At the moment the attack arrived, Lumine and Paimon both instinctively shut their eyes.
But when they realized nothing had happened, they slowly opened them again.
What they saw was the figure standing in front of them.
Qiu Nian.
He stood there calmly with one hand raised, effortlessly blocking the relentless blast.
"Qiu Nian…"
Lumine stared at his back in a daze, murmuring softly.
Paimon, on the other hand, had already been frightened speechless.
"So the one attacking is another god?"
"Whoa… this is way too cool!"
Xuehua blinked in surprise. When she saw Qiu Nian standing in front of Lumine and Paimon, protecting them, she suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of security.
[They're both ancient gods—why can Qiu Nian casually block the other god's attack with one hand?]
[Son-in-law: Do you like my supreme relaxed aura, fellow ancient god?]
[Damn, that's such a strong sense of security]
At the same time, the continuous beam of light gradually became thinner before disappearing entirely.
Qiu Nian lowered his hand and looked ahead.
A man slowly walked toward them.
He had long gray hair and dignified features.
He wore a simple black robe, and his eyes were a deep emerald green.
"The God of Obscuration…"
Qiu Nian frowned slightly as he looked at the man.
No wonder he possessed the ability to alter the cognition of Vision holders.
Even his divine power was dense and pure Dendro elemental energy.
That previous strike had felt more like a test.
Was it because there were humans here?
"This uncle actually has quite a presence."
"The God of Obscuration… but why is his target Gui Xu?"
Xuehua said in confusion.
[Wasn't he sealed beneath Guyun Stone Forest by Rex Lapis?]
['Obscuration'… like the idiom 'a leaf blocking one's eyes'?]
[Right, when a leaf blocks your vision you can't see the whole picture]
[So altering cognition must be his divine authority]
"Gui Xu… you actually returned."
"Finally… finally I can personally end the hatred that has lasted for thousands of years!"
The God of Obscuration stared at Qiu Nian with burning hatred and fury.
"Hmm…"
Qiu Nian looked confused.
Strange.
During the early stages of the Archon War, he had never encountered this god.
So why did this being harbor such intense hatred toward him?
The hatred was almost comparable to Azhdaha in his eroded state.
"Hatred…"
"I don't understand what you're talking about."
Qiu Nian said calmly.
"Of course you don't know!"
The God of Obscuration suddenly became agitated.
He had remained beneath Guyun Stone Forest for centuries in a state of feigned death.
Fueled by overwhelming hatred and the effects of erosion, his mental state was far from stable.
"But that doesn't matter anymore."
"I know I might not be your match."
"But even if I die, I'll make sure you are gravely wounded!"
"Gui Xu… feel my hatred!"
The God of Obscuration pressed a hand against his forehead. After taking a deep breath, his tone suddenly became calm.
"Must it really be like this?"
"If I were you, I would let go of the past and go see what the world has become today."
"Instead of coming here to cause trouble for me."
Qiu Nian looked at him with mild confusion.
What kind of grudge was this?
It wasn't even him who had sealed the god beneath Guyun Stone Forest.
And technically speaking, it was Qiu Nian who had lifted the seal, allowing this god to escape.
Instead of gratitude—
why hatred?
During the ten years he stayed in Liyue, he hadn't even done much for the nation.
So where exactly did this baseless hatred come from?
[That's a serious grudge]
[Qiu Nian: Bro, I wasn't the one who sealed you under Guyun]
[Qiu Nian looks so innocent here lol]
"Osial abandoned his obsession."
"But I will not."
"Unless either you die or I do, my hatred and obsession will never fade!"
At this point, the God of Obscuration's eyes widened.
His unstable mind snapped again.
Dark-green light shone in his eyes as immense divine power erupted around him.
The Dendro energy carried violent hatred and fury as it spread in all directions.
The sky and the land around Qiu Nian were instantly dyed dark green.
Feeling the terrifying pressure, Lumine's pupils shrank.
Her entire body trembled.
Before that power, she felt as insignificant as an ant.
Paimon floated helplessly in the air, completely immobilized by the divine pressure.
Then she began falling straight down.
At that critical moment, Lumine gritted her teeth.
A flash of light burst around her body.
She suddenly ignored the divine pressure.
She caught the falling Paimon in her arms.
Now she supported Qinglan with one hand and held Paimon with the other.
Gritting her teeth, she stared toward the God of Obscuration in the distance.
Seeing this, Qiu Nian turned his head slightly.
Strange patterns briefly lit up in his eyes.
Paimon instantly regained control of her body.
"H-Huh? What just happened?"
"Why couldn't I move just now?"
Paimon floated up again, confused.
"That was divine pressure."
"It is extremely harmful to ordinary humans."
"When you faced the Overlord of the Vortex, Osial, you were far away."
"But this time is different."
"He isn't like Osial, whose body remained pinned beneath the sea while temporarily freed from his seal."
"You can consider the God of Obscuration's current state to be only slightly weaker than his peak."
Qiu Nian explained calmly while looking at the unstable god in the distance.
At the same time—
in Liyue Harbor.
Aside from Vision holders, ordinary citizens suddenly felt an indescribable pressure weighing on their hearts.
They looked up.
The once clear blue sky gradually became covered with dark clouds.
In the distance, the horizon turned dark green as thunder and lightning flashed.
"Hmm…"
Zhongli stepped out of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor and looked toward the strange sky in the distance, deep in thought.
At Yujing Terrace—
"What is this…?"
Madame Ping looked up at the dark-green sky and murmured in surprise.
Ningguang stepped out of her building.
Looking at the scene that resembled the moment when Osial's seal was broken, she clenched her fists.
She had just been about to order the Millelith to investigate—
when the sky suddenly returned to its clear blue state.
Seeing this, Ningguang froze in confusion.
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