"Immortal Lord!!!"
"Our Immortal Lord is here!!!"
"We're safe!!!"
In an instant, as Jiang Yan's voice reached the ears of Liyue's people, it was like heavenly music.
They cheered in joy. The Immortal Lord had gone to the battlefield—this meant the war would surely end soon!
This was the absolute trust Liyue's people had held for thousands of years in their Immortal Lord and their Geo Archon.
They believed that as long as the Immortal Lord and the Archon were there, no difficulty or war could truly be a problem!
Guizhong, meanwhile, collapsed weakly atop the Yuehai Pavilion, covering her mouth as tears streamed down her face.
Only the heavens knew how much pressure she had endured during this time.
Liyue was under siege from all sides. Azhdaha was fighting alone against a host of gods. All of it pressed relentlessly on Guizhong's nerves.
Jiang Yan's return was like the final straw that broke the camel's back—her tightly wound nerves finally relaxed.
She could no longer suppress her emotions. Jiang Yan's awakening had given her someone to rely on once more.
Far away, east of Guyun Stone Forest.
Gods fell one after another under Azhdaha's onslaught, yet many more still roared and charged forward, attempting to break through his line.
Azhdaha showed no sign of exhaustion. Though his body was covered in wounds, his offense never slowed.
He was the Dragon King Azhdaha.
With the Geo Archon and the Immortal Lord absent, he was the final mountain standing guard over Liyue!
No god would ever cross this line!
At that moment, a thunderous roar echoed from the horizon.
At the same time, Jiang Yan's clear voice rang in Azhdaha's ears.
"You've done well, Azhdaha. Fall back a little."
"Leave these to me."
Azhdaha froze for a moment, then looked up in delight at the figure that had suddenly appeared before him.
"Jiang Yan!!"
"You've awakened!"
Azhdaha shouted joyfully.
Jiang Yan turned back with a smile and said,
"Sorry—slept a bit too deeply. But thankfully, I didn't wake up too late."
Just as the two were speaking, the gods surged forward once more.
One god roared and swung a massive claw straight at Jiang Yan.
"Jiang Yan, watch out!!"
Azhdaha cried out in alarm.
But Jiang Yan made no move at all, as if he hadn't even reacted.
Bang!!!
The god's claw struck Jiang Yan squarely on the head. The shockwave churned the surrounding sea into towering waves.
"Tsk, you trash."
Jiang Yan looked calmly at the god, as if nothing had happened.
"Could you…
when I'm talking to someone…
just stay put, you bastard?!"
Jiang Yan grabbed the god by the head and raised his fist high.
"Star-Shattering Fist!"
BOOM!!!
A brilliant fist-light erupted alongside a terrifying shockwave, instantly engulfing the onrushing mass of gods.
They didn't even have time to scream before being annihilated—leaving not even a trace of dust behind.
Then Jiang Yan raised his hand.
All the resentment and explosive energy released at the gods' deaths converged into his palm.
A massive god-slaying bomb formed in his hand.
Turning back to Azhdaha, who was staring in utter shock, Jiang Yan grinned and said,
"What, stunned by how handsome I am?"
Azhdaha's mouth twitched slightly.
He truly was stunned by the power Jiang Yan had just displayed.
Since Jiang Yan rarely fought in Liyue, Azhdaha's understanding of his strength still lingered around the time Jiang Yan sparred with Morax during the construction of Liyue Harbor.
He knew Jiang Yan would grow stronger—but he never imagined it would be to this extent.
That single punch just now had made even Azhdaha feel uneasy.
He finally understood why, back then, Jiang Yan had slipped away from Liyue Harbor without Morax being able to stop him.
With a punch like that, forget Morax—even Azhdaha himself, famed for unmatched defense, wasn't confident he could take it head-on.
"Where did you run off to before?"
"Do you have any idea how worried everyone was when your clone suddenly disappeared?"
"You should've seen how Ganyu looked back then—you…"
As soon as he saw Jiang Yan, Azhdaha couldn't help but start complaining.
Jiang Yan quickly cut him off.
"Something came up that I had to deal with. I ended up too exhausted afterward and slept a bit too deeply."
A bit too deeply?
Azhdaha recalled how Marchosius had tried to wake Jiang Yan—climbing onto his neck with those short little legs and slapping his face left and right.
Yet even then, Jiang Yan hadn't suffered so much as a scratch, his breathing steady as ever.
"Ahahaha… I'll explain everything once this period passes."
Jiang Yan laughed awkwardly, scratching his head.
Then he handed the condensed god-slaying bomb to Azhdaha.
"Take this bomb back to Guizhong and have her seal it away."
"I've already sent Little White and Apep to support the other battle zones. I'll leave Liyue Harbor to you for now."
Hearing this, Azhdaha paused.
"You're not coming back with me? Going off somewhere again on your own?"
He narrowed his eyes at Jiang Yan.
Clearly, Jiang Yan's previous unsanctioned departure—which had led to his long slumber—was still bothering him.
"Uh…"
Jiang Yan stiffened, as if his thoughts had been seen through. He laughed and patted Azhdaha on the shoulder.
"Relax, relax. I'm just heading to see the Geo Archon."
"There are some things I need to handle personally—or they won't sit right with me."
Jiang Yan smiled.
Azhdaha fell silent.
"Be careful this time."
"Don't let what happened before happen again."
"If it does, Ganyu and Guizhong won't be able to endure another blow like that."
Azhdaha knew that, with Jiang Yan's current strength, trying to stop him would be pointless.
But he still had to warn him.
Before acting on impulse, remember the people standing behind you.
Jiang Yan said nothing—he simply patted Azhdaha's shoulder firmly.
Then, with a light step on the sea's surface, he rose into the air and flew toward Inazuma.
From afar, his voice drifted back to Azhdaha's ears:
"Don't worry.
The same mistake—I won't make it again."
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