flstandardbreds Chapter 138: Ba Che: Holy crap, he's got a cheat code!
Chapter 138: Ba Che: Holy crap, he's got a cheat code!
When Ningguang arrived at the edge of the Jade Pavilion and looked out over Liyue Harbor, she couldn't help but sigh at the familiar scene.
"When I first ascended the Jade Pavilion, I stood on the edge of the high platform, gazing at Liyue Harbor from the sky. At that time, I thought that one day I would let the shadow of the Jade Pavilion cover the Seven Kingdoms. To this day, my wish remains unchanged. However, this time, the reconstruction of the Jade Pavilion is not just for myself. I hope that the Jade Pavilion can always float above Liyue Harbor, witnessing the prosperity and peace of the world."
"...And I hope you will all witness this with me." Ningguang took a deep breath and shouted, "The ascension ceremony begins!"
With Ningguang's command, the Thousand Wonders Core was activated, and the Jade Pavilion trembled, attempting to soar into the sky. The iron chains binding it were also tightened, then broke off and fell to the ground, stirring up puffs of smoke.
Freed from its restraints, Qunyu Pavilion quickly soared into the sky. After reaching a certain altitude, it stopped ascending and headed towards the port.
Sora looked on with curiosity as the scenery changed rapidly before her eyes, wondering when Kiana's clothes had changed.
She transformed from casual clothes into a set of light knight's armor, and her long silver hair was tied into a high ponytail. Looking at the cross pattern in Kiana's pupils, Sora felt for some reason that he had seen those pupils somewhere before.
"I never imagined Miss Kiana possessed such abilities."
Ningguang observed Kiana's attire as she spoke, while Kiana gripped her greatsword tightly, her eyes fixed on the calm sea, remaining silent.
However, as the Jade Pavilion sailed away from Liyue Harbor and arrived near Guyun Pavilion, the once calm sea became restless, and the clear sky turned gloomy as a torrential rain began to fall.
Amidst lightning and a tornado, a massive whirlpool suddenly appeared on the sea surface, followed by a sea-blue creature that looked remarkably like a snake emerging from the center of the whirlpool.
"So it's finally here, remnants of the vortex—Ba Che!"
"Is this what Ba Che is?" Kiana said, feeling the oppressive aura emanating from Ba Che. "It doesn't seem that strong. Should I take care of Ningguang directly?"
"Not for now. Since she is Liyue's calamity, Liyue, which is in an era of human rule, should let the people of Liyue Harbor try to overcome this calamity on their own."
As she spoke, Ningguang raised her sword finger and then spread her hands. With the resonance with the Jade Pavilion, Ningguang's own power was amplified several times. In just one second, the airspace near the Jade Pavilion was filled with rock element gems condensed by Ningguang, which were then shot out one by one.
Upon seeing the attack launched by Ningguang from the sky, Keqing, who was in Guyun Pavilion, ordered the Thousand Rock Army to operate the Returning Machines and begin firing at Bache.
At the same time, a ship carrying the Returning Machine was sailing towards Ba Che. At the captain's command, all the Returning Machines on board fired arrows at Ba Che. The captain of that ship was Bei Dou, and the name of the ship was naturally obvious: the most powerful ship in Bei Dou's Southern Cross fleet—the Death Star.
But how could the power of a mortal easily harm Ba Che, who was a servant of a demon god? Ba Che was unharmed by this attack. She roared to the sky, and the sea below responded to her roar, forming a huge wave that rushed towards everyone.
The moment Beidou saw the waves forming, he immediately turned the ship around to avoid their attack. On the shore, Keqing looked at the approaching waves with a serious expression, while Ganyu set up his weapon, ready to strike at any moment.
At the same time, Ba Che was already prepared for his next attack. Seeing that he was in imminent danger, Kong disregarded everything and rushed towards Ba Che in a few strides, hoping to stop his offensive. Unfortunately, when faced with Kong's attack, Ba Che, who had already prepared his attack, simply redirected his own attack towards Kong, sending him flying to a nearby mountain peak.
Just as Kong was about to fall to the ground, a beautiful figure appeared from the side and caught Kong as she fell from the sky.
Looking at Kong, who was lying in her arms with a somewhat dazed consciousness, Shen He was overwhelmed with emotions. It was at this moment that she remembered what her master had once told her.
Without much thought, Shen He gently placed Kong on the ground and strode resolutely toward the sea. A chilling aura erupted around him, and Gan Yu, who was about to attack, lowered her weapon after sensing Shen He's astonishing cold aura passing by.
"Hey!"
That was the sound of high heels clicking on the ice. The moment Shen He's foot touched the sea, a chill ran up his leg and froze the surface. Holding a celestial talisman, Shen He, along with the puppet he had created with his ice puppet, froze the massive wave with a single strike.
Seeing that his offensive had been completely blocked and looking at the two threatening auras on the Qunyu Pavilion, Ba Che realized that he could not stay any longer. He then braved the attacks of the others and dived into the deep sea to try to escape.
Seeing that Ba Che was about to leave, Kiana summoned her pistol—Blazing Realm—and fired a shot at Ba Che. Ba Che cried out in pain and quickened his retreat.
Seeing Ba Che's departing figure, Shen He disregarded his exhausted body and plunged into the abyss. Kong, who had regained consciousness, saw Shen He chasing after the enemy alone and worried that something might happen, so he also chased after him.
Deep in the sea, Shen He and Kong arrived at a platform with air inside. This was once the place where Oser received offerings from his subjects, but now everything has changed, leaving only this empty platform standing there.
"Why are you here too?"
“We can’t let Shen He take the risk alone!” Paimon answered Shen He’s question.
"It's not really an adventure. The people of Liyue Harbor were prepared. She's already seriously injured and is only holding on by her willpower. I must say that Miss Kiana is indeed very strong; she seriously injured Ba Che with just one strike."
While dodging Ba Che's attacks, Shen He said breathlessly, "Although I'm also running out of strength, I'm probably better at fighting to the death like this than she is."
As it turned out, Shen He was right. With Kong's help, Shen He successfully drove away Ba Che by exchanging injuries multiple times. Watching Ba Che's departing figure, Pai Meng asked.
"She got away! Should we chase her?"
Shen He glanced at their surroundings and shook his head, saying, "This place is unstable. Continuing to pursue them is too risky. If it collapses, the consequences will be unimaginable... Let's go back first."
After reaching the shore, Shen He clutched his chest, panting. Kong stepped forward and asked with concern, "Are you alright?"
"I'm just a little exhausted, it's nothing serious. I was planning to take care of that guy by myself, but you still managed to catch up. Don't worry, she won't dare to come any closer for now. With such severe injuries, she should have already escaped somewhere else."
At this moment, Ningguang also came down from the Qunyu Pavilion.
"We were underwater just now. How was the situation?"
"It's done. She was injured before diving underwater, so it didn't take us too much effort."
"Don't worry, she will never attack Liyue again." Kiana also emerged from the water. "After you left, I followed the direction she fled and found her. Although I don't know what the Geo Archon's seal is all about, I still managed to seal her away in Oser."
"...Could you explain what you mean by 'Although I don't know what the Emperor's seal is all about, I still sealed her away'?"
"It's very simple. Just follow the same steps to unseal the seal in reverse, then throw Ba Che back in and reseal it. Is it that difficult?"
Ningguang's lips twitched as she looked at the innocent-looking Kiana, unsure of what to say. Finally, Bronya slapped Kiana on the head from behind, interrupting her Versailles.
"Give me enough."
"Ouch, Bronya, can't you just pretend to be cool for me?!"
"So what exactly is going on?"
"It's actually very simple. The Emperor's seal is, in the end, an ancient seal. Just ask any immortal who experienced that war and you'll know how to use the seal."
"She's right."
The voice of the True Lord of Cloud Retention and Wind Borrowing came from the sky.
"I taught the method to break the seal and how to use it to Immortal Chiyuan, and then Immortal Chiyuan taught them."
Just then, intelligence also arrived from the nearby Chiyan Army.
"Lord Ningguang, news has come from the fleet that the water monster is no longer near Guyun Pavilion, and the surrounding sea area has returned to normal."
"It seems Miss Kiana was right. Thank you for your hard work. How is the Thousand Rock Army doing?"
"Thanks to the medicine prepared by Lady Ningguang and the command of Lady Keqing in battle, we managed to minimize the damage."
Then, the Senyan Army soldier named Masamune turned to Shen He and said, "Of course, we also want to thank this young lady for her help. On behalf of all the brothers of the Senyan Army, I express my gratitude to you."
"I…"
Shen He was taken aback by the sudden gratitude, and Kong finally called out to him, bringing him back from his reverie.
"Shen He took the initiative to protect us, just like a hero in a traditional opera."
“That’s great. Next time I hear Mr. Yun sing, I should be able to accept those compliments without feeling guilty. Although I didn’t want to be a hero, I just wanted to protect you.”
"Let the soldiers rest well, but don't let them become too lax." After giving the order, Ningguang turned to look at Liuyun Jiefeng Zhenjun, who was standing on high, and said, "The matter of the Thousand Rock Army is over. Next is a matter between us mortals and immortals. Did our performance this time meet the eyes of the immortals? Is there a conclusion?"
"Hmph, if it weren't for Shen He's intervention, things would never have gone so smoothly. And in the end, it was Kiana and the others who finally resolved the situation."
"I don't deny that, but it's just that the process will be more difficult. In the end, victory will still belong to us. At worst, I can smash up another Jade Pavilion."
Ningguang's unwavering words made Liuyun Jiefeng Zhenjun take another look at the human in front of her. If she remembered correctly, this group of jade pavilions was one of her favorite things. Last time, in order to fight against Osel, she had no choice but to smash a group of jade pavilions.
Originally, Liu Yun Jie Feng Zhenjun thought that Ningguang wouldn't smash anything again this time, but he didn't expect Ningguang to speak so decisively. Liu Yun Jie Feng Zhenjun had no doubt that Ningguang was just saying it. After all, based on his observations over this period and the information he had gathered from Gan Yu, this Tianquan Star, although she loved Mora the most, could put everything else aside when it came to matters concerning Liyue.
This time, the first thing humans thought of after discovering the crisis was to find a solution themselves, rather than seeking help from the immortals. It seems that Liyue can indeed be entrusted to humans.
Moreover… Liu Yun Jie Feng Zhenjun glanced at Gui Zhong Ji placed to the side, then flew to Ning Guang’s side. For the first time, Liu Yun Jie Feng Zhenjun looked at the ruler of Liyue with an equal attitude.
"...I have seen your imitations and modifications of the Returning Machine, and you do have some novel ideas. You have learned from your failures and made preparations in advance to deal with crises, which is a significant improvement compared to last time. I will consider you to have barely passed the test for now. There will likely be more tests to come, and I will continue to watch over you."
Ningguang also assured Liuyun Jiefeng Zhenjun, "As long as I still hold the position of Tianquan, I will protect the safety of Liyue."
"Shen He, a few years ago I watched you sneak down the mountain, and then quietly return with a sad expression. This time when you come to Liyue Harbor, are you feeling any different?"
Shen He also gave his answer to the question about Liuyun Jiefeng Zhenjun.
“Yes. Although I can’t quite explain it…” Shen He said, then looked at Kong beside him, “but I’m happier than I imagined.”
Looking at Shen He's expression, Liu Yun Jie Feng Zhenjun naturally understood her little scheme.
Then he said to Kong, "That's good. Kong, I'll have to trouble you with Shen He. Speaking of which, I remember many interesting things from her childhood..."
Originally, Liu Yun Jie Feng Zhenjun wanted to talk more about Shen He's childhood anecdotes, but she was interrupted. Somewhat displeased, she immediately lost interest and left while complaining.
"You two should rest well first. Once you've recovered from your fatigue, come up to the Jade Pavilion."
"Did True Lord Liuyun come by just now?" Gan Yu asked as she finished cleaning up the battlefield. "Did she say anything about me?"
"No, what's wrong?"
"No...nothing!"
Gan Yu didn't say anything, only Kong Ming, who knew the truth, understood what Gan Yu was worried about. But considering Gan Yu's privacy, he didn't say it.
The perilous crisis was over, and everyone returned to Liyue Harbor. After a period of rest, it was almost time for Yun Jin's opera performance. Kiana quickly tidied her makeup and then took Bronya to the Jade Pavilion.
Fu Hua had been waiting there for quite some time; in fact, she had helped build a significant portion of the stage at Qunyu Pavilion. After spending this time watching operas with Zhong Li, Fu Hua had become a seasoned opera fan of Yun Jin.
Originally, Fu Hua only intended to listen to the differences between Liyue's opera and the traditional opera of Shenzhou, but under Zhongli's guidance, she not only gained a deep understanding of the differences and similarities between the two, but also fell in love with Liyue's opera.
Yun Jin's play is going to be held at Qunyu Pavilion, and the stage needs help to be set up, so Fu Hua naturally offered her help.
With Fu Hua's somewhat overly enthusiastic recommendation, the opening time arrived quickly, and the surrounding lights dimmed accordingly.
Then the curtain slowly rose, and Yun Jin, dressed in theatrical costume, made her official entrance.
The performance of "The Goddess Splits the Temple" has officially begun.