuing forward. Goya, holding her magic wand, looked around and noticed a woman passing by their side, leading a friend by the hand. She cautiously extended her hand towards the woman. The pale hand of the young girl with white hair ’touched’ the woman effortlessly, then passed through the woman’s body without any resistance. Seeing this, Li Cheng also extended his hand toward a young man ahead and patted his shoulder, His hand also instantly passed through the young man’s body. He drew his hand back and looked at his palm, "What is this? An illusion?" He Ao put away the ashes in his hands, glanced at the ground beneath his feet, and then reached out to touch a nearby signpost. His hand easily made contact with the signpost, and he pressed on it. "It might not be just a simple illusion," He retracted his hand, saying softly, "Inanimate objects can be touched." His eyes fell on the entrance of the surrounding shops, where a figure took a skewer resembling a sausage from a snack shop, put it to their lips, laughing while biting into it, their lips smeared with grease. Deep within the store, those at work also seemed to be operating normally. They seemed to be able to touch those "inanimate" things as well. He Ao and the others could interact with inanimate objects, and so could those illusions; however, they couldn’t interact with the illusions. The illusions didn’t even seem to see them. With He Ao’s hint, Li Cheng and Goya next to him also noticed this situation and fell into brief contemplation. He Ao then looked down at Lin Chichi, who he had pulled into his arms to protect her from the collision. Lin Chichi was still unconscious, and some of the scabbed-over scars on her body were starting to fall off. "How much longer will she need to wake up?" He Ao looked up at Goya beside him. "Maybe two to three hours," Goya regained her composure and spoke softly, "I can protect her." They simply couldn’t leave Lin Chichi in that void, nor could they place her in any Bubble Space. Those Bubble Spaces actually had a certain degree of rejection, and were very likely monitored by a presence behind the curtain; putting Lin Chichi in one could very likely lead to her being discovered by that presence, putting her in even greater danger. Goya was a healer by nature, and if they encountered a battle, she wouldn’t need to rush to the front line in non-emergency situations, so it seemed best for her to take care of Lin Chichi. Meanwhile, Li Cheng had also shifted his gaze over. He Ao shook his head, his gaze directed forward. Following his gaze, a girl dressed in a black and white maid outfit slowly walked out from the noisy crowd ahead. Her beauty was captivating, her eyes deep and pure, as if a noble Holy Spirit had descended into the world. Even the chaotic, murmuring crowd, almost illusionary in its presence, naturally parted ways around the girl, leaving a wide gap beside her. Goya gripped her magic wand, her body suddenly tensing up, watching the maid girl approaching step by step. As Li Cheng saw the girl, his pupils slightly constricted, and he quickly understood something. He glanced at ’Hao Yi’ and the Lin Chichi in ’Hao Yi’’s arms. In almost an instant, the maid girl arrived in front of the three, and He Ao stepped forward to hand over the unconscious Lin Chichi to the maid girl. Standing in the back, Goya, holding her magic wand, watched the maid girl who had taken Lin Chichi from ’Hao Yi’’s arms. Sweat seeped from her brow as she whispered. In her perception, the girl exuded a twisted and bizarre life force, filled with indescribable contamination. This state had surpassed the usual B-level, approaching the Angelic Tier of legends. "That’s the ’Maiden Miss’ who lives in Hao Yi’s house." Li Cheng introduced her in a calm voice, "After the incidents in Newland City-State ended last time, I saw her when I visited ’Hao Yi’’’s countryside residence there." "’Maid’? An angel maid?" Hearing Li Cheng’s words, Goya lifted her head, looking at him somewhat bewilderedly. Your family has angels serving as maids? She then suddenly realized something and asked in a low voice, "Whose is she?" "We cannot be certain, ’Hao Yi’ did not acknowledge her." Li Cheng shook his head slightly. Not acknowledging her means you think it’s likely too. Goya withdrew her gaze, continuing to watch the maid girl. For one to possess an Angelic Tier maid, it certainly couldn’t be the B-level ’Hao Yi’, and the only one related to ’Hao Yi’ that could possibly have an angelic servant was the Divine Being ’K’, who had once appeared in Newland City-State and killed an angel in a single strike. Although they had speculated before, the origins of ’Hao Yi’ before them might be even more complicated than they had imagined. While the two conversed, He Ao had already handed Lin Chichi over to the Maiden Puppet. The stunningly beautiful maid girl thus held Lin Chichi, passing by the others and vanished into the tumultuous crowd. Then He Ao turned back, only to see the two with somewhat odd expressions. "Will this one take action?" Li Cheng asked the turned-around ’Hao Yi’ in a calm voice. He Ao was originally somewhat perplexed as to why ’Hao Yi’ could so easily shatter the Bubble Space and obtain its core. The moment he laid eyes on the maid girl who resembled an angel, his confusion unraveled. Goya also looked towards He Ao. "She will protect Lin Chichi to some extent, but to handle this situation, we still have to rely on ourselves," He Ao shook his head, speaking swiftly. It was good enough that the Maiden Puppet could move; she couldn’t help much without special conditions. Hearing ’Hao Yi’s’ response, Li Cheng didn’t ask further. The thoughts of Divine Beings and angels are unpredictable; he couldn’t guess what the other party might want to do. The trio stopped discussing the matter and began to explore the area along the road. While the group conversed, the Maiden Puppet had already turned into a side alley. At the end of this alley sat a pitch-black Coffin, motionless. As the Maiden Puppet approached, the firmly shut Coffin Lid began to slide open slowly, revealing what was inside. Inside the coffin were some spare clothes He Ao had prepared for the puppet, which were now balled up to serve as a pillow at the very top of the coffin. The Maiden Puppet bent down, gently placing the sleeping girl inside the coffin. Lin Chichi’s power within her was not weak at the moment; she had cleared most of the creatures inside of that Bubble with ease, and her energy was nearly approaching C-level. If it hadn’t been impossible to finish her off, that ultimate monster of the Bubble Space wouldn’t have been awakened. The issue with Lin Chichi was twofold: first, the strength gained through ’Enchantment’ wasn’t lasting, and even as she slept, this power would dissipate swiftly with time. Second, she lacked experience and her body was too weak to control such immense power. Hence, every time she tapped into this strength, it damaged her body - the longer she used it, the greater the damage, eventually taking her life as well. In fact, just the presence of this power was causing harm to her body. However, Goya must have noticed this while healing her, so she poured a lot of energy into Lin Chichi’s body, which continued to repair her physical damage. In a way, this was a blessing in disguise. Between the destruction and the healing, her physical fitness was being enhanced. And by staying in this Coffin with the puppet beside her, the dissipation of her inner power was greatly slowed down, while also guiding the power from the ’Enchantment’ to synergize with the healing energy left by Goya, further ’enhancing’ Lin Chichi’s body. A gentle breeze blew across the hair of the girl in front of the coffin, her ash-golden locks and her serene face, holy as if she were the Holy Spirit. She reached out, closing the Coffin Lid, as gracefully as a lark dancing in the wind. Then she abruptly lifted the coffin onto her shoulder and strode deeper into the alleyway. The coffin itself couldn’t fly; the prior flight of the coffin was due to the puppet within, carrying it as she flew. On the bustling streets, He Ao glanced thoughtfully up at the sky. Sacrifice and Grace were indeed the simplest ways to gain power, allowing a little girl to obtain the strength of a Transcendent in a short time. But at the same time, had this ’Sacrifice’ not occurred in the Bubble Space but involved ordinary people instead of those twisted, fleshly monsters, the blood from the killing needed to obtain the same power could form streams. Compared to his own combat ability and flight, the ’life-and-death’ ability of the Maiden Puppet, combined with the Angelic Designation, was indeed more terrifying. If He Ao just placed the puppet in a major city to emit ravings, In just a day or two, the entire city would likely be blood-washed by those craving power - and that’s without factoring in the natural contamination from the Maiden Puppet’s presence. Human greed for power and authority, once stirred, is an abyss without end. However, if used correctly, this ability could also become a sharp sword. "These characters look like the text of ruins." Li Cheng’s gaze swept across the surrounding signs, then across the silhouettes by the road. "Is this a ’ruin’? Are these people ’alive’?" He reached out, his hand passing through a person’s body and touched a sign by the road, shaking it slightly. The heavy, beautiful sign swayed with his action, and calls from street vendors echoed in his ears, while the fragrance of food spread along the entire street, and laughter washed over the crowd. Even though he couldn’t understand their language, he felt as if he could sense their happiness. Sometimes, he couldn’t even tell if he was the illusion, or if the moving crowds were the illusions. At that moment, he noticed He Ao’s eyes looking towards Goya, so he turned his gaze in Goya’s direction as well. Goya stood in front of an exceedingly popular kebab stall, reaching out gently to take a skewer from the grill. The busy staff beside her seemed not to notice this small detail, reaching for the space where the skewers had been, grasping at thin air as if conjuring an invisible skewer, and handing it to the customer ahead. That customer gladly accepted this ’invisible’ skewer, devouring it as if it were exceptionally delicious. A cold wind swept across the street, brushing past the bustling phantoms.