On the distant shoreline, the Doctor continued collecting remnants of the fallen god.
A twisted smile curled at his lips. Even he had been stunned by that sky-splitting strike moments ago.
"A most satisfactory experiment."
"I never expected Liyue's deity to intervene personally."
He murmured to himself before resuming his work, placing the god's remains into a strange container.
"The Gnosis… let Childe and La Signora handle that."
"I have other, more interesting materials to send back."
He let out a low, eerie laugh.
Slowly, the Doctor straightened and made his way toward the opposite end of the shore, where a group of Fatui agents was already waiting to escort him.
…
At that moment, Qiu Bai's white-clad incarnation completed the purification.
Sensing something, his true form gave the black-clad Qiu Bai a subtle nod. Without hesitation, the dark figure shot toward the Doctor's location.
…
From above, black-clad Qiu Bai locked eyes on his target—the Doctor, already seated in a boat, preparing to depart.
"There."
He muttered before vanishing.
In the blink of an eye, he materialized directly in front of the Doctor.
…
The Doctor looked up, momentarily surprised, before offering a slight bow.
"Liyue's deity?"
"To what do I owe the honor of your visit?"
His voice was calm, as if he had expected this.
…
"I've come to kill you."
Qiu Bai's cold words rang in his ears.
"Protect the Doctor!"
The surrounding Fatui agents scrambled into action, weapons drawn.
But none of them dared take the first step.
A chilling pressure loomed over them all.
…
"It seems there are… many of you in this world."
Qiu Bai's dark incarnation gazed at the Doctor, his voice devoid of emotion.
The Doctor chuckled.
"And you, mighty deity, do you not also exist in three forms at once?"
"I merely used my intellect to reach the same heights as you."
He rose to his feet, his twisted smile returning.
There was no fear in his expression—only pride.
A mere human… who had achieved divinity.
…
"Oh? Is that so?"
Qiu Bai's eyes narrowed.
"Then tell me… does the you standing before me possess power equal to mine?"
The moment he spoke, an overwhelming pressure exploded outward.
The very air trembled.
Birds in the sky plummeted into the sea, unable to withstand the force.
The Fatui agents, still clutching their weapons, were forced to their knees, unable to move.
"Gah…!"
The Doctor collapsed instantly, crushed under the sheer weight of Qiu Bai's presence.
It felt as if a mountain had come crashing down upon him.
His once-arrogant expression twisted into something else—struggle.
…
"Interesting."
Qiu Bai spoke, his voice as steady as ever.
"You are not a god, and yet you have barely managed to touch the edges of divinity."
"Among all your fragments, only two have reached this level."
He scanned the Doctor, his divine senses unraveling the truth.
"And this one—this fragment—was created specifically for Liyue, wasn't it?"
"An Archon-level duplicate."
"I can only imagine the cost of crafting something like you."
His cold gaze bore into the fallen man.
…
The Doctor's expression finally cracked.
Panic flickered in his eyes.
"You… you know where all my fragments are?!"
For the first time, his composure shattered.
Despite the crushing weight of Qiu Bai's power, he forced himself to lift his head, gritting his teeth.
The god before him had felled Osial with a single strike.
Against such a being, he stood no chance.
…
"For releasing the Vortex God…"
"This fragment of you will be erased."
Qiu Bai's words were final.
A faint killing intent seeped into his otherwise indifferent tone.
A strange black mist coiled around his fingertips.
Slowly, he pointed toward the Doctor.
"No—"
The Doctor barely had time to react.
Before he could utter another word, his body dissolved into black particles, scattering into the wind.
His Archon-level fragment had been erased.
…
Without sparing a glance at the trembling Fatui, Qiu Bai turned and vanished into the sky.
He flew back toward his true form.
…
A short while later, Qiu Bai watched as his Yin incarnation returned.
A faint smile touched his lips.
With a single breath, he absorbed both his black and white incarnations back into his body.
Turning toward Liyue Harbor and the Jade Chamber, he nodded to himself, satisfied.
"Now… I suppose I should help Xiao cleanse his karmic burden."
Qiu Bai's figure appeared above the Jade Chamber.
"Immortal Lord!"
Ganyu's voice rang out, filled with joy and relief.
"Immortal Lord!"
Everyone present—aside from Lumine and Paimon—turned toward him. The Adepti, the Liyue Qixing, Keqing, and Ningguang all gazed in astonishment.
Even Cloud Retainer, Water and Mountain Shaper, and Sun and Moon Cutter, who had maintained their beast forms, now took on human form.
Water and Mountain Shaper had transformed into a young man with a crane-shaped mark between his brows.
Sun and Moon Cutter had taken on the appearance of a middle-aged man, with a deer-shaped mark upon his forehead.
Cloud Retainer, however, had assumed the form of a woman.
Her long white hair cascaded down her back, flowing like silk. She wore a white Daoist robe, with a crane-shaped mark above her eyebrows.
Beneath the robe, the faint outline of her graceful figure was just barely visible. Her expression, however, remained as cold and composed as ever.
…
"Whoa! This is my first time seeing the Adepti in human form!"
Paimon gasped in amazement.
"I never expected Cloud Retainer to be such a beautiful big sister!"
She floated closer, her wide eyes darting between the transformed Adepti.
…
One after another, the Adepti stepped forward and bowed slightly toward Qiu Bai.
Paimon nudged Lumine.
"Traveler, doesn't it feel weird if we don't bow too?"
"Yeah… it does feel a little odd."
Lumine hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
"Let's do it."
Both she and Paimon turned toward Qiu Bai and respectfully bowed.
…
For a brief moment, there was silence.
Then—
"Pfft—"
Qiu Bai couldn't hold back his laughter.
A warm chuckle escaped him as he waved a hand.
"Alright, alright, enough of that. There's no need for such formalities."
Seeing his smile, the gathered Adepti and Qixing relaxed, setting aside their ceremonial gestures.
…
"Immortal Lord, where exactly did you disappear to all these years?"
A clear, cool voice rang out.
Cloud Retainer stepped forward, her long legs barely visible beneath her flowing robe as she walked. Her sharp eyes were laced with curiosity.
…
"Uh…"
Qiu Bai hesitated.
He rubbed the back of his head, suddenly looking a little awkward.
"I… well, I went to explore the human world."
…
"Explore the human world?!"
Cloud Retainer's eye twitched.
Without hesitation, she strode straight up to him.
Then—she let loose.
Words poured from her mouth as she berated him mercilessly.
Unlike a master-disciple relationship, where one would simply bow and move on, she and Qiu Bai had never been so distant.
A thousand years ago, in Jueyun Karst, she had been the one he was closest to.
After all, he had even entrusted her with the passcode to his domain.
Not to mention, she, along with the other Adepti, had often gathered with him for tea.
And, of course, there was also the game of poker that Qiu Bai had studied…
…
"Do you have ANY idea how long we searched for you?!"
"Could you not have at least left us a single word before vanishing?!"
Her rosy lips curled into a furious pout.
Even her usually icy expression was tinged with frustration.
Qiu Bai backed away slightly, waving his hands in defense.
"Ah… well, I had been asleep for so long… I just wanted to go out and get some fresh air!"
He spoke quickly, hoping to calm her down.
…
Paimon snickered, whispering to Lumine.
"Heh. I never thought the great Immortal Lord would be afraid of women."
…
Cloud Retainer's sharp gaze snapped toward her.
"Afraid of whom, exactly?"
…
The air tensed.
…