——Teyvat
Jade Chamber.
Under the adepti blessings, the four women slaughtered in all directions. Even though Fatui and monsters continued to pour out from the portals without end, they were never able to advance to the adepti.
On the sea battlefield below.
The seven-headed Osial possessed abnormally formidable strength and consistently suppressed Jun Bai.
However, every time Osial prepared to deliver a heavy blow to Jun Bai, the Jade Chamber would land a brutal shot on It, interrupting all of Its actions.
Even so, Jun Bai sustained constant minor wounds.
"Xuanjian, is it still not ready? If you don't hurry up, Morax really will have to step in."
"This trial will end in failure."
Wounds kept appearing on his body, yet Jun Bai remained calm—even having the mood to think about other matters.
With Rex Lapis observing from the shadows, Jun Bai truly felt no panic. He simply wanted to know whether the hidden method Xuanjian had kept concealed could deal with this Osial, who was considerably more difficult to handle than in the original plot.
Because of his own existence, Liyue's high-end combat forces—excluding Morax—could now form a full Liyue powerhouse team, and the grassroots forces had received corresponding enhancements.
Yet against Osial, they still fell into the same bitter struggle as in the original plot, which showed just how much Osial's strength had increased.
The three gods of Liyue had always known that the Ziwei Star of Guili Assembly harbored secrets they kept from them. This had been true for every generation, and the current Xuanjian was no exception.
But just as parents—except those with excessive control issues—generally do not pry into the secrets their grown children hide, the three gods tacitly accepted Ziwei Star's behavior, allowed the tradition to continue, and never actively investigated the secret passed down through generations.
Now Osial had revived in an even stronger form. As Rex Lapis's final trial left for humanity before his abdication, Xuanjian was finally about to activate this method hidden for thousands of years.
Jun Bai did not know whether the methods left by successive Ziwei Stars, combined with Ningguang's Jade Chamber, could suppress Osial once more as in the original plot.
(Killing It was impossible—the fishermen of Guili Assembly and Liyue Harbor still depended on Yunlai Sea for their livelihood.)
Whether it would pass the trial or require Rex Lapis to intervene, Jun Bai did not know either.
All he knew now was to go all out!
Even covered in wounds, the true phoenix still fought desperately against the seven-headed god. He believed humanity would not let him down.
The upper battlefield and lower battlefield entered a delicate balance.
At this point, it was less a contest of power and more a test of will.
The power Liyue now held was sufficient to endure this ordeal, but the key to victory or defeat lay in whether their will could persist until the ordeal's end.
The first to break the balance was the upper battlefield.
Keqing transformed into streaks of lightning, darting across the battlefield. When she cleared one area of monsters and prepared to rush to the next, she suddenly collapsed to the ground.
Paimon noticed and shouted to Lumine: "Lumine, something's wrong with Keqing!"
Ganyu was surrounded by gentle winds—Cloud Retainer's blessing, which reduced the charge time of Frostflake Arrow.
She also shouted to Lumine: "Traveler, the adepti blessings place a heavy burden on mortal bodies. Keqing must be at her limit—hurry and help her!"
Lumine looked toward Keqing's position and saw Fatui surrounding her. She immediately prepared to use Xiao's extreme speed to rush over for support.
"Don't come over!"
Keqing shouted as she stood up, swinging the Lion's Roar and defeating the approaching Fatui with one strike. It was as if everything that had just happened was an illusion.
But upon closer inspection, Keqing's face was now pale as gold paper, her forehead covered in bean-sized sweat beads, and the hand gripping the Lion's Roar trembled unconsciously.
She had nearly been unable to stand steady.
[Keqing!!! (extremely loud)]
[Wife, don't force yourself—try relying on me a little!]
"Protecting the honorable adepti is the only thing I, as a human, can do."
"Even this sole thing I can manage has already begun to rely on the adepti's power."
"If I can't even do this properly at this point—"
Countless thunderbolts coiled around Keqing, transforming her into a bolt of rushing lightning that constantly struck down enemies across the battlefield.
"—then what right do I have to ask the citizens of Liyue Harbor to let go of their dependence on adepti and gods!"
"The four of us are the only ones who can hold this line, so I will not fall here! Traveler, Ganyu—guard the directions you're responsible for. Don't come over!"
Lumine and Ganyu clenched their teeth tightly, watching Keqing's figure—already nearing exhaustion yet still fighting desperately.
In the end, the two steeled themselves, stopped paying attention to Keqing, and focused entirely on the enemies before them.
The corners of Keqing's mouth lifted slightly. Even though she could barely hold her sword, her mood was better than ever before.
When you decide to go all out, and everyone respects your decision—that is probably the most beautiful thing in the world.
There were no injuries inside or out, yet her body had already reached its limit. The current Keqing was holding on purely by will.
Bosacius, Madame Ping, and Herblord respected her decision and did not withdraw their blessings. They knew she needed this power to keep fighting.
Her consciousness was blurring, but Keqing still knew to defeat the enemies before her.
Memories flooded in like a tide, flashing rapidly through Keqing's fading consciousness, finally freezing on the sword mark behind the waterfall at Qingce Village.
"In Qingce there was a youth of extraordinary talent who practiced swordsmanship beneath the waterfall, severing the flowing water with a single strike."
In her youth, Keqing had always treated this as mere storybook tale. Who could possibly use swordsmanship to cut a waterfall? Even if it was the legendary Qingce Sword Immortal, she thought it impossible.
Until, while practicing swordsmanship in Qingce Village, Keqing saw that sword mark behind the waterfall.
A realm ordinary swordsmen could never touch in their lifetime was merely a single line in the Sword Immortal's tale.
Most people would only think: the Sword Immortal was beyond ordinary reach.
But Keqing thought: so even mortals can reach such heights.
"The last thing I recall is actually this scene."
With her final sliver of clear consciousness, Keqing carefully examined the sword mark behind the waterfall.
A flash of inspiration struck, and Keqing seized it.
She gripped the sword hilt with her last remaining strength.
Behind her, the phantom of a youth suddenly appeared. As the phantom moved, she followed. Finally, with the Lion's Roar in hand, she unleashed a sword strike that had appeared only once in history.
[Wife is so cool!]
[That one sword cleared the screen! My wife is invincible!]
[This is clearly my wife!]
This strike carried no thunder light, yet neither monsters nor Fatui had any chance to resist.
The direction Keqing guarded—despite constant reinforcements—suddenly had a brief blank segment.
But after unleashing this sword, Keqing truly could not hold on any longer.
Her delicate frame collapsed like a toppled mountain of gold and jade pillar.
Yet before Keqing could hit the ground, someone caught her.
"Sorry, we're late." Yunshang's tone was unprecedentedly sincere.
Behind her, more and more people boarded the Jade Chamber.
...
Mt. Tianheng.
"Lord Rex Lapis, are you still not planning to act?"
"Are you really waiting until sacrifice occurs before you make up your mind?"
Pantalone smiled as he looked up at the sky covered in dark clouds.
At that moment, the ground began to tremble...