Beisht also noticed the change over here, a furious red light flashing in her serpentine pupils, black venom dripping down her scales.
She violently shook off Zhongli's Stone Spear, her serpentine tail slamming heavily against the sea's surface, kicking up a giant wave dozens of meters high. The wave surged forward toward Lumine and Yunqin, carrying sharp water blades, her roar filled with world-destroying fury: "How dare you lay a hand on my daughter!"
Seeing this, Zhongli's gaze sharpened, and he no longer held back his strength.
Divine attire instantly covered his body, the rock patterns glowing with dazzling golden light, and ancient runes flowed across the hem of his clothes, radiating an aura that suppressed the world.
He raised his hand and threw it into the void above the sea. A Stone Spear descended from the sky with world-destroying momentum, accurately piercing Beisht's serpentine body and pinning her firmly into the deep sea.
Black blood seeped from the seawater, intertwining with it to form a strange, inky black.
Beisht let out a shrill roar, her body struggling violently against the Stone Spear, but she could no longer move. She could only watch helplessly as Lumine protected Yunqin, her eyes filled with resentment and malice.
Venti seized the opportunity, his fingers flicking rapidly. Several wind blades precisely severed Hydra's heads. His wings unfurled, and he transformed into a streak of green light, breaking free from his restraints and rushing toward Lumine.
Just as the two were about to reach Lumine's side, Zhongli and Venti's expressions changed simultaneously.
Lumine's attention was entirely focused on Yunqin in her arms, completely unaware that a figure shrouded in dark energy was slowly approaching from just ahead.
That was "Hydro Qin." At this moment, the veins all over her body bulged as dark energy gushed madly from her pores, twisting and entwining like a living thing.
Her face was as pale as paper, black drool hanging from the corner of her mouth, yet her eyes were locked deadly on Lumine and Yunqin in her arms, filled with intense resentment and malice, like a cornered beast that had been robbed of everything.
Her steps were staggering, each one treading on the swaying sea surface and kicking up tiny black bubbles, yet they revealed a desperate resolve.
Those hands emanating dark energy slowly reached out, clearly intending to strike the defenseless Lumine and Yunqin.
"Be careful!" Zhongli shouted low, his voice carrying an unquestionable majesty. His figure instantly turned into a streak of dark light, rushing to Lumine's side.
He put away his Stone Spear, changed his fist to a palm, and with power that suppressed all, struck Xiao Qin's chest hard.
"Puff—" Hydro Qin spat out a mouthful of black mist, her body flying backward like a kite with a broken string, falling heavily on the sea surface and kicking up a large splash of black water.
A dense mass of dark energy was blasted out from her chest, twisting and roaring in the air.
Without the support of the Abyssal aura, that "Yunqin's" eyes instantly lost their focus, as if her soul had been drawn out, and her body collapsed softly, falling right beside Yunqin and falling unconscious.
The dark energy gradually dissipated from around her body, revealing her originally delicate and elegant face.
Lumine was startled by this sudden turn of events, shrinking back with Yunqin in her arms, her back bumping into Venti's hand that he had timely extended.
When she saw the unconscious "Yunqin" on the ground, her pupils suddenly dilated, her face filled with unbelievable shock, her lips trembling slightly, unable to speak for a long time, finally only letting out a trembling exclamation: "Two... two Yunqins?"
The moonlight pierced through the clouds, shining on the sea surface, emitting a soft glow.
In Lumine's arms lay Yunqin with a slight frown, and beside her lay Hydro Qin, her breath weak and the dark energy gradually dissipating.
Two figures with identical appearances lay quietly on the sea surface, like a pair of mirror images.
The moonlight shone on the sea surface, creating fine silver ripples, yet it could not dispel the heavy atmosphere in the air.
Zhongli and Venti exchanged a glance.
In the millions of years of Teyvat's history, there had never been such a bizarre sight.
"It is already a rarity for consciousness to split in two, yet they could even form independent individuals..." Zhongli raised his hand to stroke his chin, the sleeves of his divine attire swaying gently in the sea breeze, "The erosion of the Abyss can actually completely strip away a person's true heart and obsession, tearing them apart into two halves as if splitting a complete piece of Rock Jade."
Venti's emerald green eyes swept over Yunqin in Lumine's arms, then fell on the unconscious Hydro Qin beside her, his brow furrowing slightly: "One is the untainted true heart, while the other even has the surrounding seawater working for her... This Abyss's method is like playing with people's hearts."
Lumine looked down at Yunqin in her arms; the girl's brow was slightly furrowed, and her long eyelashes cast fine shadows under her eyelids, as if she were still enduring the pain left by the Abyss.
Her fingertips gently brushed Yunqin's cheek, and the skin she touched felt warm to the touch, a sense of reality that warmed her heart.
"But they look exactly the same, even the tiny mole on their earlobes is identical... I truly can't believe they are two different people."
Before the words even faded, a soft golden light suddenly glowed in Zhongli's palm.
A Geo Vision slowly floated out, the Geo patterns on its surface shimmering with a gentle light as it circled in the air, as if confirming something.
It first drifted an inch toward Hydro Qin, then quickly retreated, and finally, without further hesitation, flew straight toward Yunqin in Lumine's arms.
The Vision landed precisely at Yunqin's waist, and a faint Geo Elemental Power overflowed from it, transforming into a red string that automatically tied around her waist, securing the Vision firmly.
The red string also shimmered with fine golden light, like condensed starlight.
The next second, the Vision instantly resonated with the Geo element within Yunqin's body, and the soft golden light spread along her meridians, dispersing the remaining dark energy like warm water.
At the same time, a faint but pure adeptal energy emanated from her body, resonating with the elements surrounding Zhongli, forming a faint circle of light patterns.
Watching this scene, the tight line of Zhongli's jaw softened slightly, and a hint of relief finally showed in his voice: "It seems this is the Yunqin we know."
His eyes were as deep as ancient stone, yet they held a barely perceptible sense of relief: "The Vision has recognized its owner, and her adeptal energy is pure and untainted, with not a single trace of Abyssal corruption. This child's true self was ultimately not completely consumed."
"At least she is still here, not completely turned into a puppet of the Abyss." Venti let out a long sigh of relief, his tense shoulders slowly relaxing, and even his voice sounded a bit lighter.
Anemo energy gently swirled around him, dispersing some of the oppressive atmosphere.
Lumine also let out a heavy sigh of relief, tightening her arms around Yunqin to hold the girl more securely.
But when her gaze turned to Hydro Qin by her side, confusion welled up in her heart once again: "Then what about her? The Hydro Element on her is so dense, and even the seawater stained black by the Hydra toxin is actively purifying the toxin for her..."
Everyone's gaze focused on Hydro Qin once again.
At this moment, she was still unconscious, but the seawater beneath her spontaneously condensed into a crystalline seabed, like satin made of moonlight, steadily supporting her body.
The ink-black seawater around her flowed along her hair. The Hydro Element seemed to have a life of its own, peeling away and expelling the toxin bit by bit, then forming a transparent protective film on her body's surface, shimmering with a faint blue light, slowly healing the wounds on her body.