"Is this... your world?"
Konan stared in disbelief at the floating pavilions and the shimmering sea of Liyue. Beside her, Karin was still struggling to process her surroundings. One moment she had been on a cold stone bridge in the Land of Iron, warning Sasuke about blue flames; the next, her body had gone numb, and she had awoken in a paradise.
"Oh! Welcome back!" Paimon chirped, floating over to greet the returning team. "Ganyu, that was amazing! You really took down that shark demon!"
The "Coconut Sheep" smiled softly. "It was a matter of elemental suppression. Water and Ice... at our level of energy, the outcome was decided the moment we met."
It wasn't just talk. With Ganyu's current Sovereign-tier cultivation, she could have suppressed Kisame with raw physical force alone.
Hu Tao skipped over to Yae Miko, poking her shoulder curiously. "Where's that little ghost girl? The one with the lantern? Call her out to play!"
"Director Hu, that was my Bankai, not a playmate," Miko sighed, though her eyes twinkled with amusement.
"Oh, boring! It's just me and Snowballmon today, I'm dying of thirst for something new!"
To appease the "Witch of Wangsheng," Miko reached into the shadows, grabbed a sleepy, struggling ninja-tanuki by the scruff of her neck, and tossed her over. "Here. Play with Sayu."
"Waaaah! I was sleeping!" Sayu wailed, but she didn't dare resist the Guuji. She knew that if she didn't cooperate with Hu Tao, Miko would find a much more "terrifying" way to wake her up.
[The Graveyard of Gods – Guyun Stone Forest]
"Where is Su Han?" Ganyu asked, noticing the Sovereign's absence.
"He's already at Guyun Stone Forest," Paimon explained. "The 29th mission is over, and he's about to plant the World Tree seed. Everyone is heading there now."
Yae Miko led the group, dragging a terrified Karin along to ensure the girl understood the sheer scale of the world she had entered. Konan followed silently. She had lost Yahiko, and then Nagato. Nagato's final act—reviving the people of Konoha—had been his redemption, but his last wish was for Konan to live with hope. Looking at the vibrant skies of Teyvat, she felt, for the first time in years, that she might actually be able to fulfill that wish.
When they arrived, Su Han was hovering over the sea, surveying the islands. Zhongli stood beside him, pointing toward the depths with casual familiarity.
"To the left lies Osial, Overlord of the Vortex," the Consultant remarked. "To the right is the God of Blighted Winds... and further out, near the edge, is the God of the Deep Sea."
The group's lips twitched. Only the Rex Lapis could recount the locations of suppressed gods like he was listing items in a grocery store.
"My goodness," Paimon gasped. "How many did the Emperor bury down there?"
"According to my memory... about four in this cluster alone," Zhongli said. "Osial is the strongest; his power has yet to be fully eroded by time."
[The Planting]
Su Han held the seed—a gem-like jade—and focused. He chose a spot slightly offset from Osial. He wanted the tree to nourish itself on the remains of the three fallen gods first. If it could grow without devouring Osial, he might be able to subdue the Vortex God later as a general.
He released the seed. It cut through the water like a bullet.
Instantly, the sky darkened. A heavy, resentful aura began to swirl in the air. Sensing the shift, two streaks of light—Xiao and Bosacius—arrived from Liyue Harbor, their spears leveled. But seeing Zhongli, they immediately relaxed.
"Broadcast the preview," Su Han told Yoimiya. "Keep the public calm, but let them witness the birth of a new era."
Ten minutes later, Zhongli flicked a finger. The seals on the seabed loosened. Below, the verdant vines of the World Tree erupted, seeking out the divinity of the dead gods. To speed up the process, Zhongli used his authority to shatter the ancient remains into pure energy fragments.
"Now," Zhongli signaled. "The Xuanyuan Sword."
"Sword, Come!" Su Han commanded.
The Holy Weapon of Humanity descended from the heavens, its golden light piercing the gloom. The resentment and malice of the fallen gods were instantly suppressed by the sword's aura of Order.
With the path cleared, the World Tree exploded in size. It transformed from a sapling into a towering titan within minutes. It reached a thousand meters, then two thousand. Its massive roots pierced the seabed, drawing every ounce of power from the graveyard of gods.
[A New Continent]
A mournful cry echoed from the deep. It was Osial. The Vortex God was terrified; watching his former peers be turned into fertilizer was a fate worse than death.
The World Tree, now thousands of meters tall, began to reshape the geography of Liyue. The islands of Guyun Stone Forest vanished, replaced by a trunk so thick it became a new landmass. Its branches spread out like a verdant canopy, actively purifying the surrounding air.
"It's... even larger than the one in Sumeru," Zhongli observed, a hint of awe in his voice.
"You could build an entire city on those branches," Paimon whispered.
"That's the plan," Su Han smiled.
As they watched, the tree's consciousness began to shift its form. The massive trunk smoothed into natural streets and terraces; hollows in the wood transformed into habitable dwellings. It wasn't just a tree; it was a living fortress.
"Shall we go inside?" Miko laughed.
"Yay! Klee wants to play in the big tree house!" The "Spark Knight" couldn't wait any longer, soaring toward the glowing green leaves like a tiny red meteor.
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