Honkai, Kaslana's Way of Survival

"Once I finish paying respects to my mother with Shifu, I'll head to Mount Tai Xu to find you all."

"Don't go making decisions for me without consulting me first about what you want to do."

Cheng Lingshuang, having finished clearing out the Honkai beasts, pushed open the door and entered. Her eyelids twitched involuntarily upon seeing Su Mei's body broken into three pieces on the ground. She looked at Li Sushang with a strange expression.

"Sushang, your Sword Heart broke through?"

Li Sushang's previously cheerful expression dimmed slightly, a hint of lingering fear on her face.

"It did... Shizu's illusion was terrifying. The remaining phantoms afterward made me incredibly murderous. The former was manageable, but the latter, because I knew clearly that it had actually happened, caused me to break through immediately."

"Once the mind enters the Tai Xu state, becoming a Sword Saint will happen naturally. Thus, all that you lack is practical experience. In that case, why don't you learn martial arts from Shifu? Her practical experience is far richer than mine."

Cheng Lingshuang nodded gently, then turned to look at Fu Hua.

"Shifu, is that alright?"

"Of course, it's just teaching one more person."

Fu Hua shook her head, agreeing to teach Li Sushang.

"Shifu, what do you mean? Aren't you coming to Mount Tai Xu with me?"

Li Sushang was puzzled and quickly asked.

"Go to Mount Tai Xu? Too many unpleasant things happened there. If I could, I wouldn't want to go. After accompanying you to pay respects to your mother, I'll go to Mobei to be alone."

"I was comfortable in Mobei on my own. It was teaching you for these past ten years or so that caused a lot of commotion. Now that I'm going back, I'll just stay there, occasionally coming down the mountain to exorcise demons when I'm free. It's quite carefree."

As Cheng Lingshuang spoke, she tossed the Xuanyuan Sword she was carrying to Kaino.

"Since we're parting ways soon, I'll return this Xuanyuan Sword to you. I didn't bring much with me, so I don't have anything to give you as a parting gift. I'll have Sushang bring something to you later."

Kaino took the Xuanyuan Sword and thought for a moment. He retrieved a clock he had constructed earlier from his imaginary space and handed it to Cheng Lingshuang.

"A farewell gift, for waking people up."

Kaino was concise.

He still vividly remembered the sudden awakening by the sound of a rooster crowing.

"Since when do disciples give gifts to their masters when parting? Keep it for yourself."

"Shifu, Shifu, Kaino has a gift, what about me?"

Li Sushang approached Cheng Lingshuang, looking slightly excited. She had never received a gift from anyone other than her mother.

"We're not separating yet, what's the rush?"

Cheng Lingshuang leaned back slightly and rolled her eyes.

"When we pass through a town, I'll give you ten taels of silver. Buy whatever you fancy, consider it my gift to you."

"Wow, Shifu, you're being so insincere! Favoritism!"

Li Sushang protested.

Ignoring Li Sushang, Cheng Lingshuang glanced at Lin Chaoyu and the other three still lying on the ground and turned to look at Fu Hua.

"Shifu, since you've retrieved the Feather of the Underworld, why haven't Shijie and the others woken up yet? With their Sword Heart's level, they should be able to break free from the illusion completely by now."

"They probably dare not and don't want to come out. After all, they can sense what's happening outside now."

Kaino tossed the clock and Xuanyuan Sword into his imaginary space, crossed his arms, and wore an displeased expression.

"They attacked Fu Hua without any explanation when they thought she was going to kill them, and now that they know the truth, they're just lying on the ground pretending to be dead, afraid to face their Shifu... Hmph, that's all they are."

"The truth? What do you mean?"

Cheng Lingshuang looked at Su Mei on the ground, her expression puzzled.

Fu Hua's expression was conflicted. She hesitated for a moment before speaking:

"Su Mei..."

"Uh, Shifu, I'll tell you about this on the road later."

Seeing that Fu Hua didn't want to discuss the matter, Li Sushang quickly interjected to take over the explanation.

Cheng Lingshuang nodded.

"In that case, let Shijie and the others lie here. They should wake up soon after we leave."

Fu Hua nodded, bent down to collect the several Xuanyuan Swords, and then turned to look at Kaino.

"Retrieve the Herrscher core, and then we'll go to Mount Tai Xu."

Chapter 38: The Previous Era's End

"The Herrscher core still can't fuse with your body?"

On the carriage, Fu Hua asked Kaino, who was tossing the Herrscher core in the air, with concern.

Kaino sighed upon hearing this.

"It's still the same as before. Although it doesn't cause me to bleed all over like when I cultivate the Sword Heart Sutra, I feel uncomfortable all over when I try to put it into my body, like I'm drowning. And there's a constant repulsive force coming from the core. Anyone who doesn't know better would think we're two opposite magnetic poles."

"I wonder if it's because I'm male... It shouldn't be, right? Honkai can't be sexist, and there seems to be a male Herrscher in my world."

Fu Hua pondered for a moment.

"Let's leave aside the core issue for now. I'm also not clear on the details of the Sword Heart Sutra, as I'm not its creator but merely a user. However, I do understand its principles. It essentially involves a degree of self-hypnosis through chanting, thereby guiding physical development."

"It's precisely because of this that cultivating the Sword Heart Sutra from a young age yields the best results. Once the body is fully developed, it becomes very difficult to practice."

"So, shouldn't I have no reason to be injured like that? Even if I developed early and my body was already fully formed, it would only manifest as the Sword Heart Sutra being ineffective on me."

Kaino was puzzled.

"Moreover, I remember that I did indeed trigger the flow of Honkai energy by silently reciting the Sword Heart Sutra, and it was at this moment that wounds inexplicably appeared on my body."

Fu Hua thought for a while and expressed her opinion.

"There are too many special aspects about you: a Stigmata containing Herrscher authority, a consciousness that even I can't influence with the Feather of the Underworld... I've never heard of or seen anything like them. In this situation, I can't judge your current situation based on experience."

"To be honest, when I first came to Shenzhou, the thing I had the least hope of finding was a way home, as it was too elusive. In the end, that aspect turned out to be surprisingly smooth, while finding a way to better absorb Honkai energy has been a constant source of setbacks."

Kaino sighed, caught the core, and tossed it to Fu Hua.

"I don't need this core anyway, so here you go... Maybe putting it back into the Xuanyuan Sword will make it usable again?"

"Simply placing it into Soul Steel without any processing won't do anything. All I can do is preserve it to prevent it from falling into the hands of greedy individuals."

Fu Hua shook her head and placed the core into the bag containing the Xuanyuan Sword.

"You mentioned before that you were going to use the Herrscher of Reason's power to analyze the core. Have you had any results?"

"The analysis of the Herrscher core has been progressing smoothly, and it's precisely because of this that I've discovered some problems."

Kaino sighed, extended his right hand, and a flash of blue light occurred. A core, identical to the one Kaino had just thrown to Fu Hua, gradually appeared in Kaino's hand.

"It looks like there's no difference."

Fu Hua gave her assessment.

"Indeed, in substance, there's no difference, but that's precisely the biggest problem. I've tried before, and I can't replicate a true Herrscher core."

Kaino frowned as he spoke.

"This type of core has extremely limited use of authority, and it's impossible to wield it with ease. The difference between it and a God Key is probably only the carrier. Someone who merges with this thing can't be called a Herrscher at all; it would be more appropriate to call them a humanoid God Key."

"I suspect that the person who made the original core into a God Key must have processed it in some way to make it more readily usable by humans. But as a result, the core lacks certain things. Although it still possesses authority, it comes with many limitations."

Fu Hua nodded, understanding Kaino's meaning.

"You mean that although it looks like a core, it's actually a God Key that has lost its shell, can't be fused with a person, and can't be used."

"It's not even as good as a God Key. After all, that way, you can't use the authority at will, and the Soul Steel used to make the God Key's shell is much sturdier than the human body."

Kaino shrugged and dissipated the core in his hand.

"If Su Mei had fused with a core containing the Herrscher of Flame's authority and used it, she probably would have died without us even lifting a finger. Even the power of life couldn't save it."

"That's probably why Doctor Mobius chose to create God Keys back then."

"Doctor Mobius? Fu Hua, tell me about that civilization from 50,000 years ago... Ah, mentioning 50,000 years isn't meant to subtly mock your age."

Thinking of the previous civilization that Fu Hua had mentioned during their conversations these past few days, Kaino looked at Fu Hua sincerely.

"I know, and you don't need to mention it specifically. I don't care about that. However, I don't remember many things about the previous civilization. The most vivid memory I have is of the final battle."

Fu Hua lowered her head slightly, lost in reminiscence.

"The final battle? If the situation was too tragic and makes you uncomfortable, then you don't have to say it."

The name "final battle" didn't sound good, especially since Fu Hua and the others had been defeated. Kaino didn't want to bring up anything too heart-wrenching.

"No, that battle wasn't tragic. It didn't cause any losses to humanity... but it also symbolized humanity's complete and utter failure."

Fu Hua sighed and continued to recount her memories.

"After killing a total of thirteen Herrschers, Doctor Mobius predicted the location of the final and strongest Herrscher, the Herrscher of the End's descent. So, the nearly extinct humanity organized eight warriors, including me, to go to the moon to prepare to face the End."

"We were prepared to lose, but the last bit of stubbornness in our hearts supported us to face the battle... but the Herrscher of the End didn't descend."

"Isn't that a good thing?"

Kaino was puzzled.

"No... it's not like that."

"At the time, we also thought that the Herrscher of the End not descending was a good thing, and we were prepared to rebuild human civilization... until Doctor Mobius performed a self-check on the world."

Fu Hua shook her head, her expression sorrowful.

"I don't know exactly what happened after that. I only remember that our world fell to the brink of destruction. The Herrscher of the End didn't descend, but our world faced an even more despairing end."

"I don't remember what that crisis was, but I only remember that Kevin and a few others stepped into the Sea of ​​Quanta to guard it alone for the survival of the world. And the rest of us, including me, guarded the continuation of civilization and sought out qualified people who could completely save our world."

"Fifty thousand years is enough to wear down too many things, whether it's memories or lives. Now, only a few people, including Kevin and I, are probably still alive, but they broke contact with me hundreds of years ago."

"If the Honkai beast I fused with wasn't special, I would have died long ago. But fortunately, I found you, but I only found you."

"After I help you make that battery, tell me what I need to do."

After a long silence, Kaino spoke.

A world struggling on the brink of destruction, and he was the only one who could offer a helping hand... There was no way he could refuse to help Fu Hua.

Moreover, he now understood why Fu Hua, despite saying she and that Kevin were very similar, could immediately tell that he had mistaken her for someone else.

Suddenly, the carriage stopped.

Chapter 39 Book of Xuanxuan

"This is Mount Tai Xu? Wasn't it said to be burned down?"

Noticing the carriage stop, Kaino snapped out of his thoughts and looked at the majestic mountain nearby.

The "Tai Xu" in Mount Tai Xu's name was obviously derived from the Tai Xu Sword Sect founded by Fu Hua, so its name alone didn't reveal what Mount Tai Xu looked like. Before, Kaino had always imagined it would be a towering, sharp peak reaching into the clouds.

However, after seeing it with his own eyes, Kaino overturned his previous judgment.

Although Mount Tai Xu did indeed reach into the clouds, it didn't give people a sense of oppression like those steep, giant mountains. On the contrary, it had beautiful scenery and a pleasant climate, with high mountains and flowing water like a fairyland, giving people a sense of solidity and gentleness.

Just like Fu Hua.

But wasn't it said that this Mount Tai Xu was burned by her seven disciples after Fu Hua died? How come there's no sign of it being destroyed at all?

"Because I spend many years in Shenzhou subduing demons and eliminating evil, many residents moved near Mount Tai Xu seeking shelter. Perhaps they repaired Mount Tai Xu during these years."

Fu Hua raised her head, looking at the side of Mount Tai Xu, slightly lost in thought.

Kaino followed Fu Hua's gaze and noticed a huge statue standing there. The statue was almost as tall as the mountain, and he didn't know how long it took to carve.

"Uh... that statue is you, Fu Hua?"

Kaino asked tentatively.

"It is indeed me."

Fu Hua nodded.

Kaino was speechless.

Apart from the hairstyle, he couldn't tell at all that it was Fu Hua.

Sensing Kaino's meaning, Fu Hua said: