**Chapter 16: Lotus Blooms, Just a Little Bit of Damage**
Meanwhile,
at Wangshu Inn,
a young man stood motionless on the rooftop, his hands clasped behind his back like a stone statue.
His short, cyan hair fluttered in the wind, and a vermilion mark on his forehead added a unique charm.
His crimson-gold eyes were as calm as still water, as if they had been dormant for millennia.
Around his neck hung an exquisitely crafted and imposing Vajra Pestle.
Most striking were the celestial beast tattoos that adorned his arms, radiating an inviolable aura that repelled any malevolent forces.
Though he appeared to be under twenty, the young man was actually Xiao, a Guardian Yaksha who had lived for two thousand years, known as the Great Conqueror of Demons.
***
As always, Xiao stood atop Wangshu Inn, silently guarding the bustling city of Liyue.
But this time, he sensed something amiss. His gaze slowly drifted downward, and he clearly saw a group of Treasure Hoarders surrounding a man and woman over a kilometer away. It was obvious the bandits had malicious intentions.
Moments later, the Millelith arrived and quickly brought the situation under control. Xiao, believing the matter resolved, prepared to withdraw his gaze.
But just then, a sudden turn of events unfolded. Three Fatui soldiers entered the fray, launching a brutal assault on the Millelith.
Xiao couldn't understand how the Fatui had infiltrated Liyue, but he knew their bodies had been modified, making them formidable opponents. Ordinary soldiers stood little chance.
As expected, the Millelith proved no match for the Fatui, retreating step by step until every last soldier lay fallen.
With the situation escalating, Xiao could no longer stand idly by.
The Liyue before him was the result of Lord Emperor's millennia of tireless effort. Xiao would not allow anyone to disrupt its hard-won peace.
He donned his Yaksha Mask and took a deep breath. In that instant, Xiao underwent a profound transformation. Invisible shackles seemed to shatter, and his extinguished golden eyes blazed anew, burning like unwavering beacons in a raging storm!
Dark karmic energy slowly materialized around him, accompanied by both immense pain and the release of overwhelming power.
In the next moment, Xiao dissolved into a wisp of green smoke and vanished from his perch.
***
As Xiao moved into action, Ganyu received a message from the Millelith and swiftly rushed to Wangshu Inn.
By the time she arrived, the Millelith had already fallen. She saw three Fatui soldiers slowly advancing toward Fang Xun and Ningguang.
Without hesitation, Ganyu drew Amos' Bow, preparing to fire an arrow to save them.
Blue light coalesced around the arrow as a powerful aura erupted from Ganyu's body. Finally, a radiant blue flower bloomed at the arrow's tip.
Just as Ganyu was about to release the arrow, she saw Fang Xun, the traveler, holding Ningguang in his arms, rapidly retreating. As he moved, several illusory afterimages of himself appeared.
Moreover, Fang Xun left behind a golden lotus flower in his wake!
Ganyu was stunned. *Isn't that my skill, Mountain Shaper's Mark?* she thought. Across all of Liyue, only she and her master, Cloud Retainer, could use this technique. *How can Fang Xun wield it?*
Furthermore, Ganyu noticed a subtle difference in Fang Xun's execution of Mountain Shaper's Mark. While her version left behind an ice lotus, Fang Xun's left a golden lotus. Though both were lotus flowers, Ganyu could clearly sense that the golden lotus radiated an overwhelmingly terrifying aura.
As a half-human, half-adeptus beast, Ganyu couldn't help but feel a pang of unease when she sensed that aura.
Instinct told her that golden lotus was dangerous.
However, the Fatui soldiers clearly lacked Ganyu's keen perception.
They glanced at the lotus and strode past it, dismissing it as a mere survival skill, not worth guarding against.
But in the next instant, the golden lotus bloomed magnificently, erupting in a blinding light.
The sea of light instantly engulfed three Fatui officers, their bodies dissolving into dust that vanished into the air.
When the light faded, no trace of the Fatui remained—only a charred, smoking thunder hammer lay on the ground.
The Millelith soldiers stared in stunned silence.
They had struggled to defeat even a single Fatui officer, yet this outsider named Fang Xun had taken down three in one strike!
And not just defeated them—he had annihilated them completely, leaving nothing behind.
It was utterly unbelievable!
Xiao Ningguang, hiding in Fang Xun's arms, was equally astonished. She never imagined her Brother Fang Xun was so powerful.
Just one lotus had wiped out those three bad guys!
*Brother Fang Xun is so amazing!*
Beside them, Ganyu fell silent, pondering:
*If I used Mountain Shaper's Mark, could I inflict such terrifying damage as Fang Xun?*
The answer was clearly no.
Ganyu couldn't help but wonder:
*How many secrets does this outsider named Fang Xun hide?*
***
High on a distant mountain peak, Xiao stood silently, then removed his Yaksha Mask.
He had witnessed the entire battle unfold and was equally astonished by the immense power Fang Xun had displayed.
"A foreigner without a Vision, yet able to wield elemental forces..."
"I believe we should report this matter to Lord Emperor."
....
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(End of Chapter)