The voice of the Corrupted Treant Tina didn't just reach Lin Qingyue's ears.
Her declaration, dripping with morbid possessiveness, echoed clearly across the entire plaza.
Zhou Yi's team, locked in a desperate struggle with the Enhanced Treants, froze in unison.
Zhou Yi cleaved through a monster before him with his axe, but his mind was buzzing.
What the hell?
Even a Lord-level BOSS tied to an Evil God is publicly trying to recruit people now?
And her target is the pink-haired junior—the one with the most bizarre style and unfathomable strength?
What kind of insane script are they following?!
Zhou Yi felt his worldview being repeatedly crushed into dust.
First, he'd witnessed the juniors dismantle an elite mecha in under a minute. Now, the final BOSS was extending a public invitation to join her ranks.
This script just felt wrong, no matter how he looked at it.
Yet, just as everyone expected Lin Qingyue to respond cautiously, or at least treat this "recruitment" with some seriousness...
A lazy, nasal voice, tinged with the drowsiness of someone not fully awake, drifted out.
"Sorry, I'm allergic to pyramid schemes."
Lin Qingyue lifted her eyelids, her beautiful pink pupils revealing pure, undisguised disgust.
"Especially when the boss is this ugly. I make it a point to stay far, far away."
A single sentence plunged the chaotic battlefield into an abrupt, momentary silence.
All eyes converged on Lin Qingyue, their expressions a mixture of shock and... inexplicable admiration.
As for the Corrupted Treant Tina, the seductive smile on her face froze, then shattered into a ferocious, twisted grimace.
Ugly?
She dared to call her ugly?!
"You! Will! Die!"
With an ear-splitting shriek, the purple-black Fel Energy erupting from Tina's body exploded outward.
But Lin Qingyue's movements were faster than her roar.
Without even chanting, she simply clenched her fist, instantly shaping the Holy Light power gathered in her palm.
A radiant Sunlight Spear.
A standard throwing motion.
Swoosh—!
The golden spear of Holy Light blurred into a golden afterimage, tearing through the dim, Fel-tainted air. It struck with preemptive speed, piercing Tina's left shoulder with pinpoint accuracy!
The terrifying impact sent her massive body stumbling back several steps before she managed to regain her footing.
Boom!
The Holy Light power detonated inside Tina, blasting open a gruesome, bowl-sized wound. Golden flames clung to the edges of the flesh like maggots on bone, searing it relentlessly.
However, in the next second, a thick, ink-black mist surged from the wound, frantically extinguishing the Holy Light.
Purple-black tendrils of flesh grew wildly, writhing and weaving together in mere seconds to completely repair the horrific injury.
Good as new.
Watching this, City Lord Punk's newfound hope shattered, his heart sinking once more.
But at the very moment Lin Qingyue threw the spear, a crisp ding echoed in her mind.
Suddenly, an extremely cheerful—even insanely catchy—song blasted across the entire battlefield without warning!
[Melody Beyond the Strings triggered! BGM: "How Can a Cute Girl Not Go Crazy After Being Framed? She's Just Holding On!! (Honkai: Star Rail - Jingliu - Fan Creation)". Transformation Character: Jingliu.]
It's here.
Lin Qingyue's eye twitched.
To think it can even trigger with a non-Priest Skill like this.
In the next instant, a dazzling, ice-blue radiance completely enveloped her.
Lin Xiyue, Su Wan, and Xia Lian were unfazed; they had witnessed this scene countless times.
Xia Lian's cheeks flushed slightly.
"This time... the music is a bit too cheerful."
Su Wan added with a deadpan expression, "It's beyond cheerful; it's pure meme fuel. But it's undeniably powerful."
Lin Xiyue patted both their backs, consoling them with the tone of a seasoned veteran. "You'll get used to it. You'll get used to it."
Then, under the disbelieving gazes of all the natives—including the Corrupted Treant Tina—a massive virtual projection screen materialized in the sky above the center of the battlefield
On the screen, a flamboyant, wildly stylized title flashed first:
[How Can a Cute Girl Not Go Crazy After Being Framed? She's Just Holding On!!]
Zhou Yi: "...What new trick is this?"
City Lord Punk's cat ears froze mid-air, motionless. "???"
The guards, rebels, and even the grotesque Treants all slowed their movements, staring up in bewilderment.
What the hell?
Cute... girl... framed?
On the virtual display, an animation began to play.
An anime-style version of Lin Qingyue appeared on screen, dressed in a blue and white traditional Chinese robe. The outfit was sleek and practical, yet the flowing skirt and hem added an ethereal, aloof aura. Her long pink hair cascaded down her back, with a blue silk ribbon tied around her circular topknot. A black blindfold adorned with a silver moon pattern covered her eyes. Though her eyes were hidden, she exuded a wicked yet breathtaking beauty.
Before anyone could process this surreal scene, the explosive lyrics, driven by a pounding drumbeat, thundered through the sky!
"Black stockings for a blindfold by day! Who let Moyu Shuang get in the way!"
"What's wrong with being a little crazy! Just whip out the Greatsword!"
"..."
Senior Brother Zhou Yi and his team's jaws slowly dropped, their expressions turning to stone.
First a Maid Knight, then a Silver Mech, and now a Blindfolded Sword Immortal?
Isn't the stylistic range of her Transformation Magic just a little bit insane?! How the hell did her skill tree even develop?!
City Lord Punk and his Elite Guard behind him were collectively dumbfounded, frozen like statues.
Amidst the ear-splitting, demonic music, Lin Qingyue's Priest robes transformed into the blue and white, flowing traditional swordsman's attire from the video.
Finally, a jet-black ribbon materialized, gently covering her eyes.
The light dissipated.
When she reappeared, her entire aura had changed.
She was no longer the gentle, warm jade, no longer lazy or careless.
Now, she was an unparalleled, deadly weapon, freshly unsheathed.
Cold, aloof, and radiating extreme danger.
She extended her right hand, her fingers long and slender.
The ambient water vapor in the air answered an silent summons, frantically converging in her palm, instantly condensing and taking shape!
A longsword made entirely of ice crystals—translucent and shimmering, exuding a chilling aura—materialized in her hand.
In a cold, clear voice, she involuntarily spoke the line: "Just another soul to add to the count!"
[Additional Buff: Can use all of Jingliu's skills.]
[First-time trigger of Jingliu's transformation. Drawing extra reward...]
[Congratulations, Host. You have obtained Jingliu's Talent: Frost Soul. Talent Effect: Your attacks will ignore 25% of the enemy's defense.]
Lin Qingyue was ecstatic.
Grandma Jingliu is amazing! This is so practical! It's just... my chest feels a little tight!
Her black-ribboned eyes "looked" toward the regenerating, roaring Enhanced Treants.
These twisted plants exuded a nauseating aura, strikingly similar to the "Abominations of Abundance" from her memories.
A primal revulsion, originating from the depths of her soul, surged through her.
A voice devoid of all emotion, cold enough to freeze the soul, escaped her lips.
"Blasphemy... must be purged."
She raised the ice crystal longsword, her chilling voice uttering another phrase.
"Fleeing Light!"
Swish—!
The instant she spoke, a brilliant, frigid sword light swept out like moonlight!
Crack! Crack-crack-crack!
The hard stone plaza instantly frosted over with a thick layer of ice, which spread at an astonishing speed!
The Enhanced Treants, which had been charging ferociously and fearlessly toward the crowd just moments before, froze instantly upon contact with the chilling aura.
A layer of ice crystals rapidly climbed up from their feet, transforming them into lifelike ice sculptures in the blink of an eye!
The malevolent vitality within them was severed, their life force extinguished
Her exhaled breath condensed into ice crystals before her eyes. Even the air itself seemed to freeze under this extreme cold.
In the entire world, only the bizarre video and its BGM continued to play tirelessly.
"I'm a member of the High-Cloud Quintet, yet this little brother dares to challenge me to a duel..."
The absurd lyrics formed a stark, almost surreal contrast with the frozen wasteland before them.
Tina stared at her creations, instantly frozen and utterly helpless. Her purple-black pupils constricted violently.
She felt a soul-deep tremor emanating from the blindfolded woman.
It was... the absolute dominance of a predator at the top of the food chain, gazing down at its struggling prey!
"What... what are you?!" she finally shrieked, unable to suppress her terror.
But the only response she received was a simple gesture.
Lin Qingyue held her sword in one hand, its tip angled toward the ground, assuming an ancient, formal stance.
"Not even worth a sneer!"