There was no time to marvel at Mu Yang's dashing and resolute figure, as what came next was:
The Jade Chamber's version of the Noble Phantasm.
Paimon was about to suggest seeking help from the Adepti, but Ningguang stopped her.
She wanted to prove that Liyue could stand on its own, even without the Adepti's help.
Mu Yang's intervention was already outside her plans.
But considering that Keqing, Ganyu, and Beidou might face life-threatening danger due to the sudden appearance of sea beasts,
she had to compromise and let Mu Yang draw them away.
But that was as far as it went—she wanted to handle Beisht herself.
If Lumine went to fetch Cloud Retainer, wouldn't that make the Adepti laugh at them?
Sending Shenhe to deliver the [Adeptus Talisman] was already her biggest concession.
That Adeptus always wanted to one-up her, after all.
"In the era of human rule, the people of Liyue Harbor must try to defeat Beisht with their own strength."
With that, Ningguang continued chanting, connecting to the Jade Chamber's control console and activating the attack array.
Countless Geo elemental jade shards rained down on Beisht, directly suppressing her.
[Unlimited Blade Works! Noble Phantasm!]
[That's right, those yellow lights are everyone's pulls in the livestream!]
[Is this the power of a signature weapon?]
[Ningguang: Kids, with my signature weapon, I'm a six-star character.]
In the air, Ningguang successfully suppressed Beisht.
Now it was time for the ground forces.
Keqing and Ganyu had long been lying in wait with the Millelith at Guyun Stone Forest.
They had set up improved versions of the Guizhong Ballista on a small island, operated in pairs.
Aiming at Beisht, who was pinned down by the Jade Chamber and unable to advance an inch,
Keqing raised her sword and gave the command.
All the Guizhong Ballistae fired in unison, beams of various colors striking Beisht's face...
As the saying goes, "all smoke, no damage." This level of attack was too weak for a beast like Beisht.
She roared, preparing to unleash a water blast at the Millelith on the ground.
Just as she began charging, she was interrupted again.
First, she was suppressed with a full-body massage from the Jade Chamber, then shot in the face by the Guizhong Ballistae.
And now, someone was attacking her waist!
Was there no end to this? Humans were so despicable!
Beisht turned her head and saw a fleet circling her, equipped with the same weapons as the Millelith.
With the woman at the helm giving orders, round after round of volleys targeted her waist...
[Air, land, and sea—trinity joint strike!]
[Liyue Navy!]
[We've gotta seize control of the seas on this map. Build a navy to win!]
[Looking down on my Jade Chamber Kirov?]
On Mu Yang's side,
he used Cryo elements to create a lotus platform several square meters wide in the sea.
Standing in the center, his message was clear: anyone who wanted to challenge him could come forward.
Even without his peak strength, these beasts couldn't do much to him.
Not to mention, they currently lacked a leader. This kind of attrition attack did little beyond wasting time.
It couldn't even significantly drain Mu Yang.
However, there was one upside.
Mu Yang could use this time to devise a new plan...
Back on the main battlefield, the air, land, and sea forces attacked in turns.
Beisht couldn't move an inch, unable to get anywhere near Liyue Harbor. No matter how much she hated the Jade Chamber, what could she do if she couldn't reach it?
Beisht clearly realized this.
She couldn't do anything to the Jade Chamber, but the ground and sea were well within her power to devastate.
Taking advantage of a gap in the Jade Chamber's attacks, Beisht let out a deafening roar.
The Millelith on the island had to cover their ears to avoid having their eardrums shattered.
The roar didn't cause direct harm to the Millelith, but Beisht had achieved her goal.
The ground attacks faltered, giving her room to stretch her body. She summoned a massive tsunami.
This tsunami was aimed at Beidou's fleet!
Beidou, at the helm, urgently ordered the crew to steer away from the tsunami.
But how could they easily evade a tsunami surging like a mountain range?
Beidou gritted her teeth. "Damn it!"
She told her sailors to try countering with Cryo elements.
"The waves are too big, Captain! Our strength is like a mantis trying to stop a chariot!"
"Yeah, Captain..."
"No more talk! If the Captain says do it, do it!"
Several weak Cryo beams were swallowed by the tsunami, utterly ineffective...
Beidou raised her greatsword, preparing her stance.
She planned to use Electro power to carve a gap in the tsunami the moment it crashed down,
allowing the fleet to escape through it.
Just then, a dragon's roar came from nearby.
Beidou saw a flash of blade light, and the tsunami began to freeze.
It ultimately stopped right above the Crux Fleet.
[He's here, he's here! That man brought his big dragon!]
[Still loves playing it close— so cool!]
[Crux Fleet: Next time, you try this near-death experience!]
Though Beidou had never fought alongside Mu Yang, she could only think of him.
Only his power could achieve this.
She quickly ordered, "Retreat!"
The fleet had to get away from this dangerous area.
If Beisht attacked the ice, the falling chunks wouldn't be easy to dodge.
However, players noticed that Mu Yang wasn't showing off this time.
He simply, unceremoniously froze the entire sea surface.
Just as players were joking:
The production team ran out of budget.
Mu Yang's out of tricks.
The camera slowly panned to Mu Yang, standing atop the frozen tsunami.
Then, the smiles on their faces vanished.
Mu Yang stood with his sword in his left hand, staring at Beisht.
Those familiar with him knew he was right-handed and had never held a sword in his left.
The sea breeze howled, his right sleeve fluttering in the wind...
— — — — — —
In the livestream, Guinaifen leaned close to the screen, nearly falling off her chair.
"What the heck? Fighting a beast and losing his right hand???"
"HoYo, what's this nonsense??? Did you break the power scaling just to mess with my husband?"
Guinaifen was frantic, but the chat remained relatively rational.
[Adepti are manifestations. Don't you remember his right hand turning to silver frost earlier?]
[It's probably due to his weakened strength. If a bunch of beasts could break his hand, the Vortex Demon God would've let them take over.]
[This scene is genuinely painful to watch.]
[Using up all his power to save others— this is true love. I'd call Mu Yang the Immortal of Great Love (lol).]
Little Gui calmed down, hoping Mu Yang's condition wouldn't worsen further.
— — — — — —
However, the battlefield wasn't so kind as to let things go smoothly.
Beisht immediately recognized Mu Yang's aura.
They had clashed during the Archon War.
Though it was only a few moves before Beisht switched to fight Azhdaha,
she would never forget Mu Yang. He was there the day Osial was unsealed.
Though Mu Yang's aura was unstable and weak,
Beisht wasn't foolish. She knew his agility was unmatched, so instead of attacking him, she targeted the Millelith.
Beisht fired a charged energy blast at the island where the Millelith were stationed.
Ganyu shot several arrows to slow the attack.
Keqing ordered the Millelith to abandon the Guizhong Ballistae—survival was the priority.
This was the moment Mu Yang had been waiting for.
His figure vanished, reappearing in front of Ganyu and Keqing the next moment.
"Master, your hand?!" Seeing Mu Yang's empty right sleeve, Ganyu was shocked.
"No matter. Get them out of here quickly." Though weakened, Mu Yang's tone was firm and unquestionable.
He raised his sword to meet the attack, but halfway through, he suddenly froze...
In a duel between masters, a moment's hesitation can decide victory or defeat.
Mu Yang's pause allowed the energy blast to reach his face.
His left hand, holding the sword, dropped.
At this critical moment, Lumine, on the Jade Chamber, took a few steps back, channeling Anemo into her feet.
She sprinted, drawing the [Harbinger of Dawn].
The sword, infused with Geo energy, glowed orange.
Lumine resolutely leaped forward.
Shenhe, snapping to attention, threw out several speed talismans.
Lumine unleashed Electro energy, flashing forward in three bursts, and finally, just before the energy blast hit Mu Yang,
she blocked the attack with her Geo-infused greatsword, shielding him behind her...