The readers, mostly ordinary people, felt a deep connection. Emotions flooded in like a deluge, and they could no longer hold back their tears.
The contents of this notebook had readers crying as they read.
Especially for the people of Liyue, this wasn't just a notebook or a story—it was the heroic life of their ancestors.
Remember what Yanfei said earlier: Can a life that's been saved live on without any burden? Bearing such a favor is no simple matter.
This was true for them, and even more so for Rongzhao.
Rongzhao, "saved" by his brother, went mad. It's unclear whether he couldn't bear the "karmic debt" from the Yaksha or something else.
Sealing his comrades and elder brother with his own hands, the "karmic debt" Rongzhao saw might have been his brother haunting his dreams every night.
Whether the brother in his dreams blamed him or not, it would only deepen his heartache.
Furina was already brimming with Hydro elemental energy, barely able to see the text clearly.
But Lucian was kind enough to shift the content from text to illustrations.
The group couldn't find a way out from Boyang's information. Paimon was frantic—she didn't want to be trapped here forever.
In the illustration, Paimon flew around chaotically, eventually ending up behind the Traveler. In the process, she accidentally bumped into the Fantastic Compass.
The floating Fantastic Compass wobbled and fell to the ground. Xiao and Yelan moved to catch it simultaneously, but Xiao was the one to pick it up.
Maybe because he's shorter, picking things up is easier—no need to bend down much.
Ahem, anyway, this action triggered a new reaction from the Fantastic Compass.
Yanfei had an idea. She flipped through a book and found a line: "When Adeptal and mortal powers unite, they can shift the stars and wield the might of heaven and earth."
In other words, to fully activate the Fantastic Compass, both an Adeptus and a fangshi had to work together.
The readers then recalled that Shikikan had written during the New Year about fangshi and Yakshas being old partners—turns out, it was foreshadowing this!
In the book, Yanfei tried it out, and the Fantastic Compass actually activated, emitting the voices of Boyang and Bosacius, like a "startup sound."
["The might of the Yellow Heaven, the gods of the five directions. Yaksha and mortal, together wielding the balance…"]
However, Yanfei's power wasn't enough. The Fantastic Compass only activated briefly, indicating that stronger power would be needed later.
[Yanfei: "I'm a half-blood, and the Fantastic Compass reacted to me, proving the system still works. And our team happens to have a full Adeptus and a mortal who inherited fangshi techniques."]
What a coincidence. For some reason, this team was perfectly suited—elemental powers matching the five Yakshas, with an Adeptus, a half-Adeptus, humans, Oni, and a fangshi all present.
Some readers even wondered if Yanfei alone could activate the compass, but her magic wasn't strong enough. What about Ganyu?
Having followed the story, readers knew Ganyu was also a half-Adeptus, with far stronger magic than Yanfei.
They didn't yet know that even Xiao would be exhausted activating this compass—Ganyu alone might not suffice.
In any case, before fully activating the compass, they needed to regroup with Arataki Itto and Kuki Shinobu. The group returned to the camp.
After reuniting, the group followed Yanfei's hypothesis. Yelan and Xiao, who had "argued" earlier, suddenly worked in perfect sync.
This showed that neither took the earlier dispute to heart—both had great personalities.
Before starting, Yelan reminded Yanfei that once they left this space, the Fantastic Compass might disappear.
Like the other phantoms in this space, the compass was likely a manifestation of their desires, not a real object.
Yanfei wasn't concerned, as this was within her calculations.
Yelan also revealed a piece of information: she was the one who shot down the "crystal."
The entrance to this space was likely opened by the strike of the Celestial Nail.
Arataki Itto had a sudden realization. So it wasn't because I stomped the ground and cracked it.
After a brief conversation, the novel inserted another illustration. The group gathered around the Fantastic Compass.
[Yelan: "Stars align, divine might descends; all demons and evils, dispelled by thunder; capturing gods and ghosts, true qi flows; by the Emperor's decree, none shall linger;"]
["Swiftly, as per the law!"]
This long "incantation" was incomprehensible to readers. Only fangshi like Chongyun might understand—or perhaps Inazuma's Onmyoji.
Replace "Swiftly, as per the law" with "QQ Beef Spine," and the Onmyoji would get it.
In any case, after Yelan recited the "voice command," the Fantastic Compass powered on.
[Xiao: "I'll handle the power supply. Everyone, step back."]
Xiao told everyone to retreat, worried his power might affect them.
Xiao poured his power into the Fantastic Compass. Readers noticed in the illustration that Xiao's "Anemo element" was laced with black—perhaps the power of karmic debt.
The fully activated Fantastic Compass seemed to emit "voices from the past."
[Bosacius: "I shall guard this formation with my body, sealing the surface."]
In the illustration, it's unclear if Xiao heard Bosacius' voice. He closed his amber eyes.
[Xiao: "…The Yaksha clan fights for this world."]
The moment he opened his eyes, Anemo energy laced with karmic debt erupted, and in the next second, Xiao's face was adorned with his Yaksha mask.
["Conqueror of Demons, enter the formation!"]
This line thrilled the readers. Even those previously indifferent to Xiao were instantly captivated.
The ferocious Anemo energy poured into the Fantastic Compass, which unfolded a formation, lifting the group toward the surface—an elevator ascending.
As the Fantastic Compass rose, more "shadows" appeared around the formation, seemingly trying to stop their escape.
Readers weren't sure if these shadows were "obstacles" created by the space or the lingering obsessions of the Thousand Rocks soldiers.
They hoped it was the former, because if it was the latter, it'd be another emotional blow…
This time, it was Yelan's turn to shine. In the illustration, Yelan wielded Hydro threads, darting through the shadows in a few flashes. Stopping, she clenched her fingers, tightening the threads.
A large swath of shadows was instantly destroyed, but more kept approaching, seemingly endless.
Yanfei, Yelan, and the Traveler were doing their best to eliminate the shadows to protect the formation, but this scene made readers tense.
Regardless of the shadows' combat strength, constantly draining the group's stamina would lead to a dead end—this was their last hope.
In this space, stamina didn't recover. Even someone as lively as Arataki Itto couldn't regain strength after exhaustion.
If the group's stamina was depleted, there'd be no second chance! A critical crisis!
===✧✦✧===
Character Voice · Yelan: About Boyang
"I'm very grateful to Lucian. He not only let me learn about what happened back then but also made more people aware of our ancestors' deeds…"