"Brothers, watch out! Damn it, that Stonehide Lawachurl is charging again!"
Fengyan, the chief instructor of the Millelith, knew the Stonehide Lawachurl's abilities inside out. Seeing it brace itself for a charge, he immediately shouted a warning to his men.
With Liyue's top combat power either on the Jade Chamber fighting Osial or away from the harbor on other business, the battle in the city was exceptionally fierce. Using the city gates as their line of defense, the Millelith fought wave after wave of monsters.
"Chongyun, this is the evil spirit you sensed? Isn't it a bit too big?"
"Maybe we should go down and help the Millelith deal with those monsters."
Xingqiu, having rushed back from the outskirts, pointed at Osial on the sea. He felt this was beyond Chongyun's ability to exorcise. The real question was how the two of them could survive in the presence of such a massive evil spirit.
"No, that's definitely an evil spirit! I've finally found one!"
Chongyun's excitement surged, the side effects of his Pure Yang Body quickly reddening his face. If Xingqiu hadn't quickly shoved an icy popsicle into his mouth, Chongyun might have passed out. After all, this was the first evil spirit he had encountered in his life.
"Hey, you two gawking over there! Come help! Lady Ningguang's handling the big one, so stop worrying about it!"
Fengyan drove back a few Hilichurls with his White Tassel. Seeing the two Vision holders standing idle nearby nearly made his blood boil. Were they seriously still spectating at a time like this?
"Uh, coming!"
Xingqiu pulled Chongyun down from the high ground. Raincutter combined with Chongyun's Cryo instantly froze a large group of monsters, giving the Millelith a much-needed breather.
As for the Stonehide Lawachurl rampaging through their defenses, Chongyun and Xingqiu used their nearly unstoppable freeze-lock strategy to send the unfortunate creature out of this world.
Fengyan watched the two cutting through the monster horde with a glint of admiration in his eyes. Perhaps he too could wield such power to protect Liyue. But what exactly was the price that strange man had mentioned?
"Instructor, watch out!"
Before Fengyan could react, a White Tassel pinned several monsters to the ground. Amidst their dying screeches, Fengyan stared in amazement at the one who had thrown the spear. When had this kid gained such strength?
Before he could make sense of it, the screams ahead drew his attention. At the front of the defense line, a Frostarm Lawachurl had appeared out of nowhere.
Empowered by Osial's leaking energy, this Frostarm Lawachurl was far beyond what the Millelith could handle. Each of its punches sent many soldiers out of commission.
As the main fighters on this front, Xingqiu and Chongyun could do nothing against it. They had tried breaking its shield, but the Frostarm Lawachurl, empowered by Osial, was playing dirty. The moment the shield shattered, it would summon another. Without breaking the shield, they couldn't deal any real damage.
"Chongyun, I've never missed Hu Tao as much as I do right now. Even if she won't come, at least Xiangling would help. Heck, even Guoba showing up would give me some hope."
Xingqiu panted heavily, staring at the Frostarm Lawachurl with frustration. If he had another chance, he would have brought that firearm he took from the Fatui. Breaking that shield had nearly taken half his life.
Chongyun nodded in agreement. As an exorcist from a long line of exorcists, his family had plenty of talismans. If he had known this would happen, he would have brought some before leaving home.
But it was too late for regrets now. After a brief rest, they charged at the Frostarm Lawachurl again. Against such a powerful monster, ordinary soldiers stood no chance.
...
At Yujing Terrace, Yanfei was dealing with monsters streaming down from the mountains. Due to its strategic location, even though she wanted to help elsewhere, she couldn't leave. The dense waves of monsters were giving her a headache.
"If Liyue Harbor ever expands, I'm definitely going to suggest to Ningguang that we dig a wide river around Yujing Terrace. At least then I wouldn't have to hold this spot alone next time."
While complaining, Yanfei's fireballs never stopped flying. It was only because she was an adeptal beast that she could keep going. An ordinary person would have run out of elemental energy long ago.
At another frontline in Liyue Harbor, Guoba, Xiangling, and Yun Jin were dealing with monsters formed from Hydro energy. Since they were made of Hydro, Xiangling found them surprisingly easy to handle. The Vaporize reaction from her Pyro attacks made them disappear before they could cause trouble.
But right now, Mona's expression was anything but pleasant. Thanks to her fortune-telling, Wangsheng's business had been doing well, and Hu Tao had generously given her a cut of the profits.
With Mora in hand, Mona had happily gone to Wanmin Restaurant and ordered some boiled fish. She had already paid. And then all this happened. She hadn't even gotten a single bite of that freshly served fish.
And to make matters worse, these monsters were immune to Hydro. Now Mona was stuck as a cheerleader with nowhere to vent her frustration.
"Mona, don't be too upset. Once this is over, I'll make you another boiled fish, and some shrimp dumplings to go with it. Those are Hu Tao's favorites."
"Really? That's great! Xiangling, you're a lifesaver."
"Lulu! Lulu!"
Hearing about good food, Guoba quickly spoke up to remind them he wanted some too. But Xiangling was annoyed that he had run out on his own. It was dangerous out here. If he got hurt, she would be devastated.
"Guoba, be careful. Don't get hurt. We'll talk about this when we get home."
"Lulu~ Lulu~"
"Don't try to play cute. Getting soaked by Hydro is just like giving you a bath."
Seeing the situation under control, Xiangling breathed a sigh of relief. She had only wanted to check on Hu Tao at Wangsheng. She hadn't expected to run into monsters blocking her way.
What surprised her even more was that Guoba, that usually good boy, had learned to sneak out. When she saw him surrounded by Hydro monsters, her heart nearly stopped.
At Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, located in the heart of Liyue, monsters had also begun to attack. A group of Whopperflowers had burrowed up from underground and now roamed the streets, smashing whatever buildings they came across. Their movements were incredibly arrogant.