What!?
Me fighting Hoolay?
Yanqing's heart tightened slightly!
He also saw those comments.
Losing in reality might just bring temporary frustration and regret.
But losing in Honkai: Star Rail?
That would mean public humiliation!
Every new player would experience the storyline of his defeat!
Who could handle that?
For a moment.
Yanqing even wanted to turn off the Jade Abacus screen in front of him.
Then lie down on the bed.
And just give up, sleeping until the world turned dark.
Fortunately…
He was Yanqing.
After a brief moment of despair, a stubborn determination surged in his heart!
"Please, the other me!"
"You didn't back down when facing Acheron…"
"At the very least, you should make Hoolay suffer some injuries in this fight, paving the way for General Feixiao's victory later!"
With a nervous heart,
Yanqing also began to seriously watch his performance in the storyline.
...
A massive tremor indicated something was wrong with the engine room.
Yanqing and Yunli immediately agreed.
They rushed to inspect it.
Sure enough!
In a corner.
Several fallen Cloud Knights were spotted!
A sinister voice echoed from behind:
"You should lie down with them..."
"Don't worry, little ones. There's plenty of space here to hide your corpses."
But these two little ones were no ordinary children.
Soon.
The battle ended.
Yet, Yanqing showed no signs of relief.
"Finding two wolves in the engine room means there could be more of those creatures infiltrating elsewhere... Hoolay has already boarded the Skysplitter!"
Yunli urged, "There's no time to explain. The Luminary Wardance must have already begun! If I'm not mistaken, once the Borisin board the ship, they will likely wreak havoc during the ceremony."
"Let's go. We need to head to the Luminary Wardance arena now!"
Along the way.
They indeed encountered many wandering Borisin minions!
To save time.
Little Gui summoned Acheron.
One slash, one kill!
They fought their way to the arena.
At that moment.
The commentator's voice rang out.
"Distinguished guests and competitors, welcome to the Luminary Wardance of the Xianzhou Luofu!"
"Before the first match begins, the organizing committee is honored to introduce the galaxy's renowned host—Mr. Owlbert, who has joined us as a guest commentator!"
Owlbert's livestream.
He, like other streamers.
Was following the storyline of Honkai: Star Rail.
Seeing this scene.
Owlbert was so moved that tears streamed down his face!
"I made it! I finally made it!"
"In my lifetime, I've finally appeared in Honkai: Star Rail!"
"Honestly, I've always felt like I was living in Yu Ling's shadow..."
"He really should host a show called Into the Star Rail, where I could explain the skills and mechanics of each character."
Owlbert's livestream had a decent number of viewers.
Though it couldn't compare to Little Gui's...
Hearing this.
Players flooded the chat with responses.
...
"Damn, is that really Owlbert?"
"Haha, Owlbert wants to collaborate with Yu Ling? That's a bit too ambitious!"
"Owlbert, don't forget you're an entertainment streamer. Stay in your lane!"
"Into the Starry Abyss? Not bad, it has potential! It would be even better if we could invite guests to the live show every episode."
"I'm investing in this project!"
"Perhaps, in another world, it really is as Owlbert said."
"He's too eager to make progress!"
...
"Let us welcome our guest host, Mr. Owlbert, to officially inaugurate the Martial Ceremony—"
Just as Owlbert was eagerly anticipating how he would make his appearance in the storyline.
Someone descended from the sky.
But it wasn't him.
It was Hoolay, wielding a massive cleaver!
"The Martial Ceremony ends here!"
"From this moment on, the Skysplitter belongs to me. Audience, I will bring you a genuine fight to the death!"
"Now, run for your lives!"
In front of the screen.
Owlbert was utterly dumbfounded!
Damn it!
Hoolay, your timing couldn't have been worse, could it?
Couldn't you let me say a few words first?
Even just a brief appearance to express my shock would have been fine!
But no!
All I got was a mention of my name!
Not even a single feather in sight!
Owlbert felt deeply wounded!
Fortunately.
There were still plenty of players in the comments comforting him.
...
"So Owlbert is doing this well?"
"Shocking! Turns out Owlbert is the Borisin War Chief!"
"Unbelievable! The famous host's true identity is actually Hoolay!"
"So is it because Owlbert's appearance fee is too high that they brought in Hoolay as a temporary substitute?."
"Audience: This ticket is worth every penny!"
"Wow, who's cosplaying Hoolay? It's so spot-on!"
...
Meanwhile, at the scene.
There was no expected screaming or running in circles.
Even the commentator's voice remained as steady as a mountain!
"Sorry, but there are no audience members here as you might expect—everyone on this ship has come for you."
"Cloud Knights, prepare for battle!"
At the command.
Squads of Cloud Knights marched in from both sides!
Following that.
The audience in the stands also tensed up!
No more pretending, the truth is out!
The entire ship is surrounded by Cloud Knights!
"Xianzhou soars, the Cloud Knights are ever victorious!"
"Xianzhou soars, the Cloud Knights are ever victorious!"
Voices from all directions nearly drowned out Hoolay!
...
"Hoolay: What the hell? The intel was fake?"
"The fishing pond has no fish, only bait."
"Ohhh, this matches what that female reporter said about not being used to wearing this outfit—because she's a Cloud Knight!"
"The whole ship is filled with Cloud Knights, hahaha..."
"This is called luring the enemy into a trap!"
"Hoolay: Damn, I've become the opening act."
"You can always trust the old generals of Xianzhou!"
...
"It seems you were well-prepared."
Hoolay let out a suppressed roar.
The howls of the Borisin War Chief echoed across the Skysplitter!
"Fine then! Since you're ready to die, come at me—give me your best shot!"
The battle.
Was at a Flashpoint!
At that moment.
The scene suddenly flashed back.
[Three hours before the Martial Ceremony, at the Seat of Divine Foresight]
"Surround three sides, leave one open... Is this your so-called plan to ensure the Martial Ceremony proceeds as usual?" Huaiyan asked, narrowing his eyes.
Beside him.
Jing Yuan smiled faintly. "Exactly. Hoolay's escape should have immediately halted the Martial Ceremony. No one could predict where this beast would strike, and a festive event like the ceremony would only make it an easier target for his rampage."
"However, the martial ceremony has been in preparation for a long time and is inevitable. Announcing its interruption would be heartbreaking. I thought to myself, since it has to be held, then let it proceed. But why must today's ceremony be the real one?"
"As long as we replace all the audience and participants on the ship with Cloud Knights, the Skysplitter hanging in the sky will become the perfect hunting ground for wolves."
Huaiyan asked again, "...But what if Hoolay doesn't plan to attack the martial ceremony?"
"Then we make sure he sees the Skysplitter. The Sky-Faring Commission will clear the waterways and reduce the passage of other Starskiffs. This way, when only one ship remains in the sky, he will have no choice but to go there."
"General Feixiao will be responsible for startling the wolf and cutting off the Borisin's escape routes, making him think he has found a way out."
"Considering that the Borisin have insiders on Luofu, I will go and apply pressure, keeping the insiders busy with self-preservation."
Huaiyan laughed heartily, "Good! Then this old man should also get moving. I will guard the Jade Gate with the Sky-Faring Commission to prevent the situation from getting out of control."
"With Elder Huaiyan as the final safeguard, I am at ease."
"This hunt must teach Hoolay that the Arrows of The Hunt are always one step ahead of the evil."
Jing Yuan looked ahead.
His gaze seemed to pierce through the future, seeing Hoolay surrounded three hours later!
...
"Turning the tables, brilliant!"
"Wow! Hoolay's thoughts and actions are completely under control!"
"Skillfully using a series of tactics to annihilate the Borisin, deceiving the heavens to seize the flag. Decisive victory from a thousand miles away, no strategy left out!"
"The plot value of Jing Yuan is still rising!"
"One can only say that the General is indeed the General!"
"When will Jing Yuan publish a book on Xianzhou military strategy? I want to buy it!"
"I guessed that the martial ceremony was Hoolay's trap!"
"Go Hoolay, fight your way to the Jade Gate! I want to see Elder Huaiyan in action!"