In the multiverse mission group:
Ganyu: "Hopefully it's another special mission this time. Then we'll be close to redeeming that Human‑Path holy sword."
Keqing: "Or maybe… all the upcoming missions will be special missions, right up until we rank up?"
Eula: "That's actually possible. Last time we went to the Sengoku era, and that was already a parallel timeline. Wouldn't be surprising if the follow‑ups were all special too."
Ningguang: "Let's see what the list says first."
In the blink of an eye, the mission panel appeared before them.
[ Ding… mission cooldown detected as complete. New multiverse mission issued. ]
[ Notice: This is a special mission. Conditions may change at any time. Stay alert. ]
[ Mission: Defeat the Wrathbeast Peacock and rescue the gravely injured qilin child. ]
[ Difficulty: ★★★★ ]
[ Time Limit: 1 hour ]
[ Target: The Wrathbeast Peacock commits all manner of evil, feeds on qilin, and eats humans. You must defeat it before it kills any humans. ]
[ Reminder: From the moment you arrive in the mission world, each human the Wrathbeast Peacock kills will lower the mission rating. If more than three deaths occur, the mission is considered a failure. ]
[ Note: If the timer reaches zero and no one has accepted, the mission is automatically abandoned. ]
Eula: "Rescue a qilin?! Wow… that's gotta mean a ton of loot, right?"
Lisa: "Should be. There are demons involved. Ever since Ganyu killed that flood dragon, we haven't handled a real yaoguai in a while."
The flood dragon's flesh and blood had raised a whole batch of fighters.
These days, whether an ordinary soldier could get stronger depended heavily on that meat.
This mission promised another windfall.
Ganyu: "Rescue a qilin… another of my kind, huh? Should I be the one to go?"
Mona: "You shouldn't. Your combat power is way too high. If you go, it'll just be a stomp."
Diluc: "Heh. True enough. Miss Ganyu's strength is probably even greater now. Better give someone else a chance."
Keqing: "Oh? From the way you're talking… are you volunteering, Master Diluc?"
Beidou: "Hehe. I can tell from the description this will be a brawl. If no one else wants it, I'll take it. I don't think even you could solo this special mission, Darknight."
Diluc: "Now that's something I can't accept. Mr. Su Han, may I take this task? If you say yes, I'll click accept right now."
Being looked down on was one thing he couldn't tolerate.
Su Han: "This mission is… a little complicated. Before anyone accepts, I need to explain a few things."
Hu Tao: "Alrighty. Story time again."
Yae Miko: "Let me guess—humans versus demons? With a mission that explicitly says 'protect the humans,' I'm betting people are going to die."
Jean: "I have the same feeling."
Ningguang: "The 'human deaths lower your score' line already says as much."
Su Han: "Here's the situation. In that world, there's a great mountain where many monsters are sealed. Among them, the qilin is the strongest.
"One day, one of those sealed beings opened the barrier without permission to save his mother, and the qilin's child went missing.
"In his anger, the qilin seized that person's mother and a close friend. Later, he was cast out of his own clan.
"Eventually, among the beasts, a Wrathbeast—Peacock—escaped from the mountain.
"To complete the mission, you'll have to defeat that Peacock. But you also have to watch over the qilin's child.
"And if you act rashly, you might end up clashing with a human cultivator who commands fire.
"As for the Peacock's strength… I don't think Diluc would have an easy time."
He put it kindly.
But everyone who heard understood: Diluc wouldn't be able to beat this one.
Hu Tao: "What element is this Peacock? If it's not fire, I kinda want to go play with it. Hehe…"
Su Han: "The Wrathbeast Peacock is ice‑aligned. It can bewitch people's hearts. In terms of combat strength, it's strong in both close and long range.
"It's a very well‑rounded monster. Without solid power, you'll struggle.
"Think it over."
Yae Miko: "Want me to go? I haven't moved in a while. If the difficulty's high, I can handle it."
From Su Han's description, this demon had some bite.
And she'd been itching for a little exercise anyway.
Su Han: "No need. It's not that hard. Just not trivial. Let's use it to temper someone else."
Beidou: "Hehe. If no one wants it, I'm taking it. I haven't stretched my limbs since that scrap with Kakashi. A mixed‑range brawler? Sounds tailor‑made for me."
Mona: "Ugh, such a shame it's ice. If it were any other element, I'd have grabbed this quest already…"
Hu Tao: "Mm… with Ice, I actually could go. But I don't know how to heal anyone. And the little qilin's injured, right?
"Looks like this one wasn't meant for me."
Her comment made everyone pause.
They'd been focused on the fight and had nearly forgotten the rescue.
Anyone who couldn't heal was quietly eliminated.
Yae Miko: "Then I'll take it. Huaying can handle healing. Too bad, everyone. I was going to leave it for you, but luck wasn't on your side this time."
If no one else fit, she would move.
It wasn't that the group lacked damage.
They lacked the right combination.
Someone like Rosalyne could absolutely crush the Wrathbeast Peacock.
But she couldn't save anyone.
Killing, she was very good at.
Saving, not so much.
Mona knew healing techniques, but Hydro versus Cryo was a rough matchup.
When you laid it all out, Yae Miko was the only one who ticked every box.
Lisa: "Sigh. Guess I'll just watch from the sidelines. Do your best."
Rosalyne: "I'll be watching too. Been a while since I saw a world like this. I heard there's a cultivation system there?
"If possible, bring something back."
Yae Miko: "Got it. I'll see what I can find."
…
At Narukami Shrine, the "useless fox" turned to Kanzaki Hiiragi.
"No believers this morning," she said. "Tell them to come back in the afternoon."
"Yes, my lady," Hiiragi replied.
"Huaying, let's go. Time to warm up," Yae added.
"Yes, master."
The little flower spirit beat her wings, gliding down from the Sacred Sakura before settling on Yae's shoulder.
The two of them walked into the inner chamber—and slowly faded from sight.
…
Meanwhile, in Dezen Village, three figures wearing straw hats arrived at the gates.
They lifted their heads to look toward the back mountain.
"I'm sure of it. This is the place," one said eagerly. "I can smell that special scent already…"
"Heheheh… and can't you smell it on everyone here too?" another replied.
He pulled his hand out of a villager's body.
The blood smeared across his fingers made him shiver with delight.
At that moment, the villagers finally noticed how wrong these men were.
Someone rushed to the bell and began to strike it.
Dong.
Dong.
Dong.
The deafening sound echoed through the chain of nearby peaks.
A girl hurrying up the path toward the village froze.
"What's going on? Why are they ringing the bell all of a sudden… Could it be those three people from earlier?" she gasped.
"What three people?" asked the boy walking beside her.
He'd just gone out to deliver some goods.
Was there trouble?
Before she could answer, an explosion boomed from up ahead.
"When I came down the mountain, I ran into some strange people," the girl said quickly. "They asked me where the village was…"
"Idiot, they were obviously bad news. Hurry!" the boy snapped.
When the two of them reached the entrance, two villagers were already lying on the ground.
The village headman was coughing blood.
"Hey, old man," one of the strangers said lazily. "I'm asking you—where is that thing?"
"W‑what thing? I don't know…" the elder wheezed.
A feathered hand stopped mere inches from his forehead, held back by a firm grip.
A strange young man had appeared between them.
"Hey," he said calmly, "you seem awfully angry. Why go this far?"
Flames blossomed along his arm.
When the fire burned away the attacker's sleeve, the villagers finally saw the truth: the newcomer was a cultivator.
And the one he'd stopped wasn't a man at all.
It was a demon.
"A demon… We have a demon here?" someone cried.
"That's… a Walker of the Mist Mountain…"
"Run! Run, everyone!"
The ordinary folk didn't care about the details.
They fled.
Seeing them bolt, the others followed.
Only the fire‑wielding cultivator and the demons remained on the road.
The smaller monsters were no match for him at all.
In a few quick exchanges, he cut them down.
Then a black shadow appeared.
Mist rolled in.
Feathers gleamed fitfully within the fog—brilliant, multi‑colored plumes that stole the eye.
They were breathtakingly beautiful.
But behind that beauty, in the darkness, a pair of eyes glowed with killing frost.
The true "big brother" had finally arrived.
"Well now," a voice murmured from the black haze. "Didn't think I'd run into you the moment I got out. Interesting…"
The feathers fluttered.
An elegant figure stepped onto the bridge.
Cold light flashed in its eyes as its demonic aura surged outward.
The sky itself seemed to shudder.
It hadn't been long since it escaped its seal.
But along the way, it had already eaten several humans.
Its strength was nearly restored.
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