After scanning his surroundings, Qiu Bai seemed to sense something.
His figure flickered and in the next moment, he disappeared from where he stood.
When he reappeared, he found himself facing an enormous pulsating heart.
The heart glowed crimson, pulsating steadily like a living stone.
But Qiu Bai gaze wasn't fixed on the heart itself, his attention was on the Fatui agents standing beside it.
"Who goes there?!"
"A mere mortal actually made it here? Kill him!"
The Electro Hammer Fatui slowly got to his feet, giving an order to the Hydro Fatui beside him.
"Leave it to me. Look at him, he looks so fragile."
"I really can't stand scrawny guys like this."
A Pyro Agent, sitting nearby and polishing his firearm, smirked as he stood up, striding toward Qiu Bai.
"Hey, man, coming to Dragonspine dressed like that in this cold?"
"The fact that you're even alive is already a miracle, hahahaha!"
The Pyro Agent chuckled mockingly as he approached.
"Hurry up and finish him."
"We don't have time to waste."
The Electro Hammer Fatui furrowed his brows, barking orders from a distance.
"I know, I know."
"Can't I have a little fun with this pretty boy first?"
The Pyro Agent waved him off with a smirk.
Then, suddenly—
"Die!"
His face darkened, and he threw a punch straight at Qiu Bai face!
BANG!
A dull thud echoed through the icy air.
The Pyro Agent expression froze in disbelief.
His fist had landed directly on Qiu Bai face a full-force punch, solid and precise.
But something was wrong.
There was no reaction.
Qiu Bai hadn't budged an inch.
His left eye was covered by the Pyro Agent fist, but his right eye remained exposed, staring blankly at the man.
There was no pain.
No resistance.
As if the punch never even happened.
The Pyro Agent slowly withdrew his fist, his face pale as he stared at Qiu Bai completely unscathed.
"T-This is impossible!"
In disbelief, he roared and swung another punch!
This time—
Qiu Bai stopped it effortlessly with a single finger.
"Is that all you've got?"
Qiu Bai sighed, rubbing his ear absentmindedly.
He had expected more from the Fatui, but this?
This was disappointing.
"Damn you! How dare you look down on me!"
"I'm an ELITE of the Fatui!"
Furious, the Pyro Agent shouted at the top of his lungs, throwing another punch—
"Sigh…"
Qiu Bai let out a soft sigh. With just a slight movement of his finger, the Pyro Agent before him dissolved into black specks of light, vanishing like dust.
The remaining Fatui members were stunned.
"A-A demon…!"
"Run! RUN! It's a monster!"
One of the Fatui, frozen in shock suddenly screamed in terror. His voice snapped the others out of their daze, and they turned to flee in panic.
But before they could move far—
Qiu Bai casually waved his hand.
Thud!
Every single Fatui member collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
Ignoring them, Qiu Bai strolled toward Durin heart.
"So this is what it really looks like in reality. It's different from the game."
He reached out and touched the heart, feeling its surface.
Hard as stone.
After a moment, he shook his head.
"There's nothing interesting left in Dragonspine."
And just like that, his figure vanished.
When he reappeared, he was standing before a massive Frostarm Lawachurl towering over him.
The moment the creature saw Qiu Bai, it roared, its body instantly coated in thick ice armor. It raised its giant fist and charged toward him.
Qiu Bai simply pointed a finger.
And in the next instant—
The Frostarm Lawachurl disintegrated into black specks of light, vanishing completely.
His gaze shifted toward the Frostbearing Tree before him.
Its base gleamed like red jade, and its branches shimmered with the same crimson glow.
"Heh, since I'm already here, I might as well do some good."
A smirk played on Qiu Bai lips as he placed his palm against the tree.
A surge of pure white divine energy flowed into it.
Under his power, the tree began to grow rapidly.
Waves of red energy pulsed outward from within the trunk, spreading through the air.
Within moments, the Frostbearing Tree reached its maximum potential, fully leveled up through pure physical force.
Even Dragonspine temperature rose by several degrees.
Qiu Bai glanced at the now towering tree, nodded in satisfaction, and vanished.
Liyue Harbor
Qiu Bai reappeared in a quiet, empty corner of Liyue.
Without hesitation, he began walking toward Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
As he admired the bustling beauty of Liyue Harbor, a familiar voice suddenly echoed in his mind.
"Immortal Lord, I have a request."
It was Ningguang.
Her tone was as composed and elegant as ever, yet there was a distinct seriousness beneath it.
"This matter concerns the safety of the people near The Chasm."
Qiu Bai smirked slightly.
It seemed that the Yin-Yang Jade Stone he had gifted to Ningguang was working.
Clearing his throat slightly, he altered his voice before responding.
"Go ahead, Ningguang. What do you need my help with?"
Her voice continued.
"Near the mountains between Tianqiu Valley and Nantianmen frequent tremors have been occurring."
"The Liyue citizens living in that area are constantly being disturbed and awakened in the night, their belongings knocked from shelves."
She paused briefly before adding.
"I have already dispatched a unit of the Millelith to investigate."
"But it has been two days, and there has been no response from them."
Ningguang's voice grew more anxious as she continued speaking.
"I understand, Ningguang. I'll go take a look."
Hearing her worried tone, Qiu Bai furrowed his brow slightly before responding.
"Many thanks, Immortal Lord!"
Ningguang let out a relieved sigh before ending the connection.
The moment their conversation ended, Qiu Bai vanished from Liyue Harbor.
Tianqiu Valley
Qiu Bai stood atop a towering peak, closing his eyes briefly to sense the disturbance.
"Oh? Well, damn… It's the Ancient Geovishap?"
"Didn't expect it to wake up."
A faint smirk appeared on his lips, but it quickly turned into a mild grimace.
His figure blurred—and in an instant, he was gone.
At the Chasm's Edge
Upon arriving at the scene, Qiu Bai's gaze fell upon the massive, resting form of the Ancient Geovishap.
Lying scattered in front of the beast were dozens of unconscious Millelith soldiers.
Their bodies were sprawled across the rocky terrain, clearly overwhelmed by the creature's power.
The deep, rhythmic breaths of the slumbering Geovishap rumbled through the cavern.
Qiu Bai waved a hand, his divine power enveloping the fallen Millelith—safely teleporting them out of harm's way.
With that done, his golden eyes shifted back to the towering beast before him.
As if sensing his presence, the Geovishap's massive eyes snapped open, locking onto the tiny human before it.
"ROOOOOAAARR!!!"
The cavern shook violently as the Geovishap rose, its massive form towering over Qiu Bai.
Without hesitation, it lifted a colossal claw, bringing it down in a crushing blow—
BOOM!
A deafening impact shook the entire cave.
But when the dust settled—
Qiu Bai stood firm, one hand raised, casually holding back the Geovishap's massive claw.
With a mere push, he sent the beast reeling backward.
The force was so great that the Geovishap stumbled, losing its balance completely.
With an earth-shattering thud, the beast collapsed onto its back, sending violent tremors through the ground.
Meanwhile…
The Liyue citizens near The Chasm were once again shaken awake by yet another "earthquake."
Qiu Bai stepped forward toward the fallen Geovishap, his footsteps echoing in the silence.
Effortlessly, he leaped onto the beast's massive torso, walking straight up to its face.
The Geovishap roared in fury.
With its mouth wide open, it unleashed a blazing golden breath, a torrent of pure Geo energy, aimed directly at Qiu Bai—
A devastating attack that could reduce mountains to rubble.
But the moment the fiery breath touched Qiu Bai's body—
It vanished.
The dragon's breath dispersed into tiny black specks of nothingness, as if it had never existed at all.
SMACK!
A sharp, crisp slap echoed through the cavern.
Qiu Bai's hand connected directly with the Geovishap's massive face.
"Can't you behave yourself?"
"What, you got 'morning rage' or something?"
SMACK!
Another thunderous slap landed on the beast's other cheek.
The once mighty Geovishap—
Was now just a very, very confused and slightly dazed dragon.
The sound of repeated slaps continued to echo throughout the cavern.
(T/N: Like the story fellow daoist? Read 20 chapters ahead on my P@treon [p@treon.com/DaoistRongyi] Thanks for your support! 😊)