Chapter 253
The black shadow paused, frozen midair. He couldn't understand why Zixu would abandon his system—nor why Zixu still retained the Fruit's abilities.
"The bound dragon is finally free..." Zixu murmured, flexing his limbs. Though much of his power had been stripped, he felt lighter, unrestrained. The system had taken a lot from him—but it had also been holding him back. Now, abilities that were once locked away flooded his mind like mushrooms sprouting after rain. While he had been enjoying the system's conveniences, he hadn't realized the restrictions it imposed.
Hatsuizumi, standing nearby, had been silently building up her strength. Now, she finally revealed her hidden trump card.
This strange summoning beast had been with Hatsuizumi since she was a child. At first glance, it seemed useless—doing nothing but devouring energy endlessly. But she knew better. This creature harbored terrifying energy.
Imagine what would happen if a being that had absorbed chakra and energy for over a decade suddenly released it all at once.
Summoning magic was a form of space-time ninjutsu, and both aspects were terrifying. The energy her summoning beast absorbed seemed stored in a pocket dimension—hidden, coiled, waiting. If Chu Quan detonated that energy in the real world, it wouldn't just destroy the black shadow; it could potentially shatter this entire space.
Zixu's eyes narrowed when he saw her summoned beast released. He didn't want Hatsuizumi to use it. He wasn't sure what Chun Qiu's real capabilities were, but if this was anything like that world, where one needed the Will of Heaven's approval to go back in time successfully, they couldn't afford to gamble. After all, they didn't possess a guaranteed trump card like "Spring and Autumn Must Succeed."
Hatsuizumi caught the look he gave her and understood immediately. Still, she didn't dismiss Chun Qiu. Instead, she summoned a swarm of other insects.
The newly released insects formed a ring around Chun Qiu. Core insects took their positions at the base, while thousands of smaller ones slotted around them, building a structure—layer by layer—until they formed what looked like a compact, multi-tiered Immortal Gu House.
Zixu, caught mid-battle with the black shadow, paused when he noticed the construction. He had trained Hatsuizumi to be relentless, meticulous—a model worker. But he didn't expect this. She had built an actual Immortal Gu House.
Chinano and Karin entered the Gu House, each managing a portion of its functions while channeling their chakra into the structure. Karin, having recently overdrawn her chakra to awaken Zixu, could only handle low-drain systems.