"This power… is it the Path of Original Sin?"
Longhua couldn't help but murmur in surprise.
She gently traced her finger over her Vision, then lifted her hand upward.
The Vision detached from her garter, floating above her palm as it emitted a faint glow.
Looking at the Vision in her hand and then at the energy orb in the water column, Longhua's expression grew complex.
At this moment, the screen gradually darkened, and lines of text began to appear.
『Five hundred years ago, due to an "accident," Longhua obtained a powerful force from beyond this world out of curiosity.』
『But because the power was too uncontrollable, Longhua suffered greatly and was eventually forced to seal it within a Vision.』
『The discovery that strong willpower could suppress the power was accidental. Perhaps this is because… humans are meant to control their "Original Sin" with strong "conviction"?』
『Those who cannot control Original Sin become Original Sin. Those who can control it remain human.』
『Yes, the power Longhua obtained is called Original Sin.』
『The Path of Original Sin』
The black screen faded, and Longhua reappeared on the screen, continuing the animated short.
"Aside from me, have other deities or humans also obtained the power of Original Sin?"
"But even so, what does this mean now?"
"Is it a challenge to me? But what's the point?"
"The power of a Path isn't like a fragment of the Primordial One. You can't grow stronger by devouring other fragments. If you want to strengthen a Path, the best way is simply to walk further along it, right?"
Longhua was deeply puzzled.
However, despite her confusion, what needed to be done remained unchanged.
Longhua aimed her Vision at the energy orb, slowly absorbing the glow emanating from it.
The orb was essentially the source of the poison, but it contained the power of the Path, which suppressed the divine energy of Gaoyang Mountain, preventing the poison from being purified. As the Path's power dissipated, the poison was naturally purified.
Resolving this issue wasn't difficult for Longhua, as she had spent a lot of time figuring out how to deal with Original Sin.
However, the main focus now was on who had done this and why.
While this had been the main focus before, in Longhua's eyes, the concept of "main focus" had now changed.
Of course,
"No matter who it is or what their purpose is, they cannot be forgiven."
In the end, Longhua left these words behind.
Then, the perspective shifted back to the protagonist.
"Ugh, how long are we going to be stuck in this cell? Why hasn't Longhua come yet? Even if Longhua doesn't come, Xuanqing could at least show up!"
Paimon flitted around the cell, while Lumine looked at her helplessly.
"Calm down, Paimon. Getting worked up won't help. We just have to be patient."
"But I'm hungry!"
Paimon rubbed her stomach, pouting.
"Flying so fast while escaping earlier used up ten times the usual energy. If I don't eat soon, I'm going to starve to death."
"I was running on the ground, and I'm not complaining about being hungry. Why are you, the one flying, so hungry?"
"Even phantom limbs get tired!"
"I've never seen you with any phantom limbs. By the way, what species are you, anyway?"
"How should I know? Ugh, forget it. I can't take it anymore, Lumine! Let's break out!"
"…You were the one who said to surrender earlier, and now you're saying to break out. If you knew this would happen, why did you suggest surrendering in the first place?"
"Fine, I wasn't thinking clearly back then, okay?"
Lumine sighed, then…
"Just hang in there a little longer."
Yeah, she chose to try to calm Paimon down again.
There was no helping it. Breaking out now would make it impossible to explain themselves.
Fortunately, just as Paimon was getting restless and Lumine was trying to reason with her,
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
Longhua finally arrived.
"Longhua, you're finally here!"
Paimon exclaimed in delight, squeezing through the bars and immediately throwing herself into Longhua's arms.
Lumine crossed her arms, watching Paimon effortlessly slip out of the cell with a look of exasperation.
"Was this prison actually just meant to hold me?"
At this moment, players watching the scene couldn't help but laugh.
Longhua, meanwhile, patted Paimon's head and then looked at Lumine. "Alright, come on out."
Without any visible action from Longhua, the cell door opened on its own.
Lumine stepped out without hesitation and got straight to the point. "Longhua, has the situation been resolved?"
"Half of it. The culprit behind this hasn't been found yet."
Lumine nodded. "If there's anything we can do to help, just say the word. I won't let the culprit get away."
"Yeah, yeah!" Paimon chimed in, crossing her arms indignantly. "We have to bring the culprit to justice to vent our frustration."
"…In that case, there is something I need your help with."
After hearing this, Longhua didn't hesitate much longer. She took the Vision from her garter and handed it to Lumine, casually saying:
"Take this Vision to the Emerald Bamboo Forest east of Shanhaijing. Lure out the enemy, then hold out until I arrive."