Xiao: Brother Asura... Is It Really You!?

Karmic Debt was an accumulation of negative emotions.

When individuals fell into despair, faced death, or suffered pain, they instinctively gave off a gloomy, oppressive aura of negativity.

A little of that aura meant nothing, but if the negative emotions of millions were gathered together, they would form a terrifying Karmic Debt, a scourge even more dreadful than demons.

After the Archon War ended, the lingering resentment of the gods that had taken hold in Liyue was, at its core, the resentment and deathly aura they had given off as they approached death.

Because the gods were so powerful as individuals, the resentment given off by a single one could equal that of millions of people combined.

That was why the Asura Yaksha had ultimately had to sacrifice himself to take away all the Karmic Debt formed from the gods' lingering resentment.

Once one understood the concept of Karmic Debt, it was easy to see why Ronova carried such a dense aura of it.

As the Ruler of Death, the being who came into contact with death more than any other, Ronova had encountered countless departed souls over her long life.

Every departed soul was filled with intense negative emotions and despair. Little by little, those emotions had stained Ronova's body, making her, the Ruler of Death, a vessel for a vast mass of Karmic Debt as well.

Under those circumstances, it would have been strange if the aura of Karmic Debt around her weren't so dense.

But this also meant that, in the eyes of Xiao, the Golden-winged Peng Yaksha, Ronova was an immensely terrifying being.

If such a vast accumulation of negative emotions were allowed to enter Liyue unchecked, it could cause a disaster no less terrifying than the release of the gods' lingering resentment.

As Liyue's protector, he could never allow that to happen.

"Go no further, dangerous one burdened with Karmic Debt." Xiao's cold gaze remained fixed on Ronova. "If you dare continue toward Liyue, don't blame me for showing no mercy."

"You..."

Being singled out by Xiao like this, Ronova undoubtedly felt deeply wronged.

After all, she hadn't wanted to absorb so much Karmic Debt.

As the Ruler of Death, she had been forced by the Heavenly Principles to manage the Temple of Death, keeping busy every day ferrying departed souls onward.

Not only had she worked around the clock, seven days a week, she had also been affected by the dead's negative emotions.

Under those circumstances, it was already a wonder she had stayed sane.

Now that she had finally escaped her position as a Ruler and gained some time to rest, she was being treated with such hostility by a mortal.

If Ronova hadn't been so proud, she would have burst into tears right there...

"Ahem."

Mo Fan could certainly understand how wronged Ronova felt.

But he also understood Xiao's determination to protect Liyue.

He had only two choices before him now.

The first was to leave Liyue with Ronova and go somewhere else where she wouldn't be met with hostility because of her aura of Karmic Debt.

The second was to find a way to convince Xiao to accept Ronova's presence.

As for the first choice, there was nothing wrong with leaving Liyue. Teyvat was vast, and there would always be somewhere else to settle.

But the problem was that Liyue was the best choice if he wanted to live a peaceful, tranquil life with Ronova.

No other nation could compare to Liyue when it came to safety.

Besides, there was no telling whether people in other nations would also care about the aura of Karmic Debt around Ronova.

If he chose to give up here, there might be no end of trouble later.

As for the second choice, convincing Xiao to accept Ronova would undoubtedly be very difficult.

Since Karmic Debt was the very thing that had killed the Asura Yaksha, the Five Yaksha who came after him would presumably see its aura as they would the murderer who had killed their elder brother, and would never let it go easily.

But in a sense, that was also an opportunity.

After all, he only had to make Xiao understand that his elder brother hadn't died because of Karmic Debt.

With that thought, Mo Fan realized what he needed to do.

He told Ronova to stay where she was and not move around, then stepped forward and spoke slowly to Xiao. "Could we talk somewhere else, Golden-winged Peng Yaksha?"

"Somewhere else?"

Xiao hadn't expected Mo Fan, a seemingly ordinary mortal, to identify him outright.

He couldn't help but regard Mo Fan a little more highly, but he slowly replied, "No. I have to keep watch over this person burdened with Karmic Debt. I can't let her out of my sight to do as she pleases."

"I see. Then could you let her go for my sake?"

"For your sake? What makes you think I'd do you a..."

Before the Golden-winged Peng Yaksha could finish, a familiar Yaksha aura appeared before his eyes.

Though Mo Fan hadn't recovered the Asura Yaksha's power, he used the Edict of Time to briefly release the Asura Yaksha's icy aura.

To an ordinary person, the chill was no different from that of an ordinary Cryo Vision. But to Xiao, a fellow Yaksha, it was so familiar that he could practically dream of it.

"This chill? You... could you be...?"

Xiao's eyes instantly filled with complicated emotions.

Doubt, anticipation, longing, curiosity, joy... all these emotions surged through his chest, leaving him momentarily dazed.

At last, when the familiar figure in his memories completely overlapped with the man before him, all his doubts vanished. He spoke with an excitement no outsider had ever seen from him.

"B-Brother Asura... is it really you!?"

"Shh, don't say that name!" Mo Fan held the excited Xiao back, his expression tense. "I don't want to become a target for everyone in Teyvat all at once."

"A target? Why?"

"Didn't you watch the video?"

"I don't really like using those smartphones. I can't quite figure them out."

Xiao looked helpless.

"Xiao, why do you sound like some old fossil who can't keep up with the times?"

"Even though I might still be just a child in your eyes, Brother, I've actually lived for two thousand years already."

Xiao spoke with emotion, while the excitement in his eyes hadn't diminished in the slightest. If anything, it had grown even stronger.

Seeing his reaction, Mo Fan was filled with emotion as well.

After all, since Xiao hadn't watched the video, he had no idea what had really happened back then.

Without knowing the Asura Yaksha's true purpose, Xiao had still never regarded his elder brother as a traitor to Liyue. He had believed in and revered him from beginning to end.

The other Yaksha probably felt the same way, placing absolute trust in him even now...

At the thought, Mo Fan couldn't help feeling deeply moved. He wished he could see all five Yaksha at once and reunite with the younger brothers and sisters he had once known.

But in the end, he restrained himself.

The more people who knew his identity, the greater the risk of it being exposed.

It would have been one thing if he were alone, but Ronova, who had lost her powers, was with him now.

He could never let Ronova face any possible danger.

To Mo Fan as he was now, that was what mattered most!