"Oh? These demons have such strong regenerative abilities."
After felling over a dozen Mara-struck with a casual move, Li Sushang quickly noticed that the demons she had wounded with her qi-condensed swords and Sky-Render art were recovering.
Wounds that pierced their torsos, severed their limbs, or half-decapitated their necks—injuries that would be grievous or even fatal to ordinary demons.
For these demons made of tree branches, they were merely light to moderate wounds.
At the stumps of their severed arms, twisted branches writhed and spread like living things, intertwining with regenerating bone spurs at a visible rate, weaving into new, sharp weapons and forming grotesque armor.
[They possess a blessing called 'Abundance' within them, which can also be seen as a curse. It's the root cause of their transformation from humans into this state.]
[The power of Abundance has granted them an unimaginable life force.]
As a long-life species who received the blessing of the Plagues Author, even ordinary Xianzhou natives possess ridiculously potent life force.
They can survive impacts that would instantly kill a short-life species, like crash-landing from orbit in an escape pod, even if their bodies are nearly torn to pieces.
Not to mention their forms as Abominations of Abundance after completely succumbing to the Mara.
The Mara-struck shrieked like the cracking of old wood. Three of the recovered monsters were the first to pounce, the ginkgo leaves on their torsos suddenly growing explosively, a hundred leaves hardening into a barrage of diamond-shaped blades.
"Heart like a clear mirror, body like a flowing cloud."
Li Sushang spun and dodged, her qi swords tracing a perfect circular curtain. The sound of clashing metal rang out as the deflected leaves embedded themselves in the surrounding wooden structures.
[Their weak point is their abdomen.]
[This place is called the Xianzhou. These Mara-struck were originally Xianzhou people, and they have physiological differences from the ordinary people you know. They have a unique network of meridian circuits in their bodies that lead to an organ called the Core.]
After witnessing the perverted regenerative abilities of the Mara-struck for the first time, Caelus had immediately turned to his phone and asked his little wolfie for a guide on how to deal with Xianzhou natives and the Mara-struck.
Naturally, Wolfie didn't disappoint and immediately highlighted the weak spots for Caelus.
As Li Sushang explained this to Li Sushang, she also focused her mind, carefully sensing the flow of Honkai energy through the meridians within the body.
That was the Taixu Sword Ki!
The body of Jade Knight - Li Sushang was identical in every way to the body of the Li Sushang from a few years in the future of the Honkai world.
Having achieved the realm of Taixu meant that she had already refined her entire body into a perfect vessel and conduit for Honkai energy. For Li Sushang to cultivate Taixu Sword Ki in this body, while not as fast as a wind spirit under the moonlight, was still far faster than any ordinary accelerator.
The difference in difficulty between achieving the Taixu realm first and then learning, versus having the passive Taixu state first and then learning, was night and day.
[Also, this sword is for you.]
With a thought, Li Sushang retrieved a sword from the system's equipment space.
"Is this... Martial Aunt Lixue's Ruoshui?"
Li Sushang recognized the azure sword that materialized in her hand at a glance, her face filled with surprise.
Her master was Cheng Lingshuang, the Blade of Sentience, fifth disciple of the Immortal Phoenix. Li Sushang wasn't familiar with all the other disciples of Taixu, but she had met a few of her martial aunts and uncles on several occasions.
Each of these martial aunts and uncles wielded one of the Xuanyuan Swords. Whenever they entered the world, they would stir up great waves in the martial arts community, leaving behind countless legends. The names of the Seven Swords were known to all.
"Why do you have Ruoshui?"
[That's a long story.]
"Alright, alright, I won't ask for now."
Thinking of those obscure and difficult terms, Li Sushang quickly cut her off, her lips parting in a brilliant smile.
"I didn't expect to see a Xuanyuan Sword here. In that case…"
The brown-haired girl looked up at the Mara-struck soldiers charging toward her.
Some raised the malformed blades on their right arms, others had branches converging into great spears, and some lashed out with thorny, vine-woven whips.
"Let me test this blade!"
A deep blue dragon shadow coiled around the sword's body lifted as the girl raised the blade. As Li Sushang's sword sign swept across the blade, Ruoshui seemed to tremble in resonance.
"The mind's state becomes a lake, the spirit crafts the sword."
Before the bewildered and stupefied gazes of all the Cloud Knights, Li Sushang, holding Ruoshui, lightly touched the ground with its tip.
The instant it made contact, it was as if she had touched the surface of a vast, azure sea. Ripples spread out from the point of contact, the waves expanding outward like a toppling mountain range.
Wherever the ripples passed, the ground was covered by the gurgling waters of an icy-blue heart-lake.
"Wh-what is this?!"
A Cloud Knight muttered in disbelief.
Sword qi as rich as ink appeared from thin air, blooming into a water-blue ink lotus on the ground.
The ability of Taixu Sword Ki to control Honkai energy was now on full display as more and more sword qi with tangible forms materialized, hovering inverted above the ink lotus.
Holding Ruoshui, Li Sushang lightly tapped her toes on the lotus and rose into the air.
"Li Sushang, first disciple of the Peerless Freedom Sect, I await your instruction!"
Her graceful figure flickered. In a flash, Li Sushang appeared before a Mara-struck. Her sword qi erupted in a ring-shaped shockwave that shattered the vine whip, while Ruoshui's edge pierced its dantian and flicked upward.
Following the girl's movements, the inverted sword images moved like agile fish in the deep sea, swimming through this externalized heart-lake, exuding a sharp, murderous intent.
Dozens of Mara-struck were annihilated, submerged in the ink-black sword images of Ruoshui. Even a few stragglers who had been drawn over from a distance were reduced to shattered corpses amidst the sword formation and the sky full of sword light.
In just a few breaths, the Mara-struck before them were completely wiped out.
As the last Mara-struck was slain, the port fell into a dead silence, broken only by the girl's satisfied murmur.
"Not bad, it handles quite well~"
Li Sushang stood in the center of the battlefield, her clothes unstained. A plum blossom pendant and red thread outlined her slender waist, and her brown twin tails swung gently before settling calmly behind her.
The Cloud Knights all stood with their mouths agape, staring in utter disbelief at the graceful, ethereal girl who radiated the chivalrous air of a white cloud emerging from a mountain pass.
The ones most impacted were, naturally, the soldiers who were familiar with 'Sushang'; their eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets.
The Mara-struck were not weak!
They retained the combat proficiency they had when they were conscious. Some Cloud Knights who turned Mara-struck were extremely difficult to deal with, not to mention their terrifying regenerative abilities.
One Cloud Knight versus one Mara-struck former Cloud Knight—in a one-on-one fight, victory was far from certain.
Yet the girl before them had slaughtered them all as if she were cutting melons and vegetables!
What were those sword images filling the sky?
It should be known that according to the Cloud Knight Martial Codex, being able to mentally command six flying swords in a single breath, deploying and retracting them at will, was something the chief instructor of the Cloud Knights might not achieve even with another hundred years of practice.
And while those were just sword images and not real flying swords, to mentally command nearly a hundred of them in a single breath?
What kind of joke was this!
Even Yanqing, the youngest Seat of the Divine Foresight in the history of the Cloud Knights, General Jing Yuan's guard, and a prodigy of swordsmanship, couldn't do that, could he?
If it were some renowned master descending from the heavens, that would be one thing. But for this immortal sword maiden, who displayed such magnificent sword intent and majestic presence, to be that greenhorn rookie Sushang who looked like she couldn't even read?
That Big Pillow Li!
Has the world gone mad, or have I?
For the Cloud Knights who knew 'Sushang', it felt as if their world was collapsing.
The few civilians who had been rescued were looking at the girl with eyes full of admiration and respect. So cool, so strong, so dashing, so ethereal!
After a brief silence, the Cloud Knights swarmed around her, asking questions with excitement and fervor.
"Sushang! Sushang! Y-you, what's going on with you?"
"What was that move just now?"
"Sushang, did you join another sect?"
"Ah, this…"
Li Sushang was startled by the sudden rush of Cloud Knights. Flustered, she backed away with an awkward smile.
She really didn't know any of these people! She didn't even know where she was.
Her mother was already dead, too.
[Other me, wh-what should I do now?]
Li Sushang didn't hesitate to ask the body's owner for help in her mind.
[Simple. Just find any excuse and run.]
Li Sushang said with a light chuckle.
"I-I've spotted trapped civilians! I'm going to rescue them first!"
Relaying the excuse provided by 'herself', Li Sushang used her nimble movement technique to escape the Cloud Knights' encirclement. Ignoring the soldiers' calls, she ran off in one direction and disappeared into the distance.
"Phew~ Sorry about that. I got a little excited seeing Ruoshui. I hope I didn't cause you any trouble?"
Leaping from a container with the Light-Chasing Step, Li Sushang let out a sigh of relief and continued her bounding journey.
[It's fine.]
Li Sushang's laughter was carefree.
I'll just let the local 'Sushang' deal with the headache~!
Right now, this girl is Cloud Knight Private Second Class… Luocha!
"Luocha?"
The conversation between Li Sushang and Li Sushang came to an abrupt halt. The brown-haired girl landed atop a tall container, staring in astonishment at a familiar figure in the distance.
A handsome, blond man in ornate white and gold clothes, carrying a giant coffin on his back.
"That's a Raksha! What is he doing here?"
[Don't get excited yet. That person isn't the Raksha you know. Just like you and me, he's this world's Luocha.]
Li Sushang knew a little about Luocha, but not much, mostly from fan-made videos that had Luocha saying Otto's lines.
She didn't know Luocha's true personality, but what were the chances that someone with that face was a good guy?
"This world's Luocha…"
Li Sushang paused, her leap cut short. She frowned slightly, lost in thought.
"It looks like he's surrounded by demons. I'll go help."
Even though she knew it wasn't the same person, she owed the Raksha her life several times over. Could saving this other version of him count as repaying a little of that debt?
Besides, even if it weren't Luocha, Li Sushang wouldn't stand by and watch an ordinary person be attacked by demons.
[I doubt he'd get hurt by Mara-struck soldiers.]
Despite saying that, Li Sushang didn't stop Li Sushang.
How could she not be interested in a guy with Otto's face?
She was a little curious. What was in that coffin he was carrying?
It couldn't be this world's Kallen, could it?
Her figure flickered, graceful as a startled swan. The water-blue dragon shadow on Li Sushang's sword, Ruoshui, seemed to detach itself, materializing as it spun and tumbled with the blade.
The roaring dragon's head sliced all the Mara-struck soldiers in half at the waist, pulverizing their cores.
"Don't be afraid, you're safe now. Are you hurt?"
Li Sushang arrived in front of Luocha, studying him intently. He really did look exactly the same.
"Thank you for your assistance, miss."
Awed by her exquisite swordsmanship, Luocha was momentarily reminded of his own traveling companion. Snapping out of it, he put on a smile and bowed slightly in gratitude.
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