The Great Separation

"Just look for yourself!" Dus declared, then fell silent.

The Lotus Pedestal shimmered with a resplendent golden glow, exuding waves of gentle warmth interwoven with countless azure ripples. This ethereal spectacle of gold and blue left the only conscious Green Gourd Beast within the Lotus Pedestal utterly dumbfounded, emitting a continuous stream of astonished "Hee-ga-ga" exclamations.

No, it wasn't the only one awake. Just moments prior, the ceaseless transformations within the Precious Lotus Scripture had jolted the deeply slumbering Andy awake. The Snow Wolf now stared wide-eyed at the tiny figures at the center of the Lotus Pedestal. They lay as still as before, yet Andy’s peculiar allocation of Spiritual Power, which had blessed him with immense soul strength, allowed him to clearly "see" the tumultuous events unfolding within their Soul World…

Within the ethereal Soul World, two identical children sat face-to-face, as if suspended in the boundless cosmos. Only their distinct hairstyles hinted at their identities: one a little boy, the other a little girl, both equally adorable and endearing.

Little Beibei tugged at her own pigtails, grinning at her brother. "Brother, talk to me!"

Alex, maintaining a cool demeanor, simply tossed his head, ignoring little Beibei.

Little Beibei clasped Alex's hand, shaking it incessantly. "Talk to me! Sister promises never to eat random things again!"

Alex wagged a finger. "A Master does not trust his sister's promises!" Seeing his sister about to speak again, the little boy defiantly squeezed his eyes shut, then simply plugged his ears with both hands. "A Master's ears need no explanation from you!"

Little Beibei circled Alex twice, calling out to him several times, but her cool-headed brother remained silent, sitting there stoically. "If my silly brother won't talk, sister will be unhappy!" Little Beibei suddenly grabbed Alex's legs, gave a mighty heave, and toppled the cross-legged boy to the ground, promptly sitting on him. She kneaded Alex's cheeks like dough, pleading, "Brother, talk to me! Is it sister's fault?"

"Waaah!" Alex burst into tears. "Sister's bullying me! Dad… Dad, save me!"

"Don't cry, little brother!" Belmonde soothed, adopting the role of the good sister. "Right now, our body is a complete mess; we need to figure out how to save ourselves!"

Alex wiped away his tears. "Is it my fault? Before, when we were together, our two bodies merged into one, and everything was fine. But why did you drink that blood from the bottle?"

Little Beibei pouted. "Beibei… Beibei just felt that drop of blood was so familiar, so delicious, and I really wanted a taste… Hehe, so sister drank it!" She annoyedly patted her pigtails. "But who, who knew that drop of blood would trigger such a strange transformation in my body, actually accelerating my evolution? However, your half of the body, little brother, hasn't even begun its evolutionary process yet. Our combined body lost its balance—one half evolving, the other still asleep… and that led to a huge problem! Brother, why are you evolving so slowly? If your body's evolution speed could keep up with sister's, wouldn't we both be fine?"

Alex nodded solemnly. "Mhm, I understand. So it's because my evolution speed was slow, dragging sister down! Alas, a Master should not make such mistakes!"

Little Beibei nodded pitifully. "Yes, our unbalanced body almost exploded! Sister used a lot of strength to prevent our combined body from detonating. But that body is in complete disarray now, so we can only hide within the Soul World… What should we do? Dad probably thinks we're both dead!"

Alex pounded his chest emphatically. "A Master must regain control of his body! We cannot make Dad worry!"

"Mhm, mhm! What do you suggest?"

"Sister, whatever you say, we'll do!" He blinked his large eyes; it turned out Alex had no solution either! But he declared boastfully, "A Master needs no plans!"

Little Beibei stuck out her tongue, gazing at her brother with a silly expression for a long moment before finally speaking: "Dad is helping us from outside with Holy Light! Brother, there's only one way, and that is… that is for us to separate!"

Alex nodded heavily, clenching his fist. "Indeed, an excellent plan! Since the body has lost its balance, we should separate the two bodies with different evolutionary speeds, and let each evolve at its own pace!"

"Oh, my silly brother!" Little Beibei lamented helplessly. "But the key is, I originally ingested and incubated you inside my belly! Our two bodies merged into one; how can we possibly separate now?"

Alex's eyes went blank. "That's right, how do we separate?"

The two little simpletons stared at each other, equally bewildered… while their 'corpses' lay stiffly upon the Lotus Pedestal.

After a long moment, and then another, the slow-witted Andy finally 'understood' the two children's predicament. His soul also joined their discussion, interjecting, "Young Miss, Young Master! I, Chris Andy, favored child of the Moon Goddess…"

"Do you know how to separate us?" the two children asked in unison within their souls.

"No!"

"Then go back to sleep!" the two children chorused.

Andy smacked his lips, muttering, "I don't know how to separate bodies, but I do know how to combine them…" He scratched his head. "Perhaps, by reversing the process of combining Aberrant Beasts, you could be separated?"

The two children looked at each other, then nodded in unison. "Andy, Beibei will never bully you again!" "Hmph, as expected of my defeated subordinate!"

…

Thus, when Du Chen entered the Precious Lotus Scripture, he found a scene: on the Lotus Pedestal, two identical children lay stiffly, naked, with many shredded clothes scattered around them. One had black pigtails, clearly a girl, while the other had long purple hair, and between its legs, a clear distinction.

Though the two children were still unconscious, their complexions were rosy, and their breathing was even. The little girl sprawled out, deeply asleep, while the little boy curled up, dozing peacefully. Utterly adorable!

Instantly, Du Chen's constantly anxious heart was filled with warmth, and his pores relaxed, as if an infinitely complex lock had been picked. He stepped forward, picked up one child in each arm. "Indeed! It's Beibei and Alex! Hahaha, my children! But how did they…"

The two children were roused. Alex merely nodded, while little Beibei cheerfully answered Du Chen's questions.

"So, that drop of blood stimulated Beibei, causing you to begin evolving prematurely?" Du Chen's eyes lit up. He then looked at his son, kissing each of them.

Alas! As long as the children were safe, evolution or not didn't matter. Their well-being was paramount…

The family chatted harmoniously for a while, when Du Chen suddenly realized a problem and hastily asked, "Beibei, you two used to look like ordinary children. Now that you've separated, is it possible for someone to recognize you?"

Little Beibei replied, "Dad, most people won't recognize us, but Beibei worries that Tyran Beasts might!"

In that case, I'll have to watch out for Brockman from now on! Du Chen resolved internally, casting a cold glance at the unconscious Xue Ji on the Lotus Pedestal. "Then, can you deal with this Old Hag…"

Little Beibei shook her head, frustrated. "Dad, this person's faith in Margaret is even stronger than Hawkins' faith in the Supreme Father God. Beibei… Beibei can't do anything!"

"No matter. Even without a Spiritual Contract, your father can still control this Old Hag!" Du Chen smiled.

The day, marked by Du Chen's shifting emotions from sorrow to joy, quietly faded into night. By the evening of the second day, Antoine, leading a large contingent of the Lanning envoy, arrived at the Diplomatic Residence, preparing for negotiations with the air of a victorious nation. The third day, the fourth day… everything proceeded as usual, tranquil and unremarkable.

Yet, within the Papal Curia, treacherous undercurrents began to stir!

Within the sanctuary, the Pontiff stared grimly at a letter in his hand. "Francis has discovered traces of Fiendkind in the Labyrinth of Life, and the Fiendkind have already infiltrated the core of humanity… Sonora is merely a Number Four! If Francis speaks the truth, then is one of the Number One, Two, or Three residing within the Papal Curia itself?"

Pontiff Sama IX slowly paced within the sanctuary, pondering silently, "Francis would not joke with me about something this grave. But have the Fiendkind truly not been completely annihilated? If they still persist in the world, why has the Papal Curia and the nations of the Three Continents found no trace for so many years?" The clergy serving within the sanctuary dared not even breathe loudly; they knew that whenever His Holiness the Pontiff fell into such a state of pacing contemplation, significant events often followed.

"Enough," the Pontiff decided. "I shall personally make this journey! If Francis lies, it will merely be some days wasted on a journey. But if Francis speaks the truth, then I, Sama IX, can once again annihilate the Fiendkind and etch my name into the annals of history, alongside Divine Emperor Prince!"

His thoughts resolved, the Pontiff suddenly declared, "Issue Divine Edicts: The Living Representatives of the Gods shall inspect the Three Continents, starting with the Aethelgard Continent!"

"Your Holiness, where on the Aethelgard Continent will you select as your first stop?"

The Pontiff smiled faintly. "The Living Representatives of the Gods do not wish to disturb commoners, nor do they wish to see the rulers of various nations go to great lengths for their reception. Therefore, this time, no itinerary will be set; we shall inspect wherever we arrive!"

Everyone was momentarily stunned, but bowed and carried out the command.

Shortly after, a chilling voice echoed from somewhere within the Papal Curia's Holy Mountain. "Report to Marshal Bonis. Pontiff Sama IX has suddenly decided to travel to the Aethelgard Continent; his current destination is unknown. However, he is accompanied by a large retinue of elite experts from the Papal Curia. This subordinate suggests this is an excellent opportunity to use the Dragon Clan to launch a surprise attack on the Holy Mountain… Requesting the Marshal's decision!"