Qiu Bai watched Zhongli slowly open his eyes and began to ponder.
At this rate, another dozen or so restoration sessions would completely repair Morax's Erosion.
"Morax, from now on, I'll repair your Erosion once every three days."
"By the way, where's Azhdaha?"
Qiu Bai looked at Zhongli before him and asked in confusion. After all...
Qiu Bai had only purified the black aura around Azhdaha, not repaired his Erosion.
"Azhdaha..."
"Three hundred years ago, Azhdaha succumbed to Erosion after all. We fought for three days and three nights. In the end, I defeated him and sealed him underground."
Zhongli recounted the past with some melancholy. Suddenly, as though something had occurred to him, he looked at Qiu Bai.
"Old friend, you can repair my Erosion."
"Then you should be able to repair Azhdaha's as well."
Zhongli looked at Qiu Bai expectantly. After all, he had few old friends left.
If Azhdaha could truly be restored, even sharing tea in their spare time would be enough. He was simply too lonely.
"A thousand years ago, I wasn't strong enough to repair Azhdaha's Erosion."
"But now, I could give it a try. My power has grown far greater, after all."
Qiu Bai smiled at Morax. He was now more than ten times as powerful as before, and he was fully confident he could restore Azhdaha.
"Then let us go there together after the Rite of Descension."
"Lately, I've felt that Azhdaha's seal has loosened somewhat."
Zhongli spoke slowly from his chair.
"Then it's settled. It's getting late, and I need to visit The Chasm tomorrow."
"I need to take a look at this so-called pitch-black calamity."
Qiu Bai spoke with a grave expression as he sat in his chair.
"I've already sealed the deepest level of The Chasm."
"Even I can do little about the black aura there. When you go tomorrow, I'll undo the seal."
Zhongli looked at Qiu Bai sitting in his chair, then rose and headed upstairs.
"Then I'll see you tomorrow, Morax."
Qiu Bai also returned to the room the director had prepared for him. It was quite spacious, with a bed and a wardrobe, while the rest of the room was fairly empty.
How long had it been since Qiu Bai had had a good night's sleep? Five hundred years, or a thousand? His slumber had been unconscious, unlike ordinary sleep, he reflected wistfully.
The next morning.
Inside the Jade Chamber.
An elegantly dressed woman sat in a chair with her shapely legs crossed.
Her blend of elegance and gentleness was a feast for the eyes.
She was the Tianquan of the Liyue Qixing. At that moment, she held her head with a troubled expression as she looked at Shenhe before her.
How had the Immortal Lord disappeared? As far as she knew, the Adeptus of Yin-Yang and the Two Principles had met Rex Lapis a thousand years ago.
The two gods had fought once, then become friends.
The Immortal Lord had even descended alongside Rex Lapis at the Rite of Descension to plan Liyue's development.
Yet now she was being asked to find the Immortal Lord, and she didn't even know what he looked like.
According to ancient records, Rex Lapis always descended in his true form.
The Immortal Lord, however, appeared in human form, wearing black-and-white clothes and long hair. His face was obscured by a mysterious black-and-white aura.
Ningguang put down the confidential documents in her hands and stood, addressing Shenhe solemnly.
"I understand, miss. Please convey this to the Illuminated Lords."
"Liyue will spare no effort in finding the Immortal Lord!"
Ningguang then instructed Baishi and Baiwen to issue the orders, while she sat back down.
Suddenly, something seemed to occur to her, and she summoned Ganyu.
Ganyu was still preoccupied with the Immortal Lord's disappearance and looked at Ningguang sadly.
Seeing Ganyu's sorrow, Ningguang comforted her for a while before asking.
"Ganyu, haven't you met the Immortal Lord?"
"Do you still remember what he looks like?"
Ganyu sat in the chair opposite Ningguang and carefully searched her memory.
"The Immortal Lord wore black-and-white clothes, with a taiji emblem resembling a Vision hanging at his waist."
"His eyes were pale blue, as deep as the midnight sky. His hair fell over his clothes like ink, and he was very good-looking."
Ganyu paused.
"He was very handsome, with features as gentle and refined as jade."
"He struck me as incredibly elegant. The I-Immortal Lord even patted my head."
Ganyu's face flushed as she recalled it.
Ningguang wrote down all those features, then summoned Baishi and Baiwen again.
She gave them the Immortal Lord's description and told them to search for him using those features.
Ningguang looked at the blushing Ganyu with a peculiar expression.
Why was an adeptus still acting like a little girl? In the Immortal Lord's eyes, did Ganyu count as a child too?
Liyue Harbor.
Qiu Bai left the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor and walked along the streets of Liyue Harbor, hearing residents talking in the distance.
"Hey, have you heard? The Immortal Lord has gone missing."
"Wasn't the Immortal Lord asleep? With adepti guarding him, how could he go missing?"
"Exactly! I heard the adepti sent a disciple to see the Tianquan today and asked her to find the Immortal Lord."
People throughout Liyue Harbor were discussing it. After all, his name carried as much weight as Rex Lapis's.
With the Immortal Lord missing, the residents of Liyue Harbor fell into panic and unrest.
Large numbers of Millelith now patrolled every part of Liyue Harbor's streets, while others searched throughout Liyue.
"Having too great a reputation isn't a good thing either."
"Never mind. I'll visit The Chasm first. Just what is this pitch-black calamity?"
Qiu Bai looked at the key to the seal Zhongli had just given him, then vanished from Liyue Harbor.
A moment later, Qiu Bai arrived above The Chasm. After concealing himself somewhat, he flew straight down.
Along the way, he saw countless mine tunnels and buildings, as well as figures from the Fatui and the Treasure Hoarders.
After flying downward for an unknown length of time, Qiu Bai took the small Geo meteor Zhongli had given him and struck it against the ground.
As the seal opened, densely packed runes appeared all around, and a bottomless hole emerged.
Qiu Bai flew down. When he landed, the sight before him left him utterly stunned.
Huge roots stretched into the distance in a dense tangle. An eerie black aura emanated from them.
Liyue's ley lines were being steadily eroded by that black aura.
"It looks like this is where the pitch-black calamity gathers."
"The place Morax mentioned."
Qiu Bai examined the black aura with his divine power and discovered that it was all converging on one place. He immediately flew toward it.
Before him stood an enormous ancient tree. A visibly black aura spread across it, giving off an eerie presence.
The immense, purple-black ancient tree radiated such power that Qiu Bai was certain, had he come here a thousand years ago...
Without using his divine power to resist it, his mind would undoubtedly have been corrupted by this tree.
But now, even without resisting, the black aura would struggle to corrupt Qiu Bai's mind.
Azhdaha had already been suffering from Erosion, and the influence of this black aura had caused him to become corrupted.
"This tree is slowly corrupting Liyue's ley lines."
"It looks like this could become a major problem in the future unless I deal with the source once and for all."
Before you continue