Thelema rose from Songque's back and looked around. Everything was shrouded in dim gray, with a mist-like yin aura drifting through the air.
"My waist... nearly snapped," Songque groaned, supporting her back as she stood up.
Before her appeared a glowing screen displaying several words: Activate Transcendence Mode?
"Transcendence Mode?" Songque blinked in confusion. Her personal system didn't have such a function!
Could this be a plugin gifted by the big boss herself?
"Activate!"
The moment Songque enabled Transcendence Mode, streams of golden light began to flow around her body. On closer inspection, each shimmer of light was actually composed of countless tiny golden runes.
Meanwhile, beyond the planet's atmosphere, a massive technological matrix shaped like a Bagua diagram unfolded before the sun. Its central conduit opened a dimensional channel, gathering the solar energy.
A blinding golden beam of light shot toward the gateway to the underworld.
The pillar of sunlight pierced through space and poured endlessly into Songque's body.
Her entire form radiated with sacred brilliance.
The light grew brighter, more intense.
Wherever the golden light reached, it illuminated the gloom like daylight and dispelled the chilling yin energy.
Centered around Songque, waves of golden radiance spread outward, driving away the darkness and cold of the underworld.
Any ghost who saw the light was irresistibly drawn toward it.
They would then fall into endless illusions—forced to experience the pain they had inflicted on others, reliving their sins as their victims until they finally repented, letting go of resentment and vowing to do good. Only then would they be transcended.
Originally, Kiana Kaslana had planned to simply open the entire underworld and let sunlight flood in—to quite literally burn the realm clean.
But such an act wasn't transcendence—it was dragging the dead before the sun to scorch their souls to nothingness.
After thorough study and refinement, Kiana developed the Transcendence Mode – Prototype Version.
It combined Taoist and Buddhist sutras, interdimensional magic, purification algorithms, and advanced technology—a full-cycle transcension system. Even the most vicious of specters couldn't last more than three seconds before being purified.
The golden light possessed the combined effects of allure, mental reformation, illusion generation, and transcendence.
Powered directly by the world's sun, its effect on spirits was magnified exponentially.
Thelema squinted at Songque, who was now shining from head to toe like a walking statue of gold.
Adjusting her visual filters like putting on sunglasses, she muttered, "What's your situation right now?"
"Aren't we here to cleanse this ghostly dump? She gave me this to do it."
"So... you're a human-shaped lightbulb now."
"What lightbulb? I'm a Transcendence Radiant! Hahaha! Evil spirits, I've come to deliver your souls!"
Once Songque grasped the purpose of Transcendence Mode, she eagerly began marching forward.
Even as she moved, Thelema noticed that the brightness didn't fade behind her; the light persisted, maintaining its radiance.
Following close behind, she saw trails of luminous golden particles saturating the air wherever Songque walked. The wandering ghosts that came into contact with them froze, their disheveled appearances gradually shifting into normal human forms.
Those now-purified spirits knelt in reverence before Songque, who glowed like a descending goddess.
One by one, the wandering souls' faces softened with serenity and gratitude as their forms dissolved into golden motes, returning to the heavens to await reincarnation.
Before long, the disturbance spread—drawing the attention of powerful demons and spirits throughout the underworld.
"What the hell is that?"
The Black Mountain Demon raised both hands, weaving a dark spell that enveloped his domain in a barrier of darkness to block the spreading golden energy.
He could feel it clearly—this power came from the sun itself.
Drawing on millennia of cultivation and immense demonic power, he barely managed to resist the infiltration of the golden particles that threatened to purify his ghostly army.
"Who are these people... daring to extend their hands into my domain?"
The Black Mountain Demon recalled the white-haired woman who had slain the tree demon. She had wielded a similar kind of power—only hers had been far more violent, like staring directly into the blazing sun.
The golden-haired woman who had invaded the underworld wielded power that was softer than the white-haired one's, yet far stranger and more terrifying. She forcibly dragged ghosts into illusionary realms, subjecting them to cycles of reincarnation. Within the time it took to drink a cup of tea, a soul would already have lived through ten lifetimes in those illusions.
Lesser ghost kings couldn't withstand such relentless transcendence—let alone the wandering souls or spectral soldiers.
At this rate of energy consumption, the Black Mountain Demon thought, it wouldn't be long before she exhausted her power.
He refused to believe that this golden-haired woman's strength was infinite—that she could truly transcend the entire underworld.
Once she weakened or revealed an opening, he and the other underworld powers would strike together.
He had good reason to be cautious—after all, she wasn't alone. The woman had a protector by her side.
To brazenly enter the underworld and perform transcendence meant her power must be vast beyond measure.
From his brief encounter with Kiana Kaslana—when he'd been utterly crushed in an instant—and from intelligence gathered from the surface world, the Black Mountain Demon already knew that these beautiful women, suspected to be outer-realm demons, were not to be trifled with.
Had they not intruded into the underworld, he would have gladly avoided conflict.
But now, they had taken the surface and were coming for the netherworld as well.
He had no choice but to fight.
Time passed quietly. Songque's transcendence mission was already more than halfway done.
In truth, even if she did nothing but stand there, the golden particles continuously emitted from her body would eventually saturate the entire underworld.
They had already transcended more than 99.9% of all spirits.
Songque and Thelema now seemed more like tourists—walking along the Path of the Yellow Springs, fishing by the Bridge of Forgetfulness, visiting the Terrace of Yearning to watch their past lives play out on the Stones of Three Lifetimes, and resting within the Hall of Enchantment.
Unlike others who rampaged through this world, Songque had not come to slaughter. Instead, she used her power to purify and transcend the souls of the underworld.
She was a good person.
She was doing good deeds.
And good deeds deserved reward.
Meanwhile, across the surface world, after the Chosen Ones' violent conquests had stabilized, peace and prosperity followed. Everyone had food to eat, and the hearts of the people began to turn toward them.
This shift subtly influenced the will of Heaven itself.
The world's Heavenly Dao consciousness, as Kiana Kaslana perceived it, resembled a fusion of Gaia—the planetary will—and the collective consciousness of humanity, Alaya.
The reward the Heavenly Dao granted to Songque was a type of energy that could be used as spiritual power: merit energy.
In terms of raw output, the energy Songque expended to purify souls far exceeded the merit energy Heaven rewarded her with.
However, due to the unique and mysterious nature of this divine force, its value was far greater in Kiana's eyes.
It was like exchanging iron ore for gold.
A completely fair trade—no loss at all.
...
Through the data Songque collected, Kiana Kaslana confirmed the true nature of merit energy.
If one regarded the Heavenly Dao as a cultivator, then merit energy was its spiritual cultivation and power. The Heavenly Dao could bestow its own cultivation and strength upon other beings.
It was, in essence, the same as how she herself could grant others the power of Honkai.
Once she understood this, Kiana quickly lost interest in the concept.
She returned to studying souls instead.
Every spirit bound for the underworld was intercepted and stored within the Stigmata Space.
In the underworld, the air was now thick with golden particles, transforming the once-dead and gray void into a realm of light.
The golden particles emanating from Songque's body were specially designed for the environment. They not only transcended spirits but also devoured yin energy, endlessly dividing and replicating themselves.
Each golden particle was a self-replicating nanobot engraved with Taoist and Buddhist transcendence sigils, powered by sunlight.
Under their influence, the underworld grew steadily brighter—
Though it lacked sun, moon, and stars, its brilliance now rivaled the early morning light of the living world.
Powerful demons and spirits like the Black Mountain Demon had either erected barriers or buried themselves deep underground to avoid the golden swarm.
After waiting for what felt like an eternity, the Black Mountain Demon, seeing that the entire underworld was nearly filled with golden light, could bear it no longer.
He finally made his move—
Rallying the demons and monsters of the netherworld, he launched an all-out assault on the Hall of Enchantment.
For the first time in underworld history, its warring factions united under one cause—to fight a common enemy.
If they didn't act now, they would be consumed to death.
The yin energy was thinning, and the changing environment weakened them further. Their spiritual power couldn't recover, and they had to continuously expend energy just to resist the golden transcendence light.
...
Hall of Enchantment.
At that moment, Songque was raising chickens and feeding dogs, enjoying a leisurely and carefree life.
The chickens were from Gold Rooster Mountain, and the dogs from Evil Dog Ridge.
With no more ghosts wandering about, these creatures had nothing to eat every day—so she brought them back and raised them herself.
Waving her hand, Songque transformed golden energy into grains and meat, scattering them across the ground.
The roosters and hounds immediately scrambled for the food, making a raucous commotion until they were full and fell asleep nearby.
Suddenly, the entire ground trembled!
A massive surge of dark energy enveloped the Hall of Enchantment.
The roosters and dogs stood alert, their instincts screaming of danger.
Overhead, dark clouds gathered, blotting out the sky.
Songque looked up and saw legions of armored ghost soldiers and generals within the clouds, accompanied by an army of demons and monsters.
Their bodies emitted chilling auras as they brandished long spears, snarling with twisted faces and glowing green eyes filled with murderous intent.
Sensing hostility, Songque waved with a friendly smile. "Good morning, big ghost brothers!"
"..."
The ghost kings twitched at the sight of her silly demeanor.
The underworld had practically turned into the living world already!
"Attack! Kill her!" they roared.
The vast horde of demons and ghosts surged toward Songque like a tidal wave.
Seeing the massive army rushing her, Songque shivered. "Crap."
She immediately activated every defensive measure she had—
Klein Field.
Magical Barrier.
Solar Shield.
Evil Resistance.
Golden Light Mantra.
...
Layer upon layer of light shields and crystalline walls formed around her, blocking every attack.
"Oh, so you wanna fight, huh? You think I'm scared of you?"
Songque raised her hand, a golden ceremonial staff appearing within her grasp. With a swing, she unleashed streams of golden particles that rippled out like waves.
Wherever the golden light passed, the ghost soldiers froze in place, motionless.
"I raised chickens and dogs for a reason! Get them, my pretties—bite those ugly freaks to death!"
With the ghost army immobilized, Songque commanded her animal troops.
At her word, the flocks of roosters and packs of dogs charged into the enemy ranks, pecking and tearing at the spirits' ethereal forms.
The ghost kings and demon lords hadn't expected their soldiers to win—they merely sought to test her defenses.
Suddenly, a massive black mountain materialized, rumbling as it hurtled toward Songque.
She took to the air, gripping her golden staff and pointing it forward.
A school of golden spirit fish emerged from the void, their fins slicing through the air. They launched waves of radiant energy that clashed with the black mountain, erupting into thunderous explosions.
Skulls, dark lightning, bones, and ghostly flames poured toward her from every direction.
Faced with the combined might of countless ghost and demon kings, Songque countered by summoning an endless variety of creatures—Honkai Beasts and spectral constructs—rapidly assembling an army of her own.
They clashed violently, exchanging devastating blows.
Fueled by solar energy, Honkai energy, magic, and merit energy, Songque's defense and offense were pushed to their limits, with no concern for exhaustion.
While she was besieged by the underworld's entire demonic host, Thelema moved swiftly across the realm, destroying the demons' barriers and freeing imprisoned souls.
Songque fought for three days and nights straight, surrounded by a sea of ghosts. Finally, she sighed, switched to auto-mode, and logged off to rest—letting her AI handle the battle.
The underworld's demon army, led by the Black Mountain Demon, the Yin-Yang Dharma King, and other powerful rulers, attempted to control their subordinates caught in illusions, sending them on suicidal attacks.
For a time, tens of thousands of monsters perished.
But for the massive coalition of underworld forces, that loss was nothing. The ranks of demons and ghosts still stretched endlessly across the battlefield.
Many sealed off their emotions and hearts, severing the illusionary reincarnation's influence—leaving Songque only able to trap them temporarily.
Those trapped within illusions were forcibly manipulated by their masters to charge at Songque and self-destruct.
The AI-controlled Songque fought on tirelessly, expressionless, day and night.
Her golden staff continuously summoned countless entities, sending waves of radiant light sweeping across the battlefield like a scythe through grass—
Each sweep annihilated swathes of monsters.
Golden energy blazed from her body like a sun, while black energies hurled themselves against it like moths to a flame, detonating in violent bursts.
...
Surface World.
After Pudu Cihang was wounded by the fuel-air bomb and fled, the imperial government fell into chaos.
Many officials who carried dragon qi had been hollowed out and devoured by him, leaving only empty shells.
Normally, Pudu Cihang's lesser demons would occupy these husks, posing as officials.
But with their master gone, they too had fled.
The civil servants who had entered this world took control of over a thousand counties without breaking a sweat, each becoming a local magistrate.
Perhaps due to boredom, they even enjoyed managing agriculture, industry, and public order.
The only thing that tested their patience were the ignorant locals—many regions still had vigilante justice, human trafficking, and forced prostitution.
To them, these were all crimes deserving one punishment: send them to hell.