The spatial repair was complete.
However, Su Han was in no hurry to depart. Instead, he coordinated with the local Soul Messengers to begin a systematic purge of the remaining magical beasts. He also utilized several specialized containers to seal ten of the creatures alive.
Now that he presided over a vast enterprise, his interests spanned across all fields. These monsters were of a type never before seen; by studying their essence, he might uncover new discoveries. While those ten were preserved, the rest were slaughtered without mercy.
As the battle subsided, Hu Tao was surprised to find that the thick fog characteristic of the Boundary was slowly dissipating.
"Whoa... it's actually quite beautiful here?"
The young girl looked up. In the absence of the mist, the sky revealed countless cascading stars. The landscape of the Boundary finally showed its true face—while not as vibrant as the surface world, it contained mountains and even cities. It was much like the world above, only desolate due to the lack of inhabitants.
The messenger who had first received Su Han was visibly moved. "I never imagined you possessed such capability..."
Restoring their master's domain was beyond their wildest dreams. Even Old Man Hu stood in a daze; it was his first time seeing the Boundary's true form. Realizing that the black mist had seeped in from beyond the barrier made his skin crawl.
Su Han looked around at the barren land. "You've lost a lot of territory, haven't you?"
"Yes, my Lord," the messenger sighed. "We had to retreat to protect our master's sleeping chambers. It was a choice of necessity."
The Soul Messengers recounted their history. They were once quite powerful, but as the rift widened, the instability of the Boundary took its toll. They had lost hundreds of companions trying to plug the gap to no avail, eventually being forced to hold the center.
"You were reckless," Su Han remarked. "A rift in the fabric of a plane cannot be mended by mere soul power, regardless of how strong. If not for the Water Spiritual Pearl—a treasure born for mending the world—even I would have struggled."
"My Lord... may we ask a favor of you?"
"To purge the monsters here?"
"Yes. We know you are incredibly powerful. We hope you will protect this place. In return, we are willing to become your subordinates—at least until our master awakens, we are yours to command."
They had lost too much of the hinterlands. They needed to crush the beasts entirely while the plane was stable.
Su Han considered this. "You may enter the Star-Soul Tower to transform yourselves. I will also send reinforcements to campaign against those creatures. After all, this is Teyvat's frontier."
He wasn't going to overcharge them or lead them into a trap. This place was effectively Liyue's back door; if it fell, all of Liyue would suffer. The messengers were overjoyed.
As Hu Tao led them toward the Star-Soul Tower, Su Han opened the Dimensional Mission Group to summon his "enforcers."
In the Dimensional Mission Group
Su Han: "@Everyone... anyone available, come to Wuwang Hill. Bring Katakuri, Inuyasha, and the others. Something has happened here, and we need manpower. No ordinary people—only powerhouses who can resist the aura of death."
Ningguang: "What happened? Did a war break out in the Underworld the moment you stepped out?"
Venti: "You didn't go and tear the Boundary apart, did you? Are you becoming the Lord of the Underworld now? Scary, brother."
Raiden Shogun: "Can you be serious for once? Su Han wouldn't do something like that without cause. There must be an emergency."
Mona: "Orders sent. The Holy Knight Order will arrive first. Eula is leading three hundred men; they'll be there in ten minutes."
Hanachirusato: "@Su Han, what exactly occurred?"
Kuki Shinobu: "I've heard Wuwang Hill leads to the land of the dead. Is it a breach?"
Su Han: "Long story short, the Boundary wall was shattered. There is a Demon God here who created this world, but they are in a deep slumber. To save the residents, I've had to repair the spatial barrier."
Venti: "Repairing space? Since when did you have that skill???"
Ganyu: "Did you use that treasure?"
Ningguang: "The Water Spiritual Pearl?"
Su Han: "Yes. The breach was too large, and creatures were invading. If war had broken out here unchecked, the fallout would have spread everywhere. Also, I have a question... is Teyvat full of holes?"
He had been thinking about this. If the corrupted beasts of the Abyss entered nations from the sea or elsewhere, they couldn't all be coming from the seabed. There had to be rifts.
Venti: "Uh... you guessed right. Teyvat is beautiful, but as far as I know, many places have 'cracks' and defects."
Raiden Shogun: "Indeed. Both Liyue and Inazuma fought those monsters in the past. Do you think more rifts will appear?"
Su Han: "If the Boundary has issues, other places aren't safe either. Once the barriers fail, the Abyss will return in full force."
Beidou: "Last time, the disaster in Khaenri'ah touched the world's barrier, causing a chain reaction. This time, I suspect..."
Diluc: "Sumeru, right?"
The nation of wisdom, yet seemingly lacking in it. Genius and madness were separated by a thin line. To the people of Sumeru, researching ancient creatures seemed normal, but Diluc found their obsession with Khaenri'ah's machinery disgusting.
Yae Miko: "Heh, Sumeru's mess is much worse than Inazuma's ever was. Even at our worst, people knew that if Ei woke up and swung her blade, the enemies would be cleared. But Sumeru... the power of the Akademiya is greater than you imagine."
Raiden Shogun: "We can discuss that later. Deal with the Boundary first. Do I need to come over?"
Hu Tao: "No... the Boundary repels the direct power of a Demon God."
The Gathering at Wuwang Hill
On the World Tree, Amber received the summons. She packed her gear immediately.
"Is something big happening?" Collei asked, noticing her friend's urgency.
"Yeah, trouble at the Boundary. Eula's already there, and I need to go too! Stay here and have fun, I'll be back tomorrow."
"Wait! I'm coming with you!" Collei blocked her path.
Amber shook her head. "It's too dangerous. We're going to the land of death, Collei. I appreciate the thought, but wait here."
"Dummy, I'm stronger than you now." Collei had mastered the Black-Flame Serpent; her combat prowess now exceeded Amber's.
Tighnari walked out and, upon hearing the situation, made the same decision. "You've looked after us these past few days. If there's trouble, we help as friends."
Amber couldn't refuse. The three took a flying artifact and headed for Wuwang Hill. When they arrived, a crowd of powerful figures had already gathered.
"Amber! Over here!" Keqing waved to them from the foot of the hill.
"Are we really deploying this many people?" Collei whispered.
"The enemy count in the Boundary is massive," Keqing explained. "We'll clear this up and be back in time for the Moonchase Festival."
They moved into the depths. Within minutes, the air grew heavy. Death energy was everywhere.
"It really is the realm of the dead," Tighnari noted, ears twitching. "You have to maintain an elemental shield or your vitality will drain away."
"That's why everyone here was hand-picked. Hurry up—the vanguard has already engaged!"
They soon arrived before the ruins of a city. Countless black-skinned monsters swarmed out from within.
Collei scanned the area, her brow furrowing. "They've turned this place into a nest. Just how many have they spawned...?"
Inside the ruins, the ground was like a quagmire, and the monsters were leaping out of the sludge like frenzied predators.
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