I'm in Genshin Impact, and I started by teaming up with Luna.

Wu Qiuying reacted quickly, and immediately took out Fenghen and handed it to Lostan Ding. Lostan Ding was very happy, smiled slightly at Shuanglin, and then went over and started fiddling with it.

After he finished, he looked at the flames inside the furnace and threw in the collected items one by one. The flames instantly began to change, then turned blue.

"Quickly, throw the Heart-chilling Core in!"

Wu Qiu reached out her hand. "You seem very weak. Let me help you."

Shuanglin shook his head, then walked step by step to the furnace. At this moment, Lostan was clearly struggling to control the furnace, so he urged, "Hurry up! Throw something! It can't be that complicated!"

Wu Qiu felt something was off for some reason. Then he saw Shuang Lin turn around and look at him, a smile appearing on her face. "Perhaps, I finally understand what Xue'er was thinking back then."

Wu Qiu's unease deepened. Just as he was about to say something, Kong, who was looking at the Heart-Cold Core beside him, suddenly spoke up: "No! That's something from the Upper Realm. If it were truly inside your body, you couldn't possibly remove it! But you are..."

Before he could finish speaking, Wu Qiu's pupils contracted, and he saw Shuang Lin's body sway before transforming into a beam of blue light and disappearing into the furnace.

This happened so fast that by the time Wu Qiu and the others reacted, Shuang Lin had already gone inside.

"Frost Forest!"

Wu Qiu shouted, then looked at Lostan and yelled, "Turn off the fire!"

Lostan, struggling to control the furnace, was also shocked by what he saw, but immediately exclaimed, "It can't be turned off! And! She's already dead!"

Sure enough, the next second, Wu Qiu saw the flames suddenly rise, and then something resembling a weapon fragment gradually appeared in the furnace, while Shuang Lin's life force completely disappeared.

Chapter 483: The Final Pact Under the Bright Night Lantern

Everyone was stunned, staring blankly at what was in front of them. Wu Qiu's heart pounded wildly at that moment. He wanted to do something, but it was all over.

To forge the sword with her own body—yes, she couldn't produce that thing, the Core of Heartbreak. If she could, why would she have suffered so much? Wu Qiu should have realized this long ago. The moment Shuang Lin agreed to forge the sword, she had already decided to entrust her life and everything to Wu Qiu.

Shuangxue, too, had once given everything to Wu Qiu. But Wu Qiu didn't want to, yet he had to admit, that they truly needed such a weapon.

Wu Qiu didn't know what kind of determination Shuang Lin had when she jumped into the furnace. Perhaps, when they first met, Shuang Lin had been observing him, and until this moment, when Wu Qiu could finally be the person she trusted, the person she could entrust everything to, she chose to sacrifice herself to forge a sword for Wu Qiu and the others, a sword that could help them cut down everything.

Lostan was the first to react. He knew that Shuanglin couldn't be saved, but he couldn't stop. If he stopped, he would be ruining everything. He couldn't let Shuanglin die in vain.

Flames rose before Wu Qiu and the others, white flames dancing—yes, white. In that instant, the flames transformed from blue to white, swirling and gathering as they danced, flowing around the core of the chilling heart.

"Oh, this is the blade of the sword I once shattered. You actually found it."

The system's voice rang in his ears, but Wu Qiu didn't answer, just staring blankly. It wasn't until Ying grabbed his hand and buried her face in his chest, sobbing softly, that Wu Qiu finally made a move.

"System, is all of this worth it for your goal...?"

Wu Qiu spoke. The system remained silent for a long time before finally saying, "It's worth it."

Wu Qiu was furious. He wanted to roar, but he only asked, "Why? To you, to the regional guardians, what do our lives, this world, represent?"

The system shook its head and sighed, "You wouldn't understand, you'll never understand. If you had really seen that battle, if you had really experienced that catastrophe, you would know what true powerlessness is."

Wu Qiu smiled wryly; he didn't know what the system's stance was. In his eyes, as long as the goal could be achieved, it was all worthwhile.

But for Wu Qiu and his group, why should they sacrifice so much for this goal? In fact, they never had a choice from beginning to end.

Neither the demon nor the system is an absolute choice, because they would cause Wu Qiu and the world to lose a great deal. But they have no third choice; they are merely pawns, pawns to be fought over.

Therefore, they can only ever choose the one who is kinder to them, and the system is obviously much kinder than the demon.

"So, what's the point of all this?"

Wu Qiu asked a question.

At that moment, Lostan opened a box, and inside, Wu Qiu saw something familiar.

Lostan took out a hammer from inside. Wu Qiu had seen that hammer before. It was no ordinary hammer. It was a forging hammer that the system had given him before. It was a forging hammer that could truly be used to create artifacts that surpassed five-star artifacts.

However, Wu Qiu wasn't looking at that. Inside that box, at the very back, lay something quietly. It was something very familiar, yet somewhat strange.

As Wu Qiu got closer, he saw that it was a pancake, a pancake that was only a third of the way through, dry and brittle, but still well-preserved and even edible.

"What's this……"

Wu Qiu asked a question, and at the same time noticed a fluctuation of power on the cake. The power fluctuation wasn't too strong, but it perfectly preserved the cake, preventing it from molding, rotting, or spoiling over time.

Lostan was also in a bad situation, and his expression was gloomy. Hearing Wu Qiu's voice, he turned around, saw the pancake, and said, "This is a keepsake left by Sister Bai. She said it was given to her by her first friend, and she went to great lengths to preserve it."

Wu Qiu thought of that girl, the girl named Bai Mo. At the same time, Wu Qiu took out a small note from inside the pancake, on which a line of words was written.

"May this item lead me to meet you again in the future..."

At the end of the note, Wu Qiu could see a poorly drawn smiley face, a smiley face that was both playful and a little cute.

At this moment, Wu Qiu didn't know what to say. After a long silence, Wu Qiu raised his head, looked at the sky, and finally spoke: "System, I will help you retrieve her divine fragments."

As he spoke, Wu Qiu put the cake away. Seeing this, Lostan didn't refuse or get angry; he simply lowered his head and said, "That cake is still edible."

Wu Qiu nodded and, with Ying in tow, they went outside. The weather felt gloomy, but Wu Qiu didn't care. He looked at everyone and finally tightened his grip on Ying's hand.

"System or demon, this time, we will fight for this world, for ourselves, for those who died, and for the only trace they left behind in this world..."

Countless images flashed through Wu Qiu's mind: one person after another—Frost Snow, Sunset Glow, White Ink, Frost Forest, Hewlia. They had all died in this world, but at the same time, traces of their existence remained. For this reason, Wu Qiu was determined to save this world.

Back at the camp, Wu Qiu went to find Cang Yu and gave her the first task.

"Cangyu, please go to the four kingdoms as quickly as possible and retrieve the Hearts of the Four Gods. I believe Liyue and the others know the current situation in Teyvat. If they don't want to perish along with us, they should hand over the Hearts of the Gods."

Cang Yu nodded, then transformed into a shooting star and flew away. At her speed, she could probably cover the four kingdoms in just an hour or two, or perhaps even faster. After all, Cang Yu had never pushed her speed to its limit, and no one knew just how fast she could go.

Time passed slowly. Wu Qiu and Ying stood on the high ground, looking down. Below, Coral Palace Heartsea and the others were busy at work. Time was running out, everyone felt it, so the positions of the troops, the archers, the clockwork, the Hilichurls, the Spellflowers, and the combat skills of each nation's troops all needed to be allocated and used rationally.

They were working incredibly hard to cope with the war, while the demons seemed quite idle in comparison. Everyone, including Wu Qiu, was looking towards the sea; they could sense that the final battle was approaching.

War might break out tomorrow, so no one is letting their guard down. Even though things are calm now, all the demons are on high alert, watching for any potential enemies on the other side.

This night was destined to be sleepless. As darkness fell and everyone grew tense, they formed ranks and awaited the dawn.

Everyone knew that, as if by some unseen signal, when the first rays of dawn shone upon the earth, the battle was about to begin.

Just as everyone was on edge, lights suddenly rose up behind them, within Liyue Harbor. In an instant, the night was illuminated, and countless lights twinkled, soaring into the sky and simultaneously lighting up the earth.

On the shore, countless people stood there, looking at this side, at every soldier standing there, releasing the lanterns in their hands to pray for them.

Soon, thanks to these night lanterns, the night was no longer cold. The countless lanterns shone like stars, illuminating the earth and igniting a fire in the hearts of every soldier, so that their bodies would no longer be cold or trembling.

Today is the Lantern Festival.

Just as Wu Qiu and the others were lost in thought, Zhong Li's voice rang out. Then, under the glow of the lanterns that filled the sky, Zhong Li appeared beside them without them even realizing it.

Looking at him, Wu Qiu was about to say something when Ying suddenly spoke up: "Zhong Li, your strength..."

Wu Qiu then realized something was wrong and immediately began investigating.

Name: Morax

Rating: 31

Wu Qiu looked at Zhong Li in disbelief, and finally asked, "Zhong Li, why has your power decreased so much?"

Zhongli shook his head, took a step forward and looked at the sky full of lights. "When I came back, I felt my strength was getting weaker. Although I kept forcing myself to improve, now I only have this much power left."

Wu Qiu realized what was happening and asked, "So, that's why you made me the commander-in-chief?"

Nodding, "That's part of the reason, but I think you're more promising than me. Even if my strength hadn't weakened, I might have given way to you."

He put his hands behind his back, closed his eyes facing the lamplight, and then slowly opened them, turning his head to look at Wu Qiu. "Wu Qiu, Liyue Harbor is my last concern. Will you protect it for me?"

Wu Qiu didn't know what to say. He wanted to say something to comfort Zhong Li. In fact, Wu Qiu was perhaps even less able to accept his current self than Zhong Li was. After all, Liyue represented the home he once lived in. In this world, Liyue was the place closest to him. And Zhong Li was the god in his heart who could never be changed or shaken, a god that Wu Qiu would still respect even now.

Now, looking at this martial god who was clearly no longer able to fight, Wu Qiu felt a sense of sorrow for a hero in his twilight years.

Now, looking into his eyes, Wu Qiu didn't know what to say, but he knew what to do. So, under the beautiful night lights of the sky, Wu Qiu nodded.

Zhongli smiled, a gentle smile playing on his lips, so tender. Wu Qiu felt even worse, but then he suddenly remembered something, took Ying's hand, and stepped forward. "Zhongli, may I make a contract with you?"

Zhongli shook her head. "I am now..."

Wu Qiu knew what he was going to say, so he decisively shook his head and said, "No, Zhong Li, no matter what your strength is, even if you are just an ordinary person, you will always be the Martial God in my heart, the Rock King Emperor, the irreplaceable God of Contracts..."

"Only you, and only you, can witness this covenant. I beg you, one last time, to witness this covenant for me. This is my only covenant, my most sacred covenant. So, please help me, okay?"

Zhongli looked at Wu Qiu, remained silent for a long time, and then replied with only one word.

"Um……"

Wu Qiu smiled, turned around, looked at Ying, and took her hands in his. Under the illumination of the star-like lanterns, and witnessed by the final contract of the God of Contracts, Wu Qiu slowly spoke.

"I, Wu Qiu, hereby make this contract: after the war ends, Sister Ying, let's get married..."

Chapter 484: Snow Forest

(Some say the ending is tragic, but don't worry, the ending has a sweet twist, so enjoy!)

Cang Yu returned and saw Wu Qiu and Ying holding hands and looking at each other. Cang Yu felt strange. However, she didn't ask any questions. She simply stretched out her hand, and four divine hearts radiating different lights appeared.

With the four added to theirs, they now possessed seven Hearts of God. As for why they were collecting Hearts of God, Wu Qiu himself wasn't sure; he simply felt that they might be useful.

Seeing this, Zhongli decisively took out his Heart of God and handed it to Wu Qiu. Wu Qiu took the Heart of God, nodded to Zhongli, and then led everyone away.

They first found Wendy, who was using the wind to sense the situation at sea. Seeing Wu Qiu and the others arrive, Wendy smiled slightly and said, "I was just about to come find you. The sea is calm, and tomorrow may not necessarily be the final battle."

Wu Qiu shook his head. "They may not come from the sea. Don't forget, although Liyue can't open spatial rifts, the seaside may not be within Liyue's territory."

Wendy smiled slightly. "So, they're not coming tonight?"

Wu Qiu shook his head. "That's why we have to be constantly on guard. Otherwise, if there's even one loophole, we might suffer a complete defeat."

Wendy nodded, then with a wave of her hand, the Heart of God appeared, and she said, "You've come to get this, right?"

Wu Qiu nodded and took it, then asked, "This time, it's not fake, right?"

Wendy smiled slightly and said, "Hehe."

Helpless, Wu Qiu went to see Thor, but Thor said that the Heart of God was not in her, but in the Eightfold Divine Child.

So, Wu Qiu and the others arrived at the conference hall. Here, you could see Yae no Miko Koto and Coral Palace Kokoro and their group busily exchanging ideas. In front of them, on the table, sat two fat tanuki, Gobaikin and Gobaizang, with their hands outstretched and legs crossed, looking like meditating monks.

But the power emanating from them spread outwards, eventually forming a faint array on the ground. At this moment, Wu Qiu looked outside and discovered that the entire battlefield seemed to be fluctuating with the energy of an array.

After they activated their powers, three immortals stood in a triangle beside them: Liuyun Jiefeng Zhenjun, Lishui Dieshan Zhenjun, and Xiaoyue Zhuyang Zhenjun. Their immortal power erupted and converged on the two raccoon dogs.

Seeing this, Coral Palace and Xin Hai and the others finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Great, now the formation can finally cover the entire area."

At this moment, Wu Qiu and his group were also noticed. Upon seeing them, everyone stood up.

Wu Qiu smiled slightly at them and said, "Thank you for your hard work."