Chapter Summaries

As Inazuma panicked over violent seas and a barrier sealing off the nation, Zebu realized Xiu Yuan might be fighting a god elsewhere and rushed to save him. She attacked the barrier, while the Tenryou Commission and others ordered the people to flee to higher ground.

• The people of Inazuma watched the sea churn beneath a gray sky and feared an approaching disaster.
• Zebu and Baal realized the barrier and distant explosion were connected to events outside Inazuma, though neither knew the full cause.
• Zebu guessed that Xiu Yuan had left to fight another nation's god and had sealed Inazuma off to protect it.
• Zebu asked Baal to prepare everyone for the tsunamis, then flew toward the explosion to bring Xiu Yuan back.
• Zebu discovered that the barrier prevented anyone from leaving and struck it with her thunder-wreathed blade.
• Chiyo, Kitsune Saiguu, and the Tenryou Commission ordered the people to flee to higher ground.

Zebu repeatedly tried to break Xiu Yuan’s Protective Barrier with her strongest attacks, desperate to reach and protect him, but could not even crack it. As her strength waned, an enormous monster rose from the sea outside the barrier.

• People fled toward the mountains as Zebu attacked the Protective Barrier, but it repelled her strikes.
• Zebu unleashed Musou no Hitotachi, yet the barrier blocked her ultimate technique and the shock waves devastated Narukami Island.
• Hearing explosions from the distant north, Zebu continued attacking, determined to reach Xiu Yuan and bring him back.
• As Zebu’s stamina ran low, a building-sized monster rose from the sea beyond the Protective Barrier, leaving her stunned.

Zebu faced a sea packed with Abyss-like monsters that cracked the Protective Barrier around Narukami Island. As she prepared to defend the island’s people to the death, a one-armed man arrived and struck the monsters with a devastating blast of lightning.

• People on Narukami Island realized the Protective Barrier had trapped them as well as shielded them from the tsunami, then ran down the mountain to see the monster at sea.
• Chiyo stopped Jintai from restraining the civilians because she believed the barrier kept them safe and Zebu could handle any monsters that got through.
• Zebu confronted the huge creature outside the barrier and recognized an aura like that of the Abyss.
• More monsters appeared until the ocean was filled with them, and their attacks spread cracks across the Protective Barrier.
• Zebu resolved to defend the people of Narukami Island as the barrier neared breaking, but a one-armed man arrived and unleashed a huge lightning strike that blasted the monsters.

Xiu Yuan returned to Narukami Island gravely wounded after escaping the battle in Khaenri'ah and drew the surrounding monsters away from the island. He trapped Zebu and the others behind the barrier as he prepared to face the monsters alone, leaving Zebu devastated that he had broken his promise.

• Xiu Yuan arrived beside Zebu, Chiyo, Kitsune Saiguu, Baal, and the Tenryou Commission soldiers, shocking them with his bloodied, abyss-corroded body.
• Xiu Yuan recalled how he sensed monsters attacking the barrier from outside during the war in Khaenri'ah and fought his way back to Inazuma.
• Xiu Yuan drew the monsters surrounding Narukami Island toward himself and killed them with waves of blade energy from the air.
• Zebu struck the barrier and begged Xiu Yuan to let her fight beside him, accusing him of breaking his promise as she wept.

Xiu Yuan said farewell to Zebu and the Tenryou Commission while preparing to face the monsters alone. As Zebu wept behind the barrier, he remembered the friends and peaceful life she would have without him.

• Xiu Yuan told Zebu that he forgave her and comforted her as she begged him to open the barrier.
• Xiu Yuan ordered Jintai to serve Zebu and keep Inazuma safe, then praised his subordinates for standing against the monsters.
• The Tenryou Commission recited its declaration to serve as Inazuma's spear and shield, and Xiu Yuan urged them to remember their duty.
• Xiu Yuan told Zebu he was glad to know her playful side and hoped she would remain surrounded by Baal, Chiyo, Kitsune Saiguu, and Yae Miko.
• Zebu begged Xiu Yuan to stay and try the dishes she had learned to cook, while Chiyo recalled how she had taught Zebu to make meat stew and candied hawthorn skewers.
• Xiu Yuan remembered that Sasayuri's favorite food had been Chiyo's meat stew.

Xiu Yuan reassured himself that his friends were safe, then unleashed a devastating technique against the Abyss-corrupted monsters surrounding Inazuma. The Rakshasa Death Domain engulfed tens of thousands of monsters, leaving them trapped beneath its relentless blade energy.

• Chiyo and Kitsune Saiguu remembered gifts from Xiu Yuan and became emotional as he saw that they were safe and whole.
• Xiu Yuan resolved to stop the advancing monsters and recalled how his second move had once exhausted him and cost him his arm.
• Xiu Yuan used One Thought, Three Thousand to recreate his severed left arm from translucent blue energy.
• Xiu Yuan rose into the clouds and summoned lightning that formed a monstrous face, causing the monsters to flee.
• Xiu Yuan struck the center of the horde and unleashed the Rakshasa Death Domain, trapping tens of thousands of monsters in a vast black sphere where blade energy tore them apart.

Xiu Yuan defeated the monsters with the Rakshasa Domain but collapsed after the Protective Barrier shattered, revealing that he had stolen the Gnosis and fought the war in everyone’s place. He asked Baal to leave his name and deeds to Sasayuri, then died, completing his eighth life.

• Xiu Yuan’s Rakshasa Domain annihilated the monsters, and the Protective Barrier around Narukami Island shattered.
• Zebu rescued the exhausted, blinded Xiu Yuan from the sea and brought him aboard the ship.
• Xiu Yuan apologized for stealing the Gnosis and fighting in the war alone, then revealed the Gnosis to everyone.
• Baal took the Gnosis, but Xiu Yuan asked her not to tell anyone his name so Sasayuri could inherit his legacy.
• Xiu Yuan told Baal he would return when the cherry blossoms bloomed, then died in her arms.

After completing his eighth reincarnation, Xiu Yuan chose the Good-and-Evil Mask and began his final reincarnation as Glasya-Labolas, the Demon God of Darkness. He found himself in ancient Liyue before the Archon War and planned to grow strong enough to confront Morax, but someone approached him and asked who he was.

• Xiu Yuan let the system select the Good-and-Evil Mask, which allowed him to control his karmic debt and Abyssal corruption while strengthening them whenever he used them.
• Xiu Yuan put on the mask and began his ninth reincarnation with a mission to participate in the Archon War in Liyue.
• Xiu Yuan learned that his new identity was Glasya-Labolas, the Demon God of Darkness, born from humanity's fear of the unknown.
• Xiu Yuan discovered that he wielded Electro, Pyro, and Geo, though he knew little about Geo.
• Xiu Yuan realized he was in Liyue before the Archon War and intended to become strong enough to fight Morax, when an unknown voice asked who he was.

Xiu Yuan met the young Morax and accepted his challenge to spar. He defeated Morax by using Electro and Geo together, leaving Morax to admit defeat.

• Xiu Yuan introduced himself to Morax, who challenged him to a spar.
• Morax attacked with rocks and a spear, but Xiu Yuan dodged and deflected his moves.
• Morax summoned two Rock Sharks, and Xiu Yuan pierced them with Geo spikes, shocking Morax by wielding two elements.
• Xiu Yuan exploited Morax’s surprise and cut through his rock wall with Great Thunderclap.
• Morax conceded defeat after Xiu Yuan won the spar.

Xiu Yuan asked Morax how long he had been alive to place himself in Teyvat’s timeline, then realized this life could last for thousands of years without any way to reach Celestia. He struggled with the fear that the people he hoped to return to might move on, but resolved to honor his contract and go back regardless.

• Xiu Yuan offered to explain how to wield two elements if Morax answered a question.
• Xiu Yuan asked how long Morax had been in the world, hoping to determine the current point in history.
• Morax estimated that he had been born about thirty-five or thirty-six hundred years earlier.
• Xiu Yuan realized he lacked a Gnosis and could not contact Celestia or meaningfully control events such as the Archon War.
• Xiu Yuan worried that centuries of waiting might cause him to lose his longing to return or find that the people he missed had moved on.
• Xiu Yuan pushed aside his doubts and reaffirmed that he had to return to honor his contract.

Xiu Yuan explained that he had been born with the power of two elements, surprising Morax, who proposed another match. They agreed on stakes: Morax would remove his mask if he lost, while Xiu Yuan would reveal a secret if he lost.

• Morax asked Xiu Yuan how he had gained the power of two elements, and Xiu Yuan explained that he had possessed both from birth.
• Morax marvelled at Xiu Yuan's unusual abilities and challenged him to another match.
• Xiu Yuan proposed adding stakes, and Morax suggested that Xiu Yuan remove his mask if Morax won.
• Morax offered to acknowledge Xiu Yuan as his big brother if Xiu Yuan won, and Xiu Yuan added that he would reveal a secret if he lost.
• Morax accepted the terms and declared their agreement sealed.

Xiu Yuan overwhelmed Morax’s flashy Geo constructs with his combined Electro-and-Geo technique, Sudden Rain Thunderrock. The barrage ended with Morax unharmed behind a golden shield, and Xiu Yuan approved of his defense.

• Xiu Yuan dodged Morax’s stone eagles and criticized his flashy but ineffective fighting style.
• Morax summoned giant whales, Rock Sharks, and more eagles to attack Xiu Yuan.
• Xiu Yuan used Sudden Rain Thunderrock, charging countless small stones with lightning to destroy Morax’s creatures.
• Xiu Yuan unleashed a prolonged storm of electrified stones that blasted the battlefield into a crater.
• Morax stood unharmed behind a golden shield, and Xiu Yuan praised his defense.

Xiu Yuan overwhelmed Morax with a series of tactical feints and relentless attacks, then continued tormenting him for days. After five days, Morax finally admitted defeat and surrendered.

• Morax charged Xiu Yuan with his spear, and they fought for more than a hundred exchanges using weapons and elemental power.
• Xiu Yuan feinted with Thunder Flash, used rocks to distract Morax, and trapped him behind a barrage of blade waves.
• Xiu Yuan battered Morax through three more days of fighting, breaking his shield repeatedly while Morax refused to surrender.
• After the fifth day, Morax said he had lost and surrendered.

After five days of being outmaneuvered, Morax admitted defeat and accepted Xiu Yuan as his big brother. Xiu Yuan showed him how he combined Electro and Geo to create Pyro, then began demonstrating his control over it.

• Morax gave up after Xiu Yuan repeatedly thwarted him and agreed to call him big brother.
• Xiu Yuan produced a spark of Electro and a small stone of Geo, then combined them in his fist.
• Xiu Yuan opened his hand to reveal a burning flame, leaving Morax stunned by the transformation into Pyro.
• Morax asked whether Xiu Yuan could use Pyro however he wanted, and Xiu Yuan began a demonstration.

Xiu Yuan showed Morax how he could control fire and promised to teach him elemental fusion if Morax could beat him. Morax accepted a monthly challenge under restrictions, then said he wanted to focus on defeating Xiu Yuan.

• Xiu Yuan demonstrated how he shaped fire into weapons and other forms, making Morax eager to learn elemental fusion.
• Xiu Yuan said he would teach Morax if Morax beat him, but Morax initially gave up because he believed he could not win.
• Xiu Yuan promised to use only Geo in their fights and no Electro-related skills, and Morax agreed to the terms.
• Xiu Yuan limited Morax to one fight each month, which Morax accepted.
• Xiu Yuan asked what they would do next, and Morax said he wanted to focus on defeating him.

Xiu Yuan rejected Morax’s flashy rock creatures and promised to teach him a technique that was both impressive and powerful. He demonstrated a rock barrage that concealed an explosive stone spear, then drew its fragments back together to shatter Morax’s shield.

• Morax showed Xiu Yuan several rock creatures, but Xiu Yuan rejected them for lacking practical strength.
• Xiu Yuan offered to teach Morax a flashy, hard-hitting skill, and Morax eagerly accepted.
• Xiu Yuan told Morax to raise his shield and began bombarding him with rocks.
• Xiu Yuan concealed an explosive stone spear behind the rocks, and its blast cracked Morax’s shield.
• Xiu Yuan called the fragments back from every direction, breaking through Morax’s shield and leaving Morax stunned.

Xiu Yuan explained how his explosive spear was assembled from controllable rocks, then tried to teach Morax the technique. Morax managed to fit a few pieces together but struggled to shape the rest, leaving Xiu Yuan frustrated as he started over.

• Xiu Yuan revealed that his spear consisted of independent rocks that assembled on impact, exploded, and returned for a follow-up attack.
• Xiu Yuan explained the spear’s construction to Morax, who felt overwhelmed by the technique.
• Morax tried the method and successfully fitted the first four rocks together.
• Xiu Yuan guided Morax through shaping a fifth rock, but Morax continued to struggle with the pieces.
• Xiu Yuan rejected Morax’s badly shaped rock and made him try again.

Xiu Yuan taught Morax to craft an elaborate stone spear, leaving Morax humbled by Xiu Yuan’s skill and newly determined to keep a lower profile. Morax named the technique the Demon-Scale Long Spear and resumed working on it.

• Xiu Yuan criticized Morax’s painstaking attempts to make the stone spear, while Morax struggled to complete even a small part.
• Morax learned that Xiu Yuan had invented the technique in about an hour and despaired at being an “average loser.”
• Xiu Yuan goaded Morax into trying again, and Morax admitted he had wanted to test the technique on him during their fight.
• Morax realized Xiu Yuan had devised the skill on the fly and began reconsidering his own arrogance and desire to keep a low profile.
• Morax asked to name the technique, and Xiu Yuan let him choose; Morax called it the Demon-Scale Long Spear.

Xiu Yuan patiently taught Morax to assemble a Demon-Scale Long Spear, and Morax completed his first one after half a month of work. As Morax excitedly practiced with it, Xiu Yuan rested and called him over to discuss something.

• Morax asked Xiu Yuan for help fitting pieces of the spear together, and Xiu Yuan guided him through the work for several days.
• Exhausted by teaching, Xiu Yuan said he was going to slack off, then told Morax that slacking off meant working hard.
• Morax embraced the phrase and kept building the spear alongside Xiu Yuan.
• After half a month, Morax finished his first Demon-Scale Long Spear and celebrated while practicing with it.
• Xiu Yuan rested on the grass, took out his tea set, and called Morax over because he had something to tell him.

Xiu Yuan confronted the Abyss’s growing corruption of his face and his fear of being seen without his mask. He overheard the karmic debts plotting to confront the Abyss during the Archon War, learning that karmic debt resonance could help them gain control of his body.

• Xiu Yuan studied his horribly corrupted reflection by the river and realized he could no longer bear to show his face.
• Xiu Yuan feared that even if the nine reincarnations sent him back, he would be too ashamed to face the people he loved.
• The karmic debts secretly planned to confront the Abyss during the Archon War and use their masters’ resentment to resonate with them.
• Xiu Yuan listened without interrupting, wondering whether the karmic debts might destroy the Abyss or instead overwhelm his mind.
• Xiu Yuan learned about karmic debt resonance and worried that the coming struggle might make him lose control of his body.