"No! Absolutely not!"
Cloud Retainer was the first to panic. She flapped her great wings and barked, "Who do you think you are?! That is a Demon God! Even one that has yet to break its seal is still a Demon God! Do you truly believe you are invincible now?"
Su Ming glanced around. It wasn't just Cloud Retainer; clearly, no one else present wanted him to go charging in like that.
Lumine rushed forward and grabbed Su Ming's hand. "Don't do anything reckless! No matter how you look at it, that multi-headed octopus isn't something you can handle alone, right?!"
"I... if you go, I'm going too!"
Su Ming couldn't help but smile. He gently removed Lumine's hand from his own. "You? You can't even fly. How are you going to go with me? Do you want me to carry you under my arm while I fight? Wouldn't that just make things harder for me?"
Lumine pouted. "I can fly! At least, I could before..."
"Before is before, and now is now. Go back and practice some more."
Su Ming coaxed Lumine back as if he were dealing with a child.
However, compared to Lumine, Su Ming felt that Shenhe was the most difficult presence to handle at this moment. He looked at her as she gripped Calamity Queller, refusing to back down an inch. For a moment, he didn't know what to say.
After a long pause, he said softly, "Don't worry, I'll come back."
To his surprise, Shenhe didn't say a single word to stop him. She simply stepped forward and pulled him into a gentle embrace, burying her head against his shoulder. She spoke in a whisper meant only for their ears.
"When I was young, people called me a Lonesome Fate."
"Even my father believed it. He thought I was the one who cursed my mother to death..."
"For a long time, I thought so too. I accepted that Lonesome Fate was my lot in life and faced it with indifference. That was until the day Master brought you up the mountain. From that night you cooked a meal for me, I stopped caring about what 'fate' had to say."
As Shenhe spoke, she seemed unable to suppress her emotions anymore, her voice trembling with a hint of a sob. Su Ming couldn't see her face, but he could feel a warm moisture soaking through the fabric on his shoulder.
It was the feeling of tears.
"You... you must not let me prove that 'Lonesome Fate' is real. You were the one who told me not to believe in destiny. If you don't come back..."
Shenhe stopped mid-sentence. She lifted her head and stared directly at Su Ming. Looking at her eyes, which were now rimmed with red, Su Ming found himself at a loss for words.
But what happened next caught everyone off guard, Su Ming included.
Shenhe suddenly pulled him close and kissed him.
Su Ming: "???"
Su Ming: "!!!"
Lumine: "!!!!!!!!!!"
Su Ming reacted quickly, wrapping an arm around Shenhe's waist. He then looked at the surrounding crowd and asked, "I really don't understand. Why are you all acting like this is some tragic final parting? Is it so hard to believe there's a script where I return safely?"
Ningguang, being a member of the Qixing, immediately caught the intent behind his words and played along.
"That is true. Then, on behalf of the Liyue Qixing and the people of Liyue, I shall prepare a victory banquet and await Mr. Su Ming's triumphant return."
Su Ming smiled. "That's more like it."
Cloud Retainer let out a long sigh. "Fine... very well. We Adepti shall provide cover. Go and give it your all."
Moon Carver and Mountain Shaper nodded in agreement. "Indeed, nephew. Your current skills are extraordinaryperhaps even surpassing your master and uncles. But listen well: if you cannot win, run as fast as you can. Do you understand?"
"I will keep it in mind," Su Ming replied.
At that moment, Xiao, who had been resting inside, stumbled out while leaning on his spear, the Primordial Jade Winged-Spear.
"I shall contribute what I can as well... consider it an apology for my earlier state. Do not worry about my body. I can still manage to inject some Adeptal Energy to drive the Guizhong Ballistae. Though I cannot compare to the three Adepti, I am still stronger than any mortal."
Seeing Xiao arrive, Su Ming smiled. "Adeptus Xiao, watch your health. Don't force yourself."
Xiao gave a faint smile. "You should worry about yourself instead. Even though Rex Lapis suppressed Osial easily back then, he is still a Demon God. Do not be careless."
"Hahahaha, I know, I know. None of you believe me. I suppose I'll just have to show off a little to convince you of my strength."
Su Ming laughed and soared into the sky, the magical power within his body surging at full capacity.
In the next instant, amidst the dark clouds that blotted out the sun over the sea, a bright, full moon abruptly emerged.
"The Spirit is the limit of change, the subtle word of all things, that which cannot be questioned by form."
Suspended in mid-air, Su Ming silently recited the Heart Mantra of the Edge of Taixuan. His aura continued to rise, reaching for the heavens.
Sensing the shift, Osial roared in a mix of fury and alarm. He began to gather energy in his maws, preparing to blast Su Ming out of the sky.
Seeing this, Cloud Retainer shouted immediately, "Do not let Osial interrupt Su Ming!"
Moon Carver followed with a roar of his own: "All Guizhong Ballistae! Fire at once!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Countless bolts of light rained down toward Osial once again. Just as Su Ming had predicted, Osial had not fully broken the seal and his strength was far from restored. He could not entirely ignore the damage from the Guizhong Ballistae. After all, small advantages accumulate; quantity eventually leads to a qualitative change.
Faced with the overwhelming rain of light, Osial was forced to abandon his attack on Su Ming. He conjured a barrier to shield himself while continuing to gather energy for a counterattack.
"What do we do?!" Lumine cried out in distress as she saw the ballistae's attacks being blocked.
Moon Carver looked up at Su Ming, who appeared ready. He consoled her, saying, "It matters not. This moment of interference is more than enough. Tsk tsk, this kid is truly something else. To think he could influence the world itself before even unleashing his move."
"That moon appearing out of nowhere... it radiates a chilling cold," Moon Carver mused. "To make a Demon God wary enough to prioritize an interruption... I truly underestimated my nephew."
Shenhe stood in the rear, her right hand tightening its grip on Calamity Queller.
Meanwhile, far away on the docks of Liyue Harbor, Zhongli watched the scene in silence. Even he was filled with curiosity regarding the technique Su Ming was about to perform. Even from this distance, he could feel the terrifying energy Su Ming was accumulating.
"A traveler from beyond the sea of stars... now that you have forged bonds with Liyue, will you help it through this crisis?"
Zhongli was no longer worried about the situation. Given the strength Su Ming was currently displaying, suppressing Osial and forcing him back into the seal would not be difficult. This meant he could continue to enjoy his leisure.
"Let me witness it... the power from beyond this world."
Zhongli stood with his hands behind his back. Before him in the distance was the Overlord of the Vortex breaking its seal; behind him were the lights of a thousand Liyue homes. He remained there, acting as the final line of defensejust as he had for the past three thousand seven hundred years.
In the sky, Su Ming had finally finished gathering his momentum.
"Witness this..."
"Udumbara's Bloom and Fade, Galaxy's Dreamfall!"
As Su Ming swung his blade of ice, an unimaginably massive sword pierced through the dark clouds and descended. Its terrifying power was so great that even Osial was forced to lower his heads under the pressure.
Even those standing behind Su Ming on the Jade Chamber felt a sense of dread. The overwhelming pressure made them feel as if their bodies were frozen, unable to move even half an inch.
"Is this his true strength? No wonder he dared to face a Demon God!"
The ones most shocked were Ningguang and Keqing. They had the least contact with Su Ming and knew him only through gathered intelligence. They had known he was strong, but they never dreamed he was this strong.
Keqing whispered as she watched the ink-colored giant sword fall from the clouds. "Is... is this truly something a human can achieve? This level of power... I fear Rex Lapis's Stone Spears were only of this magnitude."
Ningguang's shock was mixed with wariness. She began making mental calculations. "To think he has reached such a height. It seems I will have to upgrade the grade of the gifts I prepared to befriend him."
As for the three Adepti... they were completely dumbfounded!
"This... Cloud Retainer... your disciple is truly extraordinary," Moon Carver exclaimed in awe. At this moment, all his doubts about Su Ming's plan vanished. Su Ming truly possessed the capital to fight a Demon God. Even if he could only use this move once, it was more than enough to deal with a Demon God who had only broken half the seal.
Mountain Shaper muttered to himself, "Good heavens... with this kind of power, if this kid had been active during the Archon War, Rex Lapis would have been spared so much trouble..."
To the side, Lumine and Paimon stared with wide eyes.
Paimon tugged at Lumine's clothes. "Lumine, did you see that?! Such a huge sword! Is that Su Ming's move?!"
Lumine was stunned, nodding dizzily. "It... it seems so..."
Paimon became excited. "Lumine! You have to hurry up and snag Su Ming! If we have such a powerful 'thigh' to cling to, our future travels will be so much easier!"
Lumine's face flushed a deep crimson. "Wait... what are you talking about, Paimon?!"
Paimon looked confused. "Eh? Don't you like Su Ming? I see you looking at that flower he gave you every single night. I've read about this in novels; it's called 'secretly giving one's heart away'... Ow, ow, ow! Lumine, why are you hitting my head?!"
While Lumine and Paimon were bickering, the giant sword in the sky finally began to accelerate, plunging straight toward Osial.
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