With Stelle attracting all the aggro up front, Phantylia had no way of dealing with the others.
Stelle had gone full berserker, completely unhinged—one hand wielding the Judgment of Shamash, the other brandishing a flame spear. Slash with the right, stab with the left.
Whenever Huanlong finally got a chance to attack Stelle, Dan Heng's water dragon would come crashing in and push him back.
If not that, then it was a hit from Welt.
Nearby, March 7th was casting shields for everyone, and Bubu the flower was secretly siphoning Phantylia's life force.
Phantylia couldn't take it anymore.
"Impudence!"
She activated her final form—one that put extreme strain on the physical body.
Unleashing her full power, Phantylia quickly forced Stelle and the others back.
She broke free, grabbed a small asteroid bare-handed, and hurled it at them.
Stelle's eyes widened as she saw the asteroid falling from the sky.
So cool! she thought. I want a size-changing ability like that! I'm totally trying that move someday!
March 7th quickly yanked the stunned Stelle aside.
"What are you staring at? Dodge, now!"
The asteroid was incredibly fast.
Welt and Dan Heng sprang into action—one forming a black hole, the other summoning his water dragon.
Just as they were about to strike—
A booming voice echoed through the sky, one they all instantly recognized.
"Ten Thousand Swords Return to the Sect!"
March 7th looked up and saw three figures in the sky—and when she recognized them, she was overjoyed.
"Look! It's Ye Yun! And Zhongli!"
Countless flying swords circled around the trio in the air.
Ye Yun held the Oath of Freedom, which he had traded for with wine from Venti.
"Go!"
At Ye Yun's command, the swords surrounding them surged toward the asteroid.
Each sword was wrapped in razor-sharp sword energy.
The sword rain shattered the asteroid into countless fragments.
Zhongli glanced down at Stelle and the others.
"As solid as rock."
Instantly, a sturdy barrier appeared around Stelle and her teammates.
Venti, meanwhile, readied his bow—powerful Anemo energy gathering at the tip of his arrow.
"Ode of the Wind—awaken, slumbering spirits!"
With a single shot, the storm of debris was swept away by raging winds.
Stelle stared, utterly thrilled by the overwhelming coolness of the trio.
"Frogging awesome!!! That was so cool—I want to learn that!"
"That one's amazing too! Just a wave of the hands and—solid defense!"
"Venti's move is sick! 'Ode of the Wind,' epic!"
March 7th was also cheering on the trio, especially moved by Venti's arrow—it made her momentarily associate him with the word god.
Phantylia was stunned. What the heck?! More powerful fighters?!
Before she could react, a voice came from behind him:
"Radiant spirit, heed my word. Show no mercy!"
Jing Yuan, controlling the Lightning-Lord, delivered a devastating slash to Phantylia's back.
Seeing the chance, everyone unleashed their ultimate attacks to finish Phantylia once and for all.
"Judgment of Shamash—unsheathed! Annihilation!"
"Let this lady show you what I can do!"
"Azure Dragon Purifies the World!"
"You know nothing of the weight of this power!"
"Heaven Moves All Things!"
"You're not getting away~"
"Ten Thousand Swords Return to the Sect!"
Phantylia looked up at the overwhelming barrage.
Meteors, black holes, hurricanes, sword rain, flames, water dragons, ice crystals… and the Lightning-Lord looming overhead.
Heh… heh… this world isn't worth it. Suddenly, I don't want a physical body that badly anymore.
The attacks landed, and Phantylia's body—constructed from the Ambrosial Arbor—instantly collapsed. This time, unlike the original story, she didn't even have the energy for a final threat. She just bailed.
Ye Yun, Zhongli, and Venti descended.
Stelle and March 7th rushed forward to greet them.
Stelle tugged on Ye Yun's sleeve with a mischievous grin.
"Ye Yun, could you teach me that 'Ten Thousand Swords Return to the Sect' move?"
Ye Yun chuckled.
"Buy it in the shop—Sword Mastery."
Stelle gave a hand gesture of understanding.
Just then, Jing Yuan and Dan Heng approached.
Jing Yuan nodded gratefully to the three.
"Thank you, friends, for your help."
Ye Yun smiled.
"No problem. I was just here to get some practice. With your strength, you could've handled it—it would've just taken more time."
Jing Yuan chuckled.
"By the way, may I ask your names?"
Ye Yun, Venti, and Zhongli replied in turn.
"Ye Yun."
"Venti."
"Zhongli."
Jing Yuan bowed again.
"A pleasure to meet you all. This isn't the best place to talk—let's move somewhere more comfortable. I'll have some tea prepared. Shall we chat over refreshments?"
Everyone had no objections.
After Dan Heng sealed the Jianzhu again, the group returned with Fu Xuan at the entrance of the Abyss Domain, heading back in triumph.
Fu Xuan was relieved to hear the Jianzhu issue was resolved.
But when she learned Phantylia had merged with the Ambrosial Arbor, she was stunned.
Good thing the Astral Express crew was there… otherwise, the general this time… pah pah pah—don't jinx it!
Everyone boarded the Starskiff and headed to the Divine Foresight's Manor.
About an hour later—
They arrived, and Jing Yuan led them to the backyard.
Since it wasn't official business, a relaxed setting like the garden was more suitable.
Jing Yuan, fond of tea, had built a pavilion in the manor's backyard for moments like this.
Once there, he invited everyone to sit.
"Please, have a seat. I recently acquired a new batch of tea—help me taste it."
He poured tea for everyone. Zhongli took his cup, gave it a sniff, and nodded approvingly.
"Excellent. The aroma is light—must be freshly picked."
Jing Yuan smiled.
"Indeed. I didn't expect Mr. Zhongli to be a tea connoisseur."
Zhongli gently shook his head.
"I know a little."
Stelle gulped her down in one go and tasted it.
Tsk. Not bad, but still not as good as the tea Ye Yun gave me last time.
Everyone chatted while drinking tea.
Stelle and March 7th grew restless. Stelle finally couldn't hold it in anymore.
"Um, you guys keep chatting. March and I are going for a walk. We'll head back to the Express on our own later, no need to wait."
Jing Yuan chuckled.
"Feel free to explore the Xianzhou. All expenses are on the Divine Foresight's Manor."
The two girls lit up.
"Really?" Stelle asked, still a bit skeptical.
Jing Yuan nodded.
"Really."
Stelle's eyes sparkled instantly.
"Then we're off! You all enjoy your tea! March—GoGoGo!"
The two dashed off like schoolgirls fleeing the classroom at the end of the day.
Jing Yuan watched them go, quietly envying the Astral Express crew.
Every one of them was outstanding. Not to mention their strength—it was formidable.
Then he thought about his own Luofu… while the younger generation was promising, there was no clear leader among them. So tough. Poor me, over a thousand years old and still not retired.
Jing Yuan, Ye Yun, and the others continued sipping tea and chatting.
***
Teyvat, Liyue, Stone Gate.
"We're almost in Liyue, Lumine!"
Lumine was driving her off-road RV along the trade route from Mondstadt to Liyue.
The trade route was relatively smooth and well-maintained.
Crossing through a mountain pass, Lumine successfully arrived in Liyue.
At Stone Gate, there was a small market that usually sold food and tea to passing merchants and travelers.
Paimon opened the car window, sniffed the air a few times, and took a deep breath.
"Wow~ smells so good! Lumine, let's get something to eat. I'm hungry."
Lumine glanced out the window. Sure enough, there were many food stalls.
But she had no intention of stopping.
"Eat? Hold on a bit. Didn't we make plans with Hu Tao? She's waiting for us at Wangshu Inn to take us to eat something really good."
Paimon suddenly remembered—right! Hu Tao said she was treating them to a meal.
"Then let's keep going! I don't want to keep Hu Tao waiting too long!"
Lumine rolled her eyes and closed the window. You're not worried about making Hu Tao wait—you're just craving snacks, aren't you?
She floored the gas and continued driving.
Passersby on the road looked curiously at the RV. What is that thing? It moves on its own?!
Meanwhile, near the Statue of The Seven in Dihua Marsh, a group of Treasure Hoarders was setting an ambush, waiting to rob passing merchants.
Their boss, A-Biao, was directing his men.
"Hurry up, move faster!"
Suddenly, a voice called out—a lackey came running.
"Boss! A big target is coming!"
A-Biao grinned with excitement and motioned for his underlings to hide.
"Get ready to jump out when I give the signal! Remember—make it loud and fierce!"
The men hid in the grass by the roadside.
A-Biao found a good vantage point and saw the RV coming from the distance.
What kind of thing is that? It moves on its own?
He thought hard but couldn't figure it out. Oh well—it's probably just some fancy kind of carriage.
"Don't rush! Wait till it's closer, or you'll scare off the target!" he whispered, holding back his eager men.
Finally, when the RV was only about ten meters away, A-Biao shouted:
"Now! Get them!"
He leapt out, followed by his crew.
Unfortunately, they had underestimated the RV's speed.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
One by one, they were all knocked flying into the nearby river.
Perfect diving form, huge splash!
Lumine, now approaching Wangshu Inn, decided to text Hu Tao.
Phones worked fine in Liyue.
Lumine looked up, confused.
"Eh? Did I just hit something?"
She slammed the brakes, opened the door, and looked around.
Nothing.
She shrugged and got back in, hit the gas, and kept going.
Back at the river by the Statue of The Seven—
A-Biao dragged himself onto the riverbank, trembling.
"You—you're not allowed to just drive off! You hit people! I want medical compensation! I'll sue you!!! Sob sob sob sob sob~"
Ten minutes later.
Lumine reached Wangshu Inn. Right in front, she saw Hu Tao crouched down by her parked motorcycle, counting Primogems.
Hu Tao had arrived early. Instead of waiting around, she decided to explore the inn.
To her delight, Wangshu Inn was full of treasure chests!
She'd looted every single one.
Xiao, watching silently from the rooftop the whole time, couldn't understand why Hu Tao was so obsessed with chests—they rarely had anything good.
Lumine parked the RV in front of Hu Tao and leaned out the window, honking.
"Toot toot~ Hu Tao, I'm here!"
Hu Tao looked up.
"Oh~ Lumine, you finally made it!
Let's go, let's go! I made a reservation at Wanmin Restaurant. I got Xiangling to whip up a whole feast for us—she's one of Liyue's best chefs!"
Lumine nodded.
"Why don't you hop in and guide me? I can load your motorcycle in the back."
Hu Tao looked over the RV with interest. Not bad! She wanted to give it a try.
"Sure, open the trunk."
Lumine hit the trunk release, and Hu Tao loaded her flying motorcycle inside.
Then she stepped inside the RV and looked around.
Right across from the door was a small booth with seats for four.
Paimon was munching on chips in one of the seats.
"Hu Tao! Come sit here—want some chips?"
Hu Tao shook her head.
"You eat. I'll look around."
She explored the interior. Despite its small size, the RV had everything—perfect for a traveler like Lumine.
After checking it out, Hu Tao briefly considered getting one herself.
But then she thought—nah, her flying motorcycle was fast and got her home quickly.
Hu Tao moved up to the front just as Lumine was starting the engine again.
"Can you help guide me?"
Hu Tao grabbed a small stool and sat next to Lumine. The two chatted and drove on.
Over an hour later—
Lumine and Hu Tao arrived at the entrance of Liyue Harbor.
The stationed Millelith soldiers stopped the RV.
"Stop right there! Step out for inspection!"
Lumine and Hu Tao stepped down.
Hu Tao squinted at one of the guards and grinned.
"Yo~ Isn't that A-Cai? You're on duty today?"
The squad leader, A-Cai, recognized Hu Tao immediately. She had once saved him from monsters out in the wild.
Seeing her, he motioned for the others to lower their weapons.
"Ah, it's you, Master Hu. I thought it was something else. Is this vehicle yours?"
Hu Tao pointed to Lumine.
"Nope, it's hers. This is Lumine. The RV's kind of like a carriage."
A-Cai nodded.
"I see. We thought it might be a monster or something.
Are you just getting back from work?"
Hu Tao laughed.
"No no, I went to pick up Lumine. I'm treating her to a meal at Wanmin Restaurant."
A-Cai smiled, reassured.
"All right then, I won't keep you. We've got to stay on duty anyway."
Hu Tao nodded and climbed back into the RV with Lumine.
As they passed A-Cai, Hu Tao leaned out the window again.
"Stop by Wangsheng Funeral Parlor sometime for tea!"
A-Cai smiled and waved.
"Sure, I will."