[HSRGSS] Chapter 94: Jingliu and Luocha

Somewhere in a star system in the universe, on a planet occupied by the Abominations of Abundance, a white-haired woman froze hundreds of half-human, half-serpent abominations with a single sword strike.

They were a race of the Denizens of Abundance known as the 'Cobrakinds.'

"Abominations, all of you deserve to die."

Speaking in a cold voice, the woman's eyes glowed crimson, as if filled with blood.

She was a slender young woman with long white hair tipped in light blue and pale skin.

Her clothing consisted of an elegant dress in black, dark blue, and white, adorned with designs of moon phases and clouds, a blue ribbon in her hair, and a red ribbon on the hip and back of the dress.

She also wore dark, knee-length heeled boots and held a sword in her hand—a blade of pure condensed energy, a sword made of ice.

Her name was Jingliu, a wandering swordswoman.

"Like I said, killing these little Abundance lackeys does absolutely nothing."

"I mean, even the Xianzhou Alliance can't wipe out the Abominations of Abundance faster than the Aeon of Abundance can create more of them."

A man who had been hiding in the distance spoke up, only approaching once the fight was over.

He was a slender man with long blond hair that reached down to his upper thighs, fair skin, and green eyes. He wore a black turtleneck under a white coat adorned with green and golden accents, paired with white pants and black boots with gold buttons and black soles.

However, what made him truly stand out was the exquisite coffin strapped to his back.

"Luocha, do you ever dream at night about your homeland being slaughtered by these abominations?"

Jingliu casually tossed her sword aside. It dissolved into icy crystals before vanishing.

"Like you said, killing the Plagues Author and cutting off Abundance at its root is the only answer. But with my sword right now, I can't even cut down planets."

"All I care about now is killing my enemies with my own hands."

Jingliu took out a black strip of cloth and tied it over her eyes, hiding any trace of emotion from her gaze.

Still, from her tone, it was easy to hear the bitterness and hatred beneath it.

"In that case, while I was doing business with the Xianzhou, I heard some news. Maybe you'll be interested."

Luocha looked calm, his tone betraying no emotion at all.

Yet it was precisely this calmness that made him seem like a man carrying stories of his own.

"Let's hear it." Jingliu replied flatly.

Luocha glanced around, then found a stone stool and sat down.

"Do you know Yueyu, the former Arbiter-General of the Xianzhou Yaoqing?"

"I've read about her in the history books. Never met her."

Back when Yueyu was active, Jingliu had already fallen to mara and become a wanted fugitive, never once returning to the Xianzhou Alliance.

It was only recently that she had started reading some Xianzhou history, wanting to see what had happened over the centuries since she left, so she did know the name Yueyu.

Yueyu was the Yaoqing Arbiter-General who had died in the Third Abundance War.

Luocha nodded softly, then continued.

"Well, the Alliance issued an official announcement, confirming that she's been resurrected. Moreover, she's also regained her military status, so now there are eight Arbiter-Generals in the Xianzhou Alliance. Isn't that crazy?"

Upon hearing this, Jingliu froze for a moment, then clenched her fist in anger.

'Resurrection' was a forbidden topic to her.

Back then, two idiots had violated the taboo of 'resurrection,' and that was how everything had spiraled into an endless tragedy.

"Is that news true?"

Jingliu was very skeptical.

If resurrection really could be so perfect, her life wouldn't have ended up such a mess.

"Of course." Luocha replied calmly. "Isn't the whole point of my trips to the Xianzhou Alliance to gather information?"

"Was it one of the vidyadhara's high elders? Did they come up with another resurrection technique?"

"I have no idea." Luocha shook his head. "Even though the Alliance didn't release any specific info, the fact that they're willing to accept her and even let her be a general again means there's clearly no harm."

When she heard the words 'no harm,' Jingliu's heart trembled.

"Heh, she's really got it good—not being killed as an abomination..."

Jingliu sounded like she was mocking herself, or maybe she was just envious.

"So?" Luocha looked straight at Jingliu. "Are you going to go ask how she was brought back to life? Maybe your friend—"

"Don't mention her." Jingliu's voice instantly turned cold, and the ice crystals around her grew thicker as she interrupted Luocha. "I'll never let Baiheng suffer that punishment again. No one's going to disturb her peace—she's fine now."

Baiheng was clearly a forbidden topic for her.

Back then, it was those two idiots who had used some vidyadhara secret technique known as 'Transmutation Arcanum,' along with the flesh and blood of Emanator Shuhu, to resurrect Baiheng.

In the end, they had turned Baiheng into a draconic abomination who went on a killing spree.

Because those two couldn't even clean up the mess, Jingliu herself had to drive her sword through her best friend's skull.

She had twisted her sword inside Baiheng's brain, destroying it completely—blood spurting everywhere—as she watched Baiheng die in agony.

After that, Jingliu lost herself to mara, killed her own people, fled the Luofu, became a fugitive, and wandered the universe until today.

"In that case, let's stick to the original plan and keep waiting for a chance to meet with the marshal."

Seeing Jingliu's firm reaction, Luocha didn't bring up resurrection again.

Other people might chase after 'resurrection' like it was the greatest thing ever, but to Jingliu, it was a kind of torture.

"Fine." Jingliu responded indifferently.

Luocha sighed softly, then stood up.

"I'll keep doing business with the Xianzhou Alliance."

"By the way, your mara is only being suppressed for now. Try to control your emotions—a little fluctuation, and you'll fall into mara-struck again. If that happens, I won't be able to save you."

"My Abundance isn't all-powerful."

As these words fell, Luocha turned, planning to head toward the nearest Xianzhou flagship as a traveling merchant.

Jingliu stayed where she was, watching Luocha walk away.

Even though her eyes were covered, Jingliu could still sense where people were.

"Keep an eye on the Luofu for me." Jingliu reminded. "If you hear anything about 'Dan Heng' or 'Blade,' let me know right away."

Luocha raised his hand with his back to her, signaling that he understood.

Jingliu didn't trust those two—Dan Heng and Blade—to stay out of trouble if they caught wind of resurrection.

If another incident like the Sedition of Imbibitor Lunae broke out, she really would go on a killing spree, leaving no one alive.

Just the thought of it made her head throb.

Jingliu had stayed on this planet for the sole purpose of venting her anger by killing abominations, just to keep herself in a good mood, but the moment she thought about those two idiots, her mood soured again.

As a result, Jingliu went out and slaughtered over a thousand more cobrakinds, taking over their settlement.

Soon after, she stepped into a house, planning to rest for a bit.

Thud!

Jingliu swung the door shut, sealed it with her ice, then lay down on the bed and closed her eyes to rest.

Soon, a wave of drowsiness suddenly swept over her.

In a daze, Jingliu seemed to dream.

She dreamed of her homeland, the Xianzhou Cangcheng, and of her enemies—Rahu, the Devourer of Worlds, and the mastermind behind it, an Emanator of Abundance named Shuhu.

In the deep, dark void, the living planet called Rahu wailed and sang, charging forward with burning mountains and scorched land, ready to swallow everyone.

People screamed in the streets, struggling and writhing in the despair of doomsday, while golden vines grew endlessly from every one of their noses and mouths.

At that time, she had been only an ordinary eleven-year-old girl, so she could only watch helplessly as it all unfolded, unable to move. Her insides churned, something within her heart thrashing wildly, like a ripe grain about to burst from its shell, swelling beyond its limit.

Nevertheless, the mountains charging toward her made it clear—she was nothing but a fly, about to be snuffed out by the mere pinch of a divine envoy's fingers.

"Someone... Save me..."

Jingliu murmured a barely audible plea before drifting into a deep sleep, entering a mysterious state beyond reach.