"This should be the place—Jueyun Karst, right? But… strange, I don't see any Adepti around."
Paimon hovered in the air, her curious gaze flitting among the surrounding peaks and drifting mists.
There was a barely concealed excitement in her voice as she darted about, looking around in confusion, trying to catch a glimpse of an Adeptus.
But aside from the towering mountains and thick clouds, not a single trace of the immortals could be seen.
"If Adepti were that easy to find, it wouldn't be called seeking the divine now, would it?" Lumine rolled her eyes with a sigh, speaking with resigned calm.
She knew well that Adepti were not beings easily encountered by mortals. They were like lofty mountains—unreachable and distant.
Lumine looked around, only to find endless mountains wreathed in layers of mist, like something out of a celestial dream.
"Let's head further in~ Maybe we'll find some signs or ruins left behind by the Adepti," Paimon suggested.
And so, the two pressed deeper into Jueyun Karst.
They passed through dense forests and crossed steep peaks. The quiet valleys echoed with the sound of their footsteps.
Along the way, they experienced the grandeur and mystery of nature, as though walking through a magnificent scroll painting.
As they delved further into Jueyun Karst, the environment grew increasingly serene and otherworldly.
Towering peaks blocked out the sun, casting the entire valley in shadow. The fog thickened, wrapping the landscape in an ethereal aura.
Every step in this mysterious place brimmed with the unknown.
Paimon flitted about, buzzing with curiosity.
Lumine, on the other hand, remained cautious, carefully observing their surroundings.
They followed a winding path, flanked by dense undergrowth and strange wildflowers.
Occasionally, the chirping of birds echoed from afar, bringing a sliver of life to this silent valley.
…
Time passed. They had walked for nearly twenty minutes—already a considerable journey for an ordinary person.
Lumine's legs ached, her steps growing heavier, as if carrying a thousand-pound burden.
"Paimon's tired…" Paimon groaned weakly, deflated like a balloon with a slow leak.
"You're flying, Paimon," Lumine still had the energy to retort.
"My phantom limbs get tired too, okay… Where are these Adepti anyway…?"
Paimon wobbled in midair like a butterfly caught in the wind.
Lumine stared at the endless mountains ahead, her gaze unfocused. The rolling peaks looked like the spines of giants—immense and unreachable.
"You don't think Shajin lied to us, do you?" she murmured with a trace of doubt.
…
After a while—
"I can't take this anymore! Where are you Adepti?!" Paimon suddenly yelled, stomping her tiny foot.
"Such insolence!"
"I am one of the mighty Three-Eyed and Five-Manifestation Adepti—The Adeptus Who Carves the Moon and Builds the Sun! Jueyun Karst is sacred ground! Who dares to raise their voice here?!"
A brown milu deer descended from the mountaintop, stepping on the "celestial wind." Its gait was light and graceful, as though it walked upon clouds.
"Traveler, state your purpose."
"Lumine! Look! It's a real Adeptus!!!"
"Yeah, Paimon, we finally found one!"
The two clung to each other in tears of joy, leaving the Adeptus stunned.
The Adeptus Who Carves the Moon and Builds the Sun: ?
Lumine quickly stepped forward and retrieved the Sigil of Permission from her backpack, holding it out for the Adeptus to see.
"The Sigil of Permission? Hm… I haven't seen one of these in many years. I didn't expect any remnants to still exist among mortals."
The Adeptus softened slightly, a touch of sentiment in his voice.
"So tell me, you two—why have you come?"
Lumine was about to explain when a squad of Millelith soldiers suddenly arrived.
"That's them—the assassins! I can't believe they escaped all the way here!" the squad captain shouted.
Another soldier stepped forward and whispered urgently.
"Captain, we've gone too deep into Jueyun Karst… and we're standing right in front of an Adeptus. Not exactly the best place to act…"
The captain grimaced, but steeled himself and barked out, "We have no choice! Capturing the assassins takes priority! Formation—arrest them!"
"Tsk… disturbing my peace…" The Adeptus sighed and turned to Lumine.
"You seem capable. I leave this to you—drive them away, but do not kill."
Lumine nodded, signaling her understanding. She summoned her Dull Blade and shot forward.
The Dull Blade gleamed coldly in her grip, shining like a frigid star. Her movements were swift and deadly—every swing carried the weight of the wind, cutting down all obstacles in her path.
The Millelith raised their weapons and charged. Their strikes came like a storm, but Lumine countered with ease, graceful as a dancer in a serene courtyard.
In the heat of battle, Lumine's combat skills dazzled. She weaved between enemies like a shadow—slippery and untouchable, like a fish in water.
She leapt, rolled, and dodged with feather-light finesse—like a swallow mid-flight, like a butterfly in bloom. Her counterattacks struck like a tiger descending from the mountains, crushing her foes.
Her blade drew arcs of cold light in the air, each strike accurate and swift—meteoric and fierce as lightning.
The Millelith were left shocked and bewildered. They had never faced such a formidable opponent.
Their weapons could not touch her, while she broke their lines with ease, unstoppable as a falling tide.
As the fight raged on, Lumine steadily gained the upper hand, forcing the Millelith into a desperate retreat.
Her sword strikes were relentless, and the soldiers could barely keep up.
More and more of them fell, collapsing like wheat under a scythe, stripped of their strength to fight.
Eventually, only a few soldiers remained, clinging to resistance.
But they were exhausted—flickering flames in the wind, barely able to stand against her.
It didn't take long before they, too, began to flee in panic like a scattered herd.
The captain saw the situation was hopeless and finally ordered a retreat. Better to live and fight another day.
Watching the soldiers' backs vanish into the mist, the Adeptus nodded slightly, a glint of approval in his eyes.
"Now then, back to the matter at hand, Traveler."
Lumine nodded and recounted everything in detail.
"Outrageous!"
"OUTRAGEOUS!"
The Adeptus's divine pressure crushed a nearby boulder into dust.
"The Liyue Qixing… Oh, the Liyue Qixing. Truly disappointing!"
"No casualties in that chaos three years ago, and now they blame the assassination of the Geo Archon on mere mortals!?"
"Do they think anyone could strike at the Geo Archon during the Rite of Descension!?"
"How could such an act be pinned on innocent citizens!?"
"Sigh…"
The Adeptus Who Carves the Moon and Builds the Sun exhaled deeply, slowly regaining his calm.
"Traveler, I see now that you've been wrongly accused. I understand the truth of the matter, but mine is just one voice. I ask that you inform the other Adepti as well."
"If this injustice truly stems from the Qixing, then we immortals will not stand idly by. We shall descend… and deliver judgment like thunder!"
_
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