Didn't you go to Teyvat to earn money to support me?

Durandal shook her head.

It was so easy, so easy, that she didn't even realize what Cheng Ling Shuang had done. This girl in Hanfu didn't even have a sword; she simply used her fingers as a sword to deflect a powerful attack from an A-rank Valkyrie, and even had the leisure to protect the floor from the aftershocks.

This is the Taixu Sword Qi of Shenzhou. Cheng Ling Shuang has already comprehended the essence of the soul, so she doesn't need to be bound by the shape of the sword when she makes a move. Everything in the world can be a sword.

Faced with America's iconic Valkyrie, she couldn't even be bothered to take a single step.

This is the supreme freedom, the female warrior guarding the borders of the Divine Land! A natural-born human, with a sword unparalleled in the world.

"That's it?" Cheng Ling Shuang tilted her head, looking at the girls from other countries with the innocent and naive demeanor of a young girl. "Who else?"

The girls retreated for the third time in a row, shaking their heads frantically.

Are you kidding me! Is this the level of combat power? If the pinnacle of A-level is like a little lion like Taylor Swift, then Cheng Ling Shuang is at least a Terminator!

As expected, the only organizations in the world capable of retaining S-class combat power besides Destiny and China are Divine Continent! One started searching for Valkyries all over the world five hundred years ago, while the other has a Valkyrie lineage dating back five thousand years!

In terms of historical and cultural heritage, only these two can compare.

But at this moment, Durandal had no choice but to step forward. Rita was still seriously injured, and only she could face Cheng Ling Shuang directly. Her expression was extremely solemn: "Little Immortal, please don't cause an international conflict. Thales has already been punished, so please spare her. If you intend to kill someone, I will have to stop you!"

"Who said I was going to kill someone? This is the only decent American I have, how could I dare to kill him?" Cheng Ling Shuang curled her lips and casually tossed the dying Thales to Shen Liang. "Little guy, hurry up and save her. I don't want her to really die, otherwise the government will at least give me three months of ideological and political education."

Shen Liang quickly caught Taylors, who had been thrown at him, nearly stumbling. Although somewhat reluctant, after staring at Taylors for a moment, the blond American girl swallowed a mouthful of blood and grinned, "Hey, you're actually quite cute up close. Want to be my boyfriend? As long as you don't mind that I like girls, um, girls like you."

Shen Liang expressionlessly plucked the Black Abyss White Flower and stabbed it into her thigh. Taylors cried out in pain, "You're just a smart aleck."

At this moment, Cheng Ling Shuang also looked around, her expression still aloof and indifferent to all the heroes under heaven, as if she thought, "Who dares to claim invincibility?"

"In this small corner of the transcendent side, I ask that you all give Ling Shuang some face. If you're a dragon, you'd better coil up before me; if you're a tiger, you'd better lie down before me," Cheng Ling Shuang said arrogantly. "Pandora, I've taken it. The Key of God, I've taken it too. I'm putting my words here. Who agrees and who disagrees?"

Who the hell dares to object?!

Representatives from various countries all looked expectantly at Durandal. It was rather awkward, as they had originally planned to join forces to put pressure on Durandal, but now Cheng Ling Shuang had overwhelmed everyone, so they could only hope that Durandal would step in.

It's said that the first one is a straightforward, simpleton, and who knows, he might not be able to stand this arrogance and would have to roll up his sleeves and have sex with Cheng Ling Shuang?

Then they saw Durandal pretending to look around at the scenery.

Even a fool isn't stupid! Durandal knows perfectly well that if she were to clash with Cheng Ling Shuang now, who would be happy except the United Nations? Destiny was unlikely to obtain the Divine Key this time anyway, so it would be better to sell out Shenzhou.

But Durandal immediately noticed that Shen Liang's expression was a little strange.

"Back to Shenzhou?" Shen Liang asked hesitantly. "Back to...back to where?"

"We'll take you home," Cheng Lixue said gently with a smile. "Little Pandora, we'll take you home."

“But…” Shen Liang looked at her, “My home isn’t in Shenzhou, my parents are dead, and I have no relatives there. Where can I go back to?”

"You want to stay at the Shaniat family's house?" Cheng Lixue was taken aback.

Shen Liang knew they all thought he was still a Shaniat, which conflicted with his identity as a Shenzhou person, but he was too lazy to explain.

“I have to warn you, little guy.” Cheng Ling Shuang was getting impatient. “I came here for you. If you don’t come back with me, all the people I’ve offended will keep bothering you. To be honest, I don’t care about your Divine Key. What I care about is you... Male superhumans are one in a billion unless it’s due to bloodline. You must return to Shenzhou for protection.”

Chapter 169 You'd better keep this youthful, beautiful appearance forever.

I learned a new concept.

Although Shen Liang knew that there were very few men in the extraordinary category, he now realized that the probability was as low as one in a hundred million.

He was immediately met with many astonished looks. These representatives from various countries had received different intelligence, and many of them had no idea that he, "Pandora," was a being who had stepped into the realm of the extraordinary.

Shen Liang could almost clearly feel the gazes of these Valkyries becoming intense.

He had never considered that the research value of a male Valkyrie was comparable to that of the Divine Key!

But he really didn't want to go back to China. Although it might sound a bit disrespectful to the Communists, he had no relatives or friends there. His sister, who was his only family, was from Siberia. He had bought a house in Japan, an detached apartment... His quality of life was already quite good; it was definitely the decadent daily life of a petit bourgeois.

—So I'm doing pretty well in Japan, why did you drag me there? Tell me.

Faced with Cheng Ling Shuang's domineering announcement, Youlandai glanced at Shen Liang and keenly noticed that the boy's expression was somewhat gloomy.

Not only him, but also a group of little girls behind him were staring intently at the arrogant Cheng Ling Shuang. Yulandel instantly understood; the children were all very nervous. They seemed to be the boy's sisters, but Cheng Ling Shuang would never bring a group of Siberians back to Shenzhou.

That's asking too much.

Durandal hesitated whether to stand up for Pandora, but Shenzhou was clearly not Pandora's enemy, and was even closer to her than herself. Firstly, she had no position to support, and secondly, destiny would never want her to be enemies with Cheng Ling Shuang.

"How strange..." Durandal looked up at the sky, pondering, "This child is in a difficult situation right now, walking on thin ice... Are they really not going to help?"

----------

"What Valkyrie? Sister Ling Shuang, I don't understand what you're saying. I'm a man, not some Valkyrie. I'm just a tourist who accidentally saved Miss Rita while passing by." Shen Liang decided to continue playing dumb, relying on his youthful appearance.

"Hmm, it seems you did indeed accidentally step into the transcendent side." Cheng Ling Shuang smiled. "It's common knowledge that any Divine Key from the previous civilization required Honkai energy to power it."

—That's right, Cheng Ling Shuang just casually tossed me the Thales to prove this. It seemed like an unintentional gesture, but my subconscious healing proved that I can use Honkai energy.

— Every move she makes is full of such cunning; she truly deserves to be called an ancestor who has lived for five hundred years.

—But where did I get Honkai energy?

This is the only thing he can't understand. Although he has stepped into the extraordinary side, he mainly relies on the abilities given to him by the system. He is not a Valkyrie, so where does the Honkai energy in his body come from?

Or……

Could these abilities granted to him by the system also be explained by "Honkai energy"?

Shen Liang couldn't quite understand it, but there were many other things about him that were hard to figure out, so it didn't matter if he was thought to have Honkai energy.

What he needs to think about now is how to reject Cheng Ling Shuang.

Thinking of this, Shen Liang felt a great sense of helplessness.

He was always considering this and that, various organizations and forces, hostile and friendly, Teyvat and Earth. Every moment he was looking ahead and behind, pondering the hidden meanings in people's words, how to negotiate and how to refuse.

Even though Shenzhou is clearly doing him a favor now, he still has to consider this and that.

Tired.

Even with a system at his disposal, he is constantly struggling. He has to hide his abilities, explore his past, navigate between different factions, and even maintain a balance between different worlds.

Upset.

"Excuse me, what will you do with me if I don't want to go?" Shen Liang sighed and said, "I know you don't covet the Divine Key, but whether it still belongs to me after we return to China is not something you can control, sister."

"If anyone dares to take your Divine Key, I will stand up for you," Cheng Ling Shuang said calmly. "If you come back with me, I have a courtyard house in Yanjing. You can cultivate with me there, and no one will dare to disturb you."

"It's not really appropriate for a lone man and woman to live together," Shen Liang tried to decline.

"At such a young age, your mind is full of filthy thoughts. What about a lone man and woman? What difference is there between men and women in the relationship between a master and disciple?"

"Master-disciple relationship?" Shen Liang casually tossed aside the Black Abyss White Flower, causing Thales to howl again. He asked in surprise, "You... want to take me as your disciple?"

"Didn't I say that?" Cheng Ling Shuang tilted her head, looking at him strangely. "Then I'll say it again. For a man to achieve extraordinary talent, without bloodline factors, is one in a billion. Even if a man's talent is exceptional, he can't compare to many ordinary female warriors. Tai Xu Mountain doesn't care about these things. If you are a man, I'll teach you Tai Xu Sword Qi."

Rita's eyes flickered slightly. Seeing that Shen Liang remained unmoved, she whispered in his ear, "This is the legendary cultivation secret of the Crimson Iris Immortal of the Divine Continent. After the Crimson Iris Immortal ascended to heaven, the Taixu Sword Qi was lost, and only a fragmented Taixu True Manual remained on Mount Taixu. Many people suspected that Cheng Ling Shuang, who was once one of the Seven Sons of the Crimson Iris, still possessed the complete Taixu Sword Qi manual... Now this has been confirmed."

"But that's not enough, is it? Why did the little immortal specifically target me?" Shen Liang didn't believe that a proud woman like Cheng Ling Shuang, who had lived for five hundred years, would be willing to take him as a disciple just because he was a man. Even if there was only a one in a billion chance, there were still sixty or seventy men in the world who could contain Honkai energy.

"You're not calling me Sister Ling Shuang anymore?" she laughed.

Then her gaze lowered, as if recalling something from the distant past, and she said softly, "Because, there was once a male student at Mount Taixu who studied under me. Although his skills weren't very refined, he... looked a lot like you. When he was little, he was just as cute as you, as beautiful as a doll, always calling me Fifth Senior Sister, just like the other senior sisters who joined our master's school... What a pity..."

"What's a pity?" Shen Liang asked.

Cheng Ling Shuang's expression turned serious. "It's a pity he grew up to be ugly. He turned into a rough man with a scarred face, not cute at all like he was when he was a child! If you dare to grow up like that, I will personally correct you. I haven't lived these years for nothing. I learned how to use Honkai energy to repair facial bones. You'd better keep this handsome young man's appearance, otherwise... ha."

Shen Liang was dumbfounded.

“It’s Zhuju Jianma Yanqing, the sixth disciple of the Seven Sons of Chiyuan. He passed away five hundred years ago because men cannot learn the longevity method of Taixu Mountain.” Rita suppressed a laugh. “Little Immortal probably remembered her former junior brother when she saw your photo… No wonder she came.”

"I feel like the transcendent side is targeting men in every way. Teyvat is much better to men," Shen Liang complained in a low voice, the last part of which he said to himself.

Cheng Ling Shuang felt she had explained things clearly enough. She snorted and reminded Shen Liang, "It's almost time. Come with me on the plane. If there's anything you need to take, notify the embassy."

Chapter 170 He is a member of my Shaniat family

"I..." Shen Liang hesitated, but looking back at Bronya and the others, she gritted her teeth and said, "Thank you for your kindness, Little Immortal, but I can't go!"

The younger sisters smiled with delight.

"Pandora!" Cheng Ling Shuang's cold, pretty face flushed with obvious anger. "I've tolerated you for too long! You know that if I hadn't come, you would never have been able to protect your Divine Key, and even you would have fallen into the hands of Schicksal! Did you think that saving Rita and the others would make them consider you one of their own? Face reality, boy! Schicksal is full of ruthless and vicious people. As a man, you can control Honkai energy. You yourself are the experimental material that countless people dream of, the natural furnace that countless people covet!"

"Nonsense!" Durandal could no longer contain herself. "Little Immortal, if you continue to slander Destiny, even if you are a senior, I will take action! We, Destiny, are not ungrateful. Pandora has been kind to me, I..."

"Shut up. You can only represent yourself. Can you represent Destiny?" Cheng Ling Shuang closed her eyes. "Too young, Durandal. You are still too young. Your Destiny has conducted the most human experiments in the world, and you have orchestrated countless wars behind the scenes. Even the current devastation in Aisha is thanks to you! Of course, I don't mean to accuse you of evil. Using any means necessary for power, wealth, land, and national affairs is a common tactic of you Rakshasa people. But you have too many methods. I don't trust Destiny, I don't trust you, do you understand?"

Yulandel was speechless.

Although she had countless excuses to make, none of them could shake Cheng Ling Shuang's judgment of destiny... because destiny is precisely such an organization.

Destiny has always been ruthless in its pursuit of what it desires. The people of Aisha are scattered, refugees are fleeing, and the capital, Tallinn, is reduced to a ghost town, suffering immeasurable losses. Destiny has waged such wars almost every few years throughout its history, because war is the best way to conceal deeper motives.

Durandal's generation grew up in a century when the world was largely peaceful due to nuclear deterrence. She experienced very few wars and rarely played the role of a "villain".

But this cannot conceal the fact that she is the Valkyrie of Destiny. She enjoys all the resources of Destiny and grows into the world's number one Valkyrie, so she has no choice but to face Cheng Ling Shuang's ridicule.

But what can fate do...?

Unlike Shenzhou, which has a large population, a continuous civilization, and an equally long tradition of Valkyries, Shenzhou can suddenly produce someone as powerful as Cheng Ling Shuang, who even S-rank warriors fear. It's so vast and rich in resources that it doesn't lack relics of pre-civilization eras, and its Divine Keys can be collected and publicly exhibited in history museums.

The Mandate of Heaven originated in Europe, where numerous small states acted independently. To consolidate resources, they could only wage war; to become the dominant power, they had to resort to underhanded tactics.