Genshin Impact: Awakening in the Darkness

Chapter 175 The Lantern After a Year (8)

"Morax—!" Another roar deepened the cracks in the formation.

"No need to call him, isn't he right here?" Xuan Yue couldn't resist saying something, but she still started moving.

The surrounding space rippled, and countless chains passed through the sealing array, first binding his limbs, then his body, and then his neck.

"Fortunately, we discovered it early. Zhongli, go and repair the formation. I'll control him."

"It's not that simple," Zhongli said, gripping the Piercing Rainbow Spear tightly, not daring to be careless. "Ruotuo is a creation of the elements; as long as it can touch the ground, it can..."

"Roar—! A bunch of ignorant ants—!"

Before Zhongli could finish speaking, Ruotuo had already torn open the final seal, and even the chains binding him were about to collapse.

"Heh, even if I haven't been resting well lately, the power of 'Order' isn't so easy to break free from."

As Xuan Yue spoke, she increased her power output, and more chains wrapped around Ruo Tuo's body.

"You can't control Ruotuo like this." Zhongli had already put on his shield and was now wielding his Piercing Rainbow Spear, aiming an attack at Ruotuo's head.

"Then what do you suggest we do? We can't just kill him!"

boom--!

Zhongli's attack slammed the opponent's head into the ground, creating a huge dent.

"Morax—!!!" Xuan Yue screamed in fright: (No way! They're really killing each other!)

As expected, Ruotuo was thoroughly enraged, and the rocks on its back glowed red, a sign that it was preparing to attack.

"It's a pity that this attack didn't knock him out directly." Zhongli remained calm and composed, showing no sign of panic.

"You gave me quite a fright; I almost thought you were really going to send him away."

After saying that, the two of them immediately left the spot. Because a magic circle had appeared beneath their feet, if they had remained standing there, the rolling lava would have scorched their skin and devoured them completely.

“Ruotuo is a rock formed from the ground, with amazing defensive capabilities. It can't be subdued without some strength and skill.” Zhongli answered Xuan Yue’s question while dodging the attacks at his feet, his breathing still steady.

"You're practically stating his tough, resilient nature right here." Xuan Yue was also dodging, but seized the opportunity to spread her wings and fly into the air: "Since you've said that, then I won't hold back."

The next second, he swooped down from above, focusing his power on Shaoyang to attack the figure who was bound by chains and unable to move.

This attack not only sank Ruotuo's entire body into the ground, but also broke the chains binding him and caused a massive earthquake in the vicinity.

The commotion was so great that the ground around Liyue Harbor shook for a while.

"Is this an earthquake or an underwater volcanic eruption?" A businessman from Fontaineble asked, somewhat alarmed.

"Buddy, don't worry. This is Liyue. I guess a few immortals are sparring, which is why there's such a commotion." A passerby heard the merchant's mutterings and told him to relax and look around.

The Liyue people nearby noticed the commotion, glanced around for a while, and then went back to doing their own thing, as if nothing had happened.

The merchant from Fontainebleau: "Is that so...?"

A passerby from Liyue: "Haha, we still have the protection of the Celestials and the immortals. Besides, if something had happened, the Thousand Rock Army would have received an emergency order to retreat. We haven't heard anything for so long, so it's obvious that nothing has happened."

"I see, thank you very much, sir."

------

"Cough cough—!" Xuan Qing's figure began to appear and disappear. If he hadn't intervened with Xuan Yue's attack, the powerful impact would have reached Liyue Harbor, and it wouldn't have been as simple as just a few tremors on the ground.

However, the energy contained in this wisp of his consciousness was also about to be exhausted.

(No, I still have to go in and take a look.) This time, Xuanqing did not hesitate any longer, transformed back into a crystal butterfly, and flew towards the sealed place.

"Huff—! Huff—! Huff—!" Xuan Yue was panting heavily. That attack had exhausted most of his strength, and he didn't have much stamina left.

(If I had known, I wouldn't have used so much energy to feed that formation recently, which is why the replenishment can't keep up with the rate of consumption. But this attack should knock him unconscious, right...)

"Zhongli...we need to hurry...uh!" Xuan Yue was about to call Zhongli, who had just deflected the falling rocks off him, to form the formation again, but the ground beneath their feet began to shake once more.

"Again—!" Xuan Yue dodged again, and as expected, Ruo Tuo emerged from the ground once more, venting his dissatisfaction and even provoking them.

The scales, which had originally glowed red, had turned a pale blue luster, and the temperature was dropping rapidly. An energy cluster gathered at the tip of his tail, and he began to fire ice spikes at them.

"Impregnable!" Zhongli immediately shielded Xuan Yue behind him. "How do you feel?"

Xuan Yue's eyes showed exhaustion, and his condition had obviously deteriorated a lot, but he still used Shao Yang to prop himself up and stand up: "Don't worry, we'll hold on until we reseal him."

“Even if he used to be my family, behind him lies the land that A-Qing loves most and the people he cares about.” As she spoke, Xuan Yue couldn’t help but laugh: “Sorry, Ruo Tuo, but what can I do? My heart is just turned out the wrong way!”

"..." (Where did he learn these words? They sound weirder and weirder.) Zhongli's face remained expressionless. "Don't be stubborn. If Ruotuo could fight me to a draw in my prime, my strength has declined significantly now, and you are not in good condition either. We can only outsmart him."

"You go and block his movements, I'll go repair the sealing array. Reactivate the array, otherwise Liyue will be in danger once his true form escapes completely."

"Huh! Isn't this his real body?"

"No. Ruotuo isn't that... uh... small?" Zhongli was unsure of the right words to describe it.

"Roar---!"

Seeing that Ruotuo was about to launch another attack, Zhongli immediately took action, preparing to replace some of the broken rock pillars originally used to suppress it before starting to repair the magic array.

These rock pillars can absorb some of the earth's energy, thus limiting Ruotuo's recovery and mobility, giving him more time.

But how could Ruotuo not know their purpose? How could it be so easy to suppress him again?

"Don't even think about it! I don't want to go back to that dark and hopeless place. What right do you have? Just for those ants, I can crush a whole bunch of them with a single turn! What's so great about them!" Ruotuo's attacks became even more fierce. His unwillingness and his refusal to submit were his driving force.

"!!!" Upon hearing this, Xuan Yue's heart trembled violently, and she gripped Shao Yang's hand even tighter:

(You are not him...)