Kaslana's Ways of Survival in Honkai

Glancing at the Judgement of Shamash in Kaino's hand, Su Mei fixed her gaze on Fu Hua, the corners of her mouth curving up as her figure gradually faded away.

Controlling the refraction of light—that was the power of the Xuanyuan Sword.

"You extracted the core from within the Xuanyuan Sword and then merged with it."

Fu Hua adopted the stance of Qi Sword Severing the Sea, staring intently at a seemingly empty space beside Lin Chaoyu, and said in a deep voice.

"Indeed. To understand the secret of your immortality, I spent fifteen years researching the Xuanyuan you left on Mount Tai Xu. After that, I've been eagerly anticipating this day, the day when several Xuanyuan Swords could gather together."

Su Mei's figure slowly materialized beside Lin Chaoyu, letting out a soft sigh.

"As expected of Master, the little trick of the Xuanyuan Sword is completely useless against you. But now that your strength is diminished, and even the Feather of the Underworld is ineffective against me, can you still defeat me?"

With that, Su Mei snatched up the Xuanyuan Sword beside Lin Chaoyu and charged towards Fu Hua.

Fu Hua swiftly changed her hand seals, unleashing Opening Sword: Chaotic Lightning in an instant. Su Mei's figure was immediately sent flying back the way she came, crashing onto the floor of the house.

"Cough, as expected of Master."

Su Mei got up from the ground, her body, wounded by Fu Hua, rapidly regenerating.

"But you can't kill me, and how much longer can you last?"

Fu Hua looked at Su Mei, her brow furrowing slightly.

"I don't understand. If you simply wanted to kill me to avenge your father, there was no need to spend so many years researching how to become a Herrscher. You could have completely finished me off back then. Herrschers… I should have explained to you what they are."

"Yes, of course, you did. Creatures that submit to the so-called god, abandoning their selves and only knowing how to destroy humanity."

Su Mei laughed:

"But as you also said, didn't you? The only path for the apostles of the gods is to be killed by humans; ordinary birth, aging, sickness, and death can no longer befall them."

"Master, you don't really think the reason I want to kill you is to avenge my parents, do you? I admit, at first, when I joined your sect, I did have that idea. But a few years later, when I saw Senior Apprentice Sister slowly aging while your face remained the same, my thoughts changed."

"Avenge my parents? Heh, what does that matter compared to eternal youth and immortality?"

"You were planning to kill me back then?"

Fu Hua's expression grew increasingly grim.

"Yes, right then. Even your closest Senior Apprentice Sister wasn't told the secret of longevity, so how could you possibly tell me? So, I could only kill you and find it myself."

"It's a pity that even though Senior and Junior Apprentice Sisters also had their parents killed by you, they couldn't be persuaded at all to avenge their parents. There was nothing I could do, so I had to find another way."

"Sowing discord among the Senior Apprentice Sisters, seducing Old Sixth. The Third and Fourth Junior Apprentice Sisters wouldn't listen to me, so I had Old Sixth, whom they doted on, lead them to absorb true energy and become corrupted, while also confirming the possibility of becoming apostles of the gods. I couldn't persuade Fifth Junior Apprentice Sister, but fortunately, I later found the obsession in her Sword Heart."

"As for Seventh Junior Apprentice Sister? She's the closest to you. Fortunately, I deepened her closeness to you, prompting her to keep your corpse by her side after your death. That way, even if you really came back to life, you wouldn't look for me first; I just had to keep an eye on Junior Apprentice Sister."

Speaking of this, Su Mei's expression became somewhat sorrowful.

"It's a pity that you were indifferent even when facing one of the murderers who killed you, only wanting to retrieve the Xuanyuan Sword. There's no way that the seven Xuanyuan Swords will ever be gathered together like this. They will definitely do it if handing over the Xuanyuan Sword means they can live."

Fu Hua gritted her teeth, looking at Su Mei with a face full of anger.

"So, the fire at Yi Xin Mountain Villa was also you..."

"That's right, I set it. After all, only in this way will they be nervous. After all these years, they will have some regrets, and only when the people they value are all threatened will they regain their determination to kill you and reunite."

Suddenly, the temperature in the room dropped sharply, and a sword light flashed past Su Mei's side.

A gust of fist wind swept up, Inch Punch: Mountain Crash was unleashed from Fu Hua's hand, carrying Fu Hua's anger as it heavily struck towards Su Mei, landing a heavy punch on her face.

Chapter 36: Herrscher Core

Accompanied by the thud of a heavy object falling to the ground, the room fell silent.

Li Sushang stood where Su Mei had been standing, holding the Xuanyuan Sword, her body still trembling, tears constantly flowing from her eyes. Fu Hua stood near her, breathing slightly heavily, and the Feather of the Underworld in the room gradually dissipated.

The remaining illusion that Fu Hua had created for Li Sushang, along with Su Mei's words, had recreated her mother's life, and the bloody reality and full of hatred made Li Sushang directly crossed the last threshold of Sword Heart with the idea of killing Su Mei.

Reaching the Sword Heart of Tai Xu Realm directly freed Li Sushang from the remaining Feather of the Underworld illusion, and the killing intent filled in Sword Heart prompted her to cut Su Mei in half.

Fu Hua's final attack was a punch that blasted Su Mei's head off her neck, the smiling face on the other's corpse still incredibly clear.

Whether it was Li Sushang, who had just reached Sword Heart, or Fu Hua, whose body had been tempered for thousands of years, their speed was extremely fast, and Su Mei couldn't react to their attacks at all.

Of course, the attacks of the two were essentially to vent the anger in their hearts, and the damage they caused was just a wound that Su Mei, who held part of the Herrscher of Death's authority and could rapidly regenerate, could repair with just a circulation of Honkai energy.

That should have been the case.

"Kaslana's ice? No... this is the authority of the Herrscher of Ice."

The angry expression on Fu Hua's face turned into shock, and she stared at the solid ice that froze Su Mei, saying in a low voice.

At this moment, Su Mei's body was divided into three sections, her head, upper body, and lower body all completely encased in deep blue ice. Several small wisps of black mist constantly corroded the ice, but the missing parts were immediately filled in.

This newborn Herrscher, who simultaneously grasped the weak authorities of the three Herrschers of Wind, Death, and Consciousness, was trapped in the ice.

And unlike those Herrschers purely composed of consciousness, Su Mei's existence still couldn't be separated from her body, and she was about to die completely, unable to breathe while trapped in the ice.

If it were a normal Herrscher, they could barely survive by drawing Honkai energy from the Imaginary Space, but as Fu Hua said, the Herrschers of this world couldn't draw Honkai energy from the Imaginary Space.

In fact, if Su Mei hadn't extracted the Herrscher core from the Xuanyuan Sword, there would have been no chance of becoming a Herrscher at all.

"It's also my Stigmata's ability. Since my Stigmata can have the authority of the Herrscher of Wind, it's reasonable to have the authority of the Herrscher of Ice as well, right?"

Kaino walked over from a distance, shrugging his shoulders.

The ice that had frozen Su Mei was naturally released by him. Although it wasn't very prominent due to being the weakest of his six authorities, freezing this crippled version of a Herrscher wasn't difficult.

Moreover, this Su Mei was far too arrogant.

Whether it was because years of planning had finally come to fruition, or because she had seen that Fu Hua's attacks had no effect on her—whatever the reason, the fact remained that she was excessively arrogant.

If she hadn't been so engrossed in explaining her years of scheming, thereby enraging Fu Hua and allowing Li Sushang to break through to Sword Heart, her ending probably wouldn't be like this.

...At least she wouldn't have lost so miserably, her body broken into three pieces.

"But speaking of which, can a Kaslana naturally use ice? This is the first time I've heard of it."

"The Kaslana bloodline does indeed have the ability to use ice. Otherwise, the Judgement of Shamash wouldn't have become a Kaslana family weapon. It's just that most people haven't been able to awaken it."

Come to think of it, there were indeed rumors that his old man had repeatedly released the Judgement of Shamash during the Second Honkai. Back then, he thought it was just something made up by some of his old man's admirers.

So it was true?

"So, what are we going to do with her?"

Kaino kicked the ice-covered Su Mei and asked Fu Hua and Li Sushang.

Although he loathed Su Mei's actions, Kaino didn't really have any personal connection with her. But Li Sushang and Fu Hua were different. One had her mother and the entire Yi Xin Mountain Villa killed, and the other had been killed herself. Both of them had deep-seated hatred for Su Mei.

Fu Hua shook her head.

"Let Sushang and Chaoyu decide. They have the right, having been deceived and used."

Upon hearing this, Li Sushang snapped out of her excitement of finally getting revenge and bit her lip, hesitating:

"I want to offer her body at my parents' graves to comfort their souls in heaven."

Seeing that Fu Hua didn't respond, Kaino thought for a moment and said:

"Sure, I have no objections. But before that, we need to take out the Herrscher core from her body to prevent anyone with ulterior motives from using it, or the core from reviving her body."

People's greed is endless, and no one can say for sure whether someone will target that Herrscher core in the future in pursuit of immortality, thereby digging up Su Mei's bones and causing even greater disasters.

And to be honest... Kaino also wanted that core fused from three Xuanyuan Swords.

Kaino didn't care about the authorities attached to the three cores. But he hadn't forgotten that one of his purposes in coming to Shenzhou was to free his body from single-threaded operation.

Although his initial plan was to cultivate the Red Sparrow Immortal's Sword Heart Sutra, since his body conflicted with the Sword Heart Sutra and there was a Herrscher core that could be used as a CPU right in front of him, why go the long way around?

"In that case, Fu Hua, how about I keep that core? I just happen to need a Herrscher core."

"Herrscher core?"

Fu Hua frowned upon hearing this, looking at Kaino with suspicion.

"Speaking of which, although I didn't read Sushang's memories, you did display the abilities of the Herrscher of Reason, the Herrscher of the Void, and the Herrscher of Death in the illusion formed based on Sushang's consciousness."

"And I've noticed several times when you used the Herrscher's abilities that you don't seem to be absorbing Honkai energy from the outside. So where do you get your Honkai energy from?"

Oh no, I'm done for.

Kaino widened his eyes and looked at Li Sushang, who was looking over here with a curious expression.

Why did you have to reveal my secrets in your dream?

Kaino didn't hesitate to show Li Sushang his abilities, having confidence in his own strength and trust in Li Sushang's character. But the most important reason was that Li Sushang initially understood his authority as martial arts.

This showed that she didn't understand the specific situation regarding the Herrschers, so Kaino felt comfortable showing it.

But for those who understand this aspect, his ability is more like a Herrscher without a detectable core than a Stigmata.

In normal circumstances, he could explain it to acquaintances, but he had only known the immortal for less than half a day, and just now someone had pulled out a core and turned into a Herrscher in front of them.

In this situation...

Kaino prepared to defend himself.

"You can."

Fu Hua, who had been silent for a while, suddenly spoke, looking at Kaino with a serious expression.

"This core can be given to you. Besides, it would have been difficult for me to kill her without you. In this situation, the core is essentially your spoils of war."

"Uh," Fu Hua's reaction was beyond Kaino's expectations. So Kaino blinked and asked tentatively, "Aren't you worried that I have ulterior motives?"

"At the moment of disconnecting from the tree, even becoming a Herrscher through the fusion of cores can retain self-awareness. The reason why Su Mei became like this is because her heart was like that."

"Although we've only known each other for less than half a day, based on your performance, you are indeed on the side of fighting against Honkai. In that case, there's nothing wrong with giving you the core. Besides, you haven't lied to me, so I will naturally trust you."

"Moreover, it would be difficult for me to stop you if you wanted to snatch it."

"Of course, if possible, I hope you can do me a favor, as a reward for giving you the core and helping you return home. Of course, this will not exceed your capabilities, nor will it violate your heart."

"I just want you to use the Herrscher of Reason's ability to construct something for me."

Chapter 37: Splitting Up

"Okay, what is it?"

Kaino agreed without hesitation.

Constructing items was also very easy for Kaino, almost effortless, so Kaino naturally wouldn't refuse. Moreover, Kaino couldn't accept other people's help with peace of mind.

"I don't know exactly what needs to be constructed, only that it's a kind of battery. After returning to Mount Tai Xu, I will give you the corresponding information to help you complete the construction more smoothly."

Under Kaino's increasingly strange gaze, Fu Hua stated her request.

"A battery? Hold on, Fu Hua, it's 1495 AD, right?"

Kaino swallowed, suspecting he'd been inexplicably transported again.

"That's the year."

Fu Hua paused, then nodded.

"I think I understand your question. It's simply that batteries aren't something that should exist in this era. But that's precisely why I need your help instead of making one myself, isn't it?"

"As for why I know about batteries, the reason is too long to explain. After you help me, I'll have a friend of mine explain your doubts to you… and perhaps ask you for another favor then."

"Helping with another favor is fine, but can you first clarify what you need me to do? If it's too difficult, I'd like to mentally prepare myself."

Kaino scratched his head, looking troubled.

"I forgot."

Fu Hua shook her head, a hint of embarrassment on her face.

Kaino's expression gradually became subtle.

"I was injured in the head by Chaoyu and the others, and many memories have been lost. In fact, even my memories of them have only gradually returned in the past few months. I asked them why they killed me back then, hoping to fill in the gaps in my own memories."

"Besides some memories from many years ago, I only remember that in Shenzhou, I was meant to protect the people and train warriors to fight against Honkai, and I was also looking for someone with a large reserve of Honkai energy or someone who could directly draw Honkai energy from the Imaginary Space."

"I don't remember why I was looking for such a person, only that it concerns the survival of the world, but my friend remembers."

"The survival of the world… Alright, if you think I can do it, I'll try my best."

Fu Hua didn't remember the details either, so continuing to ask her wouldn't yield any more specific answers. So Kaino just nodded, turning his head to look at Li Sushang.

"Li Sushang, are you taking Su Mei's body back to Yi Xin Mountain Villa? I won't go with you. I'll go directly to Mount Tai Xu with Fu Hua."

"Hey, Luocha, why don't you come to Yi Xin with me first… Ah, never mind, you go to Mount Tai Xu with Senior Fu Hua first. Researching materials and batteries and all that, sounds like you'll be busy for a long time, right?"

Li Sushang's eyes darted around, her earlobes slightly red, as she said somewhat embarrassedly.