The Yak (Ao-Andon) was a manifestation of spectral hunger. Faced with a sea of tens of thousands of trapped, resentful souls, it unhinged its jaws. Purple lightning danced across the courtyard in jagged, hungry arcs, and wherever the light touched, the walking corpses collapsed like scythed wheat. Their spiritual essence was stripped away before their rotting bodies even hit the mud.
In a hidden chamber far from the mortuary, Shi Jian felt his connection to his undead army snapping by the hundreds. His eyes turned bloodshot. "Lin Jiu... I didn't think you had such a master helping you. Fine... if ghosts won't kill you, the earth will! Maoshan Secret Art: Wooden Stake Technique!!"
Driven to a murderous frenzy by the death of his son, the fallen Taoist unleashed his ultimate trump card. Enormous logs, each weighing hundreds of pounds and enchanted with foul energy, rose into the air at his command. Since wood is a natural insulator, he believed his senior brother's "helper" would be helpless against a physical barrage that ignored lightning.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The sky rained heavy timber. Inside the mortuary, the disciple Wenchai shrieked, "Master! Master, come quick! It's raining houses! We're going to be squashed!"
Uncle Nine rushed out, his face pale as he watched the sky. "The Wooden Stake Technique... to think he would use a sacred Maoshan art for such evil."
"Master, shouldn't we do something?" Qiusheng asked, hovering near the door.
"Take care of yourselves first!" Uncle Nine snapped, pointing at the zombies surging over the walls to take advantage of the distraction. But before he could draw a seal, a cold, feminine snort echoed through the courtyard.
With a simple flick of her wrist, Yae Miko sent a pulse of high-frequency electro energy through the air. The "insulating" logs didn't just fall—they detonated into toothpicks. The dark clouds above shattered, revealing a glimpse of the moon.
"Trivial toys," Miko mocked. "I don't have all night."
She vanished, tracing the source of the evil aura. She found the demon-possessed son of Shi Jian first; a single bolt of divine lightning reduced him to ash.
"YOU DARE!!" Shi Jian's roar echoed from the woods. "YOU KILLED MY SON! GIVE ME YOUR LIFE!"
The Taoist lunged from the shadows, but he was a firefly challenging a star. Before he could even finish a hand seal, a fox spirit tore through his heart. Shi Jian collapsed, dead before he hit the ground. It was a Three-Star mission, after all; for a Lady of the Narukami, it was barely a workout.
Miko didn't linger for loot. She let her Yak finish devouring the lingering spirits and vanished back to Teyvat.
[The Reward: Thunderclap Fist]
Back in Liyue, the system notifications pinged:
[Ding! Mission Complete. Reward: 50,000 Points.]
[Ding! Reward Obtained: Thunderclap Fist Technique.]
Miko examined the scroll. It was a unique martial art that drew lightning from the atmosphere into the user's strikes, specifically designed to shatter evil spirits and undead.
"A martial art with no entry barriers?" Miko mused. "Su Han will love this."
She knew that while Three-Part Returning Origin Qi was powerful, it was too complex for every soldier. A low-tier, high-efficiency technique like Thunderclap Fist was exactly what the newly formed Strategic Department needed to bolster the rank-and-file of the three nations. She immediately sent the manual to Yelan, Eula, and Kujou Sara for mass distribution.
[The Dragon King's Avatar]
Meanwhile, near Mt. Hulao, Su Han descended from the clouds on the back of a celestial crane. Qiqi sat in his lap, her small hands gripping his sleeves as she giggled at the wind.
"Was it fun, Qiqi?"
"Mmm... Qiqi likes going for drives with Big Brother. It's... very peaceful."
Su Han smiled. He was headed to check on the seal of the Azhdaha (Ruo Tuo Dragon King). With the Xuanyuan Sword stabilizing the Ley Lines for months, the Dragon King's erosion should have lessened.
As they landed near an ancient, massive tree by a stream, a strange young girl with blue hair and cold, ancient eyes watched them. Qiqi instinctively hid behind Su Han, shivering at the sheer weight of the girl's presence.
"Oh... so the Sovereign finally visits," the girl said, her voice sounding like grinding stone.
Su Han wasn't surprised. This was Ajiu, the personification of the Dragon King's remaining sanity.
"You recognize me?" Su Han asked.
"I can feel the 'Order' you've brought to Liyue," Ajiu said, her tone softening slightly. "The Ley Lines are quiet for the first time in centuries. And that golden sword you carry... its scent is unmistakable."
"How are you feeling?"
"Clearer... but the damage of erosion is deep. A stable Ley Line prevents further madness, but it doesn't heal the scars of a thousand years. Still... I won't cause trouble. But tell me—why hasn't that man come to see me? Does Morax have no time for an old friend?"
Su Han laughed awkwardly. "Zhongli... well, he's a bit slow with news. I came on my own today. And I brought a peace offering."
He opened his storage space, laying out a feast prepared by Xiangling: braised meats, grilled fish, and spiced delicacies. Ajiu hesitated for only a second before she began to eat with a ferocity that matched her true form.
"This... this is meat? It's wonderful!"
"And the fish... so refreshing!"
Watching the Dragon King's avatar delight in the food, Su Han felt a sense of relief. The bridge between the old gods and the new era was finally being built, one meal at a time.
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