Playing Stat-Sticks in Honkai: Star Rail

RUMBLE!

As the golden blade light fell, everything in sight was filled with golden electrical sparks…

041 — UNFORGIVEN SLASH!

Amidst the golden electrical sparks that filled his vision, Liuge's music allowed him to see a trace of emerald green constantly flickering.

Was that Phantylia?

Liuge didn't know, but the current situation was very strange.

Phantylia hadn't even made a sound. Even in the game, when Phantylia's physical body, formed from the Fruit of Jianmu, was destroyed, it would utter a word or two.

But this was its true form, in its Aeon Manifest state. Yet, after enduring a strike from the Divine General, it remained silent.

Where exactly was the problem?

Liuge pondered, while Tingyun beside him didn't disturb his thoughts. She merely watched quietly.

Because of Liuge, Tingyun had avoided being directly possessed by Phantylia. She had even managed to invite someone from afar to counter Phantylia.

For her, this was enough.

"Something's wrong!"

At this moment, Fu Xuan, who had been controlling the Four Symbols Sealing Formation, suddenly spoke.

Before Jing Yuan could react, a streak of emerald green light erupted within the sea of gold.

"What?!"

Jing Yuan was startled, but the next moment, he raised his weapon and slashed towards the emerald green light again.

However, his expression was incredibly solemn. He hadn't expected Phantylia to have a backup plan even at this stage.

Was it worthy of being a Lord of Ruin?

At the same moment, Fu Xuan's clasped hands seemed to be forcibly pushed apart by an invisible force.

CRACK!

The sound of something breaking echoed from within the golden electrical sparks. Even amidst the Divine General's golden attack, the sound could still be clearly heard.

Fu Xuan's expression was grave. She exchanged a look with Jing Yuan and nodded.

Clenching her teeth, the third eye on Fu Xuan's brow emitted a faint glow as she clasped her hands together again.

With a BOOM.

A violent roar erupted from within the golden light.

The emerald green light paused slightly.

At that very instant, Jing Yuan's body floated into the air. His eyes were closed, as if he were sensing something.

"It's time for a surprise move!"

The Formation Blade in his hand began to emit faint rays of light.

And the Divine General behind him also began to unleash terrifying power.

The intense pressure caused Liuge and Tingyun to involuntarily retreat to the edge of the Altar of Prayer for the Dragon. One more step and they would be on the Star-Skiff.

But they couldn't board the Star-Skiff to return now.

Because the power of the battle here was too terrifying. It was possible the Star-Skiff could be overturned in the sea by the powerful energy midway.

"Do you really think I have no other options?!"

Within the sea of golden electrical sparks, Phantylia's enraged voice rang out.

The next instant, Fu Xuan's Four Symbols Sealing Formation was directly broken. The four colossal beasts instantly shattered and vanished.

The moment the formation was broken, Fu Xuan's figure was forced back several steps, a wisp of red seeping from the corner of her mouth.

It was at this moment that Jing Yuan, floating above, slowly opened his golden eyes. Holding the faintly glowing Formation Blade, he fiercely slashed down towards Phantylia, who had revealed its form below.

—BY MY COMMAND, LET ALL BE SMITTEN!

—UNFORGIVEN SLASH!

And the Divine General behind him, as if synchronized with Jing Yuan, also swung its blade at the same moment he did.

BOOM!

At the exact same time, a surge of emerald green radiance met the blade.

It was like two colossal giants wrestling, each straining against the other.

For a moment, the powerful aftermath of the battle spread out like a seismic source.

Seeing this, Fu Xuan's eyes narrowed. She began to mobilize the power within her body, forming hand seals.

A brand new formation reappeared on the ground, and the world seemed to transform into an empty star map.

She slammed her hands together.

Immense pressure descended upon Phantylia like a cage.

At that moment, under the dual pressure from Jing Yuan and Fu Xuan, Phantylia, whose Aeon Manifest form had no physical body, was on the verge of being completely suppressed.

"You... just you wait!"

As Phantylia's voice faded, a violent shockwave erupted from the location where the two sides were fighting. The immense power sent both Jing Yuan and Fu Xuan flying backward.

However, they quickly stabilized themselves and turned their gazes back towards the Altar of Prayer for the Dragon. What greeted them was a battlefield in disarray, with shattered ground and slowly drifting, emerald green fragments that dissipated like starlight in the air.

Did Phantylia self-destruct a portion of its Aeon Manifest body to escape?

Seeing this, Liuge felt a pang of regret for not capturing Phantylia here. However, it was also at this moment that he began to form a general understanding of the combat power within this Honkai: Star Rail world.

According to the data, Phantylia favored internal strife, lies, and instigation, along with a series of negative conditions, to cause a place to crumble from within. Its inherent combat power was not as strong as some of the other Lords of Ruin, as it was an Aeon Manifest without a physical body. Yet, even so, Phantylia, in its Aeon Manifest state, could withstand the combined assault of Jing Yuan and Fu Xuan. Even after self-destructing a part of its Aeon Manifest body, it managed to escape the area quickly.

"Cough, cough!"

Jing Yuan, clutching his chest and coughing a few times, walked towards Liuge and Tingyun, holding his Formation Blade. After standing up, Fu Xuan's expression was also somewhat grim. After all, it was a partial self-destruction from an Aeon Manifest, and even though the other party intended to temporarily disengage rather than fight, it had still caused minor injuries to her and Jing Yuan.

"Are you two... cough... alright!"

Jing Yuan coughed again before continuing, "Thank you for your concern, General. We are both fine. Rather, you and Diviner Fu..."

"I am unharmed!" Fu Xuan shook her head, indicating she was fine, though her complexion was slightly pale.

"It's nothing, just a minor injury." Jing Yuan didn't stand on ceremony, let out a light laugh, and then turned his gaze to Liuge beside them. "My friend, may I know your name?"

"General, my name is Liuge." Liuge immediately introduced himself upon hearing this.

"Liuge?" Fu Xuan frowned slightly, looking him up and down. "Are you the Liuge who mysteriously disappeared a month ago?"

"...Probably, maybe, likely... yes?" Liuge scratched his face, sounding somewhat uncertain.

"What makes you say that?"

"Well... actually, in my memory, it doesn't seem like I've ever lived on the Xianzhou." Liuge pondered for a moment before speaking to Fu Xuan.

"Lost a period of memory?" Fu Xuan frowned slightly.

"Minister Fu, you know him?" Jing Yuan asked uncertainly from the side.

"Yes, a month ago. One of my subordinates reported to me that one of her mahjong partners had gone missing and asked for my help in finding them." Fu Xuan nodded, but her expression became a little strange. "However, no matter how I divined, I couldn't figure out where he had gone. It was very strange!"

Listening to Fu Xuan's words, Jing Yuan glanced thoughtfully at Liuge and yawned. "Alright, now that the Lord of Ruin has escaped, let's head back first."

"Understood!"

042 Little Sparrow

After the group arrived at the Chang'le Sky-Garden, Fu Xuan excused herself and Jing Yuan, stating that there were matters within the Ministry to attend to. As for Tingyun and Liuge, Jing Yuan didn't have the time to inquire further. The crucial task now was to mobilize the entire Cloud Knights of the Loufu. After all, with people who had been influenced by Phantylia appearing, a thorough, house-to-house search was initiated, and the alert level of the entire Luofu Xianzhou rose significantly.

Meanwhile, Tingyun and Liuge were waiting at a small food stall in Chang'le Sky-Garden.

After several days of high-intensity vigilance, both of them were physically and mentally exhausted.

Although they both wanted to talk and chat now, they had a tacit understanding and focused on eating.

And then they would get a good night's sleep.

It wasn't too late to chat after waking up; they were genuinely hungry right now.

However, compared to Liuge's ravenous eating, Tingyun still looked incredibly elegant even while eating.

As she ate, Tingyun suddenly noticed that Liuge's voice had disappeared.

She turned her head to look beside her and immediately saw a scene that was both laughable and exasperating.

Liuge's entire face was buried in his bowl, but he had already fallen asleep.

Fortunately, he had finished the contents of the bowl, otherwise, his face would have been covered in noodles.

Seeing this, Tingyun wanted to laugh but couldn't.

To keep Phantylia stable, Liuge hadn't slept for days, maintaining his performance state at high intensity.

Although this was also boosted by the [Insomnia] Stat-Stick, the mental fatigue arrived the moment the Stat-Stick Character Card was removed.

It was a challenge for Liuge to force himself to eat while fighting off sleep.

"You've worked hard."

Tingyun put down her chopsticks, took out a few Stellar Jades and placed them on the table, then helped Liuge towards the inn next to the Ministry of Interdimensional Affairs.

Along the way, many people who saw the scene couldn't help but glance over.

After all, Tingyun was quite famous on the Luofu.