Honkai Star Rail: I am Godzilla, domineering and rampant.

The Vidyadhara Preceptors courting disaster was nothing new.

Without some ability to survive, how could they possibly have continued making small moves under the Vidyadhara High Elder's rule?

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The vast cosmos.

Without a navigation route, ordinary people would lose their way the moment they set foot out from the stars they lived in, so few ever travel beyond the standard routes.

Aside from those who truly fear nothing, only those who must meet in secret or are fleeing for their lives dare to come here.

This gives plenty of opportunities for shadows to hide. Places where starlight cannot reach.

A few figures in black cloaks suddenly appeared.

"Why haven't those guys arrived yet? Are you sure it's here?"

"You've said that three times already. Relax, there's no mistake. Either they went to the wrong place, or they were delayed on the way. With the current situation, the fact that they even dare to show themselves already means they've got nerves of steel, what more do you want?"

"Well, that's true. Hey! They're here, they're here."

As they spoke, one person pointed at a small beast-shaped ship approaching from afar.

Seeing it draw nearer, everyone tensed up. Although this was supposed to be a meeting between them, the notoriety of the Borisin was well known, so…?

"Tch! What a dump! Made me search for so long!"

"If you don't like it, why not just go directly to the Xianzhou's navigation route? Easier to find there."

"Enough! Less talking, let's get this done and go back quickly, so we don't get ambushed on the way."

Several towering Borisin leapt out from the beast ship. The pungent, bloody stench they carried churned the stomach, making it hard for the cloaked ones to keep their eyes open.

Especially the Lupitoxin radiating from them, it wasn't only effective against foxian, but had an extraordinary effect on ordinary people as well. For foxians, however, the "Lupitoxin" was even more deadlier.

"Heh, I thought you wouldn't dare to come." The cloaked leader took a step forward, his tone calm.

"Tch! You never told us there were Xianzhou patrols around here! Don't tell me you're working with them?!"

The moment those words came out, the atmosphere shifted. The Borisin's eyes gleamed with savagery, fangs and claws ready to pounce and tear them apart.

The few who had lived their whole lives on the Xianzhou could hardly bear such provocation, but having seen great events before, they kept their composure.

Seeing that they weren't intimidated, the Borisin leader gave a cold snort, stretched out his claws, and said stiffly:

"The goods?"

"Here, the structural map of the Luofu's Shackling Prison." The leader of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus threw the blueprint over.

"Don't forget our agreement, you rescue our man, we… only want the Ambrosial Arbor!"

"Hehe, rest assured, in the name of the Lord of Longevity, we agree to your terms!"

Each side took what they needed.

As for rescuing Hoolay or taking the chance to claw at this group… unnecessary. He didn't think this operation could truly deal a heavy blow to the Xianzhou.

In fact, after rescuing Hoolay, they would be unable to cause the Xianzhou Alliance any major trouble for a long time, at most, a few small moves.

And in a rescue, every second counts, who had time to bother with these people? Better to leave them here.

Only by knowing the other side well could greater results be achieved.

These people had grown up in Luofu; if they tried, stirring up chaos within Luofu would be no problem at all.

No great disasters perhaps, but enough to keep the Luofu military busy. In such circumstances, they were allies!

...

Obtaining the map, the wolves quickly departed this place of trouble.

"My lord, we have retrieved the goods."

Returning to the Borisin's camp, the leader immediately presented the map.

"Well done, this increases our chances of bringing Warlord Hoolay back."

The Hunt's chieftains, seeing the map in hand, all breathed a sigh of relief.

After all, its importance could determine the success or failure of their mission.

If they failed, none of them believed they could endure seven hundred years of torture like Hoolay and still live. It was easy to imagine the Xianzhou had spent all those years devising new punishments for him.

Hoolay had the "power" passed down through generations of War Lords. They were merely stronger-than-average Borisin, how could they withstand such torment?

"It's a pity… If Chief Hoolay hadn't been captured, and our clan's sacred relic hadn't been taken, how would the Borisin, once dominant among the stars, have been torn apart and reduced to this miserable state by those beasts!"

Recalling the humiliations of these years, the chieftain of the Sableclaw Pack slammed a nearby boulder with a fist.

The brute force covered the rock in spiderweb cracks, soon it would crumble in the wind.

The current leader of the Eclipse Pack glanced at him and snorted softly.

"This is only temporary. Once Chief Hoolay returns, our glory will shine again! Those who drove us to this state will choke on our roar and drown in our blood!"

The Borisin's had not always been so powerful. Countless ages ago, they were just a race surviving on a single planet.

But after receiving the blessing of abundance, their ancestor Duran would not be content with the present, he sought greater power!

Through tireless effort, he finally developed this power to its fullest and passed it down through the generations. The Borisin grew stronger, their might swelling.

Until today, they had become a race spanning the star seas, making many worlds tremble.

Unfortunately, their rise was also their fall.

That power could only be possessed by the war chief, and when Hoolay was captured by the Xianzhou and imprisoned, they lost this power. Without it, they began to decline.

Over these long years, countless descendants of Duran had been hunted down.

The roles of hunter and prey had reversed, this was humiliation! It was their failure!

Only blood could wash away this shame and prove to the great Duran that they were worthy of his name!

...

"Second, they've already taken the items away."

"Hmm, what about those few?"

"They're still on their way back."

"...Once they return, have them shed their lives and reincarnate."

"Yes."

After the messenger left, the one called Second slowly lifted his head and looked out the window.

No matter what, those people were still from the Xianzhou, still of the Vidyadhara race.

If they suddenly disappeared, it would inevitably draw the attention of the Alchemy Commission.

And if that in turn brought the scrutiny of the general, that would be far too troublesome.

Besides, after the Vidyadhara shed their lives and reincarnate, all memories of their past lives vanish completely, essentially becoming a new person. That was more suitable too; it saves the trouble of creating more bloodshed.

Gazing at the sight of smoke curling up from the dwellings outside, he remained silent.

This branch of the Vidyadhara in the Luofu had been dormant for far too long. If they did not rouse themselves soon, there might be no chances left in the future.

This time, the opportunity was rare, they must seize it!

...

"Hmph, those old fogeys talk so nicely, saying the Vidyadhara are in decline, that if we don't work harder we'll disappear. Say all that, but isn't it all just about fighting for power?"

Bailu gave a cold snort, her tone making no attempt to hide her displeasure toward the Vidyadhara Preceptors who had always controlled her.

And really, there was no need to hide it. In the end, if those guys didn't hold the title of Preceptor, if they were just ordinary Vidyadhara, they'd probably have already been thrown into a sack in some alley, beaten up, and dumped straight into a trash bin.

"So those guys are that annoying." Serval mused thoughtfully.

This was the first time she had ever heard Bailu talk about the Preceptors. Usually she only heard from others that Bailu and the Preceptors didn't get along.

Now it seemed, this wasn't just "not getting along." If given the chance, she might swat them all flying with one swing of her tail.

"Yeah, they watch over me all day. They won't even let me go out to eat! I have to sneak out, and even then, once I'm out, they'll have the Cloud Knights and the Alchemy Commission hunting me down. So annoying."

At this, Bailu chuckled mischievously.

"But now they can't control me! Whoever dares to try, one swat of my tail and no one would recognize them!"

As she spoke, Bailu shook her harmless-looking little tail.

No one would expect that this dazzling tail could actually deliver such devastating blows.

Truly a hero among the Vidyadhara.

"Speaking of those Vidyadhara Preceptors, ugh, it's hard to even put into words." Qingque chimed in, her small face full of disdain.

"Qingque knows too?" Bronya looked at her curiously.

When she had first arrived on the Xianzhou, even with friends to guide her, people wouldn't just go around broadcasting such embarrassing matters. If the Vidyadhara caught wind of it, there'd be trouble, only adding to the Cloud Knights' headaches.

Hearing Bronya's question, Qingque replied with a nod.

"Bronya, you've just come to the Xianzhou, so you don't know. Those Preceptors, if only you could see them. Their pomp alone is enough to make someone like me, a humble person, roll my eyes.

And if it were just pomp, fine. But those guys also use their Preceptor status to meddle in every Vidyadhara matter they can find."

"There are even some Diviners in the Divination Commission who are Vidyadhara. Sometimes you'll see Preceptors sending people over to give them orders, so annoying that even Diting can't stand them. Right, Diting?"

"Woof woof woof!"

"Uh… why did you bring Diting here?"

Bailu looked at the well-behaved Diting sitting on the ground and asked in surprise.

"Well, I ran into it on the road. It was just sitting there bored, so I asked if it wanted to come out and play. It agreed, so I brought it along."

"Woof woof woof!"

Bailu rolled her eyes in disdain. You're going to lead a Diting astray!

"So in the end, these Preceptors really are… quite rotten."

After holding back for a while, Bronya finally gave such an evaluation.

Although she was already a High Guardian, asking Bronya to speak ill of others… was still too much.

Let's just change the subject to something safer, like discussing how to build another Astral Express.

"Speaking of which, when will the Luminary Wardance start? I've seen that Skysplitter floating in the sky for quite a while now."

Serval looked up toward the massive ship drifting in the distant sky.

The Skysplitter had been rebuilt from an old giant battleship, once a heroic vessel that charged fearlessly into battle. Because of its history, it had captured countless hearts recently, many wished they could climb aboard and see it up close.

...And in fact, some really had tried. But before they got near, they were intercepted by personnel from the Sky-Faring Commission.

Especially Qingni .

Her dream was to become a battleship pilot, but first she had to start as ground crew. Still, under certain circumstances, ordinary Sky-Faring Commission officers with tasks to perform could pilot ships.

After all, that's the Commission's job.

This delighted Qingni, she spent all day flying her ship around. Whenever she saw anyone trying to sneak onto the Skysplitter, she'd skillfully glide right up to them...

Before long, word spread that there was a highly skilled ship pilot cruising in the skies, attracting plenty of challengers who were confident in their own skills.

Naturally, Qingni was thrilled. But eventually… Yukung caught her by the ear and dragged her home.

"I think… two days from now? After all, it's been hundreds of years since the last Luminary Wardance. Taking more time to prepare is a good thing, it avoids accidents."

Waving her hand lazily, Qingque spoke.

For a slacker like her, the Luminary Wardance meant nothing.

But Fu Xuan had been especially generous: during the event, staff of the Divination Commission could take turns on leave.

Heh, she was already prepared, finish all her remaining work a day early, use some popular items to apply here and there… and voilà, a vacation!

"I just feel like you're plotting something dangerous."

The smile on Qingque's face was so brazen that even though, aside from Bailu, none of the others were trained in medicine, they could all tell, this girl was not well.

...

Meanwhile, at the Seat of Divine Foresight.

"General."

Yanqing stepped forward and respectfully addressed Jing Yuan, who was standing with his back to the people of the Divine Foresight Mansion.

"Oh? Yanqing is here, have a seat."

Turning around, Jing Yuan smiled lightly, invited Yanqing to sit, and then sat down himself.

"How have you been feeling lately?"

"I feel very fulfilled recently, and my swordsmanship has also improved. I think my performance at this Luminary Wardance shouldn't be a problem. However, there are many experts across the cosmos, so I can only do my best."

"Haha." Hearing this, Jing Yuan burst out laughing.

"Yanqing, oh Yanqing, saying something like that in your area of expertise would make people think they're being deceived."

Yanqing touched the hilt of his sword and looked at Jing Yuan with confusion.

After laughing, Jing Yuan said, "You say you can only do your best, but in my opinion, among the many experts in the cosmos, you can already be in the first echelon."

"Uh, General, could you be joking with me? What virtue or ability do I have to be praised so highly by you?"

Hearing Jing Yuan's praise, Yanqing's face turned slightly red. Kids are like that, if you belittle them in their specialty, they'll argue with you, but if you praise them without reservation… you'll get a shy little cutie begging you to stop.

"This is not praise, it's a fact. If we talk about the intricacy of swordsmanship, within Luofu, you already stand at the peak. From here on, you need to diligently study further, challenge all kinds of masters, and only then can you comprehend the true essence of swordsmanship."

Don't be fooled by Jing Yuan's age, he was taught swordsmanship by the previous Sword Champion, Jingliu.

Although he hadn't competed in swordsmanship for a long time, he had not fallen from grace.

His praise was the real deal.

Looking at Yanqing with a sense of emotion, Jing Yuan hadn't expected Yanqing to grow so quickly.

You have to know, long ago, although Yanqing's swordsmanship was exquisite and he could already stand in Luofu's first echelon, in terms of temperament, he was without a doubt still childish, easily broken when facing setbacks.

Sending him out back then was meant to let him train properly, to see the world outside, not to remain complacent. Who would have thought he'd end up as someone's punching bag?

That alone was fine, but during that time, the boredom of a certain someone was relieved by… well, let's just say it wasn't ideal.

Jing Yuan had planned to guide him when he was feeling down, but before he could say much, Yanqing walked out of it himself.

Now, apart from the disadvantage of his age making him seem weaker, the real skill in his hands was no worse than those strong ones.

After all, as long as this kid didn't fight the absolute top-tier powerhouses, even if he couldn't win, getting a draw wasn't a problem.

"General, since Yanqing is in the first echelon, where would you place yourself?"

Suddenly, a Cloud Knight nearby asked.

Jing Yuan was slightly stunned, thought for a moment, and replied in a calm tone,

"Speaking purely in terms of people, I should be… TO!"

…

"In any case, the Luminary Wardance is about to begin. I called you here just to tell you, this event is only one competition of the Xianzhou, don't take it too seriously. Just do what you should, and as for the rest, don't worry."

Hearing Jing Yuan's advice, Yanqing nodded heavily.

Now he was no longer the young man he used to be, he was the young man he is now. He still cared about winning and losing, but not in the same way as before, where one loss could crush him.

Now, he took failure as training, using it to motivate himself.

…

"This is what you wanted before."

"… How are we supposed to use these?"

"The instructions are inside. Just follow them."

"Hmph, using the flesh and blood of my kin to make these things, you don't think you can escape because of this, do you?"

"But aren't you here seeking us out now? Enough with the useless talk. What matters is that this is useful to you."

"… Hmph! You'd better pray I never run into you again!"

"Wish you success. Hope you don't die on the battlefield."

Watching the beast ship rise into the sky and disappear, the Borisin Chieftain's face showed no joy.

"Just a bunch of muscle-brained brutes daring to be so arrogant, no wonder they ended up like this."