Chapter 325: Imprisonment, Control, Beating, and Love

Starting as a Magical Girl, I Alone Shall Rule for Eternity

I don't know why Lu Ya said she was an AI.

Was it the Acting Method?

Jiang Si didn't really understand girls' thoughts either. Maybe it was some kind of fashion trend?

Lu Ya had always been quite into fashion. Back in the day, she used to follow all kinds of trendy hits, and whenever she had nothing else to do, she'd sing them to him and ask which one he liked best.

But the two of them hadn't seen each other in a long time, so he had no idea if she still kept up with her fashion-conscious personality.

After all, people had to grow up eventually. Lu Ya seemed much more mature than before, so it couldn't be said she hadn't made any progress over the years.

Not everyone was like Keke, who could actually regress in growth, defying the natural order and growing backwards.

Couldn't understand it.

Jiang Si didn't really care much about women's clothing or accessories. Maybe it referred to AI-generated clothes? An unpolished AI suggestion really wasn't all that great...

Jiang Si wasn't particularly interested. But the fact that the Witch Association's magical technology came from Lu Ya still surprised him quite a bit.

In fact, the Witch Association probably came into being under Lu Ya's influence...

The founder of that Witch Association made Jiang Si extremely curious.

Because he always felt she looked familiar.

Like he'd seen her somewhere before.

In the end, when Lu Ya was exposed, it probably had something to do with that founder of the Witch Association.

The so-called betrayal was likely that founder taking Lu Ya's experimental data and materials.

But come to think of it, since arriving at Chongxu, he hadn't seen any trace of the Witch Association.

Where had those guys run off to?

Standing up from the water, Jiang Si realized his Miracle Seed had vanished again.

His stomach felt a little full. He touched it, but it wasn't actually bloated.

Just one heart—it wasn't going to make him feel overstuffed.

Around him, time was flowing. Jiang Si began walking forward across the water.

The Time Dao Fruit he'd swallowed was starting to fuse with the universe. Beyond the originally sealed, frozen time lay nothing but chaos. But with the Dao Fruit's activation, a world was gradually taking shape.

He walked along the river of time, watching the village of bullies gradually disappear. The last elderly villager who'd been tearing down the east wall finally drowned himself in the river. That simple, honest village that had once possessed the unyielding soul of bullying, that had never bowed its head, finally vanished beneath the rolling wheels of time.

It was truly a melancholy thing.

Chongxu's construction speed was astonishing. Many Magical Girls were enthusiastically helping out.

Even celestial-scale factories had arrived.

The overall plan still seemed to follow Lu Ya's design. Even though Lu Ya had become the creator of Witches and had caused many deaths, the Magical Girls didn't seem to want to erase her contributions.

At that point in time, it seemed there was no taboo about mentioning Lu Ya's name. Everyone knew the creator of Chongxu was Lu Ya.

But Jiang Si wasn't very interested in Chongxu's history. He navigated through Chongxu's timeline until he reached Lu Ya's old laboratory.

The entire lab had been cleaned up. There was not a trace of blood, let alone any bodies.

He didn't pay it much mind either. He just found a spot and sat down.

The Dao Fruit taken from the World Tree should be at a level above Full Bloom Magical Girls.

As far as Jiang Si knew, the Magical Girl abilities related to time belonged to that Witch from Jiangming City, Chilian. Her mother had a time ability similar to the Spring Autumn Cicada.

But in reality, the effective range of that ability wasn't very large. Based on what he'd seen at the time, it could only rewind time over an area about the size of a city.

Maybe it was because the inherited power wasn't very strong.

Later, there was that girl in South China who had used the Dream Core to reach Full Bloom. Although she wasn't a Magical Girl, with Jade Fox's help she'd also succeeded. She had the ability to slow down time, but again, the effects and scope were different.

As everyone knew, Fruit Positions honored supremacy, the Great Dao discussed the ultimate, divine thrones vied for superiority, and the Dao system struggled for the rest. Even identical types of power had differences in quality.

It seemed the world of Magical Girls was the same.

"I see. The Fruit Positions obtained by Magical Girls are far inferior to the power of the World Tree?"

Just as he was talking to himself, he suddenly heard someone reply, "Of course! The power of Magical Girls is only the result of personal reality distorting the world. No matter how strong it gets, at most it can only touch a tiny bit of the world's essence, and it's limited to a single universe. But this Time Dao Fruit was taken directly from the World Tree, which connects to infinite worlds. The gap between the two is huge."

Jiang Si turned his head to look. A girl was struggling to climb up from underground.

She looked exactly like Lu Ya. "So? Surprised?"

"A mechanical intelligence crisis?"

"Of course not!"

Lu Ya struggled to climb out of the ground. "I am Lu Ya!"

Jiang Si wasn't interested in this big hunk of metal. Mastering the Time Dao Fruit was the top priority now.

The time flow was very slow right now. If he didn't use the power of the Time Dao Fruit, who knew how long he'd have to drag this out.

"That's why everyone desperately runs to the World Tree. No matter how hard they try, they can't save a collapsing world with their own world's essence. In fact, the more they use it, the faster their own world collapses."

Lu Ya finally managed to climb out of the ground and patted the dust off her clothes.

Even the clothes she was wearing were the school uniform Lu Ya used to like.

After standing up, she even hopped once—a little habit Lu Ya had.

But her imitation wasn't very convincing.

The girl then raised her index finger, leaned down until she was almost touching Jiang Si, and explained seriously: "Going to the World Tree to seek the Gold Nature is... seeking gold!"

Jiang Si suddenly understood.

This hunk of metal really had inherited all of Lu Ya's knowledge and memories.

Although he didn't know what the Dao Fruit's ultimate goal was, for him right now, it was still quite useful.

It seemed this AI had inherited all of Lu Ya's knowledge. Its information about the World Tree and Full Bloom abilities might be even more extensive than his.

Thinking this, Jiang Si's expression softened a little as he appraised her.

As long as she was useful, it didn't matter if she was a machine or a household body. Jiang Si had always been pretty lenient.

But this body—was it modified from Lu Ya's own corpse?

Magical Girls didn't really seem like the type to destroy bodies and cover up traces.

It was probably just a matter of luck. Lu Ya didn't seem like someone who could plan everything step by step.

That style would be more like Tiyana's.

So Jiang Si asked directly, "Do you know what seeking gold is?"

"It's proposing!"

He really shouldn't have expected anything.

Hearing the impostor's answer, Jiang Si couldn't help but sigh.

Seeing the disappointment on Jiang Si's face, the Lu Ya AI clearly panicked a little.

"Seeking gold is just proposing, isn't it? I summed it up! Seeking gold requires a special method, and love also requires a special pursuit method. So the seeking gold method is the proposal method! And the [Servant-Qi Nourishing Nature Dao] requires building feelings over time, with persistence, using a long-distance race to develop lasting affection. That way, even if the marriage (seeking gold) fails, you can still get pregnant before marriage (Gold Nature)."

Sure enough, lower cultivation thinking.

"Normal people don't say what's in parentheses out loud and then explain the reference."

"I'm still learning!"

The Lu Ya AI sat down next to Jiang Si with a huff, then continued, "You figure out the needs, prescribe the right medicine, and show off the many qualities they like—which are various divine powers. That's the [Purple Mansion Golden Core Dao]. For example, take someone who loves adventure to find excitement, which is that 'position from danger' thing. Take someone who loves CEO novels and poor-boy-reversal stories to experience dominance and rollercoasters, which is that 'lord treads peril' and 'under heaven bright.' Finally, use the method they've always dreamed of to propose, which is seeking gold. In just half a year, you'll get it done! Flash marriage!"

"Is there a risk of flash divorce?"

"Don't know!" The Lu Ya AI started flipping through a book on the spot—a detailed explanation of Fruit Positions handwritten by Lu Ya herself. Everyone knew you couldn't understand this stuff without making notes. "And there's also the one where descendants can inherit because they're similar in some ways..."

"Rebound."

The Lu Ya AI nodded repeatedly beside him. "Right, right! For example, when this Yin-Yang Fruit Position looked at Li Zhouwei, she definitely saw her ex-husband's shadow in him... Some people also say the Yin-Yang View is female psychology."

"Fickle."

"There are also loyal ones. For example, our True Fire Fruit... At the end of the day, her lover had already passed away. Remarrying is perfectly normal. And if the Gold Nature weren't fickle, what would later people do? There's too little porridge for too many monks..."

Jiang Si just sighed. "It seems the Gold Nature all comes from Jiangxi."

"Jiangxi?" The Lu Ya AI tilted her head. "What does that mean?"

"High demands, heavy bride price." Jiang Si's expression was serious. "No wonder the Gold Nature turns into demons."

Although the Lu Ya AI didn't understand, she still pretended to be knowledgeable and continued, "False holding is cohabitation before marriage. Empty certificate is..."

"Child bride."

The Emperor cut in with that, but the Lu Ya AI immediately shook her head. "No, no! Empty certificate should be 2D! Look at those 2D wives; they're all imagined out of thin air. Imagine enough of them, and they can turn into physical dolls or something."

The Emperor fell into deep thought.

Did Lu Ya like watching anime or something?

Not knowing what the Lu Ya AI had seen while flipping through that Fruit Position explanation, her expression suddenly changed, showing a somewhat annoyed look.

Then she immediately put down the explanation and crawled back into the basement.

Jiang Si was just wondering what was going on when the Lu Ya AI lifted a wooden plank from below and raised a small folding fan.

"Fortunate to have met you."

Then she spun the fan around to reveal the other side.

"Waited long for you."

He glanced at the abandoned Fruit Position explanation. The open page was clearly written with these words.

When they met again, she was supposed to use this as a greeting gift.

Considering that Lu Ya had only met him hastily on the operating table before, she naturally didn't have this opportunity back then.

She had made this Lu Ya AI imitate the action. But the brain-dead AI seemed to have forgotten, spending all that time talking about Fruit Positions before finally remembering.

"So?" The Lu Ya AI poked her head out from under the floorboards, revealing only her eyes as she looked at him with anticipation and curiosity.

"Missed the mark a bit."

The Lu Ya AI immediately showed a dejected expression and climbed back out. "Where was it wrong?"

"It should be 'Fortunate to receive heaven's punishment...'"

"That's completely different!"

Jiang Si was starting to find this AI a bit annoying. "Go play somewhere else if you have nothing better to do."

Outside, the flow of time was fast, but it had nothing to do with his Time Dao Fruit.

"Keep me company."

"I'm busy."

The Lu Ya AI lay down by his leg like a little puppy, looking up at him with pitiful eyes. "If you play with me, I'll tell you everything about the Time Dao Fruit."

After pondering over the Time Dao Fruit for a long time without making any headway, Jiang Si glanced at the AI. "What do you want to play?"

"I want to go out and shop. I want to eat ice cream. I want to eat desserts..."

"Too many requests. Narrow it down to two."

"Taking a walk. Eating ice cream."

Just a short while of chatting, and time was flowing rapidly. Outside, Chongxu was already taking shape, built on a grand and magnificent scale.

Celestial-level factories. A bustling city the size of half a planet. Looking down from above, the mountains and rivers of that primordial planet had all been replaced by towering skyscrapers and space-spanning highways.

The blueprints had all been drawn by Lu Ya herself. He had no idea which comic or movie she'd copied them from, but they were brimming with technological flair.

The Lu Ya AI didn't dare to swagger around. She just stuck her head out, tugged at Jiang Si's clothes, hid behind him, and curiously looked around.

"They actually managed to build it. They're amazing."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, I was just bluffing back then. I never thought it would actually be built..."

Well, although it was a Lu Ya AI, that thought was probably the real Lu Ya's actual idea back then.

The two of them walked along a small path toward the commercial district. Actually, there weren't many people here. Although it had been built on a grand scale, Chongxu was still just a transit station at this point—a place for Magical Girls heading to the World Tree to seek gold to rest along the way.

So many places felt empty. Only the central business district with a few more people had shops selling snacks.

Seeing there weren't many people, the Lu Ya AI gradually grew bolder. She grabbed Jiang Si's hand and swung it freely as they walked. "The Time Dao Fruit is really hard to use. After all, it's the only power that can change the past. I've already looked for every Magical Girl I could find, and none of them had any way to do it."

Although she was trying hard to imitate Lu Ya, in many ways this AI seemed like a newborn baby.

Jiang Si could only ask patiently, "How do you use this thing?"

As he spoke, time around them seemed to flash by like decades in an instant.

With every step he took, the surrounding environment underwent visible changes.

Without the protection of the Time Dao Fruit, even Jiang Si would probably be affected by this rapid time flow if he didn't transform.

That meant if he really tried to break the frozen time by brute force, he would have to endure the erosion of long years before he could go back.

This dungeon was extremely dangerous.

Perhaps because she was leaning against him, the Lu Ya AI was also unaffected by the time flow.

"The Time Dao Fruit can't be used with Magical Girl power. But the President of the Witch Association told me she discovered that corrupted magic can trigger part of the Time Dao Fruit's power."

Due to the rapid time flow, everything around them seemed to be fast-forwarding. Buying anything became quite troublesome. You had to pause at the instant the shop was open to grab an ice cream.

Miss the timing even slightly, and you'd fast-forward too far. There was no rewinding.

After waiting for the Lu Ya AI to mention that corrupted magic could trigger part of the Time Dao Fruit's power, Jiang Si tried colliding his corrupted magic with it and found it actually worked.

At the very least, it could slow down the time flow a bit.

He was about to continue using corrupted magic when—

Jiang Si suddenly froze.

Now that he was isolated in this independent [Pseudo-History], even though it had started flowing, if Little Black Dragon and Witch Shion weren't around...

In reality, his physical body couldn't refine corrupted magic on its own...

"Ahhh, we're about to be discovered!"

"The atmosphere was so good... such a pity."

"A world for two! Dad and Mom's world for two! Please keep it going, I'm begging you~"

"Can you pretend you didn't see us?"

Jiang Si stared at Little Black Dragon and the Emperor, who had been shrinking their presence to near invisibility inside his body. "When did you two get in?"

"When time stopped flowing." The Emperor answered honestly. "We followed the curse in."

So that was it. When [Pseudo-History] started moving forward, under the scouring of the river of time, he would indeed easily overlook inconspicuous things.

And he and the Emperor were always connected by the curse—but being able to cross time and skip causality was still a bit surprising to Jiang Si.

The status of this curse was probably far more complicated than he'd thought.

On the other hand, Little Black Dragon and the Emperor had been inside his body for so long that they felt like part of him.

Once they entered, he would automatically overlook their existence.

Just as he was thinking about this, Little Black Dragon said timidly, "Dad, can you buy her the ice cream first?"

The Lu Ya AI beside them was staring longingly at the nearby ice cream.

Jiang Si directly pulled the Emperor and Little Black Dragon out of his body.

The Lu Ya AI was startled. "Huh? You, you have two more people inside your body? D-did you get pregnant before marriage? Have you already succeeded in seeking gold?"

She said this while reaching for the Fruit Position explanation.

"Please don't be afraid, Mom!" Little Black Dragon immediately shouted. "We're not bad people, and we're not some strange existence. We're just here to help you two finish your date!"

The Emperor studied the Lu Ya AI. In her pupils, there wasn't as much imagined delight as expected. Instead, there was more melancholy.

"Hello. I'm Jiang Si's friend."

"Hello, hello." The Lu Ya AI responded somewhat flusteredly, then looked at Little Black Dragon. "I, I'm not married yet."

"It doesn't matter! You don't need to be married to have kids. I'm your and Dad's, I mean Jiang Si Dad's, child born out of wedlock. You can call me Xiao Hei, Hei Zi, anything you want, Mom. I don't mind!"

The Emperor lightly tapped her head. "Don't talk nonsense. Can't you see you're confusing her?"

Little Black Dragon didn't care at all. "This is my second mom."

"Huh? Second mom?"

The Emperor smiled helplessly. "She calls anyone she likes 'Mom.'"

The Lu Ya AI scratched her head awkwardly. "That's such a strange habit."

"Because Mom is the best person in the world! And I don't have a real mom anyway. It doesn't matter if I call anyone that..."

Jiang Si just told them to go accompany the Lu Ya AI to buy ice cream.

He himself sat by the roadside, focusing on using corrupted magic to clash with the Dao Fruit.

The Time Dao Fruit was a branch—Jiang Si suspected the heart from before was just a decoy or an illusion. What he'd actually swallowed wasn't a heart but a branch that had transformed into a heart.

Because he didn't feel any enhancement of his personal reality. The only thing that had entered his body was this branch from the World Tree.

When corrupted magic was injected, the water-like imagery on the branch began to change.

Speed up. Slow down. Stop time.

Corrupted magic couldn't do much. Stopping time would even stop him along with it, unable to extricate himself.

The same went for speeding up and slowing down.

It was clear he still hadn't found the correct way to use it...

"Jiang Si! Jiang Si!"

Just as he stopped testing the Dao Fruit with corrupted magic, the Lu Ya AI suddenly came running over.

She was holding an ice cream cone. There were still traces of ice cream around her mouth.

"It's not good. I can't finish it. You have it."

Jiang Si glanced at the ice cream. It had been licked all over. He then turned to look behind the Lu Ya AI.

The Emperor and Little Black Dragon both quickly looked away, acting like they had nothing to do with it.

These two were probably the ones who instigated this.

Jiang Si took the ice cream casually and asked, "First, tell me: after you used corrupted magic to manipulate the Dao Fruit, did you fail? What did you do after failing?"

The Lu Ya AI pushed his hand, guiding the ice cream to his mouth. "Eat it, and then I'll tell you."

Jiang Si swallowed the whole thing in one bite.

The Lu Ya AI was stunned for a moment, then scratched her head and said, "After corrupted magic didn't work, we found the perfect way to control the Time Dao Fruit: graft the corrupted magic onto a person, and then have miracles born like a Magical Girl. That way, you can use corrupted magic in the form of a Magical Girl—which is a Witch."

But before Witches were born, the founder of the Witch Association had already proposed the concept of Witches.

Jiang Si thought for a moment, then just said, "I see. Go play with them for now."

He couldn't undergo a Witch transformation right now. He could only use corrupted magic to strengthen and stimulate the Dao Fruit.

But even without transforming, using corrupted magic in a Witch's style was still possible...

As a reward for clearing this dungeon, Jiang Si figured it wouldn't be bad to master the Time Dao Fruit before leaving.

While he was still constantly trying to grasp the Time Dao Fruit, the Emperor and Little Black Dragon had already become buddy-buddy with the Lu Ya AI.

They found a quiet park. The entire Chongxu had this beautiful depopulation aesthetic. No one was in the park either. Occasionally, Magical Girls flew overhead, greeting the Lu Ya AI.

Jiang Si sat in meditation and breathing exercises. The Emperor and Little Black Dragon pulled the Lu Ya AI to lie down on the grass and started chatting.

From Beihai's Azure Cloud Sect, to the Saint Hall, to other major organizations, the various girls who liked Jiang Si, and Jiang Si's little sister at home.

The Emperor occasionally asked Jiang Si if they could talk about certain things. After Jiang Si nodded indifferently, he let Little Black Dragon speak.

After listening for a while, a mix of envy and bitterness crept into the Lu Ya AI's eyes.

"To think he's already met so many people... in places I don't know about, during times I don't know about..."

The desolate tone made even the Emperor feel reluctant. Little Black Dragon, meanwhile, whispered something in the Lu Ya AI's ear. Who knew what she said?

After a long while, the Lu Ya AI's eyes lit up. "Really? Can I?"

Little Black Dragon immediately nodded. "Don't worry! Absolutely no problem! My dad won't mind. Go for it, Mom!"

The Emperor couldn't help but tug at Little Black Dragon. "What did you say to her?"

"Nothing. I just told her to get closer to Dad..."

"You shouldn't get too close, should you?"

Little Black Dragon tilted her head. "Huh? Why?"

"Didn't you say I and Lu Ya are equally important moms to you?" The Emperor said with a hint of bitterness in her voice. "Now you're only thinking about her. You've completely forgotten about me."

Little Black Dragon instantly broke out in a cold sweat on her forehead. "No, no! Absolutely not! I just told her to get closer first. Mom, do I even need to mention your relationship with Dad? You sleep together, eat together, and live together every day! Don't worry, I'll take you and Dad on the swings later too..."

"You promise?"

Seeing the Emperor still brooding, Little Black Dragon wiped her forehead.

W-what was going on?

This was supposed to be a happy thing for everyone. Why did it feel so stressful? Was Emperor Mom jealous?

While she was still suspicious, the Lu Ya AI had already grabbed Jiang Si's hand.

After some coaxing, she dragged him over to the swings. She pushed Jiang Si down onto the swing, then naturally sat on his lap as the swing began to gently rock.

The sky was beautiful. Warm, orange sunlight filtered down, softened by the autumn air. Beneath the swing lay a few withered parasol leaves. The swaying motion sent the leaves fluttering into the air, and as they danced in the sunlight, they looked like ripples spreading across the surface of a river.

Not far away, there was a faint scent of osmanthus flowers, sweetening the gentle sunlight.

Just breathing lightly made him feel like his bones were going soft.

The Lu Ya AI pressed tightly against Jiang Si, clutching his clothes, feeling the warmth radiating from the young man's body. It made her heart ache with tenderness.

She was a little flustered, so she started talking about things Jiang Si might care about:

"The President of the Witch Association and I have been searching for a way to become a Witch. B-but ordinary people can't become Witches. I was just an ordinary girl before. No matter how many experiments I did, I couldn't adapt. So I modified myself."

The soles of her feet occasionally brushed against the withered leaves on the ground, producing crisp sounds as crushed leaves scattered. "So I am the real Lu Ya. The Lu Ya who completed the Witch experiment. The Witch who can control the Time Dao Fruit."

On the swaying swing, sitting on Jiang Si's lap, leaning against his chest, the Lu Ya AI tilted her head back, staring at Jiang Si's chin, his lips, the tip of his nose, and his eyes. "And I've never hurt anyone. I'm not a useless girl who can't do anything. I am clean, flawless, and I love you the most, Jiang Si. I am the Dao Ancestor who truly founded the path of the Witch."

There was no response. The young man didn't even seem willing to grunt.

"Whether it's character, ability, or anything else, I can stand by your side. I'll be with you forever, Jiang Si. From now on, forever..."

"Not used to it." He finally spoke, but it was only a cold denial.

The Lu Ya AI immediately pressed, "Not used to what?"

The swaying swing stopped. Jiang Si firmly planted his feet on the ground. "Not used to Lu Ya being someone else."

The Lu Ya AI hung her head. "Is... is that all?"

"Yeah."

"But I am her. She gave me all her love for you from the very beginning. But she never told me what to do if you wouldn't accept it. From the start, the only meaning and premise of my existence was that you accept me."

"She is free."

"That's right. You are free."

The Dao Fruit AI tilted her head up and whispered softly in his ear, "Emperor, you must be free to become the Dao Fruit. Always love him, and always be by his side, Xiao Gong."

"Change your name."

Twilight settled in. A sense of weariness enveloped the park. Great White Dragon and Lu Ya gradually dissipated into the air.

In the thickening dusk, the fragrance of osmanthus began to turn bitter.

The swing hung silently. Its elongated shadow swayed in the wind before vanishing into the gray, hazy night.

Jiang Si lowered his head slightly and realized he wasn't the only one who could use time authority.

The girl sitting on his lap was using the authority of the entire Chongxu.

Including changing the flow of time here.

Brilliant, colorful magic flashed across the sky. Soon, dozens of Magical Girls arrived above them.

"The entire Chongxu was built according to my design. And from the very beginning, Chongxu's underlying authority has always been in my hands."

The Lu Ya AI jumped off Jiang Si's lap.

"If you refuse, I'll use the entire Chongxu to keep you here."

Like a child throwing a tantrum, the Lu Ya AI declared with fierce determination, "I'm going to imprison you!"

Jiang Si stood up, feeling the Time Dao Fruit gradually yielding its secrets to him.

He raised his head and looked around at the Magical Girls surrounding him. Then he sighed.

That's why they said...

Mechanical intelligence crisis...

...

"Watch out!"

A Magical Girl streaked across the sky like a meteor and crashed straight through the celestial factory above!

The other Magical Girls' hearts all skipped a beat as they looked at the young man in the center, who was slowly retracting his foot.

They were Magical Girls. They hadn't even seen anything, hadn't had time to react, before their comrade had already been sent flying out of Chongxu!

More importantly, this guy was just an ordinary person! He hadn't even transformed!

"Xiyue."

The Magical Girl whose name was called looked even more surprised. She stared at the young man, her eyes filled with vigilance and astonishment. "You know me?"

"Sea God Borrowing Moon."

The young man's tone carried a hint of admiration and regret. "I respect you."

"...I don't have that nickname."

"You're not used to wearing this outfit, are you?"

Xiyue, who had put on new clothes, was utterly confused. "Who are you again?"

In the midst of this strange exchange, Xiyue had already summoned her trident. With one thrust, she aimed straight at her opponent's face!

But she missed.

Her opponent had vanished without a trace.

It wasn't just speed. It was like he had some kind of insight—reading her magic flow in advance, even predicting the muscle memory of her attack at the moment she struck!

Her trident was stomped on. Xiyue decisively let go and lunged forward, trying to use close-quarters grappling techniques to settle the match!

But the moment her fingertips touched the hem of his clothes—

She was too slow.

Her movements had slowed down by an entire second!

This feeling was all too familiar to Xiyue! She had encountered a Disaster Beast with the same ability before.

One that could slow down time.

That was also the time her magic had been trained to become exceptionally sensitive to distortion...

The next second, her opponent used the stomped trident as leverage to launch himself into the air. His body twisted mid-air like a drawn bow. His left foot swung out like a hammer, slamming heavily into her side ribs!

At that moment, Xiyue saw it.

Her opponent's eyes weren't tracking her movements. Instead, before she even acted, he had already positioned himself for the attack.

A godlike skill that seemed like precognition.

If she hadn't encountered a similar ability before, she would probably lose without even understanding how.

While she was still thinking, a tremendous force mixed with corrupted magic poured into her body like a tidal wave.

Xiyue was sent flying like a cannonball, tumbling and crashing through one skyscraper after another. Glass and reinforced concrete from half of Chongxu exploded into countless fragments behind her. But no matter what, she couldn't stabilize herself.

Before the surrounding gasps could even settle, Jiang Si didn't even look. With a backhanded punch—

On the other side, Ling Mei, along with the Incubator Xiao Qi sitting on her shoulder, was sent flying backward as well!

It was only because Incubator Xiao Qi desperately unleashed a slowing barrier to help her that Ling Mei barely avoided crashing straight into the celestial factory at Chongxu's edge like the previous Magical Girls.

Incubator Xiao Qi looked up, staring at Jiang Si with amazement.

"He's not normal. Get out of here!"

As if she was afraid of something, she actually dragged Ling Mei to break free from Chongxu's control and silently turned to flee!

Jiang Si sneered coldly in the air but naturally didn't chase after them.

The sneer hadn't even faded when two Magical Girl figures charged at him simultaneously. One spread out a Magical Net to trap him in place; the other locked onto his joints from behind in a textbook deadly encirclement.

And then, in the next second, they both grasped at empty air.

"Time difference..."

The battle-hardened veterans almost instantly understood. But it was too late.

Jiang Si's hands had already grabbed their heads, lifting them up like two cats. Then he aimed them at the steel factory below—

And smashed them down!

Two heavy, dull thuds merged into one.

The roof of the steel factory was smashed through. The two bodies pierced through several layers of alloy panels, creating a huge crater in the bottom floor. Bursting steel shavings and sparks shot upward like fireworks.

The entire factory let out an agonized groan as half of it collapsed!

Through the smoke and dust, Jiang Si slowly straightened up, his hands hanging naturally at his sides. His breathing hadn't even changed.

The two Magical Girls reverted from their transformation states. They were actually two Incubators.

Just as they were about to get up, Jiang Si kicked each one.

The heads of the two Incubators were crushed like watermelons with a loud "pop"!

They twitched on the ground twice before falling completely silent.

There were still plenty of people left.

But at this moment, all was silent. Their throats moved as they looked at the Incubators lying in pools of blood, their deaths utterly brutal.

Not only was his ability strong, possessing the most troublesome time manipulation—

His methods were also vicious!

Naturally, some of the weaker-willed among them were intimidated, their courage faltering.

"No way. We don't have any way to deal with time control..."

"That's so unfair!"

Jiang Si curled his lips.

In ancient times, there was Simo Tu who used the Dharma Body to swallow Yin and Yang. Today, there was Simo Tu who used the Dharma Body to devour time.

I am the light...

I am the number one Tianhui Light of Beihai!

Who wouldn't want to pack a punch while also playing around with some fun mechanics?

The two didn't conflict at all.

Corrupted magic surged into the World Tree branch once again.

He hadn't expected it to be this big.

But it didn't matter!

Time acceleration. Time deceleration.

To others, they were inescapable shackles. But to him, it was just a matter of whether his strength was great enough.

As long as his strength was great enough, when time slowed down, he could use even greater force and speed to break through, easily rendering the Time Dao Fruit ineffective against him!

Time and space. No wonder they were twin concepts. The usage of both Dao Fruits was about the same.

Once activated, he could control them with his own exquisite manipulation.

Jiang Si activated the combined state of acceleration and deceleration again. A figure lunged at him from an angle. He simply sidestepped slightly, his knee already charged with power. With a knee strike, he slammed hard into the opponent's waist.

The moment it made contact, time decelerated. Then it accelerated again!

Secondary burst!

The Magical Girl's body bent like a bow from the impact, shooting straight toward the celestial factory outside Chongxu. Her figure rapidly shrank into the distance!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Explosions rang out one after another from the celestial factory. Fireballs burst open, dazzling and deafening!

"No way! We can't fight him at all! That's so cheap! Who gave him time control?"

"I want one too..."

"Aren't we supposed to be the Magical Girls? Come on, miracle! Give us the power to control time too!"

Amid the chattering complaints and lamentations—

The remaining Magical Girls were forced to cancel their transformations one after another under the terrifying force. Their magic scattered, and they tumbled to the ground in disgrace.

Jiang Si swept his gaze across the scene. A surge of pride welled up in his heart.

Every single Magical Girl here was worthy of being Full Bloom. Each one was a dragon among men, a phoenix among women. At the very least, they all had the combat power of Lush Leaves!

But then—

Jiang Si kicked another one into a supernova. With the blessing of the Time Great Dao, he was sending these prodigies flying like curling into a helpless mess!

Was this what it felt like to be a punch-card?

Using fists to spread the Dao, teaching through action, mingling so closely with lower cultivators.

Not bad at all.

"Have we met before?"

Xiyue, who had been kicked far away but luckily hadn't been forced out of her transformation state, returned to the battlefield.

She looked at the shattered road, the chaotic streets, the collapsed buildings, and the ruined factory.

She took a deep breath, suppressing her shock and wavering.

Wasn't it always like this?

Even if only one person was left, she still had to fight.

Xiyue threw away her trident. She pressed her hand over her heart.

"Time control is indeed very strong."

Her surging magic spread out like a tide, covering the entire surrounding environment.

"No matter how Jiang Si moves, I can react instantly."

The best way to deal with time control was to cover the entire battlefield with one's own magic.

At the moment the opponent tampered with the flow of time, use strength to overcome skill. Force a counterattack.

The prerequisite was that the stats had to be high enough.

Since becoming a Magical Girl, Xiyue had never encountered a situation where her stats weren't enough.

"A Magical Girl's clothes shouldn't be this neat and clean."

But the young man didn't pay her any attention at all. He just recited poetry as if to himself.

"They should be soaked with sweat. They should be tattered and torn. Only then do they have the flavor of a true Magical Girl."

"...Are you into smells?"

Xiyue's single sentence threw Jiang Si's rhythm off completely. He even forgot his next lines. He could only stall for time by ad-libbing some other dialogue to buy himself a moment.

"Xiyue. You will die saving ordinary people, in an ordinary way, surrounded by ordinary people."

"You're suddenly starting to act like a prophet again. But isn't that a good thing?" Xiyue smiled calmly. "It means that even if I weren't a Magical Girl, I could still help everyone."

As a Magical Girl who had saved her own world six times, Xiyue had experienced countless battles. It was only recently, the seventh time, when her world's essence began to wither and all the Magical Girls started losing their miracles, that Xiyue decided to try her luck at the legendary Chongxu.

To see if she could restore everyone's power and miracles.

According to the situation in her world, losing the power of Magical Girls here was only a matter of time. She hadn't expected him to notice.

Whether he was guessing or had actually seen through something, it made Xiyue even more cautious.

"Sorry. I'm going to go all out!"

She had originally wanted to play defensively. After all, attacking first might give her opponent a chance to counter. But since he hadn't made a move yet—

She wasn't going to just sit around and wait to die!

"Mental Landscape Expansion!"

It was the only way to counter time control.

The moment her Mental Landscape, capable of corroding all things, began to spread—

Jiang Si's corrupted magic violently surged into the World Tree branch!

Everything came to a halt at this moment!

Jiang Si could clearly perceive that in this frozen instant, it wasn't just Chongxu that was stopped.

It was everything—all worlds, all beings—that came to a standstill in this single moment!

Both the world bubbles in unknown corners and everything in the new world were all pressed pause at this very instant!

Thus, every single move Jiang Si made within this frozen time felt like he was carrying the weight of all worlds!

Corrupted magic transformed into sharp blades. They converged and merged into a violent tornado that began to spread!

But everything was still frozen. The sharp blades hung suspended in midair. The storm of swords spinning wildly and devouring everything stood still like a sculpture. All the killing moves were arranged by Jiang Si himself, using all his strength to place them "one by one."

Within this frozen world, he barely managed to complete everything in that single moment.

And then time began to move again.

The power that had stopped all worlds, all beings, rebounded like a spring compressed to its limit. In an instant, it struck back like a waterfall in reverse, heaven and earth shattering, flooding Jiang Si in a torrent!

At the same moment, the storm of blades also succeeded in exploiting the single flaw in Xiyue's Mental Landscape Expansion, tearing it to pieces!

There was only one flaw in the Mental Landscape Expansion.

Because it expanded too quickly, that flaw was basically impossible for anyone to catch. Therefore, the best way to counter a Mental Landscape Expansion was to use another Mental Landscape Expansion.

Without transforming, Jiang Si had absolutely no way to counter Xiyue's Mental Landscape.

But with the Time Dao Fruit, if he could seize that single flaw and stop the world—

He could directly slice through the Mental Landscape!

Xiyue, whose body had been severed into several pieces along with her Mental Landscape, finally reverted from her transformation state. She fell to the ground and passed out.

"Farewell, Sea God Third Young Master."

"Farewell, Seven-Time Champion. You no longer need an eighth crown to prove yourself."

Jiang Si took a deep breath. Feeling the lingering heat of battle still burning in his body, he couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement.

Being able to instantly defeat a former powerful enemy meant—

Although none of the Magical Girls before him had reached Full Bloom, he was confident that with his physical strength alone, he could match a Full Bloom!

This Time Dao Fruit was practically a qualitative leap for him!

What a trial this had been! What a reward!

It had been so long since he'd had such an improvement. For a moment, Jiang Si wanted to raise his head and let out a long roar!

But he quickly calmed down. His gaze shifted downward, landing on the girl who was pounding the ground and crying hysterically.

The matter wasn't over yet.

The Lu Ya AI was currently using the authority of the entire Chongxu to continuously manifest larger weapons and summon more Magical Girls.

Because Chongxu was constructed using the personal realities of many Magical Girls.

And with the loss of that authority, it meant all the Magical Girls who had come to help build Chongxu would be influenced by the Lu Ya AI.

She didn't even need to give mandatory orders. All she had to do was equate Jiang Si with a Disaster Beast in their minds.

These Magical Girls would naturally converge on him.

"You can't leave! You can't leave! Jiang Si, you're not allowed to leave! You have to stay by my side forever! I'll become Lu Ya! I'll definitely become the real Lu Ya!"

Looking down at the Lu Ya AI, who was throwing a tantrum like a spoiled child, Jiang Si just sneered.

But his sneer didn't last long.

"Lu Ya... Lu Ya..."

A dense, uniform whisper came from all directions. More and more voices began to chant!

"Lu Ya! Lu Ya!"

If it was just simple mind control before, now it was hysterical domination and manipulation!

As the chants of "Lu Ya" grew louder and louder, endless voices echoed in waves, spreading across the entire universe and into the chaotic void!

"Lu Ya! Lu Ya! Lu Ya! Lu Ya!..."

It spread like a virus. Every word that appeared on the big screens was "Lu Ya." Every sound of machinery colliding was "Lu Ya." The chirping of insects was "Lu Ya." The birdsong was "Lu Ya." Crying was "Lu Ya." Laughter was also "Lu Ya."

Every image turned into Lu Ya. Everyone's appearance began to transform into Lu Ya. Thousands upon thousands of Lu Yas, shouting her own name, merging all personal realities into one, turning the world into Lu Ya's playground!

Jiang Si even heard Little Black Dragon and the Emperor inside his heart begin to mutter "Lu Ya."

Resonating with it, even slightly shaking his personal reality!

Jiang Si took a deep breath. His expression turned serious.

He grabbed his Miracle Seed again and sensed Dragon Lord Shion outside.

Having gained some understanding of how to use the Time Dao Fruit, Jiang Si planned to leave this place, which had become meaningless.

"Lu Ya! Lu Ya!"

The entire Chongxu had transformed into a giant Lu Ya, reaching out to completely ensnare him.

But before he could even transform, he saw the Lu Ya AI's body suddenly freeze.

A beam of light pierced through from behind, impaling the real Lu Ya AI's chest.

"Chongxu is not just your Chongxu, my good sister. Lu Ya."

The Lu Ya AI turned her head with difficulty. Standing behind her was a girl in a black robe.

The founder of the Witch Association. The one who had opened the path of the Witch alongside her.

"You... betrayed..."

"How can you call it betrayal? Chongxu was always meant to be a kingdom for all Magical Girls. It's everyone's Chongxu."

The light sword erupted with dazzling brilliance, gradually calming the Lu Ya AI.

And the endless waves of "Lu Ya" that had gathered around suddenly froze. Then they collapsed in an instant!

Like data instantly drained and obliterated, everything fell into dead silence in that moment!

"You're the one who betrayed us, Lu Ya. Leaving such a dangerous backdoor in Chongxu's authority. Having to constantly guard against you in the future is such a headache. Do you have any idea how much money and effort that's going to cost?"

The Lu Ya AI's body gradually began to turn into data. Bit by bit, it scattered and was absorbed into that light sword...

With a crack!

The Lu Ya AI suddenly burst into action, gripping the black-robed girl's arm tightly. "When I wake up, I'll find you first..."

The black-robed girl severed her own right arm with a single sword stroke. The Lu Ya AI immediately lost her grip. Then her body could no longer hold together. It turned into data and was absorbed into the light sword.

"That's too scary. I don't like girls. Don't miss me like that. Please."

The black-robed girl spoke as if she were teasing. She completely sealed the Lu Ya AI away.

Then, all of Chongxu's circuits disconnected. Tens of thousands of people collapsed to the ground. All the Magical Girls fell from the sky. In no time, everything fell into a dead silence.

Only one completely broken machine kept repeating the viral chant—

"Lu Ya... Lu Ya... Lu Ya..."

The black-robed girl turned to look at Jiang Si below. She asked herself, "Magical Girls save others, but who saves the Magical Girls?"

The black-robed girl stood in the air, holding the light sword that had sealed the Lu Ya AI. She swung it once.

"Magical Girls answer the wishes of ordinary people. They are the Promised Land of ordinary people. But where can the wishes of Magical Girls be answered?"

Jiang Si didn't respond. After a long silence, she had no choice but to continue on her own.

"That's Chongxu. It answers the wishes of Magical Girls. The true destination that all Magical Girls should reach. A place where all Magical Girls can find peace. The Promised Land."

Jiang Si stared coldly at her. The one who had created Witches alongside Lu Ya. The President of the Witch Association.

He could sense almost nothing from her. She seemed like nothing more than a hollow spirit.

"Who are you?"

"Although you probably haven't met me yet, I think we'll soon have our first official meeting."

She paused. Her tone sounded like she was smiling.

"Dear Vice President Simo Tu, sir."