Tianheng Mountain, the range west of Liyue Harbor, serves as a natural protective barrier against external threats.
Throughout Liyue's recorded history, Tianheng Mountain has stood as its bulwark, enduring countless battles, both large and small. As a result, the area is dotted with remnants of ancient city walls, fortresses, and defensive structures.
But what lingers most are the heroic spirits of the Millelith soldiers who shed their blood here.
Since the end of the Archon War, Wangsheng Funeral Parlor has dedicated itself to maintaining the balance between life and death in Liyue.
Whether it was quelling plagues in the past or cleansing lingering souls and correcting misconceptions about death and spirits among the common folk, these have always been the duties of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
As the current 77th-generation director of the parlor, Hu Tao takes these responsibilities very seriously.
Now, as the primary enforcer of the boundary between life and death, Hu Tao has brought Bai Mo to a valley at the foot of Tianheng Mountain.
Weaving through the ruins with practiced ease, Hu Tao navigates the broken walls and debris effortlessly, even hopping playfully across the rubble.
Meanwhile, Bai Mo follows steadily on the ground: "Director, do we really have to go into tombs for this? I heard that in the past, dealing with evil spirits was as simple as burning them away. Why don't we promote cremation and encourage the people of Liyue to switch from burial to it? We could even set up a public cemetery to save land costs!"
"Eh~ Xiao Bai, that's not a bad idea!" Hu Tao jumps down from a broken wall, landing lightly. "A public cemetery! Why didn't I think of that? We could find a spot with good feng shui at the foot of Tianheng Mountain and build a public cemetery. Then, everyone in Liyue could be buried there—it'd make our jobs much easier in the future! You're a genius!"
Bai Mo accepted the praise with modest reluctance.
After complimenting him, though, Hu Tao sighed and explained, "But it's not that simple. The people of Liyue believe in 'resting in peace'—being buried in the earth. It's like how the people of Mondstadt wish to die where the wind can reach them, so Lord Barbatos can carry their souls back to their homeland.
"We in Liyue have always worshipped the Geo Archon, Morax, so most believe that being buried in the earth means returning to his embrace. Cremation exists, but it's still too niche!
"That's why it's up to Wangsheng Funeral Parlor to ensure the peace of the departed.
"'When entrusted with a task, fulfill it with loyalty.' Our work is special, carrying double the responsibility. So, we must satisfy both the living and the dead."
With that, Hu Tao summoned her staff—the Staff of Homa, passed down through generations of Wangsheng directors.
The moment her weapon appeared, a horde of hilichurls and other monsters, their bodies shrouded in dark energy, emerged from the ruins.
Bai Mo, gripping a steel shield-axe, asked, "So our job today is to clean up these guys?"
"Exactly. These creatures have been corrupted by malevolent energy and lost their minds. If we don't wipe them out, they'll disrupt Liyue's peace!"
"Then let's cut them all down!"
"Right! Let's send them off with full bellies and happy hearts!"
"By the way, can we still eat these corrupted Whopperflowers and Slimes?"
"Are you asking me to purify you too? Or do you want to try some Qingce Stir-Fried Slime Condensate?"
"Is it good? If it is, let's have some after the fight!"
As he spoke, electricity crackled across Bai Mo's body. Channeling bioelectricity into his shield-axe, he then activated his Vision, coating the weapon in a layer of Geo energy.
In Teyvat's elemental system, Geo represents solidity, durability, and stability.
When Geo interacts with Pyro/Electro/Cryo/Hydro, it crystallizes into corresponding elemental shards.
Picking up these shards grants characters an elemental shield, providing protection.
Of course, in the real world, no shards would form—but Geo shields were still achievable.
After gaining some insight into Geo from Zhongli, Bai Mo had developed a decent grasp of its power.
"Stonehide Shield—activate!"
With the Geo shield in place, Bai Mo fought without restraint, swinging his greatsword and cleaving a hilichurl in two.
The blade, reinforced with Geo energy and crackling with bioelectricity, tore through the monster effortlessly.
"Whirlwind Slash!"
A spinning slash using both weapon and shield.
"Leaping Strike!" "Heavy Cleave!" "Stormblade!" "Shield Bash!" "Riot Blade!" "Shield Toss!"
The more Bai Mo fought, the more exhilarated he became. The monsters before him went from being cleanly bisected to utterly shredded.
In the heat of battle, after hurling his shield to intercept a Whopperflower sneaking up on Hu Tao, Bai Mo discarded his greatsword entirely. Instead, he coated his fists in Geo energy and engaged in raw, brutal fisticuffs.
Watching Bai Mo trade blows with a Mitachurl wielding a giant axe, Hu Tao—who was busy clearing out other monsters—couldn't help but marvel.
Zhongli had mentioned Bai Mo was strong enough to help her deal with these creatures, but she hadn't expected this level of strength.
For a moment, she even worried Bai Mo might get too carried away and accidentally punch her in the head.
But her concern was unnecessary.
After using techniques inspired by "Hokuto No Ken" to infuse his elemental energy into a Mitachurl and detonate its internal organs, Bai Mo's control over both martial arts and elemental power grew even more refined.
Originally reliant on weapons, this real battle allowed him to gradually unlock his true potential.
"Whale Crusher Fist!"
After a three-second charge, Bai Mo's fist, glowing with Geo energy and bioelectricity, smashed through a Cryo Hilichurl Mage's shield.
The sheer force bypassed the shield entirely, pulverizing the mage's head in a burst of gore.
By the time the battle ended, the horde of hundreds of monsters had been completely wiped out by Bai Mo and Hu Tao.
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T/N:
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