This pocket dimension wasn't even a demiplane, let alone comparable to a truly perfect plane like Earth. The real planes possessed complete cycles of all things, no longer requiring external power input for procreation and proliferation.
Conversely, perfect planes could even feed power back to their core from the reproduction and proliferation of their beings, thus growing ever stronger.
Bai Cha wasn't in a hurry to maintain the operation of this pocket dimension. She let the plants and trees wither, shrinking the dimension to the size of a walnut before directly stuffing it into her storage bracelet.
The floating island vanished abruptly, and everyone was immediately transported out of the pocket dimension back to the seabed. The icy seawater surged down, a stark contrast to the warm sunset they'd just experienced within the dimension. Everyone shivered from the cold. Before they could even adjust to the seawater, a cacophony of sounds erupted around them, the clash of swords indicating a fight.
"Miss Bai, be careful!"
Gu Mingze's voice rang out. Bai Cha instantly became alert. As she turned her head, she saw a massive missile lunging directly at her from the water. Following closely was a cold, piercing light, and a dragon thousands of feet long surged forward, engulfing the missile in one gulp.
The sound waves of the explosion echoed within the dragon's body. Bai Cha's face changed dramatically. How could she not feel that the blue dragon wasn't some energy construct, but the fusion of Cang Liu and the Sea Dragon? Cang Liu had directly swallowed that cruiser missile.
At this moment, the dragon pattern in Cang Liu's left eye was emitting a brilliant azure light. He was using his full strength. With a shake of his long sword, he repelled the enemy before him. Any contact with it would cause the enemy to freeze into solid ice.
The sea was in turmoil. Bai Cha didn't know how long Cang Liu Ge Xiang Nan had been holding on. She suspected Cang Liu had learned something from his past life and hadn't informed her of the external danger.
"This is really getting out of hand." Bai Cha finally lost her patience. "Everyone, stop!"
A sea of dark crimson blood, imbued with a strange and evil power, appeared even more chilling in the deep sea. The massive blood sea surged like a tsunami, forcefully pushing aside the surrounding water. The blood sea formed a wall of blood, encasing the area in a vacuum.
Those wielding mechanical devices lost buoyancy from the seawater and plummeted down, rolling onto the blood wall. Only then did everyone fall silent, staring at Bai Cha in shock.
Everyone knew Bai Cha was powerful, but they also knew her greatest strength lay in the power of her blood. In the deep sea, her blood would inevitably be diluted by the seawater, which acted as the biggest obstacle for Bai Cha. She couldn't possibly command the ocean, could she?
Almost everyone thought this way, and thus, equipped with heavy weaponry, they felt somewhat emboldened.
However, seeing Bai Cha now, they realized how naive they had been. Little did they know, Bai Cha's power had just undergone an evolution within the pocket dimension.
As the blood sea receded and everyone saw the light again, they realized with a jolt that in just a few short seconds, Bai Cha had manipulated a sphere of blood to transport them directly from the seabed to the shore. Everyone gasped collectively, their scalps tingling, their hands gripping firearms trembling.
Now they finally felt their heavy weapons were perhaps not enough.
"Shi Tao, Zhou Min, you're involved too." Bai Cha's voice was chillingly cold. She had saved these two families in the Vortex Secret Realm, yet she hadn't expected them to become adversaries so quickly.
"Miss Bai, we suspect you are colluding with foreign spies and have an unspeakable connection with the Evil Dragon. Please cooperate with our investigation." A person stepped forward, a silver badge hanging on his chest bearing two large characters: Liu Yuan.
Truly hypocritical. Bai Cha scanned the area and saw many of her old rivals, who had now banded together. This made her find the situation somewhat amusing. She hadn't even had the chance to present evidence of their collusion with spies, and here they were, accusing her first.
"Oh, you're already thinking of undermining me so quickly? I never expected you to be so hostile towards me even after I saved your people." Bai Cha's lips curled into a cold smile, her words even more ruthless. "I just finished your mission, and you're already crossing the river and demolishing the bridge. Truly ungrateful."
"So, colluding with foreign spies? Are you saying our Miss Athena is a spy?" Bai Cha gestured to Athena beside her, smiling meaningfully. "Or are you simply displeased with the Shadow Faction? After all, we're all sensible people. Do I need to explain what 'cooperate with the investigation' means?"
The faces of several neutral factions immediately changed. Not only were people from China present, but also individuals from various other countries who wanted to get involved.
Thus, Bai Cha had exposed the stakes to everyone. Her harsh words were practically dragging China's reputation through the mud in front of the entire world.
Moreover, Athena's status was different from Bai Cha's. Athena wasn't just a shadow; with her flawless appearance and excellent responsiveness, she was a figurehead for the United States and an outstanding diplomat. If they admitted Athena was a spy, then China's relationship with the United States would be irredeemably damaged.
At this point, not only the neutral factions but even the光明 (Guang Ming) faction looked grim, remaining silent for a long time, unsure how to react.
"Oh? No more words? Shall I remind you who rescued your children from the World Crystal in the Vortex Gate?" Bai Cha sneered. "And Sky Island, you're taking..."
"Miss Bai, watch your words!" Zhou Min's forehead was beaded with sweat. She truly regretted meddling and coming here to cause trouble for Bai Cha. As a member of the neutral faction, she should have stayed home instead of getting involved in this commotion.
"Watch my words? Who spoke first?" Bai Cha retorted without mercy. "Do you want me to repeat what you said at the beginning in front of everyone?"
It was a joke; even a rabbit would bite when cornered, and a dog would jump over the wall when desperate. Bai Cha felt disheartened and disappointed, a nascent urge to tear down all pretense welling up within her. However, upon seeing several cars and the people alighting from them, their aura of hostility suddenly subsided.
"General Gong." Bai Cha's eyes grew colder, yet she still addressed the person before her with his proper honorific.
This person was Gong Yuechen's father, Gong Tingjian, a man of extraordinary achievements. Becoming a general in his fifties was an existence admired by countless people, and now, he made Bai Cha's heart grow colder.
"Miss Bai, it's merely cooperating with the investigation." Gong Tingjian's gaze flickered evasively. "You are a person of exceptional contribution to the country, and we will certainly give you justice..."
"Justice is bringing police cars to handcuff me?" Bai Cha's expression had completely changed. She knew these people from the光明 (Guang Ming) faction had repeatedly tried to detain her for investigation and had used all sorts of methods to suppress her. She hadn't expected the methods used this time to be not only contemptible but also bone-chilling.
More importantly, the neutral faction members had tacitly agreed to this.
"You are a high-ranking member of the neutral faction. You couldn't possibly not know what I've done. And now you tacitly agree? Is this your righteous path? Is this your neutrality? You are nothing but hypocrites." Even Bai Cha felt a surge of resentment at this moment.
"You take advantage of my life-or-death struggles, my protection of you, and now you turn around and bite me? Is this your way of doing things?"
Faced with Bai Cha's questioning, Gong Tingjian's face turned green, then white. He hadn't expected that even with his intervention, Bai Cha would show him no respect, instead publicly exposing the scandal in front of so many people from different countries.
For many years, since he became a general, everyone had treated him with utmost respect. Now, this eighteen-year-old girl, Bai Cha, showed him such disrespect, which, apart from guilt, ignited a nameless rage within Gong Tingjian.
He was a senior, highly respected, and besides, who would air their dirty laundry in public!
Gong Tingjian's expression was unpleasant. Just as he was about to reprimand her, he noticed Bai Cha, as if giving up, walking directly towards the police car behind him.
"Master..."
Lucifer also wanted to follow, but Bai Cha's sharp look forced him back. Xiang Nan and the others, seeing Bai Cha's gesture of command, could only grit their teeth and endure, their faces also grim.
"Open the door, what are you standing there for?" Bai Cha kicked the door of the police car that was about to detain her. "I'm giving you a chance to arrest me, don't push your luck."
The few nearby soldiers trembled in fear. They actually felt some sympathy for Bai Cha, but they were ultimately just employees with no authority and had to follow orders. Whether it was Bai Cha or their leader who was angry, they were both in a difficult position.
Seeing that Bai Cha was willing to cooperate, they felt as if they had received a great pardon. One of them stepped forward, holding a pair of silver handcuffs, his arm trembling. He cautiously glanced at Bai Cha, then at Gong Tingjian, on the verge of tears.
This young man, clearly a recruit, had a youthful face with a hint of immaturity. Standing before Bai Cha, he seemed somewhat lost and helpless.
"Gong Tingjian, I'm giving you one last chance. Do you really intend to 'arrest' me this way?" Bai Cha looked at Gong Tingjian. "Handcuffs, these things aren't to be worn lightly."
Wearing them meant the severance of trust. It wasn't that Bai Cha didn't trust them, but that they no longer trusted her. Handcuffs represented sin and stigma, and also shame.
Gong Tingjian's expression remained displeased. At this moment, he seemed to feel that bringing Bai Cha in a military vehicle and handcuffing her was excessive. However, with so many people watching and Bai Cha having just retorted at him, Gong Tingjian felt his cheeks burning, and for a moment, he didn't react.
Bai Cha let out a soft snort. As she looked up, she saw the little soldier before her trembling like a sieve. She couldn't help but sigh, feeling a sense of helplessness. She didn't want to make things difficult for him, so Bai Cha directly extended her hands and said indifferently, "What are you afraid of? Once this is over, it'll be none of your business."
The new recruit was touched. He stepped forward to place the handcuffs on Bai Cha, who truly didn't resist and very cooperatively got into the car.
"I'm sorry, Miss Bai." The recruit muttered softly. He leaned down and closed the car door for Bai Cha.
Sorry? Didn't that sound a bit familiar?
Bai Cha raised an eyebrow. It was then that Bai Cha got a clear look at the name tag on the recruit's chest.
Xiao Zhang.
It was him?
Bai Cha suddenly remembered that a long time ago, before she had resonated with Lucifer, she had encountered this person while participating in a fortress assault against a B-class Evil Dragon.
At that time, this recruit was a rookie who had just learned to handle a gun, lying prone on the fortress wall, extremely nervous. When she landed on the city wall, she didn't know if she had startled him. Bai Cha remembered the recruit staring at her blankly, his gun falling from his hand.
So much time had passed. The former recruit was now able to be brought out on a mission by a General like Gong Tingjian, or rather, his progress was remarkably swift.
Bai Cha chuckled. Watching the young man sit beside her and start the engine, she found her mood unexpectedly good.
"I remember you. You're that rookie on the city wall." Bai Cha leaned back against the seat. The seatback reclined slightly, making it comfortable. It seemed this recruit had adjusted it beforehand.
"Miss Bai, you remember me?" Xiao Zhang became agitated, nearly stomping on the accelerator and crashing into the car in front.