Chapter 317: Genshin Impact's Incense Burner Of Liyue [317]
"Using your full strength? I'm truly honored."
Gu Sanqiu advanced instead of retreating, suppressing Albedo under his gravity formation to ensure his opponent couldn't unleash some instant-kill skill to take him out in one move.
"Trying to restrict my movements? A commendable strategy."
Albedo drew a longsword. "However, if it's close combat you're after, I won't lose."
"Besides, I'm curious to see Liyue's combat techniques."
"As you wish."
Gu Sanqiu smiled, putting away his spear and drawing a longsword as well.
"Same aura, same material... Is this a family heirloom weapon?"
Gu Sanqiu held the sword horizontally in front of him. "That's right. Thanks to some brainless idiot deity, I finally figured out why my family has an arsenal of eighteen weapons, despite being a single-lineage household."
"I used to think being a shrine attendant required mastering all eighteen forms of weaponry. Practicing all that as a kid nearly killed me—turns out I was just setting myself up for my own misery."
"Attack!"
Albedo's expression turned serious, and the sword in his hand emitted sharp, cutting sword energy.
"Wind and fire, heed my call!"
With a resounding shout, Gu Sanqiu's blade was enveloped in vibrant green and red elemental energy. His strike cleaved through the sword energy and even reversed it, sending it surging back toward Albedo.
"Shatter!"
Albedo withdrew his attack, conjuring a thin barrier of light to block the incoming elemental energy.
"Is this... sword magic?"
"Indeed."
Wind and fire elements continued to burn fiercely along Gu Sanqiu's sword as he hovered in midair. The intensity of the elemental energy expelled all other attributes from the surroundings, leaving only pure wind and fire.
"You're confident in your melee abilities, but I'm not interested in fighting you on your terms. What do you take me for, a fool?"
Gu Sanqiu swung his sword lightly, leaving faint ripples of distortion in the air around him.
"Take this!"
The combined wind and fire energy morphed into three ferocious wolves, charging at Albedo with bared fangs. Yet Albedo calmly gripped his sword with both hands, carefully observing the attacking wolves.
"Liyue's cultivation system is as remarkable as the Delusion technology of Snezhnaya. I must admit, it's a powerful force."
A delicate alchemical array glimmered in Albedo's eyes.
"However, it's limited to this era alone. I've prepared for all manner of adversaries."
"Earth, water, fire, wind, heed my command. Reshape the four elements, reconstruct the five phases."
"Technique breaker: cleave!"
Albedo swung his sword forcefully, and the energy within the strike carried an enigmatic power. It obliterated the wolf constructs in an instant, reducing them to pure Geo energy, which Albedo promptly absorbed into himself.
"How can something this overpowered even exist?"
Gu Sanqiu's eyes widened, baffled by the maneuver. However, he noticed a flaw in Albedo's technique.
"Ah, it takes time to activate the array and fuse elements, doesn't it? That's the weakness of this move."
Gu Sanqiu raised his sword high. "Let's try this!"
"Blazing Meteor Array!"
Elemental flames burned intensely, spreading in layers across the battlefield. The fire's hue and density created an area of extremely low visibility, forming a domain of flames.
Given that his opponent wasn't a conventional human, Gu Sanqiu wasn't planning on using suffocation tactics. Instead, he focused on maximizing the absorption of elemental energy, pushing the temperature of the flames to their peak!
Boom! Boom!
One blazing meteor after another descended from the sky, accompanied by wind elements. They rained down densely, like an endless cascade of falling leaves, enveloping Albedo and the surrounding area.
Since this move required time to charge, Gu Sanqiu's strategy was simple—don't give his opponent the opportunity!
Even someone as composed as Albedo couldn't help but admire Gu Sanqiu's rapid tactical response.
"Simulated Solar Bloom."
A shield flared to life, and Gu Sanqiu felt a tightness in his chest. It reminded him of the frustration he felt when Yaya pounded on his shield during training.
"Fine, let's keep going!"
The meteors continued to fall. Even with the shield's protection, Albedo found himself pushed back under the relentless bombardment.
"Something's wrong. This guy isn't just physically strong. Being able to wield this level of elemental energy in such quantities—his constitution is completely abnormal!"
Albedo was taken aback. Normally, unleashing such a powerful meteor array would exhaust the average fighter, leaving them drained and unable to channel elemental energy for a while.
Yet this man before him showed no signs of fatigue, seamlessly launching wave after wave of attacks. Such a physique wasn't documented in any records Albedo had ever encountered.
He needed to break free!
Albedo recognized the gravity of the situation. If he didn't escape this array, he would eventually be worn down.
He had no idea what Gu Sanqiu's limits were, but remaining on the defensive wasn't an option. He couldn't gamble on when his opponent would exhaust their elemental energy.
"Underworld's Seed, Rebirth of All Things!"
A multi-layered, intricately nested alchemical formation appeared around Albedo, radiating a brilliant light that illuminated everything around him.
"Explode!"
Gu Sanqiu had no intention of letting Albedo finish. He swung his sword again, detonating the entire meteor array in an instant.
Boom!
A massive explosion cloud filled with violent elemental energy shot skyward, the debris briefly dimming the alchemical formation's light.
"Your body... truly surpasses my expectations."
Albedo emerged from the flames and explosions, blood at the corner of his mouth. Clearly, even with the protection of his array, the blast had taken a toll.
"There are plenty more surprises where that came from. Want to see them all?" Gu Sanqiu grinned, intricate patterns appearing on his sword once again.
"No need. You seemed curious earlier about my method of elemental energy conversion."
"What, are you about to give me a live demonstration?"
"Not a demonstration. I want to show you that this array and the strike I enhanced earlier are, in essence, the same."
!
Gu Sanqiu's pupils contracted. Instinctively, his right hand swung the sword.
Stop him!
"Crimson Lotus Flameburst: Sealing Chains!"
Chains linked by dark red lotus patterns wrapped around Albedo's formation from the outside, enclosing it entirely.
"This array blocks elemental energy from both inside and out. Whether you're trying to convert my formation or absorb energy externally, it won't work."
Gu Sanqiu held his sword in his left hand and a spear in his right. "Now, can your formation still operate under these conditions?"
Albedo looked at Gu Sanqiu. "You're welcome to find out."
"Heh, then I won't bother."
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T/N: are they having seggs