If one had to say what was selling best in Liyue Harbor today—
The answer was undoubtedly grilled squid.
With a skewer between their teeth, breathing in the aroma of lightning-roasted Osial while witnessing a battlefield straight out of a myth…
Life had never been more comfortable.
Although Osial was temporarily suppressed under Ningguang's Five-Calamity Thunder Talismans, Ningguang herself knew the truth.
She was not Shenhe.
Shenhe had nearly perfected the Divine Ghost Seven-Slay Command.
Her own mastery of Tongtian Talismans was merely "passable."
Five-Calamity Thunder Talismans could scorch Osial, but cutting into his essence the way Shenhe's strike had?
Impossible.
And while submerged in the ocean, Osial's regeneration was frighteningly fast—he'd be healed in moments.
Ningguang didn't waste time. More and more talismans flowed from her fingertips:
Six Ding Six Jia.
Vajra Body.
Ten-Thousand-Li Swift Mandate.
And countless others—
All of them slapped onto Keqing, Hu Tao, Baizhu, and the rest.
Once she was done, Ningguang smiled lightly:
"Support is ready.
You three may begin."
Keqing twitched her mouth.
"So you really plan to stay in the back as support?"
"My offensive techniques aren't very strong."
"Please."
Keqing rolled her eyes.
"Don't think I don't know. You've already learned Summon Spirits to Command Generals, Six-Vault Immortal Thief, and even Lightning-Burst Thunder Fist, haven't you?"
Ningguang only smiled.
As Liyue's Tianquan Star, elegance was her foundation.
In front of tens of thousands of citizens, she absolutely refused to be seen summoning ghosts or rushing in with fiery fists like some street brawler.
Fighting a half-crippled Osial like that?
She'd rather die.
Keqing sighed inwardly.
A pity… she really wanted the citizens to witness Ningguang punching monsters into paste.
"Fine, then let's go."
She exchanged glances with Hu Tao and Baizhu.
"Already couldn't wait."
Hu Tao grinned, palms pressed together as scarlet light flickered in her eyes.
A tide of ghostly energy erupted from her body—
Verdant flames igniting across the sea surface.
"Four Ghost Generals.
Eight Spectral Marshals.
Depart your bodies—return your spirits to Heaven."
"All troops, heed my command—advance!"
Instantly, countless fiends surged from the green inferno—
Shrieking, tearing, devouring—
Ripping at Osial's soul directly.
This time, she was hurting his origin.
Ningguang exhaled softly.
"A soul-damage technique… truly terrifying.
Ghost cultivators are truly frightening."
Hu Tao, surrounded by a vortex of spirits, looked far less innocent than usual—
Her cuteness replaced by a chilling, sovereign arrogance.
With a flick of her hand, every ghost transformed into a howling banner.
The flag swept forward—
A black gale full of snarling shades erupted, devouring everything.
The entire sea froze.
Not physically—
Its soul froze.
Every nearby sea monster stiffened—collapsed—and had its soul sucked into the swirling winds.
Hu Tao stood there like an Empress of the Underworld—
Beautiful, adorable… and utterly horrifying.
Liyue Harbor fell deathly silent.
Finally, someone whispered:
"So… Hall Master Hu really is a ghost cultivator…"
"Mm."
Someone trembled.
"That… seems very on-brand…"
No one dared speak further.
Shenhe and Ningguang's attacks were grand, radiant, awe-inspiring.
Hu Tao's methods—
Were like the sovereign of ghosts arriving to collect souls.
—
Far outside the harbor,
A group of Abyssal Purification Envoys—now converted into beast-path martial cultivators—watched from afar.
Aether narrowed his eyes.
Every one of Hu Tao's strikes shredded Osial's soul.
If not for Osial's inherent strength, he'd already be torn apart.
"…Ghost cultivator Hu Tao."
Aether exhaled.
"Terrifying. Pass down the order—
If any of you encounter Hu Tao in future operations… retreat.
Immediately.
Do not approach."
His soldiers paled and nodded violently.
Dying didn't scare them—
They were already half-dead since Khaenri'ah fell.
But having their souls captured to fight as her ghosts?
Absolutely not.
—
Back at the battlefield, the sea had turned into a ghost-infested hellscape.
Keqing and Baizhu stood frozen for a moment.
Baizhu was the only one unfazed—after all, he lived with Qiqi.
"Then allow me to contribute as well."
Baizhu smiled gently and produced a small, ornate pill furnace.
He pushed lightly—
And the furnace expanded into a colossal cauldron, its lid cracked slightly open.
Thunderclouds twisted into a vortex and were sucked inside.
Baizhu manipulated the flames with practiced grace—
Moments later, a golden ribbon of light unfurled from the furnace.
It shot toward Osial—
Coiling him from head to tail.
Osial panicked.
Lightning struck him.
Ghosts shredded his soul.
Now he was being bound?
If that binding succeeded, he was dead for sure.
He roared, endured several lightning blasts, and invoked his oceanic authority—
Tearing free with brute force.
"Interesting."
Baizhu wasn't angry—only amused.
"Let's see how many you can dodge."
The pill furnace blazed—
Thousands of golden bindings erupted like a net of sunlight, descending toward Osial.
"Keqing-shijie," Baizhu said calmly—though sweat glistened at his temples,
"Please take the main offense."
Controlling this many bindings drained him—
And despite appearances, none of their combined attacks were even one-fifth as devastating as Shenhe's single strike.
Keqing's fingers slid along the blade of Qing Shuang.
The sword trembled in her hand, eager—hungry.
"I've kept you waiting."
She smiled softly.
"Today, show the world your brilliance."
Her fingers formed a sword seal.
Qing Shuang soared upward—splitting into two—into four—
And within seconds—
Into a sea of blades.
The sky was shredded apart, clouds carved into ribbons.
It was a vision of ten thousand swords bowing to their master.
On the Jade Chamber—
Tartaglia shivered violently.
Memories he'd rather forget flashed through his mind.
He folded his arms tightly.
"…Ridiculous progress. As expected of a sword-body talent.
Shijie Keqing's sword-control technique has become even more monstrous."
"Sword control?"
Jiang Yan chuckled softly, shaking his head.
"No.
This is not sword-control.
Keqing has begun cultivating the Ten-Thousand-Sword Art."
As he spoke—
The ocean of Qing Shuang swords roared downward with Keqing's gesture.
Before they even reached Osial, countless sword wounds burst across his body.
The sheer pressure alone depressed the ocean level by several meters.
The spectators of Liyue Harbor were dumbstruck.
Their Jade Balance Star—
Their Keqing—
Commanded ten thousand swords like a celestial immortal.
Someone whispered shakily:
"…Heavens bless Liyue.
We… we're about to have a sword immortal."
No one disagreed.
In the frontlines, the martial artists—grandmasters and innate-realm alike—
paused mid-battle.
Their eyes burned.
Someone whispered:
"At the end of the day…
We still have to cultivate immortality."
Every martial artist nodded silently.
The pride they'd just gained evaporated entirely.
No matter how strong their martial path—
Before cultivators, these people could decide their fate with a thought.
Numbers meant nothing.
Without cultivation—
They were ants.
—
Shenhe watched Osial get crushed under Keqing's sword-sea.
The demon god was finished.
There would be no miracle comeback.
Her gaze drifted toward Beisht's side of the battlefield instead.
Compared to Osial—
that battle looked more dangerous.
After getting blown away by her earlier shockwave, Beisht had tried to rush back—
Only to be intercepted by Beidou and the others.
Now Beisht was deeply entangled.
Though calling it a "dangerous battle" might have been overstating it.
Beidou and the others were simply… violent.
Beidou's body steamed with mist, true essence forming a flawless shield around her.
Behind her, the phantom of an ancient divine elephant grew more solid with each breath.
She clicked her tongue at the struggling Beisht.
"You're making us look like the villains here."
"Alright, big guy—
Stay. Down."
With a stomp of thin air, she clenched her fists and punched forward.
In the spectators' eyes—
An enormous, ancient elephant roared—
Charging and smashing Beisht straight across the sea.
Beidou didn't stop.
She grabbed Beisht by the tail—
And slammed him repeatedly across the waves.
Her fighting style lacked elegance.
It lacked refinement.
It definitely lacked grace.
It was pure brutality.
But Liyue loved it.
The whole harbor erupted—
Because Beidou beating a demon god like a rug…
Was a kind of beauty of its own.
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