"Useless old fossils! Holding onto your adeptus titles while doing nothing, you're not even as useful as one of Lady Yunqin's fingers!"
Below the platform, the people pelted the corpses of the Three Adepti with rotten cabbage leaves and blackened fruits, their foul insults mingling with the sour stench of decaying vegetables as it spread through the air.
Lumine watched, her eyes ready to burst from her sockets, her fingertips clutching the hem of her clothes so tightly that her nails almost dug into her flesh.
These are not Liyue's adepti, let alone Liyue's people!
And at the center of the high platform, a massive dragon corpse lay quietly prone, its dark-gold scales stripped of their former luster, its eye sockets so hollow that the bone spurs within could be seen, and its horns still stained with uncurdled black mucus. That was the Exuvia!
Yunqin stood atop the dragon's head, clad in a magnificent dark-purple divine attire she had never worn before, the hem of her skirt embroidered with shifting Abyssal Moon patterns that shimmered with an eerie light as she moved.
When she raised her hand, the wide sleeve slipped back, revealing a bracelet of black beads strung on her wrist.
She accepted the cheers of the people below, a bold and arrogant smile on her face, her former restraint and gentleness completely gone, even her gaze having turned sharp and unfamiliar.
"My dear subjects!" Yunqin's voice boomed across the plaza, amplified by Elemental Power and laced with a condescending majesty that starkly contrasted with her usual gentle tone. "Today, I officially declare the Abyssal Moon Nativity!"
"From this moment on, Liyue shall be protected by me, the Exalted Abyssal Moon God! Chanting my name will grant you eternal peace and prosperity!"
"Lady Yunqin! Exalted Abyssal Moon God!"
The fanatical cheers made the very air tremble. The people fell prostrate, kowtowing toward the high platform, their foreheads pressed against the dusty ground in a display of piety that bordered on ignorance.
Lumine could no longer bear it. Anemo power erupted beneath her feet, transforming into a streak of green light that shot straight onto the high platform.
She landed on the dragon's frigid scales. As her wings folded, her gaze swept over the Three Adepti's corpses before snapping to Yunqin, her eyes churning with heartbreak, fury, and resolve.
This is definitely an illusion!
The most malevolent dream the Abyss has woven for Yunqin!
After a moment's hesitation, she finally stepped forward, ascending the dragon's head step by step until she stood face-to-face with Yunqin.
The distance between them was less than three feet, yet it felt as if they were separated by ten thousand rivers and mountains.
The instant she saw Lumine, a flash of surprise crossed Yunqin's eyes, followed by a playful smile, as if she had expected her to arrive all along.
She naturally reached out, wrapping an arm around Lumine's shoulders. The chill from her fingertips seeped through the fabric, making Lumine stiffen all over.
Yunqin announced loudly to the crowd below, her voice brimming with boastfulness: "Behold, everyone! This is Lumine, Liyue's benefactor, and the great hero who helped me drive away the Abyss and personally defeat Morax, the God of Geo! Without her, today's Abyssal Moon prosperity would not exist! Everyone, quickly thank her!"
With a thud, Lumine violently threw off Yunqin's arm, the force so great that she stumbled a step herself.
The Festering Desire instantly materialized in her palm, its black blade shimmering with a faint red light. The sword's tip pointed directly at Yunqin's chest, its cold gleam sharp enough to reflect her distorted image.
"Yunqin! Wake up! This isn't real!"
"The Three Adepti wouldn't die like this, Zhongli wouldn't be defeated by you, and you would never become like this!"
"This is a dream woven by the Abyss, wake up quickly!"
Yunqin's expression changed drastically. The smile in her eyes vanished without a trace, replaced by a wounded coldness.
Seeing this, the crowd below instantly became incensed. They grabbed nearby wooden sticks and stones, roaring as they tried to rush the platform.
"Audacious rebel! How dare you draw a blade against Lady Yunqin!"
"Kill her! She is a spy sent by the Abyss!"
"How dare she offend the Exalted God! This ignorant creature doesn't know any better!"
"Drag her down and tear her to pieces! Atone for your crime against Lady Yunqin!"
"She must have been bewitched by the Abyss! Only by killing her can we save Liyue!"
"..."
A furious roar erupted from the front row of the crowd, like a spark igniting a powder keg.
Instantly, the entire Rite of Descension venue exploded into chaos!
Angry roars rose and fell, like a surging tide sweeping across the entire plaza.
The piety and hope on the people's faces were instantly replaced by savage rage. They became like beasts who had lost their reason, grabbing whatever "weapons" they could find around them.
The wooden canes leaned on by the elderly, the toy swords in children's hands, the carrying poles from vendors' stalls, and even the broken stones and mud on the ground. Their eyes were filled with murderous glares as they surged toward the high platform.
The crowd became a muddy torrent, pushing, shoving, and cursing. Many were knocked to the ground, but no one cared. They were single-minded in their desire to rush the stage and tear apart Lumine, who had "offended the Exalted God."
A woman holding a child shoved him into the arms of someone nearby and grabbed a brick from the corner of a wall, her gaze terrifyingly fierce: "How dare you hurt Lady Yunqin! I'll fight you to the death! If not for her, my child and I would have been the Seaborn's food long ago!"
Several fishermen who had once been "saved" by Yunqin were now crying their faces red, waving fishing nets in their hands and roaring, "Lady Yunqin's kindness to us is as heavy as a mountain, and you, you ungrateful wolf, actually tried to kill her! If we don't beat you to death today, we aren't Liyue locals!"
In the chaos, stones, wooden canes, and mud were thrown toward the high platform. Some flew past Lumine's ear, striking the dragon corpse's scales behind her with dull thuds.
Others landed on the bodies of the Three Adepti, splashing mud everywhere.
The crowd's curses grew more vicious, their filthy words stabbing like knives. Combined with the distorted expressions on their faces, the entire scene held a suffocating sense of madness.
"Stop!" Yunqin abruptly raised her hand, her voice commanding and unquestionable, like a sudden clap of thunder exploding over the plaza.
The surging crowd froze instantly, as if a pause button had been pressed.
Everyone gazed at Yunqin on the high platform with unconcealed resentment. The fury in their eyes had not diminished in the slightest, but they dared not take another step forward, held back only by the "Exalted God's" command.
"Go back! Are you all deaf?" Yunqin's voice carried an undeniable authority, and a wave of pressure suddenly rippled outward.
The crowd's bodies stiffened, and they obediently retreated.
Yunqin's gaze returned to Lumine, her eyes as complex as the crushed night sky. A faint, barely perceptible tremor laced her voice, as if she had been pricked in her most painful spot: "Lumine, are you going to point a weapon at my chest just like Morax did?"
"The icy pain I felt when he pierced my heart back then, are you going to make me taste it again?"
"None of this is real!" Lumine's voice trembled uncontrollably, yet it remained exceptionally firm. "The Yunqin I know would never let the common people insult the Adepti, never keep Morax's Exuvia as a trophy, and certainly would never want to rule Liyue!"
"What is real? What is false?" Yunqin suddenly burst into laughter, her voice sharp and frenzied, like the shriek of a broken string.