No one knew how long the battle had raged on, but the number of evil spirits in the ruin's hall had clearly dwindled.
Lu Chen glanced around. The ancient structure, already half-collapsed, was now on the verge of total ruin. Yet somehow, the upside-down architecture still defied gravity, keeping the shattered stones from crashing to the ground.
Xiao was completely drained. He was half-kneeling, drenched in sweat, his face deathly pale. Black mist was still pouring from his body, and every time it touched the floor, it transformed into a new wave of seething malevolence.
This time, though, Xiao couldn't bear it. With a muffled grunt, he collapsed silently.
"Xiao!?" Lu Chen's heart jumped. He rushed forward and caught him before he could fall hard to the ground.
Xiao had already lost consciousness. No matter how loudly Lu Chen called, his eyes remained shut.
Both Ei and Miko stopped fighting and turned their attention to him.
Lu Chen gently lifted Xiao using a stream of Anemo, keeping him from touching the corrupted floor, then leaned down to check his breathing.
"He's too weak. He's passed out."
Worried he might be in real danger, Lu Chen immediately retrieved a batch of healing artifacts from his system—like that set of pink "Maiden Beloved" relics. They might not be perfect for the situation, but they were better than nothing.
After the treatment, he turned and gave a sharp order: "Stop it!"
Xiao couldn't take any more karmic stimulation. If this continued, it would kill him.
"Got it..."
The Abyss Herald quickly complied, trying to shut down the device.
But the blinding light persisted. The floating mechanism didn't respond at all, and the black mist kept pouring from Xiao's body. Ei and Miko had no choice but to turn back and continue holding off the corrupted spirits.
"What's going on?" The Abyss Herald's voice trembled. "It won't stop!"
Lu Chen's expression darkened. "What!?"
He strode forward, pressing the edge of the Skyward Blade against the Herald's neck, its chill instantly drawing a sharp hiss from the man.
"It's true! I swear!" the Herald cried in panic.
Afraid Lu Chen wouldn't believe him, the Herald desperately recited complex incantations—but the equipment remained inert. The light only grew brighter.
"Overload... The device must've broken! That's the only explanation!"
Lu Chen scowled. "Your Abyss tech falls apart this easily?"
It had only been used twice in combat—and now it was completely fried?
Not that it mattered. The real problem was—what about Xiao?
Lu Chen glanced at the unconscious adeptus. The black mist was still streaming out faster and faster. His face twisted in pain as if trapped in a nightmare.
"I don't care—fix it. Now!" Lu Chen barked.
"I—I can't!" The Herald was clearly panicking. "We only know how to operate it, not how it works..."
Lu Chen's eyes turned cold. "Then what use are you?" He raised his blade, ready to strike.
The Herald stumbled back.
Just then, the device flared even brighter, seemingly increasing its power output. The room was suddenly flooded with even more evil spirits—more than all the previous waves combined.
Xiao let out a final, weak groan—and went completely still.
Seeing this, Lu Chen clenched his jaw and raised the Skyward Blade. He struck the device with everything he had.
The machine exploded in a burst of blinding light. Lu Chen reacted instantly, summoning a solid wall of Geo energy in front of him, shielding Xiao, Ei, and Miko from the blast.
On the other side, the Abyss Herald didn't even have time to scream. He was vaporized on the spot.
"Lu Chen?" Ei braced herself against the shockwave and turned to check on him.
Seeing he was unharmed, she finally relaxed.
"Xiao's in bad shape." Lu Chen looked at Xiao's paper-white face. The device had been destroyed, but the last surge of karmic energy had nearly killed him. He needed proper care—and fast.
The explosion had also unleashed a flood of corrupted spirits. Lu Chen hoisted Xiao with Anemo and flew out of the ruins, slicing through the spirits along the way.
...
The moment they stepped outside, a crisp, alert female voice rang out.
"What are you doing here?"
"Who's there?"
All three turned toward the voice—and saw a tall woman with short blue-black hair and a coat draped over her shoulders.
"Yelan?"
"Lu Chen?"
They spoke at the same time, equally surprised.
Lu Chen knew who she was, but didn't expect her to know him. During his previous trip to Liyue with Lumine, Yelan hadn't appeared—but considering her intelligence background and connection to Ningguang, it made sense.
"You..." Yelan's brows furrowed. "Weren't you supposed to be in Inazuma with Beidou aboard the Alcor? How did you end up in the Chasm?"
"That's... a long story," Lu Chen said with a helpless shrug.
"And them—" Yelan's eyes landed on Ei and Miko, and for a moment, she visibly stiffened.
Even with her training, the sight of the Raiden Shogun herself appearing in Liyue, without any diplomatic notice, was staggering. Had the Liyue Qixing even been informed? What was going on?
This sudden encounter set her mind spinning. These weren't ordinary people.
A traveler with amnesia. The ruler of a foreign land. A mysterious shrine maiden. Liyue's own Yaksha...
And they seemed... familiar with each other?
Still, no matter how curious she was, Xiao's condition came first.
"Follow me. Some of the mining routes are still active. I know another way up."
"Thanks. We'll explain more once we're back on the surface." Lu Chen gave her a grateful nod.
...
Two hours later—Southwest Liyue, in Lumberpick Valley.
"The sunlight feels amazing..."
Lu Chen stepped out of a small thatched house, rubbing his sore shoulders and squinting against the dazzling light. After so long underground, it was almost blinding.
Thanks to Yelan's guidance, they'd escaped the labyrinth of the Chasm and made it back to the surface.
They were now resting in a villager's house in the northern part of Lumberpick Valley. After applying medicine from the system, Xiao's condition had improved—his face had regained some color, though he remained unconscious.
Lu Chen trusted the system. With Xiao's Adeptus physique, he'd recover quickly.
"Didn't expect to be back here again..." he murmured.
The scenery of Liyue, along with the towering cliffs of the Chasm in the distance, was strikingly familiar. He stretched with a long sigh. It had been a chaotic day.
[Mission time remaining: 10 hours, 32 minutes, 44 seconds...]
He hadn't expected to spend so long underground. Now, with less than half a day left before being forced back to reality, the Starlight Carnival would probably be over. Nothing pressing awaited him there...
Still, it wouldn't be easy to return. One day here cost 5,000 Primogems—painful every time.
"There you are," came Miko's voice from behind.
She and Ei stepped out into the courtyard, sitting on either side of Lu Chen as they quietly took in the view.
Both of them seemed genuinely interested in Liyue's natural beauty. Lu Chen smiled and pointed toward the circular cliffs in the distance.
"That area's called Fuao Valley. It was shaped by the battle between Zhongli and Azhdaha. That's why it looks like that."
"Oh?" Miko turned to Ei. "Kind of like Musoujin Gorge."
Lu Chen nodded. That gorge had been carved by Ei herself, after all.
After their intense battle, the three of them sat quietly in the courtyard, casually chatting and enjoying the scenery.
Until Ei suddenly said, "We don't have much time left. I need to understand what's happening in Inazuma."
"How do you plan to find out?" Lu Chen frowned. Beidou wasn't in Liyue right now, and no one here really knew what was going on in Inazuma—entry was impossible.
"There's not a single Inazuman in Liyue?" Miko asked.
Lu Chen raised five fingers. "Even counting us three, I doubt there are more than five Inazumans in Liyue Harbor."
"Seriously..." Miko sighed. "Then what now? We've got less than half a day, and no way to return."
"Wait..." Lu Chen suddenly remembered someone.
Ei and Miko both turned toward him.
"There's this guy from Inazuma who's always wandering around Liyue's docks... name's..."
Zhuzi. An NPC who had likely smuggled himself in during the lockdown.
"Then let's go find him," Ei said, rising to her feet.
"Wait!"
Unexpectedly, Yelan stepped in front of them, raising a hand to stop them.