While I was in Mondstadt, I never imagined becoming a god.

But after tonight, Fushe had no regrets in his life.

Xiao stood still, staring at the direction where Fushe had disappeared, without moving.

Zhongli stepped forward and stood beside him.

“He’s gone,” Zhongli said.

"Mm," Xiao's voice was soft. "I'm leaving."

“Brother Fushe has gone to reunite with them, and I can’t let them down.”

Xu Chuan stood behind the two, watching their backs.

The salty sea breeze from the harbor brushed against his cheeks. Xu Chuan looked down at his hands.

He never expected that Fushe would ultimately choose to return to the earth's veins.

But thanks to him, he came into contact with a completely new power.

No, theoretically, this power still belongs to the category of human power.

"The seven elemental forces born from the division of the primordial light realm force, although they also belong to the human realm force shaped by the principles of heaven, are fundamentally vastly different from the power of the principles of heaven."

"On the contrary, this willpower seems to be closer to the power that came into contact with the fragments of the Frostfire Nail."

"Could it be..."

Xu Chuan savored the power of Fu She's will just now, the power and will contained within it, which had produced a very strange reaction in that broken soul shell.

It should be said that it was born from the will of the people of Liyue, containing the floating memories recorded by the ley lines.

Or perhaps it was through Zhongli and Xiao's efforts that they created the image of a celestial yaksha for the people, which made those wishes naturally and perfectly aligned with Fushe.

Xu Chuan couldn't help but think that if it were the power of the wishes of the holders of the Eye of Inazuma collected by the Eightfold Divine Child, it might not be able to bring power to Fushe at all.

Not to mention regaining his sanity.

"Willpower and strength, how wondrous!"

"Now, under the tempering of the Golden Light Mantra, my will is able to control the power of the seven elements, although it is still quite different from the power obtained by directly controlling the Heart of God."

"But the gap is narrowing little by little, and there is great potential in using willpower to control strength."

The burden that Andrius and Dulin brought me indirectly accelerated my cultivation speed, but that's still not enough.

In the future, he will continue to collect the remnants of demon gods' souls.

I wonder how the Vortex Demon God Oser is doing in the Abyss Order. It would be great if I could get his soul.

Grandpa Zhongli's use of the power of will gave Xu Chuan a flash of inspiration; he seemed to have found a new path.

However, these few ingenious ideas alone are not enough to bring his thoughts to fruition.

"There is still a long way to go and a heavy responsibility to be undertaken!"

Chapter 180 Ningguang's Heart-to-Heart Talk, The Mechanical Army

The banquet at Qunyu Pavilion is about to come to an end.

Those influential figures in Liyue Harbor would not miss this rare opportunity to network.

They gathered in twos and threes, their conversations mingling with the clinking of glasses, creating a lively yet polite atmosphere.

Ying politely declined the offer from the seventh Liyue nobleman who approached her for a chat.

The man was well-dressed, had a polite smile, and his words implied that he was inquiring about Xu Chuan.

After Ying politely responded with a few words, the man gave up.

"These guys are so annoying."

Paimon lay on the edge of the table, his little face full of impatience.

Even with delicious food in front of her, she couldn't help but complain under her breath, "Did Xu Chuan know this would happen, which is why he didn't come?"

"I think he must have something important to take care of."

Ying remembered that he walked towards Zhongli's courtyard.

What could be so important that King Yan and Xu Chuan take it so seriously?

Her gaze fell on the main table in the distance, where Ningguang was holding a wine glass, talking to a few people next to her, a polite smile on her lips.

Paimon followed her gaze and saw Ningguang as well.

"Speaking of which, Xu Chuan is really popular," Paimon muttered.

"After all, he is a great hero who saved Liyue from the Maelstrom."

A soft voice came from the side.

Ying turned her head, and a girl with two horns on her head and blue hair that reached her shoulders walked over.

"Happy Lantern Festival, you two!"

“Happy Lantern Festival,” Ying and Paimon replied simultaneously.

Gan Yu sat down next to them and continued, "This is even though Mr. Xu Chuan doesn't care about fame or fortune and doesn't want his deeds of defeating the Vortex Demon God to be publicized."

"Otherwise, the number of people who come to him by reputation would be enough to break down the threshold of the Hall of Rebirth."

Paimon scratched his head with his little hand.

It's just that Tianquan Ningguang values ​​him, and it's already caused such a mess.

If this were to become common knowledge, Xu Chuan's normal life in Liyue Harbor would likely become extremely troublesome.

Gan Yu smiled and looked at Ying, saying, "Speaking of which, I should thank you all for taking care of Shen He during this time."

"Shen He is my junior sister, and I should have taken good care of her."

"To my shame, I'm usually so busy with other things that I haven't had time to take care of that child."

“With you all by her side, she has changed a lot.”

She paused, her gaze softening. "She wouldn't have changed like this before."

After chatting for a few more minutes, Paimon looked at the mostly uneaten food on the table and suddenly had a flash of inspiration:

"Why don't we pack one up and take it back with us? Let Xu Chuan try it, so he won't keep accusing us of hogging the food!"

Upon hearing Paimon's words, Gan Yu said, "I'll arrange for someone to make a new copy right away."

"Thank you very much, Miss Gan Yu." Ying Chao nodded to her.

Not long after, Ying and Paimon left Qunyu Pavilion with two exquisitely designed lunch boxes.

The hustle and bustle of the banquet was left behind, and the night breeze blew in, carrying the salty smell of the sea.

The lights of Liyue Harbor spread out below, like an inverted starry sky on the ground.

Meanwhile, at Liyue Harbor.

Xu Chuan stood on the shore, witnessing the souls of the floating dwellings return to the earth's veins, and he benefited greatly from it.

That power to concentrate willpower and reshape the soul is more mysterious than the power to bind spirits and command generals.

With the heartfelt wishes of millions, we will mend the broken soul.

This gave him a new understanding of the power of "willpower".

This further strengthened his determination to hone his will.

Xu Chuan muttered to himself, "I remember the Vortex Demon God Oser, he seems to have a wife."

"His name is... Ba Che?"

He searched through fragments of his memory, only remembering that the other party seemed to have appeared in Liyue Harbor during the second Lantern Festival, where he was severely punished by Ying and Shen He.

I don't know if I'll be able to find it before I head to Inazuma.

If he could absorb another demon god's soul, his cultivation speed would increase even further.

Seeing that Zhongli and Xiao had no intention of leaving anytime soon, Xu Chuan decided not to disturb the two "father and son" reminiscing and quietly left.

Walking back along the harbor, the crowds were still bustling in the night, the lights were still rising, and the laughter continued.

He took a few steps and looked up at the Jade Pavilion high above Liyue Harbor.

The lights were bright, like a star floating in the night sky.

"It's so late, I wonder if it's over yet."

Xu Chuan thought for a moment, "Since you've remembered, let's go take a look."

Without much hesitation, Xu Chuan manipulated the wind element to rise from the ground and fly towards the direction of Qunyu Pavilion in the night.

The wind lifted him up from beneath his feet, propelling him high into the sky.

The lights of Liyue Harbor spread out below, like a glowing net.

The night breeze brushed past my ears, carrying the distant sounds of firecrackers and people's laughter.

His actions were observed by the people below.

"An immortal! An immortal has appeared!" someone exclaimed.

"May the immortals bless me! May my business prosper next year!"

May you absorb some divine energy and everything go smoothly!

Xu Chuan's lips twitched slightly as he listened to the shouts coming from below.

He suddenly felt that he should learn some secret techniques to make himself invisible.

Speaking of which, I wonder where that guy Skykirk has gone in Teyvat now.

This girl's whereabouts are unpredictable, and Xu Chuan can only be certain that she will later appear in the primordial fetal sea beneath Fontaine.

Dolly seems to have some connection with Skykirk; I wonder if I can get information about Skykirk's whereabouts from her.

Before long, the outline of Qunyu Pavilion loomed large in front of us.

Xu Chuan stepped onto the square, making no attempt to conceal his presence.

"Who is it!"

The patrolling soldiers of the Qianyan Army turned their heads alertly.

Upon seeing the person who had arrived, he was initially taken aback, but his tone quickly became respectful.

"Lord Xu Chuan, it's you."

"I'll go and inform Lady Ningguang right away..."

"No need to inform her," Xu Chuan waved his hand. "I'll go find her myself."

As soon as he entered the Qunyu Pavilion, he bumped into Ningguang's secretary, Baishi.

When he saw him, Bai Shi showed no surprise whatsoever.

"Lord Xu Chuan, Lady Ningguang is waiting for you inside."

"Oh, she knew I was coming?" Xu Chuan was somewhat surprised.

He released Ningguang as a dove at the banquet, but she actually guessed that he would come.

"Lady Ningguang has always been a master strategist." Bai Shi's face was full of respect for Ningguang.

Xu Chuan smiled and shook his head, saying nothing more.

Ningguang's visit to Qunyu Pavilion was a spur-of-the-moment decision, and even with ample intelligence, she couldn't control her every move.

Unless she truly possesses some kind of intuition beyond reason.

Walking through the corridor and pushing open the door to the reception room, Ningguang was sitting on a soft couch by the window.

Moonlight streamed in through the floor-to-ceiling window behind her, enveloping her figure in a soft halo.

Ningguang wore a magnificent dark-colored long dress today, with golden cloud patterns embroidered on the hem, which shimmered with a warm luster under the lamplight.

Her neckline was slightly open, revealing her delicate collarbone, and a light gauze shawl was draped over her shoulders, with a few strands of hair falling beside her cheeks.

The eyes that usually held calculation and weighing of options were now softened by a slight buzz of intoxication.

His demeanor was much more casual than usual, and the aloofness of a ruler had diminished considerably, with the shrewdness of calculation and weighing pros and cons fading away.