Though the girl's voice carried a strong authority, seeing her in person gave one a rather timid impression, as if she were often bullied; in short, her image was full of contradictions. Looking at her, Lin Luo wasn't sure whether to be pleased or sigh... but no matter what, at least he had encountered an acquaintance.

"What are you humans doing lingering here? Why don't you go inside?" The girl dropped from the sky to the ground, the stone beneath her feet miraculously vanishing, and then she looked at Lin Luo, asking with a smile.

"I should be the one asking you. As a Celestial, why have you come down to the surface, and with such a cliché entrance? Are you planning another Incident?" Lin Luo shot a look at the figure opposite him and spoke without holding back.

That's right, this girl was Ichin Miko, her name was Hinanawi Tenshi, and she was a Celestial.

Celestials were the most contented of humans; they completely severed ties with the mundane world and transcended the cycle of life and death, dwelling forever in the Celestial Realm, free of worries or troubles, living carefree lives every day.

Generally, Celestials were divided into two types. One type was formed through the arduous cultivation of Immortals, who then entered the Celestial Realm while still alive. Naturally, Immortals themselves cultivated from ordinary humans. The other type achieved Buddhahood after death by performing countless good deeds while alive, gaining the adoration of countless people, and then taking charge of the Celestial Realm as Celestials. For instance, Youyouko’s father became a Celestial after achieving Buddhahood upon death, whereas Hinanawi Tenshi belonged to the first type.

Celestials were immensely powerful because becoming one required at least over a thousand years of diligent spiritual training, and the success rate was exceedingly rare. Celestials who achieved this state after death were practically equivalent to deities, their power undeniable... Conversely, if Celestials lacked sufficient ultimate power, they wouldn't have been able to guard the Celestial Realm, which would have long been overrun by powerful demons and monsters.

However, Hinanawi Tenshi was a bit special; she wasn't a complete Celestial. This was because the Hinanawi clan did not become Celestials through cultivation; lacking sufficient accumulated practice, they gained entry to the Celestial Realm only through exceptional merit. At that time, Tenshi was still a child, immature in every aspect, lacking the standard befitting a Celestial. Thus, overall, she was a flawed Celestial.

Of course, even as a flawed Celestial, Tenshi’s strength was still considerable; as far as Lin Luo could gauge, she had already reached the complete Earth Rank.

"That's not true." Hearing Lin Luo's words, Tenshi tossed her hair and said with a slight displeasure, "I have no desire to cause an Incident anymore because I've become friends with everyone—there's no need. This descent to the surface was at the request of that little brat to attend a banquet."

Since Celestials were beings devoid of desires, the basic requirement for becoming one was severing attachments. Therefore, life in the Celestial Realm was very peaceful and monotonous. But Tenshi, as a flawed Celestial, possessed rich emotions and disliked that kind of life. She had deliberately caused an earthquake to destroy the Hakurei Shrine just so she could play with the Youkai on the surface, aiming to lure Reimu to the Celestial Realm to push her off... This was the very cause of the Scarlet Mist Incident.

Lin Luo knew the "little brat" Tenshi mentioned. If he guessed correctly, she was referring to Ibuki Suika. Although one was an Oni and the other a Celestial, their relationship was hardly distant... Simply put, Suika often visited the Celestial Realm to harass Tenshi.

But Tenshi's words stirred something in Lin Luo's heart, and he quickly inquired, "What banquet?"

"Oh? You don't know yet?" Tenshi replied in surprise. "The Lunar Capital Exposition at Eientei."

"The Lunar Capital Exposition? Ah!" Lin Luo froze, then suddenly remembered... Indeed, there was such a thing. He recalled Kaguya mentioning it over half a month ago at Eientei—that the Lunar Capital Exposition would be held soon. In that case, had everyone disappeared to gather at Eientei to watch?

Thinking of this, Lin Luo felt a bit complicated. He had worried so much earlier, thinking they had been spirited away by some nefarious entity, only for them all to be here to watch... What a waste of concern!

"Yes, yes, that very lively Lunar Capital Exposition," Tenshi suddenly beamed. "I am Hinanawi of the Hinanawi family residing in the Celestial Realm. Every day it's just singing and dancing, singing and dancing, repeating over and over. Life in the Celestial Realm is truly so leisurely it becomes boring. So as soon as I heard this grand event was opening, I hurried over."

"Fore..." Lin Luo was speechless. Right now, he also wanted to emulate Reimu and ask, "Are you showing off?" How many people would dream of such a leisurely life of singing and dancing every day? For instance, Reimu envied it to death, yet this girl found it boring. Truly a Celestial, born with a masochistic streak.

"Actually, I quite envy you," Tenshi suddenly said at this moment. "I've been watching you from the Celestial Realm. You, just like that Miko, often trigger interesting events. Watching you, I kept thinking how great it would be if I could participate too, but I never had the chance."

"Aren't Celestials idle? How could you not have a chance? Also... what do you mean by 'often watching me'?!" Lin Luo suddenly felt a headache coming on. Great, everything he did in Gensokyo seemed to have been observed by this girl! Then... what about the nights? Surely she hadn't seen those too?

"Idle, yes, but I do have my duties," Tenshi explained. "As for watching you, it’s literal. You often hang out with the Youkai during the day, right? That's when I watch you. For example, that time you were cursed—I thought that was very amusing. At that moment, I even wondered if I should cause an earthquake too and add some misfortune to you."

Thankfully, she only watched during the day; the nights had escaped her notice.

Tenshi's first half of the sentence brought Lin Luo some relief, but the latter half made him frown. "It seems this useless Celestial hasn't learned enough of a lesson, daring to plot against me."

"Ah! You called me a useless Celestial?" Tenshi's expression changed slightly, turning a bit angry.

Having become a Celestial since childhood, Tenshi lived a life of peace unattainable by ordinary people, much like a flower in a greenhouse. Although she lacked the imposing aura of the powerful or the dignity of a Celestial, her personality was self-willed, her emotions volatile, and she loved excitement and activity; simply put, she was very self-centered, never considering others when acting.

She possessed absolute confidence in her own strength. Once someone looked down on her, she became highly agitated, just as she was now—Lin Luo's tone of slight contempt annoyed her.

"It seems necessary to teach you humans a lesson before attending the banquet," Tenshi declared confidently, and as she spoke, her hand already held a yellow sword—her weapon, the Sword of Hisou.

"This Sword of Hisou is a blade that exposes the temperament of humans. Temperament forms weather; the gathered Heavenly Qi shakes the earth, and then..." Tenshi lightly stomped the ground with the Sword of Hisou in her hand, and with a boom, the surrounding earth began to shake violently. "Then by shaking the Kaname-Ishi beneath my feet, the very ground of all Gensokyo will tremble."

Tenshi was the shrine maiden managing the Kaname-Ishi that suppressed earthquakes; she possessed the ability to control the earth. If she wished, she could easily cause a great earthquake across the entire region of Gensokyo. The Sword of Hisou, meanwhile, could accurately grasp the opponent's weakness, transforming it into tangible mist visible to everyone, thus allowing for targeted attacks.

"As long as I have the Sword of Hisou and the Kaname-Ishi, I can manipulate everything: heaven, earth, and man," Tenshi pointed the sword at Lin Luo and laughed. "The weather in the sky, the stability of the earth, the temperament of people—it's all in my hands. Now then, let me see the weather held by a mere human like you."

"You really are asking for a beating," Lin Luo shrugged, but he wouldn't refuse Tenshi if she wanted to be thrashed. If an earthquake occurred, it might just draw out the others in Eientei, allowing him to enter—a two-for-one benefit. "Since you insist, I'll indulge you a little. If you lose, don't even think about returning to the Celestial Realm; stay here obediently as my pet."

Tenshi immediately laughed. "That depends on whether you have the strength. But speaking of which, if I can't go back to the Celestial Realm, that would be perfect for me. I've long been unable to bear the boring life up there."

Truly a masochist.

Lin Luo was speechless. At that moment, Tenshi launched her first attack: shaking the Kaname-Ishi beneath her feet, plunging the nearby area into violent tremors. However, this kind of attack was only effective against enemies on the ground; once one ascended into the air, it became useless.

"Such a simple reaction that requires no thought at all," seeing Lin Luo fly into the air, Tenshi smiled as if she had expected it. Then, she thrust the Sword of Hisou forward. "Sword of Heavenly Way, Truth and Falsehood!"

With a loud whoosh, she charged into the sky, not only tearing the air but seemingly slicing space itself, shooting straight towards Lin Luo.

"That won't work," Lin Luo smiled faintly and flicked a beam of light with his finger. This was no ordinary light; it was a simplified version of his strongest spear, fused with all his power, possessing destructive force equivalent to the early stage of Earth Rank.

Since Tenshi was an early-stage Earth Rank entity, he naturally couldn't use mundane abilities. However, to Lin Luo's surprise, that beam of light had absolutely no effect upon touching Tenshi’s body; it was bounced right off!

Lin Luo’s expression darkened. As the girl’s attack approached, he immediately deployed his strongest shield—a small white curtain blocking in front of him. Then, with a shiiiing, the Sword of Hisou was blocked, but... only for an instant before the strongest shield was pierced by the tip of the blade.

Lin Luo frowned and flashed away, swiftly dodging.

"Oh dear, can't even block the first move? I haven't even used my full power yet," Tenshi stood suspended in mid-air, smiling smugly.

Lin Luo's expression became somewhat blank. He tried to sense the temperament around him, then smiled as well. "I see. It looks like taking you as a pet might be a bit troublesome. Then I shall appropriately use about fifty percent of my strength."