The Mystic Barrier had been crafted by the Venerable Streetward Rambler, with a minor modification made by Zhongli. This alteration allowed him to sense when the barrier shattered due to external attacks, enabling him to rush to the scene immediately.
Tianqiu Valley.
Morax, currently locked in battle with the Dragon Sovereign, suddenly froze, his gaze snapping toward the direction of The Chasm.
Roar—
Though already bearing numerous wounds, Azhdaha charged at Morax with a furious roar.
With the situation critical, Morax had no time for a drawn-out battle. He unleashed every strike without holding back.
Now, sensing the shattering of the Kaiyang's Mystic Barrier at The Chasm, Morax's composure wavered slightly. Facing Azhdaha's relentless assault, he radiated golden light, teleported behind the dragon, seized its tail, and hurled the beast across the valley.
Then...
"Planet Befall."
A colossal celestial body plummeted toward Azhdaha.
The deafening impact sent rocks flying and utterly reshaped Tianqiu Valley, leaving behind a massive crater.
Azhdaha lay unconscious at the bottom of the crater, completely beaten into submission.
Morax's chest heaved violently. He would never have resorted to such a mutually destructive tactic—inflicting a thousand points of damage on his enemy while suffering eight hundred himself—had the situation not been so dire.
Without a second glance, Morax flew directly toward The Chasm.
-
Qingce Village.
Having confirmed that Morax had completely and temporarily resolved the threat of Azhdaha, Chi, who had been feigning cooperation with the Adepti, suddenly turned hostile.
It first pretended to be enraged by the Adepti's stalling tactics, then unleashed a surge of even greater power, directly blasting them away.
This sudden attack was both unexpected and immensely powerful. Even with Madame Ping—or rather, Streetward Rambler, now in her youthful form from the Archon War era to unleash her full combat potential—deploying her shields, the Adepti sustained significant injuries.
Having done this, Chi didn't stop. It raised its massive, agile tail and lashed out at the nearest Adeptus, Xiao.
"Conqueror of Demons, danger! Dodge quickly!" Moon Carver, whose body was half-buried in the mountainside from a previous attack, witnessed Chi's tail sweep toward Xiao and shouted a warning.
Xiao noticed the attack, but Chi's tail moved with such speed that he had no time to react.
In the blink of an eye, the massive tail slammed into Xiao, shattering the Mystic Barrier he always carried. The force of the impact sent Xiao hurtling through the air.
"Conqueror of Demons!"
Cloud Retainer swiftly flew over and caught Xiao.
Although Chi's strike had been earth-shattering, it had held back some of its full power.
Roar—!
Chi threw its head back and unleashed a thunderous roar, rivaling even Azhdaha's earlier bellow.
Clearly, its objective had been achieved.
Morax, who was rushing toward The Chasm, suddenly stopped. The second Mystic Barrier he had given Xiao had shattered.
Immediately afterward, Chi's roar reverberated through the air. Morax's cold gaze grew even colder.
Having fought his way through the Archon War, he knew the strength of the roar's master all too well, and he understood its ominous meaning.
If he didn't intervene, Xiao and the others would never be able to stop that creature!
But if he went to their aid, what about The Chasm?
Morax clenched his right fist, his aura radiating an icy chill that pierced to the bone.
He hadn't felt this way in centuries.
No one had ever provoked such fury within him!
After a moment's hesitation, he turned toward Qingce Village.
When emotions are equal, pragmatism must take precedence.
He loathed making this choice, yet he had no alternative. But...
It truly enraged him!
-
Beneath The Chasm.
Through Chi's perspective, Malice saw Morax's arrival and let out two hoarse chuckles, then turned her gaze to Qingge, who was already covered in wounds but stubbornly rising to her feet.
Whether the players see this or not, Malice and Qingge thought, we can't afford to let our guard down.
"I... even if I die... I'll... I'll drag you down with me..." Qingge spat out a mouthful of blood, her face deathly pale, her armor shattered in multiple places, and her once-high ponytail now undone and scattered.
Beside her lay the Jade Talisman, broken in half.
Malice raised her greatsword, her figure once again melting into the darkness.
Qingge gripped her spear tightly, her hands trembling slightly, blood oozing from the cracks in her palms.
Swish—
Malice reappeared ten meters behind Qingge, now holding a severed arm in her hand, blood dripping continuously from the stump.
"Ugh... Aah—"
An unimaginable agony surged through Qingge's entire body. Every inch of her skin trembled with the pain, and blood gushed from the severed wound.
Qingge gritted her teeth so fiercely her gums bled, swiftly channeling her Elemental Energy to seal the wound.
The bleeding stopped, and a few involuntary tears welled up in Qingge's eyes.
Malice didn't look back. With a wave of its hand, the surrounding Abyss Monsters surged toward Qingge's severed arm in a frenzy.
Suppressing the agonizing pain, Qingge gripped her spear with her intact right hand, eliminating each attacker with a single strike.
On her shoulder, she could no longer feel her left arm.
So, this is what it feels like to lose an arm.
The physical pain was a mere fraction of the anguish in her heart.
I can't go back now...
She hadn't resolved the threat of The Chasm either. Despite her solemn vow to descend, her efforts had been for naught.
Watching Malice slowly retreat into the distance, Qingge felt an overwhelming sense of frustration.
She hadn't fulfilled her promise to Rola. She hadn't killed this damned monster!
Worse still, she had left this dangerous creature for Tartaglia and Qingxu to deal with. The thought of what might happen next spurred her into action, her strikes against the Abyss Monsters growing faster and more lethal.
Malice had already achieved its objective by preventing the monsters from surging outward, eliminating the need for further bloodshed.
Yet Qingge's descent had indeed averted the crisis in The Chasm.
But... the price was a bit steep.
Malice didn't attack Qingge again. As the Kaiyang of Liyue, she deserved to die gloriously in battle for her homeland. Dying at his hands would have lacked a certain meaning.
Even severely wounded and facing so many Abyss Monsters, she could still fight and win!
Let the Bedrock's steadfast resilience be demonstrated from this moment onward!
Malice strode forward, not looking back at the battle. His mission wasn't over yet. The severed arm of Qingge he carried was certainly not for show.
Attracting hatred? He was becoming increasingly adept at that.
And who said Emotional Feedback couldn't be negative?
Grasping both sides—that's what truly makes one a sweetie!
This would be his grand finale. As a villain, he needed a believable motive to deceive the masses. Plus, he wanted his final act to be more than just a whimper.
Not necessarily a cataclysmic spectacle, but at least something memorable.
He just hoped Mihoyo could withstand the backlash. This time, people might actually come looking for them in reality.
Malice thought, What else can I do?
He could only pray that Mihoyo's security was robust enough.