Upholding her trust in her best friend, the struggling Mu Hanyin followed Tie Shi Yixia's gesture and cast her gaze upon the Taoist surnamed Zhang, who had been cut in two.
"This is..."
Fuli's naming sense had always been reliable, basically pinpointing the core of an ability in a few words.
Moon Hidden in Light, the Form of Death of the Instant Slash, similar to the Abyss Flower, could forcibly reduce the enemy's life upon hit, and could also reverse the ability, drawing the blade to heal oneself or others.
The moment he slashed the Taoist surnamed Zhang, he injected the reversed power of creation into his body.
Under the effect comparable to the 1st Rated Power of a Divine Key, injuries of the level of bisection were healed within a dozen breaths.
This was just the beginning.
Facing the surging army of City Gods, Fuli not only didn't retreat but charged headlong into the overwhelming offensive.
The manifestation of the Human-Immortal Dao power, a black hole acting as an extra feeding organ, appeared in front of him, devouring all incoming energy attacks.
"Do you also want to dance?"
Immediately, holding his sword, he launched a charge, like Uchiha Madara charging into the Allied Shinobi Forces, stirring up a storm of blood in close combat.
"Ah—! Impossible!"
The first few people sent flying were full of disbelief. They were mentally prepared for defeat and death, otherwise they wouldn't have charged first against the Pure-Blood Dragon's Might.
The problem was, the Qingwei Sect Taoist, adept at using Taiyi True Lord's divine spells to cleanse evil, was blasted away by a ray of clear light talisman more pure than what he cast himself!
The red-haired woman controlling Unbound Molten Fire was blasted away vomiting blood by a ball of more condensed, higher-temperature flames!
The white-haired warlock constructing invisible barriers was bounced away directly by a tougher and weirder distortion field!
The handsome swordsman with superb swordsmanship, executing Rainbow Piercing the Sun, was instantly defeated by a faster, trickier, and purely sharper sword light!
What Fuli used to defeat them was precisely their own signature skills!
Moreover, he used them far better than they did themselves!
"This is the Breaker-grade ability known as 'Outer Ways' in the intelligence provided by Master Diviner Qingque."
In the distance, a voice mixed with complex emotions sounded.
Since the City Gods came for a meeting, there naturally had to be someone hosting it.
As the current Sword Champion of the Luofu and General Fu Xuan's right-hand man, it was excusable for Yanqing to appear here.
When witnessing the Taoist surnamed Zhang being bisected, he originally intended to intervene.
Just as he was about to step out, he stopped because he saw some clues.
The enemies engaging Fuli in close combat were sent flying one by one, some vomiting blood, some with broken arms.
But as long as they left the core of the battlefield, the Moon Hidden in Light injected into their bodies would quickly take effect, repairing their injuries.
Immediately after, Fuli would appear like a ghost in front of the newly recovered opponent, cleanly defeating them again with their own best move, repeating the cycle.
As time passed minute by minute, many City Gods who had been defeated multiple times also gradually realized the problem.
What followed was a surge of monstrous anger.
"You bastard—who are you looking down on?!!"
A roar filled with humiliation and fury erupted from a swordsman defeated thirteen times by his own swordsmanship.
He struggled to stand up, eyes red, the hand holding the sword trembling in rage.
"I don't mean to look down on you."
Once again slapping the Zen staff monk charging with a howl into the ground, Fuli dodged the swordsman's slash, turning around to kick him until he vomited blood.
Just sometimes, appropriate compromise is necessary.
Like if Senju Hashirama had learned the Sexy Jutsu back then, Uchiha Madara definitely wouldn't have left Konoha Village.
Shenzhou is the home field of the Taixu Front. Sapphire City's status destined that there was definitely more than one Critical-grade stationed in the city.
At first, they might watch from afar, but once delayed for units of ten minutes, strong individuals would only gather here continuously.
In that case, might as well do them a favor. Use this real but controlled life-and-death struggle to train the new generation of City Gods as juniors, and stall for time along the way.
Not that Fuli was boasting, but this was something only he could do.
The power of the Outer Ways could plunder enemy abilities for his own use.
The combination of memories from the Previous Loop and the Stigmata of Reason allowed him to easily see through and perfectly replicate or even optimize enemy moves. Moon Hidden in Light ensured the losses of this high-intensity sparring were close to zero.
Combined with the basic combat power of a Critical-grade, this was exactly a trial allowing the City Gods to examine themselves and go further in life-and-death duels.
Shenzhou was the land Cousin Hua guarded for five thousand years, and also Fuli's own hometown.
Unless forced to the limit, he didn't want to completely break with the Taixu Front, one of the super-large Big Three.
Facts proved he was right.
With only seven minutes left until the agreed time, besides Yanqing, several figures, familiar or unfamiliar, appeared in the shadows at the edge of the battlefield.
They didn't attack but watched Fuli dancing in the crowd with amazement or intoxication, observing this classic battle that could be called a teaching match.
Someone even couldn't help praising: "Brother Fuli, you are invincible against ten thousand, simply Xiang Yu reborn. I'm willing to become the Overlord's Halberd, so you can hold my big halberd tightly." (Pun/innuendo on "halberd handle" sounding like "penis")
"Pfft!"
Bailu, the High Elder of the Vidyadhara who also came here, sprayed out the medicinal wine she just drank on the spot.
"Fuck!"
Fuli, who had fought fiercely for over ten minutes without a single scratch, stumbled at this sudden affectionate confession, almost planting his face in the mud.
However, Fuli's mood soon sank.
Not only because he was targeted by a gay man, but he found that unknowingly, the City Gods' offensive was no longer fearless of death as before, but started becoming weak, hesitant, and perfunctory.
Many even simply retreated to the periphery, eyes wandering, adopting a rotting attitude of "whatever."
Fuli couldn't understand why they were like this. If it were him, finding a top-tier sparring partner who could revive infinitely, farm infinite experience, and perfectly replicate moves to help find gaps, wouldn't he charge up fiercely to fight three hundred rounds, unwilling to stop even after seven days and nights?
Little did he know, looking at his peerless figure, facing crushing combat power, what rose in many people's hearts was not ambition, but powerlessness and decadence.
In the intelligence reports, Fuli, born December 7, 1998, was not yet sixteen this year and had been in contact with the Honkai side for less than six months. The numbers were terrifying—terrifying enough to make those "prodigies" who reached A-rank at a young age feel despair.
What did that mean?
It was like a child prodigy from a legendary martial lineage, trained from childhood by the greatest masters, enduring decades of brutal trials and finally reaching enlightenment—only to end up as just another nameless soldier in the army sent to challenge a mythic hero.
It was like a chess prodigy who dominated local tournaments at nine, went undefeated nationally at fifteen, swept international competitions at twenty—only to finally sit across from a world champion and become a footnote in their highlight reel.
Still not cruel enough?
Then imagine: you come from privilege, have striking looks, attend the world's top arts academy, win award after award, and after years of struggle finally perform on the grandest global stage—only to appear as a background dancer for a viral internet sensation.
That was the reality.
In just over ten minutes, defeating every opponent at least ten times over, Fuli single-handedly shattered the confidence of these so-called chosen geniuses, forcing them to understand one truth firsthand: "Being a so-called genius is just the threshold to meet me."
Not to mention there were so many big shots watching in the back.
Thinking that the recording of this battle was destined to be repeatedly studied and reviewed by countless people, even used as classic case material, while they themselves would be nailed to the pillar of shame and publicly executed again and again.
Tired. Destroy it. Hurry up.
Emotions named decadence and powerlessness spread through the team like a plague.
Yanqing, watching from the sidelines, frowned deeply. As an unlucky guy with similar experiences, he was too familiar with this atmosphere.
How proud was he back then? Achieving fame at a young age, his bones couldn't hide his sharpness.
Until he took a sword strike from Jingliu, "Transcendence", head-on, getting chopped into doubting life on the spot. Later, he was casually thrashed by two of the High-Cloud Quintet. After that, he completely quit arrogance and rashness, his eyes becoming incredibly clear.
But Yanqing could still persuade himself with reasons like the opponent being his grandmaster, the elderly having more experience, etc. Plus, with General Jing Yuan's silent care, it still took a long time to walk out of the shadow.
And what about these juniors in front of him?
Crushed repeatedly more than ten times with their own moves by a boy much younger than them who had contacted Honkai for less than half a year, wearing a sunny and cheerful smile...
Okay, forget peers. Even if kept being exploded dozens of times by Jingliu as an elder, Yanqing's mindset back then would have collapsed too.
The key was Fuli himself couldn't understand this. Fortunately, he had a portable female lecturer proficient in human nature.
[Host...]
In his mind, Dr. Mei's calm voice sounded.
She pushed her glasses, clearly transmitting her psychological analysis results.
Fuli was dumbfounded after hearing it. No, bro, just this level of setback? Really?
This sounded very punchable, but combining it with someone's tear-jerking unlucky experience in the Previous Loop, one would find he was just telling the truth.
To be honest, Fuli was very envious of this group of City Gods in front of him.
Most of them could contact the Honkai side naturally, training step-by-step under systematic education since childhood. Everything could be said to come naturally.
What about his Previous Loop?
Hee hee, Novice Dungeon, Ordinary Person, Third Honkai Eruption.
After becoming a survivor of less than a hundred people in total in Nagazora City, he was repatriated to Shenzhou. For the next half year, he searched for ways to step into the Honkai side like a headless fly, bumping into walls everywhere.
And then?
Just as things improved a bit, before he could be smug, the Trio would come to give him a blow to the head, taking turns teaching him how to behave.
How could Fuli know back then that these were all cheaters? He could only see that his desperate efforts were inferior to their casual practice.
Even so, did he give up?
Experiencing Yunli's death, experiencing the ultimate humiliation of the Herrscher of Dominance, experiencing so much suffering, did he ever beat a retreat?
Talent? That thing can only be cashed in if you are alive.
Meeting a bitch who likes to nip buds in the bud, if they deserve to die, they won't live a second longer.
Even so, Fuli could still say: The self who stepped into the Honkai side is ready to die at any time.
No matter the way of death, he could accept it.
Therefore, facing these City Gods feeling decadence, he felt confused.
The opportunity I gained from Cousin on Maluya (Roadside) Island after so much suffering, many of you have it naturally;
Peaceful work only requires handling some neighborhood trivialities and small Honkai events. The rest of the time can be spent on training, and it's a government job without worrying about job security;
One of the world's top three super-large organizations provides protection. As long as you don't go abroad, you can even cultivate safely to Critical-grade.
And the result, is just this?
"I say, aren't you guys unwilling?"
He spoke rarely, wanting to persuade these people.
Most City Gods avoided his gaze, then proceeded to slack off even more negatively.
Only a dozen people, including the Taoist surnamed Zhang and Mu Hanyin, persevered like unkillable cockroaches. No matter how they were beaten down, as long as they caught a breath, they would charge up howling again.
Are they stupid? Or do they not want to waste this hard-won actual combat opportunity?
Both were possible, but the situation was bad.
Seeing the teaching effect approaching zero, figures flashed in the distance. Yanqing and others were preparing to intervene.
"Tsk!"
Fuli clicked his tongue.
He wasn't afraid of being besieged by these people. The problem was there were still three minutes left until the agreed time.
Critical-grades weren't rookies; breaking through the red line drawn beforehand was almost inevitable.
"Seven Slashes."
Fuli formed a sword with his fingers. Seven Shadow-Trailing Phantoms similar to the main body, holding sharp blades, solidified around him.
This was the signal that he was ready to go all out. Since he promised Ei to stall for thirty minutes, he would give everything for it.
Fortunately, heaven never seals off all paths.
"..."
Like the first ray of sunlight at dawn, a heavenly singing voice penetrated the thick dark clouds and the killing battlefield, resounding through the clouds.
The pure white singer bathed in the golden pillar of light tearing through the clouds, holy and ethereal.
Countless shimmering musical notes drifted down like living elves with her melodious singing.
Fighting a war with BGM buff? That's great.
The corners of Fuli's mouth raised slightly. Just as he wanted to take advantage of the momentum to charge, his smile stiffened on his face.
Those beautiful falling notes didn't buff him as he imagined. Instead, like swallows returning to the nest, they merged into the bodies of hundreds of City Gods.
"???"
No, sister, betraying already?
Although my identity is sensitive now, there's no need to cut ties so quickly, right?
As if reading Prison Li's mind, Baby Bird standing on the stage in the air glared at him grumpily.
Even if the inside was never as innocent as the outside, for her to be like this without reservation, one could only say the Star Saint's Path took great credit.
As the dancing notes merged into their bodies, the City Gods who originally had low morale shook violently. Like dry wood thrown into sparks, a blazing fire reignited in their empty eyes.
The decadent expressions on their faces were swept away, replaced by a complex light mixed with shame, excitement, and determination.
As if rediscovering their forgotten original intention in the song, they looked at each other. Without words, they spontaneously adjusted their formation, echoing each other, and locked their eyes firmly on Fuli again.
"Charge! Ouch!"
With a scream, Mu Hanyin, who swung her broadsword to lead the charge, flopped to the ground.
"Group Spirit Resonance?"
After defeating her, Fuli handily plundered the Tuning Power from her.
Feeling the energy within, he instantly understood.
Robin was a top-tier Tuner. She used the resonance of melody to synchronize the positive emotions in the hearts of the dozen people like the Taoist surnamed Zhang to everyone's hearts, making them reignite their drive, returning this trial to its due essence.
At first glance, it was quite good. The Critical-grades itching to move in the distance temporarily suppressed the thought of attacking. No need to worry about interference on Ei's side. It counted as saving the nation by a curve.
The only problem was, looking at the pure white singer chanting in the sky, and the warriors charging howling under her encouragement.
"So I really became the Great Demon King waiting to be crusaded by the brave in the plot?"
Fuli's expression was very complex, but the pressure skyrocketed for real.
With Robin's group buff, the City Gods not only had high morale, but their cooperation also suddenly improved by several levels.
No longer fighting individually, they formed distinct attack waves.
The front row melee entangled fearlessly; mid-range energy attacks poured down like heavy rain; and supports in the rear applied buffs and interfered with Fuli's perception, forcing him to shuttle and dodge in the sword light and energy storm, waiting for a chance to counterattack.
Simply put, Prince Tactics (zerg rush/encirclement), but occasionally two Destructo Discs were mixed in.
Whether it worked well or not aside, the level of annoyance was absolutely top-tier.
The only benefit was that time flew by in the fierce confrontation. Now thirty minutes had passed. The small mythological kingdom quietly dispersed, and Ei, with tear stains still on the corners of her eyes, walked out.
Fuli glimpsed this scene, and the tight string in his heart finally loosened.
He looked up, his gaze meeting Robin's briefly in the air.
The girl nodded slightly, indicating she would take care of Ei.
Fuli didn't doubt this, so he prepared to run.
He suddenly deflected a wave of attacks, retreated rapidly, and at the same time flipped his hand to take out a feather shimmering with warm luster.
"Screech——!"
A clear eagle cry cut through the sky!
An extraordinarily divine falcon flashed through the chaotic battlefield like lightning, landing steadily on Fuli's shoulder, rubbing its beak affectionately against his cheek.
What a cute baby!
Robin's beautiful eyes lit up.
"Bad! It's the Gyrfalcon of Longevity!"
Tie Shi Yixia, who experienced the Kanas Lake incident, made a sound of dismay. As the race most favored by the Longevity Heaven (Tengri), the Gyrfalcon of Longevity not only possessed the ability of unconditional short-distance teleportation but also long-distance coordinate movement via feathers.
The latter did have a CD limit, but the Gyrfalcon appeared from the horizon just now.
This meant Fuli had summoned this little guy over long ago, thereby avoiding the cooldown time of coordinate movement!
However—
"Little handsome guy, little handsome guy, just planning to run away with this? Isn't that looking down on the people of the Taixu Front too much!"
A brisk and playful female voice sounded directly in Fuli's ear, with the crisp trailing sound of bells.
It was Sparkle.
The Fool didn't appear on the battlefield, but seemed ubiquitous.
But she was right. The Gyrfalcon's coordinate movement was indeed a bug, but the problem was, Yanqing and others who also experienced the Kanas Lake incident and watched Fuli summon the Gyrfalcon to break the defense of the Longevity Heaven—how could they not make corresponding preparations against this?
"So do you want help, little handsome guy?" Sparkle giggled. "Sparkle feels it would be a pity if you fell here!"
"And then say 'Lied☆To☆You' the moment I agree, right." Fuli was unmoved. "I've experienced the tricks of you Elation followers many times."
"Oh my, how heartless." Sparkle feigned grievance, then tilted her head. "Then you want to choose the script of fighting three hundred rounds and then getting captured, taken to prison and done this and that to? Relax, I'll go visit you then..."
"Thought you were going to save me from prison."
"A handsome face is enough just to look at. I saw at a glance that the little handsome guy is essentially 'Rent Only, Not For Sale'!"
"Shoo, shoo, neither renting nor selling. Don't delay my escape."
Fuli's will turned into a sword of wisdom, severing the communication between the two.
"Screech——!!!"
At the same time, the Gyrfalcon on his shoulder seemed to sense the fluctuation of spatial lockdown, spreading its wings and emitting an angry shriek.
Buzz!
The space in front of the two distorted violently without warning. A deep and dark spatial portal with starlight flowing on the edges opened silently.
"Oho, got a trick up your sleeve."
Sparkle, sitting on the edge of a building overlooking this scene, sounded interested.
"Detected higher-level teleportation ability breaking through the barrier!" Urgent exclamations from monitoring personnel also came from the communication channel of Bailu and others. "Its source is above A-rank!"
"Direction? Where does it lead?"
"Cannot analyze!"
Actually, it's Trianne-baby's Hundred Worlds Gate.
Stroking the bewildered little Gyrfalcon on his shoulder, Fuli thought.
Still the same saying as before: To be human, one must think, think of change, and think of retreat.
Mr. Fu has always focused on making preparations before doing things. Not like some Cao thieves seeking excitement, realizing the husband is already knocking on the door, only to find the bed bottom is solid, the wardrobe is grid-style, the curtains are transparent, and the AC outdoor unit is built-in.
Before coming to Shenzhou, he had contacted Tribios in advance. Once the situation went wrong, he would use the Gyrfalcon's coordinate movement as a guise, and she would unfold the Hundred Worlds Gate to receive him.
As a completed Chrysos Heirs, corresponding to Janus, the Roman god of double-faced doors, the Hundred Worlds Gate was one of the very few teleportation authorities evaluated as S-A rank. Almost no barrier in the world could block it.
"Don't go!"
Yanqing's expression changed drastically upon seeing this. Sword light surged, turning into a meteor stabbing straight at Fuli.
The reason he dared to let the battle just now happen was precisely because of the anti-air domain raised early over Sapphire City, plus multiple Critical-grades were in position. The situation was completely catching a turtle in a jar.
Who would have thought the opponent still had this hand!
Regrettably, no matter how fast he was as a fellow Critical-grade, he couldn't catch up to Fuli who was only one step away from the portal.
Swish. He stepped into it.
The Hundred Worlds Gate gradually closed from bottom to top.
The late-arriving young Sword Champion put away his long sword. Not wanting to tear off face completely, he smiled bitterly and shook his head. "Played by you again."
"A fall into the pit, a gain in your wit, Brother Yanqing."
Fuli's laughing response came from behind the door. He sheathed his sword, his gaze turning to the battlefield again. "Hey, that muscle Taoist, don't forget—"
"Advising people to be magnanimous gets you struck by lightning!" The Taoist surnamed Zhang from Longhu Mountain cupped his fists, his voice like a bell. "Thank you for the guidance, Little Teacher!"
"Hey!"
Bailu flicked her tail somewhat helplessly.
The Taoist put down his fists sheepishly.
The next moment, hundreds of City Gods who experienced this special trial cupped their fists in unison, their voices converging into a torrent:
"Thank you for the guidance, Little Teacher!"
Fuli didn't reply this time. His figure disappeared directly behind the Hundred Worlds Gate.
"Really, I don't care about you guys anymore!"
Bailu said angrily.