In the afternoon, after a short rest, Ling Feng and the others planned to continue leaving Changkong City.
As Ling Feng pushed open the shop door, a petite girl kicked towards him.
Ling Feng seemed to have anticipated it and casually extended his hand, blocking the kick.
Bronya was somewhat surprised, but her combat instincts reacted. After the surprise attack failed, she immediately distanced herself from the enemy.
Bronya landed on the ground. Known as the Ural Silver Wolf by mercenaries, her combat ability was not weak.
"What's happening, what's happening?"
Hearing the commotion, everyone rushed over. Kiana was the first to appear.
She was a little stunned when she saw a little girl.
The rest of them were also like this. Given the situation in Changkong City, how did this little girl survive?
However, before the others could think, Bronya's attire suddenly changed.
Her pupils turned red, with Honkai energy patterns under her left eye. Her overall color scheme shifted to red and black, and she wore armor manufactured by Anti-Entropy.
The Heavy Cannon Rabbit 19C behind her also appeared, with its main colors turning red and black.
"Heavy Cannon Rabbit 19C, take them down!"
"It seems they're not here for a friendly visit, but you dream if you think you can defeat this young lady!"
Kiana quickly dodged the mechanical hand of the Heavy Cannon Rabbit and fired several bursts from her pistol.
The bullets hit the Heavy Cannon Rabbit, making metallic clanging sounds, but the Heavy Cannon Rabbit remained unharmed.
"What!"
Kiana was very surprised.
The Heavy Cannon Rabbit then attacked the closest target, Ling Feng.
Ling Feng dodged the steel fist of the Heavy Cannon Rabbit with a slight shift of his body.
A gust of wind from the punch stirred the hair on Ling Feng's forehead.
"Who are you! Why are you attacking us!"
Kiana aimed her dual pistols at Bronya and asked sternly.
"Kiana, be careful."
Mei suddenly pushed Kiana down.
Bang!!!
Two cannonballs flew over their heads, exploding in distant street shops.
Ling Feng looked at Bronya. Based on the current situation, Bronya was likely under Cocolia's system control.
However, for now, he needed to capture her.
Ling Feng leaped up and kicked the Heavy Cannon Rabbit, which was about to fire. The metallic creation, two to three meters tall, was easily kicked away by Ling Feng.
Before Bronya could react, Ling Feng lunged forward, slid to dodge several bullets fired by Bronya, and got behind her, knocking her unconscious with a chop.
Effortlessly.
Without Bronya's control, the Heavy Cannon Rabbit reverted to its energy state.
Ling Feng scooped up the unconscious Bronya in a princess carry and walked towards the others.
"Who is this child?"
Kiana leaned in and asked curiously.
"I don't know. We'll have to wait until she wakes up to find out."
Ling Feng said this outwardly, but in his mind, he communicated with Welt, asking if he could disable a certain system control.
After all, Bronya controlled by Cocolia wasn't the true Bronya.
A blue light flashed in Welt's eyes, and he nodded gently before placing his hand on Bronya and injecting his data power into her.
A mere control system was something Welt could easily disrupt.
After the system was disrupted, Bronya's attire changed again, reverting to her original appearance.
"Huh? Why did her attire and appearance change again?"
Mei and Sagiri were very curious.
"I'll explain. This is actually because of Honkai energy. It can make people change clothes quickly. It's quite normal."
As a warrior of the Kaslana family, Kiana knew such knowledge.
Although she didn't know yet that she was Subject K423.
"Can the power of Honkai energy be controlled?"
Mei said excitedly.
"Of course, but it needs to be mastered slowly. I'm not sure exactly how to do it."
Mei had been excited, thinking that if she could suppress this Honkai energy, she wouldn't have to worry about harming others.
But upon hearing that Kiana wasn't sure how to do it, she felt a bit disappointed.
"Let's rest for a while longer. She should wake up soon, and we need to ask her some questions."
Ling Feng suggested.
"Okay, but we should tie her hands and feet first to prevent her from attacking us suddenly again."
Kiana raised her hand and shouted.
Ling Feng nodded, found a bundle of ropes in the shop, and tied Bronya up.
Although he knew Bronya wasn't controlled by her own personality just now, Kiana and Mei didn't.
So, tying up Bronya would put everyone at ease.
After some time, Bronya slowly woke up.
"What happened to me?"
Bronya was still a bit groggy. When she looked up, she saw pairs of eyes staring at her, which startled her.
Ling Feng said calmly.
"You're awake? From now on, we ask, you answer. Cooperate, understand?"
Bronya quickly nodded. The situation was clearly not in her favor.
From then on, Bronya was indeed very cooperative, answering whatever she was asked, though she did hold some things back.
Initially, everyone was distrustful of Bronya.
For example, the idea that she was controlled by someone else, Kiana particularly didn't believe it.
However, Mei was more inclined to believe Bronya's words.
Ling Feng suggested leaving Changkong City first, and the others agreed.
During the subsequent escape, Bronya also proved her innocence.
With her Heavy Cannon Rabbit, she could handle most common Honkai beasts, which meant Ling Feng and the others didn't have to take detours.
To avoid easily exposing their strength, Ling Feng and the others had always skirted around the Honkai beasts before.
Ordinary firearms found it difficult to penetrate the defenses of Honkai beasts, and only the Heavy Cannon Rabbit could contend with them to some extent.
After a few days, Bronya's relationship with the group had also grown closer.
...
In the evening, after a day of travel, everyone took refuge in a guesthouse to rest.
"Sigh, if only we could safely leave this place..."
Mei sat on the ground. They had encountered quite a few Honkai beasts these days, but with Bronya's addition, their journey had been much smoother.
"We definitely will."
Kiana encouraged her.
Ling Feng stood on the balcony, glanced at the wandering shifters on the street, and sensed his cultivation.
In more than half a year, his cultivation had recovered to the late stage of Core Formation.
He was still unsure what level of Honkai beasts he could contend with.
Honkai beasts were roughly divided into nine types from lowest to highest: Brawler, Knight, Cannon, Chariot, Temple, Warlord, Emperor, Judge, and Final.
Brawler, Knight, Cannon, Chariot, Temple, and Warlord were all considered lower-tier Honkai beasts.
Honkai Emperor was the limit of lower-tier Honkai beasts.
Emperor, Judge, and Final were upper-tier Honkai beasts.
The strength of Honkai beasts increased with their size. The larger the Honkai beast, the stronger it was. Smaller size did not necessarily mean weaker, but larger size definitely meant stronger.
"Not good!"
Ling Feng suddenly sensed a Honkai beast appearing nearby.
*Crack!*
Everyone:!!!
Boom—
A giant shield suddenly descended from the sky, smashing the entire guesthouse to pieces.
Everyone was flung out and landed on the street. They looked up.
A Honkai beast of the Temple rank, over twenty meters tall, holding a spear in one hand and a shield in the other, appeared in their vision.
Seeing them, the Temple-rank Honkai beast immediately thrust its sharp giant spear towards them without a word.
Bronya quickly manifested the Heavy Cannon Rabbit and met the spear with her own.
*Whoosh—*
*Clang!*
Although the Heavy Cannon Rabbit blocked the Temple-rank Honkai beast's spear thrust, the next moment...
*Bang!*
The Temple-rank Honkai beast knocked both the Heavy Cannon Rabbit and Bronya away with its shield.
*Clang! Clang! Clang!*
It smashed through several guesthouses in succession.
"Bronya!"
Mei cried out worriedly.
*Swish!*
The next moment, the Temple-rank Honkai beast swung its giant shield towards Mei. Although it was a shield, its edges were very sharp and could easily cleave a building.
"Mei!"
Ling Feng no longer concealed his strength. He flashed in front of Mei, deploying a Zhen Qi shield to withstand the Temple-rank Honkai beast's blow.
Seeing this, Sagiri also made a move. Holding Fog Wind, she swung her sword, sending dozens of wind blades slashing towards the Temple-rank Honkai beast.
*Bang! Bang! Bang!*
The wind blades pierced directly through the Temple-rank Honkai beast's body.
Then, Sagiri turned into a streak of light and slammed into the Temple-rank Honkai beast.
*Crash! Crash! Crash!*
The Temple-rank Honkai beast directly blasted her away, smashing through several buildings in succession.
From this, it seemed that an ordinary Temple-rank Honkai beast was no match for Sagiri in one move.
Although Sagiri was a cultivator in the early stage of Golden Core, she had only just entered this realm, and coupled with her lack of combat expertise, she was slightly weaker than a true Golden Core cultivator.
"Mei! Are you alright!"
Kiana rushed over frantically, examining Mei from head to toe.
Mei shook her head and looked at Bronya with concern.
"I'm fine, Kiana. Go quickly and check on Bronya."
Kiana also understood that this was no time for jokes and quickly ran towards where Bronya had been blown away.
Ling Feng retracted his Zhen Qi shield, his expression solemn.
These days, Honkai beasts were appearing with increasing frequency.
There were already Temple-rank existences.
As a cultivator, he relied on nature to cultivate and was extremely sensitive to energy.
He could feel the Honkai concentration in Changkong City continuously rising.
It wouldn't be long before these monsters appeared in swarms.
*Crack!*
Speak of the devil. Ling Feng looked in one direction, and three Temple-rank Honkai beasts, each over twenty meters tall, appeared at the end of the street, along with swarms of three to four-meter-tall low-level Honkai beasts.
"This is a bit troublesome."
"Welt, protect Mei and the others. Sagiri and I will take care of those guys."
Without waiting for Mei to respond, Ling Feng and Sagiri took to the air.
Ling Feng held Fen Ji, his fingers brushed its body, and he unleashed a sword strike.
"Flame!"
A blade of flame qi struck the Temple-rank Honkai beast, and its high temperature instantly melted its surface.
Then, the flames spread throughout its body, burning it to ashes.
Ling Feng now possessed the Law of Fire, and his casual attacks carried the power of the law.
"Wind Blade!"
Ling Feng and Sagiri swiftly dealt with the approaching Honkai beasts.
Suddenly, they sensed a Temple-rank Honkai beast appearing near Mei and the others.
"Not good!"
With Welt's strength, dealing with a Temple-rank Honkai beast might be difficult.
At this moment, a Honkai Emperor, twenty to thirty meters tall, descended from the sky and blocked their path.
"Get lost!"
Ling Feng and Sagiri simultaneously unleashed their full power.
Pseudo-Crimson Flame Slash!
Fog Wind - Innate Divine Ability!
Two moves instantly killed the Honkai Emperor.
In the distance, Welt, seeing the suddenly appearing Temple-rank Honkai beast, was startled and fired a beam of explosive laser.
However, it was blocked by the Temple-rank Honkai beast's shield, and then Welt was knocked away by a shield bash.
*Swish!*
Perhaps it was because of Mei's identity, but it seemed all the Honkai beasts were targeting her.
Mei's pupils contracted sharply as she watched the giant shield descend towards her. She couldn't escape!
"Mei! Be careful."
Suddenly, a figure leaped forward. Mei looked closely, it was Kiana!
*Pfft!*
The sharp giant shield drew a huge gash on Kiana's back, and blood splattered out.
*Thump—*
Mei and Kiana rolled to the side.
Mei felt the hot blood on her face and looked at the gaping bloody wound on Kiana's back in disbelief.
"Ki..."
"Kiana..."
*Drip...*
Mei's tears slid down her cheeks and dripped onto Kiana's clothes.
Mei wanted to cover Kiana's large bleeding wound, but she couldn't stop it. Hot blood flowed out continuously.
"Ahhh————ah!"
The Temple-rank Honkai beast looked down at Mei and them and swung its sharp shield down fiercely.
*Boom—*
Instantly, a powerful current crackled out of nowhere, forming an energy shield that blocked and decomposed the sharp shield.
*Sizzzzz!*
The powerful current raged, illuminating the dark world with its electric light. The Temple-rank Honkai beast was forced back by the shockwave.
Mei's eyes turned cold, her eyes turning purplish-pink. Herrscher personality Mei had taken over.
Mei, holding Kiana, slowly floated up. A massive stigma symbol appeared behind Mei.
*Crack!*
Then, the stigma symbol shattered, and fragments condensed on Mei's right side to form a pair of energy wings.
"Disappear, vermin!"
Mei looked at the Temple-rank Honkai beast sternly, sentencing it to death.
A ball of powerful lightning converged and descended from the sky.
*Sizzzzz—*
*Rumble!!!*
A massive beam of lightning shot up into the sky, and the Temple-rank Honkai beast was annihilated by the terrifying lightning.
Ling Feng and Sagiri watched this scene with extremely grave expressions. They were a step too late.
Not far away, Welt, supporting Bronya, also watched everything.
Thousands of meters away, a floating warship was approaching rapidly.
On the Hyperion.
"Super strong Honkai source reaction detected ahead!"
"Honkai source values are surging!"
"Honkai beasts in Changkong City are gathering towards the Honkai source!"
A group of warship personnel reported consecutively.
In the command center, Himeko, dressed in formal attire, looked somewhat flustered.
"Tsk, it seems we've hit the jackpot this time."
Her secretary quickly said.
"Major, it's still not too late to retreat."
But with Himeko's personality, how could she retreat?
"Don't talk nonsense!"
"My dictionary never contains the word 'retreat'!"
"All units, Level 1 alert, commence combat!!!"