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

After a brief silence, wails erupted like a tidal wave.

"What...the Emperor is really dead!"

"Your Majesty, how can we live without you!"

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty..."

Amidst the wailing, many people fainted from the shock.

Some people collapsed to the ground and wept uncontrollably, some knelt down and kowtowed repeatedly, and some were pale-faced and their lips trembled so much that they could not speak.

The Chiyan Army began to maintain order and disperse the crowd, but many more people remained where they were.

They were unwilling to leave, as if the gods had not truly departed as long as they remained on this land.

What will happen to a nation that lives in harmony with the gods after they lose them?

Xu Chuan surveyed his surroundings from his elevated position.

He stood on a high point at the edge of the Jade Capital Terrace, with Xiao beside him, and the two of them watched all this in silence.

Xu Chuan's gaze pierced through the chaotic crowd, searching for something.

Soon, two familiar figures emerged from the crowd.

Short golden hair, a white dress, and that little white thing floating beside her.

It is Ying and Paimon.

They stood in the crowd, their expressions completely different from the others.

Ying's gaze fell on the immortal ancestor's physical body.

The girl, like the people of Liyue, was filled with confusion.

The Rock God is dead. Who should she ask for information from?

The Thousand Rock Army has already begun its operations.

Several soldiers noticed the two suspicious-looking outsiders and surrounded them.

Ying and Paimon exchanged a glance, then decisively ran away.

They had a lot of experience with this back in Mondstadt.

The two weaved through the crowd, as nimble as two fish, and soon disappeared below the steps of Yujingtai.

Xu Chuan watched their retreating figures and silently mourned for them for a second.

As expected, in every kingdom before Nata, Ying and Paimon were bound to suffer this fate.

Mondstadt is a wanted criminal, Liyue is a wanted criminal, and Inazuma is the number one wanted criminal.

Ying's resume along the way is truly rich and colorful.

He had already experienced it before the time travel and had no intention of experiencing it again.

Xu Chuan withdrew his gaze, no longer paying attention to the two who were evading capture.

They then turned their attention back to Xiao.

He was curious to see what Xiao would do after seeing this scene.

Will he appear at Yujingtai as the Great Sage Who Subdues Demons, question the Seven Stars, or do something else?

The ape's golden eyes stared unblinkingly at the mortal ancestor's physical remains.

His expression remained unchanged, but Xu Chuan noticed that the knuckles of his fingers gripping the gun were slightly white.

It wasn't sadness, but rather the bewilderment one feels when a certain belief is shaken.

"The Rock King Emperor has fallen, and you, as an immortal, do not seem to feel the same sorrow as them."

Xu Chuan decided to bring up the subject to see what he had to say.

Xiao remained silent for a moment before withdrawing his gaze from the Immortal Ancestor's Dharma Body.

"Mortals have short lifespans, and those who have experienced the war between demons and gods like immortals have long since passed away."

"They cannot imagine the terrifying calamity that would be brought when a demon god dies."

His voice was very soft, as if he were talking to himself.

Those golden eyes seemed to flash back to the events of the Demon God War.

Those battles buried in the dust of history, those fierce battles that even immortals would perish, those remnants left behind by fallen demons, enough to destroy a city.

Xu Chuan knew that what he said was true.

Even the weak salt god was assassinated by his own people.

Almost instantly, the death of the demon god was like a natural disaster, killing all life around it.

The power of salinization spread throughout the city, turning living people into pillars of salt and buildings into blocks of salt.

The more powerful demon gods bring even more terrifying calamities when they fall.

Earthquakes, tsunamis, plagues, or some other, more bizarre and indescribable curse.

The remnants of a fallen demon god.

Those things erode all living things, pollute the land, and distort minds.

Even Xiao, a celestial yaksha, after years of cleaning up the remnants of demons, is still burdened by karmic obstacles and tormented by those resentments and curses to this day.

Not to mention ordinary people who view elemental power as deadly poison.

Therefore, after Zhong Li performed this play...

Those immortals could guess what was going on once they learned that Liyue Harbor was safe and sound.

Xu Chuan didn't stop there. Instead, he asked with great interest, "Then why do you think the Rock King Emperor would do this?"

This question stumped Xiao.

His brow furrowed slightly, and a hint of confusion flashed in his golden eyes.

yeah why?

Why would a god who has ruled for over six thousand years stage such a spectacle of divine downfall in front of his own people during a ritual to invite immortals?

What exactly is their intention?

Xu Chuan watched as Xiao fell into deep thought, and quietly waited for his reply. The wind blew across the Jade Capital Terrace.

The wind lifted the hems of their clothes, dispersing the lingering incense smoke on the altar.

In the distance, the Thousand Rock Army was still dispersing the crowd. The wails gradually faded away, replaced by a heavy, oppressive atmosphere that made it hard to breathe.

Xiao pondered for a long time, so long that Xu Chuan thought he wouldn't answer.

"The Emperor must have a deeper meaning in doing this."

He finally spoke, his voice softer than usual, as if trying to convince himself.

Upon hearing this, Xu Chuan smiled but remained silent.

Even if you rack your brains, probably no one could guess the real reason.

This demon-slaying sage probably never imagined it.

The Geo Archon he worshipped held a special funeral for himself in order to step down from his divine position and return Liyue to the mortals.

Having witnessed the fall of the Rock King Emperor, Xiao no longer intended to linger here.

He turned his gaze away and looked at Xu Chuan.

"If anything happens, you can call me."

His tone remained aloof, but it had gained a touch of warmth compared to when they first met.

"The Wind God entrusted me with looking after you, and I will not break my promise."

After saying that, his figure disappeared from the heights.

Like a gust of wind, it comes suddenly and goes just as suddenly.

Xu Chuan smiled at the empty rooftop, then turned and walked down from the platform.

After satisfying his curiosity, he focused his attention on the system.

Just now, the Immortal Ancestor's Dharma Body descended from the sky.

The moment the system notified me that I had completed the "Liyue Main Story: Summoning Ceremony Check-in" task, the reward was credited to my account.

As he walked down the steps of Yujing Terrace, he glanced at the system panel.

[Liyue Main Story - Summoning Ritual Check-in Completed.]

[Reward obtained: Spirit Summoning and Commanding Generals.]

Chapter Seventy-Eight: Check-in Rewards

"I never expected it to be a summoning of spirits and generals."

Upon seeing this, Xu Chuan felt a slight surge of joy.

This system reward comes from the same world as the previous Golden Light Mantra.

One of the Eight Extraordinary Skills, Spirit Binding and Commanding, can forcibly control spirits.

One can either invite spirits to possess one's body and use their power to strengthen oneself, or one can devour spirits to permanently strengthen oneself.

Two uses, one righteous and one evil, but both are real power.

Xu Chuan was quite satisfied with the reward.

After all, Teyvat is different from the world of Under One Person; spirits are not scarce here.

Those souls who died in the war between demons and gods, those consciousnesses that dissipated after being corrupted by the remnants of demons and gods, and those vengeful spirits wandering in the wilderness.

He could summon them all if he wanted. He knew quite a few spirits, even those as powerful as demon gods.

For example, Andrius, the Wolf King of the North Wind in Mondstadt's Wolfrune.

Or perhaps, Zibai's three souls.

However, finding Zibai's Three Corpse Gods is no easy task.

Leaving aside the path on the fake moon, just the towering abyss of rock alone would take him a great deal of effort.

However, there are many benefits to controlling the three corpses of Zibai.

However, Xu Chuan still set his sights on the Wolf's Den in Mondstadt.

"Next time I go back to Mondstadt, I'll pay a visit to this old friend."

He was already starting to plan when to make a trip to Benlang Territory.

Of course, it's not about fighting, but about "having a chat".

If a spirit of Andrius's caliber could be captured, even just to borrow a portion of its power, it would be a tremendous boost.

He walked through the streets of Liyue Harbor, studying his newly acquired abilities.

The surrounding crowd was still discussing the Emperor's demise; some wept, some were bewildered, and some had begun to speculate about the identity of the murderer.

Xu Chuan did not participate in these discussions; his attention was elsewhere.

He went into a clothing store and changed into a Liyue outfit.

Xu Chuan looked at himself in the bronze mirror and nodded in satisfaction.

The person in the mirror looks no different from a local Liyue resident; at least they won't be questioned as a suspicious individual by the Thousand Rock Army just because they're wearing Mondstadt attire.

He paid, walked out of the clothing store, and thought about his next steps.

"Seven Stars is busy dealing with the mess of the Immortal Invocation Ceremony right now, so he probably doesn't have time to deal with me. It's best not to add to the trouble."

Ying and Paimeng are probably being chased all over the city by the Thousand Rock Army right now, and Xu Chuan doesn't want to repeat their mistakes.

After walking a few steps, he suddenly remembered something.

"Oh, right, the letter Yura gave me."

He pulled a letter from the cannon backpack. The envelope was written in neat handwriting: "To Yan Fei."