While the disciples practiced the Twin Sword Merge, Zhongli remained on a nearby peak, calmly browsing through the ancient jade slips of the Emei Sect. He found this world's laws fascinating—similar to the world Su Han had described, complete with a Demon Realm and a Celestial Realm where mortals ascended to become transcendent beings.
"A method of cultivation that relies not just on intent, but on the Primordial Spirit... To command the blade with the soul itself. How intriguing," Zhongli mused.
The sword techniques of the Three Nations were powerful, but they relied on physical Haki and elemental will. Here, the "Spirit-Sword Union" offered a depth of power that increased a strike's lethality by several orders of magnitude. Zhongli realized that these manuals would be invaluable back in Teyvat.
Time flowed like a river, and the three-hour window soon closed.
At the foot of Mount Emei, a group of monks from Mount Wutai arrived. Unlike the corrupt clerics of other worlds, these monks were prepared to sacrifice their very lives for the sake of the mortal realm.
Li Yingqi rushed to meet them. "Grandmaster..."
"Do not panic," the old monk replied calmly. "We received the distress signal before the Master ascended. We shall provide the protection; you provide the steel."
Lian Xing, Dan Chenzi, and Zhongli soon joined them. The monks prepared a massive golden bell—a ritual site to store the physical bodies of the cultivators.
"You must leave your physical forms here," the monk explained to the swordsmen. "To fight Youquan, you must enter the Chiyou Blood Spring. The corruption there will rot flesh in seconds. Only the Primordial Spirit can endure it."
He looked at Zhongli with surprise. "Senior... do you not wish to store your body here?"
Zhongli shook his head slowly. "My body does not require such protection. I shall accompany them as I am. But first..."
With a wave of his hand, Zhongli cast a series of jade-shield jade ripples across the golden bell. "A little reinforcement for your defense. It should hold longer against the encroaching rot."
[The Descent into the Abyss]
The battle began with a roar of crimson lightning. A deluge of thick, foul blood erupted from the crack in the earth, flooding the valley.
Zhongli's eyes flashed gold. Sixteen stone pillars descended from the heavens, slamming into the perimeter to act as anchors, preventing the blood from washing away the monks.
"Go!"
Li Yingqi and Lian Xing took flight, their Primordial Spirits shimmering as they merged with the Heavenly Hit and Thunder-Flame swords. Dan Chenzi followed, his steel wings unfurled. They dove into the vortex of the Blood Spring.
Inside, the environment was a nightmare of visceral gore.
"You dare enter my domain?! DIE! BLOOD DEMON HEAVEN-SLAYER!!" Youquan's voice echoed, a thousand times more powerful than before.
Dan Chenzi unleashed a storm of blade-feathers, but the sheer volume of Blood Spirits—the demon's clones—was overwhelming. Within minutes, he was struck by a wave of corruption and sent flying out of the spring, his spirit dimmed and exhausted.
Li Yingqi and Lian Xing fared better. The Twin Swords spun into a lethal spiral of lightning and flame, a drill of pure energy that vaporized dozens of Blood Spirits with every pass.
But even their power hit a wall. In the original history, Youquan had nearly ten thousand spirits. Here, empowered by the mission difficulty, that number had grown tenfold.
[The Chat Group – Observation]
Yae Miko: "If we could master that 'Spirit-Sword' technique, we'd surpass the level of Adepti in no time."
Ningguang: "It isn't that simple. Those two swords represent the peak of an entire world's resources. Without the Yin-Yang harmony of the twin blades, the power is only marginally better than our current kinesis."
Rosalyne: "Still, the raw output is beautiful. Watching them evaporate those demons... it's satisfying."
Su Han: "The mission is nearing its climax. Once this is over, the group's expansion will bring some very interesting changes."
[The Final Stand]
Inside the spring, the Twin Swords were losing their luster. Li Yingqi and Lian Xing were gasping for breath, their spiritual light flickering.
"How many times must you kill me?" Youquan's true form manifested, mocking them. "You have destroyed three thousand spirits, but I have ninety thousand more! I will grind you down until you are nothing but fuel for my sea!"
A massive surge of blood forced the two swords out of the spring, back into the open air of Mount Emei. The world below was now a drowning scarlet landscape.
Li Yingqi felt the weight of despair. Her master was gone. Her allies were broken. Even the legendary swords were failing.
"Is this the end?" she whispered.
"Are you tired? You've done well," a calm, grounded voice spoke beside her.
Zhongli drifted forward. He had spent the entire fight observing, barely lifting the Xuanyuan Sword except to parry stray spirits.
"Senior? Even the Twin Swords couldn't..."
"Do not worry," Zhongli smiled faintly. "I have not forgotten our contract. I have taken your books; I cannot fail to deliver on my promise. I am a man who places great value on his word."
He stepped forward into the sky. Behind him, a golden radiance erupted, forming a silhouette of Liyue's mountains and rivers, and the towering image of the World Tree.
"This weapon belongs to a dear friend of mine," Zhongli said, raising the Xuanyuan Sword. "But even in my hands, it carries the weight of Humanity. Youquan... your sins have reached the heavens. It is time for the earth to reclaim you."
Gold light exploded from the blade, turning the blood-red sky into a sea of dawn. Li Yingqi looked up, her eyes wide with a sudden, surging hope. The true battle was finally beginning.
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