Your Grandmaster Is Getting Old

"Staff of the Underworld, activate."

The blond man whispered in his ear, then suddenly extended his other hand and drew a firearm that had appeared at his waist at some unknown point.

"Are you ready?"

He said it as though he were speaking to Welt, yet not quite, then raised his hand to grip his neck, the barrel angled toward the man's left shoulder.

"God-Slaying Spear, sever."

With those words, he suddenly exerted force. The firearm roared, black-and-gold muzzle flashes spitting out in rapid succession. Every shot was steady and ruthless, angled at Welt's left shoulder, every bullet drilling in through the exact same spot!

"Ahhhhh!!!"

Welt screamed in terror, all his composure and refinement utterly shattered by the agony of impending death!

He had yet to recover from the lingering terror of having his connection to the Herrscher of Reason Gem severed by the Staff of the Underworld when he felt the agony of his flesh. His left shoulder blade was quickly blasted to pieces by the gunfire, large-caliber bullets piling atop one another as they slowly drove diagonally toward his spine!

Each bullet struck the base of the one before it, inch by inch boring diagonally through his body!

At the same time, the special power of the god-slaying bullets erupted within him. The Honkai Energy that should have repaired him vanished, Welt's mind descended into chaos, and he could no longer control his own body at all!

Suddenly, the bullets stopped advancing. The Staff of the Underworld pressed against his back was withdrawn, easing Welt's pain and allowing his consciousness to recover a little clarity.

"It's not over yet, Yang Sit-Up," he heard a voice beside his ear say. "I told you, today Schicksal has revealed every trump card except the Saintess, all for the sake of... killing you alone!"

"Li Sushang, draw your sword!"

"Coming!"

Welt suddenly stopped breathing. A vast and boundless power descended from above, as if completely enveloping his very form. The brown-haired man wanted to raise his head, but instinctive terror restrained him.

Yet the light filling the skies still pierced his eyes.

In the end, he struggled and laboriously raised his head. The heavens seemed torn apart, mountains and rivers blazing brilliantly like a Golden Crow soaring through the sky. The reflection of a blue flying swallow appeared across the firmament, while an ancient, majestic giant object split through the crimson sun and long clouds, falling straight toward his head.

At that moment, the azure heavens were boundless and bottomless; one flash of sword-light chilled all nineteen provinces!

"A god is the ultimate of transformation, wondrous in all things and beyond the reach of form."

"Void Sword Qi, Divine Essence!"

Chapter 61: Your Grandmaster Is Getting Old

A few days earlier, at Schicksal Headquarters—after Otto obtained information on the World Bubble from Changguang.

"Mm..."

The girl's consciousness gradually surfaced from darkness as deep as a bottomless abyss.

The strongest memory of her life was also the first to appear before her.

"Who... is he?"

Before her lay a blond man collapsed on the ground.

...Did I kill him?

The girl looked at her hands, and for no reason at all, felt as though her heart were being torn apart.

Though her memories were incomplete... the thorns of guilt had long since made her heart bleed.

He should be...

No. No matter who this beautiful man lying in a pool of blood was... she had undoubtedly betrayed his trust and kindness.

Suddenly, the scene before her blurred and shifted, and she felt dizzy as well.

Until a drop of water fell onto the girl's cheek, awakening her consciousness.

The man had already risen to his feet, staring past her with empty eyes.

Following his gaze, the girl wanted to turn around too—

But her body no longer obeyed her commands.

Ah... now that I thought about it... he seemed to have feelings for me too...

But... why did he... seem to be crying?

Was it because... of that promise?

Was my inability to witness that moment... really something so heartbreaking to you...

But your gaze... clearly wasn't resting on me...

What exactly... were you grieving for...

A drop of water fell onto the girl's cheek, and she lost consciousness once more.

"...Don't be nervous. You merely had a nightmare."

A calm voice came from what seemed like a great distance away. The girl tried hard to open her eyes, but all she saw was darkness.

"Ah, your vision hasn't recovered yet... That's perfectly normal during the awakening process from deep hibernation, so don't worry."

The mysterious voice gradually overlapped with the dream. The girl realized that the person outside and the man in her dream were one and the same.

"In one hour—ah, half a shichen, your body will return to a very healthy state. Before then, let me help you confirm some basic information about this era."

"Oh, right... do you know who I am? If you have some idea, try nodding."

The girl tried hard to recall the feeling of controlling her own muscles. After several seconds, she slowly nodded her head a few times.

She wanted to stretch lazily, but unfortunately, her arms would not obey her.

"Very good. But there's no need to rush to move your limbs—they'll slowly regain sensation on their own."

"Now then, to get to the point. Today is December of the year 2013—ah, my apologies, that way of putting it will only confuse you further."

"Let me put it another way—this is the era more than five hundred years after you fell asleep."

"Welcome back to this world, Li Sushang."

Beneath the heavens, amid ethereal clouds, a massive sword swept away layer upon layer of gloom, driving back rushing mist and raging winds. It spanned ten thousand miles of righteous force as it descended from the horizon!

Through the haze, Welt saw a yellow-clad girl dressed like someone from ancient Shenzhou standing high above. Her left hand rested behind her back, her right hand formed a seal, and a confident smile hung on her lips as red-and-black light glowed between her brows—

It was as though Heaven itself had stirred with killing intent!

"Li Sushang, chief disciple of the Unsurpassed Freedom Sect, has accepted another's request to slay demons and vanquish evil!"

He did not get to hear the rest of Li Sushang's introduction before the Tai Xu Sword God enveloped his body.

The orange greatsword pierced through Welt Yang's battered body, tearing it apart in a violent explosion. The body that had been destroyed by Sirin, the Herrscher of the Void, during the Second Honkai Outbreak, then reconstructed with the power of the Herrscher of Reason and only barely restored after years of recuperation, now shattered completely beneath such a blow!

His vertebrae exploded one after another. The god-slaying bullets merged into his blood before detonating, grievously injuring his organs. Power comparable to a Honkai Energy Fission Bomb smashed him into the ground, sending dust and sand billowing into the air!

Welt did not even have time to scream!

A series of cracking sounds rang out. By now, it was impossible to tell whether they came from shattered weapons or broken bones!

When the dust finally settled, a massive crater appeared before everyone. Looking down, they saw a blood-red mass writhing at the bottom, no longer even recognizable as human!

The Divine Key Star of Eden, forged from Soul Steel, had been damaged once again. The Herrscher Core from the Previous Civilization protruded halfway out, flowing with bright violet light!

"Li Sushang???"

Fu Hua was the first to react. She looked toward the girl who had leapt to Otto's side, a trace of confusion appearing in her eyes.

Why did she feel... as if she had heard that name before?

And the techniques she used... did they come from the same lineage as hers?

Tai Xu Sword God... Tai Xu Sword God...

"Ah, Grandmaster!"

Li Sushang clasped her fists and bowed to the gray-haired woman.

"Long time no see!"

"Grandmaster?"

Fu Hua pursed her lips and searched her mind with all her strength, but eventually showed an awkward expression. "I'm sorry, my memory is a little poor..."

"Is that so?" The brown-haired girl scratched her head, somewhat at a loss.

"In the martial world," Otto said, patting Sushang on the shoulder, "being able to reunite is fate."

He gave Rita a gesture. She understood and walked toward the students who had arrived one after another before the Staff of the Underworld was inserted, disrupting Welt's state of mind.

"What this Rakshasa says is indeed reasonable!"

Li Sushang clasped her fists in agreement.

"There were many unpleasant matters back then," she said. "Five hundred years have already passed. All the affairs of the past, we might as well... might as well..."

"Let bygones be bygones," Otto supplied.

"How amazing—Rakshasa, how have you become so familiar with Shenzhou sayings?"

Li Sushang gave Otto a thumbs-up, then turned to Fu Hua and said:

"That's right! Who can truly distinguish the grudges and grievances of those days? But in the end, dust returns to dust and earth to earth..."

Li Sushang's tone slowed here, her voice carrying sorrow, as though she had remembered something.

"Anyway, reunion is fate, so we might as well let bygones be bygones!"

Fu Hua blinked. As though sensing something, she empathized with a trace of sorrow and nodded gently.

"I'm sorry, I don't remember much about the past. But I think that for someone like me, who needs memories in order to fight, I also cannot remain immersed in the past."

Li Sushang looked bewildered, but Otto understood very well.

This was someone who had lost her past...

He patted Sushang on the shoulder and said:

"What your Grandmaster means is that she's getting old, a little senile, has a poor memory, and is easily scammed. If anything happens in the future, you, as her disciple's disciple, should be more understanding."

Fu Hua: ...

Li Sushang: ...

"Alright, alright, you two Shenzhou sword immortals, and little Bianca,"

Without waiting for either of them to react, Otto clapped his hands.

"Our battle isn't over yet."

He crouched down and lightly tapped the edge of the crater. Immediately, black-red Honkai Energy lit up, forming a thin protective barrier over the flesh and blood.

"That humanoid demon still has strength left?! No wonder when I said I could fight him alone, you said he was nearly immortal!"

Li Sushang said in shock.

"Sushang's Tai Xu Sword God naturally surpasses its predecessors." At this, the girl scratched her head and said shyly, "Hehe... actually, I'm still not as good as Grandmaster and Master..." "But—a centipede does not stop moving even after death. The Herrscher of Reason's power is not to be underestimated."

He paused, a trace of pride entering his tone.

"Of course, it merely cannot be underestimated."

Otto looked at the faint barrier, golden light flickering at his fingertips as he probed its structure.

"Worthy of being the opponent I value."

In less than half a second, the blond man smiled.

"Even reduced to this state, you can still defend yourself."

"But, my old friend Welt II, no matter what contingencies you have, what experiences you once had, or how many times you have returned from the dead, I believe there is one thing that is quite correct..."