“Heh, Xingqiu, shouldn’t we go help Gu Sanqiu? Leaving him to face so many monsters alone… is that really okay?”
“You don’t know him that well yet, so there are some things you probably aren’t aware of.”
Xingqiu tightened his grip on the talisman in his hand. “If you were to ask who’s the most talented in Liyue Harbor, if Gu Sanqiu claimed to be second, no one would dare claim to be first.”
“That guy is incredibly strong. He’s just been held back by too many restrictions in Liyue Harbor.”
“Officially, he says it’s his duty as part of the Gu family, but honestly, a big part of it is probably him getting pent up and wanting to blow off steam against those creatures.”
“Seriously? Those monsters are considered ‘blowing off steam’?”
“When he was a kid, he could take all of us down easily. His strength now is probably even more absurd.”
Boom!
A deafening explosion echoed behind them. Both Xingqiu and Chongyun couldn’t help but glance back at the source of the sound and the vibrations.
“Is it starting?”
Just moments ago, Gu Sanqiu had leaped into the fray, spear aimed at the Geo Shield Hilichurl Berserker, descending like a meteor from the heavens.
Sensing the danger, the Hilichurl Berserker tried to dodge, but soon realized that no matter how much it evaded, Gu Sanqiu’s spear was locked onto it!
“Roar!”
Unable to dodge, it chose a different tactic!
The Hilichurl Berserker roared, raising its shield to block Gu Sanqiu’s attack, hoping to withstand the blow long enough for its companions to unleash a barrage of attacks!
After some low, hypnotic chanting, an icy shield formed around the Hilichurl, and fiery rings surrounded its strong arms, pulsing with warmth.
The Pyro Abyss Mage drew circles in the air, summoning three ghostly faces that opened their mouths wide, spewing scorching flames at Gu Sanqiu’s predicted location.
At the same time, the Cryo Abyss Mage slammed its staff onto the ground, conjuring ice spikes and shards that spiraled through the air, creating a frigid and dangerous zone.
“Shatter the mountain! Break!”
Facing the incoming attacks, Gu Sanqiu neither dodged nor flinched. With a surge of Geo energy, he formed a shield and thrust his spear powerfully toward the thick stone shield in front of him.
Crack—Thud!
With a single strike, a hole was punched through the shield, and the spearhead continued, piercing through the Hilichurl Berserker’s body!
“Ugghh!”
With a pained cry, the Geo Shield Hilichurl Berserker dissolved into black smoke, leaving behind only two blue-glowing horns on the ground.
Gu Sanqiu landed heavily where the Hilichurl had stood, sweeping his spear in a wide arc, shattering the ice spikes and shards that the Cryo Abyss Mage had set up.
“You guys think you can stop me?”
Though his smile seemed gentle, it sent the Cryo Abyss Mage retreating in panic, hastily undoing its setup, while the other Hilichurls scurried backward.
A deadly threat!
Dangerous—this person is extremely dangerous!
“Backing off won’t save you!”
Gu Sanqiu slammed his spear into the ground, and the pure Geo energy he unleashed caused the earth to tremble. Waves of soil surged forward, swallowing the Hilichurls in front of him.
His spear struck like a serpent, deadly glints of light flashing as it reaped the lives of the Hilichurls. Poison splashed from their wounds, causing intense pain and leaving fatal injuries.
His face twisted into a fierce expression, yet his lips curled into a smile. It felt almost like he was back in the thick of battle, trading powerful blows with Tartaglia.
Except this time, he didn’t have to hold back!
“Skrrr!”
The Cryo Abyss Mage suddenly began to dance, sending sharp ice shards scattering in all directions. The Pyro Abyss Mage pointed directly at Gu Sanqiu, summoning red magic circles on the ground beneath him.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Blazing flames mixed with molten earth surged toward Gu Sanqiu, while ice shards aimed directly for his head, hands, and knees!
“Hah!”
With a swift motion, Gu Sanqiu spun his spear, gripping it near the head, and slammed the handle into the ground with all his might.
“Earthquake Technique (Physical)!”
Boom!
Dirt, dust, and superheated steam exploded outward, like an elemental giant playfully wreaking havoc.
Cough, cough. “Damn, that was a bit too much power. Did I just give those monsters a smoke screen?”
Leaping to a nearby safe spot, Gu Sanqiu rubbed his chin, studying the thick smoke that now blanketed the area.
“Hmm, not bad. This smoke cover looks professional, like it’s at least at a professional level.”
But…
Once the dirt mixed in, the color of the smoke wasn’t exactly to his liking. Without hesitation, he jumped far away from the Hilichurl camp and headed toward the battle zone he had been assessing.
If the fighting over there hasn’t drawn reinforcements yet, they’re either evenly matched, or one side’s already lost.
Gu Sanqiu pondered. Creatures capable of living in groups, within the confines of Guyun Stone Forest, and capable of fighting the Hilichurls… are there really enemies of that caliber here?
Slimes?
Even though the power of the Archons is rampant in Guyun Stone Forest, at best, it would make the slimes here stronger than their poor cousins in other regions. Expecting them to fight the similarly enhanced Hilichurls? That’s just wishful thinking.
“Hehe, this is getting more interesting by the minute. Maybe I’ll stumble upon some explosive news to tell Zhongli. By the next day, I’ll get to watch a meteor shower rain down on Guyun Stone Forest.”
“My exclusive scoop… let’s see what’s really going on…”
The sounds of battle gradually reached his ears. With a smile, Gu Sanqiu parted the branches in front of him, peeking at the scene ahead, only to freeze in place.
Wooden clubs, torches, arrows—and a hulking Hilichurl repairing its shield after a slime’s hammer shattered it… The forces on both sides looked practically identical.
“Damn it!”
(╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻
Both sides are Hilichurls!? Why the hell are they fighting each other? Don’t tell me those Abyss Mages down there are just sitting around doing nothing!
So all my confident predictions were just instant face-slaps, huh?!
Feeling his cheeks burn with embarrassment, Gu Sanqiu reflexively glanced around and let out a small sigh of relief.
At least Xingqiu and Chongyun didn’t follow me. Chongyun’s a straightforward kid, but Xingqiu… that guy would tease me about this for a thousand years, maybe even sneak it into his Autumn Leaves: Reflections on Swords book!
If “Six-Star Hydro Archon” Xingqiu gets famous, and some islanders decide to read his “masterpiece” out of sheer boredom, or worse, if society’s tastes change and his book becomes a bestseller…
A certain Liyue citizen who wishes to remain anonymous would be utterly mortified.
“But… something still feels off.”
Gu Sanqiu furrowed his brows, focusing all his energy on observing the differences between the two sides.
For some reason, he had a nagging feeling that some of the Hilichurls weren’t quite right.
Same hairy arms, same incomprehensible but clearly hostile yells, similar weapons and tactics… everything seemed the same.
What exactly is off…
Closing his eyes for a moment, Gu Sanqiu reopened them, this time activating his Geo Vision to enhance his sight.
“Got it!”
Through the Geo Vision, he could see that on one side of the battle, aside from the Geo Shield-wielding warriors, none of the Hilichurls displayed any Geo elemental energy.
But on the other side—nearly every Hilichurl, besides the Abyss Mages, bore traces of Geo energy!
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