Chapter Summaries

Nahida joined the celebration banquet and thanked the people who had helped save her, promising to seek a cure for Collei’s Eleazar. Yucheng then raised Nilou’s unspoken hope that the Akademiya would lift the Art Ban, leaving Alhaitham to answer.

• After Nahida finished greeting her people, she joined Yucheng and the others on the Zubayr Theater stage.
• Nahida thanked the group for risking their safety to rescue her and called them the heroes who saved a god.
• Nahida apologized to Collei for her illness and promised to ask the Geo Archon and Anemo Archon to cure her Eleazar.
• Cyno, Alhaitham, Kaveh, Dehya, Candace, Rahman, Nilou, and the others responded to Nahida with thanks and reflections on their roles in the rescue.
• Yucheng asked Alhaitham when the Akademiya would revoke the Art Ban, voicing Nilou and the Zubayr Theater’s hidden purpose for hosting the banquet.

At the victory banquet, Nilou asked Alhaitham to repeal Sumeru’s art ban, but he explained that the Akademiya’s rules and the decree’s recent passage made immediate reversal impossible. The request sparked an argument with Kaveh, while Nahida sympathized with both sides, leaving Nilou’s hope of keeping Zubayr Theater in Sumeru unresolved.

• Alhaitham told Nilou that repealing the art ban required a vote under Akademiya regulations and should not be rushed.
• Paimon questioned why Alhaitham could not make an exception, but he insisted that changing the decree had to follow the rules.
• Kaveh accused Alhaitham of abandoning Nilou and Zubayr Theater, and Alhaitham answered that he supported repeal but would not act outside proper procedures.
• Nahida praised Alhaitham’s respect for regulations but said she personally wanted to help Nilou.
• Nilou apologized for disrupting the banquet and explained that the Inazuma delegation had offered Zubayr Theater a place to perform, though many members hoped they could remain in Sumeru.

Nilou chose to honor her promise to go to Inazuma despite the possibility that Sumeru would abolish its art ban, and her resolve inspired many Zubayr Theater staff to follow. Nahida then asked Alhaitham to do something beneficial for Sumeru before leaving his position as Acting Great Sage.

• Yucheng offered to burn the agreement if Nilou and Zubayr Theater no longer wanted to go to Inazuma.
• Nilou firmly declared that she would go to Inazuma, even if she had to perform as a street dancer and rely on Yucheng for help.
• Moved by Nilou's resolve, many Zubayr Theater staff said they would go to Inazuma with her.
• Nahida, Alhaitham, and Cyno felt ashamed and angry about the art ban forcing the theater staff to seek a living elsewhere.
• Nahida asked Alhaitham to do something beneficial for Sumeru before he stepped down as Acting Great Sage.

Nahida promised the people of Sumeru that the Art Ban would be abolished, then joined Yucheng in preparing for a future meeting with Ei. The next day, Alhaitham approved the unexpectedly lenient diplomatic terms, formally establishing a strategic partnership between Inazuma and Sumeru.

• Nahida apologized to the people of Sumeru and promised the Art Ban would be abolished by the time they returned from Inazuma.
• Alhaitham and Cyno accepted responsibility for helping overturn the policy, while Nahida asked Yucheng to look after the Sumeru travelers.
• Yucheng invited Nahida to meet Ei, and Nahida said she would bring homemade Date Honey as a gift.
• Alhaitham reviewed the diplomatic Letter of State and discovered that its terms were unexpectedly lenient toward Sumeru.
• Yucheng nodded when Alhaitham asked whether he had gotten what he wanted in Sumeru, and Alhaitham signed the Letter of State.
• Inazuma and Sumeru formally established a strategic partnership, and Alhaitham became known as the Akademiya's most legendary Great Sage.

Yucheng demonstrated his power in Aaru Village by flooding part of the desert and instantly growing a vast forest, stunning the Akademiya scholars and desert residents. He then announced that they would move on to the next location, while those who witnessed the miracle viewed him with awe.

• Lesser Lord Kusanali, Alhaitham, Cyno, Yucheng, and their party arrived in Aaru Village to begin the Western Support Plan.
• Candace worried that the Akademiya’s plans might disrupt Aaru Village and the descendants of King Deshret.
• Yucheng used Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique to pour a huge torrent of water over the desert.
• Yucheng used Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence, causing a forest several kilometers wide to grow across the soaked sand.
• Yucheng said they would go to the next place, as the onlookers regarded him with growing awe.

Yucheng transformed much of Sumeru’s desert into forest, earning worship and sparking debate among Akademiya scholars over what kind of god he was. In the Land of Lower Setekh, he discovered a force tied to the third Skyfrost Nail, while Nahida found a mysterious emerald heart whose flame seemed connected to her forgotten memories.

• Yucheng created forests and brought localized rain to parts of the desert, winning the villagers’ support and unsettling the reforming Azar and his companions.
• Akademiya scholars argued over whether to call Yucheng the Forest Tree God, Tianyu God, or Human God, while Yucheng chose to preserve the areas around King Deshret’s monuments.
• When Yucheng and Nahida tried to transform the Land of Lower Setekh, Yucheng sensed an underground force draining the new forest’s vitality, and Nahida identified the area as the Goddess of Flowers’ territory.
• Yucheng recognized the force as the power of the third Skyfrost Nail, which had turned the Goddess of Flowers’ rainforest into desert.
• Nahida experienced a brief disconnection and revealed an emerald heart with a small flame, which she had found in the Sanctuary of Surasthana and could not remember.
• Yucheng recognized the flame’s significance, looked toward the source of the forest’s lost vitality, and said, “How could I have forgotten you?”

Yucheng and Nahida followed the heart’s resonance into the Land of Lower Setekh, where they encountered the Dendro Dragon Apep. Apep attacked them, but a mocking voice interrupted the confrontation by calling her the Wenut King.

• Nahida sensed that the heart resonated with a place northwest in the Land of Lower Setekh, and Yucheng decided to follow it.
• As Yucheng and Nahida crossed the desert, Nahida sensed a powerful presence nearby and suspected it was Apep.
• Apep appeared through the sandstorm and ordered Yucheng and Nahida to leave her territory.
• Apep sent sharp sand cones at them, and Yucheng protected them with the Wood Release: Hōbi Technique.
• A voice behind Apep mocked her as the Sand Dragon King and Wenut King.

Yucheng and Nahida confronted Apep, whose power absorbed Yucheng’s Wood Release, and tried to persuade the weakened dragon to accept help. After Apep declared its intent to destroy Sumeru and the Seven Nations, Yucheng summoned Zhongyuan from a teahouse in Liyue, leaving the waiter to report that someone had skipped out on the bill.

• Yucheng attacked Apep with Wood Release, but Apep absorbed the trees and Chakra from Deep Forest Emergence.
• Apep sensed unfamiliar energy in Yucheng and became hostile toward him.
• Nahida offered to save Apep, but Apep rejected her and vowed revenge against Sumeru and the Seven Nations.
• Yucheng challenged Apep for targeting Inazuma and mocked it for not confronting the Heavenly Principles.
• Yucheng used a summoning technique to bring Zhongyuan from Heyu Teahouse, where a waiter reported his sudden disappearance as skipping the bill.

Azhdaha was enjoying Liyue Harbor’s pleasures while Hu Tao and Zhongli were away, until Yucheng’s Summoning Contract teleported him to Sumeru. There, Apep challenged him, and the two ancient dragons prepared to fight.

• Second Master Fan dismissed a waiter’s complaint about Zhongyuan’s unpaid bill and told him to keep Zhongyuan’s seat and refreshments ready.
• Azhdaha continued enjoying Liyue’s food and entertainment, charging his expenses to Wangsheng Funeral Parlor while Hu Tao and Zhongli were away in Inazuma.
• An irresistible summoning force pulled Azhdaha from Heyu Teahouse to Sumeru, where he found Apep, Yucheng, and Nahida.
• Azhdaha recognized Yucheng and learned that Nahida had also signed a Summoning Contract with him.
• After Yucheng told Azhdaha that Apep had insulted him, Azhdaha transformed into a colossal dragon and faced Apep as their battle threatened to begin.

Azhdaha and Apep clashed in the Land of Lower Setekh, arguing over the Dragon Race’s place in the world before trading powerful attacks. With Yucheng’s help, Azhdaha gained Susanoo armor and prepared to settle which dragon was stronger.

• Apep scolded Azhdaha for serving Morax and signing a contract with a human, while Azhdaha mocked Apep and defended accepting the new world order.
• Apep blasted Azhdaha with sandy-yellow energy, but Azhdaha’s defenses held and he countered with a massive desert tsunami.
• Apep split the tsunami with a sword strike, while Yucheng warned Azhdaha not to draw energy from the ley lines because strange Elemental Lifeforms clung to him.
• Yucheng covered Azhdaha in blue-violet Susanoo armor, destroying the Elemental Lifeforms and boosting Azhdaha’s power.
• Azhdaha challenged Apep to a fight to determine who was stronger.

Azhdaha defeated Apep, but Nahida stopped him from finishing the weakened dragon and tried to persuade him to accept help. Yucheng reframed Nahida’s offer as a practical way for Apep to survive and preserve his chance to take revenge on the Heavenly Principles.

• Azhdaha gained the upper hand over the weakened Apep and knocked him down, but Nahida stopped him from attacking further.
• Yucheng used Sage Art: Gate of the Great God to pin Apep down and disrupt his elemental energy.
• Nahida urged Apep to put aside his prejudice, explaining that they shared an enemy and that Forbidden Knowledge had ravaged his body and soul.
• Apep admitted that he had embraced Forbidden Knowledge and remained defiant toward Nahida, Azhdaha, and Yucheng.
• Yucheng advised Nahida to seem less selfless, then told Apep that accepting treatment was his best chance to survive and someday seek revenge on the Heavenly Principles.

Yucheng and Nahida entered Apep’s inner world to use the Seed of Fire to restore the Heart of the Oasis, but Apep’s corrupted subjects attacked while Nahida channeled its energy. Yucheng summoned Susanoo to protect her and prepare to fight the monsters.

• Apep admitted that it sensed Nahida had the Seed of Fire, then opened its mouth to let Yucheng and Nahida enter its inner world.
• Yucheng and Nahida found Apep’s desolate inner world and learned that restoring the Heart of the Oasis could gradually heal the dragon.
• Nahida used the Seed of Fire to channel Dendro energy into the Heart of the Oasis, shaking the entire space.
• An infected Oasis Watcher and numerous mutated elemental lifeforms attacked Yucheng and Nahida as Nahida continued channeling.
• Yucheng shielded Nahida inside a four-armed Susanoo and raised its Chakra Blades to face the attackers.

Nahida and Yucheng restored Apep’s Heart of the Oasis, freeing Apep from forbidden knowledge’s corruption. Apep revealed how King Deshret became entangled with forbidden knowledge and reaffirmed its solitary opposition to the Heavenly Principles, leaving Azhdaha furious at Apep’s criticism of the dragons.

• Susanoo slaughtered the monsters inside Apep while Nahida used the Seed of Fire to restore the Heart of the Oasis and revive the space.
• Apep’s scales turned green, the Gate of the Great God was absorbed, and Apep’s renewed Dendro energy brought life to the desert.
• Nahida told Apep that Sumeru would no longer threaten it, and Apep said it felt peace again but would remain separate from humanity.
• Apep revealed that Nab-Malikata helped Akhmar obtain forbidden knowledge, and that Apep swallowed him after his kingdom fell, absorbing his elemental energy and the Apocalypse.
• Apep explained that it would follow the Dragon King’s will and oppose the Heavenly Principles alone, while rejecting forbidden knowledge as a path to victory.
• Apep disparaged the dragons who had grown close to humans, prompting Azhdaha to challenge it to another fight.

Yucheng told Apep that the Seven Archons had grown less obedient to the Heavenly Principles and revealed that he and his allies might oppose them. Apep sought to recruit Yucheng into the Dragon Race’s camp, but Yucheng refused and suggested that Apep join his instead.

• Apep argued that Azhdaha had only defeated him because his Heart of the Oasis had failed and Azhdaha had gained new armor.
• Yucheng explained that the Heavenly Principles had not appeared for five hundred years and that the Seven Archons’ allegiance had subtly shifted.
• Apep realized that gods and humans might join his campaign against the Heavenly Principles and asked Yucheng where he stood.
• Yucheng cited his ties to Beelzebul, Buer, Barbatos, and Morax, and said his side would oppose the Heavenly Principles if a chance to overthrow them arose.
• Apep invited Yucheng to join the Dragon Race’s camp, but Yucheng refused and urged Apep to join his camp instead.
• Apep silently looked toward Azhdaha, who irritably asked what Apep was looking at.

Yucheng persuaded Apep to join his faction and sign a Summoning Contract, while Nahida agreed to help find Apep’s surviving subjects in Sumeru. The Aranara began searching the Rainforest, and Apep froze after realizing it could not read the contract it was asked to sign.

• Apep questioned what it would gain by joining Yucheng, and Yucheng argued that working together offered a better chance against the Heavenly Principles.
• Apep agreed to sign a Summoning Contract on the condition that Yucheng help return its surviving subjects to their homeland.
• Apep explained that its subjects had likely adapted into Elemental Lifeforms resembling Fungi, and Nahida offered to have the Aranara search for them.
• Nahida sensed that Apep’s subjects might be in danger and sent a message through the Rainforest, prompting the Aranara to begin searching.
• Yucheng gave Apep the contract, and Apep realized it could not read any of the writing on the scroll.

After signing a Summoning Contract with Apep, Yucheng gained a lifespan beyond human limits and learned that contracts could grant him traits from those he summoned. Azhdaha and Apep departed, leaving Nahida and Yucheng to arrange care for Apep’s people and consider how to bring the Aranara to the desert.

• Apep signed a Summoning Contract with Yucheng, triggering a hidden achievement that extended his lifespan beyond human limits.
• Yucheng explained to Nahida and Apep that his contracts with Azhdaha and Nahida had granted him elemental abilities and strengthened his Wood Release Ninjutsu.
• Azhdaha returned to Liyue after Yucheng reminded him to take human form, while Yucheng privately imagined Hu Tao confronting him over his unpaid expenses.
• Nahida asked Yucheng to summon her in Inazuma when she needed advice on governing, and he agreed.
• Apep left to guide its people back through the desert, while Nahida worried about transporting the Aranara there and Yucheng thought of two figures with a mischievous smile.

After receiving Shenhe’s letter announcing her pregnancy, Yucheng canceled his planned trip to Fontaine and hurried to prepare for their return to Inazuma. He planned a grand wedding before her pregnancy advanced, while Ayaka privately decided to make the most of their last night in Sumeru.

• Yucheng learned from Sayu’s letter that Shenhe was pregnant with his child and celebrated the news with the delegation.
• Yucheng canceled the mission to Fontaine and ordered everyone to prepare to return to Inazuma immediately.
• Yucheng began planning a grand wedding for Shenhe, and the delegation and Zubayr Theater staff packed for the journey home.
• The Akademiya congratulated Yucheng and reserved wedding invitations for Alhaitham and Nahida.
• Ayaka, realizing Yucheng would soon have a child with Shenhe, became especially enthusiastic with him on their final night in Sumeru.

Yucheng bid farewell to Nahida and Sumeru's officials before sailing back to Inazuma, leaving behind an unexplained gift. Nahida went to retrieve it and found Scaramouche waiting in the delegation's courtyard.

• Nahida congratulated Yucheng on his coming child and invited him to send wedding invitations, and he said he had left Sumeru a gift.
• Yucheng told Alhaitham to support and protect Nahida, leaving Alhaitham wondering whether Yucheng's actions had been arranged with her.
• Yucheng urged Cyno, Setaria, and Tighnari to help ease Nahida's burdens, then boarded the Inazuma Ship and sailed away.
• Nahida visited the Inazuma delegation's former residence to collect Yucheng's gift and found Scaramouche in the courtyard.

Shenhe rested in the Regent’s Office while Yucheng was away, and the women around her discussed his return and their plans for her wedding. They began preparing for the ceremony, while Chiyo shared memories of her unusual pregnancy.

• Inazuma’s officials kept the Regent’s Office quiet because Shenhe was pregnant and needed rest.
• Shenhe wondered when Yucheng would return, and Kuki Shinobu said he had canceled his plans to visit Fontaine and was traveling back from Sumeru.
• Kuki Shinobu said Yucheng had ordered preparations for his wedding with Shenhe to begin, making Shenhe and several others blush.
• Raiden Ei told Kuki Shinobu to prepare wedding proposals for Yucheng and Shenhe to choose from.
• Yae Miko asked Chiyo for pregnancy advice, and Chiyo recalled wrestling with Ei and others shortly before giving birth to Daoqi.

Shenhe and Yucheng’s friends discussed their wedding and who should represent the groom’s family, since Yucheng had no relatives in Inazuma. Ei agreed to stand as his elder and Zhongli was proposed as officiant, setting up a grand wedding attended by important figures from across Teyvat.

• Eula asked Chiyo about childbirth, and Chiyo recalled giving birth to Daoqi without feeling pain.
• Little Klee asked Shenhe to have a baby so she could become a big sister, while Ganyu reminded Shenhe to inform her master and the adepti about the wedding.
• Yelan and Hu Tao suggested inviting Shenhe’s Liyue relatives and asking Zhongli to officiate the wedding.
• Yelan asked about Yucheng’s family, and Sara explained that his clan had been devastated and that he had no suitable relatives to attend.
• Miko proposed that Ei represent Yucheng’s family, and Ei agreed to serve as his elder while Zhongli would officiate.