"Hmm… That's strange."
The Doctor gently stroked his chin and said, "Shouldn't you be working on my other clone on the other side by now?"
"Although that clone's strength is not outstanding, with the Lady and the Young Master's help, it should have been enough to hold you back for a while."
"Haha, then you'd best ask your 'good allies' yourself."
Although a relaxed smile appeared on his face, recalling the scene from a few minutes ago, Yilan couldn't help but think to himself that it had been a close call.
A few minutes earlier, he had seen a blue signal fired from the escort team and rushed over immediately.
Upon arriving, he had indeed encountered three of the Fatui Harbingers: the Doctor, the Young Master, and the Lady.
But just when he thought all his enemies were gathered, the Lady—who had been confronting the Qianyan Army—perhaps recognizing his identity, suddenly retreated.
Her retreat was so casual, it immediately raised Yilan's suspicions: it was as if she didn't take this operation seriously at all.
This operation was most likely not an official order from Her Majesty the Tsaritsa, but merely a personal endeavor of the Doctor's. The Young Master and the Lady had only been lending their help out of camaraderie among the Harbingers.
The Lady's quick withdrawal proved it further: they had merely been bait!
Once Yilan realized this, he didn't hesitate. He immediately rushed toward Yuheng Mountain—arriving just in time to save Keqing's life at the most critical moment.
Of course, there was no need to explain this to the Doctor. He merely gave him a mocking smile and said,
"Honestly, out of all the scum I've seen, you're the weirdest one."
The Doctor didn't get angry at the taunt. Instead, he slowly shifted his weight to his feet, a playful smile on his face.
"I'm curious," he said. "What gives you the confidence to speak so arrogantly? Has the thrill of rescuing a beauty clouded your judgment, so you can no longer see the vast difference in strength between us?"
"Well, under normal circumstances, you're right—I really wouldn't be your match,"
Yilan, who had already activated the Three Elements Fusion and the Elegy of the Sinner, admitted frankly.
Even though the Doctor's slice before him was not the strongest among the Seven, his strength still far surpassed an ordinary demon god—far beyond what Yilan could handle normally.
"But—"
The corners of Yilan's lips curved into a smile.
"Unfortunately for you, you picked the wrong battlefield."
The next moment, everything changed.
When the Doctor sensed something wrong and tried to release his full strength, the demon karma and residue accumulated in the cave suddenly rioted—rushing toward the Doctor like a black tsunami.
Even with all his might, the Doctor was forced to retreat a distance under the assault of that almost demon-level power.
When he finally tore free of the encroaching demon remains and looked forward again, he saw Yilan had already plunged one hand into the black boulder that resembled a "cocoon."
As Yilan slowly pulled his hand free, crystal-clear light like jade emerged from the filthiest mud.
Boom!
With Yilan's movements, the entire mountain—hundreds of meters high—began to tremble and collapse violently.
Huge chunks of rock rained down from the ceiling.
Rather than an earthquake, it felt as if the force that had been silently supporting the mountain was being released—and something truly extraordinary was being born.
"Don't even think about it!"
The Doctor also sensed the threat.
He wasn't some third-rate villain who would just stand and watch as the protagonist transformed.
The roulette-like wheel behind him, shaped like a magic array, suddenly opened its fifth "eye"—the one representing Pyro!
A massive bolt formed from the mixed forces of fire, water, wind, and electro burned through the air, howling toward Yilan.
And then—
Bang!
The attack was deflected.
The countless demon residues inside the cave, as if receiving a command, gathered behind Yilan, forming a pair of black wings.
The color of the wings wasn't simple darkness—it was like the boundless starry sky unfurling behind him.
The wings stretched out instantly, dozens of meters wide.
Just their formation deflected the Doctor's spell—and even cleaved the entire mountain in half!
Boom boom!
The collapse intensified, devastating everything. Even the ground cracked open.
Meanwhile, Yilan, pulling out the jade-colored light, revealed its true form:
——It was a sword.
A sword as pure as crystal, without any impurity. Pure to the extreme.
But this "holy sword" was precisely the thing that gave Yilan the ability to control the demon remnants.
As mentioned earlier, this small cave contained almost all the demon remnants accumulated in Liyue over the past thousand years—likely exceeding the total strength of several demon gods.
Normally, such remnants would just be dead things without a master. But once someone who could wield them appeared—
Yilan pulled out the jade sword fully and raised it high.
Nourished by his core from a thousand years ago, bathed in the gratitude of the people, and nourished by heaven and earth, it erupted with dazzling brilliance.
The radiant light pierced through the mountaintop, shattered the dark clouds, and connected directly with the bright moon above.
Far away, a man standing solemnly atop another mountain, with amber eyes like ancient stone, looked toward the light with nostalgia.
"My friend… have you returned?"
The Five Yakshas escorting the Fatui captives back to Liyue Harbor also turned their eyes skyward, faces filled with longing:
"Have you returned?"
The ancient immortals in Jueyun Karst raised their heads, letting out long, piercing cries:
"Has he returned?"
And somewhere else, a girl with long ice-blue hair covered her mouth, sobbing:
"Is it really you?"
At that moment, countless mouths shouted the same name in unison:
"Yilan!!!"
Yuheng Mountain had completely collapsed.
Standing amidst the ruins, Yilan raised his head.
At this moment, even his dark eyes had turned into starry skies, shining with divine light.
The battle from a thousand years ago had ended with his death.
But just before his end, he had attained demon-level power.
Now, with his thousand-year-old core and the nourishment of countless memories, he had completed his transformation.
Maybe the demon residues he controlled weren't truly "his" power—and maybe once they were exhausted, he would return to his former strength.
But at this moment, by wielding his ancient core, he possessed power that even ordinary demon gods could not match.
Yilan pointed his sword at the Doctor, floating midair.
At that moment, it was as if a towering giant stood behind him—speaking in a voice that shook the universe:
"Ready to run for your life, bug?"
"Yilan?"
Keqing hadn't yet fully understood what had happened.
She had fallen from halfway up Yuheng Mountain—but hadn't been harmed.
A gentle force had spread around her like a shield, protecting her from all damage.
She stared blankly at the boy beside her—at once familiar and unfamiliar.
Her mind was blank.
At this moment, he floated midair.
In his right hand, he held the jade-like sword that seemed to embody the concept of the "holy sword"; in his left, a purple long knife flashing with thunder.
Behind him stretched starry wings.
The moonlight draped over him, giving him an almost surreal beauty—like an angel, and like a devil.
"Hahahaha—so that's it! Something like this could really happen? Hilarious!"
The Doctor laughed wildly to the sky, pouring all his strength into the roulette-like wheel behind him.
With a loud boom, the wheel expanded tens of meters—like pulling down the moon itself to hang behind his back.
"I'm fascinated by you! As material for my experiments, let's reenact the myths—let's see just how far you can go, hero of Liyue!"
Yilan's divine gaze met the Doctor's frenzied one in the air.
In the next instant—
The tsunami broke loose.
The roulette's Hydro Eye burst into brilliant light, unleashing a vast tsunami that surged toward Yilan.
Facing the familiar tsunami, Yilan gently closed his eyes.
When he opened them again, lightning flashed within.
He thrust out his left-hand sword—Dream Heart—and drew a wide arc from left to right.
"No Thoughts, Sever!"
The space was cut open by lightning.
The roaring tsunami split down the middle, a path forming in the sea.
Yilan flapped his starry wings and turned into a beam of dark light, slipping through the gap straight toward the Doctor.
As for the aftermath of the tsunami—he had no need to worry.
Because, this time, he wasn't alone.
Floating silently behind him was a man in a robe as solemn as a mountain—Zhongli.
Doing nothing but standing there, he was enough.
When the raging tsunami struck Zhongli, it was as if it hit an unshakable barrier—it couldn't advance even an inch.
"Go forth,"
Zhongli said softly, joy in his voice.
After thousands of years, that ancient wish was finally fulfilled.
***
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That's enough for today come back tomorrow for more!!!