Qiu Sixteen closed her eyes in the bizarre space, feeling the howling wind rush past her ears.
This had been going on for several minutes now. In this space, she knew that her movement speed theoretically had no upper limit.
After all, it was the space itself that was moving, not her, so her physical body didn’t have to endure the backlash of high-speed motion.
But after moving at such an incredible speed for so long… where would she finally stop?
Unconsciously, she tightened her grip on the small “door” in her hand—the only thing she could rely on in this unknown, boundless space.
She knew it was nearly impossible to return to the space where her teammates were. Neither “faith” nor “time” would allow her any chance of escape.
The fact that she could still move normally here was already a rarity. If she ended up stopping before “the door most important to Xuanwu,” it would mean she might be able to help her team kill Xuanwu in this place.
But if Xuanwu died, she was destined to perish with it.
A person who died inside Xuanwu’s body… what right did they have to enter the next cycle of reincarnation?
Every time she thought of this, the anger in Qiu Sixteen’s mind would steadily fade, replaced only by sorrow.
“Let me burn…” Qiu Sixteen murmured with her eyes closed. “I want to remember all of this…”
Several more minutes passed. The wind in her ears gradually weakened before finally stopping altogether.
It seemed this endless journey had finally reached its destination.
Slowly, Qiu Sixteen opened her eyes and gazed at the space before her—both unfamiliar and familiar.
Right in front of her stood a “door.” A real door, with aged wood grain and a rusting handle.
“This door… is the thing most important to Xuanwu,” Qiu Sixteen whispered. “Ninth Sister, I think I’ve arrived.”
**You’re there?** Bai Jiu’s ethereal voice drifted from the other side of the door. **You were silent for so long—you scared me. I didn’t dare speak, worried I might disrupt your faith.**
“It should be fine…” Qiu Sixteen replied softly, holding the “door” in her hand. “Everything seems normal now… There’s another door in front of me.”
**Keep the door in your hand safe. If anything happens, don’t act recklessly—follow my lead.** Bai Jiu instructed. **Before entering, check what’s inside.**
“Alright… Ninth Sister, I understand. Don’t worry.” Qiu Sixteen nodded, then took a deep breath and slowly reached out toward the door before her.
But the moment she extended her hand, she noticed a faint red glow emanating from the back of her right hand.
Something felt off. She used her other hand to scratch the spot, but there was nothing unusual—it was more like a red light was shining on her, casting a dim crimson hue over both hands in the darkness.
Realizing this, Qiu Sixteen lowered her head and examined her body. A strange red glow was coming from behind her, painting her entire form in a pale red tint.
The color was eerily familiar, reminiscent of the “Crimson of the End”—a horrifying hue only seen in the Bloody Wasteland. But she had been moving in one direction for nearly ten minutes. Why was this red light still shining on her?
Slowly, she twisted her body in the void and looked behind her.
About ten meters away, there was another bizarrely shaped “door,” resembling a vertical slit—two meters tall and half a meter wide.
A faint red glow seeped from the crack, unsettling in every way.
The light inside was even redder than the “Crimson of the End,” and from within came intermittent, beast-like whimpers, as though it led straight to hell itself.
Qiu Sixteen stood frozen, unsure what exactly she was facing.
**Sixteen… what’s wrong?** Bai Jiu’s voice came from the door in her palm. **Is there something inside that door?**
“No… Ninth Sister…” Qiu Sixteen hesitated. “I haven’t entered yet, but something here is… strange.”
**Strange…?**
“I found something really unsettling.” She lifted the “door” in her hand, then flipped it to face the crimson crack, her voice cautious. “Ninth Sister, do you know what that is?”
Bai Jiu peered through Jiang Shi’s eyes for a long moment, but the limited perspective and dim lighting made it impossible to discern what lay within the blood-red fissure.
“Sixteen… that thing isn’t normal. I suggest leaving it alone,” Bai Jiu said into Jiang Shi’s eyes.
**But Ninth Sister…** Qiu Sixteen seemed to have her own thoughts. **What if I’m the last—the only one who can explore this space? This door is right here. If I just take a quick look, it shouldn’t be a problem.**
“But—”
**Ninth Sister, I’ve been thinking about how to share what I find with all of you. Now’s the perfect chance—everything I see, you’ll see too. So pay close attention. Every door here must hold secrets we’ve never uncovered before…**
“Wait—” Bai Jiu urgently called into Jiang Shi’s eyes, but Qiu Sixteen was already moving slowly toward the crimson fissure.
Bai Jiu had a terrible feeling, though she couldn’t pinpoint why.
Only one thought dominated her mind: **Do not challenge the unknown.**
Qiu Sixteen inched closer to the scarlet crack. The moment she peeked inside, her scalp prickled, and the hairs on her back stood on end.
All sorrow and anger vanished in an instant, replaced by sheer terror.
Though she couldn’t comprehend what she was seeing, an overwhelming dread gripped her.
Something massive was inside, pulsating.
“Dammit…” She swallowed hard as Bai Jiu’s voice continued from the door in her hand.
**Sixteen… just look and leave. Don’t step into any other doors!**
“Ninth Sister, don’t worry… I won’t go in…” Qiu Sixteen took a deep breath. “But I want to see it more clearly…”
She slowly reached into the crack, gripping its edge. With a slight tug, she tore off a piece, widening the fissure.
Looking down at the fragment in her hand, she realized it was another tiny “door”—soft to the touch, like cotton. One side was a void of black stars, the other a crimson world.
She loosened her grip. The fragment drifted downward, weightless, sinking into the abyss beneath her.
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