Liyue Harbor.
Northland Bank.
After Tsaritsa and Skirk's power had nourished him, Childe had temporarily recovered somewhat from his injuries.
Though his body was still heavily wounded, at the very least he could now move on his own.
Looking at the intelligence report in his hand, Childe felt a headache coming on.
It was written by Rosalyne, that proud woman.
The letter said that all Fatui plans in Mondstadt had been terminated.
The reason…
A senior member of the Hexenzirkel had returned to Mondstadt.
The words were written lightly, but Childe could clearly sense Rosalyne's fear between the lines.
He had heard of Alice's deeds before.
That woman was a powerhouse on the same level as his own master.
One who absolutely surpassed most of the Archons of today—perhaps not far from those first sovereigns who had lived since the dawn of time.
Back when Rosalyne had been captured, Childe had not yet joined the Fatui. He'd only heard that many Harbingers had suffered under Alice's hand.
It had taken the personal intervention of the Tsaritsa to ransom Rosalyne and the others back.
So the most absurd question now was:
How could Alice possibly leave the Netherworld and return to Teyvat?
Was the border no longer suppressing her?
Since that day of the great lightning storm, Teyvat had become more and more chaotic.
Childe faintly sensed that some terrifying figure had entered Teyvat.
Just like the current Liyue. Just like the current Keqing…
He raised a hand to press against his chest. The stabbing pain where the blade had pierced him made his brows knit involuntarily.
In just a few days, Yuheng became so strong?
Even after he'd unleashed his Foul Legacy, he'd been instantly defeated?
Too unreal…
Suddenly, a Fatui soldier rushed in, not even bothering to greet him.
Childe was about to scold him when the man blurted out in panic:
"Lord Childe! That Liyue Sword Immortal has returned! We confirmed with care—it's undoubtedly the Yuheng, Keqing."
"Also, we've just received word from our watchers at Jueyun Karst. This afternoon, Bubu Pharmacy's Baizhu brought Qiqi there, but they were stopped by a large force of Millelith."
"According to our scouts, those Millelith leapt across rooftops as if walking on flat ground. Each possessed extraordinary power, at least on par with wielders of Visions."
"Later, a cloud-bridge descended from the heights of Jueyun. The Millelith grew extremely respectful, and Baizhu and Qiqi were escorted up."
Hearing this, Childe was silent for a moment before nodding.
"I understand. Recall all intelligence operatives—don't approach Jueyun Karst again."
"Yes, sir!"
Once the Fatui left in haste, Childe, though unwilling, had to accept the truth.
In Liyue, there truly was a cultivator like those spoken of in old storybooks.
The thought made him itch with curiosity, longing to see Jueyun Karst with his own eyes.
But with his identity, if he went rashly, he'd be seized by the Millelith on the spot.
Rubbing his temples, Childe muttered,
"I'll need a foolproof plan first…"
With that, he dragged his injured body back to his desk and began writing letters.
The world outside was in upheaval.
But to Mount Shu, which had just shaken all of Teyvat, these were but trivial matters.
By now, night had fallen.
Zhongli and the others had already returned to their respective peaks to heal and reorganize resources.
Tonight was not a good time to visit the Hall of Merits for exchanges.
Ningguang and the others had also temporarily departed from Mount Shu's Cave Heaven.
A cold moon rose above Mount Shu's summit, its silver light once again revealing the Moon Platform.
Ganyu arrived right on time.
She looked up, but did not see Jiang Yan's figure.
Only Qingluan flew past in haste, vanishing into the distance.
The little one had been flying all afternoon, and still wasn't satisfied, as if she'd been stifled for too long.
Retracting her gaze, Ganyu thought of Jiang Yan's troubled look that afternoon, and worry welled up in her.
After some hesitation, she began walking toward the peak of Tongtian.
At that moment, Jiang Yan was seated cross-legged in the sect's grand hall, eyes closed.
He was not cultivating, merely pondering the information he had learned from the Greenwind Ox earlier.
The Ox knew little, after all he'd been imprisoned in the Nine Nether Secret Realm for tens of thousands of years.
Most of his knowledge came secondhand from Mount Shu disciples, but it largely matched the contents of that jade talisman.
What weighed most on Jiang Yan's mind was what the Ox said at the end—about the four great disciples of Tongtian Peak's sect master line back then.
Senior Brother Mei Qing.
Second Brother Sang Xiang.
Third Sister Hua Yuan.
And the youngest junior…
Jiang Yan!
The four personal disciples of the sect master had been peerless prodigies of the cultivation world.
Among them, Jiang Yan, the last disciple taken in, had been the brightest.
He had reached the realm of Returning to Void before his hundredth year.
The entire cultivation world had been shaken. Even an Ancestor of the Upper Realm, a True Immortal of Taiyi, had forcibly descended with his soul to see him—suffering damage to his spirit as a result.
Back then, the four great true disciples had suppressed the entire cultivation world, leaving all other geniuses gasping for air.
But later, the whole cultivation realm had been devastated. Only the Nine Nether Secret Realm had survived by some unknown means.
The Ox had vaguely sensed the catastrophe.
The weight of such revelations left Jiang Yan doubting the reality of his twenty-odd years of life.
Even the calm mental state forged by the Huangting Jade-View Sutra was wavering.
"Master?"
Ganyu's timid voice roused him. He opened his eyes slowly, seeing her standing carefully at the doorway.
"Ganyu…"
Jiang Yan set aside his tangled thoughts, beckoning her closer.
"I've told you before—when no one else is around, just call me by name."
He smiled softly as she sat before him.
"Sorry. I won't be lecturing today. I had matters on my mind."
Ganyu shook her head.
"It's fine. I didn't come for that."
She pursed her lips, speaking gently:
"Jiang Yan, do you have something weighing on you? This afternoon, you seemed… unsettled."
Jiang Yan was silent for a while, gazing at the moonlit night outside.
"It's nothing. Only… for a moment, I couldn't tell what was real, and what was an illusion."
Ganyu tilted her head, puzzled, not understanding his meaning.
After a moment, she said softly:
"I may not know what troubles you… but if you can't figure it out, then perhaps you don't need to."
"You once told me: cultivation itself is a journey into the unknown. If from the very start you already knew where the path ended, then what meaning would it hold?"
"So… all that matters is to keep moving forward."
Jiang Yan blinked, then chuckled wryly.
"Didn't expect to be lectured by you one day, Ganyu."
"I just spoke what I felt…" She lowered her head shyly.
Jiang Yan rose and walked to the doorway.
Indeed—there was no need to untangle everything now.
The mysteries of the past were not solved by dogged pursuit, but by a single moment of enlightenment.
Since that was so, best to let things take their course.
For now, the most important matter was not the Nine Nether Secret Realm or his own past—
It was the evolution of Mount Shu's Cave Heaven.
"Claim reward."
With those words in his heart, light blazed across the cave-heaven.
In an instant, heaven and earth shook.
Six beams of golden radiance condensed in the sky, then crashed down into the seven peaks besides Tongtian.
At the same time, three regions within the cave-heaven crystallized into dazzling spirit-mines.
Mount Shu's Cave Heaven severed its dependency on Teyvat, becoming ever more complete.
The moon and stars above shone with a brilliance undeniably real.
The whole of Mount Shu quaked with change.
"Jiang Yan…"
Startled, Ganyu grabbed his sleeve.
"It's fine."
He gently embraced her waist, meeting her eyes.
"Mount Shu is evolving. Ganyu, seize this chance."
She blinked, then quickly nodded, circulating her qi.
The others too had noticed the upheaval. After a brief panic, they bowed to the heavens in unison:
"Thank you for your blessing, honored ancestors!"
Then each plunged into cultivation.
The very concept of Mount Shu's Cave Heaven was being stripped away, its laws made complete.
The world's edge stretched outward, doubling in size in but a moment—and still expanding.
Boundless spiritual energy surged through, no longer needing Jiang Yan to open channels.
The qi was born of heaven and earth itself.
Spirit herbs sprouted across the land.
In the bamboo forests, one stalk glowed, radiating sword intent.
Halfway up Windreturn Peak, a Sunset Fruit tree mutated, bearing crimson fruits.
In the far east, a flower turned azure, its fragrance enthralling nearby beasts.
Plants changed fastest; beasts followed.
In the jungles below the seven peaks, a tiger grew wings and soared.
A giant serpent's head bulged into a horn.
A white crane swelled to dozens of meters in size.
Demonic qi spread everywhere.
Even the sealed demon-gods benefited, torrents of spiritual energy pouring into them.
Though stripped of their divine laws, their forms evolved toward powerful beastly bloodlines.
All of Mount Shu was undergoing wild transformation.
The seven peaks grew taller, like pillars propping up the heavens, rising tens of thousands of meters.
At last, after an unknown time, the upheaval subsided.
Mount Shu's Cave Heaven had really become Mount Shu's Cave Heaven.
Its size was now ten times that of Teyvat.
The demon-gods, sensing their newfound might, prostrated themselves before the seven peaks in exhilaration.
Zhongli and the others ended their cultivation, finding their wounds healed and strength honed.
With gratitude, they bowed toward Tongtian Peak, then returned to their abodes to refine their arts.
Jiang Yan himself had fully absorbed the insights of the Huangting Jade-View Sutra at the Union of Void and Dao stage.
With it, his cultivation would progress smoothly, and reaching the peak of the Union of Void was only a matter of time.
Opening his eyes, he saw Ganyu before him, eyes full of worry.
Smiling, he reached up to rub her horn.
"You're done cultivating already?"
She lowered her gaze shyly, murmuring:
"Your aura just now grew so turbulent… I was worried."
Warmth filled Jiang Yan's heart.
This little qilin's feelings were always so obvious, never hidden.
And he did not truly reject her. Until now, Mount Shu had always come first.
But with the world's evolution complete, much no longer required his constant labor.
It was time to consider himself, too.
After a moment of silence, Jiang Yan said softly:
"Ganyu… do you remember when I once told you about a special cultivation method called dual cultivation?"
She thought, then nodded.
"I do. You said Shenhe possessed a Pure Yin Moonlight Physique, and that in the cultivation world there was a sect of demonic cultivators called the Hehuan Sect, who specialized in such arts."
Jiang Yan gently lifted her chin with a finger, murmuring:
"In truth… I, too, know the way of dual cultivation."
Ganyu's eyes widened in delight—and then she threw herself into his arms.
Sometimes, between those with true affection, no excess words are needed.
A single glance, a single gesture, is enough to understand the other's heart.
Just as with Ganyu…
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